A crimson world, sky and earth dyed in red. Deep within the boundless crimson river, a figure sat cross-legged, surrounded entirely by blood-like energy.
An endless sea of blood, as if alive, wildly surged into the figure’s body.
“Boom…”
In an instant, the blood sea split apart, and the figure suddenly opened his eyes. A crimson beam of light pierced through the sea of blood, reaching the heavens and earth.
“Finally, I can connect with the essence of the blood realm.”
“I’ve fulfilled your wish. Now it’s time to keep your promise.” At that moment, a voice, like divine music from the void, echoed throughout the blood realm.
The figure in the black robe was the twelfth-floor master of the Blood Killing Pavilion. A year ago, he had made a secret deal with this mysterious individual. Now, the mysterious figure had helped him connect with the blood realm and comprehend its essence, fulfilling his wish.
“Faking divinity, what do you want? Show yourself and speak to this pavilion master directly.” The Blood Killing Pavilion master’s voice was neutral, impossible to determine as male or female.
“Do you intend to break your word?” The voice from the void sounded again.
“What can you do if I do? You’re still too young.” The Blood Killing Pavilion master sneered, transformed into a streak of red light, shattered the barrier of the blood realm, and left immediately.
Silence filled the void. The mysterious figure didn’t seem angry, as if he had expected this all along.
“Hmph…” A cold snort echoed across the blood realm before gradually fading into silence.
…
Dongling Continent, the twelfth floor of the Blood Killing Pavilion.
The Blood Killing Pavilion master clenched his fists tightly. The immense power surging within him was overwhelming. Being able to connect with the blood realm’s essence was a momentous occasion. Every previous master of the Blood Killing Pavilion had longed for this, but none had succeeded.
Yet something puzzled him—just who was that mysterious figure?
His abilities were unfathomable, yet he couldn’t reveal his true form.
This was the result of repeated experiments. Therefore, the Blood Killing Pavilion master took full advantage of the situation first, while having no intention of fulfilling the other party’s request.
…
After staying at the Xuansword Pavilion for a few days, Lin Fan departed. He had already accepted Xuan Yun calmly. Sometimes, thinking about it, this feeling wasn’t so bad—once you got used to it, it felt natural enough.
There were still a few places left on the Seven Sage Treasure Map, and Lin Fan planned to search for them.
With Lin Fan’s current strength, crossing space was naturally very fast, requiring little time at all.
“The Annihilation Lands.”
This was one of the remaining locations marked on the Seven Sage Treasure Map.
The Annihilation Lands were the most perilous place on Dongling Continent. There was no sign of life here. The desolate land stretched endlessly, and even the sky was gray and oppressive.
Even sects wouldn’t bring their disciples here for training. After all, what treasures could there be in such a barren wasteland? At most, there were some fierce beasts, but nothing of real value.
Looking at the desolate expanse before him, Lin Fan could only sigh in resignation.
These Seven Sages truly knew how to hide things, always choosing such bizarre and remote places. Who knew where they had built their hidden chamber this time.
But judging from the Seven Sages’ usual habits, they would naturally hide it in the most dangerous place.
“Chick, sniff around and see where that old dog’s hidden chamber is.” Lin Fan took Chick out of his bag.
Chick landed on the ground, sniffed left and right, and immediately took off running on his two legs toward the distance.
“Although Chick doesn’t look like much, he’s really useful.” Lin Fan watched the quickly disappearing figure and sighed before taking a step forward, covering a hundred zhang in an instant, following closely behind.
“How exactly did this Annihilation Lands come into being?” Lin Fan pondered this serious question as he walked. But when he glanced sideways, his expression suddenly froze.
The range of mountains stretching for tens of thousands of zhang appeared as if some force had sliced off their peaks, leaving them flattened.
“Roar…”
Suddenly, a fierce beast erupted from the ground, opening its massive jaws and lunging toward Lin Fan.
Lin Fan didn’t even bother to react. With the current strength of his body, he could easily charge straight through and crush the beast into oblivion.
