121: How to enter the Abyss Blood Palace

Inside the Storage Pouch were some Spirit Medicines and a copy of the Demon Realm's Compendium of Hundred Herbs.

This person must have originally intended to study Alchemy, and these were all preparations for Alchemy; the Spirit Medicines in the Storage Pouch were also all low-grade Medicinal Pills.

However, these were merely useless to Xue Hai, as his purpose in coming to the Blood Abyss Market was to infiltrate the Abyssal Blood Palace.

In this Demon Realm, where the strong prey on the weak, how could killing and plundering in the outside world to become stronger compare to entering the top Sect, killing and plundering to become stronger? What's more, it was a Blood Dao Sect that perfectly suited him. He truly loved the idea of Gu cultivation!

Following Xiang Qi's memories, Xue Hai passed through winding dark alleys and arrived at a secluded inn.

As he stepped over the bluestone threshold, a cold Divine Sense swept over his body. However, Xue Hai possessed the True Explanation of Soul Refining, which had already reached high-grade profound rank, and his soul infant automatically shielded him from the prying.

This Divine Sense came and went quickly, retreating immediately after a touch, as if it did not want to cause trouble.

A cold sneer appeared at the corner of Xue Hai's mouth beneath his black robe. Although the Nascent Soul Realm was not top-tier, in this chaotic place, it was enough to deter petty ruffians.

In the corner of the hall, a disheveled drunkard nonchalantly tilted his head back and guzzled a mouthful of strong liquor, the liquid dripping down his beard as his Adam's apple bobbed.

Although this person did not show any abnormalities, Xue Hai knew that the Divine Sense just now came from him, and this person was also a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator.

Since this person did not show hostility, Xue Hai was unwilling to cause trouble and turned to look at the counter in the hall.

Leaning against it was a mature woman with a purple veil half-slipped, her fingernails, stained with nail polish, idly flicking abacus beads.

“Fellow Daoist Zizhu?” A detached voice made the abacus beads stop with a clatter, and a blood-colored jade tablet was placed on the counter by Xue Hai.

“Oh! Introduced by a regular customer?” The mature woman's Phoenix eyes narrowed sharply, her waist slowly straightened like a snake, and her purplish-red lips exhaled a musky scent: “Do you know the rules?”

Xue Hai's head, concealed beneath his hood, nodded slightly.

The blood-colored jade tablet had already slipped into the other party's palm.

Zizhu's tongue swept across her lips, and with a swirl of her skirt, she twisted towards the backyard. A Divine Sense message rang in his mind: “Follow me!”

Xue Hai's body paused slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he followed the former.

Led by Zizhu, the two passed through the inn's backyard, went through three small alleys, and arrived at a private residence.

Zizhu came to the well in the house and jumped down without hesitation.

Xue Hai also followed closely behind.

After going down, they discovered that although there was water at the bottom of the well, the underground river it led to also flowed through a huge underground space.

The two emerged from the underground river and saw a majestic triangular giant hall. They walked closer.

Zizhu cast a series of incantations, and the three-zhang high gray-black door suddenly opened.

An ice-blue glow emanated from the door.

The two had already walked inside.

As soon as he entered, Xue Hai found himself in a spacious hall.

“Is this the Blood Shadow Tower?” Xue Hai secretly observed his surroundings. From Xiang Qi's memory, he knew that the Blood Shadow Tower was an intelligence organization under the Abyssal Blood Palace, and this was one of its strongholds.

Just then, Zizhu had already led him to a counter.

Behind the counter, a dark-skinned, slender man was wiping a jade cup. Seeing the two approach, he raised his eyes, looked at Zizhu, and smiled faintly: “Zizhu, what a rare guest!”

“Dead monkey! It's only been three days since I last came, how am I a rare guest?” Zizhu unceremoniously sat on a high chair in front of the counter, picked up a freshly wiped jade cup next to her, and lightly tapped the counter twice.

The man, called 'dead monkey,' glanced at her, then flipped his hand, and a wine gourd appeared in his grasp. He poured half a cup into Zizhu's cup, then took out a porcelain cup, poured half a cup, and pushed it in front of Xue Hai: “Is this an employment or a purchase of information?”

As the man spoke, his gaze swept past Xue Hai and looked at Zizhu.

“This is Gao Hou, a silver token member of the Blood Shadow Tower.” Zizhu waved her hand, looking at Xue Hai.

