Inside the secret underground space, You Mo dazedly regained consciousness… His body throbbed with intense pain, but the moment he saw the scene around him, every emotion in his body suddenly vanished.
He stood frozen like a statue—that was You Mo's state right now…
"What happened… what happened???"
Thousands of questions exploded in his mind. He clawed frantically at his own flesh, hoping desperately that this was an illusion, a heart demon—anything but reality.
Before his eyes, the underground space had collapsed. The divine sapling his master treasured more than life itself was gone. Nearly ten thousand victims had been reduced to mangled flesh and blood.
The scene was completely different from his memories. In his mind, he still saw himself sitting proudly in midair, casually controlling the lives of nearly ten thousand captives. He even remembered beautiful women who had the misfortune of entering—forced to serve him for a time to relieve his boredom…
After all, being alone for so long was dull. You Mo couldn't suppress his natural instincts as a man…
But the invincible, domineering figure he once was had vanished. The current scene made You Mo realize he was about to become a masterless dog. He had ruined his master's plan. He didn't dare imagine what awaited him if he returned to the Immortal Realm.
"Who… who did this to me?" You Mo's heart felt like dead ashes. Whoever could silently steal the sapling and erase every trace of memory from him must be an earth-shaking existence… Even if he wanted revenge, he wouldn't know where to start.
Under normal circumstances, You Mo could have fled—hid himself on some low-grade planet and lived out the rest of his days in obscurity. The universe was vast; no matter how powerful his master was, finding him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Unfortunately, his Soul Origin Essence was still held by his master. No matter where he ran, escape was impossible.
"There's only one way left… I hope Master shows mercy and spares my family!"
A trace of sorrow flickered across You Mo's face. Immortal power surged within him. His dantian began to swell…
BOOM! BOOM!
Like a nuclear detonation, You Mo decisively self-destructed—body and soul together—hoping that by taking his own life as atonement, he might slightly appease his master's wrath…
A lifetime as a Peak True Immortal ended in bleak silence…
…
The instant You Mo self-destructed, hundreds of light-years away in the Central Immortal Realm, inside a magnificent palace shrouded in immortal mist—where celestial maidens danced gracefully with cranes in the air, an immortal paradise—
A middle-aged man of extraordinary bearing, with long flowing hair and a handsome yet stern face, slowly opened his tightly shut eyes. Within those pupils lay the accumulated vicissitudes of the world—endless slaughter and killing intent.
The moment his eyes opened, the entire palace trembled violently. Countless living beings dropped to their knees in reverence:
"Heavenly Venerable lives ten thousand years! Ten thousand times ten thousand years! Eternal life without end!"
The man addressed as Heavenly Venerable paid no attention to the prostrating masses. Instead, his face turned so dark it seemed water could drip from it—twisted to the extreme. His gaze suddenly pierced through layer after layer of space, locking onto the secret underground chamber where You Mo had once stood guard.
"DAMN IT… DAMN IT… WHO DID THIS?!"
A furious roar containing world-destroying majesty echoed across the planet. Countless beings vomited blood and trembled on the ground, hearts filled with terror…
The Heavenly Venerable didn't know how to calm himself right now. A hundred years ago, he had barely survived a journey into a forbidden land—only to accidentally discover a seed of the legendary Immortal Tree. He had been ecstatic beyond belief, feeling as though he were dreaming, that none of it was real…
The Immortal Tree was something even an Immortal Venerable like him had never dared dream of possessing in the past. Yet, by some stroke of ancestral fortune, he had glimpsed a glorious future if he could successfully nurture it to maturity.
To cultivate the Immortal Tree, he had devised an extremely meticulous plan—one so secret that not even his closest confidants knew the full details. Only he and You Mo were aware of the entire process.
He had even expended nearly all his strength to secretly create countless spatial rifts across tens of thousands of low-grade planets and spaces—just as Lan An had deduced—to avoid drawing attention.
Because he knew he had many enemies watching him closely. He could not afford the slightest carelessness.
Yet in the end, despite all his careful preparations… he had failed at the very last step.
"Exterminate every single member of the You Clan. This Venerable does not wish to see even one person surnamed You remaining on this planet!"
A thunderous command echoed through the palace, causing every face to pale instantly.
The You Clan… was finished!
