Immortality Cultivation: I can use my clansmen’s energy and blood to add points.

"Are you okay?" Qingshuang was quick to support him.

"I'm fine, I just feel a little weak." Mo Han waved his hand, indicating that he was fine. "Let's go in quickly. This door won't hold for long."

The three of them did not delay any longer and quickly passed through the stone gate and entered the underground palace.

The scene inside the underground palace shocked the three people.

The originally empty altar was now filled with people in black robes. There were so many of them, at least a hundred of them.

They formed a huge circle, as if they were holding some mysterious ceremony. In the center of the altar, a huge pool of blood was rolling, emitting a disgusting bloody smell. Above the pool of blood, a fist-sized blood-red bead was suspended, emitting a strange light. It was the Blood Soul Bead!

"This...what is going on?" Luo Chen was stunned. It was the first time he saw such a weird scene.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing." Qingshuang's face became solemn. She could feel that the atmosphere in this underground palace was even more dangerous than the last time she came.

"Look, isn't that the elder of the Blood Demon Sect?" Mo Han suddenly pointed at several figures in the crowd and exclaimed.

Luo Chen and Qing Shuang looked in the direction of his finger, and sure enough, they saw several familiar faces in the crowd. They were the elders they had met in the Blood Ghost Clan's lair before!
"Why are they here? Could it be that the Blood Demon Sect has not been completely wiped out yet?" Luo Chen was full of doubts.

"It seems that we still underestimated the strength of the Blood Demon Sect." Qingshuang's eyes became sharp, and she realized that their action this time might be more difficult than she had imagined.

The three hid behind a stone pillar and observed the movements on the altar. They saw the black-robed men muttering something, as if they were chanting some ancient spell. As the spell sounded, the blood in the blood pool rolled more violently, and the blood soul bead also emitted a more dazzling light.

"What is this?" Luo Chen lowered his voice, with obvious shock in his tone. He felt his throat dry and swallowed subconsciously. The scene in front of him was too shocking. The black crowd, the strange blood pool, and the blood soul bead that exuded an ominous aura, each of which made people feel cold in their hearts.

Qingshuang frowned, her cold eyes swept over the black-robed men, then fell on the rolling pool of blood, and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid it's more complicated than we expected." She could feel that there was an unsettling aura deep in the underground palace, which was far more powerful and more evil than what she had felt in the Blood Ghost Sect's lair before.

Mo Han's face was solemn. He stared at the blood soul bead in the center of the altar. There was a complex light flashing in his eyes, with both shock and hidden worry. He took a deep breath and whispered, "Don't act rashly. Let's see what they are doing."

The three held their breath and carefully hid behind the stone pillars, using the concealment effect of the talisman to try not to make any noise. The black-robed men seemed to be completely unaware of their presence and were still immersed in their own rituals.

"Elder, the energy of the Blood Soul Orb has almost been accumulated. The day of the Holy Lord's coming is just around the corner!" A slightly sharp voice sounded in the crowd, breaking the silence of the underground palace. The person who spoke was wearing a black robe that was obviously more gorgeous than the others. The corners of the robe were embroidered with dark red flame patterns, and it was obvious that he was of high status.

"Very good." An old and deep voice responded with a hint of barely perceptible excitement, "For this day, our Holy Church has been dormant for a thousand years. We cannot afford any mistakes."

"Holy Church?" Luo Chen's heart trembled. This name made him feel unfamiliar and uneasy. He turned his head to look at Qing Shuang and Mo Han, but found that they both had surprised expressions on their faces.

Qingshuang's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had thought of something. She shook her head slightly, indicating that now was not the time to speak.

Mo Han frowned and whispered to himself, "Holy Church... could it be... impossible?" His voice was very low, as if he was speaking to himself, with a hint of disbelief.

"Elder, news has come from the Tianyuan Empire that His Majesty the Emperor has prepared the sacrifice according to our instructions." Another man in black robe stepped forward to report, his tone respectful yet with a hint of fanaticism.

"Emperor?" Luo Chen was even more confused. Shouldn't the emperor of the Tianyuan Empire be an orthodox human? How could he be associated with these evil ways?

