Chapter Eighty-One: The Curtain Falls Amid Splendor

Clang!

An invisible wave of energy swept out, spreading inexorably toward the boundless sky.

The elders from the many factions, who had already reached the exit of the secret realm, suddenly sensed a terrifying aura behind them, powerful enough to rend the heavens and earth. Their souls seemed to flee their bodies in fear.

Especially the elder from the Infinity Sword Sect, bearing his treasured sword upon his back—when he turned and saw the shattered void stretching for thousands of miles behind him, he felt as if he had cheated death just moments ago in his confrontation with the Blood Clan.

"Go!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the elders of the major factions gathered their disciples and rushed out of the secret realm. All who escaped alive felt a profound sense of surviving disaster—how precious life was!

"That stubborn boy—I believe he'll make it out alive." On a low peak several hundred miles from the secret realm's entrance, Ji Rou, one of the surviving disciples of the Skysea Sect, stared in a daze at the distant rift in the void.

Buzz—buzz.

Suddenly, a strange fluctuation arose at the secret realm's exit. Under the horrified gazes of the assembled factions, the space fissure—like a scar across the heavens—exploded and dissolved into nothingness. The corner of the continent beyond the rift was obliterated by an incomprehensible, terrifying force.

"No!" Ji Rou's heart trembled, her expression darkening. The disappearance of the void rift meant that Luo Hao could no longer escape.

"It seems the boy won't make it out alive—so we've fulfilled Murong Ying's task after all." Among the survivors of the Skysea Sect, Yang Cheng stood shoulder to shoulder with Mu Huo, gazing at the vanished entrance to the secret realm with a strange look in their eyes.

During their journey through the Blood Spirit Secret Realm, the two had tried more than once to target Luo Hao, but he was always too vigilant; even the slightest murderous intent would alert him.

"The secret realm has been destroyed—let us return to the sect." Seeing the collapse of the Blood Spirit Secret Realm, Elder Zhao swept his sleeve and led the Skysea Sect disciples homeward.

Across a continent shrouded in overwhelming terror, thunderous booms echoed from the sky, as if the apocalypse itself rumbled overhead. Clearly, the Blood Spirit Secret Realm had not vanished into oblivion as Elder Zhao and the others believed.

The Ninefold Void Realm!

On the land below, two titanic figures, each a hundred yards tall, faced one another. Their earth-shaking battle had, unbelievably, dragged remnants of the Blood Spirit Secret Realm into the Ninefold Void Realm.

Boom—boom—boom!

Suddenly, the sound of drums thundered from the heavens of the Ninefold Void, like the earth's own heartbeat. After clashing head-on with the Mountain and River King Physique of Wan Qianyi, Blood Ancestor's massive body was battered back thousands of miles. He cried out in awe, "You think highly of me—evoking the drums of heaven and earth! There's something strange about this Ancient World; otherwise, so many powerful clans wouldn't covet this place."

Wan Qianyi, who had manifested the Mountain and River King Physique, was equally solemn. Listening to the echoing drums, he felt the surging power within him. "Heaven and Earth Drums—I never heard them in life, yet now I do in death. To have you as my adversary in this life-and-death battle, I have no regrets. Hahaha!"

In that moment, Wan Qianyi's hair whipped wildly, exuding boundless arrogance. The aura of the Human King radiated from him. Though Luo Hao's body was the vessel, Blood Ancestor saw in those eyes the resurrection of his ancient rival from ages past. His spirit had fully returned.

"Mountain and River Seal!" No joy or sorrow stirred in Wan Qianyi's heart—only the longing for battle. He unleashed his power without reserve, and the drums of heaven and earth seemed to thunder for this martial hero.

Boom!

Wan Qianyi interlocked his ten fingers and pressed down. The gesture appeared calm, but Blood Ancestor's pupils contracted—the endless landscape transformed between Wan Qianyi's fingers, stirring the grand momentum of rivers and mountains, then condensing into an ancient divine peak.

