C547 The Bloodthirsty Resistance!

Yuan Lianyao was the ruler of Asvetaesi City.

Ann Ziqing, the current Goddess of Colddeath and the destined future leader of the Divine Cult, had cleverly concealed herself within the Yu family in Asvetaesi City, posing as Yu Yuan's maidservant.

Yuan Lianyao was skeptical of the notion that Ann Ziqing's sole purpose was to safeguard her senior brother as he endeavored to forge his Lunar Spirit.

Despite their sibling titles, Ann Ziqing was the anointed future matriarch of the Divine Cult!

It seemed implausible to Yuan Lianyao that Ann Ziqing, with her status as a Goddess, would stoop to protect anyone else.

There had to be more to the story!

With these thoughts, Yuan Lianyao found herself on Acora Island, standing between Ann Ziqing and Yu Yuan.

"Come with me," Ann Ziqing said, leading the way into a grand hall that gleamed like red jade.

The ceiling of the hall soared overhead, vibrant and alive. Massive red-brown rocks, each with natural, intricate patterns resembling human meridians, formed the walls, hinting at hidden secrets.

Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao entered the hall one after the other, both visibly taken aback.

A subtle scent of blood lingered in the air, surprisingly sweet upon inhalation. Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes and noticed at the heart of the hall a pond shaped just like Acora Island.

The Blood Pool was brimming with blood, a mist rising from its surface.

A pair of children, delicate as carved jade and around ten years old, were pouring buckets of blood into the Blood Pool. Upon noticing Ann Ziqing, they simultaneously bowed and said, "Greetings, Goddess."

Ann Ziqing gestured with a sweep of her sleeve.

The young servants of Colddeath bowed gracefully once more before departing with their empty buckets.

Ann Ziqing, standing by the Blood Pool, beckoned Yu Yuan closer. "The blood within the Blood Pool is a blend of fourth and fifth level Fellbeast blood, mixed with over a dozen herbs that invigorate the blood, crafted for the exclusive practice of our cult's elite."

Approaching, Yu Yuan glanced at the viscous blood bubbling steadily and remarked, "Surely the blood of fourth and fifth level Fellbeasts isn't sufficient for Lord Xueyin's cultivation, is it?"

Xueyin, in the late stages of the Solar Spirit Realm, was already attempting to break through to the Unbound Realm. A person of his caliber had delved deeply into the mystiques of the Colddeath, requiring the blood of high-level Fellbeasts to temper his body, Lunar Spirit, and Solar Spirit.

For Xueyin, fourth and fifth level Fellbeasts were somewhat inadequate. Meanwhile, Yu Yuan stood by the Blood Pool, inhaling the scent of the blood mist, his heartbeat quickening silently. A persistent voice within his soul urged him to leap into the pool—a voice emanating from the Blood Altar within his little world of vitality!

The Blood Altar craved the blood within the Blood Pool with an insatiable greed, as if it were the rarest of treasures, the most delectable of foods, the most potent of tonics!

"Lord Xueyin certainly doesn't rely on this Blood Pool for his cultivation," Ann Ziqing said with a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling with a brilliant light. "I believe this Blood Pool should suffice for your advancement to the Veil Breaking Realm. It ought to be enough for you."

Yuan Lianyao, fiery as ever, paused beside them, casting a glance at the Blood Pool that sent a shiver of unease through her. "Yu Yuan, you're not of the Colddeath, and you don't practice their spells. Don't let her tempt you into recklessness!" She suspected Ann Ziqing of harboring ulterior motives.

Yu Yuan, standing at the edge of the Blood Pool, gently activated the newly forged Blood Altar within his little world. A tremor ran through him! Below, the viscous blood of the Blood Pool began to boil in response to the stirring of the Blood Altar.

Ann Ziqing's eyes gleamed, her smile broadening. "Young Master, can you feel it?"

"Feel what?" Yu Yuan asked, his voice steady.

"The longing! The craving for rich vitality!" Ann Ziqing's voice took on a seductive tone. "Don't you want to immerse yourself, to swiftly absorb the vital energy of the Fellbeast blood within the pool in your own way?"

"I'm aware that your Veil Breaking physique can withstand the Blood Pool's power for a brief time."

"In this place, you'll be able to swiftly progress through the middle and late periods of Veil Breaking, until you refine your spiritual sense and attain the state of Subtlety!"

Ann Ziqing's smile was warm as she gestured towards the Blood Pool. "I invited you here, Young Master, to offer you the chance to cultivate within the Blood Pool."