"Very good, Your Majesty is indeed a man of insight." The old voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "When the Holy Lord comes, the Tianyuan Empire will naturally become the territory of our Holy Church."

"Elder, there is one more thing." The man in black robe paused, his tone becoming a little hesitant, "It seems that some unidentified people have infiltrated the palace recently. Do you want me to send someone to clean them up?"

"Don't pay any attention to them." The old voice said nonchalantly, "They are just some clowns. They won't amount to anything. The most important thing now is the ceremony. Don't make any unnecessary trouble."

Luo Chen and the other two were shocked when they heard this. They didn't expect that their sneaking into the palace had been discovered by the other party, but the other party didn't seem to take them seriously.

"These guys are really arrogant." Luo Chen cursed in his heart, feeling a little unhappy. Being looked down upon by others, even a cautious person like him could not help but feel a little angry.

Qingshuang pulled his sleeve, signaling him to calm down. Now was not the time to act rashly, they had to first figure out the origins and purpose of these people.

"Elder, there is one thing I don't understand." The man in the gorgeous black robe who spoke before spoke again, "Why do we have to go to such great lengths to use the power of the Blood Ghost Sect to collect the Blood Soul Orbs? With the strength of our Holy Church, shouldn't it be easy?"

The old voice was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "You don't know, the Blood Soul Orb is a treasure that contains the most evil power in the world. If you want to collect it, you must use special evil magic. The evil magic of the Blood Ghost Sect can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"I see." The man in the gorgeous black robe suddenly realized, and then asked in confusion, "But, Elder, hasn't the Blood Ghost Sect been used up by us? Why do we still want to keep them?"

"The Blood Demon Sect is still useful." The old voice said meaningfully, "After all, they are a native force of the Tianyuan Empire and can provide some cover for our Holy Church. Moreover, some of the secret techniques they have are also of certain reference value to us."

"I understand." The man in the gorgeous black robe replied respectfully. When Luo Chen and the other two heard this, their hearts sank. They finally understood that the Blood Ghost Sect was just a pawn used by the "Holy Church" mentioned by these people. And this so-called "Holy Church" was the more terrifying and more powerful mastermind behind the Blood Ghost Sect.

"These black-robed people are not the remnants of the Blood Demon Sect, but people from some 'Holy Church'?" Luo Chen whispered with a hint of disbelief in his tone.

Qingshuang nodded and said solemnly: "It seems that our previous guess was correct. There is indeed a bigger conspiracy hidden behind the Blood Ghost Sect."

Mo Han's face turned pale. He seemed to remember something and said in a trembling voice, "The Holy Cult... If I remember correctly, it was recorded in ancient books that ten thousand years ago, there was an extremely terrifying evil cult in the world of immortal cultivation, called 'The Holy Cult'! Could it be... Could it be them?"

Luo Chen and Qing Shuang were both shocked when they heard this. A cult organization from ten thousand years ago? How ancient and terrifying must that be?

"What is recorded in the ancient books?" Qingshuang asked hurriedly. She realized that the "Holy Church" that Mo Han mentioned was most likely the enemy they were facing now.

Mo Han took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner shock, and slowly said: "It is recorded in ancient books that ten thousand years ago, the world of immortal cultivation was in turmoil, demons were rampant, and people were living in misery. At this time, a cult organization called 'Holy Church' rose up. They worshiped a terrifying existence called 'Holy Lord', preached the coming of doomsday, deceived people's minds, and poisoned lives. It is said that the power of the 'Holy Church' at that time was monstrous, and almost ruled the entire world of immortal cultivation. Countless sects were destroyed, and lives were devastated. The entire world of immortal cultivation fell into darkness."

"So scary?" Luo Chen took a breath of cold air. He couldn't imagine that such a horrible thing had happened in the world of immortal cultivation ten thousand years ago.

"What happened next? What happened to this 'Holy Religion' in the end?" Qingshuang asked. She was eager to know more about this "Holy Religion".

Mo Han shook his head and said sadly, "The ancient books do not record in detail how the 'Holy Church' was destroyed. It only says that under the joint counterattack of the righteous people in the world of immortal cultivation, the 'Holy Church' eventually disappeared, and the 'Holy Lord' also fell. However, no one would have thought that ten thousand years later, this evil cult organization would appear again, and even make a comeback, and linger on!"

