Chapter 46: A Mouthful of Reversed Blood

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Yet, as he endured the eighth trial by heavenly lightning—a process of utmost importance—he dared not move recklessly, not even Summer Hao himself. Should he fail, his martial cultivation would not only stagnate but might even regress, his martial heart irreparably wounded. He forcefully suppressed the agitation of the True Martial talisman within him, striving to ignore the insults hurled from below by the little priest. Two hours slipped by this way, the skies shifting restlessly, until a torrential downpour began to fall. Raindrops struck the earth, raising clouds of dust and washing away the stifling heat that weighed on everyone’s chest.

The common folk who had stood anxiously in the streets, gazing up at the sky, now cared little about what the Martial Emperor of Great Summer would do—they hurried home to gather their clothes or to find shelter from the rain. Only Liao Yi continued to curse, to the speechless amazement of Xuan Chun, Lingxu, and the others. Liao Yi’s persistence was truly unmatched; he had been cursing for two hours straight without repeating himself once.

At this moment, Liao Yi was shouting, “Martial Emperor of Great Summer, you old bastard! You and Marquis Wu Wen are as thick as thieves, sharing your perverse affections, always sneaking in the back door and out the front one...”

“I wonder, how did your disciple enter the Daoist order?”

After two hours of Liao Yi’s relentless tirade, the others had watched for just as long. At last, Xuan Chun’s junior brother, Xuan Chen, broke the silence.

“He claims that, before joining the sect, he worked as a brothel keeper at the Lihua Courtyard. Later, war forced him to wander near the Xuantian Daoist Gate, just as I was out seeking fortune. So I took him as my disciple,” Lingyu said, half laughing, half crying.

“Truly... fascinating!”

Even Monk Yun Sheng, whose own divine power was being used in such a manner, could only shake his head in bemusement.

Just then, the rain from the heavens abruptly turned red.

“Why is the rain red?”

Xuan Chun was the first to notice—the rain now resembled blood, tinged with a faintly sweet scent.

“Look there!”

Lingxu pointed at Summer Hao, suspended in the sky.

Summer Hao was in a wretched state: hair standing on end, whether from lightning or the wind, and a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. Throughout his life, Summer Hao had been domineering, upholding imperial martial principles to reach the pinnacle of his path. Lately, he had even developed a martial immortal art blending talismanic and martial techniques. Yet now, he was being cursed for hours on end by a mere brash youth.

Enraged, and with his martial immortal art still unformed, the chaos within him forced a mouthful of blood to spew forth, mingling with the rain to become a shower of crimson.

“Did Summer Hao just cough up blood from Liao Yi’s curses?”

Lingxu stared in astonishment, then said, “It certainly looks that way. In that case, I’ll let him off for patting my head earlier. If he can be driven to spit blood by Liao Yi’s abuse, what harm is there if he touches my bald head?”

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A smile finally broke through the usually stern face of the little monk, Yun Sheng.

“The blood of the Martial Emperor of Great Summer is a rare delicacy! If you all don’t want it, I certainly do!”

So declared a demonic cultivator reeking of blood, who flew into the air and, with a gesture, gathered all the blood from the rain into his hand. This was the infamous blood fiend of the demonic path, North City Moon, whose arts all centered on blood. Among cultivators, he was widely known as the Blood Demon Ancestor.

He condensed all the collected blood into a spinning crimson sphere, which, after being refined by his magic, transformed into a fragrant pill. Swallowing it, he felt his strength grow and could not help but exclaim, “Exhilarating!”

Witnessing this, Summer Hao almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

The Blood Demon Ancestor, having taken his prize, returned to the ground among the crowd.

After two hours, the baptism by heavenly lightning was finally complete. Vital energy surged into Summer Hao’s body, but even such potent vitality only made up for the blood he had just lost. He longed to crush those below him, but with the imposing seal overhead, he dared not risk himself.

His aura surged, and countless images flickered around him. He unleashed a punch, his true qi forming a hundred-zhang spirit dragon—a technique he had created by combining the Immortal Dragon Art with his own martial path: the Dragon Martial Divine Fist. With the imperial aura upon him, the golden dragon’s dazzling scales gleamed as if it were a living creature.

The dragon plunged downward, but the beast atop the square seal in the sky opened its massive jaws, inhaled deeply, and swallowed the hundred-zhang spirit dragon whole.

The sky cleared, as if nothing had happened, save for the beast smacking its lips in satisfaction.

“Hide in this city if you dare!”

Summer Hao spat out his threat, but Liao Yi’s verbal assault only grew fiercer.

“If you’re so tough, then come down here!” Liao Yi shouted, amplifying the Lion’s Roar to its utmost.

With a cold snort, Summer Hao turned into a stream of light and vanished beyond the horizon.

Liao Yi felt a tinge of disappointment. Why wouldn’t Summer Hao come down?

“Little monk, my cursing skills are still not sharp enough! I must practice more! Here, your divine power, returned to you!”

As Liao Yi spoke, he pressed a hand to Yun Sheng’s shoulder, sending the runes of power back to their owner.

“It’s nothing. Making Summer Hao cough up blood was already impressive,” Yun Sheng replied, chanting a quiet “Amitabha” before falling silent.

“The enemy is gone, but urgent news must be sent to recall the elite from Xuzhou to Gunzhou. Summer Hao has been greatly provoked, and if he leads his army to Xuzhou, we cannot support them in time. The people of Xuzhou would be slaughtered!” Xuan Chun quickly analyzed.

“You’re right. Send orders at once: Xuzhou’s elite are to march back to Gunzhou without delay!”

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A man dressed in splendid robes stepped out from behind the cultivators, exuding no hint of spiritual power. Yet this was none other than Zhou Hongcai, King of Han.

At his command, someone hurried off to prepare horses and deliver the message to Xuzhou.

“Very well then. I must alter the appearance of the Dragon-Trapping Immortal-Imprisoning Array,” Xuan Chun said, waving his hands. The massive seal in the sky slowly descended until it touched the earth, shrinking to the size of an ordinary stone lion. Layer by layer, it turned to stone, finally becoming a white statue.

“Anyone entering Gunzhou with ill intent will be detected by this formation, and the beast will then reveal its true form to imprison them. Thus is the Dragon-Trapping Immortal-Imprisoning Array complete,” Xuan Chun declared, stroking his beard with a smile.

The Nascent Soul cultivators finally felt at ease. They had feared the formation would not distinguish friend from foe once grounded, but Xuan Chun’s words reassured them.

Everyone here was now on the same side. If any traitor should be devoured by the formation’s beast, it would be their own misfortune, and none could blame the array.

By now, soldiers were already on horseback, carrying a command token to Xuzhou.

Meanwhile, Summer Hao made his way back to the imperial palace of Great Summer, returning in complete disgrace after having left so triumphant.

“Your Majesty, Xuzhou has fallen to the rebels—”

The newcomer was Marquis Wu Wen, Qu Wenbei. Seeing Summer Hao’s bedraggled state, he was puzzled, but still reported the emergency.

“What? Xuzhou has fallen? Where is Hao Jie?”

Summer Hao’s rage surged, and even Qu Wenbei, with all his cultivation, was forced back several steps.

“It fell the night before last! Hao Jie is dead!”

Qu Wenbei gritted his teeth. Summer Hao now resembled an ancient beast in fury, his presence oppressive and terrifying.

“Mobilize the troops! Deploy three hundred thousand at once—Marquis Wu Wen, you will personally lead them and reclaim it for me!”

Summer Hao’s eyes burned red, his voice thundering through the imperial study.