Chapter Fifty-Seven: Great Differences of Opinion

A towering forest of flowers and grass! The vampire’s body had already been pulverized into fragments of flesh and blood beneath his feet, yet Luo Hao’s face betrayed not the slightest hint of joy. Instead, a heavy gloom continued to shroud his brow. The words spoken by that vampire named Xue Gu before his death still echoed in Luo Hao’s ears. The art of cultivating an avatar was something Luo Hao had never even heard of before, and at the very least he had never witnessed Zhan Wuji, a master of the Celestial Gang realm, display such a miraculous power.

The very thought gave Luo Hao a headache. Like most others, he had entered this Blood Spirit Secret Realm in search of fortune and opportunity, yet no sooner had he arrived than he provoked the ire of a foreign race—one whose strength was unfathomable. “Could it be that his true body is also within this secret realm? If so, this journey may truly be a brush with death.” A sense of foreboding crept into Luo Hao’s heart. Though there were foreign races lurking in the Taigu Continent, rarely did they appear so brazenly as the vampire had. Could there be some underlying scheme at play?

After a brief moment of reflection, Luo Hao dismissed further speculation. Even if there was a plot, it was not something a mere Spirit Energy Realm martial artist like himself could influence. What he needed to do now was press on toward Blood Spirit Mountain as quickly as possible. According to the information gleaned from the ancient mirror after it devoured the blood spirit, Blood Spirit Mountain held the inheritance of sages from ages past.

The legacy of ancient masters was undoubtedly a supreme fortune within any secret realm, a temptation impossible for any martial artist to resist. Luo Hao naturally would not let such an opportunity slip by. With the ancient mirror as his trump card, he possessed an innate advantage over the others—at the very least, he already knew the route to Blood Spirit Mountain.

Seated cross-legged amidst the towering flora, Luo Hao activated the Twin Dragon Sovereign Art, and true to the ancient mirror’s reputation, he could feel a vast and surging power of earth pouring into his body from the ground below. The wounds torn open by the fierce winds began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye, and in just a quarter of an hour, only faint scars remained on Luo Hao’s body.

“In the legends of Huaxia, the mighty earth was formed when the ancient gods sacrificed themselves for all living beings, becoming the six paths of reincarnation. I wonder if that is true!” Donning his long robe once more, Luo Hao exhaled a deep breath of turbid air.

About three days later, Luo Hao’s figure appeared atop a low peak. Over these three days, he had tried to search for Su Yao, Ji Rou, and the other two women, but to no avail. Now, his expression was grave as he gazed into the distance.

On the horizon, as far as his eyes could see, a solitary, bizarre peak rose between heaven and earth like a pillar propping up the sky. Its summit, piercing the clouds like a sword, glowed with an eerie, demonic red light, tinged with evil. Wherever the red light passed, the clouds for tens of thousands of miles were stained crimson.

“Blood Spirit Mountain! That must be Blood Spirit Mountain!” As Luo Hao whispered to himself, the ancient mirror dormant within his dantian suddenly trembled. The mysterious nature of the ancient mirror meant even the slightest movement drew Luo Hao’s attention.

“Could there be something on Blood Spirit Mountain that the ancient mirror desires?” The thought set Luo Hao’s heart ablaze with excitement. Perhaps he could gain further benefits from the ancient mirror. Suppressing his excitement, he descended the low peak.

Though Blood Spirit Mountain appeared near, in truth, it was still a long way off. The only path forward lay along a mountain road winding through the peaks.

The mountain path was rugged and treacherous, but for a martial artist like Luo Hao, such obstacles were insignificant. The true danger lay in the demon beasts and blood spirits lurking among the mountains.

“Damn it, that beast is too vicious—it almost cost me my life!”

“Enough, brother. The disciples of the major sects nearby are already gathering. That beast won’t last much longer. Let’s find a place to heal first.”

Just as Luo Hao entered the mountain path, he heard two men’s voices approaching. Soon, a tall man and a short man appeared before him, each supporting the other and bearing various wounds.

As the two men warily passed by, Luo Hao reached out to stop them and cupped his fists in greeting. “Brothers, you seem in haste and carry injuries. Did something happen up ahead? Could you spare a word for me?”

The two men were initially displeased at being stopped, but seeing Luo Hao’s respectful demeanor, the tall one replied, “You flatter us. There has indeed been an incident at the exit of the mountain path ahead. A juvenile Duyin Rhinoceros is guarding the exit and attacks anyone who approaches. My companion and I both suffered at its hands. With your cultivation, passing through might be difficult. Farewell.”