Before long, Chick stopped deep within a certain area.
Along the way, Lin Fan had encountered countless fierce beasts. For ordinary people, these beasts could be overwhelming, but to Lin Fan, they were like ants.
“Damn, it’s really spectacular.”
Lin Fan was stunned by the sight before him.
The void was pitch black, streaked with lightning. A bolt of thunder tore across the sky like a bottomless abyss, sending chills down one’s spine.
This was a naturally formed environment of the Annihilation Lands, existing for a long time without ever dissipating.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo…” Chick looked at Lin Fan, scratching the ground with his claw, as if saying, “It’s right beneath us.”
Lin Fan looked down and sighed helplessly. Just as expected, the Seven Sages had used their old trick again—building their hidden chamber underground.
He placed his palm on the ground, his true energy surging outward. With a light press, the earth trembled violently, and the ground suddenly caved in, instantly swallowing Lin Fan and Chick.
…
Looking around, Lin Fan confirmed Chick’s indication. Indeed, the Seven Sages’ hidden chamber was right here. Ahead stood a tightly closed stone door, behind which should be the hidden chamber.
Beside the stone door lay countless bones, clearly indicating that someone had come here before. But for some unknown reason, they had died here. Judging from the bones, they seemed to have been devoured by some mysterious beast.
“Bang…”
To Lin Fan, the stone door was nothing more than an obstacle. With a single kick, it was sent flying.
However, as Lin Fan stepped into the chamber, his brows slightly furrowed.
The layout of the hidden chamber was exactly the same as previous ones, yet it was completely empty.
The jade-like bones of the Seven Sages were gone, as was the brocade box that should have been on the stone table.
At this moment, Lin Fan released the old black dog from his bag.
“It seems your luck is good. Someone you called the ‘chosen one’ has already come by.” Lin Fan smiled at the old black dog.
The old black dog shook his head. His fierce gaze was gone, replaced by a look as if he were recalling something.
“Hey…” Suddenly, Lin Fan sensed a mysterious force connecting with the old black dog from the void.
“You deserve to die.”
To Lin Fan’s shock, the old black dog actually spoke.
“Whoa, it’s become sentient…” Seeing this, Lin Fan couldn’t help but exclaim, clearly not expecting such a development.
Upon hearing the old black dog’s words, Chick immediately leaped up, crowed loudly, and kicked the old black dog with one claw.
Then Chick glared fiercely at the old black dog, as if saying, “Old dog, watch your tone.”
The old black dog slammed violently against the wall but quickly stood up again, his eyes now filled with ferocity once more. “Poor fool, the end of Dongling is coming. You won’t last much longer.”
“Old dog, although I don’t understand what you’re saying, you sure sound high and mighty now. I wonder who this ‘chosen one’ is. Why don’t you let me meet him?” Lin Fan smiled.
“You won’t get the chance, because your death is near. I’ll gift you these two divine consciousnesses. As for the other hidden chambers, there’s no point in visiting them anymore. Within this past year, I’ve already retrieved everything. My greatness is beyond your imagination. Hahahaha…”
In an instant, after the old black dog finished speaking, his body suddenly began to swell.
“Hmph. Self-destructing one’s divine consciousness is so boring.” Lin Fan glanced at the old black dog, slashed open the void with one finger, and threw him into the endless void.
Then—BOOM. But that was no longer his concern.
…
“No matter what, the Seven Sages were ancient great cultivators. But what exactly is ‘ancient’? There was no ancient era in the Xuanhuang Realm. Clearly, they weren’t referring to this world.” Lin Fan fell silent, unable to figure this out. Reflecting on past events, he suddenly thought of a possibility.
Cultivation was restricted. People on Dongling couldn’t reach higher realms.
There was a barrier in the heavens and earth—this should be the ultimate cause.
“Damn it, I won’t think about it anymore. One step at a time…” As soon as complex issues came to mind, Lin Fan’s head ached. It was better to live freely and without worries.
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