Chapter 725: The Great Building Is About to Collapse

A Storm Rises Across the Nine Provinces

The root cause of the Heaven's Rift's appearance and the reason for the cultivation world's gradual decline were only revealed today.

Instantly, the entire Dragon Ascension cultivation world was gripped by fervent indignation.

For eight hundred years, countless heroes emerged in the Dragon Ascension cultivation world, yet their path to cultivation was severely obstructed by changes in heaven and earth. It was one thing not knowing the reason before, but now, learning that all of this was due to the Blood Realm's parasitic siphoning, who could remain calm?

Furthermore, the Blood Realm's ultimate goal was clearly to completely devour the essence of the entire Dragon Ascension Realm. If that were to happen, Dragon Ascension would surely perish!

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. The cultivators were all cultivators of Dragon Ascension; if Dragon Ascension fell, they naturally wouldn't survive. To survive, they had to eradicate all Bloodkin!

At once, the cultivators of Dragon Ascension displayed an intense hatred for the Bloodkin, these suddenly appearing invaders, and a resolute determination to wipe them out completely.

Beneath the Heaven's Rift, a large number of Bloodkin gathered, causing blood energy to surge skyward from the location. The blood in the Blood River Array, which covered dozens of miles, had already dried, but dark red stains still remained in the grooves.

The original location of the hundred-zhang altar had been replaced by a massive altar. The altar was shaped like a six-pointed star, with various mysterious and intricate patterns flickering into and out of existence, making the entire altar appear alive. The constantly flashing lights were like the altar's very breaths.

The Bloodkin's efficiency was undeniably high. In just a few days since their invasion of the Dragon Ascension Realm, they had already constructed such a complex altar. The materials needed for its construction were all brought by the Bloodkin from the Blood Realm itself. They were clearly not new to this, demonstrating extreme proficiency. Some Bloodkin were dedicated to pursuing local enemies, others to defense, and still others specifically to constructing this altar.

The moment the altar was completed, a sanguine light surged skyward, pouring directly into the Heaven's Rift. Immediately, the Rift seemed to bleed, a river of blood cascading down, and with it, a vast number of Bloodkin descended upon the Dragon Ascension Realm.

Xing Mo and the one-armed Cheng Henfeng followed behind Tiansheng, watching this scene from afar, their emotions incredibly complex. Surviving the previous conflict, they were undoubtedly extremely fortunate. But in their current state, they didn't know whether to feel lucky or enraged.

They had been subjected to a very peculiar secret art by the Bloodkin. According to Bloodfiend's words, it was the Blood Slave Seal, and those marked with it became Bloodkin's blood slaves. "Slave"—for powerful individuals like them, who stood at the apex of a realm, it was undoubtedly a humiliating term. Yet, they dared not express their anger.

Not to mention the terrifying and despair-inducing power displayed by the Bloodkin, the seal itself was enough to easily control their lives and deaths. They could feel that with the seal present, any Bloodkin, even one far weaker than them, could easily slay them. This applied to them, to Tiansheng, and equally to the surviving cultivators of the Heaven's Rift Sect. Now, they had thoroughly and completely become slaves to the Bloodkin.

"Tiansheng, is this the way out you found?" Xing Mo murmured, bitterness in his heart. "What was the point of finding a way out if it came at such a tremendous cost?"

Tiansheng remained silent, but both Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng could sense the turmoil within him.

As a Bloodkin passed by, the three quickly bowed in salute, showing extreme humility. Having already suffered, they knew how to conduct themselves in front of these Bloodkin.

"Sect Master, save me!" A shrill cry echoed. Xing Mo turned to see a fair-skinned, beautiful woman held by a Bloodkin, screaming in terror. She was the thirty-first elder of the sect, a rare female powerhouse in the Heaven's Rift Sect, normally a woman of exceptionally strong character, yet now she appeared utterly helpless.

Tiansheng remained bowed, as if he hadn't heard. Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng nearly ground their teeth to dust, fury boiling within them, yet they dared not make any rash moves. The Bloodkin grinned savagely, biting into the thirty-first elder's slender neck. Gulping sounds followed, and the elder's screams gradually faded until they were completely inaudible, disappearing moments later.

After the Bloodkin departed, satisfied, the once beautiful thirty-first elder was nothing but a desiccated corpse, discarded casually on the ground. Many cultivators of the Heaven's Rift Sect had survived the previous battle, but not the Bloodkin's rampage. In these few days, countless Heaven's Rift Sect cultivators had met gruesome deaths at the hands of the Bloodkin.

To the Bloodkin, these blood slaves were like livestock, taken and used at will, with no Bloodkin caring about their opinions. What horrified them even more was that these Bloodkin actually consumed human blood! The Heaven's Rift Sect was a mixed bag, teeming with all sorts of villains and scoundrels. Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng were well-versed in such matters, yet there was a limit to the depravity of Heaven's Rift Sect cultivators. Consuming human blood... such an act was beyond their wildest imagination. And from what they had observed, it seemed every Bloodkin had this preference or ability; they could strengthen themselves by consuming human blood.