The earth-toned mountain, millions of yards tall, seemed to drag the entire sky down as it descended. Its oppressive weight instantly bent Blood Ancestor's massive body.

"I didn't expect such power from a fractured soul. I truly underestimated you. But it's all futile; I am the master of all creation!"

As Blood Ancestor spoke, the sole vertical eye on his blood-marked face opened again. A crimson wave spread, and torrential blood rain poured from the skies. Red-haired cyclones swept the land, countless beings wailed, unending worlds perished within the blood pupil, billions of stars fell.

Blood Pupil's Divine Slaughter.

A voice, nearly demonic, echoed—hoarse and deep. Even Blood Ancestor himself trembled as he spoke.

Crash!

Suddenly, countless blood markings on Blood Ancestor's colossal body ignited with blazing blood flames. A massive crimson hand burst forth from his back, rising to meet the descending ancient mountain.

Bang!

A muffled sound reverberated through the Ninefold Void Realm, followed by waves of sonic energy rippling outward, each capable of annihilating a host of peak martial experts.

The towering mountain and the crimson hand clashed, their radiance dimming. Linked in mind and spirit, Wan Qianyi spat a mouthful of blood, while a crack appeared on Blood Ancestor's blood-forged body, even miles away.

That crimson hand—its nature unknown—had withstood the ancient divine peak. Though Wan Qianyi's black hair whipped wildly and he was injured, it seemed to affect him not at all.

"Suppress!"

With a furious roar, ancient mountain markings erupted in dazzling light, each like iron brushstrokes—imbued with age and gravitas, an aura unscathed even by time's passage.

The million-yard divine peak now seemed the sole existence between heaven and earth, as if the primordial chaos had birthed its first mountain. The dense markings formed a vast divine net. Once more, the mountain pressed down from the void, resonating with some ineffable principle.

Facing the renewed suppression, Blood Ancestor's face grew uncharacteristically grave. From the sole blood pupil in his brow, a crimson beam shot forth.

Boom!

An explosive sound rang out—the Ninefold Void Realm itself was torn open. A blood-red fissure appeared, flooding the air with the scent of blood. Within the rift, a crimson vortex began to form.

"Blood Pupil opens the world—blood slaughter upon the mortal realm!" Blood Ancestor's voice echoed, empty as if even vitality had been drained away.

As his words resounded in the Ninefold Void, footsteps emerged from the vortex within the blood fissure. A blurred, blood-red phantom stepped out.

Boom—boom—boom—boom!

The instant the phantom appeared, billions of thunder dragons roared within the Ninefold Void Realm. World-shattering lightning struck at the crimson shadow, endless thunder dragons rampaging.

Within his body, Luo Hao swore this was the most terrifying sight he'd ever witnessed: heavenly tribulation descending, the world rejecting the blood-red phantom. What manner of being was that? How could such a creature exist?

The drums of heaven and earth thundered like a battle hymn. Infinite thunder dragons swallowed the crimson phantom, while the ancient divine mountain pressed down, enveloping it instantly.

Faced with this overwhelming onslaught, Blood Ancestor showed no reaction—like a soulless corpse, his gaze utterly empty.

Yet the blood-red phantom calmly lifted its illusory hand. As its palm extended, the entire sky of the Ninefold Void Realm shuddered.

Then a chilling scene unfolded: the rampaging thunder dragons and the ancient divine peak, all were seized by that seemingly ethereal hand.

With a gentle squeeze, everything vanished into oblivion. A danger more terrifying than death emanated from the phantom's form, causing Wan Qianyi's eyes to fill with gravity. Though Wan Qianyi controlled the body, Luo Hao felt his soul on the verge of shattering.

Spurt!

The phantom's gaze flashed like lightning—it raised its head abruptly, fixing Wan Qianyi with its eyes. Wherever its gaze swept, the void of the Ninefold Realm collapsed. Two beams of crimson light shot straight at Wan Qianyi.

