Chapter 381: Moon God Palace, Blood War True Intent

Chapter 381: Moon God Palace, Blood War True Intent

As the aftermath of the Saints Summit spread, word got out that the summit had yielded few agreements and instead paired many enemies.

This news caused a huge stir within the Mind Realm, a vast mental network created by the Azure Sage Lineage.

"In my opinion, this situation ultimately stems from the fact that no one trusts anyone else. The lack of a unified voice makes a conflict between the old and new saints inevitable."

"Indeed, at the Eighth Realm level, the difference in cultivation isn't significant, but the gap accumulated over time is substantial. The disparity among True Emperors might be even greater than we imagine."

Many people engaged in heated debates, speculating on two possible outcomes.

One scenario was a full-scale war, where the saints would determine the Great Dao's supremacy through brutal battles, with only the last one standing emerging as the ultimate victor.

The other scenario involved the saints probing and positioning themselves through strategic moves, thereby minimizing bloodshed.

Soon, news of an impending blood war began to circulate.

This was a tradition among the ancient gods, brutal and cruel, aimed at utterly crushing the enemy.

The idea of a full-scale, no-holds-barred war among the highest Dao traditions sent shockwaves of unease through all factions.

"There's no need to panic. This is likely an agreement among the saints to prevent a full-scale war. The saints are being quite rational."

"Hah, wait until you're caught in the middle, then see if you're still so calm."

"At least this is better than a full-scale war, which would collapse all rules and order, leading to a true human tragedy!"

"Word has it that the people from Undying Mountain have visited the Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Xuan World..."

"The Virtue Palace is also trying to rally scattered powerhouses from nearby worlds."

"Are the saints' traditions starting to court those famous independent powerhouses?"

"It seems they're all getting involved, preparing for the impending war."

One piece of news after another kept the Mind Realm in a state of constant turmoil, the sense of an impending storm palpable. It was clear that the war was imminent.

But none of these news items could compare to the blood war that was about to unfold right before their eyes!

Few had expected that the first blood war would be initiated by Tian Sheng Lake, with some joking that Tian Sheng Lake was setting an example.

The blood war between Tian Sheng Lake and the Taiqing Hall quickly became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Who are these people from the Taiqing Hall? I've never heard of them before."

"They are a returning old saint tradition. I remember they have a True Emperor, but their disciples are quite few. Given their short return time, what do they have to fight Tian Sheng Lake with?"

"Could it be the True Emperor coming out in person?!"

"That would be even funnier", someone scoffed. "Don't forget, Tian Sheng Lake has two True Emperors!"

"Isn't there a rumor that the Unattainable Saint and the True Emperor of the mortal world have a rift?"

"Foolish, any rift is an internal matter!"

A month was far too short to uncover the Taiqing Hall's true strength, and the "sudden" blood war erupted before anyone could do so.

Some of the highest beings supervised the battle to ensure no one interfered.

Additionally, the entire war would be "open" to the public, a decision made by the True faction to warn all parties.

The current landscape was chaotic, with several major factions standing openly.

However, some of these major factions were internally murky, making it unclear if they were truly allies.

For example, the Five Pillars, theoretically the strongest and most unpredictable alliance, was a topic of much private discussion. Many wondered when this alliance would fall apart.

When the blood war erupted, all the beings watching from the "network" of worlds gasped in shock.

Someone's expression turned grave. "These people... why do they look familiar? The Heavenly Venerable carrying the heavy bow, isn't that the Azure Xuan Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Xuan World? Weren't they recruited by Undying Mountain? Why is he standing with the Taiqing Hall?"

"That's the Yunxi Celestial King, who was also rumored to be courted by the Virtue Palace."

"So these factions have been secretly recruiting and rallying support for the Taiqing Hall? Is this even allowed?"

Another person exclaimed, quickly realizing the nature of the conflict.

No wonder the challenge to Tian Sheng Lake came from the Taiqing Hall, a recently returned ancient tradition with few disciples.

