Chapter 554 - 57: Death Seclusion and Surging Undercurrents

Zhuang Yuechan was heading to the Gusu Cultivation Realm for training. After seeing her off, Song Changsheng took the Five Spirits Pill and Yin Yang Profound Gold and entered a secret chamber Shen Qingxiu had prepared for him in advance to begin a life-or-death period of secluded cultivation.

On the path of cultivation, each realm was another mountain to climb.

The Purple Mansion was the third realm on the path to immortality. To overcome it required a hundred, even a thousand times more effort than all the realms before it.

Failure meant death, the obliteration of one’s cultivation, and the entry of the True Spirit into the cycle of reincarnation.

Success meant ascending to a completely different plane of existence.

Life and death could be decided in an instant.

Song Changsheng had no choice. From the day he embarked on the path of cultivation, he had faced one thorny mountain after another. He could either climb to the top, hands drenched in blood, or fall into the Abyss and be shattered to pieces.

If he succeeded this time, the Song Clan would be able to flourish for at least another four hundred years.

If he failed... everything would be over.

Song Changsheng’s secluded cultivation began in silence, causing not the slightest ripple in the Daqi Cultivation World. But beneath the calm surface, a dark undercurrent was surging...

Deep underground, within a massive palace, a slender figure lounged languidly on a blood-red throne, resting lightly. The surrounding servants attended to her with extreme caution, their very breaths slow and deliberate.

Ever since the incident at Thunder King Hall came to light, all the powers in the Daqi Cultivation World had, with a silent understanding, launched a sweeping search.

Unfortunately, the Blood Demon Sect, which had already suffered heavy losses in the battle of Luoxia City, was caught in the crossfire. Over a dozen of their strongholds, painstakingly built over many years, were uprooted, forcing them to abandon their main headquarters.

Suffering two consecutive major losses put Soul Slayer under immense pressure. Compounding this, the Small World used for hoarding resources and cultivating Bone Marrow-Feeding Insects had been destroyed a few days prior. This made the already volatile Soul Slayer even more extreme, and she would kill to vent her anger at the slightest provocation.

In recent days, the palace staff had already been replaced three times.

Under such circumstances, the servants could only be ever more cautious, terrified of angering the Lord Sect Leader and needlessly losing their lives.

Just then, a crow flapped its wings and flew in through a window, landing on the armrest of the throne. Its pair of crimson eyes was enough to strike fear into anyone who met its gaze.

Soul Slayer stirred, slowly waking. She glanced at the Blood-Eyed Crow, then at the trembling servants, and said coldly, "Be gone."

As if granted a great pardon, the servants bowed and quickly departed the palace. They had managed to survive the day.

"What have you found?" Soul Slayer’s voice betrayed no emotion, but the Blood-Eyed Crow knew that the events of late had pushed her to the absolute peak of her fury.

It got straight to the point. "After a thorough investigation, I’ve confirmed it was the work of Luoxia City."

"Luoxia City. It’s Luoxia City again!" Soul Slayer’s expression turned grim. A frigid aura radiated from her, causing the temperature in the palace to plummet. Frost even began to crystallize on the walls.

She had every right to be furious. In recent years, the Blood Demon Sect had suffered several defeats, and Luoxia City was inextricably linked to every one of them. Now, just hearing the name "Luoxia City" made Soul Slayer feel as if thorns were pricking her back.

"Hundreds of years of the Holy Sect’s planning, ruined in a single day. If we don’t retaliate, wouldn’t we be letting Luoxia City look down on us?" Soul Slayer said through gritted teeth.

"The Holy Sect has suffered grievous losses these past few years. Our strength is a pale shadow of what it once was. Unless you want to fight Luoxia City to the bitter end, ensuring mutual destruction, I advise you to abandon this notion," the Blood-Eyed Crow stated bluntly.

"Are we supposed to just let this go?" Soul Slayer glared at the Blood-Eyed Crow, a flash of murderous intent glinting in the depths of her eyes before vanishing.

The Blood-Eyed Crow remained unfazed. "Of course we won’t just let it go," it said calmly. "We may not be able to exact our full revenge just yet, but collecting a little interest is certainly possible.

According to my intelligence, besides Bai Zhengchun and his people, there are several juniors heading to the Blood Moon World.

Three of them are Loose Cultivators with no notable background. One is Zhuang Yuechan, the Direct Disciple of Muu Guibai. And the last is Song Changsheng, who has been making quite a name for himself lately."

"And your point is?" The anger on Soul Slayer’s face subsided slightly.

The Blood-Eyed Crow said coolly, "We kill them all, of course. Give Luoxia City a little warning."

"Have Chen Gou handle it. Tell him to be quick and clean, and not to disappoint me the way Blood Princess did. If he handles this matter well, he can replace Blood Princess and take command of the Bian and Ling Provinces!"

At the mention of Blood Princess, a cold glint flashed in Soul Slayer’s eyes. The Blood Demon Sect had a zero-tolerance policy for traitors, and they practiced collective punishment.

When Soulless betrayed them, Blood Princess was supposed to have been executed; at the very least, she should have been turned into a puppet.

But Soul Slayer, valuing talent, spared Blood Princess. She had intended to groom her as the new Great Guardian of the Holy Sect, on the condition that she would personally kill Soulless.

But who could have predicted that after being severely wounded and disappearing, Blood Princess would also betray the sect.

When news of this reached the sect, it nearly undermined Soul Slayer’s own position. For that reason, her hatred and fury toward Blood Princess burned even hotter than her feelings for Soulless!

"Chen Gou’s abilities are passable, but I fear the forces at his command will be stretched thin trying to deal with Song Changsheng and the Song Clan.

Moreover, my recent investigations have uncovered a detail we previously overlooked."

The Blood-Eyed Crow had contradicted her several times now, and Soul Slayer was already on the verge of erupting. However, hearing this last part, she restrained her temper and said, "Speak."

"Some time ago, the Holy Sect detected the aura of a Sacred Body in the Southwest, but it was quickly snuffed out. We investigated for a long time but found no leads.

But while investigating Song Changsheng these past few days, I discovered something. That event occurred right around the time the Song Clan was unifying Ling Province. During that campaign, they annihilated a minor sect. For some reason, a rumor began to spread that the Sect Leader of that minor sect was one of our Holy Sect’s people."