“What?”
Ge Jiuwei’s body jolted involuntarily, and the faces of others around him changed colour as well.
They were all to become sacrificial offerings?
That meant the forces from all three provinces, including people from the three dominant powers, had fallen into the Blood Sect’s trap?
The Blood Sect Master was not performing a blood sacrifice himself, but intended to sacrifice them, refining the blood of everyone present?
If that were true, the Blood Sect was truly terrifying. They actually planned to sacrifice Martial Saints from the three great powers, to sacrifice so many experts, even managing to scheme against the three major forces.
“Welcome, everyone, to our Blood Sect!”
At that moment, a hearty voice rang out as expected.
Hearing it, everyone frowned and looked towards the source. They saw a black-haired elder, appearing to be in his fifties or sixties, standing at the edge of the open ground where it met the yin mist, just visible to them.
The elder wore plain, utterly ordinary clothes. If encountered outside, no one would likely recognise him.
This differed somewhat from what everyone had imagined.
The people from Hao Province had even worn blood-red robes earlier to impersonate Blood Sect members.
Yet the real Blood Sect members were extraordinarily low-key.
“A Blood Sect member!”
The expressions of the crowd turned cold.
“You dare to scheme against us?”
Elder Hong Lie glared at the black-haired elder and was the first to shout angrily, barely restraining the urge to attack.
“The information about the Blood Sect was deliberately leaked by you?”
Jiang You asked in a deep voice.
“Indeed.”
The black-haired Blood Sect elder smiled and nodded. “There is no need for everyone to be nervous. Our Blood Sect Master is at a critical stage in her cultivation and does not need to refine the blood of so many people.”
“She only needs…” The elder paused briefly before continuing solemnly, “pure Martial Saint blood.”
Everyone’s expressions tightened. Only Martial Saint blood? What bold words.
“Hmph. Let us see how your Blood Sect plans to take the blood of our Martial Saints!”
Hong Lie roared furiously.
With his explosive temper, if not for the formation blocking him, he would have been the first to strike down the Blood Sect elder.
The others also refused to believe the opponent possessed the ability to sacrifice Martial Saints.
The Blood Sect’s strongest members were not even Martial Saints. Surely no one could set up such a powerful formation?
The Blood Sect had only emerged recently and could not have had the fortune to find an ancient formation perfectly suited for refining blood and capable of killing Martial Saints.
After all, ancient formations able to slay Martial Saints were extremely rare.
Unless the targets entered the formation willingly.
But there were three Martial Saints here. With no Martial Saint of their own, how could the Blood Sect possess such overwhelming strength?
Moreover, everyone was gathered together. Even targeting a single Martial Saint would be impossible.
“Everyone, please remain calm. Since the Blood Sect has invited you here, we are naturally fully prepared.”
The Blood Sect elder said calmly. “The Martial Saints will die first. The rest of you will serve as supplements after our Sect Master becomes a Martial Saint. You will all have the chance to witness Martial Saints fall.”
Shock rippled through the crowd. The three Martial Saints would perish?
And they would become supplements for the Blood Sect Master?
The three Martial Saints in the crowd grew furious. To kill the three of them?
Utter delusion! Just as Hong Lie was about to speak, they heard light, clear footsteps suddenly coming from behind the Blood Sect elder. The elder looked respectfully to the side.
“Hahaha. You people from the three provinces are truly foolish, played around by us like fools.”
Before the voice arrived, a sinister, mocking laugh echoed in everyone’s ears.
“The initial attacks on you were not carried out by forces from your three provinces, but arranged entirely by me.”
As he spoke, a pale-faced, sinister elder emerged from the yin mist.
At his side followed another elder with a stern expression, white eyebrows, and a face etched with deep wrinkles.
Both carried an intimidating aura of authority.
Clearly, they were figures long accustomed to high positions.
“Elder Hong Lie, Elder Jiang You, there is no need to conceal your cultivation any longer, is there?
And Elder Yi Zhigong, do you still need to hide your identity?”
The pale-faced, sinister elder said.
“Ying Yi!”
From the Tianji Holy Land group, the Martial Saint elder’s expression hardened as he spoke gravely. “Why are people from your Ying family here?”
At that moment, everyone was stunned. The elder outside was from the Ying family?
The Ying family from northern Xuan Province was involved as well?
The conflicts among their three provinces had been instigated by the Ying family from the start. Those they had encountered earlier were not from the other two provinces?
Only now did many realise.
The ambushes they had suffered from the beginning were not schemes by the other two provinces, but orchestrated by the Ying family.
In other words, the Ying family had allied with the Blood Sect?
Or perhaps the Blood Sect was a force secretly supported by the Ying family?
Everything had been calculated by the Ying family from behind the scenes?
Of course, beyond shock at the Ying family’s scheming, people were also surprised by Tianji Holy Land’s Martial Saint elder.
The Martial Saint elders from the other two provinces were the leaders, Jiang You and Hong Lie.
But Tianji Holy Land’s Martial Saint elder was not the ancient, weathered elder who had spoken earlier, but another relatively ordinary-looking elder?
Even Jiang You and Hong Lie were taken aback, for even they had not known of this Tianji Holy Land Martial Saint elder.
“He is Tianji Holy Land’s Martial Saint?”
Beside Lin Xiao, Ge Jiuwei said in utter surprise.
Lin Xiao remained silent but turned his gaze to Ying Yi and the elder beside him.
He had not expected the Xuan Province Ying family to be behind the Blood Sect.
If the Blood Sect Master was truly Huo Ruyan, that meant the Ying family stood behind Huo Ruyan.
Or perhaps they were in a cooperative relationship.
The elder beside Ying Yi possessed a distinctive aura and seemed even more formidable than Ying Yi himself.
Lin Xiao wondered who that elder was.
If these two were truly backing Huo Ruyan, it seemed the ones at a disadvantage were not Huo Ruyan, but the three great powers.
However, Lin Xiao could not understand why, if the Blood Demon Body belonged to Huo Ruyan, she had aligned with these two, and why they were helping her.
After all, six years had passed without contact. He had no idea what Huo Ruyan had experienced. Aligning with the Ying family was not entirely implausible.
This region bordered the three provinces, and the Ying family causing trouble for the three powers by supporting a force to disrupt them made sense.
But drawing all three Martial Saints together and planning to sacrifice them went far beyond mere troublemaking.
“Five Martial Saints gathered. This scheme is truly vast.”
Even Lin Xiao could not help sighing inwardly.
“Hmph. Does your Ying family truly wish to offend all three of our great powers at once?”
Hong Lie snorted coldly.
Jiang You stared at the two with a grim gaze, silent but conveying the same sentiment.
Yet he knew this matter was far from simple.
Ying Yi smiled sinisterly. “Rest assured. To resolve your doubts, I will explain why I, Ying Yi, possess such confidence.”
