528: Blood Sacrifice Picture

"This is the Blood Sacrifice Map passed down from ancient times. The nine red dots are the nine sacrifice points. Only by gathering the Blood Pearls from all nine sacrifice points can the blood god pearl be refined to open the Blood Realm." Zhao Yao's voice carried a hint of fanaticism. "Back then, when I first joined the Black Wind Stockade, I followed my Revered Master to occupy the first sacrifice point. I guarded it for five hundred years, and it was only by leveraging the power of the sacrificial ritual that I achieved a Breakthrough from the Golden Core Stage to the Nascent Soul Early Stage, allowing me to leave that desolate land. You are now able to Cultivate here with the help of the ritual, and your speed is a hundred times faster than in the outside world. This is already a massive Opportunity; how dare you complain?"

Upon hearing this, the eight Cultivators all looked ashamed and nodded repeatedly. "It is the Disciples who were ungrateful. Thank you, Elder, for your guidance. We will certainly cherish this Opportunity, Cultivate with all our hearts, and guard this sacrifice point well."

The tall and thin Cultivator hesitated for a moment but still plucked up the courage to say, "Elder, the Disciples know they were wrong. It's just that life here is truly too dull. Next time the higher-ups send supplies, could they... could they send a few women down? That way, the Disciples can have some entertainment and focus more on guarding the sacrifice formation during the day."

As soon as these words were spoken, a hint of anticipation flashed in the eyes of the other seven Cultivators as they all looked at Zhao Yao, fearing he might be enraged.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yao did not scold them. Instead, a trace of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, and he slowly nodded. "Very well. When I was guarding the first sacrifice point, I made the same request to my Revered Master. Humans are not plants; who can be without feelings? Being trapped here year-round indeed requires some comfort. I will have it arranged the next time supplies are sent."

"Thank you, Elder!" The eight Cultivators were overjoyed and hastily bowed in thanks. The fatigue on their faces also dissipated quite a bit.

Zhao Yao waved his hand, his gaze returning to the center of the Blood Pool. There, a dark red Blood Pearl was suspended, nourished by the blood-colored patterns and emitting an increasingly dense evil power. Black threads continuously drew the power of the wandering souls from Chen Family Village into the Blood Pearl, making its color even deeper.

"Everyone, stay sharp. This sacrifice point is nearing its end, and the Blood Pearl is about to reach Perfection. There must be no mistakes," Zhao Yao said in a deep voice. "Once the Blood Pearl reaches Perfection, it will automatically fly to the final sacrifice site to merge with the other eight Blood Pearls. If any blunder occurs and ruins the great matter the Fortress Master has been planning for a thousand years, none of you will have a place to be buried!"

"Yes! The Disciples obey your command!" the eight Cultivators responded in unison. They quickly focused their minds, scattered around the Blood Pool, and began to circulate their evil arts on guard.

They knew that the great matter the Black Wind Stockade had been planning for two thousand years could not be allowed to fail due to their negligence. Otherwise, not only would they die, but their Families would likely be implicated as well.

At this moment, Murong Gu was hiding in the shadows at the entrance of the karst cave, having heard their conversation clearly.

Relying on the Divine Illumination Seamless Record, he could easily conceal his Divine Soul. Even Zhao Yao, who was at the Nascent Soul Late Stage, could not detect him at all.

Murong Gu had not expected the ambitions of the Black Wind Stockade to be so immense—a two-thousand-year layout with nine sacrifice points, all just to refine the blood god pearl and open the Blood Realm.

Murong Gu knew he was definitely no match for them and had to wait for an Opportunity.

He waited for several hours.

Finally, he found an Opportunity.

Zhao Yao gazed solemnly at the Blood Pearl and said in a heavy voice, "The time has come. Take your positions in the sacrificial formation and circulate the ritual to help the Blood Pearl reach Perfection."

