“Do you know why all the major forces in the Hell Realm place such importance on the Hunting Feast? To gain something at the feast, they even call back their elite warriors from the battlefield?” Luo Yan’s phoenix eyes shimmered with a misty charm, her smile radiant as she asked.
Zhang Ruochen indeed felt that the various races’ emphasis on the Hunting Feast was somewhat extraordinary, with even gods stepping in to personally make arrangements and preparations.
A single feast seemed more significant than a merit war.
However, the “Yandao Sacred Fruit” and “Xuanji Sacred Fruit” at the feast, though rare, were extremely limited in quantity and not of great significance.
Even achieving first place among the ten races, gaining thirty ten-thousandths of the Destiny Mystery and the Destiny Heavenly Token, was far from reaching the level of strategic importance for a race.
Zhang Ruochen could guess some things but had never personally asked Qing Sheng Great Saint or Blood Empress to confirm his suspicions.
Now that Luo Yan brought it up, he feigned ignorance and gently shook his head.
Luo Yan said, “As the leader of the Blood Heaven Tribe, you don’t even know this. But it’s within my expectations. You, as the leader, were forced into the role, doing it reluctantly. Why would you bother to understand the deeper meaning behind the Hunting Feast?”
As Luo Yan said, whether it was participating in the Hunting Feast or taking the leader’s position, Zhang Ruochen had been in a passive state.
He accepted the arrangements passively.
If not for the pressure of the Hell Realm’s greater trend, and if he didn’t know about the plans of Xuanyuan Sword Saint and others, Zhang Ruochen might not have participated in the Hunting Feast at all.
Even now, deep in his heart, he remained conflicted, even somewhat resistant to the Hunting Feast, completely lacking the mindset of wanting to dominate and turn the feast upside down.
After all, the ones being killed were captives from the various realms of the Heavenly Court.
Luo Yan said, “The Hell Realm is too vast. The ten tribes are independent yet wary of each other, always hiding their true strength. Even for gods, accurately assessing the true power of the ten tribes is a difficult task.”
“The Hunting Feast, held once every thousand years, is actually a chance for the gods to gauge the strength and development of each tribe. The rewards at the feast are, in fact, the least important thing.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “If they want to assess the tribes’ strength, why choose cultivators under a thousand years old?”
“Because cultivators under a thousand years old are the most representative. Through them, one can glimpse a tribe’s future development.”
“Take you, Zhang Ruochen, for example. At the Hunting Feast, the gods learn of a genius like you, and they can roughly estimate whether you have a chance to become a god.”
“How likely is it for you to become a god?”
“How long might it take to become a god?”
“What is your future potential?”
“Is there a way to increase your chances of becoming a god? How to refine you? How to guard against you?”
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly, “If this is how they want to understand the foundations of the ten tribes, the rewards must be attractive enough to make the gods of each tribe compete for them. Only then does the Hunting Feast have meaning, otherwise, the tribes would still hide their true strength.”
Luo Yan nodded, “Exactly! So, behind the Hunting Feast, there’s actually a massive division of interests.”
“Division of interests?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Luo Yan said, “I don’t know the specifics, only gods can access that information. I only know that the Hunting Feast might involve the allocation of resources among the tribes and the status of the major forces within each tribe.”
“Of course, status is closely tied to resource allocation. The higher the status, the more resources allocated.”
“The strong get stronger, the weak get weaker.”
“For example, your Blood Heaven Tribe ranks last among the Undying Blood Tribe, located at the bottommost tribal world, with the lowest concentration of blood aura among the ten tribes.”
“But if you lead the Blood Heaven Tribe to a good ranking at the Hunting Feast, even if not first, just top three, it would greatly boost the Blood Heaven Tribe’s ranking.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “If I can help the Blood Heaven Tribe achieve first place among the ten tribes at the Hunting Feast, could the Blood Heaven Tribe rise to first?”
Luo Yan shook her head, “Of course not. The ranking and resource allocation of the ten tribes depend on many factors, with the Hunting Feast being just one part.”
“If you truly lead the Blood Heaven Tribe to first place within the Undying Blood Tribe, while it won’t directly make it the top tribe with the most resources, reaching ninth, eighth, or seventh is possible.”
