Passing through a unique spatial barrier, the space ahead opened up dramatically, vastly different from the outside world.
Zhang Ruochen could sense that the holy energy of heaven and earth in this space was extraordinarily dense, almost liquefying, while the rules of heaven and earth were vibrant, pulsing with a strange rhythm.
Towering trees came into Zhang Ruochen’s view, each exceeding a kilometre in height, their branches lush and leaves abundant, exuding an intense blood energy that formed patches of blood clouds, permeating the entire space.
At the base of each colossal tree was a pool about a hundred metres in diameter, filled with viscous, crimson liquid resembling blood, yet emitting a peculiar, intoxicating fragrance that captivated the senses.
“Eternal Blood Trees,” Zhang Ruochen murmured.
For a clan as vast as the Xue Jue family, with members numbering in the billions, cultivating numerous Eternal Blood Trees was only natural.
And with the Xue Jue family’s methods, the blood produced by these trees was undoubtedly of exceptional quality.
Zhang Ruochen could tell at a glance that the blood in these pools contained energy comparable to that of a Fish-Dragon Realm human’s blood.
Some pools even reached the level of Half-Saint or Saint blood.
He knew that to obtain high-quality blood, vast amounts of holy stones had to be invested, using special secret methods to nurture the Eternal Blood Trees, allowing them to grow for extended periods.
Though Eternal Blood Trees were resilient, they typically survived only ten thousand years under normal conditions. Only through secret methods could they endure for one yuan cycle, or even multiple yuan cycles.
The older the Eternal Blood Tree, the higher the quality of the blood it produced.
Of course, despite the vast quantity of blood here, it couldn’t be used directly, it required refinement and condensation through secret methods, far less convenient than drawing blood directly from a cultivator.
The Blood Empress said, “This is the Xue Jue family’s most important Eternal Blood Tree forest, a core part of our foundation. Every tree here has grown for at least ten thousand years, producing blood of exceptional quality, sufficient to supply the majority of the family’s elite members.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, only a family with a long history and deep foundations like the Xue Jue could cultivate such a vast Eternal Blood Tree forest.
This was likely a key reason for the family’s continuous emergence of powerhouses.
The deeper they went, the taller the Eternal Blood Trees became, and the higher the quality of the blood they produced, some even comparable to Great Saint blood.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stopped, his gaze fixed on an exceptionally massive Eternal Blood Tree in the distance.
This tree was shrouded in layers of blood clouds, its trunk spanning dozens of li in diameter, its bark shimmering with golden light, faintly radiating a powerful divine aura.
Even the blood in the pool beneath it was different, golden in colour, exuding a strong divine aura.
“That is the Mother Tree, all the Eternal Blood Trees here stem from it. It has grown for over ten yuan cycles, nurtured with divine stones, capable of producing blood comparable to divine blood. There are no more than fifty such trees in the entire Immortal Blood Race,” the Blood Empress explained.
The existence of such an ancient Eternal Blood Tree alone demonstrated the extraordinary foundation of the Xue Jue family.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred, he hadn’t expected a mere tree to rival the age of the Ten Tribulations Heavenly Monarch.
Perhaps because it was a tree, it could survive so long.
Even gods, mighty as they were, faced the risk of falling in the calamities of each yuan cycle, those who survived ten yuan cycles were exceedingly rare.
“To produce divine blood, this Mother Tree must itself be a divine being.”
Shifting his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked in another direction, not far from the Mother Tree, where an enormous statue stood, its height stretching countless li, like a divine giant overlooking the entire Blood Heaven Tribe world.
Even from distant stars, the statue’s outline was visible.
The statue depicted an Immortal Blood Race figure clad in golden armour, majestic and formidable, with twenty-four pairs of golden wings, lifelike and faintly radiating an obscure divine aura.
Below the statue was an immensely deep spring, from which viscous blood gushed, emanating an ancient, timeless aura, as if it had existed for endless ages.
With just one glance, Zhang Ruochen knew this must be the Immortal Blood Spring from the Nether Ancient Era mentioned by the Blood Empress.
A single spring enduring through so many eras without drying up was truly remarkable.
“Hm? That’s…”
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen noticed something new.
A figure was seated by the edge of the Nether Ancient Immortal Blood Spring, absorbing the ancient blood energy it emitted.
The figure had long, blood-red hair and a slender frame, enveloped in an intensely potent blood aura, with terrifying flames burning fiercely.
More notably, a towering shadow stood behind the figure, grand and lifelike, brimming with overwhelming battle intent.
“Xue Tu.”
