Chapter 537 - 50: Blood Cloud Cave, Divine Image Sect

’Once his cultivation was high enough, he could be summoned to bed for a little intimacy...’

「The next day.」

The green-robed youth, Cui Bailing, took the Primordial Profound Embryo and traveled through the underground Teleportation Array in the Profound Jade Pavilion, arriving at Blood Cloud Cave.

Venerable Red Hair was a Tribulation Realm Great Power who had achieved the Dao nearly two thousand years ago. He was an almost invincible existence on the Cangwu Continent, and his Blood Cloud Cave lineage was a force so dreaded that its very name made people pale.

Cui Bailing had been in the Profound Jade Pavilion for eighteen years, constantly on edge, as if walking on thin ice. The day he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

He stepped out of the Teleportation Array into a massive, dimly lit cave. The air was cold and damp.

In the distance, a tall corridor led into the unknown, a thick stench of blood wafting out from its depths.

The youth steadied himself, then levitated into the air and flew forward.

The air in the corridor grew heavier with moisture, and the stench of blood intensified. Miserable, ghostly wails echoed in his ears, as if countless vengeful spirits and malicious phantoms were shrieking and weeping right next to him. The sound was horrifyingly wretched.

The youth only had a Life Talisman Cultivation. Though spiritual light flowed around his body, the bone-deep stench of blood still made his head spin.

The surrounding cave walls gradually became bathed in a red glow. As he rounded a winding bend, the space suddenly opened up before him.

It was a vast, open space. Upon flying inside, the youth felt incredibly small, like a mere speck of dust.

Before him lay a blood-red world. The rocky walls of the cavern were stained crimson, incessantly dripping blood that gathered into rivulets. These streams flowed slowly toward a low-lying area, forming a great lake. The pool was not filled with water, but with churning, roaring blood.

Countless hairless human heads bobbed up and down in the Blood Lake, letting out wretched, ghostly cries as they shrieked and tore at one another. A dense layer of eyeballs, ears, noses, and unidentifiable bloody clumps of facial features floated on the surface, all stained a vivid red.

’There must be the souls of a million beings in this Blood Lake!’ The youth was horrified.

Above the Blood Lake, six stone pillars rose, each topped with a Stone Person.

The youth could see clearly that those Stone People were, in fact, Primordial Profound Embryos.

Countless wisps of blood-qi steamed from the Blood Lake, all surging into the six Stone People. It made their surfaces slick and squirming, imbuing them with a bizarre vitality.

On the thickest central pillar sat an old man with a curly red beard. His expression was stern, and he possessed a natural, imposing aura.

The youth knelt at the edge of the Blood Lake, fighting back his revulsion. "Cui Bailing, Spirit Servant of the Profound Jade Pavilion in the Spirit Immortal Pavilion, pays his respects to the Old Ancestor."

Venerable Red Hair’s eyes remained closed as if in deep meditation. Instead, one of the Stone People opened its eyes and spoke. "Did Yu Niang send you?"

"Yes." The youth respectfully retrieved a massive Taichu Divine Stone from his storage bag. "Senior Yu Niang acquired a Primordial Profound Embryo in the marketplace yesterday and had this junior deliver it."

Hearing this, the other five Stone People also opened their eyes. In an instant, twelve gazes fell in unison upon the shore of the Blood Lake.

The youth didn’t dare to move a muscle. He continued, "The person who sold the Divine Stone is suspected of possessing the Stone Appreciation Technique. He opened dozens of Divine Stones in a row, and all of them contained treasures of Tier Three or higher."

"Oh? Such a person exists?" the Stone Person asked, a hint of curiosity in its voice.

The youth quickly recounted everything that had happened the day before.

After listening, a smile touched the Stone Person’s face. It beckoned, and the Divine Stone on the shore flew up and shot to the center of the lake.

RUMBLE!

Another stone pillar rose from the Blood Lake, and the Taichu Divine Stone settled securely on top of it.

The next moment, the Taichu Divine Stone cracked open. The Stone Person inside remained motionless, but the sound of a beating heart echoed out.