“The exact position depends on whether your tribe’s Great Clan Leader has made sufficient arrangements in other areas, such as merit battlefield performance, the number of new gods, the number of newly born Great Saints, the development of barren territories, and so on.”
Zhang Ruochen had a moment of clarity, “I understand! The resource allocation and internal ranking of each tribe are evaluated on multiple fronts, with the Hunting Feast carrying significant weight.”
“Exactly,” Luo Yan said.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “So, how is the ranking of the Hell Realm’s ten tribes determined? Why are they divided into Supreme Tribe, Upper Three Tribes, Middle Three Tribes, and Lower Three Tribes?”
“You’re asking me, how would I know? The hierarchy of the ten tribes has been fixed since ancient times, perhaps only the gods know the reasons. However, resource allocation in the Hell Realm has always been based on ability, unrelated to hierarchy. And as for the so-called hierarchy, we Lower Three Tribes have never cared about it,” Luo Yan said.
Zhang Ruochen fell into silent contemplation.
The Hell Realm using the Hunting Feast to determine interest allocation was reasonable.
In a thousand years, the more genius elites a force cultivates, the more resources it gains, ultimately benefiting the genius elites themselves.
“In this millennium, the Blood Absolute Family alone has produced two new gods, a huge asset for the Blood Heaven Tribe. If the Hunting Feast achieves a good result, the Blood Heaven Tribe’s ranking will surely see a significant rise.”
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen finally understood how heavily Blood Absolute War God was betting on him.
It was a complete gamble.
A gamble on the Blood Heaven Tribe’s future for the next thousand years.
Luo Yan shifted the topic, “Unfortunately, the Blood Heaven Tribe is destined not to achieve great results at this Hunting Feast. It might even be crushed into the dust, trampled underfoot.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled noncommittally, “The Blood Heaven Tribe’s strength may not stand out, but even without me, it wouldn’t be at the bottom of the Undying Blood Tribe.”
Luo Yan said, “Yu Huang, Yi Xuan Great Saint, and Gu Chenzi are all top-tier Great Saint powerhouses. With them in charge, the Blood Heaven Tribe’s strength is enough to rank sixth or seventh among the ten tribes of the Undying Blood Tribe. But because of you, the Blood Heaven Tribe will end up at the bottom.”
Zhang Ruochen understood her meaning and said seriously, “Are my enemies in the Hell Realm that strong?”
“Not just strong, but numerous,” Luo Yan said.
Having understood the importance of the Hunting Feast, Zhang Ruochen took it more seriously, “Your Highness, with your great wisdom, you must have already analyzed it thoroughly. Could you tell me about these enemies?”
“On the list of Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection, at least three of the top ten will stop at nothing to kill you. There are also many other Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection powerhouses who want to teach you a lesson or suppress the Blood Heaven Tribe. With your current cultivation, achieving anything at the Hunting Feast is nearly impossible.”
Luo Yan continued, “You should be more concerned about how to survive the Hunting Feast. That, for you, is already a significant challenge.”
“You really should have agreed to ally with Empress Feng.”
“If you allied with her, your chances of surviving the Hunting Feast would greatly increase.”
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a long time before asking, “Do you think I’m that easy to kill? Who are these three Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection powerhouses in the top ten?”
“Number eight, Pink Skeleton; number five, Wujiang; number two, Lan Ying.”
Luo Yan continued, “Pink Skeleton comes from the Bone Tribe, said to have an immortal body, killed three times by a Supreme Realm Great Saint and revived three times. She’s arguably the most bizarre among all Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection powerhouses.”
“You’ve offended the Bone Tribe too deeply on the merit battlefield. Pink Skeleton has declared that at the Hunting Feast, she will carve your flesh piece by piece, turning you into a skeleton.”
“Wujiang, also known as Ten Thousand Hands Taoist or Ten Thousand Hands Wujiang, is a disciple of the oldest god in the Dark Temple and the junior uncle of the Dark Son. Though only a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint, his status is higher than many gods.”
“Of course, the most terrifying is Lan Ying. Even my imperial brother speaks of him with great seriousness, viewing him as a formidable enemy. He comes from the Qinglu God Temple of the Asura Tribe, known as the Cosmic God Embryo.”
