PDLP Chapter 217 Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform
Chapter 217 Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform
The violent spatial power became gentle and mild the moment it came into contact with the key beam of light.
The entire Jade Platform space resonated with a deep, resonant sound.
The chalcedony's radiance no longer surged chaotically, but slowly rotated around the key pillar.
A vast Daoist aura, far purer yet infinitely gentler than before, spread out, instantly enveloping Chen Xu.
"Uh..." Chen Xu groaned as the sudden surge of gentle energy into his body was completely different from the violent spatial tearing sensation he had experienced before.
It was like the purest spiritual spring, washing over his almost shattered meridians.
Even the horrific, deep wound on his chest, which exposed bone, was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This is not just repair, but a deep nourishment and tempering.
The bottleneck of the third level of the "Mysterious Bone True Demon Art" was actually loosening slightly under the impact of this force.
The blue-black magic patterns beneath Chen Xu's skin emerged on their own, greedily absorbing this pure and clean energy, becoming even more profound and refined.
"Senior brother! The key... it's guiding the jade marrow!?" Qingling's voice rang in Chen Xu's mind.
"Seize this opportunity quickly and use the key to collect the jade marrow! This may be your only chance!"
Chen Xu was greatly encouraged. He concentrated all his energy and poured his last bit of will into the hand that was tightly holding the key.
"receive!"
He silently shouted in his mind, his thoughts frantically transmitted through the key.
Instantly, the buzzing intensified, and the swirling chalcedony light accelerated abruptly, swirling back along the silvery-white beam of light emitted from the key.
The key was like a bottomless pit, continuously absorbing the Xuanqiong Jade Marrow.
The whole process may seem slow, but it actually happens in the blink of an eye.
As the last ray of magnificent light disappeared into the key, the center of the jade platform became empty.
Who knows how many years will pass before the next Xuanqiong Jade Marrow is condensed?
The vast Daoist aura vanished, leaving only the ancient runes carved on the jade platform emitting a faint glow.
The light from the key quickly subsided, returning to its ancient and unadorned state, lying quietly in Chen Xu's palm.
"It's done!" Chen Xu was overjoyed.
Having survived the life-or-death ordeal of his clones, traversed the chains of annihilation, and endured immense pressure, he finally seized the greatest fortune of the Mysterious Vault Realm.
However, just as the chalcedony was completely extracted, another anomaly occurred.
hum...
In the center of the jade platform, below where the chalcedony had been suspended, the ancient, dormant runes suddenly lit up one by one.
"Not good!" Chen Xu's pupils suddenly contracted. He had just put the Xuanqiong Jade Marrow into the key and his mind was not yet fully relaxed. This sudden change made his hair stand on end.
His first instinct was to activate the Xuanqiong Key, attempting to stabilize the space or teleport away directly.
However, after absorbing the chalcedony, the surface radiance of the key became more subdued.
However, it seemed to be undergoing some kind of profound transformation inside, and it did not respond to Chen Xu's thoughts at all, like a sleeping stubborn rock.
Chen Xu's mood instantly sank. The runes in the center of the jade platform shone brighter and brighter, outlining a huge and mysterious array.
"Oh no! The formation is about to activate!" Alarm bells rang wildly in Chen Xu's mind.
Ignoring the excruciating pain in his chest and his nearly depleted spiritual energy, he instinctively lunged toward the edge of the jade platform, his target being the ancient storage ring beside Xuanjizi's white bones!
Since the key is temporarily useless, this may be the only chance left by Xuanjizi.
Xuanjizi mentioned that "the remnants of what I have kept throughout my life are still in the precepts," perhaps containing something that could save his life.
Just as Chen Xu's fingers were about to touch the storage ring, the array diagram in the center of the jade platform lit up completely.
The violent spatial storm, like billions of invisible blades, swept across the entire Jade Platform space.
"Ugh!" Chen Xu felt his body being torn apart wildly.
The wound, which had just begun to heal, burst open again, and blood gushed out.
Even more terrifying, he felt himself being dragged by an irresistible force, falling toward the center of the array.
At the critical moment, his fingertips finally hooked onto the cold storage ring.
Almost simultaneously, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from the ring.
The moment this faint resonance appeared, the spatial tearing sensation raging over Chen Xu strangely weakened by a slight amount.
Although it was only a tiny bit, it gave Chen Xu, who was on the verge of collapse, a lifeline.
"Come here!" Chen Xu roared inwardly, using the last bit of strength to clench the storage ring tightly in his hand.
At the same time, he fully activated the "Mysterious Bone True Demon Art," tightly wrapping his body with the remaining demonic energy, as if he were wearing a thin layer of blue-black bone armor.
Boom!!!
