Chapter 677 - 662: Blood Emperor

Ten days passed...

The selection tournament for the Yumu Cave Blessed Land had come to a successful conclusion.

In this grand competition, the Profound Dao Sect, Mahayana Sect, White Rainbow Sect, Xiu Hua Sect, and Evil Wind Valley—these Five Great Sects—rose to prominence.

Of the top ten contestants, these five sects had claimed a full eight spots!

The news sent shockwaves through the entire Purple Chu Country.

Faced with their overwhelming strength, the five Spirit Copper Level Influences participating in the tournament were completely outshone.

For powers subordinate to the Spirit Copper Level to achieve such astonishing results and overpower Spirit Copper Level Influences themselves was practically unheard of in previous years.

However, since these Five Great Sects had a special relationship with Shen Lang, this outcome was easier for people to accept.

Of the five hundred people the Five Great Sects had sent to participate, aside from a few unlucky souls who either ran into opponents far too strong or were defeated after failing to command their Demon Beasts...

A full four hundred and eighty of them qualified to enter the Yumu Cave Blessed Land!

And of those four hundred and eighty, not even a third had used a Demon Beast in battle.

The Five Great Sects’ momentum reached an unimaginable peak, leaving the members of the Imperial Dragon Sect and the other major sects to simply exchange bitter smiles.

Nalan Ziyun took first place, causing the people of the Profound Dao Sect to cheer wildly for quite some time.

Although an Imperial Artifact like Tears of Paradise couldn’t be used, Nalan Ziyun was the very first person to receive Shen Lang’s guidance. She was the undisputed number one among the tens of thousands of participants.

And this number one contestant also had Bone Two with her, though Bone Two never got a chance to make an appearance.

Mo Ge took second place, also becoming the center of attention.

Jun Qiluo placed third, stunning the entire audience.

What truly shocked everyone, however, was that Chu Qingcheng, despite being undefeated, had immediately forfeited her subsequent matches, ending up at the very bottom...

Only five days remained before the journey to the Yumu Cave Blessed Land.

The major sects were geared up and ready, preparing to set off for the Dragon Scale Forbidden Land, one of the Three Great Wilderness Lands of the Western Wilderness.

Meanwhile, the disciples from the various sects who had failed to qualify had already begun an orderly withdrawal from the Imperial Capital under the guidance of their sect seniors, returning to their respective homes.

At that moment, inside a grand hall at the Profound Dao Sect’s residence in the Imperial Capital, the ten Elder Ancestors of the Five Great Sects, along with the Artifact Origin Sect’s Elder Ancestor Yin Shanhan and others, had gathered together.

Shen Lang feigned sleep with his eyes closed, flanked by Zhuge Xian’Er to his left and Duanmu Xie to his right.

The chubby Chen Tianci sat to Zhuge Xian’Er’s left.

The other Elder Ancestors, along with Yuan Bupu and the rest, were seated on either side.

The group listened in silence as Leng Yue, one of the Four Great Heavenly Kings of Night Soul, reported the intelligence her organization had gathered.

Just as she had in the Dark Moon Abyss, Leng Yue recounted all the intelligence collected by Night Soul in a calm, steady voice.

The difference this time, however, was that with the addition of the War Wolf members and by Shen Lang’s command, Night Soul’s reach was now spreading beyond the Western Wilderness.

As a result, much of the intelligence was no longer confined to the Western Wilderness.

...

"This is all the intelligence we have gathered recently. Compared to my last report to you, My Lord, the situation has become considerably more severe."

Leng Yue said, looking at Shen Lang, whose eyes were still closed. "Demon Fiends and other evil spirits are constantly emerging, the forces of evil and deviancy are making their move, and many sects and nations that already bore grudges against one another have erupted into relentless, brutal warfare."

