Chapter Seventy-Six: The Mountain and River King Cauldron

Boom!

Countless blood-red bolts of lightning flickered across the heavens, and immense dragons of thunder swept through the sky like harbingers of the world’s end. Amid the endless scarlet, Xuegu stood like an emperor among mortals, a suffocating aura of terror shaking the very souls of every martial artist as if the will of the heavens pressed upon them.

“Hahahaha!” With blood-red hair flying wildly, Xuegu let out a maniacal laugh. His eyes, cruel and thirsting for blood, looked down at the human warriors below the blood pool as though they were already dead. Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, he raised his right hand slightly, and in that instant, a beam of blood-red light transformed into a scarlet bolt of lightning.

Under this sanguine thunderbolt, the entire summit of Blood Spirit Mountain was thrown into chaos. Tens of thousands of years of peace had dulled their fighting spirit; the human warriors’ resistance was pitiful, collapsing at the mere touch of the blood-red bolt, their efforts nothing before its might.

“No, don’t kill me! Ahhh!”

“I don’t want to die! Save me, save me!”

Cries of agony and wailing echoed atop the mountain, and at the sound of the humans’ despair, a savage smile twisted Xuegu’s lips. The more miserable the human warriors became, the more exhilarated he seemed.

Dozens of warriors struck by the blood thunder were instantly reduced to nothing but a handful of blood essence, which Xuegu inhaled greedily. He licked his blood-red lips with relish, the lust for slaughter in his eyes only deepening.

“Delicious!” he declared.

“You demon, you’ll die a wretched death!” Among the crowd, a human warrior trembled with terror. Xuegu was vicious and merciless, his cruelty unfathomable; it was impossible to imagine the suffering endured by their ancestors, who had been reduced to blood fodder in that distant, ancient age.

“Tremble in fear! Be afraid! Humanity will cower before the divine might of the Blood Clan,” Xuegu declared, his bloodstained robes billowing, his voice wild and arrogant beyond measure.

“Damn, this guy is a complete lunatic! Has he gone mad from being locked up too long?” Luo Hao shuddered inwardly. To take pleasure in the suffering of others—this was the mark of a true madman. In truth, the Blood Clan was nothing if not a race of maniacs.

“Remnants of the Blood Clan, you think you can make humanity submit to you? Ridiculous!” Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xuan Tianhe struggled to stand, staring defiantly at Xuegu. Though the golden halo above his head had grown dim, he managed to speak as he crushed a talisman in his hand.

“Everyone, hold on! If we can last until the elders of the Wildfire Sect arrive, this monster will be dealt with!” Xuan Tianhe’s words rekindled a glimmer of hope in the desperate warriors.

“Foolish human brat! You think you can send out a divine signal? Within my Blood Demon Barrier, you have only one fate—death!” Xuegu sneered at Xuan Tianhe, then pointed a single finger. In an instant, a blood-red finger filled Xuan Tianhe’s vision.

With a sickening crunch, Xuan Tianhe’s ribcage caved in without warning, hurling his body into the mountainside. Stones exploded, blood sprayed across the sky, and his face turned ashen as gold leaf.

It was not that Xuan Tianhe was weak—his cultivation at the peak of the Blood Gathering Realm was among the strongest of the human warriors—but he faced an ancient monster whose strength was unfathomable.

Xuegu seemed in no hurry to kill the humans atop the mountain. Within the Blood Demon Barrier, they were nothing but lambs awaiting slaughter. He could wipe them out at any moment, should he so desire.

Luo Hao’s gaze trembled as he looked at the unconscious Xuan Tianhe, his heart pounding in terror. But soon, he felt a murderous intent so intense, so bloodthirsty, that it enveloped him completely. There was no need to guess—only Xuegu could radiate such horror.

Those blood-red eyes swept over Luo Hao, and a faint, sinister smile played at Xuegu’s lips. He seemed intent on seeing right through Luo Hao, but, to his frustration, Luo Hao’s dantian was shrouded in chaos, even Xuegu’s power unable to pierce its secrets.

Xuegu’s gaze pressed upon Luo Hao like an ancient mountain, making his bones creak and his pores bleed. Yet Luo Hao clenched his teeth until he nearly shattered them, vowing not to fall.

Enduring the crushing pressure, Luo Hao secretly transmitted a message to Ji Rou, the other two women, and Feng Wuhen: “I have one last method to suppress Xuegu, but I need your help.”

The sudden message shocked Ji Rou and her companions, but before they could respond, Xuegu curled his hand and, with a grasp, drew Luo Hao’s body through the air to hover above the blood pool.

“Boy, I told you we would meet again. I’ll use your blood to wash away my humiliation.” The hatred in Xuegu’s voice was palpable, the stench of blood so strong that Luo Hao nearly retched.

