After traversing a long corridor and making a wide detour, Han Li and the others bypassed the main hall of the ancestral temple and directly entered the rear hall.
In a concealed chamber within the hall, there was a white stone staircase slanting deep underground. At the entrance of the staircase, several covert guards stood watch with vigilance. Xu Jiao waved his hand, and the guards immediately bowed and stepped aside.
The group proceeded down the dimly lit staircase. The passage was shadowy, with intermittent gusts of cold air rising from below. Along the walls, fist-sized moonstones were embedded at intervals, casting flickering light that made the corridor seem eerie, as if haunted by phantoms.
Fortunately, the staircase was not overly long. After a short while, they emerged into a meticulously designed underground grand hall.
Han Li swept his gaze around and narrowed his eyes slightly.
The entire hall was constructed from pale black jade, spanning three to four hundred zhang in area. The walls and ceiling were inscribed with intricate, mysterious white runes that emitted a soft glow, illuminating the hall as brightly as daylight.
Yet the most striking feature was an exquisitely crafted hexagonal platform at the center, resembling a pool. The platform was encircled by a massive formation.
Within the platform, a circular pool was filled with a strange, deep-red liquid. Despite its appearance, there was no scent of blood—instead, a rich fragrance wafted from the pool.
Around the grand formation, over a dozen Xu Clan cultivators sat cross-legged in meditation, forming a ring around the hexagonal platform. Among them were Xu Yan and Xu Huo, whom Han Li had met before.
“Greetings, Senior Han! We thank you for aiding our Xu Clan!” The two Xu Clan cultivators, both at the Void Refinement stage, immediately rose and bowed deeply upon seeing Han Li enter the hall accompanied by Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao.
“Hold your gratitude for now. Whether I can truly be of assistance remains to be seen,” Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
Xu Jiao, the clan leader, paid no heed to Han Li’s modesty. Instead, he gestured for the other Xu Clan cultivators to greet Han Li as well.
These cultivators—men and women, some appearing in their thirties or forties, others with snow-white hair—all possessed Nascent Soul-stage cultivation, marking them as the true core members of the Xu Clan.
They had already been stealing awed glances at Han Li, clearly aware that he was a Body Integration-stage cultivator. Upon their clan leader’s command, they rose in unison and bowed deeply.
Han Li waved dismissively before turning his attention to the blood pool, his expression one of keen interest.
“This was constructed according to the Blood Soul Grand Method. The spiritual liquid in the pool is a fusion of the essence blood of our Xu Clan members and numerous rare spiritual herbs. It is not only essential for awakening the Blood Soul but also helps slow its dissipation by harnessing the pool’s blood energy,” Xu Yuan explained quietly.
“I see. However, the most crucial element of the awakening ritual lies beneath the liquid, correct? Without it, no matter how much spiritual liquid is present or how profound the formation, the Blood Soul Secret Art would be nearly impossible to perform,” Han Li remarked coolly, his pupils flashing with a faint blue light.
“Senior’s insight is unparalleled. Beneath the liquid lies our Xu Clan’s treasure, the ‘Blood Crystal Coffin.’ Without it, we cannot condense the blood body necessary for the Blood Soul to inhabit,” Xu Yuan replied, his expression flickering briefly before returning to normal.
“Blood Crystal Coffin! Heh, I think I understand the nature of this awakening ritual now,” Han Li mused, his gaze sweeping over the grand formation several times before he chuckled softly, as if recalling something.
“Senior truly comprehends it?” Xu Huo and Xu Yan exchanged doubtful glances, finding it hard to believe that Han Li could grasp the ritual’s intricacies after just a few glances, despite their clan’s exhaustive preparations.
Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao also looked surprised.
“There’s no need for astonishment. This ritual bears similarities to a foreign cultivation method I once encountered—different in execution but sharing the same underlying principles,” Han Li said, his smile fading.
In his mind, he recalled a foreign cultivation scripture he had studied during his time in Tian Yun. Though the foreign race was obscure, their technique involved splitting the soul into multiple fragments. If even one fragment entered a specially prepared body, it could replicate an identical avatar.
The technique had seemed extraordinary, and its incantations bore some resemblance to human cultivation methods. Han Li had eagerly copied it at the time, only to later discover that its success hinged on a unique innate talent of that foreign race. Without it, attempting the technique would invite backlash.
Thus, he had reluctantly abandoned it.
Though the foreign race’s method differed in details from the Xu Clan’s ritual, the principles of soul division and reattachment to a new body were strikingly similar.
Originally, Han Li had only been 30-40% confident in assisting the ritual. But now, after recognizing the parallels, he felt his confidence rise to 70-80%.
Of course, he had no intention of sharing these thoughts.
Under the watchful eyes of the Xu Clan cultivators, he slowly circled the blood pool and the formation, his gaze never leaving them.
“Very well. I will intervene at the appropriate moment. Proceed with the ritual as planned,” Han Li said after completing several rounds. Without another word, he walked to a corner of the hall, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
Xu Jiao frowned slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he seemed about to speak when Xu Yuan’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear via sound transmission. Though brief, the words made the clan leader pause. After a brief hesitation, he abandoned his intention to speak and instead joined the other Xu Clan cultivators in the formation, sitting in meditation around the platform.
Time passed slowly. Outside, the sky over the mountain range gradually darkened as night fell.
As evening deepened, the Xu Clan cultivators, who had been meditating, began to stir. Many couldn’t resist glancing at the platform, their expressions peculiar.
Before long, Xu Yuan, Xu Jiao, and the others also opened their eyes and fixed their gazes on the platform.
After an indeterminate period, the ceiling of the grand hall suddenly blazed with light. The white runes began to flow, swiftly forming several small, simple formations.
A resonant hum filled the air as the formations trembled, releasing milky-white beams that struck the hexagonal platform below, vanishing into the blood pool in a flash.
Han Li’s eyes snapped open.
Simultaneously, the previously placid blood pool erupted into a frenzy. A strange vortex appeared at its center, spinning rapidly. Amid the crimson waves, silver runes of varying sizes flickered mysteriously.
“The time has come! Activate the formation!” Xu Yuan’s thunderous shout reverberated through the hall.
The Xu Clan cultivators responded in unison, their hands forming seals as they chanted incantations.
A series of muffled booms echoed as the formation flared to life, releasing eighteen thick, blood-red beams that shot upward, vanishing into the ceiling.
Xu Yuan, Xu Huo, and Xu Yan, as Void Refinement cultivators, occupied the three most critical nodes of the formation. As the others chanted, the three each produced a small crimson banner.
With a breath, the banners stood upright and began to spin rapidly.
The three Void Refinement cultivators, evidently well-practiced, bit their tongues and spat out globs of essence blood. The blood instantly transformed into mist, enveloping the banners.
A sharp whine sounded as the banners absorbed the mist, swelling rapidly into massive, blood-red standards, each as thick as a bowl and radiating overwhelming killing intent.
Waves of bloody light surged from the banners, merging with the formation’s energy and enveloping the blood pool.
The scent of blood and the strange fragrance intertwined, forming an intoxicating, soporific aroma.
At that moment, as if drawn by this peculiar aura, a deep, rumbling sound emerged from the depths of the vortex. A massive, flame-like crimson light rose slowly, revealing a blood-red crystal coffin floating within.
The sight of the coffin elicited grave expressions from the Xu Clan cultivators. Their bodies shimmered with spiritual light, some even trembling as they pushed their mana to the limit.
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