“If you encounter any of them, you must flee immediately. Even as a master of space and time, you might not escape if they get close.”
“These three are just the strongest and most determined to kill you. In reality, you have more enemies than you can imagine.”
“Within the Undying Blood Tribe, the tribes competing with the Blood Heaven Tribe are your enemies’ enemies.”
Zhang Ruochen touched his chin, “As far as I know, the Hunting Feast prohibits killing among participants.”
Luo Yan chuckled, “What, scared?”
“Not scared, exactly. Even if they’re strong, killing me won’t be easy. But would the gods allow them to come after me? My grandfather has quite a temper. What if he flips the Hunting Feast upside down?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Yan said, “Zhang Ruochen, after all I’ve said, don’t you understand? At this Hunting Feast, in the eyes of the gods, you’re different from the other participants.”
“Why didn’t the Thousand Questions Realm powerhouses from the Earth Entropy God Kingdom challenge you on the Life-and-Death Platform?”
“Why didn’t the gods of the Blood Heaven Tribe oppose you becoming the leader?”
“Why can other cultivators skip the Hunting Feast, but you must participate?”
“Haven’t you ever thought about the deeper reasons behind this?”
Then, Luo Yan let out a leisurely sigh, murmuring to herself, “Those with the heart to become gods are unyielding. But the cultivation path of many Great Saints in the Hell Realm has been too smooth!”
Though it seemed like a casual remark, it struck Zhang Ruochen’s mind like lightning, instantly clarifying many things.
“How about I show you a clear path? Perhaps I can help you defy the odds and achieve a good ranking at the Hunting Feast,” Luo Yan said with a charming smile, her phoenix eyes sparkling like a bewitching fox spirit.
Zhang Ruochen pondered deeply, “No need! If I get serious, a mere Hunting Feast won’t stop me.”
“Tch, arrogant guy. I’ll be waiting to see you suffer,” Luo Yan pouted her red lips, letting out a soft hum.
Though she spoke with such disdain, seeing Zhang Ruochen’s serious and confident demeanor, she couldn’t help but recall his heroic figure on the merit battlefield, single-handedly fighting the entire Hell Realm army. Her heart quietly stirred.
A true man stands tall, facing countless enemies head-on without fear.
“Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the Star Sea Gate,” Han Ying reported.
Ahead, the Blood River widened, resembling a river flowing into a calm lake.
An arch bridge formed of countless glowing particles spanned eight hundred zhang, connecting the eastern and western banks. Each particle was a sparrow twinkling with starlight.
Luo Yan pointed at the glowing arch bridge, as if testing Zhang Ruochen, “Recognize it?”
Zhang Ruochen looked up, “Void Domain Star Sparrows! It’s said one sparrow can support an independent space. The Star Sea World has gone to great lengths, raising so many Void Domain Star Sparrows. Behind this Star Sea Gate, there must be a unique world.”
Luo Yan said, “The Star Sea World is the largest commercial empire in the Hell Realm, so vast it’s called the eleventh tribe of the Hell Realm. The largest holy shop of your Undying Blood Tribe, Ancient Saint Pavilion, doesn’t even reach a tenth of the Star Sea World’s scale.”
“Why is the Star Sea World called the eleventh tribe of the Hell Realm?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Luo Yan said, “Because none of the power centers of the Hell Realm’s ten tribes can control the Star Sea World. And under its banner, the Star Sea World controls vast territories, including countless planets, ruins, and cosmic mysteries.”
“Who exactly is behind the Star Sea World?” Zhang Ruochen’s curiosity grew.
Luo Yan smiled mysteriously, “Who else could establish an independent world space in the Destiny God Domain and build their headquarters here? Who do you think is behind the Star Sea World?”
“The Destiny God Temple has impressive means.”
Zhang Ruochen praised, then, somewhat surprised, asked, “This is the headquarters of the Star Sea World?”
“Why ask so much? Go in and see for yourself,” Luo Yan said.
“Swoosh—”
The hundred-zhang-long holy ship sailed forward, and as it passed through the arch bridge formed by the Void Domain Star Sparrows, it was as if it crashed into a water curtain. The curtain gradually engulfed the ship, until it vanished on the Blood River.