This was a way to gauge Tian Sheng Lake's strength while minimizing their own losses, using a shell and recruiting independent powerhouses.

At this moment, the number of strong beings on the Taiqing Hall's side already exceeded that of Tian Sheng Lake, especially at the Heavenly Venerable level.

The war was divided into three battlefields, with no surrender. Only complete annihilation would end the conflict.

The side with the most victories in the three battles would win.

Currently, Tian Sheng Lake seemed to be at a numerical disadvantage.

But soon, the crowd on Tian Sheng Lake's side revealed some... equally familiar figures!

Among them was a figure in white, youthful in appearance but with an ancient and profound aura, standing tall on the Heavenly Venerable battlefield!

"Piao Chong from the Yin-Yang Dao Palace?! What is this star of death doing... tsk."

While the Taiqing Hall still operated on the fringes of the rules, Tian Sheng Lake was now blatantly pushing the boundaries, stimulating everyone's nerves.

Above the Dharma Realm.

A jade vase floated in the air, three feet tall, with the marks of myriad spirits engraved on its surface, reflecting the shadows of the heavens, sun, moon, and stars within.

Tilting slightly, an endless stream of life force poured out, spontaneously nourishing a world in the void.

Thunderous sounds emanated from the jade vase, akin to the voice of the Dao:

"Fellow Daoists, aren't you breaking the rules?"

On the other side, a Sage coldly snorted, "If everyone is doing this, what's the point of a Blood War? We might as well declare an all-out war!"

"Fine!" Kong Xuan took a step forward, his eyes opening and closing, the five-colored divine light surging and pulsing, his voice icy, "I'll behead you first when the time comes. I want to see how many times your turtle shell can withstand my five-colored divine light."

"Kong, are you so tyrannical that you're not afraid of becoming a public enemy?" The Profound Sage of the Virtue Palace raged, but showed no intention of intervening.

"What does it matter if all the Sages attack me? Do you think this is the past? You don't even have the strength to break through the encirclement. Talk about supremacy? Just hide your head like a turtle! If you're not convinced, come down and measure yourself, and everything will be clear!"

Kong Xuan shouted.

He stood in the void, his feet planted on the Great Dao, surrounded by chaotic mists and five-colored auroras, his eyes cold and desolate like the emptiness of the universe, striking fear into the hearts of all.

"You have misunderstood us."

The Dao Venerable of the Yin-Yang Dao Palace stepped forward, trying to mediate.

"Those wayward disciples were expelled from our sect ten years ago. We didn't expect them to join Tian Sheng Lake. Everything is recorded in history, and there is no deceit."

He then presented evidence, proving that these disciples were indeed expelled ten years ago.

For a moment, the Sages were speechless.

While this explanation couldn't be hidden from them, they had no grounds to argue, as the expulsion occurred ten years before the Blood War was even proposed.

Some of the Sages couldn't help but smile with amusement.

These old immortals had been planning for ten years, clearly prepared for the current situation.

Some people had hoped to use the Taiqing Hall to probe Tian Sheng Lake's strength and suppress them, but all their schemes were destined to fail.

"Since this happened before the Blood War, there's nothing to discuss", the Imperial Phoenix from the Phoenix Blood Palace said with a smile.

"More people, so what? Everyone has more."

A supreme being calmly stated:

"The first Blood War is a warning to you all, to make you understand that if you can talk, then talk; if you can't, be prepared for your sects to shatter and for you to face trials."

"And since it's a warning, the more people, the better; the more intense the situation, the better."

...

In the Mind Realm.

"This is too unfair, isn't the Blood War supposed to be proposed by the True Emperor faction, yet they are the ones breaking the rules first?" someone questioned.

"Unfair?" someone sneered, "Idiot, truth is always in the hands of the strong. Do you think why the Taiqing Hall's allies haven't turned against them yet? In the end, they will likely still accept it."

"Watch, the battle is about to begin!"

...

...

