140: Blood Pillar Devouring the Body and Soul Entering the Rift

The moment the blood pillar struck his body, there was no anticipated sharp pain, only a warm current, scalding and sweet with a hint of blood, madly surging into his body through his pores. Liu Shan's consciousness was like being thrown into boiling blood, all perceptions stripped away, leaving only boundless crimson.

He could feel his body being devoured by the blood pillar; skin, muscles, bones... all were becoming transparent at a visible speed, ultimately transforming into a thread of light, pulled by the blood pillar, flying towards therift deep within the Blood Gate.

“No—!”

He seemed to hear Qingxue's cries, or perhaps Liu Zhi's desperate roar, but the sound grew more distant, eventually completely drowned out by the roar of the blood pillar.

The White-Robed Figure stood in the blood mist, his face twisted, his eyes filled with insane jealousy. He wanted to rush up and stop it, but was pressed down by the immense pressure surging from therift, only able to watch Liu Shan's figure disappear into the blood pillar, his fists clenched, knuckles cracking. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, and the drops of blood that flowed out were instantly swallowed by the blood mist.

The Shadow Eater King in the mountains let out an unwilling roar, its crimson eyes fixed on therift of the Blood Gate, yet it dared not approach. The bloody pressure emanating from therift had a natural suppressive effect on Shadow Eaters; even it could only hover at the edge.

Liu Shan's consciousness floated in the blood pillar, and after an unknown period, the surrounding scalding sensation gradually receded, replaced by a bone-chilling coldness. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself suspended in boundless darkness, with nothing visible around him, only a few faint crimson lights flickering in the distance, like the eyes he had seen in therift before.

“Is this… behind the Blood Gate?”

He tried to move his body, but found that he had no physical form, only a pure wisp of consciousness, like a wisp of smoke, drifting in the darkness. The three-colored mark on his brow was still there, but it had become extremely faint, like a candle in the wind, liable to extinguish at any moment.

Just then, a deep, ancient-sounding heartbeat came from the depths of the darkness.

Thump… thump… thump…

With each beat, the darkness would gently tremble, and the distant crimson lights would also flicker in response to the heartbeat.

Liu Shan's consciousness was drawn by the heartbeat, drifting uncontrollably towards the depths of the darkness. He could feel that the source of the heartbeat was the white bone throne in the deepest part of therift, the existence that the White-Robed Figure called the “Blood Master.”

Fear coiled around his consciousness like a vine, but he couldn't stop, only letting himself approach the unknown danger.

As he delved deeper, some blurry images gradually emerged in the darkness—

It was a bloody battlefield, countless soldiers in black armor were fighting, golden blood dripped from their weapons, they stepped on mountains of white bones, the sky was dark red, and rain with a smell of blood was falling.

In the center of the battlefield, a blurry figure sat on a white bone throne, surrounded by thick blood mist, his appearance unclear. He could only be seen raising his hand, and with a gentle flick of his finger, countless soldiers turned to dust, without even having time to scream.

“It's the Blood Master…” Liu Shan's consciousness trembled violently. Was this the world behind the Blood Gate? A battlefield full of slaughter and destruction?

Images flashed like a revolving lantern. Liu Shan saw the Blood Master leading soldiers in black armor, flattening one city after another; he saw the ancestors of the Xuan Jin Snake Clan leading their people, fighting bloody battles against the Blood Master's army; he saw the ancestors of the White-Robed Figure kneeling before the Blood Master, offering a map of the Duan Yun Mountains, their eyes filled with flattery and fear…

So that's it!

Liu Shan finally understood the truth of a thousand years ago—the so-called Demon Race invasion was actually the Blood Master's army! The ancestors of the White-Robed Figure betrayed the Human Race, inviting a wolf into the house, which led to that catastrophe! And the Xuan Jin Snake Clan, precisely to stop the Blood Master, paid a heavy price, and finally reached an agreement with the Blood Master, using the Seal of Chenyuan Lake to temporarily trap his army!

“Xuan Jin Snake Clan… what you owe me… it's time to pay it back…”

A deep, metallic voice suddenly echoed in the darkness, resonating directly in the depths of Liu Shan's consciousness.

Liu Shan's consciousness jolted, and he found himself already floating before the white bone throne.

