Chapter 716: Heaven Is Bleeding

"Hehehehe... *cough cough cough*..."

Xing Mo, the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Rift Sect, watched the figure enveloped in bloody light, seated atop the altar. He chuckled softly, but the laughter aggravated his injuries, making him cough uncontrollably.

This was truly a miraculous escape from certain death.

So, their Sect Master had indeed taken that decisive step. No wonder he had never seemed to take the approaching enemy seriously.

Flicking Monk Guang Jing away with a single finger—such power transcended the limits of the Dragon Soaring Realm. With such a foundation, what was there to fear from a united army of cultivators?

"So, everything was within the Sect Master's calculations!" Xing Mo truly admired him.

Evidently, the number of mortals previously captured from Xuezhou, and even the Heavenly Rift Sect traitors subsequently executed, had been insufficient. The accumulated blood had not been enough to activate that mysterious grand formation.

However, the massive assault by the allied cultivators had filled this battlefield with slaughter and endless flowing blood, finally giving Tian Sheng the necessary capital to activate the grand formation.

In Tian Sheng at this moment, he saw the formidable power rumored to be possessed only by True Lake Realm cultivators.

Only one thought surged in his mind: "To hear the Dao in the morning, and die in the evening, would be enough!"

Though equally excited, Cheng Henfeng, who stood beside him, was not as fanatical as Xing Mo. He vaguely sensed something amiss and whispered, "What did the Sect Master mean just now when he said 'my Lord'...? What does that mean?"

That title unsettled him. Tian Sheng was already among the strongest cultivators in the Dragon Soaring Realm; even the previously deceased Fahua and Liu Tianyi were his equals. Who else in this world could stand above him and be addressed with such reverence?

Xing Mo, seemingly oblivious, cheered excitedly, "May the Sect Master live for eternity, and the Divine Sect endure forever!"

The fervent look on his face seemed almost to ignite.

The surviving Heavenly Rift Sect cultivators also chimed in, shouting, "May the Sect Master live for eternity, and the Divine Sect endure forever!"

For a moment, emotions ran high. Despite the Heavenly Rift Sect having suffered heavy casualties, with only two out of ten remaining, the situation instantly reversed after Tian Sheng displayed his immense power, as if the Heavenly Rift Sect now held the upper hand.

"That's not his power!" Guang Jing said, his face grim, as he watched Tian Sheng enveloped in blood mist, his heart filled with dread.

Having directly faced Tian Sheng's attack, he felt it more clearly than anyone else. He immediately determined that it wasn't Tian Sheng's own power, but the might of the grand formation set up here.

Tian Sheng had not, in fact, taken that step. This world simply wouldn't allow anyone to take that step!

"Stop him, quickly!" Guang Jing roared.

Regardless of what Tian Sheng intended, he had to be stopped, or the Dragon Soaring Realm would face a great catastrophe.

With that, he charged towards Tian Sheng again, with Yuan Changcun following closely behind.

On the other side, flying swords streaked through the air towards Tian Sheng. Sword energies crisscrossed, each resembling a brushstroke. As they intersected, they formed a massive character: "Kill."

This was the Sword Calligraphy Art from the Hao Ran Academy! The "Kill" character technique was the most lethal among them, personally unleashed by the contemporary head of the Hao Ran Academy, showcasing its immense power.

Furthermore, numerous other Dragon Soaring Realm cultivators simultaneously attacked Tian Sheng.

In an instant, Tian Sheng's position was enveloped in a riot of colorful light.

Tian Sheng also seemed enraged. His low voice boomed, "This Sect Master has found a path forward for you, yet instead of gratitude, you remain so stubbornly ignorant! Truly, the world is foolish... You will all die!"

As his words fell, the blood river began to boil, covering tens of miles. The winding blood river seemed to come alive at this moment, an endless, thick blood essence evaporating and converging towards the hundred-zhang altar where Tian Sheng stood.

In just a blink, all the blood flowing in the river vanished.

The colorful lights enveloping Tian Sheng dimmed instantly, leaving only a blood-red hue across the heavens and earth.

"Begone!" Tian Sheng roared.

Surging blood essence surged forth, an invisible wave sweeping out. Centered on him, cultivators within a thousand-zhang radius were knocked off their feet.

Such a display was truly terrifying. Even if Tian Sheng had genuinely advanced to the True Lake Realm, he might not possess such power.

"What is that?" someone exclaimed, looking towards Tian Sheng with fear in their eyes.

Tian Sheng's location was now covered by a blood sphere, which pulsed and shifted as if alive.

"Ah!" Tian Sheng's agonizing screams echoed from within the blood sphere, as if he were enduring immense torture.

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone; no one knew what was happening.

But in the next moment, the pulsating blood sphere suddenly transformed into a towering pillar of blood-red light, shooting straight into the sky.

The hundred-zhang altar was located directly beneath the Heavenly Rift. Now, this sky-piercing blood-red light pillar shot up, tearing through the air for tens of thousands of miles, piercing the clouds, and crashing directly into the Heavenly Rift.

Boom... Heaven and earth hummed. At that instant, the entire Dragon Soaring Realm trembled violently.

Tian Sheng's screams grew even more piercing, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

The light pillar lingered. Under the watchful eyes of many, the Heavenly Rift, which had appeared eight hundred years ago, suddenly underwent a strange transformation.

