100: Chapter 59 Emperor of the Xia Dynasty, Xie Yuan!

After the welcome banquet, Daoist Heshan led the two out of Qingling Immortal City.

As he flew, he explained the ins and outs of the demonic disaster in the Xia Dynasty.

"The Xia Dynasty is located in the northern territory of the Qingcang Sect. It was originally a Human Race Dynasty, offering Spirit Children and Spirit Beasts every year without fail."

"Three years ago, the Xia Dynasty's royal family was replaced overnight."

"Those princes and grandsons were all possessed by demonic evils."

Daoist Heshan's tone was heavy.

"The Disciple sent by the Qingcang Sect to guard the place was also slaughtered."

Chen Xuan remained silent, but he was calculating in his heart.

This large-scale demonic possession was by no means accidental.

There must be a demonic Cultivator at or above the Foundation Establishment stage manipulating it from behind the scenes.

Liu Lili asked: "Why not directly send a Foundation Establishment Elder to suppress it?"

Daoist Heshan gave a bitter smile: "We did."

"After an Elder at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment went in, he never came out."

"The Sect used secret methods to investigate and discovered he was still alive, but his Divine Soul had already been tainted."

"Only then was this matter reported to the The Three Sects' Joint Conquest Hall."

Chen Xuan frowned.

Even a Foundation Establishment Elder had fallen.

The means of this demonic evil were trickier than he had imagined.

"Fellow Daoist He, do you know the origins of that demonic evil?" Chen Xuan asked.

Daoist Heshan shook his head: "I do not."

"But a Senior Brother of the Qingcang Sect's direct lineage once used the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability to peer inside, saying there was a blood pool in the Xia Dynasty's imperial palace."

"Countless human faces were floating and sinking in the blood pool."

"Those faces were all the countenances of the successive generations of the Xia Dynasty's royal family."

Liu Lili's face turned pale: "This is a method of blood sacrifice!"

Chen Xuan had already made his calculations.

In his previous life, he had seen similar methods.

Maitreya's followers had also used blood pools to cultivate vessels for the 'Maitreya's Descent.'

But this one in the Xia Dynasty was clearly the handiwork of a demonic Cultivator.

"Let's first go to the market town on the border of the Xia Dynasty to gather information," Chen Xuan said.

Daoist Heshan nodded.

The three shifted their flight light and flew toward the north.

Half a day later, a dilapidated market town appeared before their eyes.

The market town had originally been protected by a Formation, but now the Formation had been shattered.

Weeds grew wild on the streets, and shop doors stood open, with nothing inside.

"This is the largest market town in the Xia Dynasty, called 'Xiadu Market'," Daoist Heshan explained.

"Since the demonic disaster occurred, the Cultivators here have either died or fled."

Chen Xuan swept his Divine Sense across the area.

In the depths of the market town, there were actually a few auras remaining.

"Someone is here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a black shadow darted out from the ruins.

It was a disheveled old man, reeking of decay.

His eyes were turbid, and drool flowed from the corners of his mouth.

"Immortal Revered Master! Immortal Revered Master, save me!"

The old man lunged over.

Daoist Heshan raised his hand and used a ray of spiritual light to freeze him in place.

"Who are you?" Daoist Heshan asked.

The old man trembled and said: "I am the Revered Master of Xiadu Market, Qian Yuan."

"Three years ago, when the demonic evil entered the city, I hid in the cellar and escaped disaster."

"Immortal Revered Master, I beg you to take me away!"

Chen Xuan stared at him, secretly operating his Dharma Eye.

Inside this old man's body, there was actually a strand of Demonic Qi lurking.

"You did not escape disaster," Chen Xuan said coldly.

"You have already been eroded by Demonic Qi."

The old man's expression changed.

The next moment, his facial features twisted, and his mouth split open to his ears.

A blood-colored tentacle crawled out from his throat.

"Hehehe!"

"Since I've been discovered, then stay here!"

The old man's body exploded, and his flesh and blood turned into countless tiny Gu insects, swarming toward the three of them like a tidal wave.

Liu Lili immediately sacrificed her Bright Moon Sword Qi.

The moonlight swept across, freezing the Gu insects into ice.

Chen Xuan drew his sword, and his Sword Qi split into seven beams, instantly mincing the remaining Gu insects.

Daoist Heshan broke out in a cold sweat: "Many thanks, two Fellow Daoists!"

Chen Xuan, however, did not relax.

He looked at the ground; the corpses of those Gu insects were actually melting.

The melted blood seeped into the ground, converging toward one spot.

"Follow me!"

The three followed the flow of the blood and gave chase.

Soon, they arrived before an ancient well in the center of the market town.

The ancient well was bottomless, and the well walls were covered in eerie runes.

It was into this well that the blood was flowing.

"This leads to the Xia Dynasty imperial palace, below that blood pool," Daoist Heshan's expression was grave.