A bloody battle began, while in Daluotian, many places were filled with revelry and banquets.

The Divine Lord of the Azure Sage Lineage had returned and naturally invited guests from all sides. The banquets had been ongoing for over a month, with many ancient gods and various Daoists in attendance.

Today, the banquet continued, the atmosphere growing even more lively as everyone watched the first Blood War between Tian Sheng Lake and the Taiqing Hall.

Ji Jingqiu entered through a side door of the hall.

"Have you finished your enlightenment?"

Cang You, positioned high above, was not on this level. As the head of the Azure Sage Lineage, her status was on par with several True Emperor-level ancient gods, second only to the Master. She noticed Ji Jingqiu's arrival as she conversed with a few ancient gods.

Over the past month, Ji Jingqiu had been either meditating on the World Tree's canopy or, at her suggestion, revisiting the creation and destruction of a world to perfect his divine saber techniques.

"Find a place to sit. With your current status and strength, you should meet and befriend more powerful figures from various factions."

Ji Jingqiu didn't comment, finding a corner to sit down.

He had come here to gather information about the turmoil at Tian Sheng Lake.

Since the Blood War began, he had lost contact with his avatar.

"Who is this Taiqing Hall?"

Ji Jingqiu called over a passing servant, ordered some "dishes", and casually picked up a cup of fruit wine made from celestial herbs, taking a few sips. Finding the taste too bland, he plucked two nine-headed fruits from a tree near the True Spirit Pool in his Inner World, munching on them as he asked.

This divine herb, the nine-headed grass, was obtained from Tian Sheng Lake years ago and had finally borne fruit after twenty years.

His Inner World was currently flourishing, almost forming a miniature universe, lacking only the final step of the Great Dao Baptism.

Without this step, there was still a deficiency in Dao Rhythm.

His achievements were largely due to the divine herbs and techniques obtained from various sources.

While eating the fruit, Ji Jingqiu couldn't help but ask about the situation at Tian Sheng Lake.

"A relic of an ancient Dao tradition, now only a shell. This summit is dominated by the True faction, and two factions are trying to gauge their strength."

Ji Jingqiu thought to himself, "So that's how it is."

He listened to the surrounding discussions and soon heard about the "sudden changes" in the battle.

He couldn't help but sigh.

These old guys were one slyer than the next.

They could pull off such schemes.

At that moment.

Ji Jingqiu suddenly sensed an unusual gaze.

Since achieving success in the Karma Great Dao, his divine perception had become almost innate, as sharp as the Karma itself.

He glanced sideways and saw a young face, but it lacked the vibrant energy of youth. Instead, it bore the profound and weathered look of someone who had been in seclusion for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, with a hint of decay.

Her eyes were deep, and through the crowd, she found Ji Jingqiu's position. Her gaze was calm, but Ji Jingqiu felt a hint of killing intent and a sense of looking down from a height.

The woman made a gesture of beheading with her hand, then continued chatting with the man beside her as if nothing had happened.

"Who's this weirdo?" Ji Jingqiu asked Aunt Cang directly.

"Her? This woman is called Yue Qingxin. She's from the Moon God Palace's main lineage. Did you offend her or the Moon God Palace? The latter is the Moon God's power base."

"Moon God Palace?"

Ji Jingqiu recalled.

Apart from the Five Pillars, the two most famous ancient gods were the Sun-Moon Twin Deities.

These two were the first great sun and moon born in the Grand Cosmos, with extremely high status and immense authority, involving the survival and proliferation of all beings.

"I guess it might be because of Senior Chi?" Ji Jingqiu speculated.

Their Yanhuang Federation had no grudges with the Moon God Palace, let alone with the Moon Palace itself. They didn't cross paths, and personally, he had even less reason to.

The most likely reason the Moon God Palace was targeting them was for Chi Yinghuo.

This was the reincarnation of the ancient sun god Chi Wanyang, who had sacrificed his innate divine essence. In this life, he was born in their Federation and renamed himself Chi Yinghuo.

