The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

"You...you just let him go like that?"

"Otherwise, you don't really think we can stop this guy, do you?"

"Besides, we don't really need to stop him; what he did doesn't seem to be wrong."

The law of the jungle has long been ingrained in everyone's minds, so Cui Yi's swift and decisive actions are seen by them as the best way to clear his name.

If you don't have the ability, why bother spreading rumors and causing trouble?

……

……

at the same time.

Deep within the Bloodstained Gate.

A hidden grotto shrouded in ancient restrictions.

The spiritual energy here is so rich that it turns into water vapor that floats in the air, drips slowly from the stalactites on the cave ceiling, and flows into a pool below that is only a few feet in diameter but has an unfathomable depth.

If you look closely, you will find that the structure here is very similar to the Thousand-Year Blood Pool, but even better.

Most importantly, the pool water is not still, but slowly rotating, forming a miniature blood-red vortex that exudes a chilling, ancient aura.

This is the ultimate foundation of the Blood-Clad Sect—

Bloodline Ancestral Pool.

At this moment, a figure sat quietly cross-legged by the ancestral pool.

He was an extremely old man with sparse, dry, white hair, deep wrinkles etched into his bones, and a body so thin that it seemed a gust of wind could blow him away.

He exuded no aura whatsoever; in fact, his breath was so faint, like a candle flickering in the wind, as if it might be extinguished at any moment.

However, if a powerful being at the Nascent Soul stage or above were here, they would be horrified to discover what terrifying power was once contained within this seemingly dying body!

This person is Xue Mingzi, the third-generation patriarch of the Blood Robe Sect.

"Why......"

With a hoarse sigh, Xue Mingzi slowly opened his sunken eyes, his pupils reflecting the vicissitudes of countless years.

He then re-enacted the future and discovered that his lifespan was truly nearing its end.

Even with the ancestral pool of blood continuously providing pure blood essence to nourish the soul, it was still to no avail.

A thousand years have passed, and his life essence has been completely worn away. The possibility of advancement is almost non-existent. Even advancing to a minor realm would extend his lifespan by several hundred years.

The weakness he felt before wasn't this intense, but today he could clearly feel his soul slowly and irreversibly dissipating!

Its connection with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth has become increasingly blurred, and it can no longer absorb even spiritual energy.

I'm afraid it will only last ten years at most before it falls!

Ten years is a long time for ordinary people.

But for a peak Golden Core cultivator, it's just a fleeting moment.

His murky gaze seemed to pierce through layers of restrictions and rocks, casting its light upon the seemingly calm yet turbulent world outside the Blood Robe Gate.

"The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease..."

Xue Mingzi's dry lips parted slightly, her voice filled with sorrow.

The news that his own time was drawing near was probably no secret.

The Blood Robe Sect possesses several unique cultivation resources, including the Thousand-Year Blood Pool and the Blood Source Ancestral Pool, and has accumulated a large number of cultivation techniques, secret manuals, and rare treasures. Its sect foundation is among the best in the surrounding forces, large and small.

With him, a living fossil at the peak of the Golden Core stage, usually in charge, and given that Nascent Soul cultivators are not allowed to interfere in the mortal world at will, petty people naturally dare not act rashly.

But once he passes away, the Blood Robe Sect will become like a piece of meat that is tempting to be devoured.

Any sect with even a little strength can find a way to take a piece of the pie from here!

"The Xuan Yin Sect, the Seven Fiends Sect, the White Bone Demon Sect..."

Xue Mingzi silently recited the names of these major demonic sects that had been constantly clashing with the Xueyi Sect for the past few hundred years.

As soon as he breathes his last, these guys will swarm in and divide up the foundation that the Blood Robe Sect has built up over thousands of years!

If it were just being swallowed up by them, that wouldn't be a big deal.

At least, the disciples inside the sect still have a way to survive.

What worries Xue Mingzi the most are those so-called righteous sects and major dynasties!

If the demonic sects were to fight amongst themselves, the balance between the righteous and demonic paths that had been maintained for thousands of years would be broken.

At that time, the disciples of the Blood Robe Sect will be the first wave of victims to be eliminated!

Xue Mingzi closed his eyes, his withered fingers tapping unconsciously on his knees, as if calculating the little time left and the impending catastrophe.

After mentally rehearsing countless times the dire straits his sect was about to face, Xue Mingzi finally spoke slowly into the void before him.

"Soul silence."

He didn't use any sound transmission talismans, but his soft call seemed to transcend space and resounded in Hunji's ears.

Hun Ji, who was dealing with sect affairs, trembled and immediately put down the jade slip in his hand. With an extremely respectful expression, he responded with his divine sense: "Disciple is here, respectfully listening to the Ancestor's decree."

"My time is up, at most ten years."

Xue Mingzi's voice entered Hunji's soul directly, calmly recounting a fact that was enough to turn the entire Xueyi Sect upside down.

"The Xuan Yin, the Seven Fiends, the White Bone Demons, and even the Great Yan Dynasty and those hypocritical righteous sects are all eyeing us covetously."

"The Blood-Clad Sect is in grave danger."

He was silent and still, but how could he not know?

Even though it was confirmed by the ancestor himself, a chill still rose from the bottom of his heart.

He took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, "This disciple is incompetent, unable to break through to the Golden Core stage, unable to share the burden of the Ancestor, and unable to uphold the sect's honor..."

"Now is not the time to talk about these things."

Xue Mingzi interrupted him, "Before I pass away, there is still one thing I can do."

He paused, as if gathering his strength, and slowly said, "My body is about to wither away, but it is still the source of my cultivation at the peak of the Golden Core stage."

"If we use the Blood Source Infusion Technique, combined with the remaining essence of the Ancestral Pool, it may be possible to forcibly infuse it into your body and help you break through the threshold of the Golden Core stage."

Blood Source Infusion Technique!

This is the most domineering and dangerous secret technique of the Blood Robe Sect. It requires the practitioner to voluntarily burn their last bit of essence and soul, forcibly transferring the essence of their life's cultivation to the recipient.

Although the recipient can gain immense power and break through bottlenecks, the process is extremely painful, the success rate is not 100%, and the foundation is easily damaged, the future path is almost cut off, and it is difficult to hope for a higher realm in one's lifetime.

The person who performs the ritual will be completely destroyed after the ritual ends, with little chance of reincarnation.

This is sacrificing the entirety of a peak Golden Core ancestor to hasten the birth of a Golden Core cultivator with a damaged foundation!

The ancestor is trying to kill himself prematurely so that he can advance to the Golden Core realm!

A cultivator like myself, who hasn't made any progress in nearly a century, is the most suitable candidate to receive the Blood Source Initiation Technique.

"Ancestor, you mustn't!"

Hunji's first reaction was to refuse.

A firm refusal!

Despite ongoing conflicts among the various peaks of the Blood Robe Sect, everyone unanimously respects the contributions of each successive patriarch!

Any leader of a sect dedicates himself wholeheartedly to the sect.

Even when his lifespan was about to end, his first thought was still the safety of his sect!

How could I possibly eat a steamed bun stained with the blood of such a being?

"Little one, how could I not know what you're worried about?"

Xue Mingzi's voice came again.

There was no anger at being defied in that dry, hoarse tone; instead, there was a hint of gentleness that was barely perceptible.