Chapter 1173: The Blood Sacrifice Assembly

Just as the thirty-six Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords merged with the通天 Sword Diagram, a loud rumble erupted from the diagram's surface, and a powerful devouring force suddenly emerged.

The thirty-six Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords vanished into thin air, and all the nearby lightning sword qi also disappeared in an instant, all absorbed into the通天 Sword Diagram.

Seeing this, Han Li was stunned.

At that moment, his expression suddenly changed, as the immortal spiritual power within him poured out like floodwaters bursting through a dam, sucked away by the通天 Sword Diagram. In the blink of an eye, nearly thirty percent was drained.

The surrounding天地 yuanqi also converged in a swarm, pouring into the通天 Sword Diagram.

Not only that, but the void near the diagram flickered, and thick bolts of lightning appeared from the air, merging into the diagram as well.

Witnessing this, Han Li showed a surprised expression but did not stop the diagram from devouring his immortal spiritual power; instead, he continued to fully activate the diagram's operation.

At this moment, in the midair outside the Eight Desolations Mountain, the天地 yuanqi churned violently, and large swaths of thick black clouds gathered, soon completely covering the entire sky.

Then a fierce wind arose, and thick lightning serpents appeared within the clouds, with thunder and lightning flashing.

These thick bolts of lightning were completely different from ordinary lightning, exuding waves of lightning law fluctuations. A vast pressure emanated from the clouds, pressing down.

Such a commotion naturally did not go unnoticed by the various races on the Eight Desolations Mountain.

Spiritual light flickered in various places on the mountain, and figures shot out one after another, pointing at the black clouds and lightning in the sky, discussing incessantly.

"What is happening? Why has it suddenly become so overcast!"

"Could it be that some fellow daoist has advanced in cultivation and is about to undergo a lightning tribulation?"

"I think not. Although the aura of these thunderclouds is terrifying, it doesn't seem like a lightning tribulation. It appears to be a天地 upheaval triggered by some great divine ability!"

The various races speculated endlessly about the origin of the thunderclouds in the sky, but to no avail. Fortunately, the black clouds and lightning only churned in midair and did not descend, allowing the races to breathe a sigh of relief.

Soon, the Great Luo existences of the various races were also alarmed, and they cast spells to investigate the source and cause of the thunderclouds in midair.

However, their investigations were blocked by a powerful time law force.

This time law force was immense, and no matter how they cast spells to probe, they could not break through.

At the top of the Eight Desolations Mountain, Bai Ze walked out of the great hall, glanced at the thunderclouds in the sky, and furrowed his brow slightly.

He then closed his eyes briefly, quickly opened them, and looked toward the courtyard where Han Li resided, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"The little fellow has quite a few tricks up his sleeve," Bai Ze praised, then turned and walked back into the great hall.

…

Inside the Flower Branch Space, Han Li was unaware that his activation of the通天 Sword Diagram had triggered such celestial phenomena.

He continued to activate the diagram, but his face had turned somewhat pale.

By now, half of the immortal spiritual power within him had been drained.

…

Time passed, and more than a few years went by.

Because the various races of the Wilds gathered faster than Bai Ze had anticipated, he announced that the Blood Sacrifice Assembly would be held earlier than planned.

Once the date was set, with half a year remaining before the assembly, the entire Town Desolation City was placed under martial law. The number of guards at each city gate was increased severalfold, and everyone was only allowed to leave, not enter.

One morning, after the sound of a kui-hide war drum echoed three times through the city, the entire Town Desolation City began to tremble violently. Arrays of talisman light lit up on the surrounding city walls, and ancient runes bearing the aura of primordial wilds spread across the walls. A dark red glow began to emanate over the entire city.

Han Li and Xiao Bai emerged from the courtyard just in time to see red light rising from all corners of the city, like giant pillars reaching into the sky, then bursting open like fireworks, forming a dark red barrier that spread across the dome of the sky.

Including the Eight Desolations Mountain and the entire Town Desolation City, an area spanning tens of thousands of li was covered by this barrier.

The Blood Sacrifice Assembly was finally about to begin!

Han Li frowned slightly at the dark red barrier, and with a flicker of crystal light in his eyes, a strand of his divine sense separated and headed outside Town Desolation City.

The moment his divine sense touched the barrier, a sharp pain shot through his brow, and that strand of divine sense dissipated into nothingness in an instant.

After this brief test, Han Li made no further moves, but a shadow of gloom settled over his heart.

This barrier outside the city was certainly no ordinary thing. If any变故 occurred during the Blood Sacrifice Assembly, many of the escape methods he had originally envisioned might fail. However, with the corporeal translocation technique at his disposal, he still had some confidence.

But the cost of using this technique was ultimately too great; it would be best to avoid it if possible.

"What's wrong? Is something amiss?" Seeing Han Li's expression change, Xiao Bai asked with some concern.

"It's nothing. Don't worry, I'm here," Han Li said with a smile, ruffling Xiao Bai's head.