"It's possible. There was once a saying, 'Sun and Moon shining together.'"

Cang You said telepathically,

"Rumors suggested that these two authorities complemented each other, and if they merged, they could form the foundation for enlightenment."

"Some even tried to match them, hoping to produce a divine ancestor seed that could inherit both of their authorities and directly point to the essence of the Great Dao."

"What happened then?" Ji Jingqiu couldn't help but ask, intrigued by the story.

"Nothing happened. Chi Wanyang refused", Cang You said. "He was very proud and had an uneasy relationship with the Moon God."

Ji Jingqiu nodded. "Then it's clear. This Moon God must want to absorb Senior Chi's Dao fruit and is putting pressure on us to force him out."

Chi Yinghuo had played a significant role in the battle twenty years ago. They later learned that he had already made a deal with Commander Ji.

After the battle, he stayed within the Federation, using the Death Demon's sword edge to sacrifice his Dao fruit and hone his Dao.

The reason the Solar Dynasty of the Nine Provinces stood with the Federation was because of his existence.

"What's the current situation with him?" Cang You asked.

Ji Jingqiu said, "Senior Chi has long reclaimed his former Dao fruit, but after the war, he sacrificed his position again and fell quite hard, directly to the Shackles level. Before I left, he had just recovered to the Heavenly Person stage."

This Senior Chi had ambitious goals and chose not to reclaim his past Dao fruit but to forge a new path.

His relationship with the Federation was not close, only that of an ally.

Ji Jingqiu was somewhat surprised that the first to openly show hostility towards their Federation was the Moon God Palace, targeting Chi Yinghuo.

Upon closer thought, many forces were likely watching the Federation, both openly and secretly.

Whether it was the four demons themselves or the combat power displayed by He Shizhan, these were things the saints coveted.

Fortunately, the Federation still had enough deterrent power to make the various parties wary.

One was the Bitter Sea, and the other was Commander Ji, who had ascended to the Demon King's throne.

Cang You said casually,

"You don't need to worry too much. Some people won't let the Moon God Palace act recklessly, especially in the current uncertain situation. Otherwise, if they force your Federation to self-destruct, everyone loses."

"As for Chi Wanyang, even if he chooses to re-cultivate, he's not someone to be easily manipulated. He has the Solar Dynasty behind him. Even if he's not a match for the Moon God Palace, he can hold his ground. Unless..."

Cang You's expression suddenly changed, thinking of a possibility.

"Unless the Moon God Palace is determined to force Chi Wanyang to face them and engage in a bloody battle with the Solar Dynasty!"

Cang You's expression was serious.

The Moon God Palace was closely aligned with the Nine Mountains.

The Moon God herself was a formidable figure, second only to the Five Pillars, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Mountains in the past. Her current strength certainly hadn't declined.

In her presence, even the Solar True Emperor seemed "young" and was no match for her.

If the Moon God Palace launched a full-scale bloody battle, the Solar Dynasty would be in grave danger.

Ji Jingqiu also thought of this possibility.

If the Solar Dynasty joined the fray, the Federation couldn't stand by and watch a reliable ally face certain death.

"Moon God..."

Ji Jingqiu muttered.

What was on his mind was not how to break through to the Celestial King stage and dominate the Celestial King battlefield, so he could fearlessly face any bloodshed.

Instead, it was the sword light he had seen deep in the wilderness!

That sword light, whose origin was unknown, clearly had an intangible Great Dao superiority over all things related to the moon.

Even when Hela and the others saw it, their expressions were somewhat unnatural, warning him not to provoke it.

Ji Jingqiu quickly inquired of Hela and the others whether it was possible to find that streak of sword light and use it to cut down the Moon God.

A sword light left behind by a suspected Transcender, which still exerted Great Dao pressure on moon-related entities... No matter how ancient and powerful the Moon God was, it might not withstand this strike!

