Chapter 2210: The Emergence of Lord Ming
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Soul summoning was a very complicated process. It had to be done as soon as possible. The longer the person was dead, the more difficult the process would be. It might not even work.
Once a Saint Soul dissipated, the fragments would gradually be assimilated with nature. In the end, they could not be gathered.
Zhang Ruochen was still in good condition. He had kept at least one percent of his Saint Soul. With this as a foundation, it would be relatively easy to condense the dissipated Saint Soul again.
CRASH!
Blood Empress cut her wrist and released a large amount of divine blood.
Using her divine blood, she quickly carved profound runes to set up an unusual Soul-summoning Array.
It was unnecessary to use divine blood to set up a Soul-summoning Array. There were many alternatives, and they could be made in advance.
However, the clock was ticking; Blood Empress did not want to waste more time.
For Zhang Ruochen’s sake, she did not mind losing some divine blood.
Moreover, Blood Empress and Zhang Ruochen were mother and son, so they were the closest. Zhang Ruochen’s soul was nurtured in her body. With her divine blood as a booster for the array, she could fully summon all the soul fragments that had dissipated.
Not only did Blood Empress want to save Zhang Ruochen, but she also wanted to restore him to his prime, hoping that nothing would affect his future cultivation.
As parents, they always wanted to give their children the best.
“Search heaven and earth, gather the soul fragments.”
Blood Empress looked grim. She slowly formed strange hand seals with both hands.
Buzz
The Soul-summoning Array carved on the ground suddenly burst out a dazzling red light soaring into the sky.
For a moment, the void shook, and a realistic-looking strange passageway emerged. It was extremely dark inside, and no one knew where it led.
However, this passageway’s condition seemed to be very unstable, as if it would collapse at any moment.
Blood Empress immediately released a large amount of divine blood and poured it into the Soul-summoning Array, causing the passageway to stabilize and widen further.
With a thought, Blood Empress released her boundless divine spirit and sent it into the passageway.
The process of soul summoning involved the use of spiritual power or divine spirit to capture and bring back the strands of souls that wandered between heaven and earth and then put them together again.
Of course, it was not that easy because reversing life and death was against the laws of heaven and earth. Therefore, there would be a backlash from the laws of heaven and earth.
The stronger the target of resurrection, the stronger the backlash of the soul summoning.
Before Zhang Ruochen died, he had become a Neverwither Supreme Saint. His cultivation was extremely powerful. Hence, if the summoner was a top spiritual power Supreme Saint, the summoner could still fail even after paying the cost with their lives.
In fact, it was extremely difficult to summon the souls of Saints. After all, Saints had already begun to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth. Their connection with heaven and earth had become very close.
Blood Empress did not think about this at all. She just wanted to bring Zhang Ruochen back to life as soon as possible. No matter how heavy the backlash of the laws of heaven and earth would be, she did not care.
Outside the cave, heaven and earth suddenly changed color. The lightning that covered the blood-red mountain became even more violent. Countless giant Dimensional Rifts appeared. It was as if the entire world was about to shatter.
The surrounding Precepts at the second level of Endless Abyss became completely chaotic and aggressive. They took solid forms, flying like life-like dragons.
Xuemo and Qiu Yichi stood outside the blood-red mountain. Their expressions were as grave undertakers’.
Several more figures showed up near the blood-red mountain. They were all Zhang Ruochen’s acquaintances: Chi Linyuan, Qi Sheng, Ying Huo, and Xue Tu.
“What’s going on?” Chi Linyuan asked.
He was not the only one. Qi Sheng, Ying Huo, and Xue Tu were also confused. They did not know what caused such turbulence.
Qiu Yichi said, “His highness was killed. Master is using a heaven-defying method to bring him back to life. The surrounding precepts will become more and more chaotic. We…”
Before she could finish her words, the region where they stood was suddenly hit by turbulence.
BOOM!
Bolts of thunder appeared in the sky and shattered the void.
A vast divine aura spread out from the blood-colored mountain peak to all directions.
BANG!!!
Everyone present, including Xuemo, knelt under the pressure of the divine aura and could not move.
For a moment, all the Bloodbeasts living in the second level of Endless Abyss also knelt, trembling.
Deities were aloof and superior. They were totally in a different league from Saints’. The divine aurae they possessed were something that even a Supreme Saint could not resist.
In the past, Blood Empress had deliberately restrained her divine aura so that Xuemo and the others were not greatly affected.
But now, to perform the soul-summoning technique, Blood Empress had to unleash her power without reservation. Hence, there was no restriction put on her aura.
Chi Linyuan, Qi Sheng, Ying Huo, and Xue Tu were all shocked. They had not expected that the invincible Zhang Ruochen would also die. They wondered what on earth had happened outside Endless Abyss?
Especially Xue Tu. Ever since he had entered Endless Abyss, he had never left. He had been in seclusion for self-cultivation. He had no idea what the current situation of Kunlun was like.
After a period of time, Xue Tu’s cultivation had clearly become more profound. It was difficult to see through his strength, and he was far better than before in all aspects.