The Stone Person who had spoken first said, "You have done well. I, the Old Ancestor, am always fair in my rewards and punishments. From this day forward, you are a direct Disciple of my Blood Cloud Cave. This is your token."

With that, a ray of bloody light shot out from the Blood Lake. It instantly solidified into a Jade Pendant and floated before the youth.

The youth accepted the Jade Pendant and loudly expressed his gratitude.

The Stone Person then asked, "My Blood Cloud Cave has three methods and four arts, all of them supreme techniques that lead directly to the Great Dao. Which do you wish to learn?"

The youth knelt on the ground, head bowed. "Disciple wishes to cultivate the *True Demon Art of the Yin-Yang Spirit-Extinguishing Treasure Talisman*."

The Stone Person snorted. "That art requires a top-grade Tripod Furnace for cultivation. Why choose it over the more practical techniques?"

The youth was prepared for this. He answered respectfully, "Disciple has heard that the Old Ancestor achieved the Dao using this very art. My heart is filled with endless admiration, so I wish to walk the Old Ancestor’s path to validate the Dao in my own heart."

The Stone Person remained noncommittal. It pointed a finger, and a blood-red Treasure Talisman materialized from thin air, shooting into the youth’s forehead.

Overjoyed, the youth kowtowed. "Thank you, Old Ancestor, for imparting this art."

The Stone Person added, "Very well, you may leave. Remember to have Yu Niang keep an eye on that man when you return. I will personally send an avatar to wait outside the Spirit Immortal Pavilion."

The youth assented.

He then rose and left the Blood Cloud Cave.

Once the bloody light of the cave had faded from view, a strange, triumphant smile spread across the youth’s face, unable to conceal his excitement.

...

「Spirit Immortal Pavilion.」

Two days later, Elder Qingqiu returned as promised, bringing a Tier Five Flying Sword to trade for the Pure Yang True Fire.

Accompanying him was a female Dharma True Monarch.

She was a tall woman with a voluptuous figure. Her hair was styled in a Lingxu Bun. She wore an open-collared red gown with trailing sleeves and ribbons tied around her arms. A long skirt was draped with a silk shawl, and her entire outfit was covered by a sheer gauze robe adorned with pearls and jade. Spiritual Qi swirled around her, giving her an extraordinary air.

After the elder’s introduction, Fang Cheng learned that the woman was Zhuang Daojing, the Third Elder of the Divine Image Sect.

After their introductions, Fang Cheng took a moment to study her. Her features were dignified and beautiful, with a noble brow and eyes that tilted slightly upward at the corners. Her gaze was spirited and animated, and she truly carried the air of someone from a major sect.

"Daoist Brother Qin mentioned that you are searching for the Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada," Zhuang Daojing began. "As it happens, a junior brother of my sect once witnessed someone unearth a Taichu Divine Stone containing one during the Black Sun Wind Disaster. Perhaps you would be willing to visit my sect as a guest and learn the details?"

Zhuang Daojing explained the purpose of her visit.

Fang Cheng knew she wouldn’t make such an offer without a reason. He smiled and asked, "What conditions does your esteemed sect have? Please, speak freely."

Zhuang Daojing glanced at Elder Qingqiu before replying, "There is indeed a matter in which we require your assistance, Daoist Brother. My sect has recently detected that a Taichu Divine Stone Vein is about to manifest in a certain area. We would like to invite you to lend us your guidance in pinpointing its exact location so that we might excavate the Taichu Divine Stones before the other sects."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Rest assured, Daoist Brother. When the time comes, you will have priority in choosing thirty percent of all the Taichu Divine Stones we excavate. Consider it our sect’s payment."

Elder Qingqiu, who stood to the side, added his own persuasion. "Daoist Brother, the Divine Image Sect was founded nearly ten thousand years ago. Their network of informants spans every marketplace on the Cangwu Continent, large and small. With their help, your search for the Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada will be far more effective."

Fang Cheng considered it for a moment, then said, "I accept."

...