Chapter 320: Red Abyss, Blood Beast Crystal Core

Xie Xie'an and Ding Ming's rivalry stemmed from an old grudge dating back to the Dongjijing era, a conflict over a Nascent Soul inheritance.

Wang Yu found it strange that this dispute had not yet been resolved.

Ding Ming lacked significant backing; at most, he was a true disciple of Fierce Meditation Peak, with no master or family affiliation, much like Wei Chong in the past. Xie Xie'an, however, was a leading true disciple of Evil God Peak, having learned half of a Nascent Soul inheritance. Even a weakened Evil God Peak should have easily been able to suppress Ding Ming.

Moreover, from the sect's perspective, combining the two scriptures to form a complete inheritance would yield greater benefits. Yet, the sect had chosen not to intervene and had even tightly sealed off information. Only Wang Yu and others who had personally participated in the Dongjijing anomaly knew the full story.

It was peculiar! Too peculiar!

Meanwhile, Su Yulong and Zhuo Shouyun were together. Wang Yu was meeting Zhuo Shouyun for the first time. He had a similar aura to Lu Chenzhou but exuded a more refined, scholarly air. His blood-red eyes showed only indifference, not madness or cruelty.

For some reason, at first glance, his figure seemed to slightly overlap with Zhuo Yuanshen's, not in appearance, but in that lean, cultured, and elegant scholarly temperament.

"How strange!"

Shaking his head, Wang Yu dismissed these thoughts.

Zhuo Shouyun employed an elite strategy, bringing only nine people into the Blood Abyss, but each was at the late Core Formation stage, with two even reaching the peak.

Long Xingyun, with a Heavenly Fire Spiritual Root.Jian Nanxing, with a Heavenly Metal Spiritual Root.

Wang Yu considered these two major adversaries, forming two of Zhuo Shouyun's three strongest "King Kongs," the third being Fu Xiao. Fortunately, Fu Xiao was too old to enter the Blood Abyss. He remained outside to guard the base this time. Wang Yu was not optimistic about Zhuo Shouqing's chances of eliminating him, and he actually wished he could resolve this opponent himself.

However, given the current circumstances, he could only lament the unpredictability of fate. He wasn't given the opportunity. His Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation had progressed significantly, and the frequent absorption of demonic thoughts from Outer Demons had further deepened the foundation of his Profound Origin Demonic Embryo. Due to the inherent danger of demonic thoughts from Outer Demons, no cultivator who had mastered this secret art had ever intentionally absorbed them again; Wang Yu was the first.

Consequently, his demonic embryo was exceptionally unique. It seemed to have transcended the limitations of the art itself, otherwise, it couldn't have perfectly digested the spiritual root aptitudes of Luo Chen and the White family's grand elder.

If Fu Xiao wanted to devour him, why wouldn't he want to devour Fu Xiao?

Based on past experience, Zhuo Shouqing was likely to be as incompetent as usual. Wang Yu hoped he wouldn't be too useless, nor too capable, but rather just average.

These thoughts were difficult to share with others.

Besides Zhuo Shouyun's notably prominent and large faction, the Zuoqiu and Yu clans also had their top direct descendants participating. Judging by their appearance, they were likely blood relatives of the Third Young Master. Each of them also led a team of over a dozen people.

Beyond these, the largest forces belonged to the eight successful true disciples from the Nine Peaks, who were inheritors of the master-disciple lineages. Yan Ling was accompanied by many, and alongside her was True Disciple Jiang from Heavenly Corpse Peak, whose body reeked of corpse qi. He possessed a Corpse King and was incredibly powerful! Wang Yu was well aware that these two had long established some form of cooperation.

Such a concentration of power meant that almost all the most outstanding cultivators from the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect over the past three hundred years had been selected! Even Wang Yu felt immense pressure. If all these individuals perished in the Blood Abyss, the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect might face a talent shortage for some time to come.

He shook his head, dispelling the strange thoughts from his mind.

