Lei Jun watched as the Fang siblings disappeared toward the direction of the
Eight Desolation Blood Cavern
, then withdrew his gaze, no longer paying them any attention.
He turned and entered the
Eight Desolation Blood River Formation
. After he had blasted part of the rock layers, the blood water had been largely drained. Not only did this ease the plight of Xia Qing and the others trapped in the formation, but it also gave Luo Haoran, who was busy sealing the fissure, some relief.
When Lei Jun appeared, the other disciples rejoiced, “Junior Brother Lei!”
“Be careful, everyone.” In front of the crowd, Lei Jun applied a
Mid-Grade Wind Talisman
and activated a
Mid-Grade Golden Barrier Talisman
. He carefully crossed the blood river and rescued Xia Qing and the others one by one.
“Junior Brother Lei, be cautious; there might be
Blood River Sect
cultivators lurking nearby,” one
Tianshi Mansion
disciple warned. “Our entrapment in this massive
Blood River Formation
is suspicious. It may not be a coincidence; we could have been set up by those
demonic cultivators
!”
Lei Jun nodded. “Senior Brother is right. We should all stay alert.”
If his guess was correct, the supposed
Blood River Sect
cultivators who trapped Xia Qing and the others were likely the Fang siblings. Luo Haoran had arrived first to block the blood water. When the Fang siblings discovered him, they trapped Xia Qing and the others, putting Luo Haoran in a moral bind while planting seeds of discord between
Elder Hongyu
and the external disciples of the Mansion.
After rescuing the others, Lei Jun lent a hand to Luo Haoran. Luo Haoran, still shaken, said, “Junior Brother Lei, thank goodness you arrived in time, or I… I really would have…”
“Senior Brother Luo, no need to be so polite. As long as everyone is safe, that’s what matters.” Lei Jun helped Luo Haoran seal the blood water.
Now that the
Eight Desolation Blood River Formation
had been weakened significantly, the combined effort of the two made it easier to block the blood from seeping to the surface.
Although Xia Qing and the others were rescued, their condition was dire. Their
willpower
and
mana
were nearly exhausted. Xia Qing, in particular, was as unlucky as
Elder Du
. After being ambushed by Zhong Yunfei of the
Tianxu Sect
earlier, she had just recovered, only to face another calamity.
As one of the main defenders against the
Eight Desolation Blood River Formation
, her mana was nearly depleted, and she was on the verge of passing out. The other
Tianshi Mansion
disciples focused on recovering their energy and caring for Xia Qing, leaving no one to help Luo Haoran.
Lei Jun observed quietly. Some genuinely lacked the strength to help, while others harbored resentment toward Luo Haoran for his earlier hesitation but dared not voice it.
Meanwhile, everyone expressed their gratitude toward Lei Jun profusely. Lei Jun remained humble and didn’t take credit.
For Luo Haoran and Xia Qing, the
Eight Desolation Blood River Formation
was perilous. But for Lei Jun, it wasn’t as dangerous. That’s why, during his fortune-telling, this place had shown a
Moderate Omen
.
The slight regret was that the
Moderate Omen
mentioned a
Seventh-Grade Opportunity
here. But Lei Jun had arrived too late. He now understood the situation: the enhanced
Blood River Formation
could produce a treasure called the
Withered Blood Stone
. This stone sacrificed
vital energy
to nourish a cultivator’s
soul
.
If he had arrived before the
Blood Sea Tide
surged back into the river, he could have obtained the
Withered Blood Stone
. But Luo Haoran had been too busy plugging the leak to collect the treasure. When the
Blood Sea
surged, the
Eight Desolation Blood River Formation
went haywire, destroying the
Withered Blood Stone
.
Lei Jun’s trip to the
Blood Sea
meant giving up on the
Withered Blood Stone
. But he didn’t mind. With the
Black Bear King’s Gallbladder
nourishing his
vital energy
, he had no need to exchange
vital energy
for
soul
nourishment. Moreover, unlike the
Blood River Sect
cultivators, he had no interest in slaughtering others to plunder their
vital energy
.
Besides, his trip to the
Blood Sea
yielded the superior
Nine Saints Frost
.
“This massive
Blood River Formation
is finally weakening. Let’s dismantle it together and leave as soon as possible,” Lei Jun suggested.
Although he was the latest to be initiated into the Mansion, Luo Haoran and the others, having regained some energy, nodded and agreed with Lei Jun’s decision.
The group worked together to suppress the weakened formation.
“Boom!!”
As they were busy, a loud explosion echoed from afar, shaking the underground cave violently again!
“What’s happening?!” The
Tianshi Mansion
disciples tensed up.
Lei Jun feigned surprise and looked toward the source of the disturbance, quickly deducing the situation: the direction of the
Eight Desolation Blood Cavern
…
Though he had a rough idea of what was happening, he remained cautious about the extent of the disaster. He reminded his fellow disciples to stay alert.
Soon, a torrent of blood erupted from the cavern, redirecting the
Blood River
back into the cave. Fortunately, the surging currents canceled each other out, reducing the threat.
Lei Jun and the others held off the torrent, preventing further havoc. After a while, the
Blood River
calmed down slightly.
They dismantled the formation and began to find a way out.
After the
Blood Sea
erupted again and the
Eight Desolation Blood Cavern
collapsed, many underground rock layers gave way, causing sections of the labyrinth to collapse to the surface. Thankfully, the cracks appeared in remote mountains and hills.
Lei Jun and Luo Haoran’s efforts paid off, sparing the nearby village from devastation. Though a minor earthquake caused panic, there were no significant casualties. Villagers saw a cloud of dust and distant hills sinking, forming what appeared to be a lake. But the lake’s color was… off.
