Chapter 1397: Ten Ancient Bloodlines

To enter the ancient Mythological Road, at least ten types of supreme ancient blood are required. They must be poured onto the sealed gate to open it.

This was a secret Ye Fan and his companions heard in an ancient land, leaving everyone stunned. It turned out that no one had truly entered the ancient Mythological Road; they were still on the Golden Ancient Road. This was due to the immense passage of time. The outside world had long become unfamiliar with these desolate ancient roads, not knowing the true situation and mistakenly believing them to be the Mythological Road. Had it not been for a Human Protector explicitly stating it, people would have continued to be mistaken. All cultivators were still only halfway there, and the Mythological Road remained distant.

"Ten types of supreme ancient blood? This condition is truly demanding!" the Dragon Horse exclaimed indignantly.

"No need to worry," Pang Bo said, "Ye Zi himself carries a type that surely far exceeds the standard. And my own blood should be passable." He surmised the true meaning of this condition: hunting was required, and only the strongest individuals could embark on the Mythological Road. Sure enough, news soon arrived: the blood of ancient demonic gods and some of the most powerful races were included.

"That's good," many sighed with relief. "I thought it had to be Overlord Blood, Saint Blood, or Divine Blood. Otherwise, it would be almost impossible to enter the Mythological Road." Now there are rumors that the true Ancient Tree of Life is on that very road.

A faint light emerged from the deep darkness. At first, they thought it was a star, but as time passed and it drew closer, an alarm rose in Ye Fan and the others' hearts. It was still very distant, yet they could already sense a surge of vital energy. This creature must be incredibly powerful; otherwise, how could it cause such a stir from so far away? The universe was vast and boundless; normally, one could travel for millennia without encountering any life forms. However, this particular star region was somewhat special, attracting powerhouses from various races.

"What kind of creature is this?" the Dragon Horse bared its teeth. "Its radiant glow is so dazzling, piercing through the dark cosmos. It'll probably be very difficult to deal with." It added, "Could it possess the ancient blood we need?"

Ye Fan and his group had been traveling for over ten days, entering a legendary ancient 'hunting ground.' They had encountered several powerful races along the way, but none had the ancient blood they sought. Now, this was their first encounter with an unknown creature.

"It's really coming for us," the Golden Lion said, his expression grave. "I sense a powerful vital energy, overwhelming, as if it's treading upon the corpses of all beings." Its entire body glowed, appearing as if cast from gold, like an ancient deity. None of the Twelve Saints were pushovers. Over the years, they had taken many lives, evolving through ancient blood refinement techniques, each becoming incredibly powerful. Now, even the Golden Lion, a paragon stained with the blood of his enemies, was moved, which showed just how terrifying the approaching foe was.

The creature was incredibly fast, rushing directly towards them. Its vital energy surged like an ocean, sweeping towards them, completely engulfing them.

"Too domineering! Does it really think it's an Emperor, wanting to kill us all?!" the Dragon Horse roared indignantly, unleashing its own vital energy. Across from them, an even more potent vital energy surged, shaking the galaxy and causing the sun and moon to tremble.

Rumble!

The sky tore apart. The might of the powerful surged like a vast ocean; a demonic god seemed to be glaring from the other side, supremely strong and immense. Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others all gasped. This was a colossal beast, vast in size, comparable to a giant meteor. In the darkness, a pair of eyes glowed with icy coldness, as if looking out from hell, chilling and despair-inducing. Most terrifying of all was a cluster of silvery light on its forehead, like a flickering divine flame. It was supreme spiritual power, almost materialized. Before, they had mistaken it for starlight, only realizing upon closer inspection that it was a sign of the creature's immense power.

It was like an ancient demonic mountain, too vast, looking down on them. Its shape was grotesque, resembling a gigantic spider, though it was clearly something far more. Its entire body was covered in cold, dark scales, chilling and soul-stirring. It also possessed hundreds of spider legs, each one, when straightened, like a divine spear. Aside from being covered in cold scales, it truly resembled a mountain-sized spider, incredibly intimidating, with an aura of vital energy that inspired dread.

