Chapter 1178: Jade Pillar Peak Summit

A moment later, Lu Ye finished his communication with his second senior sister and stood thoughtfully.

When the sunlight broke through the clouds, casting the first rays on this realm after two months, the will of the Blood Refining Realm sent a faint, ambiguous guidance to his true body, his clone, and even Lan Qiyue.

It was clear that the guidance received by his true body, clone, and Lan Qiyue all pointed to the same direction.

This was quite intriguing.

Just as living beings possess an instinct for survival, so too do the wills of realms. The will of the Blood Refining Realm was far less clear and powerful than Little Nine's. Therefore, despite holding a home-field advantage, it was consistently suppressed by Little Nine in their struggle, unable to unleash heavenly punishment on the Kyushu cultivators who had invaded this realm.

By now, this suppression had undoubtedly become even more thorough, as the dark clouds, which symbolized the realm's might, were no longer complete.

If the situation continued like this, the will of the Blood Refining Realm would certainly be unable to make any significant waves, ultimately being completely devoured by Little Nine. Thus, it instinctively sought change. This faint guidance was its method of seeking change; it intended to use the realm's native beings for a final resistance. The targets were the Blood Refining Realm's Sacred Seeds.

However, because the realm's will was not sufficiently clear, it couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and so it sent this guidance to all beings possessing sacred properties.

This was also why his true body, clone, and Lan Qiyue all felt the sensation at the same time.

In other words, the Sacred Seeds of the Blood Clan felt the same sensation as he and Lan Qiyue. Amidst the drastic changes in the realm, with heavy casualties among native beings and the Sacred Seeds themselves facing near extinction, once they sensed this guidance, they would naturally make the most appropriate choice. Lu Ye's thoughts gradually cleared, and he faintly grasped the truth of the situation. He raised his hand to tap his battlefield mark, quickly sending out messages in all directions, while simultaneously flying forward, following the faint sensation in his heart.

He had recently been troubled by how to effectively deal with the remaining Sacred Seeds, as he hadn't found any good methods. Once the Sacred Seeds hid in the underground blood river, they became impossible to find. Many times, he had pursued Sacred Seeds to a blood pool, only to lose their trail. Who would have thought that a blurred guidance, sent by the will of the Blood Refining Realm, would arrive just in time, like a pillow appearing when one is sleepy.

This time, he didn't use the Sky Fate Pillar for teleportation, as he wasn't entirely sure where the faint sensation's destination was. So, he could only fly there. To reach the location as quickly as possible, he even sacrificed some of his essence blood to activate the Blood Escape technique. Of course, this state couldn't last. Although he now had a considerable reserve of essence blood, the Blood Escape technique consumed not only essence blood but also his fundamental reserves.

As he set off, top human powerhouses throughout the Blood Refining Realm, who had been searching for traces of the remaining Sacred Seeds, also departed from their various locations after receiving his message, converging towards Lu Ye's position.

The flight took a full ten days before Lu Ye finally reached the journey's end: the summit of Jade Pillar Peak.

As one of the two highest peaks in the Blood Refining Realm, Jade Pillar Peak was a significant landmark and not difficult to find. It was located about one-third of the way from the north to the south of the Blood Refining Realm. From a high-altitude view, Jade Pillar Peak was situated to the right of the realm's central line.

This place was perpetually swept by harsh winds and covered in deep snow. Its severe environment meant even the Blood Clan rarely ventured there.

When Lu Ye had traveled from the northern to the southern regions years ago, he had crossed Heaven-Reaching Peak but had not visited Jade Pillar Peak.

As he approached within a thousand miles of the location, Lu Ye had already activated concealment and aura-restraining spirit patterns on himself, silently making his way towards the peak.

When he finally reached the summit, he took a careful look and immediately confirmed his previous conjecture was correct.

The faint guidance sent by the will of the Blood Refining Realm was indeed directed at all Sacred Seeds, because at this very moment, three Sacred Seeds had already gathered there, standing together, their divine senses frequently fluctuating, seemingly communicating.

Lu Ye did not reveal himself rashly. This was an excellent opportunity to capture all remaining Sacred Seeds in one swoop. Under his guidance, Kyushu's top powerhouses were now converging here. Before the net was fully cast and before all Sacred Seeds had gathered, it was naturally unwise to alert them.

The will of the Blood Refining Realm lacked intelligence; its guidance was merely a survival instinct. Thus, it could never have imagined that its guidance would bring about the complete annihilation of the remaining Sacred Seeds.

Lu Ye concealed his figure and restrained his aura. After surveying the surroundings for a while, he moved towards a specific direction. The entire summit was covered in thick snow, with only one exception: the location of the blood pool.

