Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Just then, Yao Xing of the Xuanming Sect suddenly stepped forward, his black robes billowing without wind, his eyes revealing a fierce glint:

"Gentlemen, there are only three Blood Thunder Flowers. My Xuanming Sect wants one. I'm sure no one has any objections?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Dao Xuan, the third elder of the Xuanqing Daoist sect, sneered, and with a light wave of his whisk, spiritual energy surged:

"Yao Xing, how dare you be so arrogant! This Blood Thunder Flower is an unclaimed treasure, blessed by heaven and earth. It belongs to the capable. Why should your Xuanming Sect just take one for free?"

"Hmph, it's all about strength!" Yao Xing's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "If you're not convinced, feel free to try and see if my Xuanming Sect's Netherworld Claws are sharp!"

"Let's give it a try!"

Dao Xuan was not to be outdone. His spiritual power surged like waves, colliding violently with Yao Xing's Yin Sha pressure, creating an invisible wave of energy that caused all the surrounding cultivators to retreat.

"Amitabha."

Master Wufa of Wanfo Temple chanted a Buddhist mantra, and as he clasped his hands together, a radiant light appeared, yet he could not conceal the burning passion in his eyes:

"Esteemed benefactors, this humble monk feels that the Blood Thunder Flower is too malevolent. It would be better to hand it over to my Wanfo Temple so that it can be purified with boundless Buddhist teachings. This would be the righteous course of action."

"You bald monk, you're such a hypocrite!" Yao Xing sneered, black energy and Buddhist light intertwining and colliding around him.

"Stop with this fake compassion act! If you want the Blood Thunder Flower, then fight for it based on your own abilities. Why bother pretending to be a saint?"

The members of the Xuanming Sect had the greatest dislike for these Buddhist cultivators, who constantly talked about the fate of all living beings.

In reality, they have been using the banner of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path for many years to destroy countless forces that contradict their ideals. Their ulterior motives are even greater than those of the demonic path.

Although the Xuanming Sect often commits acts of annihilation and plunder, they have always been responsible for their actions and would never engage in such hypocritical behavior of trying to have their cake and eat it too.

"Esteemed benefactor, it seems you are determined to make things difficult for this humble monk?"

Master Wufa's expression darkened, his previously peaceful eyes instantly flashed with a chilling light, and the Buddhist aura around him suddenly turned golden-red, clearly indicating that he was truly enraged.

As the leader of the righteous path, when has Wanfo Temple ever been provoked like this time and time again?

"Heh, so the bald monk finally couldn't hold back anymore? This is your true colors now!"

Yao Xing stood his ground, sneering coldly, "Others may fear your Ten Thousand Buddha Temple, but my Xuanming Sect fears none!"

"I'll play along to the end today, and see what this bald monk, who spouts nothing but benevolence and righteousness, can do to me!"

"Everyone, calm down." Elder Ling Shan of the Star Pavilion saw that the killing intent between the two had become so intense that they were about to explode.

He quickly stepped forward to smooth things over; he was dressed in a silver-white outfit, and the sword at his waist gleamed with a dark blue light.

"You can settle your grudges later. Let's deal with the Blood Thunder Flower issue first. What do you all think?"

Yao Xing, Wu Fa, and the leaders of other forces all turned their attention to Ling Shan.

They had already found out that this group of people were the true controllers behind the black market—the Star Pavilion.

The other factions present all knew that this force had unfathomable depths, so even though they were impatient, they were willing to give them some face.

"Alright, what's your plan?" Yao Xing suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.

Ling Shan's lips curled into a faint smile, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"I don't have any other choice, I just want to let everyone know that my Star Pavilion is going to reserve one of these Blood Thunder Flowers."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence. The expressions of the members of the major powers all changed drastically.

No one expected that Ling Shan wasn't there to mediate the fight at all, but rather to use the pretext of reconciliation to directly announce his own demands.

Compared to Yao Xing's domineering manner, this was even more humiliating, and everyone cursed inwardly, feeling a surge of anger rising to their heads.

Yao Xing laughed in extreme anger, and black energy condensed into a claw in his palm:

"Such arrogance! Don't mistake our fear of you for the Star Pavilion behind you. If a fight breaks out, the outcome is still uncertain!"

