Chapter 1402: Exchange Blood

Over a dozen young paragons stood on the towering altar, each an exceptional talent. Their formidable presence suggested some could swallow galaxies, while others dominated heaven and earth. All of them were truly extraordinary.

Among them were Holy Spirits, descendants of primordial gods and demons, bloodlines of various deities, and individuals with sacred blood physiques. Hailing from diverse ancient domains, each was the strongest on their respective ancient paths.

These individuals were inherently proud and self-important, each harboring ambitions of becoming a great emperor. No one among them would yield to another; as paragons of the younger generation, fear was not an option.

Sang Gu, Xin Lan, Ye Fan, the Copper Ant King, Earth Corpse, and the Heaven-Devouring Ancient Beast—each of them surveyed their surroundings with a defiant gaze, looking down on the gathered multitude. Not a single one was willing to yield.

"Let's exchange the strongest ancient blood," suggested the Gold-Eating Beast. Its body was a metallic green, giving it a fierce appearance, and its power was absolute.

Streaks of colorful light shimmered on the altar as everyone opened their palms, revealing their prized collections. Immediately, a powerful surge of blood energy emanated upwards.

There were over ten types of the strongest ancient blood!

Each type represented a glorious past, once possessing unmatched power that made countless realms tremble. Now, the ancient blood’s essence surged, rising like smoke signals and resonating throughout the starry sky.

In Ye Fan’s palm was a fist-sized mass of blood, shimmering with dark light. It was accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder, creating a majestic and overwhelming surge of blood energy.

This particular blood was refined from a Myriad-Footed Demon Spider. Despite the ancient spider being immense and at the Saint King realm, it yielded only a fist-sized amount of ancestral blood, indicating the terrifying power of its ancestors.

Sang Gu, a descendant of primordial gods and demons, held a mass of blue blood resembling a gigantic, mesmerizingly blue jewel. This terrifying ancient blood exuded an immortal power that captivated the mind.

The Gold-Eating Beast, conversely, held silver blood that flowed like a celestial river, with silver luminescence cascading from its fingertips, appearing both sacred and serene.

The onlookers gasped. Just the blood held by these three was enough to astound the world. All were supreme ancient bloodlines, whose ancestors had once traversed heaven and earth in ancient times, capable of battling even the gods!

"The Myriad-Footed Demon Spider is a true primordial god-demon. Unfortunately, only its descendants exist now; a pure-blooded ancient spider has not been seen for ages!"

"That blue blood belongs to an ancient Phoenix Bird!"

"It’s... silver blood. Could it have been extracted from a devil?"

Everyone knew the blood they held was a purified extract. Pure-blooded beings of these ancient races were now exceedingly rare, which explained how these samples had been obtained.

The "strongest ancient blood" was no mere title. Some ancient ancestors had indeed forged incredibly splendid and glorious eras. If such races still possessed pure blood, they would never be prey; instead, they would be the hunters.

The Golden Snake Second Young Master's lips curled into a cruel smile as he produced a gleaming white skull. It vaguely resembled a human skull but, upon closer inspection, was distinct. Its rugged features, with prominent brow bones, cheekbones, and mouth, made it seem more like that of an ape-man than a true human.

*Crack*

The Golden Snake Second Young Master tapped the skull’s crown, and immediately, brilliant, pale gold-tinged white blood flowed from its seven orifices, as if condensed from starlight, dazzling the eyes.

He inhaled deeply, drawing some of the ancient blood into his mouth, a look of rapture on his face. The blood clinging to his lips and pristine white teeth created a particularly chilling and unsettling sight.

"This is the supreme ancestral blood of the Arm-Stretching Divine Ape clan. Legends say their ancestors were the most powerful type of divine ape, outside the Five Elements, second only to the Combat Saint Ape and Six-Eared Macaque. Unfortunately, both the Combat Saint Ape and Six-Eared Macaque have long been extinct, with only a handful ever seen throughout history. And even the bloodline of the Arm-Stretching Divine Ape has become impure."