"He's not a member of Colddeath!" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed sharply.

Her voice carried a force that could assault the soul!

Yu Yuan, who had been resisting the Blood Altar's bloodthirsty cravings in the vitality-infused little world, snapped back to a semblance of clarity at her outcry.

With each determined step, Yu Yuan managed to distance himself from the Blood Pool.

He didn't just move away from the Blood Pool; he left the hall entirely!

Ann Ziqing stood there, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion. "Young Master, why are you leaving? I genuinely wanted to aid you in your swift breakthrough to the Subtlety Realm."

"I'll return to Acora Island another time," Yu Yuan said, biting his tongue to maintain his composure. He couldn't afford to succumb to the temptation of the Blood Pool. "Yuanyuan, I've just remembered that I have urgent matters to attend to on Celestial Isle."

"Understood!"

A cascade of radiant red lotuses burst forth from her sleeves.

"No need!" Yu Yuan decisively called forth the Crucible of Evil and stepped inside, ignoring Ann Ziqing's pleas. The cauldron carried him swiftly away.

Yuan Lianyao, shielded by the lotuses, followed him, also making her departure from Acora Island.

At the edge of the heart-shaped island, in front of the expansive palace, Ann Ziqing looked up, watching their hasty retreat with an indecipherable expression.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

A gentle voice emerged from behind her, from the Blood Pool where Yu Yuan had previously stood.

With Yu Yuan's departure, the blood within the pool ceased its boiling and settled into tranquility.

"I wanted him to choose to jump in on his own. I thought he wouldn't be able to resist the overwhelming desire for vitality within the little world," Ann Ziqing said, drifting back to the edge of the Blood Pool. "It's truly unexpected, and quite impressive. He must have sensed how easily he could advance if he entered the Blood Pool."

"Could he possibly know I'm here?" wondered the figure in the Blood Pool.

"Besides Lord Xueyin, only my master and I are aware of your presence on Acora Island," Ann Ziqing replied, shaking her head. "Given his current level, there's no way he could detect your presence."

Whoosh!

A streak of blood shot out from the Blood Pool, materializing into an ephemeral crimson shadow.

"Ancestor, is the altar he forged using the Sunsorrow as mystical as they say?" Ann Ziqing inquired, gazing at the shadowy figure.

Had Yu Yuan been present, he would have instantly recognized the figure formed from the bloody light as Ann Jieshan, whom he had encountered and collaborated with in the Moonfall Sanctuary, the one who had bestowed upon him the Soulforge Matrix.

Ann Jieshan, the biological brother of the founder of Colddeath and an ancestor to Ann Ziqing, spoke of the altar with a hint of envy. "Refining the Sunsorrow in the little world of vitality, they've crafted an altar imbued with the forces of creation and the raw power of life. This artifact is extraordinary! Possessing it, one would find practicing the spells of Colddeath doubly effective, advancing rapidly in their cultivation."

"He faces two paths should he leap into the Blood Pool," the spectral Ann Jieshan continued. "Either he joins our Colddeath and learns our sect's mystique, or I erase his memory and spiritual wisdom, and he is reborn anew."

"I wish for him to join the Divine Cult," Ann Ziqing murmured.

...

Inside the dark cauldron, Yu Yuan regarded the heart-shaped islands warily, sensing imminent danger.

Ann Ziqing and the other Colddeath disciples did not pursue him.

Moments later, he stowed the Crucible of Evil in the Zigong acupoint and, standing on a red lotus, spoke with trepidation, "Ann Ziqing means to do me harm."

"The Blood Pool?" Yuan Lianyao asked, taken aback.

"Yes," Yu Yuan confirmed with a nod. "There's something amiss with the Blood Pool. I feel that if I were to enter, I'd fall under the sway of Colddeath! Merely standing beside it nearly robbed me of my spiritual wisdom; I felt an overwhelming urge to dive in and harness the blood of the fellbeasts within for my cultivation."

"She let us leave so easily," Yuan Lianyao expressed in bewilderment.

"I'm not sure why myself. Maybe it's because I've become too notorious in the Sundering Isles lately, and Colddeath doesn't want to stir up too much trouble," he mused, feeling a sense of relief now that they were further from Acora Island. He had finally escaped the allure of the Blood Pool. "We should head to Celestial Isle. I'm eager to get back to the Forgotten Ruins as soon as possible."

A memory suddenly surfaced—his grandfather, Yu Cen, had once mentioned a secret buried by the Yu family.

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