"Could it be... one of the ancient Demonic Gods?!" the Black Bear Saint exclaimed in astonishment, his expression shifting as he recalled some legends. There was an ancient creature capable of battling gods, but sadly, it had been extinct for many years. Legend had it that at their peak, they could grow tens of thousands of legs, earning them the name Myriad-Footed Demonic Spider, a type of ancient Demonic God. This particular one was far from having myriad feet, but its hundred legs were still substantial. The fact that this race had not gone extinct shocked and awed them.

Clearly, this was one of the supreme ancient blood types they needed!

It had reached the Saint King realm, but its combat power could not be judged by ordinary standards. This ancient creature possessed numerous curses, making it incredibly difficult to deal with, especially its massive body, which had once troubled even the Divine Race.

"Humans, make your sacrifice." A powerful divine thought resonated, like a tangible voice, causing the cosmos to rumble and tremble. Its vital energy surged. It saw Ye Fan and his group as blood sacrifices, demanding their lives, just as many great clans had offered sacrifices to Demonic Gods in ancient times.

Pang Bo scoffed, "We originally intended to exchange blood with you and proceed together onto the Mythological Road. Now you want our lives? I suggest you cut off all your hundred legs and offer them to us instead."

Whoosh!

A streak of dark light flashed, cutting through the cosmos faster than lightning, thrusting towards Pang Bo. It was ruthless and decisive, its powerful divine energy causing an uncontrollable tremor. This was one of the Myriad-Footed Demonic Spider's legs. Straightened, it resembled an icy long spear, piercing through heaven and earth, instantly appearing before them, incredibly sharp.

Clang!

Pang Bo unleashed a punch, colliding with the spider leg. It was like divine metal striking together, shattering the void as divine energy raged violently.

"Nine Slashes of the Demon Emperor—Annihilation!" Pang Bo roared, employing his powerful ancient art. Two silver dragons shot from his eyes, striking towards its head. The Demonic Spider shuddered, quickly dodging. Its body exuded monstrous vital energy, and it shrieked. All hundred of its legs moved in unison, like a hundred black divine spears piercing forth simultaneously. With a chilling glow, the sharp spider legs erupted with an aura of despair, like ten thousand swords piercing the heart. Brilliant light exploded as the two silver dragons collided with the numerous divine spears, unleashing an intensely chilling murderous aura. The two forces fiercely clashed, fighting for life and death.

Pang Bo's body shook violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He was forced back ten thousand zhang. This colossal creature was too terrifying; it was a top-tier formidable opponent even among Saint Kings, several realms higher than him. Across from them, some of the Demonic Spider's legs were cut, bleeding profusely. Its eyes grew even colder, fixating on Pang Bo and the others, realizing they had encountered extraordinary humans.

"Divine Wound!" Pang Bo roared, unleashing another of the Nine Slashes of the Demon Emperor. His forehead glowed brightly, emitting streaks of sharp immortal light. The Demonic Spider shrieked in pain, struggling violently. Its primordial spirit had been attacked, but the cluster of divine flame on its forehead was too terrifying; it burned fiercely, dispersing Pang Bo's attack and nearly causing a backlash.

This was shocking! Who was Pang Bo? He was a rising young supreme talent on the ancient Human Road. Yet, he was injured. The Demonic Spider was unstoppable. It was a truly super-strong ancient malevolent spirit.

"Deprivation!" Pang Bo roared, still using a wondrous technique from the Nine Slashes of the Demon Emperor, directly contending with the cluster of silvery spiritual power, intending to forcefully seize it. This secret art was mysterious and powerful. Had it been anyone else, the first three slashes would have annihilated them; they couldn't have resisted at all. Only because the Demonic Spider was several realms higher could it withstand them.

The Demonic Spider's entire body glowed, especially its cluster of spiritual divine flame, which pulsed even more violently. It shifted from defense to offense, directly targeting Pang Bo, emitting an incredibly terrifying aura.

Boom!

