Chapter 88: Entering Blood Mountain

Chapter 88: Entering Blood Mountain

Ning Xiaochuan knew that the corpse's hand contained an immense amount of Blood Qi. If he allowed the Demonic Sword to devour it, it would be impossible to stop, and he would undoubtedly be overwhelmed and killed by the sheer volume of Blood Qi.

A single drop of a Martial Venerable's blood contained Blood Qi comparable to the total amount Ning Xiaochuan currently possessed in his body.

Moreover, the corpse's hand held over a hundred drops of blood. If the Demonic Sword were allowed to consume it, Ning Xiaochuan would surely explode and perish.

Suppressing the urge, Ning Xiaochuan stored the corpse's hand away and sat cross-legged, circulating Profound Qi to restrain the Demonic Sword.

For two full days, Ning Xiaochuan refrained from taking out the corpse's hand again, focusing entirely on recovering from his injuries.

Originally, his wounds would have taken five or six days to fully heal. However, after consuming the Blood Toad Pill and an Intermediate Elixir for recovery, his healing speed increased dramatically. In just two days, he had returned to peak condition.

Once the three of them had fully recovered, they set out toward Blood Mountain.

Half a day after Ning Xiaochuan and the others ascended Blood Mountain, a figure emerged from the stone cave in the cliff.

The figure landed above the Blood Pool, lightly tapping the water's surface with their toes like a skimming swallow before leaping to the edge of the pool. Taking a deep breath, they stared warily at the cave in the cliff. "That corpse has finally quieted down again! This place… this is the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range! Blood Mountain, the Flying Waterfall, the Demon Palace!"

The Third Leader of Dark Emperor City gazed up at the crimson mountain and the ancient, shadowy Demon Palace, their heart surging with excitement.

The Five-Colored Poison Miasma Forest was impassable by human means, but within Dragonfall Valley, there was an underground stone cave that led directly here.

Two days prior, the Third Leader had led Dark Emperor City's forces in pursuit of Ning Xiaochuan and the others, entering the underground cave and inadvertently awakening the corpse.

The corpse had erupted into a frenzy, slaughtering the majority of Dark Emperor City's warriors. The Third Leader had barely escaped with their life.

Now, the cave had finally quieted.

The Third Leader ventured back inside, this time managing to pass through without disturbing the corpse, arriving safely at the foot of Blood Mountain.

"The embers on the ground are still warm. It seems Ning Xiaochuan and Princess Qianxi were here just last night. They must have gone to the Demon Palace at the summit." The Third Leader cast a glance at the blood-colored mountain before beginning their ascent.

After the Third Leader departed, Yu Tiadi, Princess Lanfei, Ning Xin'er, and other young elites emerged from the cave one after another, swiftly making their way up Blood Mountain.

More and more young experts emerged from the cave, fighting amongst themselves and vying for Black Firewood Pearls as they rushed toward the mountain's peak.

The cave fell silent again, but within a single day, hundreds of young martial artists had traversed it, arriving in the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range. The once-tranquil ancient land grew noisy as conflict and bloodshed were brought to its doorstep.

...

Ning Xiaochuan and his companions, of course, had no idea that other martial artists had reached the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

Following the mountain path carved by those before them, they ascended a foothill and arrived above the crimson waterfall. From there, they could see the vast expanse of the Five-Colored Poison Miasma Forest below, stretching out like a boundless, multicolored sea.

"If we climb for another day towards the summit, we might be able to glimpse the entire Fire Demon Mountain Range. And if we reach the peak and stand atop the Demon Palace, we might even see the Imperial City thousands of kilometers away." Murong Wushuang stood above the waterfall, itching to let out a roar, but the sight of the Demon Palace looming above made him hold back, afraid of disturbing the Demon Lord within.

Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian walked side by side, continuing their ascent towards the summit.

The two remained silent for a long while until Ning Xiaochuan finally broke the stalemate. "Grandfather mentioned that you personally petitioned His Majesty to annul our arranged marriage?"

Yu Qianqian’s heart skipped a beat at the sudden question, but her expression remained composed, feigning indifference. "It was a political marriage to begin with—unfair to both you and me."

"Is that really how you feel?" Ning Xiaochuan chuckled. "I thought you refused because you disliked me. Since you put it that way, I’m relieved."

Yu Qianqian clenched her fists tightly, fighting the urge to push him off the cliff. Instead, she forced a bright, carefree smile. "Dislike is too strong a word. I just didn’t want to come between you and Miss Yu Ningsheng, your true love. Otherwise, people would accuse me of stealing a man from a brothel girl. Besides, even if my looks don’t measure up to Yu Ningsheng’s, I’m hardly ugly. With the status of the Golden Roc Prince’s Manor, finding any man I want shouldn’t be difficult."

Seeing her so unbothered, Ning Xiaochuan felt at ease. "In my opinion, Your Highness’s beauty is peerless. Even the so-called Three Great Beauties of the Imperial City might not compare. Finding a suitable husband would naturally be effortless."

His words were meant as praise, but to Yu Qianqian, they carried a different meaning.

She abruptly stopped walking and shot him a cold, proud glance. "Ning Xiaochuan, why did you save me in Dragonfall Valley?"

Ning Xiaochuan found her sudden mood shifts hard to keep up with. "Aren’t we friends?"

"Of course we are."

"Then isn’t saving you the most natural thing?"

