A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 148 God Born from the Sea of ​​Blood

Looking at the skull-shaped blood tower in front of him, Ning Dao's heart sank. He then raised his hand, and a white light rushed forward, but before it could touch the blood tower, it disappeared without a trace within a few feet of its perimeter.

“Fellow Daoist Ning, this Blood Tower is shrouded in blood evil on the outside, contains earth spirit within, and has a Blood Yang at its top providing a continuous source of blood energy. We must shield the Blood Yang, seal the earth veins, and sever its foundation in order to break the blood evil.”

Elder Zheng flew over and tested the waters, then immediately offered his countermeasure.

The battles outside are exceptionally fierce. Since they do not have the home advantage, they must fight quickly and decisively, otherwise all their efforts will be in vain once everything is settled.

"Fellow Daoist is right. Later, I will have someone use the 'Myriad Spirits Blood Diagram' to conceal the power of the Blood Yang. As for the earth vein sealing and blocking, I will leave that to you."

Ning Dao knew that there was no time to lose, so he immediately replied. Elder Zheng nodded upon hearing this, exchanged a few words with Elders Sun and Zhao, and then dispersed.

Seeing that Elder Zheng and the other two had already formed their battle formation, Ning Dao leaped up to be level with the Blood Tower, his eyes fixed on the Blood Sun above. He gave a shout, and with a flash of red light, the "Myriad Spirits Blood Diagram" unfolded against the wind, spreading horizontally downwards. The sky darkened instantly, and the Blood Tower, which had been overflowing with blood-red light, dimmed its radiance. At the same time, Elder Zheng and the other two also made their move.

The three worked together seamlessly, hurling down copper pillars that stood firmly around the Blood Tower, forming a triadic arrangement. Streams of light flashed, temporarily sealing off the earth's ley lines around the Blood Tower.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, you only have a quarter of an hour."

Upon hearing Elder Zheng's telepathic message, Ning Dao's heart skipped a beat. He immediately instructed Wei Feng and He Fang to handle the treasure map, only needing to maintain it for a moment.

Although Wei Feng and his companion were not skilled enough, they had the authority granted to them by Ning Dao, so they could barely manage to control the treasure map for a quarter of an hour.

Seeing that Wei Feng and the other two had stabilized the treasure map, Ning Dao had no more worries. He immediately flew forward, his eyes fixed on the skull on top of the Blood Tower. With a flick of his sleeve, more than a dozen Crimson Lightning Pearls, accompanied by rays of light, crashed into the top of the Blood Tower.

With its external forces sealed, the Blood Tower could not withstand the power of the Crimson Lightning Pearl and its divine abilities with its own strength alone. With a series of shocking explosions, the top of the Blood Tower cracked open, the Skull Fire disappeared in response, and half of the tower exploded, revealing the horrifying scene inside.

Ning Dao stared calmly at the stark white bones within the tower. He then unleashed a dozen more lightning orbs. The Blood Tower's defenses were already destroyed, leaving no resistance to the lightning orbs. In less than half a breath, all the lightning orbs landed within the tower. With a series of explosions, a bright light shone from the tower. Then, with a deafening roar, the Blood Tower vanished into a cloud of dust, its shockwaves sweeping in all directions.

The moment the Blood Tower was destroyed, Wei Feng and He Fang felt a tightness in their chests and their blood surged. If it weren't for the defense provided by the treasure map itself, this attack would have been enough to obliterate them.

Bao Tu realized the mission was complete. With a flash of blood-red light, it suddenly shrank and then brought Wei Feng and the other two to Ning Dao's side before the dust had settled.

On the other side, Elder Zheng and the other two, who were of higher cultivation, were already alert when the lightning pearl fell. So they set up their defenses. After the blood tower was destroyed, the three of them left their positions and flew into the air.

"The Blood Tower is shattered. Fellow Daoists, the Bone Plains lie ahead."

Ning Dao was filled with pride as he watched the Blood Tower being destroyed. When he saw Elder Zheng and the other two arrive, he pointed and everyone followed his direction. They saw a bright red light shining in the distance.