Chen Xu felt himself being violently thrown out by an indescribable force and swept into a violent and chaotic spatial passage.
The faint resonance emanating from the Naxu Ring was like a candle flame in a storm.
Although it could not completely isolate the damage, it miraculously allowed Chen Xu to avoid the most fatal spatial rifts and guided him to a relatively "calm" flow in the turbulent currents.
"Pfft!!!" Chen Xu felt like he was being tossed around like a rag doll.
Each impact aggravated his injuries, and his consciousness teetered on the edge of excruciating pain and confusion.
He could only clutch the storage ring and the sleeping Xuanqiong key tightly.
He focused his last bit of divine sense on circulating the "Mysterious Bone True Demon Art," maintaining that thin layer of demonic energy armor from completely collapsing.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Chen Xu felt that he was about to completely disintegrate and his soul was about to be obliterated by the spatial turbulence.
boom!
With a dull thud, he crashed heavily onto the hard, cold ground.
The terrifying impact caused everything to go black before his eyes. His last sensation was as if all the bones in his body had been shattered into dust, and his consciousness, like a kite with a broken string, sank into boundless darkness in an instant.
Just before this clone completed its mission, another intact, disposable clone appeared and took over the job.
……
A cold touch came from my back, carrying a chill that went deep into my bones.
Chen Xu slowly opened his eyes.
What came into view was a suffocating dark red.
The sky was the color of congealed blood, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, with only thick, dark red clouds hanging low, as if they might drip viscous blood at any moment.
Every breath carried a strong stench of blood and an indescribable smell of decaying rust.
He was lying on a huge circular platform.
The platform is made of a dark, blackish-red rock, and its surface is covered with extremely intricate runes.
These runes emitted a faint red glow, as if they had just been doused with blood, and were filled with an ominous and evil aura.
At the edge of the platform lies a bottomless abyss of darkness, with only a faint light emanating from the center.
Chen Xu sat up and looked down at the storage ring in his hand, as well as the Xuanqiong Key, whose surface shone with a restrained brilliance.
He first looked at the ancient storage ring, carefully extending a faint wisp of his divine sense into it, attempting to erase the faint traces left by its previous owner, and to begin refining it.
The moment their consciousness made contact, a cold and desolate thought suddenly surged forth.
Although this will was weak, it was exceptionally tenacious, fiercely guarding the core of the ring and resisting the intrusion of outsiders.
It was the last trace of Xuanjizi's obsession before his demise.
"Hmph!" Chen Xu grunted, and activated the calming and concentration method of the "Mysterious Water Dragon Awakening Technique". A faint blue light rose in his sea of consciousness, stabilizing his mind.
At the same time, a domineering demonic intent originating from the "Mysterious Bone True Demon Art" rose up, like a cold blade, fiercely slashing at that remaining obsession!
"Senior Xuanji, I have no forgiveness! Your path has ended; this item should be inherited by a successor to fulfill your unfinished ambition!"
Chen Xu silently recited the mantra, and his divine sense suddenly condensed, carrying an undeniable and resolute will, and slammed into that lingering remnant.
hum!
A faint light flashed on the surface of the Naxu Ring, and the lingering will to resist let out a silent wail before completely dissipating into nothingness.
A close connection was instantly established between the ring and Chen Xu.
A massive influx of information flooded into Chen Xu's mind.
The space inside this storage ring is a hundred times larger than that of an ordinary storage bag, almost forming its own little world.
The space was filled with spiritual energy, though not as abundant as the herb garden and the white jade platform, it was still far superior to the outside world.
Chen Xu's divine sense swept across the space and was instantly drawn to several things.
The first thing that catches the eye is a mountain of top-grade spirit stones.
Its purity and the spiritual energy it contains are far superior to those in Chen Xu's storage bag; a rough estimate puts it at no less than 100,000!
Beside the spirit stone were dozens of jade boxes and bottles. Even through the containers, one could feel the astonishing medicinal power emanating from them, indicating that they were definitely over ten thousand years old.
However, what attracted Chen Xu's attention the most were two things that were quietly suspended in the core of the space.
A jade slip emitting a faint glow, and a palm-sized, dark token.
The aura flowing on the jade slip was exactly the same as that left behind by Xuanjizi. Chen Xu probed into it with his divine sense without hesitation.
"Those who come after me, if they heed my warning, will bear the consequences of my actions."
Xuanji Zi's aged and weary voice resounded directly in Chen Xu's sea of consciousness.
"This place is the Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform, built by ancient cultivators to suppress a blood demon from beyond the realm."
"Back then, in my quest to ascend to the upper realm, I followed the secrets to this place, believing it to be a shortcut to the upper realm, or perhaps a secret treasure that could transcend this realm."