The Golden Snake Second Young Master took another sip of the ape blood, seemingly savoring it as the finest delicacy. His cold eyes and expression of pure enjoyment sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

The Heaven-Devouring Ancient Beast opened its palm, revealing a mass of green blood that flickered like an eerie, phosphorescent ghost fire. It radiated terrifying fluctuations, and those who recognized it were horrified: it was the blood of gods and ghosts!

Earth Corpse produced a crystal containing a sealed strand of dazzling golden Buddha blood. This was a relic from his previous incarnation; his current blood had long since transformed into a stark black.

At the fingertip of Xin Lan, the Divine Race Heavenly Maiden, starlight coalesced like a galaxy, imbued with the aura of creation. Streaks of chaotic mist diffused from it, radiating immense terror.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed, their faces etched with shock.

At her fingertip was a crystal ball. Within the sealed blood, lightning flashed and thunder roared, as if a world were evolving through creation. Chaotic mist swirled within, presenting a boundless and magnificent spectacle.

"Could this be Chaos Blood? Do such beings truly exist in this world?" The onlookers were stunned and deeply moved.

"I've heard rumors for a long time that someone with Chaos Blood once appeared in the deepest parts of the Human Race Ancient Path. No wonder the Divine Race Heavenly Maiden chose to traverse that path—she was pursuing that individual! Could she have killed them?"

The emergence of Chaos Blood created a huge sensation.

People marveled, acknowledging that this was indeed a golden age. The appearance of even the legendary Chaos Blood from the mythical era was truly astonishing.

"I encountered a creature that was neither human nor divine, and it possessed only a faint trace of Chaos Blood. I'm afraid I must disappoint you," stated Xin Lan, the Divine Race Heavenly Maiden.

She had indeed slain a supremely powerful humanoid creature, but it lacked a true Chaos bloodline. After refining all its blood, she had only managed to extract a single, impure strand of Chaos ancestral blood.

The over dozen young paragons successively displayed the strongest ancient blood they had acquired through hunting. A common thread among their collections was that all were extracted ancestral blood; none had managed to slay a pure-blooded ancestral being, for then the outcome of such a battle would be uncertain.

While some among them were indeed pure-blooded supreme powerhouses, not one offered their own blood. They feared it would be studied, revealing their secrets and weaknesses.

As they exchanged blood, every drop appeared incredibly precious, for it determined their entry to the Mythical Ancient Path. The over dozen young paragons on the altar wore solemn expressions.

In the end, only a portion of the fist-sized Myriad-Footed Spider blood remained in Ye Fan’s hand. He had exchanged the rest for over ten types of equally formidable blood, each shimmering with distinct radiance.

"These are ultimate treasures," Ye Fan sighed softly. "If taken to the Eternal Star Domain, they would undoubtedly yield fragments of grand dao laws, and perhaps even hidden inheritances could be extracted from within the blood." At this point, turning back was not an option.

Their group departed the True Phoenix Tower and began preparations for entering the Mythical Ancient Path.

Many more powerhouses refused to leave. Lacking the ten types of the strongest ancient blood, these mighty figures also desired to enter the Mythical Ancient Path and could only pledge their allegiance to the over dozen young paragons.

The city descended into chaos, with various factions agitated and sporadic blood battles erupting. Peace was nowhere to be found.

"It’s not just these over dozen young paragons who can enter the Mythical Ancient Path," Ye Fan stated. "The Overlord, Fairy Qing Shi, and the Human King could all stand on that altar, yet none have appeared. They likely have their own plans."

The presence of ten types of ancient blood signified they could proceed, but the powerful figures remained cautious, still making their preparations.

Ye Fan and his group were also naturally preparing, conducting the most thorough investigations to verify and understand everything about the Nine-Layered Coffin and the Ancient Tree of Life from the Mythical Era.

