Chapter 1831: Ancestor Artifact

Outside the Blood Extinction Realm, not much was apparent, but upon entering, Lu Ye immediately discovered numerous anomalies.

As he looked up, he saw countless blood-red lights rising from various points within the entire Blood Extinction Realm, like pillars of blood connecting heaven and earth. There were thousands of such blood pillars throughout the Blood Extinction Realm, a magnificent spectacle when viewed from a distance.

The master and servant had entered from the middle section of the Blood Extinction Realm. The nearest blood pillar was only a few dozen miles away. Lu Ye focused intently, hoping to glimpse its source. If he wasn't mistaken, these unusual phenomena had to be related to the Blood Race's use of their Ancestral Artifact. However, Lu Ye currently couldn't fathom what the artifact was, or why its activation would cause such strange manifestations in the Blood Extinction Realm.

Soon, Lu Ye spotted the source of the blood pillar. To his surprise, it was a blood pool. Blood pools also existed in the Blood Refining Realm, and in considerable numbers. This allowed ambitious Blood Race members to choose the nearest blood pool and cultivate deeply within it. Naturally, most who attempted this perished.

The Blood Extinction Realm naturally contained blood pools as well. Yet, at this moment, the pool appeared to be boiling, with dense, crimson light surging out and rising skyward, forming the blood pillar Lu Ye observed. Lu Ye understood then; it seemed the sources of all the other blood pillars must also be blood pools.

What angered him was that, at this very moment, large numbers of living beings were being brought from all directions to the blood pools by the Blood Race. Disregarding their desperate cries and pleas, the Blood Race threw them all into the pools. The blood pools were like ravenous beasts; any creature thrown into them would simply bob and sink a few times before vanishing without a trace.

"Has anything like this happened before?" Lu Ye transmitted the question.

"Never seen it, nor has it ever occurred," Ding Beifeng replied, shaking his head. This was his first time witnessing such a spectacle. He wondered how many creatures had been bred as blood sacrifices within the Blood Extinction Realm, but his divine sense now revealed that nearly all of them had vanished. Their fate was self-evident.

Just then, a Moon Reaching Realm presence rapidly approached. The master and servant turned to look, observing a Blood Race member rushing forward. The newcomer glanced at Ding Beifeng in surprise: "You're still alive?"

Ding Beifeng snorted coldly, "Aren't you also alive?"

Observing their exchange, Lu Ye inferred that Ding Beifeng and this Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert did not have a good relationship. In the previous battle, when the Blood Race army invaded Southern Square Inch Mountain, the Blood Race suffered heavy casualties. Those who reacted quickly managed to flee, while slower ones were left behind in Square Inch Mountain. A few Blood Race Sun Reaching Realm experts, being swift, had already returned to the Blood Extinction Realm, but many other Blood Race members had not yet made it back to their own realm in time. This was also why no Blood Race members suspected Ding Beifeng when he brought Lu Ye into the Blood Extinction Realm; the scattered Blood Race members were gradually returning.

"If you're not dead, get moving! What are you staring into space for?" the Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert snapped impatiently.

Ding Beifeng frowned, "What is happening?"

The Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert promptly moved away, displaying an attitude of being too bothered to deal with Ding Beifeng. Normally, Ding Beifeng wouldn't have made any further moves; they had disliked each other for years, not just a day or two. However, as Lu Ye's blood attendant, he knew Lu Ye was eager to gather information about the Blood Extinction Realm. Naturally, he couldn't let the other party simply depart. He instantly activated his sacred power and fixed a cold gaze on the other Blood Race member.

The Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert first froze, then was utterly astonished, staring at Ding Beifeng with trepidation: "You... when did you refine sacred blood?"

"Presumptuous!" Ding Beifeng snorted.

The Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert's face cycled through shades of green and red. Though unwilling and disgruntled, they still bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Sacred Venerable!"

One who refines sacred blood is known as a Sacred Venerable. The Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert simply could not comprehend where Ding Beifeng had acquired sacred blood, let alone how he had successfully refined it. This instantly created a significant gap in their statuses; unless the Moon Reaching Realm expert also refined a drop of sacred blood, they would forever be subordinate to Ding Beifeng. Envy, jealousy, resentment, and helplessness churned within him.

"Tell me," Ding Beifeng stated calmly.

This time, the Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert dared not show any defiance. He immediately explained the situation: after several Blood Race Sun Reaching Realm experts returned, they began collectively activating the power of the Ancestral Artifact. Sacrificing all the blood provisions within the Blood Extinction Realm by throwing them into the blood pools was one of the rituals. Currently, all members of the Blood Race throughout the Blood Extinction Realm were engrossed in this task. In just a few days, an untold number of blood provisions had been sacrificed.

After speaking, the Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert cautiously observed Ding Beifeng. Although he knew his life wouldn't be in danger even if he was at odds with Ding Beifeng, he would be powerless to resist if Ding Beifeng chose to humiliate him. Fortunately, Ding Beifeng had no such intention. He simply waved his hand and dismissively said, "Scram!"