As the sun rose, the lake shimmered gold and red.
Lei Jun and the others, closer to the scene, climbed to the surface and saw a
Blood Lake
. Though the
Blood Sea
had receded, a vast amount of polluted blood remained. Small
Blood Rivers
extended from the lake.
Lei Jun shaded his eyes, scanning the scene.
Tianshi Mansion
disciples gathered at the lake’s edge, while
Blood River Sect
disciples who escaped looked pale and grim.
In the lake’s center, a whirlpool spun, drawing blood into its depths. Lei Jun realized that the collapse of the
Eight Desolation Blood Cavern
had caused this.
He noticed someone trapped in the whirlpool—it wasn’t the Fang siblings, but Fang Jian.
Did Fang Jian get caught while trying to save his cousins? Lei Jun wondered. Judging by the siblings' earlier conversation, Fang Jian hadn’t been involved in their schemes.
Seeing his fellow disciples still bewildered, Lei Jun swiftly took action. Empowered by the
Wind Talisman
, he soared above the whirlpool to rescue Fang Jian.
Others soon followed his lead, and some Fang clan members rushed to help. Together, they pulled the bedraggled Fang Jian to safety.
“Thank you, everyone,” Fang Jian said weakly, glancing at Lei Jun with gratitude.
Some Fang clan members recognized Lei Jun and thanked him.
Lei Jun smiled, “No need for thanks. Senior Brother Fang is my fellow disciple; how could I stand by and do nothing?”
“Where are Sixteenth Sister and Mingyuan?” someone asked.
Fang Jian sighed, “I couldn’t save them…”
The crowd gasped in shock. Some turned to the
Blood Lake
, watching the whirlpool shrink and vanish.
“No one wanted this to happen. Don’t blame yourself, Senior Brother Fang,” Lei Jun said.
Fang Jian shook his head, “Thank you, Junior Brother Lei, but I’ve failed my uncle and aunt…”
Lei Jun recited a prayer for the departed, joined by Fang Jian and the others.
Even the Fang clan members looked at Lei Jun with newfound warmth.
But their mourning was short-lived. The morning sky turned red as a
Blood Cloud
approached.
The disciples feared a
Blood River Sect
attack, but the cloud flew past, seemingly fleeing.
A streak of light chased the cloud, striking it and scattering it into burning droplets.
The remaining cloud fled, and a cloud carriage appeared, carrying a woman with a bow.
“Aunt?” Fang Jian exclaimed.
Lei Jun recognized her as the Chu clan prodigy.
“
Zhongjian
? You look terrible,” Chu Yu remarked.
Fang Jian explained the situation, and Chu Yu searched the
Blood Lake
but found no bodies.
Handing a keepsake box to Fang Jian, she sighed.
Soon,
Elder Du
and the remaining disciples arrived, their expressions heavy.
“Let’s clean up this mess and move forward,” Elder Du said.
With the
Blood River Sect
blamed,
Tianshi Mansion
could consider this a victory, but the war continued.
Lei Jun returned to his residence, bathed, and began refining the Nine SaintsFrost.
This treasure would soon help him reach the
Third-Tier Altar
stage faster than ever.
He smiled.
Step by step, upward I go.
With the
Nine Saints Frost
aiding his cultivation, Lei Jun felt confident about his progress toward the
Third-Tier Altar
. His comprehension had already reached the
Illuminated
level, which significantly reduced the time required to cultivate at the
Third Heaven Altar Stage
.
Additionally, his experiences in the
True-One Altar’s Grotto-Heaven
had further honed his insights. With the
Nine Saints Frost
, his cultivation speed was set to accelerate even more.
Reflecting on his rapid progress, Lei Jun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
It almost feels too fast…
But he quickly dismissed any hesitation.
In cultivation, the earlier and faster one progresses, the greater the potential to reach higher realms. One step ahead means staying ahead.
He took a deep breath to stabilize his mind and began refining the
Nine Saints Frost
. His decision was swift, but his actions were meticulous.
As he integrated the frost into his
Dao Foundation Altar
, he felt his entire being — body, energy, and spirit — become purer and more refined. Above the second-tier
Octagonal Altar
, the outline of a
Round Altar
gradually took shape.
Satisfied, Lei Jun nodded.
Still, he was cautious. According to the
Supreme Good Omen
he had drawn, the
Nine Saints Frost
, a
Fourth-Grade Opportunity
, held potential beyond aiding his current cultivation. While he hadn’t yet discovered its other uses, he chose to refine only half of it. The rest he would reserve for consultation with
Yuan Mobai
,
Xu Yuanzhen
, and
Tang Xiaotang
once they returned to the mountain.
Over the next few days, Lei Jun dedicated himself to cultivation. But as time passed, a sense of unease crept in again.
This feeling didn’t come from within him but from the
True-One Altar’s Grotto-Heaven
.
At first, he thought someone might be trying to open a passage to the grotto-heaven, as had happened before. But soon, he realized this wasn’t the case. The disturbance came from the
True-One Altar’s Grotto-Heaven
itself — or rather, from the
Tianshi Seal
!
The
Tianshi Seal
still lingered around
Mount Longhu
, hidden deep within the spiritual veins of the surrounding mountains. Now, it was stirring once more.
Is this because of the recent eruption of the Blood Sea?
Lei Jun speculated.
Previously, the
Tianshi Seal
had returned to the vicinity of
Mount Longhu
due to the intense battles there. Though it had briefly revealed itself, it had remained hidden beneath the mountain’s spiritual veins. The
Blood River Sect’s
creation of the
Blood Sea
had tainted the spiritual veins, prompting the
Tianshi Seal
to react once again.
Will the Tianshi Seal finally re-emerge this time?