536: A match made in heaven

Two thousand years ago, there was no Black Wind Stockade, nor was there a Falling Snow Pavilion; there was only a pair of lovers walking side by side, deeply in love—Wuchang and Bai Ning.

At that time, Wuchang had not yet been tainted by evil thoughts; although there was a hint of coldness in his brows and eyes, he harbored a gentleness that belonged solely to Bai Ning.

And Bai Ning, dressed in white that surpassed the snow, with exquisite features, had mastered her ice-type Cultivation Technique to a supernatural level.

Both came from humble backgrounds, relying on each other since childhood, apprenticing together to Cultivate, and venturing through the Jianghu together. From the naive and ignorant Foundation Establishment Stage, to the mutual support of the Golden Core Stage, and then to standing side by side in the Nascent Soul Stage, they had sworn a vow to break through to the Soul Transformation together, to stay together for a lifetime, and to protect the peace of a region.

At that time, they were a pair of Immortal lovers envied by everyone in the cultivation world.

The turning point of their fate began with the exploration of an ancient ruin.

At that time, in order to find an Ice Soul Lotus that could help Bai Ning break through her Bottleneck, Wuchang mistakenly entered an ancient blood god ruin buried deep underground.

Inside the ruins, gusts of sinister wind blew, and the color of blood permeated the air. It was filled with eerie runes and broken skeletons; it was clearly a place where blood cultivators from the ancient era had fallen.

A yellowed ancient scroll slowly flew out from the depths of the ruins and automatically landed in Wuchang's hands—that was the Blood God Chart.

On the Blood God Chart were drawn complex blood-colored array patterns, recording a shocking secret technique: gather nine sacrificial points, slaughter living beings, extract their essence blood and Divine Soul, refine nine Blood Pearls, and finally condense the blood god pearl. Then, one could open an independent Blood Realm, become the Lord of the Blood Realm, hold the power of life and death, and with the power of the Blood Realm, one's cultivation could even approach the realm of an Immortal.

Wuchang held the Blood God Chart, his eyes instantly igniting with a fanatical light.

He came from a humble background and had suffered bullying since childhood. He knew well the law of the jungle in the cultivation world. Countless times, because his cultivation was insufficient, he could not protect Bai Ning fully, and countless times, because of his background, he was looked down upon and suppressed by those renowned Righteous Path sects.

To him, the secret technique recorded in the Blood God Chart was not only a shortcut to break through his cultivation, but also the only opportunity to control his own destiny, protect his beloved, and even look down upon the entire cultivation world.

"A-Ning, we have a chance." Wuchang gripped Bai Ning's hand, his eyes full of longing. "As long as we refine the blood god pearl and open the Blood Realm, no one will ever be able to bully us again. We can stay together for a lifetime and become the most powerful people in this world."

But as Bai Ning looked at the records on the Blood God Chart, her face instantly turned pale.

"Wuchang, no." She gently pulled back her hand. "This secret technique is too sinister; it requires slaughtering thousands of innocents and extracting their essence blood and Divine Soul. It is too cruel. We Cultivate to protect ourselves and others, not to slaughter the innocent indiscriminately and be tainted by endless killing karma. Even if one could become the Lord of the Blood Realm, even if one could reach the realm of an Immortal, climbing to the top by stepping on the corpses of countless people—I do not want such power, and I do not care for such a life together."

The fanaticism in Wuchang's eyes was instantly doused by cold water.

He looked at Bai Ning in confusion, his tone filled with urgency and grievance: "A-Ning, I know this method is cruel, but this is our only chance! The cultivation world is inherently a place where the strong prey on the weak. What are the lives of those innocent people compared to our life together and our future? As long as we succeed, we can protect more people in the future and make up for today's mistakes."

"There is no making up for it." Bai Ning shook her head. "Slaughtering the innocent is a sin. Once you take the first step, there is no turning back. Wuchang, I would rather we remain at the Nascent Soul Stage our whole lives, living a simple life together, than see you tainted by this monstrous killing karma and fall into the Evil Path. The Blood God Chart is too dangerous; let's destroy it, okay?"

The two argued endlessly about this, from sunrise to sunset, from warmth to estrangement.

Wuchang could not give up the temptation brought by the Blood God Chart. He craved power, craved control over everything, and craved to give Bai Ning a "stable" future, even if this future needed to be built upon the lives of countless people.

And Bai Ning, upholding her original intention of the Righteous Path, would rather die than be tainted by killing karma, and did not want to watch her beloved fall step by step into the abyss of the Evil Path.

"In the end, you still don't understand me." Wuchang looked at Bai Ning's resolute gaze and gripped the Blood God Chart in his hand, the gentleness in his eyes gradually replaced by coldness. "Since you are unwilling to walk with me, then let us part ways. From now on, I will walk my Evil Path, and you will guard your Righteous Path; we shall have no further connection."

Bai Ning looked at this familiar yet strange person before her, tears sliding down silently: "Wuchang, I will advise you one last time: turn back before it is too late. The secret technique of the Blood God Chart will only destroy you. If one day you truly complete this Blood God Chart, I will definitely stop you, even if it is you!!"

Afterward, Wuchang hid in the Black Wind Valley of the Northern Territory, founded the Black Wind Stockade, recruited many evil cultivators, and began to secretly plan the secret technique of the Blood God Chart.

With cruel methods, he slaughtered villages, extracted essence blood, and set up sacrificial points, stepping forward step by step toward his dream of becoming the "Lord of the Blood Realm". His name was gradually forgotten, replaced by the terrifying "Black Impermanence".

Meanwhile, Bai Ning lived in seclusion at the peak of the snowy mountains in the Northern Territory, founded the Falling Snow Pavilion, recruited many Righteous Path Disciples, taught ice-type Cultivation Technique, upheld her original intention of the Righteous Path, and protected the peace of the region.

Bai Ning knew that Black Impermanence would not give up the secret technique of the Blood God Chart. One day, he would come with monstrous evil power, travel through all nine sacrificial points, complete the blood sacrifice, and refine the blood god pearl.

She exhausted her life's efforts to refine a Magical Artifact—the Ice Soul Locking Constant Ding, just so that one day she could stop Black Impermanence.

Hundreds of years ago, when Bai Ning's Lifespan was approaching its end, she passed the position of Sect Head of the Falling Snow Pavilion to her most trusted eldest Disciple, Ling Shuang, and passed on all her life's cultivation and ice-type Cultivation Technique to her.

On her deathbed, Bai Ning told Ling Shuang about that past which had been sealed for over a thousand years.

"Ling Shuang, the greatest regret of my life is that I could not stop Black Impermanence, could not make him turn back. He has the Blood God Chart in his hand and has been planning for over a thousand years, just to gather nine Blood Pearls, refine the blood god pearl, and open the Blood Realm. One day, he will definitely come to the Falling Snow Pavilion, because this is the most central and important sacrificial point of the Blood God Chart, to complete the final blood sacrifice."

She took out from her bosom the Magical Artifact she had refined for over a thousand years, the Ice Soul Locking Constant Ding.

"This is the Ice Soul Locking Constant Ding, the only Magical Artifact that can restrict him. It contains the power of my life's ice-type Origin, can suppress the blood power and evil power within him, and can temporarily trap him. No matter what the cost, you must stop Black Impermanence; do not let him complete the blood sacrifice, and do not let him open the Blood Realm."

Ling Shuang nodded tearfully, received the Ice Soul Locking Constant Ding with both hands, and said solemnly: "Master, this Disciple will keep your instructions in mind. I will certainly not fail this mission; I will definitely stop Black Impermanence, protect the Falling Snow Pavilion well, and protect this peace well!"