Chapter 452 462: Heavenly Phenomenon Bloodline

On the fifth day, Wen Qingye received the final confirmation from a Main Peak Elder. The mission could finally begin.

Over the past few days, Wen Qingye had tried to practice a certain Sword Technique, but whenever he executed it, something felt... off. He eventually gave up on it for the time being.

At the entrance to his Cave Mansion, Wen Qingye slowly unfurled a map. Yihai Country was in the southwestern part of the Eastern Profound Domain, and he planned to head there first. On the back of his Ice Python, he could reach the country in less than ten days.

The Ice Python let out a few excited roars. "Let's go now! Once we earn those Sect Contribution Points, we can get the Vermilion Fruit!"

Wen Qingye smiled and said slowly, "Alright. I just wonder what kind of powerhouse this mysterious expert in Yihai Country is, for Feiyun Dock to be forced to ask our Celestial Profound Sect for help."

Feiyun Dock was a Sect within Yihai Country. It wasn't particularly powerful, but it was aligned with the Celestial Profound Sect, making it a subordinate Sect of sorts.

Having been attacked by an unknown, mysterious expert, they had naturally sent a request for help to the disciples of the Celestial Profound Sect.

Just then, the Jade Token Wen Qingye used to store his Sect Contribution Points suddenly lit up, shining with a brilliant light. A line of small words materialized on its surface.

The attack on Feiyun Dock was carried out by experts from the Yihai Royal Family and other masters. Please be extremely careful!

'The Yihai Royal Family?'

Wen Qingye's heart sank. 'Logically, the Royal Family rules over all of Yihai Country. Never mind Feiyun Dock; the entire country is theirs. For them to attack a subordinate Sect is... strange.'

'Besides, if the Royal Family wanted to annihilate Feiyun Dock, it would be an incredibly simple matter. After all, Yihai Country is one of the Seven Great Ancient Countries.'

Wen Qingye used the Spirit Communication Technique to speak to the Ice Python beneath him. "Let's head directly to Yihai Country. I'd like to see for myself what its Royal Family is up to."

The Ice Python flicked its tongue, and its entire body transformed into a streak of blue light, rocketing toward the sky.

......

「Taiyi Cloud Sea, atop Heaven-Over Peak.」

Deep beneath a great hall was an exceptionally dark and gloomy secret chamber.

A sinister wind howled through the chamber, and the cold was suffocating. An ordinary person entering this place would immediately turn deathly pale, their heart beginning to convulse violently.

In a corner, a man was bound to a stone pillar. His snow-white hair was streaked with blood, and his head hung low, his gaze vacant. His entire body was covered in bloodstains, so old they had dried to a dark, brownish-red.

It was Yu of the Celestial Profound Sect.

A chair stood before Yu, occupied by a man with a calm, placid expression, as if lost in thought.

Had Wen Qingye been there, he would have recognized the man at once. It was Hankong, one of the seven venerables of the Taiyi Pavilion, whom Wen Qingye had defeated so soundly that he'd fled for his life.

"My cultivation has fallen drastically, and now I'm only at the Refining Spirit Fifth Heaven," Hankong said softly, as if musing to himself. "It will take a great deal of time to recover to my peak, let alone maintain my original speed of cultivation. What am I to do about this?"

Yu struggled to lift his head, his eyes fixed on Hankong. "Then you should just die."

"Die?" Hankong didn't seem angered by Yu's words. Shaking his head, he said, "I can't die. I still have a great score to settle."

Yu looked at Hankong and laughed with contempt. "You'll never be a match for Wen Qingye. Do you believe that? You never will be."

"Is that so?" Hankong slowly stood and walked toward Yu, stopping directly in front of him.

Suddenly, Hankong's eyes turned chillingly cold.

WHOOSH!

Hankong lunged, grabbing Yu's arm with one hand while clamping the other around his neck.

"Wen Qingye is a broken man. I'm no longer interested in him. Now, I'm only interested in the Celestial Centipede within your body."

HISS! HISS!

Yu's eyes flew wide open. He could feel the Essence Blood inside his body actually moving, bit by bit, toward Hankong's hand.

'What is going on?'

Yu was horrified.

'How could my Essence Blood be flowing into Hankong's body? What in the world is happening?'

Feeling the viridian blood slowly move toward his palm, a crazed look appeared on Hankong's face. "Hahahaha! This Ancient Secret Technique didn't fail me! It can actually absorb another person's Essence Blood! My long preparations weren't a waste!"

As his Essence Blood continued to drain away, Yu's face grew increasingly pale. The hem of his robes began to flutter, and his flesh seemed to shrivel upon his bones.

The Essence Blood moved quickly, especially since Yu now had no way to resist.

When the viridian Essence Blood passed from his body into Hankong's, Yu suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe. In that instant, his entire cultivation—the result of more than ten years of arduous training—was completely gone.

Feeling the green bloodline enter him, Hankong trembled and burst into a wild laugh. "This is Essence Blood containing an ancient, wondrous poison! Once it merges into my blood, it will become the Heavenly Phenomenon Bloodline! My Primordial Qi will be imbued with Heavenly Phenomenon poison! Hahahaha!"

All strength left Yu's body in an instant, as if even the energy to speak had vanished.

Hankong's aura suddenly skyrocketed, his cultivation soaring directly to the Ninth Heaven of the Yin-Yang Realm. His regression had been caused by a massive loss of his own Essence Blood, but now, supplemented by a large volume of Yu's, his cultivation was nearly back at its peak. All he needed was a period of time to recuperate and let it assimilate.

"Someone!" Hankong bellowed.

Just then, Hei Xuan entered from outside the secret chamber and bowed respectfully to Hankong. "What are your orders, Cold Venerable?"

Hankong said casually, "He's useless now. Throw him into the Demon Prison Sea and feed him to the Demon Tiger Sea Fish."

Hei Xuan nodded respectfully and pulled up Yu's body. As she touched him, she was inwardly startled. 'How is his aura so weak? And why has Cold Venerable's aura surged so violently?'

But she didn't dare say anything, quickly carrying Yu's body out.

Only after Hei Xuan had completely disappeared did Hankong retract his gaze. He looked toward the spot where Yu had been bound and muttered to himself, "Wen Qingye... will you be next?"

Hei Xuan carried Yu's body to the top of Broken Blade Cliff. Before her, a boundless expanse of azure waves rolled on endlessly, the sky and the horizon melting into one.

This was the Demon Prison Sea, which bordered the lands of the Taiyi Pavilion.

"Don't blame me. I'm just following orders," Hei Xuan said, looking at Yu's body. A cold, merciless light flickered in her eyes. "To make it quick, I'll send you on your way."

BANG!

Hei Xuan struck Yu's body with her palm. A burst of violent Primordial Qi invaded his body. Yu plummeted downward in a long arc, his life-force fading mid-fall.

SPLASH!

Yu's body hit the water heavily, sending up a spray of water that vanished in an instant, leaving the surface calm once more.

The sea breeze swept past, as if nothing had happened at all.