Yu Qianqian pressed, "Would an ordinary friend risk their life for another? Would you face death just for a mere friend?"

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "I never thought entering Dragonfall Valley meant certain death. But if I didn’t save you and watched you die there, I’d regret it forever. Since I knew I’d regret it, why not take the chance?"

Yu Qianqian’s heart swelled with warmth, especially at his words: "If I didn’t save you and watched you die in Dragonfall Valley, I’d regret it forever." Her pulse raced, and in that moment, she knew her heart had been captured by him.

He may love Yu Ningsheng deeply, but it turns out I matter just as much to him.

Noticing Yu Qianqian’s lowered head and the delicate blush on her jade-like cheeks, Ning Xiaochuan asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"

"It's nothing!" Yu Qianqian lifted her chin, proud as a white swan, and said, "Don't think saving me once makes you so remarkable. I’ll repay this favor!"

With those words, she strode forward without looking back.

Ning Xiaochuan let out a deep sigh, shook his head, and caught up to her. "I also have a question for you. With the Golden Roc Prince's Manor’s influence, getting you into the Emperor's Martial Palace for cultivation should be effortless. Why would a Heart Nurturer like you risk such a dangerous trial?"

"I want to prove to everyone that I have the strength to earn my place in the Emperor's Martial Palace, not rely on my family’s connections. Otherwise, even if I enter, I’ll be looked down upon," Yu Qianqian replied.

Murong Wushuang came running back from ahead, his expression grave. "Can you two save the sweet talk for later? I’ve found traces of a warrior ahead—someone might have arrived here before us."

Ning Xiaochuan followed Murong Wushuang to a dense forest higher up, where a large swath of trees had been felled. The cuts were clean and precise, clearly severed by sword energy.

These trees were as hard as steel, with trunks two meters in diameter. Even with Ning Xiaochuan’s current cultivation, he wasn’t certain he could cleave through such thick trees in a single strike.

And yet, someone had cut down an entire stretch of giant trees with a single sword stroke—how terrifying must their sword energy be?

"The cuts are fresh, likely made within the last three days," Ning Xiaochuan observed, his gaze drifting deeper into the forest as a deep unease settled in his heart.

The Emperor's Martial Palace’s experts had already cleared the Fire Demon Mountain Range of other warriors, meaning whoever reached this place must be one of the trial participants.

He had relied on his formidable cultivation to traverse the Five-Colored Poison Miasma Forest and arrive here first, entering Blood Mountain ahead of others.

Could there really be such a powerhouse among the younger generation?

Their cultivation must at least be at the Divine Body Fourth Layer—or even higher!

After discovering the remnants of sword energy in the forest, the three of them proceeded with caution, wary of every blade of grass and rustling leaf around them.

Ning Xiaochuan felt a renewed sense of urgency. He had thought reaching the Third Level of the Divine Body Realm already placed him among the elite of his peers. But now, it seemed there was always a higher mountain—the true young monarchs might be waiting further ahead!

As night fell, Blood Mountain grew restless. Terrifying beast roars echoed through the peaks, and even the occasional dragon’s cry could be heard. Hidden within the misty clouds, immense danger seemed to lurk.

The trio dared not continue their journey. Instead, they carved out a cave in the mountainside, planning to spend the night there.

Ning Xiaochuan took out the severed hand again and extracted another drop of blood from it.

This drop was Martial Venerable’s Blood Essence, containing an immense amount of Blood Qi, like an endless ocean.

The Demonic Sword within his heart sensed the Blood Qi and unleashed a demonic force, greedily devouring the drop until nothing remained.

Boom!

An explosion seemed to erupt inside Ning Xiaochuan’s body. Fortunately, his Martial Arts Heart Palace was strong enough—otherwise, the sheer force would have torn him apart.

Thick Martial Arts Profound Qi surged out from the Demonic Sword, filling the Martial Arts Heart Palace and causing Ning Xiaochuan's realm to skyrocket.

The sensation was akin to consuming an Intermediate Elixir, with his cultivation advancing at an astonishing speed!

After absorbing a single drop of blood, the Demonic Sword seemed sated, its violent energy calming down.

Ning Xiaochuan extracted all the blood from the corpse's hand and stored it in a Xuan Jade Cold Bottle. The blood was a vivid crimson, devoid of any stench of decay, instead resembling liquid jade essence dripping from a ruby.

Upon reaching the Martial Venerable realm, one transcended the mundane, their body transforming into a treasure.

The blood within them was like a supreme mystic medicine, brimming with dense Earth Martial Essence and life essence!

A total of 136 drops of Martial Venerable's Blood!

Each drop contained Blood Qi comparable to the entirety of Ning Xiaochuan's own.

Once the blood in the corpse's hand was drained, it withered, turning pale and lifeless, devoid of divinity.

Ning Xiaochuan easily pried open the five fingers, revealing a smooth and polished Bone Bead inside.

A bead carved from white bone, about the size of an eyeball, cool to the touch—otherwise utterly unremarkable.

"Something a Martial Venerable refused to let go of even in death... is just this plain Bone Bead?"

Ning Xiaochuan refused to believe it was merely ordinary and began testing it in every way possible—slashing it with his sword, scorching it with fire, dripping blood on it—yet the Bone Bead remained unchanged.

The only peculiar thing was its incredible hardness. Even with his current cultivation, Ning Xiaochuan couldn't leave so much as a scratch on it.