"This must be... the Blood God Pearl, right?"
Ye Zhen gently drew it toward himself with his five-fingered grip, and the bead, the size of a fingernail and as clear as a red gemstone, fell into Ye Zhen’s hand. An extremely icy sensation entered his body, giving Ye Zhen an uncomfortable feeling.
In just a moment, Ye Zhen confirmed that this was indeed the Blood God Pearl mentioned by the mysterious senior who had transmitted to him the Thunder Secret Technique of Fright.
The Blood God Pearl is the essence that can only be cultivated by the guardians and higher ranks within the Blood God Sect. Only with this essence can one create lower-level Blood Demons and condense the Blood River.
Once this essence is condensed, it is exceedingly difficult to destroy.
It seems that the only thing that could have survived the Heavenly Thunder of Fright is the Blood God Pearl.
What Ye Zhen didn’t understand was why there was a hair-like crack on the surface of the Blood God Pearl, ruining its overall beauty.
However, Ye Zhen didn’t take it to heart. After all, the Blood Demon Guardian, Blood Spirit, had been annihilated, and a great weight in Ye Zhen’s heart could finally be set down.
He no longer had to worry day and night about the safety of his friends and family.
It was only at this moment that everyone at Wanji Peak finally reacted.
The Sect Leader of Wanji Peak, Yi Hanshuang, stared blankly at Ye Zhen, her mouth wide open as if she wanted to say something but no sound came out, and all her surprise turned into a bitter chuckle in the end.
To think that the Blood Demon Guardian, Blood Spirit, whom even a Vein Forging Realm expert could do nothing about, was taken care of by Ye Zhen—this left Yi Hanshuang with an inexplicable sense of loss.
Could it really be that this world belonged to the younger generation?
A young martial artist at merely the Fourth Stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm had erupted with a strength that even she envied.
What shocked her even more was that not only had Ye Zhen survived under the suppression of Blood Spirit’s Blood River, but he had also broken through Blood Spirit’s Blood River Suppression.
That moment still sent chills down Yi Hanshuang’s spine, and even now, she could not comprehend how Ye Zhen had escaped.
She might not know other details, but one thing was crystal clear to her—if the Blood Spirit had used the Blood River Suppression on her, she would have been unable to break free from the Blood River and might have even lost her life.
Yi Hanshuang was utterly shocked, and the expressions of the Sect Elders of Wanji Peak spectating from all directions were even more stunned.
Imagine, a young person, whose Cultivation was far lower than theirs, suddenly exhibited a combat power even stronger than theirs, and even managed to do what their revered Sect Leader Yi Hanshuang could not.
Such shock was indeed astonishing.
As for Bai Xin, her mouth and entire face were filled with bitterness.
Until now, she had always set Ye Zhen as her goal, believing that if she caught up aggressively and cultivated day and night, even if she couldn’t overtake Ye Zhen, she could at least narrow the gap between them.
But now, she realized that there was an unbridgeable gulf between her and Ye Zhen.
In a sense, even her master, Yi Hanshuang, was no match for Ye Zhen—Ye Zhen had easily achieved what her master could not.
And no matter how much Bai Xin cultivated or how hard she tried to catch up, her master Yi Hanshuang was her growth benchmark, and even after years, if her Cultivation reached the level of her master Yi Hanshuang’s, she still would not catch up to Ye Zhen.
Moreover, by that time, Ye Zhen’s Cultivation would certainly not have stagnated, and where Ye Zhen would have reached by then was something Bai Xin dared not imagine.
Suddenly, Bai Xin was filled with a sensation of seeing through everything and feeling utterly disheartened.
"Junior Sister Bai, in the path of Martial Arts, persistence is valuable! Just like the flowering season, different flowers bloom in different seasons—some flourish in summer, others dazzle in autumn, while some are fragrant in winter..."
Just when Bai Xin’s spirit was sinking and her defenses were down, a phrase that Ye Zhen had once said to her resurfaced in her mind, like a loud bell, startling Bai Xin awake.
After stabilizing her spirit, Bai Xin realized that cold sweat had already soaked through her back.
However, having overcome this hurdle, Bai Xin’s eyes, as they looked up at Ye Zhen in the sky, suddenly brightened.
"Elder Leng Yue, immediately take six elders to tally the losses. Also, issue Talisman Communications to all those of the Sect—elders, outer elders, and True Disciples with Cultivation at the Spirit Transformation Realm. No, even those at the Spirit Summoning Realm—confirm their current conditions, whether they are alive or dead..."
After a bitter moment, seeing the Sect Disciples below wailing from the ravages of the Blood River, Sect Leader Yi Hanshuang immediately showed her decisive side.
"Other elders, start treating the disciples right away. Don’t pity their limbs; cut what needs cutting, sever what needs severing. The poison of the Blood River is extremely difficult to eradicate."
As she spoke, Yi Hanshuang dived toward an elite disciple on the ground, writhing and wailing, his body nearly drenched by the Blood River.
Spirit Gathering as sharp as a knife, a flash of light, and pieces of rotten flesh were sliced away as fast as lightning, continuously slicing away, even exposing white bones in some areas, until fresh blood flowed out before she stopped.
"Apply the medicine yourself, stop the bleeding, and rest for three months, and you should recover!" Tossing out a salve, Yi Hanshuang moved on to the next disciple.
For a moment, all the high ranks of Wanji Peak mobilized, and even Ye Zhen joined in treating the disciples wounded by the Blood River’s rampage.
Initially, Ye Zhen wanted to try using Red Jade Spiritual Power to heal those disciples affected by the Blood River, but after only a few attempts, he gave up.
