Whoosh!
In the skies outside the core peak of the Azure Cloud sect, a number of radiant crimson beams surged. Numerous daunting figures were rushing toward the sect from all directions.
Be it in flying boats with enhanced cannon, unicorn carriages, or riding on beasts, all of the forces appeared immensely menacing, with a thick aura of bloodlust.
"By the decree of the Lord Venerable Bloodcrown, the Bloodmist sect seeks the presence of Disciple Wang Tianmo from the Azure Cloud Sect. The Lord Yama from the supreme 21 hells has conversed with our Sect Master requesting the Disciple Wang's visit."
A Cold, menacing elder clad in a blood robe uttered, floating in the air, his voice booming across the sky, silencing the winds and crushing the spirits of the weaker disciples below.
Liu Xiu: "..."
Venerable Bloodcrown had a strange mark on his left eye, given that his body was already affected by the heart phantom Gu, totally in the grasp of Holy Son Liu Xiu.
'This feels so exciting... Hehe, it's so much fun to see the world move just because of a single thought of mine.'
Liu Xiu thought while controlling the body of Venerable Bloodcrown and seeing the world from his one eye.
"Elder... Be more intimidating, more aggressive! You are a Nascent Soul powerhouse, not a merchant haggling for vegetables!" Venerable Bloodcrown uttered, laced with impatience and a cruel glee.
"Make them fear the very air you breathe!"
The Blood-robed Elder's body stiffened, then contorted into a posture of exaggerated menace. He raised a hand, and the sky above the Azure Cloud Sect darkened instantly. Clouds of crimson Qi swirled, forming the shape of a colossal skull that seemed to swallow the moon.
"Azure Cloud Sect!" Venerable Bloodcrown's voice boomed, shaking the very foundations of the mountain peaks. "Do not test the patience of the Bloodmist Sect! Hand over the insect Wang Tianmo, or today, this mountain shall run red with the blood of ten thousand generations!"
Swoosh!
The defensive formation of the Azure Cloud Sect, the 'Azure Cloud Grand Array,' flared to life. A dome of shimmering blue light, thick as the ocean depths, enveloped the sect, casting a protective shadow over the myriad peaks and disciples below.
From within the depths of the sect, five pillars of light shot up into the sky, piercing the dome and stabilizing the Qi.
Five figures materialized atop the main peak's platform, their auras clashing with the oppressive blood mist outside.
At the center stood the Grand Elder, an old man with a white beard and hair, wearing a robe of azure and gold. His cultivation base was at the Late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his eyes holding the weight of mountains. Beside him stood Great Elder Xuan Ji, Tianmo's master, his expression grave.
Bloodmist sect?! How did Tianmo offend them?!
Elder Xuan had originally known that Tianmo possessed Heaven-grade or higher quality spirit root thus, he wanted to possess his body... But now, the Bloodmist sect is here to seek his demise?!
No. He can't allow it. Tho, his cultivation base wasn't a peak late-stage nascent soul, he was still a Nascent soul powerhouse.
"Grand Elder Mang, Disciple Wang is my disciple, he possesses at least a Heaven-grade spirit root and 8 Supreme Bones that are unawakened. We should cultivate and nurture him."
Elder Xuan decided to reveal Tianmo's value. He had sensed several Supreme bones on the first day they met with a profound Dao rhythm around his body. Tianmo was a perfect vessel to possess, he couldn't absolutely let him die under any condition.
"I think the demonic sect is behind this, using the Bloodmist sect as a tool... I believe the demonic sect somehow learned Tianmo's spirit roots and Dao bones," he added further.
Grand Elder Mang's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing through the layers of defensive formations to lock onto the figure of Venerable Bloodcrown. The air around him grew heavy, the spiritual pressure of a Late Nascent Soul cultivator pressing down like a physical weight.
"Heaven-grade Spirit Root? Supreme Dao Bones?" Grand Elder Mang repeated, his voice low, carrying a gravity that silenced the whispers of the surrounding elders. "If what you say is true, Xuan Ji, then this is not a simple vendetta. This is a hunt for a supreme vessel."
He turned his gaze to Xuan Ji, his eyes sharp as daggers. "You have kept this secret well. But now, the wolves are at the door. A Heaven-grade Spirit Root is enough to tempt even a Saint. To the Demonic Sect, he is not just a disciple but a walking treasure trove."
He turned and looked at the Venerable Bloodcrown... The bloodmist sect has the backing of the Heaven-slaughtering demonic sect while their sect has none. Even if they have to fight the Bloodmist sect, within their formation, it isn't certain that the Azure Sect can gain the upper hand and come victorious without casualties.
Grand Elder Mang stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing into slits that held the cold light of a winter storm. If the Holy Lord were to be here then the situation could be manageable but alas.
..
Venerable Bloodcrown's voice, booming with a commanding authority, resonated through the skies once more. The elder beside him smirked arrogantly, confident in the might of the Bloodmist sect.
"Azure Cloud Sect! Your attempts to protect the insect, Wang Tianmo, are futile. We, the Bloodmist sect, are here under the orders of Lord Yama himself! Your futile defenses are but a nuisance in the face of our power."
Woosh!
With a wave, Venerable Bloodcrown summoned a giant hand made out of pure blood qi. The hand was massive, covering the entire sky, casting a shadow over the Azure Cloud Sect. The pressure was immense, causing the defensive formation to groan and creak, the blue light flickering ominously.
"Grand Elder, the formation won't hold for long!" an elder shouted, panic lacing his voice. "The Blood Qi is corrosive! It's eating through the spiritual energy!"
