Chapter 263: Truth Revealed

In an instant, the Forbidden Sea was stirred, and all forces in Yinghuang Province were moved.

The first to react was the Seven Sect Alliance, closest to the Sea Corpse Race. In a flash, six colossal figures materialized above the Seven Sect Alliance.

They were male and female, but most of their faces were indistinct, their precise features unclear. Only their eyes, at that moment, radiated blinding light.

"Seven Blood Eyes..."

"They actually managed to create a Forbidden Artifact."

"Blood Refiner, cunning and not to be underestimated!"

These six figures were the Six Patriarchs of the Seven Sect Alliance's Elder Council.

As their divine senses echoed, they simultaneously ascended, taking steps across the sky, vanishing instantly, their target the Sea Corpse Race.

In an instant, their figures appeared in the mid-air above the Sea Corpse Race territory. As the colossal ancient bronze mirror rotated, their minds were individually shaken, feeling the terrifying power of this Forbidden Artifact.

Any Forbidden Artifact, the moment it ascends to that status, undergoes strange transformations and gains eerie abilities. These abilities determine how terrifying the Forbidden Artifact is.

"Judgment... it's a life-or-death judgment!"

"The Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact isn't for destroying sects; it's a rare single-target killer. And from what I feel, its destructive power... is utterly terrifying!"

"Once this mirror locks on and activates, there's a ten percent chance for the reflected person to die instantly. Moreover, due to its mirror form, it can be cast from extremely long distances!"

"Although it's a ten percent chance, it has seven eyes, meaning it can be used seven times consecutively. With that, who would dare to gamble?"

"Blood Refiner's cultivation is at the first stage of Returning to the Void. Wielding this Forbidden Artifact for single-target judgment, he can sanction a second-stage Returning to the Void cultivator!"

"Second stage... only our Seven Sect Alliance's leader is at that realm."

The six patriarchs of the Seven Sect Alliance fell silent, their thoughts varied. They knew that Forbidden Artifacts were equivalent to a sect's greatest deterrent, something not just any sect was qualified or capable of possessing.

The reason it was called the Seven Sect Alliance was because among the 137 sects within the alliance, only seven possessed Forbidden Artifacts.

At the same time, Forbidden Artifacts were almost impossible to plunder. For instance, the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact was right there, but they dared not seize it; if they made a move, the Forbidden Artifact would detonate on its own.

This was also the terrifying aspect of Forbidden Artifacts: they possessed artifact spirits!

And the Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact was even more special. It used seven Corpse Ancestor statues as its power source; once those seven closed eyes opened, its power could be imagined to be extremely dreadful.

So, after observing for a while, the six patriarchs of the Seven Sect Alliance exchanged glances, formed hand seals, and executed a long-distance teleportation, vanishing instantly, heading directly for the Seven Blood Eyes.

At the same time, all the various forces in Yinghuang Province on Wanggu Continent focused their attention on the Seven Blood Eyes through various means. They clearly understood that the structure of the Seven Sect Alliance was about to change, and consequently, the landscape of Yinghuang Province would also shift.

A storm was brewing.

As for the Sea Corpse Race's tribal land, the entire Sea Corpse Race, from top to bottom, was trembling in despair, while the Seven Blood Eyes disciples stationed there all showed excitement in their eyes.

However, at this moment, the most terrified, whose face had completely changed, and whose breathing became rapid, was Patriarch Lingyun, who was in mid-air above the Seven Blood Eyes.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, his eyes narrowed, and the shock in his heart was impossible to conceal now, visible on his expression. He stared intently in the direction of the Sea Corpse Race.

Although he couldn't see the scene there, he clearly felt himself being locked onto, as if with just a thought from Blood Refiner, he would face a life-or-death catastrophe.

This kind of lock-on made him almost instantly realize the danger he was facing.

"Life-or-death judgment... seven times, life-or-death judgment!"

Patriarch Lingyun's breathing was ragged, his eyes bloodshot, as he looked at Blood Refiner with a complex expression.

"Now, are my Seven Blood Eyes worthy of being a High Sect?" Blood Refiner asked calmly.

Patriarch Lingyun opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, he didn't know how. He had fully understood all of the Seven Blood Eyes' strategic plans.

The Seven Blood Eyes had seemingly been attacking the Sea Corpse Race, but in reality, destroying the Sea Corpse Race was not their true objective at all.

The Seven Blood Eyes had two objectives.

One was to open a path to Wanggu Continent.

A route appeared in Patriarch Lingyun's mind: the Seven Blood Eyes as the first point, the Mermaid Race as the second, the Sea Corpse Race's subsidiary island as the third, and the Sea Corpse Race's homeland as the fourth.

That location was already very close to the Seven Sect Alliance on Wanggu Continent.

This was a line, a geographical link connecting the Seven Blood Eyes and the Seven Sect Alliance.

Furthermore, the Seven Blood Eyes had laid their plans very deeply. Attacking the Mermaid Race was due to the Seventh Peak trial, which then drew out the Sea Corpse Race. Blood Refiner chose to break through, charging in and severely injuring the Sea Corpse Race's patriarch.

This, in fact, was the crucial factor in the Sea Corpse Race's ultimate defeat.

Following this, it became logical to attack the Sea Corpse Race, then gradually capture the subsidiary island and step onto their homeland.

It seemed flawless, revealing no strength beyond what was expected.

However, this objective was still detected by the Seven Sect Alliance.