The Blood Race Moon Reaching Realm expert seemed to be granted a great reprieve. He clasped his fists in a salute, then turned and vanished as a streak of blood-red light.

Ding Beifeng looked at Lu Ye, who was currently staring in a particular direction. If the entire Blood Extinction Realm were considered an arm, that location would be the wrist. Lu Ye could sense that the Blood Race's Sun Reaching Realm experts were gathered there. It was also the point where energy fluctuations in the entire Blood Extinction Realm were most chaotic. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the location of the so-called Ancestral Artifact.

Lu Ye was curious about the Ancestral Artifact's true nature, but he knew this wasn't the time to investigate. His immediate goal was to stir up chaos and sabotage the Blood Race's plans, primarily to free Southern Square Inch Mountain from the Blood Extinction Realm's influence and allow it to depart from this star system. If possible, he could take further action beyond that, but of course, he would need to act according to the circumstances.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Ye instructed, "Throw me into the blood pool."

"Yes!" Ding Beifeng responded, stepping forward and grabbing Lu Ye's collar. Lu Ye immediately put on a show of furious struggle. Based on his previous attempts in the Blood Refining Realm, to manipulate an entire domain, he needed to delve deep into a blood pool. He had initially pondered how to accomplish this unnoticed, but now, the entire Blood Extinction Realm was engaged in a blood sacrifice ritual. This, without a doubt, made his task much easier.

Ding Beifeng, maintaining a stern expression, completely disregarded Lu Ye's struggles. He dragged him to the nearest blood pool and, under the watchful eyes of numerous Blood Race members, unceremoniously threw him in. Lu Ye's figure bobbed twice in the blood pool before disappearing from sight.

Beneath the blood pool, Lu Ye descended deeper, discovering the internal passages were intricate and interconnected. The subterranean passages were undoubtedly the Blood Ancestor's veins and arteries. Now that he had successfully entered, Lu Ye faced a dilemma. Previously, in the Blood Refining Realm, he had entered the Blood Ancestor's heart, a critical vital point for any living being. Manipulating power from such a location would undoubtedly yield twice the results with half the effort. The Blood Extinction Realm, however, was merely an arm of the Blood Ancestor, possessing no such vital points.

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye had a sudden flash of insight. While there might not be vital points on an arm, there were spiritual orifices, which were undoubtedly convergence points for energy flow. However, the Blood Ancestor was not human, so he couldn't be certain how her spiritual orifices might differ from those of humans. He would have to search carefully and compare. The blood pool Lu Ye entered was very close to the elbow. For humans, this location contains a crucial spiritual orifice and is also a point where qi and blood converge.

After some searching and investigation, he indeed found a location that matched the characteristics. This place differed from others Lu Ye had passed through; if other passages were merely straight paths, then this location was a crossroads. In fact, it was more complex than a simple crossroads, serving as the intersection point for numerous passages. If he wasn't mistaken, this must be one of the Blood Ancestor's spiritual orifices. This suggested that the Blood Ancestor's spiritual orifices shared commonalities with those of humans.

Lu Ye immediately settled himself and immersed his mind. The connection with the Blood Extinction Realm gradually intensified, and Lu Ye once again experienced the sensation of being clad in heavy armor. He had experienced this sensation previously in the Blood Refining Realm, but that domain was too immense. The heavy armor felt so suffocating that he was immobilized, rendering him unable to manipulate the Blood Refining Realm. In contrast, while still heavy, the sensation was significantly better than what he had experienced in the Blood Refining Realm. This confirmed his earlier conjecture: the Blood Extinction Realm was considerably smaller than the Blood Refining Realm, thus making it less difficult for him to manipulate it.

As time passed, the connection grew increasingly profound, and Lu Ye's consciousness underwent a transformation. At a certain point, when this peculiar connection reached its peak, Lu Ye suddenly felt as if the entire domain was under his complete control. Wherever his thoughts drifted, everything within the domain was imprinted into his mind with exquisite clarity. He saw countless Blood Race members flying busily throughout the domain. He heard the agonizing screams and curses of countless blood provisions. He felt the entire Blood Extinction Realm throbbing, as if this arm, which had been lifeless for countless years, was on the verge of reanimating. However, at this very moment, the Blood Extinction Realm's essence was rapidly diminishing, pulled by some force and gushing outwards.

Following the source of that pulling force, Lu Ye continued to observe. He finally saw the Ancestral Artifact! It was located at the wrist, within a valley. At the valley's center stood a hundred-zhang-tall altar, upon which rested a copper-green long pestle, several zhang in length. At first glance, the pestle appeared unremarkable, save for an extremely ancient aura. It was clearly aged, mottled with verdigris, and many intricate patterns on its surface were incomplete.

Surrounding the altar, numerous Blood Race powerhouses were gathered, each channeling their power into the copper-green pestle, causing the altar to incessantly vibrate. Lu Ye's consciousness floated to this location without disturbing any of the Blood Race members. This form of observation provided an absolute, grand perspective, making it undetectable even by powerful Sun Reaching Realm experts.