Chapter 725 - 651: Bloodline Sacrifice Array, The True Future of Martial Arts

This was an aura forged from the flesh and blood of countless living beings. The fact that these remnants, left over from who knows how many years ago, still hadn’t dissipated was truly shocking.

As the Merak Saint Son, Baili Xi, gazed upon the blood-red Grand Array, a flash of joy appeared in his eyes.

He had previously obtained the Blood Sacrifice Sword from members of the Alien Race who had emerged from the Purple Void Secret Realm, but he had never been able to refine it. It wasn’t until the Merak Saintess schemed against him, forcing him into seclusion and away from the affairs of the Merak Sacred Land, that he found the time. During this period, he finally refined the Blood Sacrifice Sword and discovered its connection to the Bloodline Sacrifice Array.

After coming out of seclusion, he went straight into the Demon Cave. There, he felt a constant pull from the Blood Sacrifice Sword, as if something was attracting it.

Sure enough, upon entering the Demon Cave, he discovered new ruins that had never been seen before. The key to opening them, surprisingly, was the very Blood Sacrifice Sword in his hand. During this time, he had also come to understand the sword’s purpose.

At first, he thought it was the key to these specific ruins, allowing him to take control of them. He later discovered it was more of a universal key—a Treasure capable of sensing the Bloodline Sacrifice Array.

The Bloodline Sacrifice Array, as it turned out, was a type of Cross-Realm Teleportation Array. The only difference was that this particular Grand Array led to the teleportation points of the Alien Race.

Back when the Human Race and Alien Race fought for supremacy, the conflict involved not just the inhabitants of the Taiyu Divine Continent, but also people from other Realms.

The Alien Race had experts from other Realms, and back then, they would set up these Bloodline Sacrifice Arrays. By sacrificing their own kin, they could construct a Void Passage to summon fellow masters of their bloodline from across the Realms.

This allowed them to summon powerful reinforcements to the Taiyu Divine Continent. However, the Human Race on the continent was exceedingly powerful at the time.

One Divine Dynasty rose after another, rendering the tactics of the Alien Race largely ineffective.

By the era of the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty, the Alien Races had been reduced to little more than Servants of the Human Race, with no power to resist. Even if alien masters crossed over from other realms, they were simply hunted down by the experts of the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty and claimed as trophies.

Back then, the Human Race on the Taiyu Divine Continent was truly flourishing. Had an expert of the True Divine Level been present to oversee it, the continent could have even become a mighty Life Ancient Star. Unfortunately, a catastrophe eventually struck.

The Merak Saint Son was privy to some secrets. The Merak Sacred Land had dispatched countless people to search for Cross-Realm Teleportation Arrays, but they had failed to find any intact ones within the large-scale Secret Realms. Most were just shattered ruins; the arrays had been utterly destroyed by someone using Great Divine Techniques.

They had found similar traces in the Purple Void Secret Realm, but the result was the same, much to the deep disappointment of the Merak Saint Master and the others. This was far from the first time they had faced such a setback.

Thus, when the Merak Saint Son, Baili Xi, saw this Bloodline Sacrifice Array, his eyes lit up with joyful surprise. ’This is a way out.’ Although it differed from what the Merak Sacred Land had been looking for, this Grand Array represented a chance to leave the Taiyu Divine Continent.

If masters from the Alien Race could cross realms to come here, then they could surely use this Cross-Realm Teleportation Array to travel to a Realm better suited for Cultivation.

’Besides, this is a Bloodline Sacrifice Array,’ he mused. ’Using the bloodlines of the Alien Race leads to their masters. So, if we were to use the bloodlines of the Human Race... could we find masters of our own?’

This thought turned over and over in the Merak Saint Son’s mind, and his eyes grew increasingly bright.

’The internal strife of the Human Race is endless. People are always dying, and the casualties in those warring Dynasties are immense. The deaths of so many humans would be more than enough to activate this Bloodline Sacrifice Array.’