Now, when he returned to Bloodysky Clan, he would no longer be just top five known by outsiders.
“In order to save her son, Blood Empress has really gone all out. Although she has become a deity, she still has to pay huge price to resurrect Zhang Ruochen. I did not expect that family ties would have such a heavy weight in her heart,” Xuemo said.
Xuemo was a cultivation maniac. He had fully devoted himself to the path of cultivation.
If something bad happened to his children, he would never be able to go to lengths greater than Blood Empress.
It was not easy to summon souls. No one knew how long it would take. None of them liked to kneel, yet there was nothing they could do but wait quietly.
They secretly prayed that everything would go smoothly.
Otherwise, if Zhang Ruochen did not come back to life, God knew what would happen with Blood Empress’s personality.
…
At the same time, a graceful and elegant figure appeared at the periphery of Zhenyu Clan’s territory.
If Zhang Ruochen was here, he would be shocked because it was his current biological mother, Lin Lan1.
Lin Lan was supposed to stay with Mu Lingxi in Lake Phoenix.
Why did she come to Zhenyu Clan’s territory?
In front of Lin Lan were the ancient wards protecting Zhenyu Clan and Sword Vault. They were densely packed, covering the sky and earth, forming a powerful defense.
All of this was thanks to Awesome, the Little Taoist.
Ever since the hundreds of thousands of immortal vampires had been defeated, Little Taoist had stayed in Zhenyu Clan’s territory, busy studying The Big Dipper Portrait while repairing the ancient wards at the same time.
With Little Taoist’s attainments in formations, it could control the ancient wards that had been repaired. Even an ordinary Supreme Saint would not be able to break through them.
In addition, Zhenyu Clan had a High-Saint Talisman Master with them: Shi Mingyuan. As long as Infernal Court did not deploy force as massive as the one attacking Central Imperial City, Sword Vault would be able to defend itself.
A faint divine light appeared in Lin Lan’s eyes. In an instant, she had seen through all ancient wards.
Swoosh–
With just a slight movement, she passed through the ancient wards without any obstruction, entering Sword Vault.
“Eh? Did someone enter just now.? Or it is just my imagination?” The Little Taoist was surprised.
The ancient wards were under its control after all. Even the slightest movement wouldn’t be able to go under its radar.
The Little Taoist had vaguely sensed it earlier, but it did not manage to catch any traces.
“It seems like it’s really just my imagination.”
It did not bother to think too much and continued to study The Big Dipper Portrait.
With his mastery of formations, he did not believe that anyone could pass through the ancient wards without him noticing. Even a Supreme Saint would not be able to do so.
Not long after, Lin Lan arrived at the depths of Sword Vault, in front of a pitch-black turtle-shaped stone mountain.
In the next moment, Lin Lan took a step forward and passed through the stone mountain. She then disappeared without a trace.
There was an invisible door on the stone mountain that could lead to the Nether Dungeon.
After Lin Lan entered the Nether Dungeon, a bald old man walked out from the stone wall. It was Elder Kong, who claimed to be the only jailer.
The four wardens also appeared.
“It hasn’t been long? Why is she here again? Hasn’t she given up on the idea of saving that Lord Ming?” said Warden Goldleaf.
Obviously, this was not Lin Lan’s first visit. Elder Kong and the four wardens had already encountered her.
Warden Thundergourd snorted. “Everyone has underestimated the Nether Dungeon. Without Elder Kong’s permission, even if a deity came, the deity wouldn’t be able to release the prisoner suppressed in here. Not to mention she was just an avatar of a deity.
“It’s only because Elder Kong is amiable that he let her meet Lord Ming.”
Elder Kong smiled. “Lord Ming is a very interesting fellow. As an immortal vampire, he wants to subdue the six Saint Swords that are suppressing him. So I gave him a chance.”
“As long as he can get the recognition of the spirit of Ancestral Swordmaster and subdue the sword spirits of the six Saint Swords before he becomes a deity, I won’t stop him from leaving the dungeon.”
The six Saint Swords were the six fragments of Stellar Sword, one of the ten greatest divine artifacts of Kunlun. Stellar Sword was forged by Ancestral Swordmaster. Theoretically, it was impossible for it to be subjugated by the creatures of Infernal Court.
After all, Wordless Sword Manual was passed down by Ancestral Swordmaster from Kunlun.
Ancestral Swordmaster’s spiritual will was so strong that even a deity would find it hard to defeat it, and Lord Ming was just a being below the rank of deity?
The reason why Elder Kong had a bet with Lord Ming was that this prisoner was very different from other immortal vampires. Elder Kong was willing to give him a chance to get out alive.
Elder Kong had been guarding the Nether Dungeon for many years. It was a very boring job, so there were times he needed to have some fun.
After entering the Nether Dungeon, without any obstacles, Lin Lan successfully entered the fifteenth level of the dungeon.
Compared to the previous fourteen levels of the dungeon, the Dismemberment Prison Realm could be considered a great place for self-cultivation. There were colorful crystals, spiritual crystals, and holy stones everywhere.