In an instant, the atmosphere in the stone chamber became tense, with cultivators from all the major forces drawing their weapons and the crackling sounds of spiritual energy colliding filling the air.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a figure shrouded in crimson mist stood silently beneath the blood pool.

The fog was so thick it was almost tangible, obscuring his figure and face, leaving only a pair of eyes radiating a scarlet light.

Like a lurking ferocious beast, he stared intently at the cultivators from various forces above—this person was none other than the Blood Demon Ancestor.

Beside him lay a young cultivator who had fallen into a coma. This was the vessel he intended to possess.

"Hehehe... Let's start fighting already, the fiercer the better!"

The Blood Demon Ancestor let out a sinister laugh, his voice hoarse and like the scraping of metal.

"The more ruthlessly you kill, the stronger your blood energy becomes, allowing me to absorb more life essence and perfectly complete this body-seizing and rebirth technique!"

"Since you're hesitant to make a move, then let this old ancestor lend you a hand!"

Seeing that the cultivators on the ground, though tense and ready to fight, were still hesitant and had not yet truly engaged in combat, the crimson light in the Blood Demon Ancestor's eyes intensified.

He slowly raised his hand, his withered palm pressing against the bottom of the blood pool. A stream of extremely pure blood energy flowed continuously into the blood pool, flowing along the patterns on the bottom of the pool into the three blood lightning flowers.

At the same time, the crimson mist surrounding him suddenly surged, spreading upwards like a tide.

With its bone-chilling cold and bewitching power, it silently invaded the souls of cultivators on the ground.

Just then, the three Blood Thunder Flowers in the Blood Pool suddenly began to shake violently, and the black lightning on the petals surged several times over, emitting a crackling sound.

The temperature in the entire stone chamber suddenly rose, and a wave of heat, carrying with it a strong stench of blood, swept over us.

The already churning blood mist was now even more violent, like a raging sea, frantically assaulting everyone's minds.

"The Blood Thunder Flower is ripe!"

Master Wufa of Wanfo Temple suddenly gave a low shout and clasped his hands together:

"Amitabha Buddha, although this thing is extremely evil, it contains supreme creation. Our Buddhist sect is willing to take one of them and use a hundred years of Buddhist teachings to purify its malevolent energy and bring blessings to the world."

"Hmph, you bald monk, don't spout nonsense!" Yao Xing sneered, his Netherworld Claw already taking shape.

"Such divine objects are only worthy of being possessed by true power. The corrupt and decadent aura of your Buddhist sect will only tarnish its supreme power!"

"Further words are useless!" Ling Shan of the Star Pavilion's gaze turned cold, and his sword instantly drew from its sheath, a dazzling sword aura shooting straight into the sky.

"Let's see how this goes today!"

Before the words were even finished, the forces of all the major powers had already moved at the same time!

The disciples of the Xuanming Sect unleashed a bone banner, shrouded in black mist;

The cultivators of the Xuanqing Taoist sect made hand seals, and talismans filled the sky;

The monks of Wanfo Temple chanted scriptures, and the Buddha's light shone everywhere.

The experts from the Star Pavilion displayed exquisite swordsmanship, their sword energy crisscrossing the air.

In an instant, a fierce conflict erupted between various forces vying for the Blood Thunder Flower.

The booming sounds of colliding spiritual energy, the clanging of weapons clashing, and the screams of wounded cultivators mingled together.

The entire stone chamber trembled violently, and loose stones fell from the ceiling as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

The smaller factions and independent cultivators on the outskirts were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, cowering in corners as much as possible.

Even so, many cultivators with weaker cultivation levels were still affected, suffering severe injuries at best and death on the spot at worst.

The blood flowed along the patterns on the ground, eventually flowing into the central blood pool, making the pool's color even thicker.

"They're fighting! They're fighting!" The woman, Qingguo, was thrilled, rubbing her hands together excitedly, her large palms clenching into fists.

"Should we take advantage of the chaos and make a quick buck? We can't miss such a good opportunity!"

Yang Guo stared intently at the blood pool, then shook his head: "Wait a little longer, I have a feeling something's wrong with this blood pool!"

(I caught a cold! I'm not feeling well, so I feel like my writing is a bit off. I'll owe you one chapter for now.)