210: Blood sacrifice across the continent! The terrifying resurgence plan of the Heavenly Demon!

Xuanyuan Continent, west of the Central State, on a desolate stretch of Gobi desert.

Space was torn open by a bloody gash.

Billions of streaks of bloody light gushed out in a sorry state, frantically re-coalescing into the Netherworld Heavenly Demon's massive, several-zhang-tall demonic body above the barren Gobi.

The demonic body had just formed when it gave an uncontrollable shudder.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of Great Emperor blood containing his Origin sprayed out wildly, turning into a black waterfall of blood.

The foul-smelling rain of blood poured down, instantly corroding the Gobi for a hundred miles around into a death marsh churning with poisonous smoke, where countless illusory resentful Souls struggled and wailed.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

He knelt on one knee, his massive demonic body heaving violently like a broken bellows.

Deep within those scarlet demonic pupils, only the absolute trembling of a survivor remained.

He had escaped.

That woman... that monster hadn't followed.

By burning a mere thirty percent of his Origin Great Emperor blood, he had managed to snatch his life back like a dog from that incomprehensibly terrifying existence.

How incredibly lucky!

"Monster..."

The Netherworld Heavenly Demon's voice was hoarse and dry, carrying a sob he hadn't even noticed himself.

Having been sealed for hundreds of thousands of years, the changes in the world had long since exceeded his understanding.

He had originally thought that with his First Rank Great Emperor cultivation, he could do as he pleased on the continent during this Age of Dharma Decline and turn everything into his blood food.

But reality had dealt him the heaviest and most humiliating blow!

That woman!

That Demoness, who hadn't even bothered to lift a finger against him, had nearly crushed his Demonic Soul with just a single glance!

There was no killing intent, no pressure, not even contempt in those dark red Phoenix eyes.

There was only the absolute indifference one would have when looking at a dull pebble by the roadside.

In those eyes, he wasn't an enemy, nor was he an ant.

He was nothing.

Just a grain of... dust that could be blown away at any moment!

He would never forget that look as long as he lived!

"How could the Xuanyuan Continent... be hiding an old monster of this level?!"

Wariness and fear were the only feelings in his Demonic Soul at this moment.

That woman's existence was like an insurmountable black divine mountain, pressing down until he couldn't breathe, utterly shattering his arrogance of ruling over the world.

He no longer dared to be reckless.

He was afraid.

Afraid that the Demoness might just feel bored and, on a whim in the next breath, cross through the Void Realm to crush him, this newly unearthed "toy," like an insect.

"I must recover my strength! As soon as possible!"

A frenzied flame of survival ignited in the Netherworld Heavenly Demon's eyes.

Only by returning to the Peak of the Ninth Rank Great Emperor, or even surpassing it, would he be worthy of having a shred of self-preservation on this dangerous land!

How to recover?

Meditating and Cultivating?

Too slow!

Hundreds of thousands of years of being Sealed had long since hollowed out his Origin, and the blood escape from just now had made matters even worse; he couldn't hope to recover for tens of thousands of years.

He couldn't wait!

The Netherworld Heavenly Demon's scarlet demonic pupils swept across the vast land, his majestic Divine Thought instantly covering the entire Central State.

Within his Divine Thought, in a prosperous city, a little girl with pigtails was being held high by her father, letting out bell-like laughter;

In the bustling market, vendors called out loudly, and the atmosphere was thick with the scent of everyday life.

These Souls, weak as ants yet containing majestic life essence.

An extreme hunger originating from his Bloodline roared frantically within his body.

"Flesh... Soul..."

He licked his parched lips, a devouring light erupting from his eyes.

"What a beautiful picture, what vibrant lives... all of this shall become the resources for my return to the Peak!"

An extremely vicious plan took shape in his mind.

He would incite a war that swept across the continent, letting mountains of corpses and seas of blood become the breeding ground for his recovery!

He wouldn't be the butcher.

He would be the fisherman standing behind the scenes, waiting for the fruit to ripen.

Where should he place his first piece?

His Divine Thought hovered over the two great overlords of the Central State.

Great Xia Divine Dynasty, Jiuli Divine Dynasty.

Two sleeping behemoths; once they went to war, the world would surely be stained with blood.

"I'll start with you."

The corner of the Netherworld Heavenly Demon's mouth curled into a cruel arc.

His Divine Thought swept over the Great Xia Divine Dynasty; the soaring Dragon Qi of its National Destiny carried a scorching heat and sharpness.

Deep within the palace, he sensed a young yet incomparably pure and domineering imperial pressure, its will like red-hot divine iron, unyielding.

He could even vaguely hear a high-pitched Phoenix cry from deep within the National Destiny, enough to incinerate all demons!

"Too thorny."

The Netherworld Heavenly Demon immediately gave up on this target.

It was absolutely impossible to silently control this Empress without alerting that terrifying Demoness.

His gaze turned toward another target.

Jiuli Divine Dynasty.

The Luck there was sluggish and gloomy, filled with the sweet scent of rot and decay.

"You're the one."

A sharp light burst from the Netherworld Heavenly Demon's eyes.

His massive Divine Thought transformed into an invisible poisonous needle, precisely piercing into the depths of the Jiuli Divine Dynasty's National Destiny, searching for the perfect Puppet.

He found it quickly.

Inside a stone hall that had been sealed for a thousand years within the Jiuli Divine Dynasty's palace Forbidden Ground.

An old man with white hair and a withered frame was sitting cross-legged atop a blood-colored altar.

His aura was like a lamp running out of oil, yet he stubbornly maintained himself at the Peak of the Eighth Rank Quasi-Emperor through the power of the altar.

The stabilizing force of the Jiuli Divine Dynasty, that lingering Old Ancestor!

"A dying old geezer—his desire for 'life' will be a bait he cannot refuse!"

The Netherworld Heavenly Demon let out a silent, wild laugh.

"Your body, your identity, your authority... I shall take them all!"

His demonic body dissipated on the spot.

Inside the stone hall, the Old Ancestor of Jiuli snapped his cloudy eyes open, showing a hint of vigilance.

"Who?!"

"One who can grant you new life."

A Demonic Thought rang directly in his Divine Soul, carrying supreme temptation.

"Submit to me, and you shall gain eternal life!"

"Evil heretic, don't even think about it!"

The Old Ancestor of Jiuli's Divine Soul ignited as he prepared to resist.

"Foolish!"

The Netherworld Heavenly Demon sneered, no longer pretending.

The Demonic Thought erupted with a bang, turning into a demonic net that covered the heavens and earth, directly trapping the Old Ancestor of Jiuli's dying Divine Soul in a death grip!

"Ah—!"

The scream lasted for less than half a breath before coming to an abrupt end.

The stone hall returned to dead silence.

A moment later.

The withered old man sitting on the blood-colored altar slowly raised his head.

Those cloudy eyes had now turned completely scarlet.

They were filled with tyranny, greed, and the coldness of looking down upon all living beings.

A shocking conspiracy to overturn the continent's structure had, at this moment, placed its most crucial piece.