"Having overcome countless dangers and narrowly escaped death, we have finally arrived at this platform. However..."
The sound fluctuated violently here, as if the memory itself carried the pain of tearing one's soul apart.
"This place is not a thoroughfare, but a prison of death!"
"This platform is not an altar, but a prison!"
"The thing that was suppressed was a foreign creature from beyond the realm, which fed on the essence, blood, and resentment of living beings, and drew strength from despair and fear."
"His name... should not be uttered, nor should it be thought of, lest it revive even the slightest remnant of his consciousness!"
A chill ran down Chen Xu's spine.
He subconsciously gripped the Xuanqiong Key and the Naxu Ring in his hands, his eyes scanning the twelve enormous stone pillars on the platform that emitted an ominous red light with wary intent.
Xuanjizi's lingering spirit continued, "Ancient cultivators gathered the power of great beings to set up this 'Twelve Capital Heaven Blood Fiend Sealing Demon Formation'."
"Based on this blood-patterned stone pillar, locked by the earth's spiritual veins, and further sealed with... the resentment and blood essence of billions of living beings."
"Fang completely sealed this demon beneath the core of this platform, isolating it from the mortal world and causing it to fall into a deep slumber."
"However, though the seal is strong, time is merciless."
"When I arrived, I noticed that the sealing power had been slowly weakening with the passage of time, and at the core of the array... wisps of demonic energy had already seeped out and dissipated."
"I am confident in my extraordinary cultivation, and I also possess the Void Storage Ring, which I have refined throughout my life, hoping to borrow its spatial power to strengthen the seal."
"Perhaps it's possible to... steal a sliver of the source energy contained within the seal's core to aid in ascension..."
Xuanjizi's voice was filled with regret and self-mockery.
"I was wrong! That dissipated demonic energy, formless and intangible, directly invaded my Dao heart!"
"I... failed to maintain the clarity of my Dao heart. When I approached the core array eye, attempting to draw upon the seemingly pure and abundant 'source power' using the Void Storage Ring..."
"The backlash from the seal and the erosion by the demon erupted simultaneously! The storage ring could not withstand the violent power and instantly shattered by nearly half."
"My entire body's meridians and foundation were destroyed by that backlash. The dissipated demonic energy, like maggots clinging to my bones, frantically eroded my soul and foundation of cultivation..."
The voice became extremely weak, filled with endless exhaustion.
"I used the last of my remaining strength to barely store some of my untainted possessions in my broken storage ring."
"And left a wisp of divine thought within this precept, to warn those who come after... never repeat the same mistakes!"
"Those who come after, if you have already arrived here, leave immediately! This place is no safe haven! Remember! Remember... remember..."
Xuanji Zi's voice was like a candle flickering in the wind, eventually dissipating completely within the Naxu Ring.
Chen Xu gripped the ancient-looking storage ring tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over the terrifying place shrouded in a dark red sky.
Twelve enormous stone pillars, engraved with blood-red runes, stood like the fangs of a silent behemoth at the edge of the circular platform.
Beyond the platform lies a bottomless abyss of darkness, swallowing all light and hope.
Xuan Jizi's warning may be true...
"Even Xuanjizi died here, his Dao foundation eroded by demonic energy... What's sealed here is probably a hundred times more terrifying than someone like Ancestor Xuansha."
Chen Xu felt a chill run down his spine, but a strange sense of excitement also rose within him.
After all... he was just a one-time clone, and no matter how dangerous this place was, it wouldn't affect his main body.
The information on the jade slip left by Xuanjizi has been reviewed.
The dark, palm-sized token next to him caught his attention.
The front of the token is engraved with an ancient character "镇" (zhen, meaning town/town), while the back features a complex and intricate cloud and thunder pattern.
As my divine sense probed in, a powerful and righteous aura emanated from it.
This is actually a secondary token of the "Twelve Capital Heaven Blood Fiend Sealing Demon Formation"!
"Deputy Commander..." Chen Xu's heart stirred slightly.
According to Xuanjizi's description and the scattered information remaining in the token, this secondary token cannot control the core of the great formation.
However, it can protect the holder from the indiscriminate bloodthirsty energy of the great formation within a certain range.
"No wonder Xuanjizi was able to get close to the core array eye...it turns out he had this thing protecting him."
"Unfortunately, he underestimated the corrosive power of demonic energy and the intensity of the seal's backlash."
As Chen Xu held the deputy order in his hand, the omnipresent bloodthirsty aura in the surrounding air was immediately separated by an invisible force, and the pressure on his body eased.
He then walked toward the center of the platform.
Each step he took landed on cold, runic inscriptions. With the secondary command in hand, the bloodthirsty aura was blocked.
But the oppressive feeling originating from deep underground did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it became stronger as they approached the center.