When a Heavenly Venerable issued an order in the Central Immortal Realm, who dared disobey?
Though You Mo had chosen to self-destruct in atonement, it clearly wasn't enough to quench the fury in this Heavenly Venerable's heart. He had even dragged the entire You Clan—every last soul bearing that surname—down with him.
Others might exterminate nine generations. When a Heavenly Venerable truly raged… he exterminated entire surnames. The terror of that act needed no further explanation.
Puff…
Even after issuing the order, the Heavenly Venerable's rage remained unappeased. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed violently outward…
His face twisted grotesquely. He tore open his robe, exposing his chest to inspect it.
There, on the noble chest of an Immortal Venerable, were three grievous wounds—none of them healed. They served as undeniable proof: even an Immortal Venerable was not invincible. In his fury, the three wounds spread wider—glaring and shocking. Anyone who looked closely would see that each wound bore the distinct mark of a beast: the fist imprint of a bear, the claw marks of a tiger, and a savage burn shaped like the wing of some great flying creature.
Staring at the three wounds on his chest, the Heavenly Venerable's eyes blazed with endless hatred. He ground his teeth and snarled:
"This time, without the Immortal Tree… how can this Venerable ever hope to take revenge on that damned Beast Martial Heavenly Venerable?!"
…
Lan An, of course, had no idea You Mo had taken his own life.
Right now, he was following the husband-and-wife pair Xue Shang and Xue Qian toward Blood Heart City—one of the largest cities in the Blood Realm.
The city resembled a giant beating heart made of blood—grotesque and unsettling in design…
Upon arriving, the number of people finally increased. The place even bustled with activity…
Walking along the main street, Lan An's brows furrowed tightly. The class divide here was brutally stark.
Blood Race members stood supreme… while ordinary blood cultivators were merely subjects.
The Blood Race were true vampires—pale skin devoid of vitality, protruding fangs, bat-like wings on their backs, and devilish tails beneath…
Unlike the vampires of legend who feared sunlight, in the Blood Realm, the Blood Race walked openly under both day and night without the slightest concern.
Clearly, compared to the vampires Lan An had once known, the Blood Race here were far more powerful.
Yet across the entire Blood Realm, the Blood Race population was extremely small. Despite that, their dominance was absolute—because the supreme ruling power was none other than the Blood Royal Clan.
The Blood Royal Clan was born with the innate talent to control blood essence, giving them overwhelming suppression over ordinary blood cultivators. In the Blood Realm, their status was supreme and inviolable.
Inside Blood Heart City, Lan An witnessed a Fusion Realm blood cultivator forced to kneel and beg forgiveness from a mere Nascent Soul Realm Blood Race member over a trivial conflict. The scene was absurdly grotesque.
"Don't stare! True pure-blooded members of the Blood Race are not someone people like us can afford to provoke. Only when we're granted pure royal blood essence will our status truly change!"
Seeing Lan An observing a Blood Race member with a strange look, Xue Shang hurriedly pulled him aside and whispered a warning—his voice extremely cautious.
"You're not Blood Race?" Lan An gave Xue Shang an odd glance. The man had fangs and pale skin… yet wasn't Blood Race?
"My husband is only a half-blood. His mother was a servant to a Blood Race member, which is how he was born. Though our status isn't as high as true Blood Race, it's still far above ordinary humans!" Xue Qian said with a hint of pride, clinging tightly to Xue Shang's arm.
She was beautiful and had strength comparable to Xue Shang. If not for his half-Blood Race lineage, she never would have given him a second glance.
Lan An nodded as though he understood. Inwardly, however, he felt nothing but contempt. From what he had seen, most of the terrifying existences in the Immortal Realm were human. A tiny Blood Race like this only knew how to strut around acting superior in their own little Blood Realm. Frogs at the bottom of a well.
"Xue Shang, Xue Qian… are you two also participating in the Blood Child assessment?"
Just then, a voice laced with mockery rang out. The three of them turned to see a young Blood Race man in luxurious robes approaching. His lewd gaze roamed constantly over Xue Qian's body; his crimson tongue flicked across his lips.
"Greetings, Young Master Xue Quan!" Xue Shang hurriedly pulled Xue Qian into a bow, pretending not to notice the man's lascivious stare at his wife.