Therefore, they interfered in the Sea Corpse Race war, preventing the Seven Blood Eyes from proceeding further. And while the Seven Sect Alliance was preparing to destroy the Shao Si Sect and demolish the dam of the Immortal River tributary, they hadn't completely ignored the Seven Blood Eyes either.

Their previous warning was a case of killing two birds with one stone, intending to "strike the mountain to shake the tiger." The mountain was the Shao Si Sect, and the tiger was the Seven Blood Eyes.

In this way, they hoped to pacify the Seven Blood Eyes without bloodshed.

But they hadn't anticipated that the Seven Blood Eyes had a second objective, and this second objective was even more deeply hidden, so deep that Patriarch Lingyun's scalp tingled, feeling its immense significance.

He even felt that the first objective was intentionally revealed by the Seven Blood Eyes.

All to conceal the second objective.

This wasn't like Blood Refiner's style.

The Seven Blood Eyes' second objective was the Sea Corpse Race's Corpse Ancestor statues, to use them as a power source for their own artifact, allowing the Seven Blood Eyes' artifact to upgrade and become a Forbidden Artifact.

This required two preconditions: first, the Seven Blood Eyes had to master the method of using Corpse Ancestor statues as a power source.

The second precondition was that the Seven Blood Eyes needed to find multiple scattered Corpse Ancestor statues in advance!

Evidently, the Seven Blood Eyes had fulfilled both preconditions.

The Seven Blood Eyes had even calculated that the Seven Sect Alliance would interfere at a crucial moment and halt the war. Therefore, all their previous anger and unwillingness, all their bargaining, had only one goal: to ensure they could acquire at least two Corpse Ancestor statues from the Sea Corpse Race.

Until negotiations with the Sea Corpse Race were complete, the Seven Blood Eyes still endured, even when the Seven Sect Alliance's prodigies arrived to challenge them, causing them to lose face. Yet, the Seven Blood Eyes remained silent, waiting for the array on the Sea Corpse Race's land.

Nominally, the purpose of that array was to retrieve war spoils, which was reasonable for any faction.

But in reality, the Seven Blood Eyes' array construction wasn't for retrieving two statues, but for sending five.

The moment they were sent over, the Corpse Ancestor statues became seven, and being within the Sea Corpse Race's territory, the statues' power revived, making everything fall into place.

"So the challenges from the Alliance's disciples earlier, were those also you intentionally showing weakness to lull us into complacency? What is your objective now? To become independent on Wanggu Continent?" Patriarch Lingyun gritted his teeth, speaking in a low voice.

Blood Refiner didn't answer the first question, as it was no longer important. He smiled slightly, speaking calmly.

"I'm old now. I want to retire on Wanggu Continent and enjoy my later years. At the same time, I hope there's an extra chair in the Seven Sect Alliance's Elder Council."

Patriarch Lingyun fell silent, feeling incredibly aggrieved inside. However, compared to the loss of his life lamp and his grandson's severe injury, the ambition and resolve displayed by the Seven Blood Eyes were far more significant now.

At this moment, the entire Seven Blood Eyes was also remarkably quiet. The disciples didn't know the specifics, but they sensed a change in the atmosphere and heard their patriarch's words, their hearts racing with various conjectures.

Xu Qing looked up at the sea. In that moment just now, he had a faint, indistinct perception.

"So that's how it is. These old men are too cunning. I finally know what the trump card is," the Captain sighed, his eyes gleaming. He murmured, but deliberately made his voice a little louder.

Xu Qing looked over, and Third Senior Brother also looked over suspiciously. Second Senior Sister still used a voice transmission.

"First Senior Brother, do you really know? Is it a Forbidden Artifact? Our Seven Blood Eyes' Forbidden Artifact?" Third Brother hesitated.

Xu Qing looked at the enigmatic Captain, also hesitating.

"This information is worth a thousand spirit stones. Whoever wants to know, I'll tell you," the Captain said with a face full of emotion, sighing.

"He knows nothing!" Old Man Seventh's voice echoed from ahead.

The Captain looked awkward, clearing his throat, as Old Man Seventh's voice entered the ears of the four of them.

"This is a plan I proposed to the Patriarch, meticulously arranged for over a hundred years, completing it step by step until now."

"You don't need to guess anymore. At this moment, on the Sea Corpse Race's homeland, a Forbidden Artifact belonging to my Seven Blood Eyes has been erected. It is also the eighth Forbidden Artifact within the Seven Sect Alliance, capable of monitoring all directions and ensuring the Seven Blood Eyes smoothly enters Wanggu."

"From now on, the name of the Seven Sect Alliance will also change." Old Man Seventh turned, glanced at his four disciples, and smiled faintly.

"Don't you think the name 'Eight Sect Alliance' sounds better?"

The instant Old Man Seventh's words were uttered, the sky changed color, and waves of awe-inspiring aura, scorching the heavens and earth, descended.

Six god-like beings appeared in the sky, surrounding Blood Refiner and Patriarch Lingyun.

They were precisely the patriarchs of the other six sects within the Seven Sect Alliance's Elder Council!

Almost the instant they descended, an old woman emerged from the Seven Blood Eyes, stepping into the sky, arriving instantly, standing beside Blood Refiner, and smiling faintly at the Seven Sect Alliance.

"Everyone, long time no see."

"I took a nap earlier and heard someone wants the Seven Blood Eyes to hand over Xu Qing. My granddaughter really likes that child; I'm even considering a marriage alliance. If he gets killed, my granddaughter will be unhappy, and I'll be unhappy too."

"This old woman doesn't have a vast family business; I only have this one granddaughter. If I'm unhappy, I'll make sure you're unhappy too!"