"There's no time to lose, Fellow Daoist Ning, let's go quickly."

Elder Zheng did not bother to check the situation behind him. With Yin Zhong there, they could seize the opportunity.

Just as everyone was preparing to head to the Corpse Plains, Elder Zheng suddenly felt a tremor in his heart and immediately shouted, "Everyone, be careful!"

As soon as the sound ended, clusters of blood-red demonic flames suddenly appeared in the smoke and dust, densely packed and looking extremely eerie.

Ning Dao's eyes narrowed slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, the smoke and dust dissipated in the breeze, revealing the true form inside: a series of floating skeletons, especially the last one, which was a giant ghost face composed of countless skeletons.

At this moment, the skeletons burst into flames, forming an insurmountable defensive line. Seeing this, Elder Sun reached out and sent a sword light rushing forward, shattering a skeleton without any hindrance. However, the sword light also dissipated in response.

To everyone's astonishment, the shattered skull automatically regenerated and slowly merged into the giant ghost face. Blood and fire suddenly blazed in the empty eyes of the ghost face before returning to calm. However, Ning Dao and Elder Zheng were both perceptive and immediately noticed the change.

"With each skeleton it devours, its power grows stronger. If we don't eliminate these skeletons, we'll struggle to get past it. But if we actually give in to its desires, it will become an enormous obstacle."

Elder Zheng was also on high alert. This ghost-faced skeleton was much more difficult to deal with than the Blood Tower. The Blood Tower was inanimate, but this thing was alive. However, no matter what, they had to make a breakthrough in this battle.

Ning Dao casually released a Crimson Lightning Pearl, but it landed in the skull without causing a ripple, as if the pearl had failed.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, let me break the formation this time."

Seeing that the Crimson Thunder Pearl had no effect, Elder Zheng had a thought: this ghost face was not afraid of extremely yang and intense things, so could it be that it clashed with extremely yin and cold things?

Thinking of this, Elder Zheng raised one hand, and several white jade talismans floated in the air. As his true energy was activated, chilling frost permeated the surroundings. Even Ning Dao felt a chill and stared in horror at the jade talismans in Elder Zheng's hand.

"The True Martial Hall is truly generous, readily producing such treasures. Compared to them, the Crimson Thunder Pearl seems rather insignificant."

With a shout, Elder Zheng's four "Ice Dragon Sword Talismans" flashed white light, and four frost ice dragons, baring their fangs and claws, rushed towards the Skeleton Demon Fire with a chilling aura. Before the chilling aura even arrived, it had already made the Skeleton Demon Fire sway uncontrollably, instantly suppressing their evil power.

Upon seeing this, the giant ghost-faced skeleton opened its mouth and spat out four smaller ghost-faced skeletons to meet the ice dragon. The eerie demonic fire clashed with the biting frost, and the frost froze the demonic fire. The ice dragon shattered the skeletons, and the skeletons in front were instantly frozen in a large area. Even the giant ghost-faced skeleton behind was affected. If it hadn't retreated in time, it would have been frozen in the same way.

"Elder Zheng, what a precious treasure!"

Upon seeing this, Ning Dao immediately exclaimed in admiration, "This treasure has rendered its power with a single strike; it is truly remarkable."

"This item was also bestowed by the Supreme Being. I originally thought I wouldn't need it, but unexpectedly, this treasure proved useful in the end."

Elder Zheng was also using this item for the first time, and he was shocked to see this.

With his mind focused, he used his true energy to control the ice dragon and surround the last ghost-faced skeleton.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, I will handle this. You all hurry to the Corpse Plains."

Seeing the four ice dragons surrounding the ghost-faced skull, Elder Zheng spoke to Ning Dao and the others.

Upon hearing this, Ning Dao nodded and immediately left. Elders Sun and Zhao, following Elder Zheng's signal, also left.

The ghost-faced skeleton had become sentient. When it saw the group crossing its defenses, it immediately tried to stop them. But Elder Zheng wouldn't give it the chance. He formed hand seals, and four ice dragons stood guard, preventing the group from escaping. As Ning Dao and the others walked further and further away, the ghost-faced skeleton let out a long howl, a ghostly wail.