"Haha, no need for formalities… Is this your new slave? His blood essence looks quite vigorous!" Young Master Xue Quan glanced at Lan An, a flash of killing intent appearing in his eyes.
For a noble Blood Race like him to receive no bow—this brat was courting death.
"Young Master Xue Quan, please don't hold it against him. He's lived in the wilderness since childhood and has never experienced proper etiquette!" Xue Shang forced a smile, then transmitted to Lan An: "Hurry and pay respects to Young Master Xue Quan!"
Lan An remained expressionless, showing no emotion. Xue Quan was only at mid-Fusion Realm. Both Xue Shang and Xue Qian were late-Fusion Realm—yet they groveled before him like dogs before their master. This world… in Lan An's eyes, was nothing but trash.
"So he's just a country bumpkin who's never seen the world. His skin is still rosy—definitely low-born trash!" Xue Quan sneered with disdain. In the Blood Realm, the paler the skin, the more it proved noble Blood Race heritage. Someone with normal skin tone like Lan An was textbook commoner filth.
"He was born unable to cultivate blood power. All his strength comes from Body Cultivation. Please don't laugh at him, Young Master!" Xue Qian explained.
"Can't cultivate blood power? Trash!" Xue Quan cursed, immediately losing interest in Lan An.
Blood Realm cultivators usually strengthened themselves by absorbing the blood essence of enemies or demon beasts—making their own blood purer and more powerful. Those who couldn't cultivate blood like Lan An were seen by the Blood Race as having filthy, lowly blood—not even worth using as feed.
"Young Master Xue Quan, are you also participating in the Blood Child assessment this time? If so… we really have no chance at all!" Xue Shang pretended to sigh, fawning shamelessly.
"Not bad. With this Young Master's strength, I should have made the Blood Child Ranking long ago. But I recently received some interesting news regarding one of the rewards for this assessment. Are you interested?" Xue Quan licked his lips with an evil grin.
"Very interested!" Xue Shang and Xue Qian nodded eagerly. With their status, they only knew about the basic rewards. The special, changing rewards each cycle were still a mystery to them.
Even Lan An quietly paid attention. Right now, his hope of returning to Yuelong Star rested on this Blood Child assessment. He wouldn't miss any crucial detail.
After some time gathering information from Xue Shang and Xue Qian, Lan An learned that the Blood Realm had many Transcending Spirit Blood Formations connecting to different planets. Finding the one linked to Yuelong Star on his own was nearly impossible. Only by becoming a Blood Child could he gain access to more information.
"Haha… if you want information from this Young Master… it won't come cheap!" Xue Quan smiled wickedly. As he spoke, his eyes continued roaming over Xue Qian's curvaceous body.
"Ahem… Tonight, Xue Mie and I have some things to discuss. Wife, you go entertain yourself—don't mind us!" Xue Shang pretended to cough, giving Xue Qian a subtle nod.
"Kh kh kh… In that case, you two take your time. I'll accompany Young Master Xue Quan for a stroll through Blood Heart City!" Xue Qian smiled sweetly, stepping forward to link arms with Xue Quan, acting coquettish like a little bird nestling against him.
Smack…
Xue Quan slapped her plump rear with force, threw his head back, and laughed heartily. He wrapped an arm around Xue Qian's waist, gave Xue Shang a contemptuous glance, and turned to leave. From beginning to end, Xue Qian showed no resistance—on the contrary, she fawned over Xue Quan even more. If pleasing a true Blood Race member could elevate her status, she was more than willing to serve completely.
Lan An could see Xue Shang's body trembling violently as he witnessed the scene. The man's fists clenched until they bled—but he didn't dare show it on his face. What man could bear to watch his woman serve another like this, powerless to resist?
"Xue Mie… you see it now, right? If we can't become true Blood Race, this is our fate… Even if our wives are offered up for others to play with, we still have to smile and pretend we're happy!" Xue Shang drew a deep breath, his voice shaking:
"The day I become true Blood Race, everything will change… You have to work hard too—become true Blood Race. This assessment is our chance!"
Lan An's eyes flickered, but he said nothing. Inwardly, however, he sneered:
"You're wrong. I will never become Blood Race. Destroying the Blood Race—that is my goal. Just like my name: Xue Mie—Blood Annihilation!"