Since the Blood Abyss sacred ground was not far from the sect's mountain gate, being established only a few hundred miles away, the sky was densely packed with cultivators in less than half an hour, presenting a magnificent spectacle.

Wang Yu wanted to keep a low profile, but his deeds were widely known, making him a classic case of an underdog rising to prominence in the eyes of countless lower-level cultivators. His reputation was immense! A space naturally opened up around him, making it impossible to be inconspicuous. Fortunately, his talent for stealth secret arts was unusually good. With the full support of his perfected Ice Transformation Secret Art, even Nascent Soul cultivators found it difficult to discern his true cultivation level. Maintaining an expressionless face was perfectly suited for handling the scrutiny from all sides.

They did not have to wait long. At the end of Chenshi (9 AM), the nine Peak Lords appeared, and the slightly noisy scene instantly fell silent.

Among them was the Evil God Peak Lord, a peak Core Formation cultivator, who stood among the Nascent Soul old monsters without showing any timidity. Yet, all the cultivators couldn't help but fix their gazes on him. For the Evil God Peak Lord, this arrangement was almost the darkest day of his life! However, he maintained a good attitude, seemingly accustomed to such situations, even having the presence of mind to greet Xie Xie'an, who was likely his teacher.

Soon, the Evil God Peak Lord made everyone realize his indispensable role. All Nine Peak Lords simultaneously cast out their ancestral artifacts—fifth-tier spirit treasures passed down from the late ancient era. They came in various forms—swords, blades, cauldrons, and bowls—but shared one common characteristic: they were dilapidated! Although these were once the Natal Spirit Treasures of Nascent Soul Venerables, they had all suffered irreparable damage, retaining at most a third of their original efficacy. Furthermore, while these spirit treasures were called ancestral artifacts, most were actually excavated from ancient ruins; calling them "ancestral" was simply a way for the sect to aggrandize itself. One need only look at the current cultivation world, where Nascent Soul Venerables are concentrated within the Sky-Refining Demonic Sect and the Sword Sect. It was impossible for the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect to have been founded by nine Nascent Soul cultivators—that was pure fantasy. Otherwise, how could the Natal Spirit Treasures of the family faction's ancestors acknowledge the grassroots master-disciple faction? Such things were commonplace in the cultivation world, and Wang Yu viewed it with a rational perspective.

As the nine damaged spirit treasures emitted towering beams of light, the Blood Abyss sacred ground, which appeared as a vast canyon formed by a rift in the earth, began to gather boundless blood-colored clouds in the sky, stretching endlessly out of sight. Wang Yu and the others were still standing under a clear, warm sky. Yet, just a step away, the other side was completely enveloped in blood clouds, generally dark, devoid of sunlight but filled with red light, vaguely ominous. Drizzling blood rain fell from the thick clouds, and a bloody stench assailed them. Just a first glance at this crimson abyss created immense pressure, explaining why only Core Formation cultivators were eligible to enter. It was almost as if "danger" was etched into its very being. The Blood Abyss sacred ground was also a vast, distinct dimension, reportedly the size of a province. It contained dozens of different topographical regions and countless opportunities.

At this moment, the Nine Peak Lords shouted in unison, "The time has come! Enter quickly!"

Wang Yu's figure moved. With the speed of aurora granted by his Aurora Escape Technique, he was one of the first three cultivators to enter the Blood Abyss sacred ground. This action was unavoidable. The entrance to the Blood Abyss sacred ground was a hundred-kilometer-long canyon, and everyone started on the same line. If he didn't want to be surrounded by Zhuo Shouyun's people and beaten to death at the outset, he had to expose his speed advantage and be the first to leave the canyon entrance. In fact, his speed had already been noticed by discerning individuals when he rescued Zhuo Shouqing, and "Little Yunzi" (Zhuo Shouyun) would certainly have caught this detail.

Therefore, while it was an "exposure," it merely revealed his speed advantage to those less informed, which wasn't a major disadvantage.