A powerful sonic wave swept in all directions. The ice dragon paused, and dozens of skeletons exploded. One ice dragon was caught off guard and shattered on the spot, but the scattered ice shards turned into sharp ice arrows that flew towards the ghost-faced skeleton.

The ghost-faced skeleton, having used sonic waves, was also severely weakened. Its originally raging ghost fire had also diminished considerably. Now, attacked by ice arrows, it could only forcibly deploy dozens of skeletons to form a defense in front of it and withstand the attack.

Upon seeing this, Elder Zheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He immediately commanded the other three ice dragons to attack from the top, bottom, and left sides, while he blocked the right side. A dazzling sword beam shot straight towards the eyes of the ghost-faced skull.

The ice arrows broke through the defenses with unstoppable force, striking the ghost-faced skeleton with undiminished power, creating a shocking explosion. Although the skeleton was unharmed by the impact, its movement was hindered, and four deadly attacks arrived simultaneously, hitting the ghost-faced skeleton's eyes directly. The ice dragons crashed down, scattering into a sky full of ice arrows, scraping away at the skeleton's bones and scales, weaving back and forth among the ghost-faced skeletons.

The ghostly skull was inherently incompatible with the frost and ice. When it was swept by thousands of sword energies, the ice instantly turned into ice shards and fragments. One by one, the skulls vanished like smoke. In the end, only the two balls of blood fire in its eyes remained. Under the erosion of the frost, they were completely extinguished in just two or three breaths.

The ghost-faced skull vanished without a trace, and Elder Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Ice Dragon Sword Talisman had been used, it was worthwhile. Just as he was about to go to support Ning Dao and the others, he suddenly heard Yin Zhong's voice from below. He immediately moved and landed.

Zheng Changlai

Yin Zhong was pleasantly surprised to see Elder Zheng descending from the sky, and hurriedly ran over.

"Master Yin, what's behind us...?"

Elder Zheng felt a pang of sadness upon seeing Yin Zhong's dusty appearance and the missing piece of his armor.

Even a master like Yin Zhong is in such a state; the situation for others can only be worse. "The rear is relatively stable. The series of explosions just now... those blood puppets, for some unknown reason, fought fiercely for a while, then suddenly became incredibly vulnerable, which allowed us to achieve our victory."

Yin Zhong quickly explained the situation, and Elder Zheng's expression softened. Then, remembering that Ning Dao and the others were still inside, he spoke a few words with Yin Zhong before quickly heading deeper into the Corpse Bone Plain.

Seeing Elder Zheng leave, Yin Zhong felt relieved. Soon, more and more people arrived. Seeing that less than 30% of the people had survived, Yin Zhong had no time to sigh. After gathering everyone, he headed in the direction Elder Zheng had indicated.

Deep within the Corpse Plains, within the Blood Cocoon, the Blood God sensed that several lines of defense had been breached. His heart sank; he hadn't expected these people to possess some skill, though they too had suffered losses.

"The blood and qi of these martial artists are indeed more intense than those of ordinary people. With this person's help, I can emerge from seclusion a little earlier. As for those who are trying to break through the barrier, let's talk about them after they can get through the sea of ​​blood."

Three miles outside the Corpse Plain, Ning Dao and the others stopped and looked at the vast sea of ​​blood floating in front of them. Ghosts and blood spirits wandered back and forth in it from time to time, and eerie chants made people's hearts tremble.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, this Sea of ​​Blood is not easy to cross. Getting trapped in it would be extremely dangerous."

Elder Sun focused his gaze on the flowing sea of ​​blood before him, his heart heavy. This was the final barrier, but its danger was far greater than anything he had faced before.

Ning Dao naturally knew how powerful this sea of ​​blood was. Not only was it filled with bloodthirsty energy, but it also contained sinister and evil things. If one was not careful, one could become the essence of the sea of ​​blood and never be able to transcend it.

With a flick of his finger, a beam of white light shot up, tearing through the fabric like a sharp blade. With a hissing sound, a gash appeared in the sea of ​​blood, revealing the blood cocoon hidden behind it. As it throbbed, it continuously absorbed spiritual light, its color growing ever more vibrant.