In the past few days, Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng had more than once felt the greedy gaze of Bloodkin lingering on them. Fortunately, they had been following Tiansheng, and Tiansheng himself had the Blood Slave Seal personally implanted by Bloodfiend, so ordinary Bloodkin dared not treat them in that way for the time being. But who could guarantee they would remain safe indefinitely?

"Hmm?" Xing Mo suddenly had a premonition. He looked up toward the distance, seeing the outlines of large ships appearing on the horizon. On and beside these ships, numerous cultivators were moving about.

"They're finally here!" Cheng Henfeng exhaled deeply. With the Bloodkin invading like this, the Dragon Ascension cultivation world couldn't possibly remain indifferent.

Previously, Dragon Ascension had been caught off guard, suffering heavy casualties, then pursued and forced to flee by the Bloodkin. Afterward, something unknown happened, causing the Bloodkin to be almost completely annihilated, with only a few hundred escaping back. Now that several days had passed, the Dragon Ascension cultivation world must have gathered considerable intelligence. Faced with such a world-ending catastrophe, they would surely take action.

Looking out, spirit ships were countless, far greater in scale than the Dragon Ascension cultivation world's siege on the Heaven's Rift Sect a few days prior. In any case, the last time was merely an internal conflict, but today was about expelling an external threat, so Dragon Ascension was clearly going all out.

"Let them be destroyed quickly!" Cheng Henfeng thought fiercely to himself, inexplicably feeling a sense of release.

The Bloodkin naturally noticed the Dragon Ascension cultivation world's immense movement. However, far from being afraid, they were filled with renewed fighting spirit. Hailing from the Blood Realm, how could they possibly put a group of human cultivators, whose highest cultivation was merely at the Cloud River Realm, in their eyes? The Bloodkin had destroyed more than just one or two realms like Dragon Ascension. In the long history of the Blood Realm's existence, countless realms akin to Dragon Ascension had been siphoned into empty shells and massacred into barren lands by the Bloodkin. Their previous inaction wasn't due to fear of the Dragon Ascension cultivators; they simply hadn't been able to spare forces. Now, with the Dragon Ascension cultivators actively delivering themselves, wasn't it precisely to their liking?

As a species fundamentally based on invasion and plunder, the Bloodkin's belligerence and ferocity were utterly incomparable to that of the Dragon Ascension cultivators. Without any command from Bloodfiend, large numbers of Bloodkin mobilized. Even with their fighting spirit boiling, the Bloodkin did not launch an offensive. Instead, they adopted a defensive posture, forming dense and robust lines of defense. Their most crucial task now was not to attack and kill enemies, but to protect the guiding altar.

With the altar complete, the connection between the Blood Realm and the Dragon Ascension Realm would grow increasingly strong. As time passed, even more Bloodkin would descend upon this realm. If they could construct more altars, this process would accelerate significantly; the more altars there were, the less time it would take for the Blood Realm to devour the Dragon Ascension Realm.

"Do what you want; don't be an eyesore near me." Tiansheng, who had been silent for days as if he were mute, suddenly spoke. Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng were both startled, then simultaneously bowed: "Thank you, Sect Master!" What they had seen and heard over the past few days made them realize that they would eventually become blood fodder for some Bloodkin. Tiansheng had the protection afforded by his connection to Bloodfiend; Bloodkin might disdain him, but no Bloodkin dared to rashly treat him as blood fodder. But the two of them did not have such good fortune. Therefore, to survive, they had to find a way to escape this place. The large-scale attack by the Dragon Ascension cultivators was undoubtedly an opportunity. And Tiansheng's words clearly indicated that he had discerned their intentions.

After thanking him, the two turned to leave. However, at that moment, Tiansheng suddenly extended his hand, spiritual energy surging through him, and struck each of their backs with a palm. The two figures flew high, like kites with severed strings, each spitting fresh blood.

Xing Mo coughed up fragments of internal organs. When he turned back in shock, he saw only Tiansheng's indifferent face, and was immediately filled with despairing rage: "Tiansheng, may you die a terrible death!" Cheng Henfeng, however, uttered no curses. Instead, he brazenly drew his sword, and with a biting flash of light, enveloped several nearby Bloodkin. It was the final sword strike of his life; Cheng Henfeng poured all his strength into it. Space itself seemed to be severed, and several unsuspecting Bloodkin were instantly diced into fragments, their cuts clean and smooth.

But that was the extent of it! The next moment, Xing Mo and Cheng Henfeng's figures suddenly froze. Their skin turned crimson, as if their blood had begun to boil. A Bloodkin had activated the Blood Slave Seal within them. Nearby Bloodkin swarmed forward, enveloping them. Through the dense crowd, Cheng Henfeng finally saw the flash of blood-red light in Tiansheng's eyes. Only then did he understand that Tiansheng's mind had long been corrupted by the Bloodkin's secret art, making him utterly loyal to the Bloodkin, unlike those who had been branded with the Blood Slave Seal and merely feigned loyalty.

Simultaneously, Bloodkin all around the surviving Heaven's Rift Sect cultivators began to move. Screams continued without end, yet in just a few breaths, everything fell silent. The Bloodkin dispersed, leaving behind desiccated corpses in various locations. As if having undergone a blood sacrifice, the Bloodkin's fighting spirit soared even higher!