Xue Hai also sat on a high chair beside Zizhu and casually picked up the cup of wine: “Information!”

Gao Hou sized up the calm and composed Xue Hai, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. This face was clearly unfamiliar, yet his familiarity with the Blood Shadow Tower's rules made him seem like a regular customer.

Seeing Xue Hai speak, his jaw moved slightly: “Please state your request, guest.”

“Good wine!” Xue Hai swirled the crimson liquor in his cup, its spicy and rich aroma rushing into his nostrils. He tilted his head back, drained it, and as his Adam's apple bobbed, he stated his request: “The date of the Abyssal Blood Palace's next mountain opening for recruitment.”

“Thirty Spirit Stones!”

Xue Hai's fingertips lightly tapped the counter, and the azure Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch clinked as they rolled out.

Gao Hou's sleeve brushed over the counter, and the Spirit Stones were immediately taken away: “The Blood Palace recruited Disciples three years ago; the next selection will be in seven years.”

“Is there another way?”

“Three hundred!”

Xue Hai's brow furrowed slightly, and three hundred Spirit Stones piled into a small mountain on the sandalwood tabletop.

Gao Hou swept the Spirit Stones into his sleeve, a faint smile playing on his lips: “There are naturally ways...”

His voice hung in the air, deliberately drawing out a long, lingering note.

Seeing this, a hint of impatience flashed in Xue Hai's eyes.

Zizhu tapped her finger on the green jade cup: “Monkey, stop playing coy!”

Gao Hou chuckled and continued to count on his fingers: “There are three other ways to enter the palace outside of the selection. The first, of course, is to challenge the Blood Fiend Tower; passing three layers grants entry to the outer Sect; the second is to pledge allegiance to one of the Blood Palace's three major direct forces, work your way up to a position, and also gain outer Sect status; the last...” He deliberately lowered his voice, “If you gain the favor of an Old Ancestor, you will naturally ascend to heaven in one step.”

“What is the Blood Fiend Tower?” Xue Hai directly ignored the latter two methods; the second one took too much time, and while the third was feasible, who knew if exposing his Innate Blood God Body would bring fortune or disaster?

“One hundred!” Gao Hou lightly pinched two fingers together, rubbing them slightly, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

Xue Hai secretly gritted his teeth; the Blood Shadow Tower was certainly extorting him.

However, regarding information about Disciple recruitment, only the Blood Shadow Tower knew it. The Abyssal Blood Palace was located deep within the Endless Abyss, and apart from its direct subordinate forces, it was almost impossible for anyone else to know the Blood Palace's movements. Even for such non-confidential information, it had to be purchased through the Blood Shadow Tower.

After collecting another hundred Spirit Stones, Gao Hou finally said: “This tower is an ancient Sacred Artifact, containing nine layers of illusions. Each layer will change according to the Cultivator's Realm. With each higher layer, the guardian will improve by one minor Realm. Three layers means a three-Realm leap in challenge; only by defeating them can one enter the outer Sect.”

Xue Hai's finger tapping the counter paused slightly, and a peculiar look flashed in his eyes. This method was indeed suitable for him, so he asked again: “Where is the Blood Fiend Tower, and are there any requirements for challenging it?”

“Heh! It seems my friend is quite confident in his own strength!” Gao Hou chuckled at the words, this time not asking for money. “Since my friend is so straightforward, consider this information a gift from me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a Jade Slip was pushed in front of Xue Hai.

Xue Hai picked up the Jade Slip and found that it contained not only some basic information about the Blood Fiend Tower but also its specific coordinates.

“Thank you!” Putting away the Jade Slip, Xue Hai stood up and turned to leave without hesitation.

Seeing that Xue Hai had finished asking for information, Zizhu also extended her hand towards Gao Hou and wiggled it.

Gao Hou was quite straightforward, raising his hand and transferring eighty-six Spirit Stones.

The latter unceremoniously put them into her Storage Pouch.

She was in the business of being an intermediary, so she naturally had to take her commission.

After collecting the Spirit Stones, she chased after Xue Hai and left.

The two returned to the market, and Xue Hai directly rented a room at Zizhu's inn.

Now that he knew about the Blood Fiend Tower, he would certainly need to prepare more. From Xiang Qi's memories, he had seen Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators make their moves and understood that the methods of Cultivators in this world were unfathomable. They were all masters skilled in combat, and fighting across three ranks would be no easy feat.

He had to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Upon entering the guest room, Xue Hai's system interface instantly appeared before him.