Red Jade Spiritual Power could neutralize the blood poison, but when used on others, the effect was very slow, far from the speed at which the blood poison spread.
Finally, like Yi Hanshuang, Ye Zhen had directly torn apart the flesh....
It took nearly two hours to treat the injured, clean up the Blood River that had seeped into the ground, and to deal with all other affairs.
And two hours later, the Sect Elder Leng Yue, who had been tasked with assessing the losses, also completed his assignment.
The losses of Wanji Peak were even more severe than what Bai Xin had originally reported and what could be observed at present.
The rampage of the Blood River only resulted in the tragic deaths of over a dozen elite disciples and injuries to several hundred disciples. However, upon a thorough investigation, the number of missing disciples was far greater than previously known.
Initially, Bai Xin had reported that there were a total of five True Inheritors, eighteen Foreign Affairs Elders, and Ninth Elder Weiguo Hall missing.
But the information verified by Leng Yue was that there were six True Inheritors, twenty-nine Foreign Affairs Elders, seventeen Spirit Summoning Realm Deacons, including Ninth Elder Weiguo Hall, all of whom had vanished without a trace.
After verification, it turned out that these individuals had mysteriously disappeared after having varying degrees of contact with Great Elder Xue Dao, Twelfth Elder Sunx Ziwen, and Fourteenth Elder Hua De.
Moreover, within the Sect, the outer elders and deacons were not taken seriously by the upper echelons unless they were serving important roles. Thus, the absence of so many went unnoticed.
In addition to this, there were also the three people who died because they were completely possessed by the Blood Demon: Great Elder Xue Dao, Hua De, and Sunx Ziwen.
"Blood Spirit scoundrels!"
Yi Hanshuang almost gnashed his teeth as he spat out these four words, with faint streaks of Blood Light emerging from the corners of his mouth, clearly indicating the extent of his fury.
With a total of fourteen Sect Elders at Wanji Peak, one was killed during the battle. Counting the Elders who were themselves victims, five had fallen.
This alone had resulted in a loss of more than one-third of Wanji Peak’s strength.
This was only because Ye Zhen arrived early and discovered the Blood Demon Guardian Blood Spirit’s schemes. Otherwise, it would have been possible for the Blood Demon Guardian Blood Spirit to quietly annihilate the entire Wanji Peak!
"Ah, Young Hero Ye, I hereby express my gratitude for saving our Sect!"
While everyone was still in shock, Wanji Peak Master Yi Hanshuang suddenly flew up to Ye Zhen and bowed deeply to him!
This move astonished many of the Sect Elders at Wanji Peak, who then fell silent.
The favor Ye Zhen had done for Wanji Peak was such that not only was the Sect Leader’s bow appropriate, but even if all of them bowed to him, it would not be too much.
"Sect Leader Yi speaks too seriously. The main issue was that Elder Xue Dao, being possessed by the Blood Spirit and holding a high position, wouldn’t have been believed if he spoke out. Otherwise, I believe much loss could’ve been avoided for your Sect."
"It’s better not to mention it! Young Hero Ye, please stay at Wanji Peak for a few days. I am currently overwhelmed, and there are myriad affairs to be dealt with in the Sect. After three days, I will host another banquet to thank you for the great favor you’ve done for us," Yi Hanshuang said.
"Very well!"
As he responded, Ye Zhen’s gaze turned toward Sect Elder Leng Yue below.
Although Ye Zhen could generously overlook many things with a smile, Elder Leng Yue owed him an apology. Not only did he fail to recognize a good heart, he even insulted him by calling him ’inhumanly cruel’!
Upon being stared at by Ye Zhen, Leng Yue realized what Ye Zhen meant.
The ’two-hour agreement’ that Ye Zhen had previously mentioned suddenly surfaced in Leng Yue’s mind.
With a light sigh, Leng Yue stepped forward to Ye Zhen, pressed his hands together in a traditional salute, and bowed deeply as a sign of utmost respect and apology.
"Young Hero Ye, I was blind to your virtue and spoke inappropriately before. Please forgive my could disregard! Also, I thank you once more for saving our lives today. Allow me to personally host a banquet in the future to express my gratitude for your life-saving grace!"
Seeing this, Ye Zhen was also taken aback.
Ye Zhen had not expected Elder Leng Yue to humble himself to such an extent. In the Black Dragon Domain, such a deep bow was second only to kneeling!
"Elder Leng Yue, there is no need for such formality!"
While speaking, Ye Zhen personally stepped forward and helped up Elder Leng Yue who remained deeply bowed, "I have no intention of targeting Elder Leng Yue, but I hope that in the future, you will think carefully before acting and not be swayed by emotions."
"Thank you for the lesson, Young Hero Ye! I will keep this tragic event of the Sect close at heart," Leng Yue responded.
This scene stunned some of the ignorant Chengji Peak True Inheritors and Inner Sect Disciples watching from a distance.
A Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artist was actually lecturing one of their Wanji Peak Sect Elders?
What shocked them even more was that Elder Leng Yue humbly accepted the rebuke, which felt as if their own master was disciplining them.
With Leng Yue’s public apology, the matter was considered closed. Ye Zhen, led by Bai Xin, was then accommodated in an extravagantly luxurious guest house by Wanji Peak, particularly noticeable were four stunningly beautiful maids.
However, not long after entering the guest suite, Ye Zhen dismissed these beautiful maids.
With the Blood God Pearl in hand, Ye Zhen was eager to contact that mysterious senior. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

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