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised.
This was a critical secret area of the Xue Jue family, yet Xue Tu was cultivating here.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen clearly sensed that the current Xue Tu was vastly different from before, though he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
Xue Tu was now a Great Saint, having recently broken through, but the saintly aura he exuded was extraordinarily fearsome, far beyond that of an ordinary Immortal Great Saint.
A flash of divine light appeared, and the Blood Empress brought Zhang Ruochen before the Nether Ancient Immortal Blood Spring.
“When I had Xue Tu taken away, it was because his fate is special. The Blood Flame War God of the Immortal Blood Race fell in the second gradient of the Endless Abyss, leaving behind the War God Mark of the Blood Flame lineage, which Xue Tu is suited to inherit,” the Blood Empress said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen understood, the towering shadow behind Xue Tu must be formed by that War God Mark.
For the Blood Empress to place such importance on it, the Blood Flame War God Mark must be extraordinary.
Xue Tu’s fortune was indeed remarkable, recognized by the Purgatory Tower of No Interval and possessing a fate suited to inherit the Blood Flame War God Mark.
The Blood Empress continued, “I’ve taken him as my disciple and brought him to the Xue Jue family to undergo the baptism of the Nether Ancient Immortal Blood Spring, activating the Blood Flame War God Mark, transforming him completely and allowing him to forge an Immortal Saint Body here.”
So, Xue Tu had become the Blood Empress’s disciple, no wonder he could cultivate here.
“What should I do, Mother?” Zhang Ruochen asked, refocusing his thoughts.
He was here for the Immortal Blood Spring baptism, Xue Tu’s fortunes were of little concern to him.
The Blood Empress said, “This Immortal Blood Spring was discovered by the Xue Jue family’s ancestor, which is why the family was established here. Only the most outstanding disciples are eligible for its baptism, and this is the ancestor’s true body.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted slightly, he had thought it was a statue, not the ancestor’s actual body. No wonder it gave him a peculiar feeling.
Different races had gods of varying sizes.
Human gods were measured in zhang.
Dragon gods were measured in li.
Ant gods were measured in chi.
Immortal Blood Race gods were measured in tens of thousands of li.
The ancestor’s divine body, both in height and the number of wings, was awe-inspiring, unimaginable how potent his blood energy must have been in life.
“For the most thorough baptism, you must enter the Immortal Blood Spring with your true body, but it will involve immense pain.”
Pausing briefly, the Blood Empress added, “One thing I must warn you about, the baptism purifies the Immortal Blood Race bloodline. You also have human blood, if you don’t balance it properly, your human bloodline could be assimilated.”
“If you choose to accept assimilation, the baptism poses no danger.”
“But if you wish to retain your human bloodline… I hope you’ll act within your limits and not push too hard. If it becomes too much, you can leave the spring. It’s just a baptism, not a monumental matter.”
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then removed his upper garments and leapt into the Immortal Blood Spring.
The Blood Empress didn’t leave, standing guard nearby.
The baptism wouldn’t take long, a day at the shortest, three at most, depending on one’s bloodline strength and endurance.
Upon entering the spring, Zhang Ruochen immediately felt immense pressure, powerful forces with a chilling aura seeping through his pores, nearly freezing his blood.
Simultaneously, an ancient aura entered his body, slowly merging with his bloodline.
Instantly, his Immortal Blood Race bloodline fully awakened, transforming him involuntarily into the form of the Immortal Blood Race, his eight massive golden wings unfurling, their intricate patterns glowing with dazzling golden light.
Vast blood energy surged toward his eight golden wings, forming thick blood clouds that enveloped him.
His pupils blood-red, despite his formidable mental resolve, Zhang Ruochen showed signs of pain.
Steadying his mind, he fully circulated the *Nine Heavens Ming Emperor Scripture*, actively drawing in the spring’s power to temper himself.
At a certain moment, a realization struck him, a method for manipulating blood energy emerged from his bloodline, causing his blood energy to flow instinctively according to this method.
His blood energy surged faster, drawing vast amounts of blood energy from the spring into his body.
Thus, his blood energy grew rapidly, seemingly without limit.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, enduring the pain while striving to control his Immortal Blood Race bloodline, preventing his human bloodline from being devoured.
No matter what, he refused to become fully Immortal Blood Race.
“I’ve reached my limit, if the Immortal Blood Race bloodline continues to awaken, I’ll lose control,” he thought.
Though he wanted to continue cultivating in the spring to temper his body and will, persisting would put him beyond control.
Just as he prepared to leave, his body shuddered.