With a strange, chilling laugh, Xuegu’s pale face flickered with demonic red eyes. A vision of endless scarlet filled Luo Hao’s sight: countless corpses sinking into a sea of blood, innumerable vengeful souls struggling in the crimson tides—it was the howling of ancient ancestors.

Luo Hao’s mind reeled, a flash of terror in his eyes before all life faded from his gaze. Satisfied, Xuegu glanced at the now-unconscious Luo Hao. There was a great secret hidden within this human, and Xuegu had no intention of killing him yet; he would savor this prize at the end.

“Now!” Suddenly, Ji Rou, the other two women, and Feng Wuhen shouted from below. Five blood weapons rose into the sky once more, the last of their power pouring desperately into the arms.

Like the first light of dawn, the five blood weapons tore through the crimson shroud. Though their strengths differed, in this moment they were united, all striking at Xuegu.

The twin Myriad Demon Bells sang out, the Desolate Halberd trembled, the Heart of Heaven Lantern flickered, and the Infinite Sword hummed. Five powers wove together, merging into an eternal divine radiance that slashed toward Xuegu.

“Hmph, you feeble humans still haven’t given up.” With a cold snort, Xuegu shoved Luo Hao aside with one palm and met the five weapons with the other. Yet, in the instant Xuegu pushed Luo Hao away, a spark of cunning flashed in Luo Hao’s eyes.

“Now’s the moment!”

A low growl echoed in his heart as his golden dragon force erupted at full strength. Luo Hao transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting toward the five-colored divine cauldron at the sun-eye.

Sensing the powerful spiritual fluctuations behind him, Xuegu roared, “You dare trick me, boy?” The sound was thunderous. Suddenly, a terrifying force—enough to sunder mountains and rivers—burst from Xuegu’s palm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In a series of explosions, the five blood weapons shattered with cracks spreading across them. Their wielders spat blood, their bodies splitting apart, and the weapons themselves vanished into the void.

“You cannot escape my grasp!” Suddenly, Luo Hao felt as if the very heavens were about to crash down upon him. His body momentarily froze, bones snapping under the immense pressure.

“Watch out, boy!” Ji Rou, gravely wounded, cried out in alarm.

“Bloodburning Art!”

Clenching his tongue to withstand the agony, Luo Hao ignited his golden dragon force. Ten thousand dragons roared, his power multiplied tenfold. His body streaked through the air like a golden lightning bolt.

“Die!” A blood-drenched hand swept down from the sky, a tidal wave of scarlet threatening to obliterate all. No one doubted the power of that hand—it could sever galaxies, tear through the void.

As the blood-red hand descended, drawing ever closer to engulf him, Luo Hao’s heart pounded in terror. Without hesitation, he stamped heavily upon the void, a blurred dragon pattern flashing beneath his feet, and in that instant, his figure vanished.

“What kind of movement technique is this?” The blood-drenched hand missed its mark, and shock flickered in Xuegu’s eyes. A martial artist of only Seventh Spirit Level had disappeared right under his nose.

When Luo Hao reappeared, he was a pitiable sight—his golden light tattered, hardly a patch of unscathed flesh on his body, as if he had been flayed alive. Blood gushed from countless wounds, painting the sky red.

“Die!”

Again, the blood-drenched hand struck, but it was too late. Luo Hao had already rushed into the five-colored domain emanating from the divine cauldron. The crimson hand struck the five-colored barrier, but the once-terrifying Blood Massacre Palm merely caused the barrier to ripple lightly before dispersing.

“No!”

Watching Luo Hao vanish into the five-colored domain, Xuegu struggled frantically, his violet-gold wings beating madly. His furious roar thundered across the sky, causing the already-wounded warriors to vomit blood and faint on the spot.

The five-colored divine chains clanged, binding Xuegu who, despite his struggles, could not break free. His gaze, filled with dread, fixed upon the five-colored cauldron, and in his blood-red eyes burned a hatred that could never be forgotten.

Countless eyes turned toward the five-colored cauldron, heavy with anticipation. In the next moment, a dazzling five-colored divine light shot skyward, piercing the blood clouds that shrouded the heavens.

Dragon roars echoed within the divine radiance, and a golden light expanded rapidly: “King’s Cauldron of Mountains and Rivers—suppress heaven and earth!” An ancient, godlike voice boomed from within the light.

Amid the crowd’s astonished cries, the heretofore motionless five-colored cauldron slowly rose into the air. Its divine light washed away the stench of blood, and an aura of ancient majesty spread outward.

“King’s Cauldron of Mountains and Rivers!”

Gazing at the ascending cauldron, Xuegu spoke with apprehension. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his teeth ground so hard they nearly shattered.