There was a blood pool on the summit of Jade Pillar Peak, and its size was slightly larger than any blood pool Lu Ye had ever seen. Blood surged within it, and a strong, bloody odor permeated the air.

He stopped about a hundred zhang from the blood pool, completely concealing himself. The reason for choosing this position was to cut off the Sacred Seeds' retreat. Currently, the Sacred Seeds preferred to hide in the underground blood river, making them difficult to find.

If the plan here progressed smoothly enough, this blood pool would undoubtedly become the Sacred Seeds' preferred escape route. He would then need to block this blood pool, severing their path of retreat.

Before going into full concealment, he sent out one last precise message. Time passed, and heavy snow fell. Successive whooshing sounds came from various directions—Sacred Seeds arriving from all over, some even emerging directly from the underground blood river and appearing in the blood pool. Lu Ye observed silently, secretly surprised, because he found that the number of Sacred Seeds still alive in the Blood Refining Realm was higher than he had expected. He had initially thought there were at most a dozen or even fewer remaining Sacred Seeds, but in reality, nearly twenty had already gathered here, and this was clearly not the full count.

Such a large gathering of Sacred Seeds was truly astonishing, as they rarely met casually, except, of course, during the siege of the Azure Blood Sacred Land.

With so many Sacred Seeds gathered in one place, should a battle erupt, Lu Ye might not even need to intervene. Their sacred energies would interfere with each other. At that point, all Sacred Seeds, except for the one with the strongest sacred energy, would have their strength significantly reduced.

More Sacred Seeds arrived intermittently, though their numbers were no longer large. These Sacred Seeds had undoubtedly traveled from more distant locations. They gathered, exchanging thoughts and trying to understand the truth behind the guidance, but found no clues.

Hidden in the shadows, Lu Ye vaguely perceived a tense atmosphere.

He couldn't discern what these Sacred Seeds were waiting for, nor why the will of the Blood Refining Realm had gathered them here.

Aside from the initial faint guidance he had felt, he received no further sensations.

The Sacred Seeds gathered here were in the same predicament. They had all been led here by the guidance, but no one could explain why they needed to be here.

Lu Ye continued to lie in wait. Through his external contacts, he confirmed that the human race's top powerhouses had arrived nearby, prepared for battle, and ready to act at any moment.

Meanwhile, the Sacred Seeds began to argue.

They had been discussing the truth behind the guidance, expecting other Sacred Seeds to know something, but everyone was equally bewildered. Some Sacred Seeds believed that since it was a mystical guidance, they should continue to wait, and clarity would naturally come.

However, other Sacred Seeds argued that remaining gathered here for too long was unsafe. The human race had a Sacred Seed bane, and if he discovered their presence, no one would be able to escape, making further waiting inadvisable.

Most Sacred Seeds remained silent, not offering opinions, merely listening.

The scene grew lively, with sacred energies fluctuating amidst the clamor, though not yet to the point of outright fighting. The Sacred Seeds now understood that few Blood Clan members remained alive in the Blood Refining Realm, and they themselves were likely the last hope for the Blood Clan's continuation. To survive, they should not engage in further disputes.

Amidst the commotion, Lu Ye could tolerate it no longer. A message was sent: "Attack!"

By this point, most, if not all, of the expected Sacred Seeds should have arrived. Even if a few distant ones were still absent, their number was likely small. The encirclement was complete. Eliminating these Sacred Seeds here would decide the overall outcome of this expedition. To prevent complications, further waiting was naturally ill-advised.

Moments after the message was sent, powerful and dense auras surged from all directions.

The Sacred Seeds immediately sensed them, looking around in panic, their expressions changing instantly.

"It's a trap!" one Sacred Seed cried out.

Judging by the auras, the human forces consisted of over a hundred powerhouses, including not only the top-tier veterans but also those at the Ninth Layer Realm who had rushed here upon receiving the news.

This was a battle specifically targeting the Sacred Seeds; cultivators below the Ninth Layer Realm were simply not qualified to participate. Thus, in terms of composition, all hundred-plus individuals from Kyushu were Ninth Layer Realm cultivators, though their strengths varied. Such a formidable force was more than enough to annihilate the Sacred Seeds gathered here.

The Sacred Seeds were filled with shock and fury. They never imagined that after being guided by an unseen force to gather here, they would fall into a trap specifically set for them. This made no sense at all. The guidance that had led them must have come from the will of the Blood Refining Realm. How could the will of the Blood Refining Realm become an accomplice to the human race?

They couldn't comprehend it, nor did they have time to ponder deeply.

They did not fear ordinary human cultivators, and even against the top powerhouses, they had the ability to resist. What they feared was *that* Sacred Seed bane!