"What is their purpose in resurrecting the 'Holy Lord'?" Luo Chen asked with a frown. He felt a strong sense of crisis looming in his heart.

"I don't know." Mo Han shook his head, his eyes full of worry, "But what is certain is that once the 'Holy Lord' is resurrected, the entire cultivation world will probably face another catastrophe."

Qing Shuang was silent for a moment, and then calmly analyzed: "From their conversation just now, this 'Holy Cult' used the Blood Ghost Sect to collect the Blood Soul Orbs in order to revive their 'Holy Lord'. The emperor of the Tianyuan Empire has been controlled by them and has become their puppet, providing them with resources and cover."

"That's right, and they seem to have reached the final stage." Luo Chen added. He looked at the Blood Soul Orb in the center of the altar, feeling the increasingly powerful evil force, and felt even more uneasy.

At this moment, the old voice sounded again, with a hint of mystery and expectation in the tone: "In order to welcome the coming of the Lord Saint, we still need one last thing..."

"The last thing?" the man in the gorgeous black robe asked doubtfully, "What is it?"

“Chaos Artifact.” The old voice uttered these four words slowly, with a hint of frightening pressure, “Only by relying on the power of the Chaos Artifact can we truly awaken the sleeping soul of the Lord Saint.”

“Chaos Artifact?!” the man in the gorgeous black robe exclaimed, his tone full of shock and desire, “Could it be… Could it be that the legendary Chaos Artifact really exists?”

"Of course it exists." The old voice said affirmatively, "Moreover, after a thousand years of secret investigation by our Holy Church, we have confirmed that the Chaos Artifact... is hidden in the palace of the Tianyuan Empire!"

"Inside the Imperial Palace?!" The man in the gorgeous black robe exclaimed again, his voice trembling. "How...how is this possible? How could such an important treasure as the Chaos Artifact be hidden in the Imperial Palace?"

"I don't know the specific reason." The old voice said, "But this is indeed the most reliable information our Holy Church has found in the past thousand years. Therefore, we must find the Chaos Artifact as soon as possible and complete the final preparations before the Holy Lord arrives."

"I understand!" the man in the gorgeous black robe responded quickly, his tone becoming extremely firm, "I will send people to search the palace right away and make sure to find the Chaos Artifact!"

Luo Chen, Qing Shuang, and Mo Han all changed their expressions when they heard this. Chaos Artifact? Hidden in the palace? This sudden information shocked them, but also gave them a glimmer of hope.

"Chaos Artifact..." Luo Chen muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with complex light. These four words, like thunder, exploded in his mind, setting off a storm.

Qing Shuang and Mo Han were equally shocked by the news. They never expected that this seemingly simple mission would lead to such a shocking secret.

"The Chaos Artifact, that is a legendary treasure that has the power to create the world!" Mo Han's voice trembled a little. Obviously, he had also heard the legend about the Chaos Artifact.

"What is recorded in the ancient books?" Qing Shuang suppressed her shock and asked calmly. She knew that now was not the time to panic, they had to sort out their thoughts as soon as possible and find a response plan.

Mo Han tried hard to recall and told the records about the Chaos Artifact in the ancient books: "The Chaos Artifact is a treasure born from the chaotic energy when the world was first created. It has the power to destroy the world. According to legend, whoever can master the Chaos Artifact can control everything in the world and become the supreme being."

"So powerful?" Luo Chen was stunned. Although he knew that the Chaos Artifact was extraordinary, he did not expect it to be so terrifying.

"That's right." Mo Han nodded, "It is for this reason that the Chaos Artifact has become the object of competition among countless people."

"It is said that in ancient times, a world-shattering war broke out in order to fight for the Chaos Artifact. In that war, the sky collapsed and the earth split, the sun and the moon lost their light, and countless strong men fell. In the end, the Chaos Artifact also disappeared and its whereabouts are unknown."

"Then how did these people from the Holy Church know that the Chaos Artifact was in the palace?" Qingshuang raised the question in her mind. (End of this chapter)