"No wonder when the Sect investigated back then, they found the blood in the pool was endless."

"It turns out there is a river of blood underground."

Chen Xuan took out a Talisman and threw it into the well.

The Talisman turned into a fireball, illuminating the well walls.

They saw that the well walls were embedded with densely packed skulls.

In the eye sockets of every skull, a ghostly green fire was burning.

Under the illumination of the fire, those ghost fires all turned in unison, looking at the three people at the wellhead.

"Go down," Chen Xuan said without hesitation.

He was the first to jump into the well.

Liu Lili followed closely behind.

Daoist Heshan gritted his teeth and followed as well.

The three fell for about a hundred feet before the space beneath their feet opened up, and they landed in an underground cavern.

The cavern was extremely vast, with a rolling river of blood in the center.

On both banks of the blood river were mountains of white bones.

And at the end of the blood river, a figure sat cross-legged.

The figure wore a dragon robe and an imperial crown, sitting on a throne of white bones.

His face kept changing; one moment it was an old man, the next a child, then a woman.

But every face carried a look of resentment.

"The successive emperors of the Xia Dynasty," Daoist Heshan recognized those faces.

The figure slowly opened his eyes.

They were vertical pupils, as cold as a snake's.

"Juniors of the Qingcang Sect, you've come again."

"That Foundation Establishment one from three years ago is still alive."

"Do you want to see him?"

He waved his hand, and a bubble rose from the blood river.

Inside the bubble, a man was wrapped in blood.

His body had already rotted away for the most part, yet he was still alive.

His eyes were wide open, and his mouth kept opening and closing.

It seemed he was crying for help, but there was no sound.

Liu Lili could not bear to look any longer and drew her sword, ready to act.

Chen Xuan stopped her.

"Your Excellency, who are you?" Chen Xuan asked, cupping his hands.

"Why do you occupy the Xia Dynasty and slaughter Mortals?"

The figure laughed aloud.

"Occupy?"

"This Xia Dynasty's empire originally belonged to my Xie clan!"

"I am the Founding Emperor of the Xia Dynasty, Founding Emperor Xie Yuan!"

"Three hundred years ago, I failed to attain the Golden Core and fell under the Heavenly Tribulation."

"Before I died, I planted a Blood Gu with my own essence blood, hiding it in the royal Bloodline."

"As long as my descendants worship me, I can be resurrected!"

"Hateful!"

"Those unfilial descendants actually invited Cultivators from the Qingcang Sect to cut off my blood sacrifice!"

"Then I will kill them all!"

"And become the emperor myself!"

Founding Emperor Xie Yuan's voice was full of resentment.

Daoist Heshan felt a chill in his heart: "You are a remnant soul of a Golden Core!"

Chen Xuan was calm.

Before coming, he had divined a hexagram using the Heavenly Book.

[Today's Fortune: Medium Misfortune.]

[Today's Heavenly Secret: Army Breaker.]

[Today's Destiny: Sword Cultivator.]

[Medium Misfortune: The Xia Dynasty demonic disaster is caused by a Golden Core remnant soul. This person is already dead, and the remnant soul resides within the Blood Gu. If not removed, the entire Xia Dynasty will turn into a blood domain.]

[Fair: Report to the Sect and wait for a Golden Core Master to come and suppress it, but as time drags on, the Mortals of the Xia Dynasty may all be blood-refined.]

[Great Misfortune: Confronting the Golden Core remnant soul head-on, nine deaths and one life.]

Chen Xuan chose Medium Misfortune.

The golden Talisman shimmered; now everything was prepared.

Although a Golden Core remnant soul was terrifying, it was ultimately not a Golden Core, just a remnant soul with less than one percent of its strength.

Moreover, he had the protective jade Talisman bestowed by his Revered Master.

After that jade Talisman was triggered by Maitreya, although the Sword Qi left by Grandmaster Cang Jian had dissipated for the most part, there was still one strand left.

This strand of Sword Qi was enough to kill a Golden Core remnant soul.

"Founding Emperor Xie Yuan, you have been dead for three hundred years, why cling to the Mortal world?" Chen Xuan drew his sword.

"I will send you on your way."

Founding Emperor Xie Yuan roared: "Arrogant junior!"

As he raised his hand, the river of blood surged, turning into countless tentacles that swept toward the three.

Chen Xuan did not retreat but advanced, his Sword Qi splitting into nine beams.

The nine beams of Sword Qi merged into one; this was precisely the sword style he had newly comprehended, Nine Heavens Unity.

The Sword Qi severed the tentacles and struck straight at Founding Emperor Xie Yuan's glabella.

Founding Emperor Xie Yuan sneered, his dragon robe billowing, and a blood-colored light shield blocked the Sword Qi.

"A mere Qi Refining stage, and you dare to make a move against this seat?"

Chen Xuan's lips curled up.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

Within the protective jade Talisman, the Sword Qi belonging to True Monarch Cang Jian was triggered.