Xiao Bai said nothing, only lowering his head slightly.

Ever since learning that he bore the bloodline of the Ink-Eyed Pixiu, he had become somewhat silent, less lively than before. He felt both anticipation and unease about the Blood Sacrifice Assembly.

"Let's go. It's about time; we should ascend the mountain," Han Li called out, leading Xiao Bai toward a square at the foot of the mountain.

Before they even arrived, Han Li could see from afar that a dense crowd of Wilds tribesmen had already gathered there, mainly from the Celestial Fox Clan and the Mountain-Moving Ape Clan, with the rest mostly being附属 tribes of these two clans, numbering nearly ten thousand.

Han Li led Xiao Bai through the crowd to the front of the square, where he saw Celestial Fox Clan Chief Liu Qing standing solemnly with several hundred clansmen. Beside them, the Mountain-Moving Ape Clan had a similar number, also several hundred.

Like the Celestial Fox Clan, the Mountain-Moving Ape Clan was one of the sixteen great Wilds clans, bearing the bloodline of one of the eight ancient True Spirit Kings, the Mountain Giant Ape. However, through generations of inheritance, their divine abilities had long since fallen far short of their ancestors.

Although they still possessed mountain-moving and sea-filling divine powers, their bloodline had gradually thinned, causing their status among the sixteen great Wilds clans to decline, and they had become the bottom-dwellers.

As for the appearance of the Mountain-Moving Ape Clan, they somewhat resembled the Qing Apes, but their size was much smaller. Their fur was a bluish-black color, and they had protruding棘骨 on their shoulders. They did not look as ferocious as the Qing Apes, and their eyes had a faint golden luster, giving them a rather mystical appearance.

At their head was an ape elder with a somewhat hunched figure, wearing a white robe. His face was covered in wrinkles, and his eyes had two extremely long white eyebrows hanging down, giving him an aged and decrepit look, as if he were on the verge of death.

The Celestial Fox Clan and the Mountain-Moving Ape Clan stood on opposite sides of the square, clearly separated, suggesting that their relationship was not close.

Before Han Li and Xiao Bai had even approached, Liu Le'er spotted them, a smile spreading across her face as she moved to walk over.

"Today's assembly is a matter of great importance; don't act rashly," Liu Qing scolded her in a low voice before she could move.

Liu Le'er could only stick out her tongue and stand still, looking somewhat disgruntled.

Han Li smiled and nodded at her, then, under the curious gazes of those around him, led Xiao Bai to the front of the square with a composed expression.

Among the Mountain-Moving Ape Clan, there was one whose physique was noticeably inferior to the others, only half the height of an adult, with fur that was pure white, unlike the rest. This creature seemed attracted by Han Li and Xiao Bai, looking at them with great curiosity.

Xiao Bai was displeased by his stare and bared his teeth, making a threatening gesture.

The creature turned out to be quite timid; frightened by Xiao Bai's display, he hid behind a tall clansman beside him.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai found it somewhat amusing, and his expression relaxed.

Then, the little white ape peeked out from behind the clansman, looking toward them and grinning.

"Fellow Daoist Han, although the king has specially permitted you to observe the assembly on the Eight Desolations Mountain, today is still a rare and great event for our Wilds tribes. There are some matters I need to inform you of in advance," Liu Qing suddenly spoke up.

"Senior, please speak. I am all ears," Han Li said.

"In a moment, the撞天钟 will sound at the mountain top, and the Wilds tribes will ascend from the eight ancient登山 paths around the Eight Desolations Mountain. Reaching the summit is not easy; the paths are set with restrictions by the eight ancient kings, which suppress all living beings. Even the physically robust Wilds beasts may not be able to withstand them. So I advise you to act within your means and not overexert yourself," Liu Qing said after a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you for the warning, Senior. I will keep that in mind," Han Li nodded.

After speaking, he glanced at Liu Le'er and Xiao Bai. Neither of them was known for their physical strength; wouldn't they suffer greatly during the ascent?

"Don't worry about them. For descendants bearing the bloodline of the eight ancient kings, the stronger their bloodline power, the less they need to worry about suppression. Compared to others, their climb will only be easier," Liu Qing said.

Hearing this, Han Li relaxed and felt at ease.

He looked up at the towering mountain before him. The entire peak was shrouded in a dark red glow. A stone-paved ancient path, carved into the mountain, was a thousand zhang wide, standing like a giant ladder almost vertically before him, and his heart stirred with emotion.

"Dong, dong, dong"

At that moment, three resounding bell tolls rang out from the mountain top.

Visible ripples in the void spread from the summit, sweeping outward in all directions.

Seeing this, Han Li's heart stirred slightly.

These ripples seemed to contain a very unique波动. As they rippled over his head, he felt as if his true spirit bloodline had been awakened, moving through his body on its own without his urging.

After steadying himself, he looked around at the others. Each person's aura had surged, as if guided by a mysterious force, and faint pink mist emanated from their bodies.