These two items were of immense significance, drawing countless watchful eyes. Should the information prove false, a mere trap, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Such incidents were not unheard of. Years ago, Emperor Zi Dao Yi had ambushed and killed the Great Saint Yan Qi in the Eternal Star Domain, driving the Ancient Prince of Fire Qilin Cave to maddening despair. The Prince then fled into eternity, his whereabouts unknown to this day.

"Could this matter... be related to Dao Yi again?" Ye Fan mused. The Ancient Tree of Life was an immortal medicine once possessed by Dao Yi’s father, holding particular significance for him.

Ye Fan pondered carefully, concluding it was likely unrelated to Dao Yi. Dao Yi’s temperament was not ostentatious; he had only acted ruthlessly to protect Eternity when ancient clans besieged the city, gravely threatening its security. Now, there was no reason for him to offend so many young paragons.

"It can't be fake. This star domain truly harbors the Ancient Tree of Life. On the Mythical Ancient Path, a native once burst forth, clutching a blood-soaked branch from the Ancient Tree of Life, and made it to the Golden Ancient Path. It was later confirmed to be a freshly broken branch from the mother tree!" Pang Bo reported, having gathered the evidence.

Ye Fan nodded, and together with Pang Bo, analyzed the various circumstances. They were confident it wasn't a death trap, and even if it were, they possessed enough hidden strengths to protect themselves and retreat.

"Is it true that ten types of the strongest ancient blood are required to open the Mythical Ancient Path?" Pang Bo asked, his suspicion tinged with unease as he thought of Yao Guang.

Could it be that this individual is planning an astonishing feat, intending to devour all ten types of the strongest ancient blood? If so, orchestrating such a massive setup would be truly terrifying.

The Dragon Horse swiftly returned with confirmation from the Human Race Path Protectors: the Mythical Ancient Path indeed required this specific activation method. It could only be opened by pouring various ancient bloods onto the altar, allowing one to embark upon the path.

"Hmm, it seems everything is in order," Ye Fan mused, his gaze deep as he looked towards the starry sky, contemplating for a long time.

As for the Nine-Layered Coffin from the Mythical Era, they had already verified its existence within the Myriad-Footed Demon Spider’s sea of consciousness. The demon spider had personally witnessed divine coffins from the Nine Heavens entering this star domain and had followed them.

Other young paragons also diligently sought verification, dedicating immense effort and painstaking work. Even the most arrogant among them had personally gone to confirm the details.

Such a crucial matter allowed no room for carelessness or error.

The Gold-Eating Beast, Sang Gu, the Divine Race, the Heaven-Devouring Ancient Beast, the Copper Ant King, the Holy Spirits, and others all set off in succession. They were accompanied by large retinues of followers—powerful figures who had allied with them, eager to join the journey.

The Golden Ancient City suddenly grew quiet. Over eighty percent of its inhabitants had departed, entering the Mythical Ancient Path and venturing into the most mysterious ancient region.

"Let's go; it's time for us to depart," Ye Fan said. Fully assured, they walked toward the Mythical Altar.

Only on the Golden Ancient Path did such ancient altars exist. Their numbers were now extremely scarce, with only a few remaining, scattered across different Golden Ancient Cities.

The Mythical Altar appeared to be forged from the corpses of gods and demons, its design eerie. It was engraved with images of fallen figures: gods collapsing, blood flowing freely, the sun plummeting, the moon destroyed, and all heavenly stars exploding into fragments.

The patterns on the ancient altar were chilling and utterly shocking. It was the first time Ye Fan and his companions had ever witnessed such designs.

Time, like a blade, had left countless mottled traces on the ancient altar over the eons. As the ten types of ancient blood were sprinkled, the engraved ancient patterns seemed to awaken. The fallen figures appeared to revive, and gods roared, declaring the destruction of stars and the sinking of the sun.

It was a terrifying and boundless spectacle!

With a sudden rumble, Ye Fan and his group vanished from their positions, without time for a closer look. The ancient altar had teleported them to the Mythical Ancient Path, placing them on its most mysterious ancient domain.