"The Four Desolates of the East, South, West, and North are filled with wailing and devastation. The land is ravaged, mountains stained crimson and rivers running red. As far as the eye can see, there is only the smoke of war, tattered banners, mangled flesh, and bleached bones. Countless innocent lives have been caught in the crossfire, dying violent deaths, and the number of wandering souls and restless ghosts is immeasurable."

"Only recently, after some Legendary Powers intervened, has the situation eased somewhat."

At these words, Shen Lang opened his eyes. "What about the Central Province?"

Leng Yue said respectfully, "The Central Province is where the legendary War God Hall presides. Although we’ve heard no news of the War God Hall taking action, the vast Central Province remains peaceful, far from the chaos that has engulfed the other Four Desolates."

Seeing Shen Lang give a slight nod, Leng Yue continued, "Although the overall situation seems more severe, we’ve heard that the rate at which Earth Rifts are appearing around the world has slowed. With the help of the Buddhist Sect’s powerhouses, all the Earth Rifts discovered so far have been sealed and suppressed. The rampant Supreme Yin Qi has finally been contained."

"The various Legendary Powers have also begun to assert control over the situation, dispatching their own experts to assist in sealing the Earth Rifts."

Shen Lang raised an eyebrow. "And the Blood Race?"

Leng Yue’s eyelashes trembled slightly. "The Blood Race has remained quiet under the surveillance of the experts from the major Legendary Powers. However, a conflict was triggered when a senior from the Celestial Profound Sect trespassed on Blood Race territory."

"During this conflict, the Blood Race, previously looked down upon, displayed formidable strength. One of them, a powerhouse calling himself the Blood Emperor, made a move. He single-handedly fought multiple opponents and still held the upper hand, leaving the experts from the various Legendary Sects deeply shaken."

"What? A Blood Emperor? How could the Blood Race possibly have an Emperor? We’ve never heard of such a thing!"

The group of old-timers in the hall was astonished, looks of utter confusion on their faces.

The title of "Emperor" was far more than a simple moniker for a powerful expert.

It was the most revered title below that of Great Emperor.

The Dragon Emperor, the Sword Emperor, the Evil Emperor, the Barbarian Emperor—these were all supreme experts who presided over their own domains, possessed immense strength, and were universally acknowledged.

Without exception, every powerhouse who earned the title of "Emperor" had a cultivation at the Emperor Martial Realm Late Stage.

Even if one reached the Emperor Martial Realm Late Stage, it was virtually impossible to be granted the title of "Emperor" without performing great deeds.

After the great "Blood Race Upheaval" of ancient times and the fall of the Blood Ancestor, the Blood Race had lost their signature Talent Ability that allowed them to spread like a virus. They had fallen into near-total decline and had not produced a single noteworthy powerhouse since.

But now, in the intelligence Leng Yue brought, a "Blood Emperor" had inexplicably appeared!

Did this mean the Blood Race still possessed a powerhouse at the peak of the Emperor Martial Realm Late Stage?

Even some Legendary Sects might not have such a formidable expert!

As the others stared in stunned silence, Leng Yue continued, "The news of the Blood Emperor has shaken the entire world. His appearance has made the already delicate situation even more tense. Many powerful factions across the globe have begun to purge the Blood Race, hunting down those who had nearly integrated into other societies and either killing or sealing them."

"The Blood Race are now like rats in the street, hated and hunted by all."

"As for how to deal with this powerful Blood Emperor, the major sects are still squabbling amongst themselves..."

At this, Dongfang Jian, the Elder Ancestor of the Profound Dao Sect who had been silent until now, sneered. "What’s there to deal with? No matter how strong the Blood Emperor is, he’s just one person. All we have to do is swarm him and beat him to death! Unless the Blood Race has more than one Blood Emperor!"

Having once been ganged up on by Duanmu Rongrong and a group of women, he both detested and greatly respected the tactic of a group beatdown.

After all, back in the Dark Moon Abyss, hadn’t Shen Lang led a group of King Martial Realm experts to wipe out those experts from the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace?

