"Daoist, you’re injured?" Qin Sang noticed that Si Di’s complexion had turned somewhat pale, and his heart tightened.

Have the two sides already encountered each other and fought a battle? Qin Sang thought.

Si Di touched his shoulder and said, "I got separated from them, but it wasn’t Sin Abyss. I ran into a group of blood souls instead. I was careless and got scratched by one of them. The sinister energy entered my body, but I just took a spirit pill and have already recovered."

"A group of blood souls?" Qin Sang asked in surprise, "The others were scattered as well?"

Si Di nodded. "It happened too suddenly. We had been dealing with a troublesome barrier, but somehow we alerted them. Suddenly, countless blood souls rushed at us. At first, we didn’t realize they had undying bodies, and we suffered heavy losses. Once our formation broke, we were scattered by the blood souls. We decided to split up and escape, then regroup at the agreed location after getting out safely. I had to deal with the blood souls chasing me for quite a while before I finally shook them off and found a place to recover."

After a brief discussion, the two decided to move together. Along the way, whenever Qin Sang summoned the fat chicken, Si Di showed some curiosity. However, seeing that Qin Sang was unwilling to explain, he did not ask further.

***

The center of the basin was where the blood mist was the densest, thick as blood itself. Within the mist stood two enormous blood-colored gates! The surface of the gates was covered in countless runes, profound and mysterious.

However, the gates were now riddled with pits and even cracks and gaps. Through the openings, one could vaguely see the scene inside.

Tall towers stood in clusters, filled with dense yin energy. Though signs of collapse and decay were inevitable, compared to other places, it was still in relatively good condition.

In front of the gates, an open space had been cleared. Several figures sat cross-legged there. All of them were cultivators from Sin Abyss. Qingjun and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Everyone faced the blood gates, arranged in a fan-like formation. At the very front stood two people.

One wore a blood-colored cloak, his face withered and aged. It was Old Devil Ye, whose infamous reputation had spread across Beichen Realm and who was known as the number one expert of the current age!

Beside him stood a white-haired elder with an immortal bearing. He was Daoist Master Tianzheng, the sect leader of Xingheng Sect of Sin Abyss, whose cultivation was only slightly inferior to Old Devil Ye.

With them as the leaders, the group joined forces to attack the blood gates. Their attacks poured out like a flowing torrent, causing the gates to tremble repeatedly.

"The cultivators from the Two-Domain Alliance must have run into the blood souls by now, right? Old Devil Ye’s Blood Dao techniques are truly extraordinary. With just a blood devil incarnation, he lured the blood souls away. Not only did those blood souls fail to become a problem, they actually helped us execute the Two-Domain Alliance, easily holding back our opponents." A Spiritual Infant cultivator withdrew his hand and adjusted his breathing briefly before turning to look into the depths of the blood mist, letting out a sinister laugh.

This man was known as Daoist Xuansi. He wore a spider-patterned robe, his gaze sinister, and his lips an unnatural bluish-purple, marking him as a devilish cultivator.

"Daoist Xuansi, you make it sound easy. That blood devil incarnation of Old Devil Ye is comparable to his true body’s cultivation. Not just anyone can possess such a thing. Only a clone of that level could quietly lure away so many blood souls." Beside him, a black-robed elder, also a devilish cultivator, clearly held Old Devil Ye in great admiration and immediately began to flatter him lavishly.

Sin Abyss was not entirely united internally. Like Small Cold Domain, it also had conflicts between righteous and devilish paths, though such contradictions were overshadowed by more important matters.

A righteous-path cultivator nearby found their words unpleasant and interjected, "Don’t celebrate too early. The Two-Domain Alliance has no shortage of experts. Whether those blood souls can hold them back for long is uncertain. These blood gates are difficult to break. You two should focus on assisting Daoist Master Tianzheng and Old Devil Ye."

The two who had spoken earlier exchanged glances, their expressions displeased, but they did not argue and instead continued their conversation in low voices.

"Last time at Sin God Palace, we broke through layers of ancient barriers and found that devilish monster sealed there. He had been tortured to the point of losing all human form. We used too much force and only managed to extract fragments of memory from his remnant soul. Even so, we gained immense benefits, suppressing other factions. I wonder how much we’ll gain this time!" Daoist Xuansi spoke with great anticipation, barely able to contain himself.

The black-robed elder let out a strange chuckle, equally unable to hide his excitement. "According to that devilish monster, the one imprisoned in this Blood Prison is a traitor of Ziwei Palace, someone who must know that place extremely well. As long as we capture this person, the treasures within Ziwei Palace will be ours for the taking. What will those old ghosts from Small Cold Domain and Tianxing Alliance use to compete with us then? We’ll strike at their foundation! Ridiculous that they still think they can exclude us after managing Ziwei Palace for so many years."

As he spoke, the black-robed elder lifted his head, his gaze passing through the cracks of the blood gates into the space within.

Daoist Xuansi let out a low laugh. "Ziwei Palace is indeed valuable, but in my view, aside from the cultivation arts and secret techniques in his mind, what matters most are his memories of the ancient era. It would be best if we could learn from him why this world has become what it is. Is there a path through the endless storm, a way to witness the broader world beyond? That way, we won’t follow in the footsteps of countless predecessors and die with regret. This time, we must be careful. It would be best to capture him alive. We must not repeat our mistake of reducing him to only a remnant soul and gaining only fragmented memories."

"Daoist Xuansi, you have quite the ambition. But even if such a path exists, do we have the strength to cross the endless storm? How can we ensure we won’t lose our way within it? Improving our own strength is the most urgent matter." The black-robed elder fired off a string of questions, each one striking at the heart of the matter.

Daoist Xuansi’s expression darkened slightly.

Seeing this, the black-robed elder quickly changed his tone. "Still, it’s too early to discuss such things. The sealing power here is weaker than that of Sin God Palace. The traitor of Ziwei Palace imprisoned here has likely suffered less torment and suppression. Who knows how much strength he still retains? He probably won’t be as easy to deal with as that devilish monster. Besides, last time nearly all of us were present, working together, which made things seem easy. This time, Demon King Ming Yue unexpectedly exposed our plans, forcing us to split our forces and leave Daoist Canghong and the others to guard Tianxing Highland. With this shift in strength, we must proceed cautiously."

Daoist Xuansi had cultivated to such a level that he would not be angered by a few words.

Hearing this, he nodded slightly, agreeing with the caution, though his expression was not as grave. "The weaker sealing power suggests that this person’s cultivation is also lower. This is no ordinary seal. Like Sin God Palace, it is a place of punishment! Ever since we discovered Blood Lake and began monitoring it, we noticed that every ten years, this person would cause disturbances when the seal weakened. Each time, the disturbance grew weaker, until more than ten years ago, when it ceased entirely. Didn’t Old Devil Ye wait another cycle to confirm that this person, like that devilish monster, had reached the end of his life before deciding to act now?"

They were not the only ones speaking in secret. As others saw the cracks in the blood gates widening, they too began whispering among themselves.

Daoist Master Tianzheng heard everything, cast a glance at Old Devil Ye, and seeing him sitting like an ancient pine, expressionless, chose to ignore it and continued focusing on breaking the gate.