The figure on the throne was still shrouded in blood mist, its appearance unclear, but he could feel a cold, scrutinizing gaze falling on his consciousness, on the faint three-colored mark on his brow.

“Xuan Jin Bloodline… Xu Seal… and Shadow Eaters…” The Blood Master's voice carried a hint of amusement, “An interesting little fellow, to be able to achieve the Fusion of these three powers.”

Liu Shan's consciousness trembled violently; he could feel that the opponent's power far exceeded his imagination. Even if it was just a wisp of consciousness, he could easily erase him completely.

“You… what do you want to do?” he asked with difficulty, his voice appearing exceptionally weak in the darkness.

The Blood Master did not answer, only a pale hand extended from the blood mist. The fingers of that hand were long and sharp, gleaming with a dark red luster, slowly reaching towards Liu Shan's consciousness.

Liu Shan tried to dodge, but found himself locked by an invisible force, completely unable to move. He could only watch as the hand drew closer, the chill from its fingertips almost freezing his consciousness.

Just as the fingertips were about to touch his consciousness, the three-colored mark on his brow suddenly burst forth with intense light!

This time, it was not the three colors of green, gold, and black, but the three colors completely merged, forming a pure white light full of vibrant life!

The white light collided with the Blood Master's fingertips, emitting a silent roar. The Blood Master's hand sharply recoiled, and a low muffled grunt came from the blood mist, clearly indicating that he was startled.

“This is… the power of the Spiritual Vein?” The Blood Master's voice carried a hint of disbelief, “The earth's Spiritual Vein of the Duan Yun Mountains actually recognized you?”

Liu Shan was also stunned. He could feel that the power contained within this white light came from the earth's Spiritual Vein of Luoxia Valley, from the belief in protecting his home, from the bonds with Qingxue and Liu Zhi!

This power might not be as strong as the Blood Master's, but it carried a will that the Blood Master could never understand, a will called “Guardianship”!

“Interesting… truly interesting…” The Blood Master's voice held a hint of excitement, “Xuan Jin Bloodline, Xu Seal, Shadow Eaters, and even the Spiritual Vein… you are simply a 'vessel' tailor-made for me!”

Vessel?

Liu Shan's consciousness plunged into despair again. He recalled the White-Robed Figure's words; it turned out that both the White-Robed Figure and the Blood Master only saw him as a usable vessel!

The hand in the blood mist extended again. This time, it was enveloped in dense blood light, clearly serious, intending to forcibly seize his consciousness and occupy his body!

Although the white light resisted stubbornly, it was gradually dimming under the erosion of the blood light, on the verge of complete collapse.

Liu Shan's consciousness struggled painfully in the blood light. He could feel his memories being stripped away little by little; those warm memories of Luoxia Valley were being replaced by the Blood Master's images of slaughter.

“No… I am not a vessel…”

He shouted with his last ounce of strength. Deep within his consciousness, Qingxue's smile, Liu Zhi's shouts, Mo Chu's neigh… all the bonds transformed into tiny threads of light, merging into the white light.

The white light suddenly brightened, actually forcing the blood light back a few inches again!

The Blood Master's hand stopped in mid-air, and the blood mist violently churned, clearly enraged.

“Stubborn!” The Blood Master's voice turned cold, “Since you refuse to yield, then I will just… completely devour you!”

Intense blood light burst forth from the blood mist. This time, it was no longer just one hand, but countless hands extending from the blood mist, like numerous venomous snakes, madly grabbing at Liu Shan's consciousness!

The white light grew dimmer and dimmer, eventually disappearing completely.

Liu Shan's consciousness was seized by countless hands, dragged into the depths of the blood mist. He could feel his consciousness being torn apart and devoured little by little, pain engulfing him like a tide.

Before completely losing consciousness, he seemed to see, deep within the blood mist, on the white bone throne, a face vaguely similar to the White-Robed Figure, only that face was paler, and more… ferocious.

So that's it…

The White-Robed Figure was actually a descendant of the Blood Master!

This was his true purpose in painstakingly opening the Blood Gate!

Unfortunately, he no longer had the chance to tell anyone this truth.

Consciousness, completely plunged into darkness.

And deep within the blood mist, the figure on the white bone throne slowly opened his eyes, and in those eyes, a satisfied red light flickered.

“The game… has begun.”