"Hehehe!" The crowd snickered.

His words may have been crude and shameless, but it was indeed the best way to handle the Blood Emperor.

In times like these, who cared about fairness? Who was going to engage in a one-on-one duel?

The major sects were currently guarding the borders of the Blood Race territory precisely to prevent them from lashing out, and to stop them from becoming the Blood Ancestor’s pawns once more when the Blood Ancestor Tomb appeared and brought calamity to the world.

Since a threat had been identified, eradicating it as soon as possible was the best course of action.

Shen Lang spoke nonchalantly. "Blood Emperor Radados, is it? So, he couldn’t hold back after all..."

"..." A stunned silence filled the hall as looks of shock appeared on everyone’s faces.

Radados? Was that the Blood Emperor’s name? Had Shen Lang known of the Blood Emperor’s existence this whole time?

A flicker of shock crossed Leng Yue’s eyes before she nodded. "You are correct, My Lord. That Blood Emperor is indeed named Radados... But before this, not even the experts from the Legendary Sects knew he existed, let alone that his name was Radados..."

"It’s only natural they didn’t know," Shen Lang said softly. "This Blood Emperor has always hidden himself deep within Blood Race territory, rarely making an appearance. Over two thousand years ago, he fought a great battle with an expert from the War God Hall and was sealed deep within the Sea of Blood. To think he’s actually broken that seal now."

The one who had sealed the Blood Emperor was none other than the War Emperor, but of course, that was something Shen Lang would never reveal.

Before anyone could react, Shen Lang continued, "Killing a Blood Emperor is no easy task. The major sects may act like brothers on the surface, but they all have their own schemes. None of them would be willing to be the vanguard."

"After all, if a being like the Blood Emperor truly goes on a rampage, he’ll drag a whole mob of people down with him before he dies."

"At the same time, they probably also want to figure out how the completely declined Blood Race suddenly produced a powerhouse like the Blood Emperor. Are there other such powerful figures among them? Until they have answers to these questions, they won’t act rashly."

No one spoke; they just listened and nodded.

When faced with a matter of this magnitude, never mind Dongfang Jian and Ren Yongyuan’s group, even the Artifact Origin Sect’s Emperor Martial Realm Elder Ancestor, Yin Shanhan, had no standing to interject.

The group looked at Shen Lang, but an image of the Blood Race Saintess, Alice, had appeared in his mind.

’I wonder how that silly girl is doing now...’

A faint smile played on his lips.

He would have to deal with Alice’s situation eventually. When Shen Lang accepted the Blood Jade she had left behind in her hiding place, it was tantamount to a promise to rescue her from the Blood Race.

However, although Shen Lang’s cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, he was nowhere near ready to undertake such a task.

Besides, as the "key" to the Blood Ancestor Tomb, Alice was in no immediate danger within the Blood Race.

So, while Shen Lang occasionally thought of that silly little girl, he had no plans to go looking for her in the next year or two.

Alice would only be in true danger when the Blood Ancestor Tomb finally appeared.

As the "key" to the Blood Ancestor Tomb, her life would only be at risk when the tomb itself emerged.

And by Shen Lang’s estimation, the appearance of the Blood Ancestor Tomb was still about seven or eight years away.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Lang asked again, "Besides what you’ve just said, is there any other news?"

Leng Yue bowed and replied, "There is no other news."

Shen Lang nodded. "In these extraordinary times, no news is good news."

"No news is good news!" The crowd’s eyes lit up, and they nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Shen Lang’s gaze fell upon Yin Shanhan of the Artifact Origin Sect.

"As an Artifact Refining Grand Sect, the Artifact Origin Sect’s wealth should be unmatched by any other Spirit Copper Level Sect. I’ve been a bit short on Spirit Stones recently. Give me all the Spirit Stones you have."

Shen Lang’s single sentence caused the expressions of Yin Shanhan and the few King Martial Realm experts from the Artifact Origin Sect to change drastically...