Ye Fan's expression changed. His entire body pulsed with vigorous golden vital energy, like a demonic god awakened, releasing his powerful aura. This display of might instantly startled the Demonic Spider. At the same time, the Dragon Horse and the other Twelve Saints also unleashed their monstrous vital energies, pressing forward. The Demonic Spider realized it had hit a brick wall, encountering a group of powerful trial-takers.

"Dao Transformation!" Pang Bo roared, employing yet another slash from the Nine Slashes of the Demon Emperor. This time, the Demonic Spider's expression instantly changed. Everyone feared the power of Dao Transformation; it immediately retreated, not daring to contend.

"Let's all go at it together!" the Dragon Horse shamelessly cried out, gesturing to the Golden Lion, the nine Alligator Dragons, and the others to rush forward and assist Pang Bo. "There's no need to be polite with an ancient beast like this, which is several realms above us and has the potential to become a Great Saint. Let's just gang up on it until it's dead."

Rumble!

This was a terrifying melee. Pang Bo and the Twelve Saints moved in unison, attacking the powerful ancient creature. Vital energy surged, tearing apart this heaven and earth; the battle was incredibly fierce. Ye Fan also made a move, but he only swung one punch, overwhelmingly powerful, breaking eight of the spider's legs. Then he retreated, as the overall situation was already decided.

Pang Bo's final slash—Dao Transformation—struck the Demonic Spider! This put it in crisis, forcing it to unleash immortal power to counter the Dao Transformation tribulation. At this point, the Dragon Horse and the others rushing in together naturally gained an overwhelming advantage. One must admit, this Demonic Spider was terrifyingly powerful. In just a brief clash, it had injured Pang Bo, making him spit out two mouthfuls of blood. He only recovered by activating the Recovery secret art.

With a thunderous crash, the enormous Demonic Spider finally collapsed in the cosmos. Its immense vital energy was immediately divided among the Golden Lion, Scorpio, and others.

"This kind of blood is very useful; don't just consume it," Ye Fan reminded them. Pang Bo and the Dragon Horse proceeded to examine its primordial spirit and discovered a startling fact: it had actually slain two young supreme talents from powerful races, which was unnerving.

"Indeed powerful, no wonder it was so terrifying!"

Unfortunately, it had encountered this group, sealing its tragic fate. Two young supreme talents combined with the Twelve Saints—how many could contend against them?

"Not only the strongest trial-takers from various races, but also some powerful cosmic creatures had heard the news and came to pursue the Ancient Tree of Life. Oh, it had seen an ancient coffin, passing across the sky and entering the Mythological Road..." Pang Bo extracted much valuable information from its sea of consciousness, revealing a scene for Ye Fan to observe.

"It's... the Void Emperor's coffin, the Nine-Layered Coffin from the mythical era!" Ye Fan was instantly shocked, his gaze sharpening as he stared at the imprinted image.

Finally, they collectively refined the Demonic Spider's blood, extracting a fist-sized cluster of primordial ancient divine blood. It was crystalline and brilliant, radiating immortal light.

"This blood is truly supreme," Ye Fan observed, "it absolutely meets the requirements and can be one of the ten ancient blood types."

"Truly worthy of being a descendant of an ancient Demonic God!" Pang Bo sighed. "It's genuinely difficult to extract such a cluster of ancient blood."

This was merely an interlude. When they resumed their journey, they encountered even more ancient creatures in the primeval hunting ground, never before heard of or seen, all incomparably powerful. However, it became difficult to find the required ancient blood again.

Several days later, they received news that numerous ancient creatures and young supreme talents from other races were heading towards an ancient land called the Seven Golden Cities. It was an ancient city, built in the primeval era and enduring to the present day. It was rumored that the secret of the Ancient Tree of Life had first spread from there.

"Well, we don't need to worry about the supreme ancient blood anymore," Ye Fan said. "Young supreme talents are gathering at the Seven Golden Cities, reportedly to exchange the precious blood they've hunted, thereby gaining entry to the true Mythological Road. Since we possess a type of Demonic God blood, we should be able to join them."