After crossing the invisible barrier, the sensation was unlike any previous spatial traversal; there was no feeling, no delay, much like simply walking from outside a door to inside. This meant that the spatial distance between the Blood Abyss sacred ground and the current world was extremely close, almost "face to face"!

There was a rumor that the Blood Demon who caused the ancient chaos was sealed within the Blood Abyss. This was merely external speculation. Wang Yu, armed with Zhuo Shouqing's internal intelligence, knew this was baseless. The Blood Abyss was where successive sect masters of the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect chose to meet their end. Blood cultivators almost invariably chose this place to conclude their lives. Moving further back in time, before the Sacred Sect was founded, this place was the dojo of a Blood Demon inheritor, a site where a Nascent Soul cultivator fell. Thus, it was influenced by the Blood Demon's power, but its true body was definitely not here.

Zhuo Shouqing and Zuoqiu Ming had both assured him of this. Wang Yu tentatively believed them.

Upon truly entering the Blood Abyss sacred ground, Wang Yu was almost brought to tears by the nauseatingly strong smell of blood. He immediately formed a magical shield to filter out the odor. He shot upwards towards the mouth of the canyon entrance, his dazzling aurora-like contrail quickly vanishing. The other two speed-proficient fellow disciples exchanged glances. One transformed into a shadowy cloud with five ghosts and disappeared; another used a ground ghost to swallow a person and instantly vanished into the earth. These two were clearly outstanding cultivators from Five-Yin Peak and Fierce Meditation Peak, with extremely sharp techniques.

Just then, Zhuo Shouyun's group hurried forward and, seeing no one ahead, were all stunned. Someone couldn't help but exclaim angrily, "They ran so fast, Young Master Yun. What do we do now?"

They stopped at the canyon entrance. Many fellow disciples passed their group, scattering in all directions. Flight was not forbidden here but was height-restricted; one could only fly below the blood clouds. Entering the clouds easily risked being tainted by blood energy and transforming into a blood slave-like monster. There were many taboos in the Blood Abyss, so caution was essential.

Zhuo Shouyun mused, "If I'm not mistaken, Zhuo Shouqing has already targeted our people outside. With Fu Xiao there, though, we don't need to worry." Everyone nodded, clearly confident in Fu Xiao's strength. "Inside the Blood Abyss, Zhuo Shouqing's main asset is Wang Yu, but he surely has others hidden. We shouldn't split up. Here's what we'll do... Jian Nanxing, you take the lead and act as bait to lure Wang Yu. Ding Xiang! Release your Yin Beast Underworld Tiger and use the Ghost Prison to hide the others."

One had to admit, Zhuo Shouyun's thinking was remarkably clear. Just as Wang Yu could analyze his goals, he could naturally analyze Wang Yu's. Zhuo Shouqing was merely a pawn; the true contest was between the two of them.

Everyone agreed, and action began immediately. Zhuo Shouyun's eyes were deep as he muttered to himself, "Wang Yu... you were able to suppress Lu Chenzhou with pure physical strength. Let me see what you're truly capable of!"

On the other side, after Wang Yu swiftly exited the canyon, he entered a region of red earth. According to the information, this place was called the Barren Blood Plains and contained many groups of second-tier blood beasts—a mere appetizer. Wang Yu was now clad in a blood sac robe, wearing a Di Luo Ghost Mask, and wielding the Yellow Spring Demonic Sword, exuding a distinct Yellow Spring Temple aura. In his left hand, he held a blood-colored crystal, and at his feet lay the corpse of a lizard-like blood beast. He murmured, "So this is a blood beast core?"

Blood beast cores were excellent refining materials, containing a large amount of blood essence, naturally occurring refined blood compounds. After examining it, Wang Yu's lips curved slightly. "Such pure blood energy. It can be used as a body-refining resource." For him, this could improve his body-refining cultivation. Its properties were very similar to blood dragon essence; in fact, they might even be the same thing.