Inside the Heavenly Rift, it had always been a hazy grey, as if containing nothingness.

But after the blood-red light pillar surged into it, the Heavenly Rift's interior turned a blood-red color, as if a sea of blood was churning within.

Not only that, but the Heavenly Rift itself began to slowly expand. This crack in the sky, which had existed for eight hundred years, was rapidly widening.

A moment later, the blood-red light pillar connecting heaven and earth dissipated. Tian Sheng collapsed onto the altar like a puddle of mud, as if he had endured unimaginable torture, his entire being radiating extreme weakness.

"This..." The Heavenly Rift Sect cultivators were dumbfounded. The allied cultivators were also dumbfounded.

How majestic had Tian Sheng been just moments ago? He sat unmoving, enduring the combined attacks of three top-tier powerhouses, and casually flicked away the physically formidable Master Guang Jing with a finger.

He had also created such an immense spectacle.

Everyone thought he was about to become invincible.

Yet, in just a few breaths, such a powerful individual had become like a dead dog.

The enormous contrast was difficult for anyone to accept, even his enemies from the allied forces.

Grand Elder Xing Mo's eyes almost popped out; he simply couldn't comprehend why things had turned out this way.

If this was the case... then they were surely doomed today.

"Hehehe..." However, Tian Sheng's laughter echoed from the altar. Even as his breath was faint and his life force dissipated, he showed no panic. Instead, a relieved expression appeared on his face, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the Heavenly Rift above.

The grand plan was complete; no one could stop it now!

"Look, the sky is bleeding!" a cry of alarm suddenly rang out.

Many gazes lifted, and everyone's pupils constricted.

Within the Heavenly Rift, blood-red light surged, and vast crimson streams flowed out. At first glance, it truly seemed as if the sky itself was bleeding.

And the Heavenly Rift, which had spanned the sky for eight hundred years, was like a scar on the heavens.

Along with the blood, an unsettling and profoundly disturbing aura poured forth.

In a blink, a sea of blood had formed beneath the Heavenly Rift.

Within the blood sea, some blurry figures seemed to be moving...

With a splash... The sea of blood parted, and a tall figure suddenly stepped out from within.

All cultivators who witnessed this scene were stunned, for although the figure was humanoid, it looked vastly different from a normal human.

He was remarkably tall and slender, his exposed skin a blood-red color, like a cooked lobster. He also had pointed ears, and his hands, which hung by his sides, bore ten sharp, pointed nails.

His attire also didn't seem to be of the Dragon Soaring Realm style.

"A demon?" someone wondered, full of doubt.

The Dragon Soaring Realm indeed had demons; those who opened their spiritual apertures could transform into human form, but no one had ever seen a demon like this.

However, demons themselves were diverse, and some rare species might simply not have been encountered before.

Yet, the aura emanating from this being was clearly not demonic energy, but something far more sinister.

Moreover, this person had emerged from a sea of blood, and that blood sea had come from the Heavenly Rift...

Many cultivators were horrified, an unbelievable thought surging in their minds.

"This world..." Just as the cultivators of the Dragon Soaring Realm reeled in shock, the blood-skinned man suddenly spoke. His voice sounded no different from a normal human's. "It's quite decent!"

"Welcome, my Lord!" Tian Sheng, like a heap of mud on the altar, weakly called out.

The blood-skinned man was drawn by his voice and turned his head, looking down from his superior height. "It was you who communicated with me all these years?"

Tian Sheng quickly replied, "As my Lord discerns, it is indeed your subordinate!"

Tian Sheng, the dignified Sect Master of the Heavenly Rift Sect, had remained calm even when facing the attacks of Fahua and Liu Tianyi. Yet, now, in front of the blood-skinned man, he referred to himself with such humility, which was unsettling to witness.

The blood-skinned man nodded, his figure drifting to Tian Sheng's side. He bent down and reached out, his large hand gripping Tian Sheng's head.

"Your contribution to my smooth arrival in this realm is immeasurable! Under my command, merits are rewarded, and transgressions are punished. Remember that!" As the blood-skinned man spoke, a brilliant bloody light emanated from him.

Visibly, an unimaginably pure blood essence poured into Tian Sheng's body. The previously lifeless Tian Sheng rapidly regained color in his face, and his aura continuously recovered.

In just a few breaths, the blood-skinned man withdrew his hand.

Tian Sheng looked down at his hands, feeling his current state, unable to suppress his ecstatic joy. He knew his years of effort had finally paid off. Without hesitation, he immediately knelt before the blood-skinned man. "Thank you, my Lord!"

Centered around the altar, the remnants of the Heavenly Rift Sect and the numerous cultivators of the allied army watched in utter astonishment.

Everyone's hearts were deeply shaken.

They had personally witnessed the blood-skinned man's seemingly miraculous resurrection technique, seeing Tian Sheng go from a dead dog one moment to full of life and vigor the next...

Such methods were not just unheard of; they were unimaginable.

Furthermore, though the blood-skinned man had only spoken a few words, the profound meaning hidden within them sent shivers down their spines.

Guang Jing, Yuan Changcun, and Kui Yuanshan, the three strongest members of the allied forces, wore expressions so grim they seemed about to weep.