In less than half a breath, the sea of ​​blood returned to its original state. It seemed that Ning Dao's actions had angered the sea of ​​blood. Waves surged, and blood spirits flew out from within, attacking Ning Dao.

Seeing this, Ning Dao's eyes sharpened. He reached out and flicked his wrist, and the sword at his waist flashed with black light. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as sword beams struck the Blood Souls, shattering them into pieces. However, although the Blood Souls scattered, they continued to emerge from the Sea of ​​Blood. Soon, hundreds and thousands of Blood Souls flew into the air and attacked the group.

"Remember to never let the blood essence invade your body."

Upon hearing Ning Dao's voice, Elder Sun and Elder Zhao dodged, each wielding a weapon. With a few slashes, several enormous blood spirits vanished into thin air. However, neither Elder Sun nor Elder Zhao showed any joy.

Having only killed a few Blood Souls, his own treasured weapon was already covered with a faint blood aura. If it weren't for the protection of the treasure's light, it would probably have turned into a pile of scrap metal by now.

"This thing can corrode spiritual objects, Elder Sun. Don't touch it directly; use lightning magic to counter it."

Elder Sun channeled his true energy, causing the sword to tremble slightly, shaking off the blood energy. With a flash of clear light, the azure sword light had already severed three blood spirits.

Upon hearing this, Elder Zhao immediately nodded. Although the beast-headed sword in his hand was bestowed by the Supreme Being and possessed extraordinary power, his cultivation was insufficient to unleash its full potential. If he were to lose this item, he would have no face to face the Supreme Being.

Upon hearing Elder Sun's words, he immediately changed his technique and used a thunder magic he was not very familiar with. A dark light swept across the blade, and several blood spirits were torn apart by the lightning before they could react.

Seeing this scene, Ning Dao, who was confronting Xue Po, was filled with envy. He knew that using lightning to defeat enemies was the easiest thing to do, but the art of lightning was difficult to learn, and he had not even mastered it yet.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, Fellow Daoist Zhao, please increase your efforts! Use your lightning to break through the sea of ​​blood, and we'll all rush in together!"

Since the Zhenwu Hall side possessed thunder magic, that was perfect. They immediately flicked their sleeves, and several crimson thunder pearls were flung towards the sea of ​​blood. After several explosions, a gap was blasted open in the sea of ​​blood.

Seeing that the opportunity was not to be missed, Elder Sun and Elder Zhao immediately used their lightning to blast the gap open again. Lightning flashed at the gap in the sea of ​​blood, preventing it from closing. Seeing this, everyone abandoned the invasion of the blood spirit and flew quickly toward the gap.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

A whirlpool suddenly appeared in the sea of ​​blood, and the surrounding blood flowed straight into it. The people who were flying suddenly felt a weight on their bodies, and the powerful suction force continuously pulled them towards the whirlpool.

Upon seeing this, Elder Sun's expression changed, and he immediately took action. Several yellow lights flashed, and as the light dissipated, several copper pillars suddenly grew larger, firmly holding the vortex in place. The suction force immediately weakened, and Elder Sun's figure accelerated instantly, using his sword light to break through the sea of ​​blood. He was the first to pass through the obstacle and land on the ground.

Just after Elder Sun passed through, Ning Dao and Elder Zhao also seized the opportunity and passed through one after another. However, Wei Feng and He Fang were not so lucky. With a vortex, several copper pillars were torn to shreds. The two men's expressions changed drastically, and they immediately used their life-protecting blood talismans to escape back before being sucked into the vortex.

As the bloody light dissipated, Wei Feng, pale-faced, stared at the churning sea of ​​blood before him, a wave of horror washing over him. This thing was truly powerful; if it weren't for his keen senses, even with his life-protecting talisman, he would have been doomed if he had fallen into the vortex.

"呲"

With a single sword strike, Wei Feng and He Fang cleaved the approaching blood spirits. Back to back, they warily observed the surrounding blood spirits, their hearts heavy. They didn't know what the situation was like behind them. Although their master had successfully passed the test, the Blood God was no easy opponent, and having more manpower would be beneficial.