Hela threw a bucket of cold water on him:

"Do you know how vast the wilderness is? Even we have never fully explored it. Theoretically, the Misty Sea's wilderness has no end. Where are you going to find that streak of sword light?"

"I had never seen it until you encountered it."

"I have."

Xiao Wu Zhou interrupted,

"You're asking the wrong person. This foolish woman rarely goes out, just staying in her own little world. What can she possibly know?"

In terms of understanding the Misty Sea, even Taiyi might not match Wu Zhou.

Based on Xiao Wu Zhou's analysis over the years, he believed that Taiyi's betrayal was likely because Taiyi discovered they were all about to take a significant step forward.

Among the four demons, they were both allies and enemies.

"You possess the Karma Great Dao. Even if you've never seen it, you can still forcefully 'see' it, let alone having had a brief interaction with it."

Xiao Wu Zhou said coolly:

"Similarly, if you want to use the power of that sword light to cut down the Moon God, you need to carefully orchestrate an 'accident.'"

Ji Jingqiu pondered, realizing this was indeed the best method for him.

But at his current realm, it was almost impossible to use the Karma Great Dao to interfere with the Moon God's level.

However, this gave him a path forward.

Cang You was unaware that Ji Jingqiu had already started thinking about how to "slay a saint" and offered comfort:

"These two are ancient gods of higher rank. I will ask the Master to intervene and delay the Moon God's move. You should quickly send a message to warn the Great Sun God."

Ji Jingqiu acknowledged her words and focused his attention on the "live broadcast" of the Blood War.

While the war was brutal and bloody, serving as a warning to the world, it held great value for high-level Martial Practitioners.

Witnessing the bloody battles between Celestial Kings and even Heavenly Venerables could provide many insights and references.

At Ji Jingqiu's current level, he should observe the battles between Heavenly Venerables and Celestial Kings.

But he first looked at the Heavenly Person battlefield.

Among the three battlefields, the number of Heavenly Persons was the smallest. The Taiqing Hall mainly rallied Celestial Kings and Heavenly Venerables, sending just over a hundred Heavenly Persons.

And Tian Sheng Lake had even fewer, only one person.

Wutian Daoist.

This individual single-handedly swept through the entire Heavenly Person battlefield, leaving no one unscathed. In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the battlefield was completely cleared.

As he sheathed his blade, the starry sky was devoid of enemies.

This speed of slaying enemies was truly astonishing!

Outside, the various beings from different realms, who had been focused on the Celestial King and Heavenly Venerable battlefields, were stunned when they realized the Heavenly Person battlefield had already been decided. They flooded in to witness the bloody scene, with the starry sky filled with severed limbs.

The Heavenly Persons of the Taiqing Hall were all annihilated!

This outcome made many people gasp in shock.

"How long has it been?! It would take a while to kill a hundred chickens, right?"

"Wutian! This person truly lives up to the title of the strongest generation from twenty years ago. In the domain of Heavenly Persons, he is far beyond the norm!"

On the Blood War battlefield.

The figure, standing amidst a mountain of corpses, glowed brilliantly. The unique Dao Rhythm of the world was being drawn into his body, causing his Dharma Body to resonate and evolve towards the Dao Body.

This scene was witnessed by many outside, who asked frantically:

"You don't know? In the Blood War, the victor takes all. With over a hundred Heavenly Persons dead, the Blood War battlefield will refine their Dharma Bodies, generating Dao Rhythm and blood qi, all as Wutian Daoist's spoils of war!"

For a moment, the Mind Realm fell silent as many redirected their attention to the Celestial King and Heavenly Venerable battlefields.

If the Celestial King and Heavenly Venerable battlefields were the same, and the victors could refine the Dao Rhythm and Great Dao of the defeated, was this Blood War truly... a warning?

Cultivating through battle, using the lives of a realm to nurture one person?

Someone muttered, "Do you think everyone is like Wutian? Nurturing one person with a hundred Heavenly Persons, that ratio is better suited to invasion and occupation, using the power of a world to nurture them."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end