Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1288 - 698: Innate Origin Blood and Fighting Back

"That is certainly good news." Emperor Jiang spoke with a casual air, though his eyes remained glued to the Blood Pool Bone Tree. His gaze burned with a fervent intensity, as if he were staring at a supreme treasure beyond all value.

Standing completely naked, Zhao Sheng naturally felt a sense of discomfort. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a layer of purple Scale Armor that seemed to "grow" directly from his skin. The suit of armor traced the lines of his physique perfectly, manifesting a style that was both ancient and majestic. The rhombus-shaped scales gave off a heavy, steadfast impression, radiating a sense of absolute invincibility.

His physical form had undergone a radical evolution after being tempered by the blood pool. Not only had the strength of his Original Spirit nearly doubled, but his Primordial Cells had successfully shattered the first layer of the Origin shackles. This allowed him to gain the preliminary ability to shift his form freely among six distinct bloodlines.

It was true!

Currently, Zhao Sheng’s body housed six different bloodlines. Among them, the Human Clan bloodline had grown significantly thinner and lost its absolute dominance. Following it were the Thunder Roaring Lion Bloodline, the Primordial Flood Dragon, the Sun and Moon Divine Ape, the Sea-covering Roc, and a final, mysterious bloodline so faint it was nearly imperceptible.

Using his Spiritual Sense to inspect his internal state, he observed a tiny fraction of "Primordial Cells" shimmering with a subtle golden light. They carried an aura of profound mystery and an unrivaled sense of majesty.

This trace of golden radiance appeared quite similar to the Original Spirit, yet it was actually a "power" of a much higher order.

This layer of golden light acted as a barrier against any deeper investigation, which only served to fuel Zhao Sheng’s curiosity.

Nevertheless, this newly forged body contained too many "treasures" to uncover. He could explore them at his own pace in the future; there was no need to rush now.

The most pressing matter was deciding how to handle Emperor Jiang.

"I once believed that 'Innate Origin Blood' was merely a myth concocted by our predecessors. Seeing it today, however, I realize their words were the absolute truth. Kui Niu, you have truly stumbled upon a legendary stroke of luck!"

Emperor Jiang crept toward the edge of the blood pool with great caution. He suddenly looked up at the pulsating tree of flesh and bone, his voice thick with both admiration and a sense of profound regret.

"Oh? What exactly is this Innate Origin Blood?" Zhao Sheng felt his heart race at those words, but he quickly feigned "curiosity" to probe for more information.

After pacing around the perimeter of the Blood Pool Bone Wall, Emperor Jiang returned to stand beside Zhao Sheng. He began his explanation: "My understanding of Innate Origin Blood is limited, but ancient texts claim it possesses the power to turn decay into the miraculous... The Immortal Venerable once mentioned the source of such blood, claiming it often originates from the Source Blood shed by the direct descendants of Primordial Ancestors. Its value is simply beyond any description."

Hearing this, Zhao Sheng felt his heart sink even further as a premonition of danger intensified within him.

"Brother Emperor Jiang, this blood pool is vast, and there must be plenty of Source Blood residue remaining. If you don't mind, brother..."

Before Zhao Sheng could finish his sentence, the entire space surrounding the pool began to vibrate violently. The tremors grew more aggressive by the second. Thunderous cracks echoed from the ice walls above and around them, mimicking the onset of a massive earthquake.

"What is happening!" Both Zhao Sheng and Emperor Jiang were caught off guard.

The shaking of the earth became more turbulent, and massive fissures tore through the ice walls. These cracks expanded rapidly before the walls collapsed with a deafening roar. Vast quantities of ice shards rained down toward the blood pool, threatening to bury Zhao Sheng and Emperor Jiang.

"This cavern is caving in! Brother, we must leave quickly!" Zhao Sheng felt a flicker of secret joy at the chaos and immediately shouted a warning.

In the following instant, the numerous fleshy vines hanging from the bone tree retracted and coiled together. They wove themselves into a shield of meat and blood, creating a tight seal over the blood pool below.

"Ha-ha! Leave? There is no path back for me!"

At that moment, Emperor Jiang looked like a gambler who had lost his mind to the stakes. He erupted into a fit of wild laughter, physically tearing through the fleshly shield before leaping headlong into the blood pool.

The shield of blood and flesh mended itself instantly, severing their ability to perceive one another.

Simultaneously, the thousand-foot-tall ice peak finally gave way. It collapsed with a thunderous crash, entombing the space of the blood pool under billions of tons of frozen debris.

Ten miles to the west, atop an ice mound shrouded in swirling mists, a figure flickered into existence.

Watching the massive ice peak crumble into ruins, Zhao Sheng was plagued by suspicion. Emperor Jiang’s words had been loaded with hidden meaning, but what was his true goal?

The blood pool wasn't going anywhere, so why was Emperor Jiang in such a frantic hurry? To call his actions reckless would be an understatement.

Through a mysterious link with his Treasure, Zhao Sheng could sense that Emperor Jiang was still very much alive and unharmed.

However, the Kui Niu Treasure began to vibrate restlessly. It sent frequent warnings of impending doom to its master, constantly urging him to return to the blood pool to personally rescue Emperor Jiang.

Rescue?

Rescuing him was out of the question!

Instead, he chose to stay where he was, waiting for Wuzhiqi, Huo Dou, and Soaring Snake to arrive and regroup while he familiarized himself with the capabilities of his new body.

It wasn't long, however, before swarms of pale Ice Demons began to converge from every direction.

The ruins of the Ice Peak were soon swarming with these creatures. They lingered about the wreckage, seemingly drawn by some powerful attraction.

After some time, the "elites" among the Ice Demons began to arrive one by one. Each made a grand, violent entrance, slaughtering the lesser hordes as the population of demons dropped at a terrifying speed.

Within the hour, the ruins were littered with the remains of the fallen. Only the three most powerful Ice Demons remained as the ultimate victors.

They shamelessly carved up the territory, quickly taking possession of this "blessed land."

Having watched the entire bloody struggle, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but gain new insights and theories regarding the nature of the Ice Demons.