However, there was a very special place in the Dismemberment Prison Realm. The surrounding precepts were scarce, and there was no spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Not to mention the Saint Qi of heaven and earth, it was basically a place with all power sealed.
This was the place where Lord Ming was imprisoned. Six Saint Swords that were hundreds of thousands of feet tall were arranged into a sword mountain. They stood on the horizon and emitted dazzling light, illuminating a corner in the dark.
Under the six Saint Swords was a blood cocoon with a diameter of 30 feet. It was formed by countless blood-colored patterns. The area within hundreds of miles had been dyed a strange blood-colored.
“Blood Empress, what brings you here again?”
An indifferent voice sounded as if it came from the sky.
At this time, Lin Lan’s figure and appearance transformed rapidly, even her temperament changed. She became Blood Empress.
No one would have thought that Lin Lan, who was brought to Lake Phoenix by Mu Lingxi, was actually an avatar of Blood Empress.
Qiu Yichi had shown up at Lake Phoenix to meet Blood Empress’ avatar, but Zhang Ruochen had discovered Qiu Yichi by accident.
Since Kunlun had become a Battlefield of Merits, it had been monitored closely by the deities. Hence, Blood Empress could not show her true form.
In order to save Lord Ming and see Zhang Ruochen earlier, she had to make an avatar to travel within Kunlun.
In fact, the avatar of Blood Empress had come to Sword Vault and met Elder Kong even earlier.
Elder Kong looked like a jailer, but his cultivation was unfathomable. Blood Empress’ avatar could not see through him at all. What puzzled her was that Elder Kong knew her identity, yet he did not stop her from entering the Nether Dungeon.
Was it because he was confident in his cultivation?
Or was there another reason?
Blood Empress stopped thinking and looked at the blood cocoon. “Brother, I’m going back to Infernal Court. I came here to say goodbye to you.”
“It seems that your deeds in Kunlun has finally come to an end.” Lord Ming’s emotionless voice sounded again.
Blood Empress said, “All disputes and infightings within Xue Jue Family should come to an end.”
“It seems that I should get out of here as soon as possible to settle the score,” Lord Ming said.
Blood Empress said, “Are you confident to get out of here?”
“If all I wanted was to escape, I could have done so easily 7,000 years ago. However, if I did so at that time, I would have ended up being merely a Supreme Saint.”
“I have been suppressed here at my own will for 7,000 years because I know that this is the place where I can attain godhood.”
“The six swords are suppressing me, but aren’t they also tempering me?”
“No, since 3,000 years ago, I have already worn them down. Even if I become a deity, I still want to become an elite amongst deities. Controlling the six swords is the first step.”
Rumble
The blood cocoon shook and released an incomparably majestic power.
The land within a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers instantly shattered and then melted, turning into scorching magma.
Blood-colored patterns extended from the blood cocoon and wrapped the six Saint Swords.
The six Saint Swords immediately shook and released terrifying lightning, fire, and wind… They all attacked the blood cocoon below.
At the same time, each Saint Sword released a beam of sword light. Each could tear apart the sky and even obliterate a starry sky.
Each Saint Sword was a Supreme Artifact. When they were combined together, they were extremely powerful.
A set of such powerful Supreme Artifacts was precious and rare. Even deities could rarely get their hands on it.
Logically speaking, after being suppressed by the six Saint Swords for ten thousand years, a Supreme Saint at the rank of Paramount Realm should have turned into a skeleton.
However, Lord Ming managed to hold on. Not only he did not get refined by the Saint Swords, but his mental will had also become even stronger. He had even managed to grasp the arcanum of attaining godhood.
Although the six Saint Swords were doing their best to resist, their resistance became weaker and weaker under the entanglement of the blood-colored patterns.
As time passed, the six Saint Swords gradually shrank until they returned to their normal size.
At this time, the blood cocoon disappeared and a charming man emerged. He was wearing crystal-clear blood armor and his body gave off an elegant celestial-like aura.
Lord Ming looked very young, around twenty years old. He was handsome, his eyes filled with charm. No woman could resist such a hunk.
Looking at the six Saint Swords in front of him, Lord Ming stretched out a hand and released a dense power of evil blood, drowning them all.
After being refined by his power of evil blood, the six Saint Swords slowly merged together and formed one.
However, it was only the blade of the sword. Its hilt was missing.
The blade of the sword was covered with complicated inscriptions, and there was a powerful divine power that was released faintly.
“Where the hell is the hilt of Stellar Sword?” Lord Ming asked. However, he sounded like talking to himself.
The moment Lord Ming took the six Saint Swords, Elder Kong sensed it, and his expression revealed mixed feelings. He sighed and said, “Why would Stellar Sword submit to a creature from Infernal Court? Ancestral Swordmaster, is this your will?”
He did not expect Lord Ming to be the winner of the jokester bet.
He could not figure it out. But since it was what Ancestral Swordmaster wanted, he would not go against it.
