Chapter 1150: Revisiting Bright Moon Cave

For instance, the female Holy Seed that Lu Ye, Jian Guhong, and others jointly killed possessed several times more holy blood than Lu Ye acquired. This shouldn't just be the result of her deep exploration of the underground blood river; it's highly probable she killed other Holy Seeds, and more than one! Now, it all benefited Lu Ye, which was very satisfying.

Continuing on his way, as always, he searched for suitable Heavenly Caverns to place the Heavenly Secret Pillars, while refining the holy blood he had absorbed. As the holy blood was refined, Lu Ye's suppression of ordinary blood race members grew stronger. The Heavenly Venerates of the Divine Sea Realm in those caverns, faced with this suppression, had no power to resist and could only obediently be implanted with Soul Control Divine Marks, becoming soul slaves.

A few days later, the holy blood was completely refined. Lu Ye quietly sensed his condition: his understanding of blood arts had indeed reached a new level, and his own strength had improved significantly. Coupled with the invisible enhancement of his bloodline, there didn't seem to be any other special benefits.

From this perspective, refining more holy blood likely doesn't significantly enhance the strength of Holy Seeds. They are already powerhouses at the peak of the Divine Sea Realm and can't become any stronger. However, the pursuit of bloodline enhancement is probably an instinctive aspiration for Holy Seeds.

Two months after parting ways with Jian Guhong and the others, most of the Heavenly Secret Pillars in Lu Ye's possession had been placed, and this mission to the Blood Refining Realm was largely complete. He believed that Wuchang's progress was also similar. Now, they just needed to quietly wait for the opportunity for war to arrive. At that time, the armies of the Nine Provinces Cultivation World could use the Heavenly Secret Pillars to directly teleport into the Blood Refining Realm's interior, catching the Blood Race off guard.

However, before that, Lu Ye still needed to meet someone. Cangnan Village was arguably the starting point of Lu Ye's last visit to the Blood Refining Realm. Back then, he and Dao Shisan were taken in by the village chief there, and it was from here that Lu Ye gradually understood the various aspects of the Blood Refining Realm.

Lu Ye didn't intend to revisit old places; he was just passing through. Upon reaching Cangnan Village, he would not be far from his final northern destination.

Soaring high above, Lu Ye casually looked down and suddenly halted.

It was daytime. At this hour, the villagers of Cangnan usually worked in the spirit fields, some strong young men would go hunting in the mountains, and the children in the village would gather to play. So during the day, Cangnan Village was usually quite lively, and only at night would households close their doors and stay indoors.

However, since Lu Ye arrived in the Blood Refining Realm a few years ago and secretly took control of the nearby Blood Race forces, the human residents of Cangnan Village no longer had to live in fear, as no Blood Race members came to hunt for blood sustenance during that period.

But now, as Lu Ye looked around, he noticed that the number of humans working around Cangnan Village seemed fewer than he remembered. Moreover, many fields had become barren, overgrown with weeds. Even the children, who were usually seen playing everywhere in the village during the day, were nowhere to be found.

The entire Cangnan Village was noticeably less vibrant. This made him frown. After quietly observing for a moment, he already had some suspicions.

His original plan was to go directly to Thousand Stream Blessed Land, as he had left from there years ago, and Lan Qiyue was stationed there. But now, it seemed, if his suspicions were correct, going directly to Thousand Stream Blessed Land wasn't a good choice. He needed to first investigate the situation in the vicinity and gather some intelligence.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Ye changed direction, leading Ru Chang towards the location of Moonlight Cavern. In moments, they arrived at Moonlight Cavern.

Several years ago, the cavern master here was Sun Miaozhu, who was slain by Lu Ye and Dao Shisan. She was later replaced by a soul slave named Zhang Julai. However, this fellow was not strong, and as Lu Ye consolidated the surrounding Blood Race forces, his subordinates gradually grew more powerful. Zhang Julai thus became insignificant. To quickly gain immense power, he risked entering a blood pool to cultivate, but ultimately perished...

Then, when Thousand Stream Blessed Land was occupied and Lan Qiyue returned as a Holy Seed, Lu Ye completely retreated behind the scenes. Recalling it now, it felt as if it happened just yesterday, but in reality, several years had passed. Even though Lu Ye was not old, he couldn't help but sigh at how time flew.

Holy Seeds gained strength quickly. When Lu Ye left Thousand Stream Blessed Land back then, Lan Qiyue's strength wasn't particularly high, but by now, she should have certainly advanced to the Divine Sea Realm. Lu Ye came to Moonlight Cavern to inquire about Lan Qiyue. He vaguely sensed that something must have happened to her; otherwise, Cangnan Village should be in a state where its villagers lived in peace and prosperity, not with its human presence dwindling.

As a Holy Seed, even ordinary Blood Race members with higher cultivation wouldn't pose much threat to Lan Qiyue. For something to have happened to her, another Holy Seed must have intervened. Before, Lu Ye might not have understood why Holy Seeds would fight among themselves. But after the major battle two months ago, he now clearly understood: for Holy Seeds, someone like Lan Qiyue, who had only recently become a Holy Seed and had not yet fully matured, was a coveted target for any other Holy Seed. It was highly probable that her existence had been targeted by another Holy Seed. Of course, whether that was the case or not, he still needed to investigate.