Mountain and River King Cauldron!

Wan Qianyi's heart was heavy, but his face showed no fear. At his call, the ancient cauldron descended atop his head. Endless rivers and mountains revived, the cauldron wall forming a world of its own.

Bang!

The King Cauldron collided with the incoming crimson beams, unleashing blinding five-colored divine radiance. A storm of spiritual energy swept the land, shattering the sky of the Ninefold Void Realm. The protruding peaks below were flattened by the impact.

Streams of spiritual wind rampaged through the air—not ordinary wind, but each capable of annihilating hosts of powerful experts.

In this earth-shattering clash, the King Cauldron's radiance dimmed and it was thrown back. The two crimson beams, like relentless maggots, pierced Wan Qianyi's shoulders, blood pouring into the void.

Within his body, Luo Hao watched his own blood spill, heart aching. Had it not been for the cauldron's intervention, the beams would have pierced his heart, not merely his shoulder.

What is this phantom, this monster? Luo Hao transmitted his question to Wan Qianyi in secret, but received no answer—only pain etched across Wan Qianyi's face. Whatever power dwelled in the beams seemed to affect his soul.

It is not my own body, after all. Wan Qianyi sighed inwardly, then his eyes flared with divine light. Facing the blood-red phantom, he declared, "The power of the Blood Emperor lives up to its name, but it is not enough."

Boom—boom—boom—boom!

In the next instant, a terrifying tide of energy surged from Wan Qianyi's body, as if the heavens themselves were rising. The crimson phantom stepped forward, crossing realms like a streak of blood.

A phantom hand descended, endless blood clouds shrouded the sky, the trajectories of countless stars shifted, innumerable blood clans prayed in reverence.

Soul Sacrifice to the Rivers and Mountains—for my people, a hundred deaths without regret!

As the illusory hand was about to suppress Wan Qianyi, a roar shook the world. A similarly ethereal figure burst out from Luo Hao's body.

It was a figure wreathed in five-colored divine flames. As it emerged, Luo Hao felt his body forcefully cast down from the void.

"Senior!"

As he fell, Luo Hao realized he could now control his body again and called out. He knew Wan Qianyi was sacrificing his soul, seeking ultimate transcendence in a final battle with Blood Ancestor.

Despite being consumed by divine flames, Luo Hao glimpsed the figure's face—rugged, chiseled, eyes like lightning, bearing the wisdom of ages and an irrepressible weariness.

In that moment, the flaming figure became supreme in the heavens. The King Cauldron, thrown aside, flew back to the figure's side, humming softly like a child reuniting with its father.

"Old friend, join me in this last battle! Drink!"

With a mighty shout, Wan Qianyi unleashed chains of five-colored divine flame from his body, sealing the space—even time itself was bound. In that moment, the endless rivers and mountains of the Ninefold Void Realm bowed to him.

Zzz—zzz—zzz!

The descending phantom hand screeched as it met the divine flame chains. The flames burned fiercely, annihilating countless blood markings upon the hand. Sensing the power of the five-colored flames, the blood-red phantom instantly withdrew its hand.

It is time—what must depart shall depart. May the rivers and mountains of my people endure forever!

With a sigh, Wan Qianyi's burning form merged into the King Cauldron. The ancient vessel ignited with five-colored divine flames.

Flash!

Like a shooting star, the burning cauldron, trailing flames, engulfed everything. No trace of crimson remained in the sky—the blood fissure vanished, the phantom faded, all consumed by divine fire.

Falling from the heavens, Luo Hao's bones shattered, blood streaming from his body, deep cracks like worms covering his skin.

But none of this mattered now. Luo Hao stared blankly at the sky sealed by the divine flame chains, his gaze fixed on the flickering five-colored flames.

Suddenly, a tear, mingled with blood, slid down his face.

"Senior, may your journey be smooth!" Luo Hao whispered, lost in grief.