Chapter 484: The Emergence of the Blood Ao

Chapter 484: The Emergence of the Blood Ao

Each person’s cultivation was different, and each sect had its own specialized medicines.

What is honey to one could be poison to another.

For a Bashan swordsman, the powerful sword qi contained within the pill could be gradually absorbed to refine and enhance their own sword qi. But for others, the same sword qi entering their body could be like having a thousand swords piercing their heart, spreading throughout their limbs and bones, essentially tearing them apart from within.

If it could genuinely enhance one’s power, it might be worth enduring, but the problem was that it might lead to massive blood loss, resulting in more injury than enhancement. In that case, it would be a rather grim joke.

Unfortunately, the components of a fully formed pill like this can’t be extracted... Zhao Changhe had no idea how Huangfu Qing managed to isolate the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng from the sword pellet. He wondered if it was some kind of miracle that only fire-type practitioners could achieve.

In fact, even for someone as capable as Vermilion Bird, forcibly achieving this required immense effort, something well beyond Zhao Changhe’s abilities.

There were two such pills in the bottle. After a long pause, Zhao Changhe handed one to Yue Hongling and explained its effects. She quickly concluded it would not suit her and handed it back, saying, “Save it for Han Wubing. He might be able to use it.”

Zhao Changhe nodded and put away the pills, choosing to leave them untouched for now. “Let’s go. Time is of the essence. That entity probably wasn’t gravely wounded by the bone sword, and it will recover quickly. Once it does, it’ll be even harder to defeat.”

Yue Hongling followed him as they sped toward Ao Pool in silence. Suddenly, she asked, “Are you doing all this for the sake of justice or for Sisi?”

Zhao Changhe felt a bit awkward at the question. “Why are you bringing that up now?”

Yue Hongling was driven by a sense of justice. She could not bear to witness innocent boys and girls being sacrificed, so she willingly braved the danger. She would have acted the same way even if she had not known Sisi, without anyone needing to ask.

Zhao Changhe, too, felt that he would have done the same even if Sisi were not involved. No one would have needed to prompt him. But with Sisi in the picture, would anyone believe him if he said it had nothing to do with her?

Yue Hongling said, “Actually, I believe that even without Sisi, you would still do this. We share the same heart—I truly believe that.”

Zhao Changhe turned to look at her, his eyes shining.

“That’s why, for me, I’d rather not see this become something that ties you to Sisi, and I certainly don’t want her to take advantage of you.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “She hasn’t shown signs of doing that, has she?”

“Well, maybe it can’t really be considered taking advantage of you?” Yue Hongling said thoughtfully. “Maybe because I’m a woman, I’m able to understand her better than you do. She hopes you’ll become her subject, following under her banner, rather than someone she has to depend on. I guess that can’t really be considered taking advantage of you?

“Anyway, I can see why she’d feel that way. After all, her Spirit Tribe has been enslaved for so long. She definitely does not want to trade one master for another. But while I understand that, I’m biased. When it comes to you, I find it uncomfortable. You’re not the type to treat anyone as a slave, so it shouldn’t come to that.”

Zhao Changhe pondered her words, and many of his previous uncertainties about Sisi suddenly became clear. He laughed and said, “So that’s how it is.”

Yue Hongling asked, “Are you hesitant now? Are you still willing to risk it all?”

Zhao Changhe laughed heartily and replied, “I fight for the innocent boys and girls, not for her alone. Let’s go.”

Yue Hongling smiled. “Alright.”

As the sun set in the west, the two raced across the plains, their shadows stretching out long behind them, merging into one as it tilted behind them.

As they sprinted, their hands naturally intertwined.

Zhao Changhe’s voice came through softly, “How fortunate I am to have your favor.”

* * *

The Ao Pool was also on a mountain, though low and sprawling. This mountain had a pool at the summit. Ancient paths ran along the mountainside, once used for rearing various beasts.

Yue Hongling’s Dragon Emperor drew a streak of light, and three of the forbidden land’s guards clutched their throats and fell to the ground.

Dragon Bird whistled through the air, slicing anyone who dared block their path in two.

The two of them charged upward, unmatched, leaving those attempting to intercept them frozen in shock, some even instinctively retreating.

The people here were not weak. In fact, they had been training with a god or demon who was on the verge of revival. Most of them were at the eighth or ninth layer of the Profound Gate, making them some of the most formidable fighters even in the Great Xia. But today, they were up against Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe, the strongest man and woman of the younger generation in the entire world!

With a buzzing sound, it seemed as though an explosion had gone off in Yue Hongling’s mind. She staggered slightly, letting out a muffled groan.

A curse...

Zhao Changhe remained unaffected. He had taken preventive medicine from Sisi, while Yue Hongling had deliberately avoided taking it—this way, no matter if there were side effects, at least one of them would stay safe.

Now it was clear that, at least in this instance, Sisi had not lied.

Zhao Changhe held Yue Hongling’s hand and used his Rejuvenation Art to dispel the curse. With his right hand, he swept Dragon Bird in a powerful arc, slicing several attackers in half.

Yue Hongling wrinkled her nose, then pulled a crushed gu from her pocket and reluctantly ate it. Instantly, the curse was lifted.

She stood up straight and pointed her sword. “A Spirit Tribe curse... So, the boys and girls were sacrificed, but some were left behind to serve the god or demon...”

Watching their own kin be sacrificed, they not only survived but did not try to escape or seek revenge. Instead, they became envoys, returning to oppress their own people.

The young couple felt as if they had swallowed flies.

Are these the people we’re fighting to save?

Yue Hongling half expected one of them to say, “We have no choice. If we don’t serve, we’ll die,” but from their eagerness to block their path, that did not seem to be the case.

One person snarled, “It’s none of your business! Go on, boast, and preach! Following the Ancestral God, we achieve power far beyond that of our tribe, with everyone bowing before us, free to take what we want. Who wouldn’t choose this path? What would you choose if you were us?”

“Is that so?” Zhao Changhe sneered. “And what’s the price?”

As he spoke, a rumbling came from the not-so-tall summit of the Ao Pool. A massive Ao foot stepped down, scooping up the person who had just spoken.

There’s a wound on the Ao’s foot... Was it left by Sisi’s bone sword just now?

The person who had been picked up let out a bloodcurdling scream that was immediately cut off. It seemed that he had been eaten.

The wound on the Ao’s foot began to heal.

A faint, godlike voice echoed in everyone’s minds: “Since you’re so loyal, I trust you won’t hesitate to help the Ancestral God fully revive, right?”

Everyone turned pale.

Meanwhile, atop the sacred mountain, Sisi held a sword to an elder’s throat, and the Spirit Tribe’s internal strife had been seemingly quelled.

Yet the entire tribe was deathly silent, the sacred mountain still. All eyes were fixed on the low mountain peak that had appeared inexplicably in the distance.

A massive blood pool, vast like a lake, sent its stench wafting toward the sacred mountain, and the enormous Blood Ao raised its head and roared, blocking out the sun and the sky.

1. The tiangou, also known as the heavenly dog, is a mythological creature. It resembles a black dog or meteor, and is thought to eat the Sun or Moon during an eclipse. ☜

2. This is a reference to the Dowry Divine Art mentioned some chapters ago. ☜