Cold Demon Ridge.
Although over the past seven days the forces from the three provinces had fought each other without pause, no battle involving Martial Saint strength had occurred.
Either the other two provinces had concealed their Martial Saints among the crowds, just as the one from Tianji Holy Land had done, or those experts remained hidden in the shadows.
Strangely, no matter where they established bases or moved about in Cold Demon Ridge, they had encountered no genuine Blood Sect forces.
They had come to eradicate demons and wipe out the Blood Sect.
Yet in the end, it was only the three provinces clashing among themselves.
After another day or two of fighting, the forces from all three provinces suddenly stopped.
Tianji Holy Land finally gathered everyone from Sheng Province together.
Even someone like Lin Xiao, who kept to the background, was ignored by Tianji Holy Land as long as he showed no signs of betrayal.
By now, only seven or eight hundred people remained.
Clearly, of the original two thousand or more, many had perished.
Some had also left to seek their own opportunities.
“The Blood Demon Body has activated the blood sacrifice. The main stronghold has appeared. Everyone, follow Tianji Holy Land.”
The ancient, weathered elder from Tianji Holy Land announced this.
His strength was impressively close to Saint level, and everyone treated him as a true Martial Saint.
At his words, excitement rippled through the crowd.
The Blood Sect headquarters was something they had awaited for a long time.
Everyone knew deep down that they had come to claim whatever treasure the Blood Sect possessed.
Though they were far from matching Martial Saints, who could say for certain that the prize would definitely end up in a Martial Saint’s hands?
Moreover, rumour had it that the Blood Sect had obtained more than one such item.
Lin Xiao’s eyes also lit up. Over these days he had been probing for information about that “thing”.
But apart from the top figures of great powers like Tianji Holy Land, no one seemed to know exactly what it was.
The harder it was to uncover details, the more curious Lin Xiao became.
Of course, his greater concern was still the whereabouts of Huo Ruyan.
These forces had not rushed ahead earlier because they lacked the precise location of the Blood Sect headquarters.
They had, however, employed other methods. Once the Blood Sect activated the altar, they would sense it.
Tianji Holy Land had now detected it, which meant the Blood Demon Body’s blood sacrifice had begun.
Following the Tianji Holy Land group, Lin Xiao and the others set off.
A day later, the people of Sheng Province reached a mountain ridge where yin winds howled constantly.
The ridge was peculiar. Even in daylight it remained gloomy and sinister.
There was no sun in the sky, yet from their journey they could tell it was not merely overcast.
In other words, sunlight very likely could not penetrate this area at all.
It was clearly not some profound domain, and nothing blocked the void, yet the light was obscured. This alone showed how extraordinary the place was.
The deeper they went, the fiercer the yin winds became. Yin mist began to appear in the void, turning everything grey and hazy so that they could not see beyond a few thousand zhang.
“Be careful. This must be the Blood Sect headquarters. Not only may people from the other two provinces appear here, but genuine Blood Sect members could also be in this region.”
The ancient elder from Tianji Holy Land warned them.
Even without the reminder, everyone proceeded with caution.
With so many gathered together, they had little to fear from the Blood Sect or the other provinces unless some exceptional danger arose.
If they encountered forces from another province, the opponents would probably avoid starting a full-scale battle now.
Moreover, at this stage Martial Saints might finally reveal themselves and act. With Martial Saints present, there was even less cause for worry.
To their surprise, despite the howling winds and sky-filling mist, they met no danger at all.
They saw neither Blood Sect members nor anyone from the other provinces.
The quieter it remained, the more dangerous it felt, and tension grew among the crowd.
After advancing three thousand li, they finally emerged from the yin mist.
A scene that stunned everyone appeared before them.
Ahead lay an open plain spanning a hundred li in every direction. Within that hundred li the void held no yin mist.
Beyond it, however, yin mist filled the surroundings, preventing any view of what lay outside.
What shocked them most was that dozens of li to the left and right, the forces of Hao Province and You Province had already arrived.
Hao Province had more than a thousand people, You Province around one thousand eight hundred, numbers comparable to those of Sheng Province.
Both groups seemed to have arrived only shortly before, their bewildered gazes scanning the area.
“Elder Jiang You, Elder Hong Lie. I did not expect you to reach here ahead of us.”
The ancient elder from Tianji Holy Land greeted them with an unfriendly tone.
“No need to ask. We know nothing either. The moment we entered, it was like this. We have seen no Blood Sect forces at all.”
From Hao Province, the white-haired elder named Jiang You replied.
He wore a cyan bamboo robe and carried the authority of a high-ranking figure.
He was clearly a senior elder of the Jiang family, though it was unclear whether he was their Martial Saint.
“We have already been here two hours, and there is not even the shadow of a Blood Sect member.”
From You Province, an old but vigorous elder with an explosive temper cursed outright.
He was evidently the Hong Lie mentioned by the Tianji elder, a member of the Hong family.
Hearing this, the people of Sheng Province frowned.
Nothing here at all?
If only one side had mistaken the location, it might be understandable.
But how could all three groups be completely wrong?
“Could it be underground?”
Many wondered silently.
Yet the ground appeared to hold nothing unusual.
“Then why have you remained here?”
The ancient Tianji elder frowned and pressed the question.
They had been here two hours and found nothing. Now that Hao Province had arrived and neither side wished to fight, they could hardly stand around indefinitely.
“Try retreating and see if you can leave.”
Hong Lie said bluntly.
At this, the Sheng Province group frowned again.
The Tianji elder glanced at a nearby youth. “You, go and check.”
The youth’s expression darkened slightly. He was not from Tianji Holy Land, yet they were ordering him about.
But he had little choice under their roof. He obeyed and cautiously moved back towards the mist.
The instant he reached the edge of the yin mist, a hazy barrier appeared and repelled him.
“A trapping formation!”
Shock spread through the Sheng Province crowd.
There was actually a trapping formation here?
They had entered a trapping array and could not retreat?
The other two provinces had stayed for the same reason?
With a trapping formation in place, did that mean they had not come to the wrong place, but had walked into a trap?
“If I am not mistaken, it is not we who are besieging the Blood Sect. The Blood Sect is besieging us. A great formation is here, and we are trapped inside it.”
Jiang You spoke at last, his expression grim.
“Then are we to remain trapped until the Blood Demon Body completes its blood sacrifice?”
Beside Lin Xiao, Ge Jiuwei could not help muttering under his breath.
“Not until the blood sacrifice succeeds. We are all meant to become the offerings.”
Lin Xiao spoke plainly, without lowering his voice.