His human bloodline stirred, releasing an ancient aura that clashed head-on with the Immortal Blood Race bloodline.
*Boom.*
A terrifying will awakened from his human bloodline.
Instantly, the Immortal Blood Race bloodline was suppressed, retreating, and the Immortal Blood Race traits on his body began to fade.
The next moment, a towering figure appeared outside Zhang Ruochen’s body.
*Bang.*
The Blood Flame War God shadow behind Xue Tu was impacted, involuntarily stepping back.
This jolted Xue Tu from his cultivation, his eyes filled with astonishment.
“Greetings, Master.”
Xue Tu stood and bowed respectfully to the Blood Empress.
Her gaze locked onto the towering figure outside Zhang Ruochen, her eyes gleaming, “The awakening of his Immortal Blood Race bloodline has triggered the will of the Immovable Ming King Great Venerable within his human bloodline.”
The Immovable Ming King Great Venerable was a legendary figure in the Kunlun Realm, so ancient that many doubted his existence.
Now, the manifestation of his will in Zhang Ruochen’s bloodline confirmed it.
Suddenly, another change occurred, the wings of the Xue Jue ancestor’s true body trembled, releasing a beam of blood light that entered Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Instantly, the suppressed Immortal Blood Race bloodline surged back, its potent power erupting.
Another towering figure appeared outside Zhang Ruochen, identical to the Xue Jue ancestor.
The two towering figures stood side by side, their invisible wills clashing, neither yielding to the other.
The rules and holy energy of the space grew chaotic, faintly forming a storm of holy energy.
The Blood Empress couldn’t stand idly by, waving her hand to release divine power, swiftly calming the rules and holy energy.
However, she didn’t interfere with the events in the Immortal Blood Spring, avoiding any adverse effects on Zhang Ruochen.
Xue Tu’s expression was grave, though these were mere wills of the Immovable Ming King Great Venerable and the Xue Jue ancestor, they still profoundly impacted his mind.
Had he not activated the Blood Flame War God Mark and reached the Great Saint Realm, he might have collapsed to the ground.
“How powerful is Zhang Ruochen’s bloodline?” Xue Tu wondered.
Clearly, despite his own transformation, he still lagged far behind Zhang Ruochen.
The violent clash of human and Immortal Blood Race bloodlines caused Zhang Ruochen immense pain, his body feeling as if it might explode, his mental will on the verge of splitting.
*Roar.*
Zhang Ruochen raised his head, letting out a deafening cry.
*Swish.*
A massive surge of blood energy burst from his back.
The next moment, another pair of golden wings sprouted.
At that instant, the figures of the Immovable Ming King Great Venerable and the Xue Jue ancestor merged into Zhang Ruochen’s body, all pressure vanishing as if it had never been.
*Boom.*
With his ten golden wings fluttering, Zhang Ruochen soared out of the Immortal Blood Spring.
Hovering in mid-air, his ten golden wings fully spread, shimmering with golden light, frantically absorbing the dense holy energy of the surroundings.
Vast amounts of heaven and earth rules were drawn in, orbiting him, fully under his control.
As the Blood Empress had said, the baptism allowed him to better control his wings and wield every strand of his power with greater precision.
He felt better than ever.
His two bloodlines were balanced, like yin-yang taiji, allowing him to switch freely between human and Immortal Blood Race forms.
Xue Tu stared at Zhang Ruochen, his eyes filled with shock, not at the golden wings, but at their number.
To have ten golden wings at the Immortal Realm was unimaginable.
Unlike his initial reaction to the wings, Zhang Ruochen now smiled.
He could feel that he was now truly in perfect harmony with the Hell Realm’s rules.
Previously, using the sundial, it took him decades to comprehend nearly two hundred million Saint Path rules, largely because he wasn’t fully aligned with the Hell Realm’s rules, facing constant rejection that slowed his comprehension, a key reason he couldn’t break through to the mid-stage of the Immortal Realm.
With four pairs of golden wings before, had he been perfectly aligned with the Hell Realm’s rules, two hundred million Saint Path rules wouldn’t have taken so long.
Even without the Dragon God Enlightenment Chamber, he could have comprehended them in thirty years.
The wings’ aid in comprehending Saint Path rules was evident, and now, with an additional pair, his comprehension speed doubled.
In other words, two hundred million Saint Path rules would now take only fifteen years.
With the Dragon God Enlightenment Chamber, it would be even faster.
Zhang Ruochen estimated that his current speed of comprehending Saint Path rules was roughly ten times faster than before the baptism.