In the eyes of the Merak Saint Son, the lives and deaths of ordinary humans were utterly insignificant. If it meant opening a path to a higher-level Cultivation World—a Realm that could break the current limits on Cultivation—then no amount of casualties was too great a price to pay.

’I may have this idea,’ he thought, ’but this matter concerns more than just me. There’s no need for me to be the one to suggest it. Someone else will certainly make the attempt. After all, some people are far more desperate than I am.’

"Go and check. See if this Array is intact!"

The Merak Saint Son’s gaze fell upon the Array Master at his side, who had been brought here for the specific purpose of inspecting any Arrays they found.

An intact Grand Array meant it could be used immediately, allowing them to cross realms without delay.

A damaged one, on the other hand, would require lengthy repairs.

If a Grand Array was damaged beyond repair, it would only be useful for observation and research, and their only hope would be for the Array Masters to somehow recreate it.

The difficulty of such a task, however, was easy to imagine. The Merak Saint Son could guess how precious the materials required to construct a Bloodline Sacrifice Array must be. It would likely require Treasures even beyond the Top Level, and the current Taiyu Divine Continent was no longer capable of producing Treasures of that caliber.

Once the Divine Veins were destroyed, those Divine Objects were never seen again. They seemed to have vanished without a trace, a mystery that no one could solve.

"Yes, Saint Son!"

The Array Master nodded quickly upon hearing the command.

Although an Array Master’s status was not low, it was still a cut below that of a Pharmacist, lacking their transcendent position.

Martial Arts Cultivation could proceed without an Array Master, but not without a Pharmacist. This was the fundamental difference and the reason for their disparity in status.

The Array Master took out several tools while a few assistants helped him arrange some stone discs. They then placed these near the blood-red Grand Array and began their inspection.

Following the Array Master’s instructions, they didn’t get too close, maintaining a safe distance.

The bloody aura surrounding the Grand Array was overwhelmingly dense. Anyone who got too close would be overcome by it, drawn into the array, and turned into an unwitting sacrifice. After countless blood sacrifices, the array had developed a sort of primal consciousness, becoming a truly terrifying entity.

A broken or incomplete Array would pose no threat, but testing that theory would mean risking one’s life. Such a direct provocation could also awaken the Grand Array, and the consequences could be catastrophic, affecting a much wider area.

Their goal was to inspect the Grand Array, not to awaken it. If it revived and an Alien Race master—one above the Martial Saint Realm—suddenly appeared, they would all meet a bitter end in these ruins.

The current Taiyu Divine Continent was unsuitable for the Cultivation of those above the Divine Acupoint Realm, but that didn’t mean a master of that level couldn’t unleash their full Combat Power upon arrival.

A being at the True Divine Level, however, would completely ignore the presence or absence of Divine Veins, for they themselves were a kind of living Divine Vein. A Realm overseen by a True God would never have to worry about such issues; as long as the True God did not fall, the Realm would exist eternally.

Countless masters on the Taiyu Divine Continent had tried to break through to this Realm before, but none had succeeded. If they had, the Divine Continent would not be in its current predicament.

As the Array Master continued his inspection, points of light began to flicker across the surface of the blood-red Grand Array.

He was using the stone discs to stimulate the Grand Array. The flashing lights were his means of checking the array’s nodes to see if they were intact and functioning properly.

If all of them lit up, it would prove the blood-red Grand Array was complete and could be used immediately. If not, it meant there were flaws that needed to be repaired.

If no points lit up at all, it meant the array was completely destroyed and utterly useless.

Since points of light were now flashing on the blood-red Grand Array, it at least proved they weren’t facing the worst-case scenario.

Seeing this, the look of joy on the Merak Saint Son’s face intensified. He had seen this Array Master use these diagnostic methods before, so he knew exactly what the lights meant.

’The position of Saint Master of the Merak Sacred Land is tempting, certainly,’ he thought. ’But compared to a world better suited for cultivation, I would gladly give it up. That is where the true future of Martial Arts lies!’