Chapter 1796: Black Abyss Confrontation

Numerous yin-yang dualities, interlocked and intertwined, spread across the leaves. Lu Ye was completely immersed, working with meticulous care.

This was by far the most intricate and complex spirit pattern Lu Ye had ever encountered. The 'Same Root, Same Branch' spirit pattern paled in comparison, not even fit to tie its shoes. He had to ensure the construction process was flawless, without a single error, or all his efforts would be for naught. The unique properties of the Talent Tree itself made this possible for him; Lu Ye estimated that had he attempted to construct such a spirit pattern on a jade tablet, he would have failed long ago.

After several days, when the final base element was successfully constructed, the Blood Pupil spirit pattern was finally complete.

Upon introspection, a distinct eye pattern appeared on the Talent Tree's dense foliage. This pattern, pieced together from numerous leaves, occupied a large area. From a distance, it looked as though the Talent Tree had sprouted an eye. The internal lines of the eye were intertwined, and a closer look revealed an inverted triangle pattern at the pupil, making it appear exceptionally strange.

Lu Ye was very curious about the function of this spirit pattern...

When the demonic eye blinked, if a cultivator was within the external marvel, their spiritual sea would be eroded by this Blood Pupil, left suspended in the air. This Blood Pupil had a hallucinatory effect on cultivators, and under its influence, their mental state would become significantly agitated, making them prone to irritability. In severe cases, they might even lose self-control.

However, if cultivators were within the core world, their strength would noticeably increase when the Blood Moon was in the sky.

Lu Ye speculated that this was the Sacred Blood of the Blood Ancestor at play. In other words, both the Blood Pupil manifested in a cultivator's spiritual sea and the Blood Moon suspended in this world were different environmental manifestations of the Blood Ancestor's Sacred Blood power. Even if he had deciphered the Blood Pupil spirit pattern from it, its activated power would likely not be comparable, and might even produce entirely different effects, because he was not the Blood Ancestor.

He needed to find someone to test it on. With this thought, Lu Ye sent a message, summoning the Xiangyin sisters.

More than ten days passed in a flash.

One day, as Lu Ye meditated, his communication talisman vibrated. He picked it up to check and saw it was a message from Hu Dequan.

The time had come; the Black Abyss Struggle was about to begin. Unbeknownst to him, he had already been in this world for a year. According to the intelligence he now possessed, the only way to completely defeat Sacred Blood Peak was on the Black Abyss battlefield. If they failed this time, they would have to wait another decade. A decade might not be significant for other Moon Realm cultivators, but for Lu Ye, it felt somewhat long. Therefore, in this struggle, victory was their only option; defeat was not permissible!

He rose to his feet, his divine sense surging, and exited his secret chamber. He soon emerged into the open, where figures appeared from all directions. These were the more than ten cultivators he had previously subdued, most of them Moon Realm cultivators, with two or three Star Constellation cultivators interspersed among them, all looking somewhat uneasy.

He said little. After months of lying low and preparation, everyone had been awaiting this day.

"Depart!" Lu Ye led the way to one side, and the cultivators followed closely. A moment later, light flared on a pre-arranged teleportation array, and the hidden stronghold's presence vanished.

A day later, in another hidden location, Lu Ye and his forces waited quietly. Soon after, footsteps approached. Lu Ye, who had been meditating with closed eyes, turned his head and immediately spotted several familiar faces. Moreover, subtle presences gradually emerged from their surroundings.

Hu Dequan, Yang Ling, and Meng Xu stopped near Lu Ye, exchanging glances. After a moment, Hu Dequan spoke with a grave expression, "Brother Lu, we can trust you, can't we?"

Although they had been in contact for several months and even occasionally exchanged personnel, the Red Talisman Society still felt uneasy now that things had reached this stage. If Lu Ye's people had been arranged by Li Tian, then getting so close to them would undoubtedly lead to a crushing defeat in this battle. Although, judging by the existing signs, this possibility seemed remote.

"You don't seem to have any other choice," Lu Ye stated.

Hu Dequan offered a bitter smile. This was the Red Talisman Society's greatest predicament.

Meng Xu spoke, "Actually, I've always had a question; I wonder if you could answer it?"

Lu Ye looked at him. "Please, ask whatever you wish, Brother."

Meng Xu said, "Fellow Daoist, with your mid-Moon Realm cultivation, how were you able to gather so many cultivators of higher cultivation levels to serve you? It seems they are all... utterly loyal to you!" Meng Xu had noticed this previously. He had tried to subtly probe Xiangyin and the others, but unfortunately, he never received an answer, which left him quite puzzled. For cultivators, strength always dictated authority. Several of Lu Ye's followers were late-Moon Realm cultivators, with higher cultivation than him, so why would they obey his commands? Previously, it hadn't been appropriate to directly ask Lu Ye, as it concerned his personal secrets and rash inquiry would be ill-advised. However, with a major battle imminent, he needed clarity. Even if they could trust Lu Ye, the trustworthiness of his subordinates was another matter entirely. If anyone were to defect during the battle, the situation would become dire.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment before explaining, "There are two types of Blood Race: ordinary Blood Race members, and those who have obtained Sacred Blood and possess sacred properties. The latter can condense Treasure Blood, which has endless wondrous uses. It can be bestowed upon other Blood Race members, turning them into Blood Servants, and Blood Servants will naturally be utterly loyal to their Blood Lord."