Moonlight Cavern was the lowest-level Blood Race gathering place in the Blood Refining Realm. Above it were Blessed Lands, Heavenly Caverns, and Holy Lands. Naturally, the strength of the Blood Race members gathered here wouldn't be very high.

At Lu Ye's signal, Ru Chang took the lead and directly entered Moonlight Cavern. Blood Race cultivators were on guard outside the cavern. Watching Ru Chang intrude and sensing his Divine Sea Realm aura, they were immediately filled with apprehension and respectfully saluted: "Greetings, Heavenly Venerate!"

Ru Chang was subservient in front of Lu Ye, but he was, after all, a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, possessing a certain demeanor. Facing the respectful guards, he merely let out a soft huff: "Where is the cavern master here?" His voice wasn't loud, but accompanying it was the pressure of a Divine Sea Realm cultivator.

Immediately, there was a commotion inside the cavern, and figures of Blood Race members rushed out from its depths. Lu Ye stood behind Ru Chang, his expression grim.

A human woman, clearly pregnant, was currently enduring unspeakable torture. Her terrible screams constantly echoed from this inhumane torment. The Blood Race cultivator who was sexually assaulting her, upon sensing Ru Chang's aura, his expression changed drastically, and he didn't even have time to properly dress. A blade light flashed towards him, slicing through the middle of his body like cutting tofu. With a soft 'thud,' the Blood Race member's corpse split into two and fell to the ground.

The remaining Blood Race members who had gathered were all enraged. Although Lu Ye's Divine Sea Realm power was fully displayed when he acted, to the Blood Race, humans, no matter how strong, were merely blood sustenance, blood slaves of the Blood Race. It had always been the Blood Race killing humans; when was it a human's turn to kill a Blood Race member?

What awaited them were more flashes of blade light! In the blink of an eye, of the dozen or so Blood Race members who rushed over, only the strongest one remained alive. At this moment, his expression had changed from rage to astonishment. His gaze shifted from Lu Ye and fixed on Ru Chang. He figured that Lu Ye must be Ru Chang's blood slave, and for Lu Ye to dare to do this, he must have received Ru Chang's orders... In other words, this unfamiliar Heavenly Venerate intended to kill their clansmen. For a moment, he couldn't figure out how they had provoked this Heavenly Venerate. Immediately, he was filled with terror, his clothes drenched in sweat, and his legs began to feel weak. He wanted to beg for mercy, but didn't know how to speak.

Lu Ye spoke: "Who is in charge of Thousand Stream Blessed Land now?"

The Blood Race member tremblingly looked at Ru Chang. Ru Chang's face was grim as he said: "Answer what you're asked. Dare to conceal even a bit, and I'll make your life worse than death!"

The Blood Race member immediately replied in a trembling voice: "It's Lord Song Qianjun." Lu Ye pondered briefly; he hadn't heard that name. He must be an unfamiliar Blood Race member.

"What about Lan Qiyue?"

"Holy Venerate Qiyue!" The Blood Race member was stunned, somewhat unclear why Lu Ye, a human, would inquire about a Holy Seed's whereabouts. However, he still honestly replied: "Holy Venerate Qiyue was expelled a little over a year ago."

"Who did it?"

"Holy Venerate Mohai."

Just as he thought. As Lu Ye had suspected, only another Holy Seed could pose a threat to Lan Qiyue. This Holy Seed named Mohai had most likely targeted Lan Qiyue, intending to hunt her down to obtain the holy blood within her and enhance his own bloodline. Lu Ye didn't know how strong Holy Venerate Mohai was, but he was certainly stronger than Lan Qiyue, a newly ascended Holy Seed. Furthermore, there was likely no comparison in their bloodlines. If Lan Qiyue had fought him, she would surely have been no match. Being expelled was already the best outcome. Lu Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief. What Lu Ye feared most was that Lan Qiyue had been killed. This was highly possible. With inferior strength and a less noble bloodline, if Lan Qiyue fought another Holy Seed, she would undoubtedly suffer. Now knowing she wasn't dead, Lu Ye felt a little relieved.

"Do you know where Lan Qiyue is now?"

This question was probably futile. This Blood Race member was just a cavern master and wouldn't have access to such high-level information. But to Lu Ye's surprise, the other party actually provided an answer: "Holy Venerate Qiyue is currently hiding within a nearby blood river; her exact location is unknown."

The underground blood rivers were interconnected, running throughout the entire Blood Refining Realm's territory. With blood pools of various sizes serving as entrances and exits, if Lan Qiyue hid in the underground blood river, then Holy Venerate Mohai, even if stronger and with a nobler bloodline than her, would have no way to deal with her. She was indeed a clever woman.

The Blood Race cavern master probably realized that Lu Ye had a past connection with Lan Qiyue, otherwise, he wouldn't be inquiring about her whereabouts. It also made sense that when Lan Qiyue ruled this area, her attitude towards humans was very friendly, and she had even issued a series of beneficial orders for humans. It was natural for her to gain the love and respect of humans.