Chapter 361: Breakthrough, First Layer of the Profound Mysteries

Chapter 361: Breakthrough, First Layer of the Profound Mysteries

I wonder why I’m seeing this story... It could have just been a phantom or projection of the demonic god demonstrating martial arts, couldn’t it?

Maybe it’s related to getting the second page of the Heavenly Tome. It’s possible that the addition of that page has made it so that I become immersed in the environment of the target, thus revealing the history of the artifact?

I must admit, Cult Leader Xue does not lose any face by worshiping the Blood God. He truly was someone who deserved the reverence of future generations. Of course, faith is another matter. I’m still more willing to accept the role of a successor. I’m quite fond of what he said. “Then I shall make it so that those who come after me can use my blood to tear open the sky...”

The Blood God wanted his successors to inherit this heaven-rending will, but what has the Blood God Cult inherited?

Violence, bloodshed, and slaughter...

Perhaps those indeed reflect the Blood God’s temperament, but they are definitely not his essence, or rather, they’re a bit outdated.

Well, this isn’t really significant to my purpose. I have my own path. Tearing open the sky and defying gods and demons might be what Xia Longyuan and others aim to do, and perhaps it is the path Cult Leader Xue will pursue in the future. However, it does not match mine... at least not for now.

I seek only that one slash.

The slash that the Blood God had unleashed was far beyond Zhao Changhe’s current level and it would require him long-term contemplation and comprehension. It encapsulated everything he had learned so far. The entire Vicious Blood Saber Art was derived from it. If he wanted to advance his saber arts to the level of the Profound Mysteries, studying this was certainly the right path.

Zhao Changhe closed his eyes and stood there quietly, repeatedly reflecting on that slash.

He realized that he had two major issues he had to overcome.

First, he was not yet at the stage where he sought to revert complexity to simplicity, becoming one with his saber. He still needed to build a complete system of saber arts from the basics to the advanced levels.

Everyone knew that due to the lack of advanced manuals for the Vicious Blood Art, he was stuck with techniques at the Profound Gate level. It was because of that that he lacked a true understanding of saber arts.

Speaking of techniques themselves, the problem was not just having few moves, but also few ultimate techniques—only three in total. Among them, Scattering the Gods and Buddhas and No Man’s Land had become passive buffs, meaning the only active technique he had was Hell on Earth.

This left him with a limited moveset, forcing him to incorporate the Sword Emperor’s ultimate techniques as well as other stolen techniques to make up for his lack of techniques. But the issue was that most of the techniques he acquired were sword techniques, with only Hu Lie’s Yellow Sand Saber Art being somewhat compatible with his path.

Previously, Cult Leader Xue was limited by his strength, and he couldn’t yet use saber techniques at the level of the Profound Mysteries. Because of that, he was using the same techniques as me. However, he has already seen the advanced techniques, or at least gotten an idea of them, understanding a bit of their essence, and his system is complete and coherent. His use of the lower-level techniques is far more refined; how could I even compare?

But now, with the Heavenly Tome, I can study this slash, turning it into a complete saber art even more comprehensive than the manuals compiled by generations of the Blood God Cult.

With just one glance, Zhao Changhe saw the move that followed after Hell on Earth.

Hell on Earth was a horizontal slash, silent and void. The move that followed it was at the Profound Mysteries level, and it was a move that transformed the saber into countless drops of blood that rained down from all over the sky.

That one slash from Lie that decapitated several people simultaneously was the culmination of a group battle technique. In order to have his single saber be able to take on multiple people at once, he first needed to split it up so that it could deliver that attack to multiple targets.

It was also the process of transforming Hell on Earth into myriad forms. And mastering it was the step to reach the Profound Mysteries.

But in the end, he still managed to create a hellish impression with unparalleled ferocity and terror. Why is that?

It’s because of the environment.

Yes, vicious blood qi is not only internal but also universally present externally. The enemy has it, the dead have it, and the bloodier the battlefield, the more of it there is.

It can be drawn upon.

At this moment, his insights suddenly aligned with the previous guidance he received from Huangfu Qing and Yuxu, his insights all converged into a single, unified understanding.

The first layer of the Profound Mysteries involved integrating with the external environment and merging with heaven and earth.

But at the moment, there was no vicious blood qi for him to use to test out his ideas. He was thus missing a catalyst to help him break through.

Should I challenge Cult Leader Xue to a fight again?

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment and suddenly embedded the blood token into the center of the array plate.

In an instant, the array plate overflowed with vicious blood qi, as if it contained infinite power ready to erupt at any moment.

I got it.

Swish!

Zhao Changhe swung his saber.

His slash did not have an immediate effect, and the blood pool did not splash around like before, but the protectors by the door suddenly felt a suffocating pressure. Their blood and qi surged uncontrollably, their hearts contracted tightly, and an overwhelming sense of terror arose within them.

It felt to them as if the one who had swung the saber just now was not Zhao Changhe.

No... it was the Blood God reborn.

The thud of knees hitting the ground could be heard coming from the door as they all knelt down and prostrated themselves, their foreheads touching the ground as they prayed devoutly, “We welcome our god... May the Blood God guide our way forward...”

Zhao Changhe turned his head, and the blood-red color in his eyes flashed and faded away.

He had wandered and looked for so long... Through the vast desert, to Beimang, to Kunlun, and now into Wushan. From north to south, from winter to spring.

Enlightened by Hongling, instructed by Huangfu, sought advice from Yuxu, and guided by the gods and demons.

Finally, he achieved the first layer of the Profound Mysteries.

It had been a year and three months since he began practicing martial arts.