The eight Black Wind Stockade Cultivators did not dare to delay. They immediately focused their minds and sat cross-legged around the Blood Pool in the Nine-Palace Formation. Zhao Yao sat at the core of the formation eye, coordinating with the eight of them. As Zhao Yao's Skeleton Staff lightly tapped the ground, the blood-colored patterns on the cavern floor suddenly lit up. Nine blood-colored light pillars rose from the heads of the nine men and converged beneath the Blood Pearl, forming a closed-loop energy field. The Blood Pearl's rotation speed abruptly increased, and the evil power it emitted became even denser. The air in the entire karst cave seemed to solidify, leaving only the low hum of the ritual in operation.

Murong Gu's eyes narrowed, and he rejoiced in his heart: the Opportunity had come! When the ritual was in operation, the nine men needed to focus and pour in their True Essence, connecting their Divine Souls to the blood sacrifice formation. Their perception would be greatly weakened, and their positions were fixed, making it the perfect time for a sneak attack. His fingers lightly gripped the flowing cloud sword, its golden light suppressed by his True Essence. With his toes touching the ground, he used the cover of stalactites and supply piles to move silently like a ghost toward the Cultivator at the easternmost edge.

That Cultivator had his eyes closed in concentration, his evil power flowing into the Blood Pearl through the blood-colored light pillar, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Murong Gu closed in to within three feet behind him and suddenly circulated the Azure Origin Art. His figure accelerated abruptly, his left hand forming a claw carrying the evil-breaking golden light of the Golden Spirit Art to precisely grip the Cultivator's neck. Simultaneously, the flowing cloud sword thrust out along the ground, and a hair-thin golden Sword Qi instantly pierced through his Dantian.

The Cultivator felt a sharp pain in his Dantian and a tremor in his Divine Soul. Just as he was about to struggle, Murong Gu's finger strength increased, shattering the core of his Sea of Consciousness. He couldn't even let out a muffled groan before his body slumped to the ground.

Although both were at the Golden Core Peak, Murong Gu, who Cultivated the two great divine arts, Divine Illumination Seamless Record and Golden Scale Art, was even stronger than an ordinary Nascent Soul Early Stage.

Murong Gu smoothly dragged the corpse into a gap in the supply pile and erased the traces. The entire sequence of movements was seamless, taking less than two breaths of time, and did not disturb the ritual's energy field in the slightest.

Using the blood-colored light pillar as cover, he quietly moved to the side of the second Cultivator.

Murong Gu's flowing cloud sword slashed horizontally, the golden Sword Qi precisely severing the man's neck while he used a True Essence barrier to block the blood splatter.

With two Cultivators dead, the ritual's energy field only showed a trace of an imperceptible fluctuation. Zhao Yao still had his eyes closed in concentration, focused on guiding the Blood Pearl's energy.

Murong Gu locked his gaze on the third Cultivator. Taking advantage of a gap in his True Essence infusion, he violently swung his sword and stabbed it into the man's shoulder.

The Cultivator cried out in surprise, his aura falling into chaos, and the blood-colored light pillar around him instantly dimmed.

"Hmm?" At the formation eye, Zhao Yao suddenly snapped his eyes open. His cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light, and the pressure of the Nascent Soul Late Stage instantly exploded. "Damn it! An enemy attack!"

Zhao Yao reacted extremely quickly. With a wave of his Skeleton Staff, a thick blood-colored blade light slashed toward Murong Gu's position.

Murong Gu had anticipated this. Without waiting for the blade light to approach, he retreated rapidly, instantly hiding behind one of the Cultivators.

"Elder, stop, it's me!!"

However, Zhao Yao did not stop at all and slashed down!

With a "squelch," the blood-colored blade light pierced straight through that Cultivator's chest. The Cultivator screamed and died on the spot.

Murong Gu had not expected the opponent to be so ruthless and hurriedly dodged.

The blood-colored blade light grazed past, piercing through Murong Gu's left shoulder and causing blood to flow freely.

Zhao Yao's face turned ashen as he roared, "Cowardly turtle! Do you dare to come out and fight me head-on!" Although he was burning with rage, he did not dare to strike with his full power recklessly—the ritual had not yet been interrupted, and the Blood Pearl was nearing Perfection. If the Blood Pool were affected, the layout planned for two thousand years might be ruined.