Grand Elder Mang's face darkened. He knew the elder was right. The Bloodmist Sect's techniques were insidious; they didn't just break formations, they rotted them from the inside out.
The Grand Elder gritted his teeth unusual from cold aloofness, his face etched with a mixture of anger and concern. Why would you let such a disciple stay within this sect instead of sending him to powerful sects?! But he couldn't question Xuan Ji at the moment.
"Defend the formation!" the Grand Elder boomed, his voice echoing across the peaks. "Do not let them breach it, no matter the cost!"
The other elders bristled at the order, their faces etched with fear and indignation. To sacrifice themselves for a single disciple—a disciple who had brought this calamity upon their heads—was a bitter pill to swallow. Yet, the aura of Grand Elder Mang was absolute. It was the weight of the mountain, crushing all dissent before it could take root.
"Hold the line!" Xuan Ji roared, his hands weaving seals faster than the eye could follow, injecting streams of pure Qi into the trembling formation. "If the formation falls, we all fall!"
High above, Venerable Bloodcrown, or rather, the puppeteer Liu Xiu within, watched the frantic activity with a detached, almost bored amusement. The giant blood hand hovered, its fingers twitching like a spider testing its web. Keep in mind, he isn't actively controlling the body rather passively—he can only share vision and give commands.
Yesterday, an unknown person came to him and told him to kill Wang Tianmo as soon as possible. He can't quite recall the facial features of that person but it seems he was a Seer, capable of fortune-telling. If he fails to kill Tianmo as fast as possible, it would be him who would be dying.
"Pathetic," Liu Xiu thought, his internal voice echoing in the hollow vessel of the Nascent Soul powerhouse. "All this panic for a single ant. Let's see how they dance when the music gets faster... Tianmo... Oh Tianmo, I will kill you."
He didn't give them time to regroup. With a mere thought he commanded... And the giant blood hand clenched into a fist and slammed down.
BOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic. The Azure Cloud Grand Array screamed, a sound like tearing metal that shattered the eardrums of the weaker disciples below. Cracks, glowing with malevolent red light, began to spiderweb across the blue dome. Where the blood Qi touched the spiritual energy of the formation, it hissed and evaporated, eating away the sect's defense like acid on flesh.
Inside the Purple Bamboo Peak, the tranquility of the night was violently shattered.
The walls of Tianmo's chamber groaned, dust falling from the ceiling like snow. Liu Ruyan, who had been drifting in a deep, cultivation-induced slumber, jolted awake, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"M-Master?" she stammered, her voice trembling. She looked around, her eyes wide with confusion. The spiritual pressure in the air was chaotic, heavy with a scent that made her blood run cold.
Tianmo stood by the window, his silhouette framed against the flashing red light of the sky. He didn't look back at her. His eyes were fixed on the giant hand of blood that was slowly crushing the sky, his expression calm, almost thoughtful.
"Get dressed," he said, his voice cutting through the tremors of the room. "The guests have arrived early."
Liu Ruyan's heart skipped a beat. That calmness in Tianmo's voice was more alarming than any shout of panic or cry of despair.
She hurried to comply, quickly slipping on her robes and smoothing out the silken fabric over her curves, alluringly.
"Master," she began, the words tumbling out in a rush. "What... What are we going to do? Is there a chance...?"
She couldn't finish the sentence, her throat closing up. Did she love him? Nope. Not at all. If anything she hated him, but with a soul-slave mark she couldn't even run away. The best she can do is act pitiful trying to gain sympathy and use him for the resources he provides. At best, she is like a courtesan—offering her body for resources. It also benefits her own cultivation.
That's why she hopes to have his child and secure resources for a long time. However, it is definitely true that her body yearns for his touch, his roughness and her gate has taken his shape.
But sometimes it feels like he can see through her act, like a god, who knows everything.
Tianmo turned from the window, his eyes glowing with a faint, eerie purple light in the dim room. The tremors shaking the mountain seemed to fade into the background compared to the oppressive aura radiating from him.
"Ruyan," he said, his voice smooth, devoid of the panic that gripped the rest of the sect. "Do you know why the strong rule and the weak obey?"
Liu Ruyan froze, her hands trembling as she fastened the sash of her robe. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and wet. "Because... because the strong have power, Master?"
"Is that so?! I expected better..." Tianmo calmly replied. It may be soon before the formation is broken and the two sects fight. Some may flee, some may fight believing in their morals, bond, connection.
If possible he would have definitely run away after all, that's a logical thing to do however, Venerable Bloodcrown is after him so, he can't even run away.
****
BOOM!
Another deafening impact shook the heavens. The Azure Cloud Grand Array, a barrier that had stood unbreached for centuries, finally gave a sickening lurch. A sound like a million porcelain vases shattering at once echoed through the valley as the blue dome fractured.
A shard of the formation fell, crashing into a smaller peripheral peak, obliterating the disciples' dormitories there. Screams of panic and agony rose up, instantly swallowed by the roar of the colliding energies.
"KILL!!!"
"Slaughter the Azure Cloud sect and use their blood to cultivate."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The Elders and the powerful elders who have followed Xuan Ji began to laugh menacingly.
Liu Xiu immediately gave command to Venerable Bloodcrown, he had used 4 heart phantom Gus to control the Nascent Soul powerhouses within the Bloodmist sect. If he can control the powerhouse from the Azure Cloud Sect as well, his power will be increased significantly.
Venerable Bloodcrown opened the Jade box containing Gu and released it.
Woosh!
The Phantom heart Gu rapidly rushed towards Elder Mang and the other elder.
"Not good."