The protective aura was already teetering on the brink of collapse, and it seemed that the two of them were about to perish at the hands of the Blood Soul. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck, scattering the surrounding Blood Souls. Wei Feng looked up and saw that it was Elder Zheng.

"Senior, the commander and the others have already passed through the Sea of ​​Blood. Be careful of the vortex's suction force."

Elder Zheng nodded upon hearing this and immediately tossed out a bottle of pills.

"This is a Qi-Nourishing Pill. Don't go over there yet. Master Yin and the others should be arriving soon. Stay here and provide support."

"Yes, junior obeys."

Elder Zheng looked at the swirling sea of ​​blood before him, reached out and took a wisp of white cloud in his hand. With a wave of his hand, the cloud scattered and collided with the sea of ​​blood. However, Wei Feng could clearly see that the cloud was gradually swallowed up by the sea of ​​blood and eventually disappeared. But judging from Elder Zheng's confident expression, he guessed that the senior must have some backup plan.

Just as the clouds were swallowed by the sea of ​​blood, Elder Zheng's eyes flashed. After sensing for a moment, he pointed his finger and revealed a portal in front of the sea of ​​blood. Upon seeing this, Elder Zheng quickly leaped into the air, and the vortex had no effect whatsoever.

Wei Feng and He Fang both showed surprise. The cloud looked nothing special, but they didn't expect it to have such an effect.

Unbeknownst to them, the cloud of mist was called "Immediate Departure Clouds and Smoke," specifically designed to detect weaknesses in array formations and illusions, while also briefly disrupting spiritual energy, which allowed Elder Zheng to cross the sea of ​​blood so easily.

Just as Zheng Changlai flew over the sea of ​​blood, thunder rumbled in the Corpse Plains, accompanied by starlight and lightning. Elder Zheng immediately recognized that the lightning was unleashed by Elder Sun Zhang, and with a flash of light, he accelerated towards the battlefield.

When Elder Zheng arrived at the battleground, all he saw was a crimson expanse, with the blood-red sun shining in the sky, but the space was dim. He saw three figures flying up and down, constantly fighting with a group of blood-souled ghosts.

Upon Elder Zheng's arrival, Ning Dao and the others sensed something and immediately withdrew.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, look, that's the Earthly Element Node, but because of these Blood Souls blocking it, we can't pass through for the time being."

Ning Dao casually shattered the Blood Soul with a sword strike, then looked at the enormous blood cocoon not far away.

Upon hearing this, Elder Zheng nodded to Elder Sun, who then gave a deep shout. The longsword in his hand suddenly shone brightly, and a dazzling radiance rose like the sun, even obscuring the light of the Blood Sun in the sky.

At this time, Elder Sun's supernatural power, the "Sword Light Heavenly Sun" technique, could dispel darkness and extinguish evil spirits, but it consumed a great deal of vital energy, and he would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

The radiance spread everywhere, and the Blood Soul could not break through for a while. Ning Dao and the other three immediately took advantage of the situation and rushed towards the Earth Element Node.

Sensing danger, the Blood Cocoon shook, and suddenly crimson spikes shot up from the ground, rapidly rising and stabbing towards Ning Dao and his companions, forcing them to dodge constantly.

After traveling more than half the distance, Elder Sun's true energy was exhausted, and he withdrew his supernatural powers. The blood spirits surrounding him seized the opportunity and rushed over quickly. When Ning Dao saw this, he waved his hand, and the Myriad Spirits Blood Diagram in his hand transformed into a blood pool. The blood spirits threw themselves into it, but they couldn't even splash a drop of water.

Seeing Ning Dao block Xue Po, Elder Zheng rode his escape light and led the four of them to quickly approach the Earth Node. After a short while, the four landed safely.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, these are all the Thunder Pearls I have left. I entrust them all to you. This treasure map can only last for half an hour."

Ning Dao held the treasure map, and with a thought, a cloth bag fell into Elder Zheng's hands.

Elder Zheng, watching the ever-increasing amount of blood essence, said in a deep voice, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)