Meng Xu frowned. "So, Xiangyin and the others are your Blood Servants... But Fellow Daoist has only been in this world for a short time. Shouldn't they possess stronger sacred properties than you?"

"I already possessed sacred properties before coming to this world," Lu Ye replied. "Xiangyin and the others are not as strong as I am."

Meng Xu was bewildered. "Then, Fellow Daoist, are you human or Blood Race?"

"I am, of course, human. The sacred properties of the Blood Race are merely a form of power I possess; they do not affect me in the slightest."

Meng Xu remained silent, unsure whether to believe him, but at least his confusion was resolved: Xiangyin and the others were indeed Blood Servants...

Hu Dequan then said, "Alright, things have come to this; none of us can turn back now." He looked deeply at Lu Ye. "Brother, I hope you don't disappoint us."

"I won't!"

Hu Dequan glanced around, then uttered a low command: "Let's begin!"

As he spoke, the Red Talisman Society cultivators, who had been hiding in the vicinity, emerged one by one. There were not many, fewer than thirty. Including Lu Ye's group, the total was only around forty. This was the Red Talisman Society's foundation, painstakingly accumulated over countless years, and their only available personnel.

The cultivators from both factions converged.

Hu Dequan raised a hand, and a crimson light blossomed at his fingertips, radiating a wild and fierce aura. Not only he, but Yang Ling and Meng Xu also did the same. As all three simultaneously activated the power of the Red Talisman, the void itself began to tremble.

Lu Ye observed quietly from the side. Having gathered considerable intelligence about the Black Abyss Struggle from the Red Talisman Society, he knew that Hu Dequan and the others weren't genuinely activating the Red Talisman but were instead using its power as a form of guidance. The target of this guidance, if Lu Ye's prediction was correct, was the consciousness of the core world!

Sure enough, as the Red Talisman's power continued to spread, a small black dot suddenly appeared between the three of them. It was almost imperceptible at first, but in an instant, this small black dot rapidly expanded in all directions. No one made a move to dodge. In a flash, the cultivators' vision went dark, and they felt a sensation of weightlessness. When they came to their senses, they were no longer in their original location.

Lu Ye looked around, instantly struck by a peculiar sense of familiarity. Countless floating meteorites traversed the void, and various sized floating landmasses spanned across. This environment was precisely where he had been during the Black Abyss Martial Arts Competition at Mount Fangcun. The so-called Black Abyss was indeed no different from the space he had previously entered. Lu Ye wasn't sure if it was the exact same Black Abyss. Most likely not, because the Black Abyss Struggle here occurred once every ten years. Although the Little People's Black Abyss Martial Arts Competition had a much longer cycle, if they were truly the same Black Abyss, their paths would certainly have intersected at some point. If that were the case... during a Star Constellation's martial arts competition, if a large number of unfamiliar Moon Realm cultivators suddenly appeared, the situation would undoubtedly become chaotic. But after so many years, the Star Constellations from the three divisions of Mount Fangcun who participated in the competition had never encountered such an event. Lu Ye was more inclined to believe that this was a different space, simply very similar to the one he had visited before.

The only difference was a bright light emanating from nearby. Turning his head, he saw a small, sun-like orb radiating light. Upon closer inspection, the orb's surface even had a faint reddish hue.

"Move, everyone, move quickly!" Hu Dequan's shout rang out as he was the first to dart towards the small sun. The others followed close behind. Xiangyin and the others gathered around Lu Ye, looking to him for instructions.

"Proceed according to the plan," Lu Ye instructed, leading his forces to follow the Red Talisman Society cultivators. The plan was simply to assist the Red Talisman Society.

A moment later, more than forty individuals gathered by the small sun, standing solemnly. Hu Dequan looked towards Lu Ye and his group, speaking gravely: "Brother Lu, although I've discussed this with you via communication before, I must reiterate: for us, the Black Abyss Struggle is a battle to protect the Origin!"

The Origin was the Red Talisman Society's term for that small sun, representing the core world's very essence. Furthermore, the Origin indeed possessed its own consciousness, a fact Lu Ye had confirmed during his previous conversation with Hu Dequan. In earlier times, the core world's consciousness would communicate with the Red Talisman Society cultivators, offering guidance and assistance. However, with the passage of time, this consciousness grew increasingly dormant, often providing no response when sought by the Red Talisman Society.

The root cause was the layer of blood-red hue covering the Origin's exterior. Lu Ye could distinctly sense an extremely terrifying sacred property emanating from that faint, bloody color. That blood-red hue was undoubtedly the power of the Blood Ancestor's Treasure Blood! The Treasure Blood was eroding the Origin, and the Origin had continuously resisted it, hence its prolonged dormant state. Only during the Black Abyss Struggle would the Origin's consciousness be guided by the Red Talisman's power, drawing the Red Talisman Society's cultivators into this location.