With that, the tall man led his companion past Luo Hao and disappeared into the distance. Luo Hao took no offense; in this place, people could be more dangerous than beasts—especially when injured.

“Duyin Rhinoceros!”

According to the Ancient Chronicles of Taigu, the Duyin Rhinoceros was a descendant of the ancient Fierce-Toothed Cunning King, its body black as ink, a single horn reaching skyward, and its tread shaking the earth. It was a ferocious beast of the Middle Ages, infamous for countless blood debts. Many experts of the time sought to slay the creature to make a name for themselves, but the Duyin Rhinoceros was unrivaled in both strength and the hardness of its hide. After the Middle Ages, it vanished from the Taigu Continent—who would have thought one would appear in this secret realm today?

Rather than being deterred by the tale, Luo Hao quickened his pace toward the mountain path’s exit. Along the way, he sensed several powerful auras converging there as well, including many martial artists of the Blood Gathering Realm, drawn by the legend of the Duyin Rhinoceros.

When Luo Hao arrived near the exit, he saw disciples of various factions already gathered. The largest groups belonged to the Limitless Sword Sect and the Western Mountain Ranges, followed by about a dozen black-clad disciples of the Ten Thousand Demon Sect. These disciples exuded a faint demonic aura. The fewest were from the Heavenly Sea Sect, only seven in all, along with a handful of rogue cultivators—likely those who had entered the Blood Spirit Secret Realm later.

A thunderous bellow echoed from atop a massive black boulder near the exit. A rhinoceros, its body a deep blue-black, stood there, a single horn jutting from its brow. Roaring like thunder, its bloodthirsty eyes radiated murderous intent. It blocked the exit without launching an attack, exuding the air of an invincible guardian.

“A Wild Rhinoceros! So it’s not a Duyin Rhinoceros after all—what a pity.” Someone in the crowd recognized that the one-horned beast atop the black stone was not a true Duyin Rhinoceros, but a Wild Rhinoceros with Duyin blood.

Many in the crowd felt a pang of regret. Though it was but a descendant, the Wild Rhinoceros was no match for the legendary Duyin beast of old. Yet even so, no one dared let down their guard. As a second-rank demon beast, it was still not to be underestimated.

“Gentlemen, I am Xue Yue of the Limitless Sword Sect. With the Wild Rhinoceros blocking the way, if we are to pass, we will have to join forces. What say you?” A hearty voice rang out, and a striking young man stepped forward, cupping his fists to everyone present.

“We of the Western Mountain Ranges have no objection to Brother Xue’s proposal,” came a prompt reply, after which they fell silent.

“Hmph, we can join forces, but this terrain is perilous. With the Wild Rhinoceros holding the exit, it possesses the strength to resist a thousand men. If we are to break through, someone must act as bait to lure the beast into attacking first,” an eerie voice sounded from among the Ten Thousand Demon Sect disciples. The speaker was cloaked in black, exuding a fearsome demonic aura—a clear sign of his Blood Gathering Realm cultivation.

“Who will act as bait?” To be chosen as bait was to be sent to die, and the rogue cultivators and the seven Heavenly Sea Sect disciples were visibly uneasy.

Their numbers were too few to contend with the major sects. They knew full well that to be chosen as bait was a death sentence.

After listening to the debate, the black-robed man of the Ten Thousand Demon Sect sneered, “In my view, the Heavenly Sea Sect disciples and the rogue cultivators should act as bait together. The more people, the better to fool the beast. Don’t you agree?”

He turned toward the Limitless Sword Sect and Western Mountain Ranges. Their silence was tacit approval.

“And what about you? Any objections?” Now the black-robed man looked at the seven Heavenly Sea Sect disciples and the rogue cultivators. Though his words seemed to seek their opinion, his overwhelming Blood Gathering Realm aura pressed down on them mercilessly. The pity was that the seven from the Heavenly Sea Sect and the rogue cultivators were all merely in the Spirit Energy Realm—they were no match at all.

Under the black-robed man’s oppressive aura, they could not utter a single word. The Heavenly Sea Sect disciples, in particular, were filled with indignation. They were disciples of a great sect in the northwest—since when had they been so easily bullied?

“Who says we have no objections? We of the Heavenly Sea Sect have great objections. What do you intend to do about it?” A voice called out from the distance. Unable to tolerate it any longer, Luo Hao finally spoke up for his fellow disciples.

“Luo Hao!”

“The Fierce One!”

“The Calamity Star!”

As joy bloomed on the faces of the Heavenly Sea Sect disciples, Luo Hao strode up the mountain path to stand before them, blocking the black-robed man’s oppressive aura. His gaze, sharp as an ancient beast’s, locked with the man’s, cold as ice and sharper than blades.