137: Chapter 137 You've Been Born?

Just as he was almost unable to hold back from making a move, the figure finally stirred.

He raised his hand, lightly flicking his finger, and a dark-red bead flew from his hand, tracing an arc in the air before landing steadily in front of Venerable Lingyun.

The bead was not large, about the size of a thumb, completely dark-red with a surface as smooth as a mirror, and a faint light flowing within.

Within that light was a power that made even Venerable Lingyun's heart skip a beat; it was a power of the Origin, purer than essence blood and more vast than spiritual energy.

Venerable Lingyun's pupils contracted slightly as he reached out to catch the blood bead.

The moment the bead touched his hand, a warm current surged from his palm into his body, flowing along his Meridians to his limbs and bones.

Wherever that warm current passed, the Impurities left in his body from devouring the essence blood of low-level Cultivators actually began to be purified and dissolved bit by bit.

A flash of shock, along with a hint of greed, crossed Venerable Lingyun's eyes.

The preciousness of this blood bead far exceeded the sum of all the essence blood he had collected over the past few months. If he could refine it, not only could he break through to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, but he could even restore his strength to the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence in one fell swoop.

He raised his head, his gaze falling back onto that figure.

"This is...?" His voice carried a hint of testing, and a hint of confusion.

The figure still did not speak, only curling the corner of his lips into an enigmatic arc.

Venerable Lingyun stared at him for a moment, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, a thought crossing his mind.

He carefully sized up the figure's attire, temperament, and the attributes of the power contained within that blood bead.

"Have you emerged?"

Venerable Lingyun suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a touch of surprise, as well as a touch of relief.

The figure still did not answer. He merely glanced at him, turned around, and walked out of the Immortal Cave.

His pace was not fast, yet he possessed an unstoppable Aura. The Formations and Restrictions arranged around the Immortal Cave were like non-existent before him, failing to trigger even a ripple of fluctuation.

Venerable Lingyun stood in place, watching the figure depart without stopping him or asking further questions.

He knew this person—no! Rather, he knew the background of this person.

Back in ancient times, he had cooperated with that faction, and he knew their rules inside out.

If they gave, they gave; if they didn't, asking would be in vain.

Venerable Lingyun looked down at the blood bead in his hand. The dark-red light flowed within, emitting a warm and vast Aura.

He knew the value of this blood bead, and he knew what that person's appearance signified.

In ancient times, that faction had once stirred up a storm of blood and slaughter in the Xuanhuang World, only to be jointly suppressed by the forces of the Five Great Domains, vanishing without a trace for countless years.

He had not expected them to emerge once more, and even seek him out. The implications of this were self-evident.

A bizarre smile appeared on Venerable Lingyun's face as he clenched his hand around the blood bead.

No matter what they wanted to do, it had nothing to do with him. He only needed to restore his cultivation, return to being a Half-Step Immortal, and regain his peak condition.

When that time came, whether it was the Southern Wilderness or the Central Plains, no one would be able to stop him again.

He walked back into the blood pool, sat cross-legged, held the blood bead in his palm, and closed his eyes.

The blood bead slowly rotated in his palm as the extremely pure Origin power surged out, pouring into his Meridians, Dantian, and Divine Soul.

His Aura began to climb at a speed visible to the naked eye.

—

When Lu Jinghan and the others arrived at the Eastern Mountains, they also encountered Zhou Tianchen and his group in a valley.

Zhou Tianchen was sitting cross-legged on a bluestone to regulate his breathing, the qiankun furnace floating by his side, the golden flame at its mouth flickering.

Shen Cihui, Chen Mo, and Su Xiaowan sat around him, their faces pale and their robes covered in dust and bloodstains, clearly having just been through a fierce battle.

The moment Lu Jinghan descended from midair, Zhou Tianchen opened his eyes.

"Eldest Senior Brother?" Zhou Tianchen stood up, a flash of surprise in his eyes. "Why are you here?"

Lu Jinghan came to a halt in front of him, scanning Zhou Tianchen. Seeing that although he was exhausted, he was not seriously injured, Lu Jinghan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Revered Master is comprehending the Dao and it is inconvenient for him to take action, so I invited the three Elders, Qingxuan, Elder Cangwu, and Cang Song, to come along."

Zhou Tianchen nodded slightly and did not ask further.

He knew his Eldest Senior Brother would not act without reason. Since even three Elders had been mobilized, it meant the matter of the demonic Cultivators in the east was far more serious than they had imagined.

Shen Cihui and the other two also stood up, cupping their hands in salute to Lu Jinghan.

Lu Jinghan nodded slightly, his gaze drifting toward the mountains shrouded in twilight outside the valley.

"Where are the three Elders?" Zhou Tianchen asked.

"Ahead," Lu Jinghan said, pointing toward the east.

"Elder Qingxuan sensed several powerful fluctuations of Devilish Qi and went ahead with Elders Cangwu and Cang Song. He had me wait here to join up with you before we head over together."

Zhou Tianchen nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly frowned and looked toward the east.

There, several majestic Auras were rapidly approaching, moving so fast that they arrived before them in the blink of an eye.

The streaks of light faded, revealing several figures.

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu was the first to land. Behind him, Daoist Ziyang, Daoist Yunlan, Lord Yangtian, Elder Jianchi, Yang Qingtian, and Ancestor Xu Tianyan—the Tribulation Transcenders of the Seven Top Forces of the Southern Wilderness—were all present, without a single one missing.

"Little Friend Lu." Ancestor Zhou Huaixu nodded slightly to Lu Jinghan, his gaze then falling on Zhou Tianchen, a trace of complexity flashing in his eyes. "Tianchen, are you all alright?"

Zhou Tianchen shook his head. "We are fine."

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu nodded and said no more. His gaze returned to the mountains shrouded in blood-red mist to the east, his expression even more solemn than when he had arrived.

"It seems Kunlun also takes the matter of the demonic Cultivators seriously. With Kunlun joining, we should be able to find that Devil Head very soon," Daoist Ziyang spoke.

The several Tribulation Transcenders looked at one another. They had come this time to encircle and suppress Venerable Lingyun, but they hadn't expected to run into the people of Kunlun halfway.

They had already witnessed the strength of the three Elders, Qingxuan, Elder Cangwu, and Cang Song; any one of them was not inferior to themselves.

With these three present, no matter how cunning Venerable Lingyun was, he would not be able to stir up any waves.

Afterward, the group delayed no longer, turning into streaks of light and sweeping toward the east.

Deep within the mountains, the secret stronghold of the Lingyuan Family.

By the time Ancestor Zhou Huaixu and the others arrived, this demonic lair hidden deep in the mountains had already been reduced to ruins.

Stone houses had collapsed, Formation bases were shattered, and dark-red bloodstains and traces of residual Devilish Qi were everywhere on the ground.

Hundreds of demonized Cultivators lay scattered across the ground in all directions. Some had been dead for a long time, while others were still gasping for their last breath, the blood-red mist swirling around them slowly dissipating.