<h4>Chapter 125 - Underground City</h4>


    “Long Chen, what’s your n?”


    The three of them had no choice but to attack during the ceremony. “If you’re willing to listen to us, don’t expose yourself. Staying alive means you will be able to take revenge some other day. The three of us won’t be getting any stronger, but you’re different. If possible, please avenge us in the future.”


    “Sister Li ...” Long Chen was frustrated.


    “See, you’re also calling me ‘Sister.’ You’re going to do what I say, right? I’m going to call you ‘Xiao Chen,’ then. Xiao Chen, leave it to us to risk our lives. If we don’t seed, remember to avenge us!”


    Li Jing’s insistence left Long Chen with no choice, so he said, “Mhm. I will kill the Blood Priest eventually. All I can promise is that I will not attack before the ceremony. And as long as I’m not in mortal danger, I won’t expose myself. Alright?”


    If they died, they would have someone to avenge them. This was enough for the trio. Long Chen had reached the mid Human Core Realm at such a young age. Although he was stillckingpared to the Grand Priest, he could reach his level eventually if he worked hard.


    “Come, let’s discuss the n for the ceremony. Xiao Chen, you don’t know anything about it, right?” asked Li Peng.


    Long Chen shook his head.


    “Li Peng, you may exin it to him.” Li Jing was the leader, so given her instruction, the trio sat together and started the exnation.


    “The Sanguine Sacrificial Ceremony is divided into three sections. First, all followers will enter the underground city and worship the Grand Priest, as well as pray to the spirits. In the second section, they massacre the girls and collect all their blood in a pool until it’spletely full. The third section is the Blood Bath. The Grand Priest starts the bath first, then the five Sect Elders and the Grand Protectors, and finally the followers. After that, the ceremony ispleted.”


    “This also means that we must attack while they are praying to the spirits, or it’ll be toote when they start the killing. They’re inhuman! These are hundreds of lives, and they’re all young girls ... And my younger sister is in there!”


    Li Jing’s voice turned cold. “Those animals!”


    Li Peng and Li Cheng were also disgusted by their violence.


    “Indeed, they are even beneath animals.”


    Long Chen was also filled with killing intent. He had used Blood Transmutation before, but mostly on demonic beasts. The times he used it on Bai Zhanxiong and Xue Yuanzi were due to intense hatred. They were his enemies too! The Blood Saints, on the other hand, were killing thousands of helpless, innocent girls!


    <i>No good person would join the Blood Saints. I can let loose in there and just ughter ...</i>


    When he thought about a crazy massacre, countless blood-colored dragons roared hysterically in Long Chen’s body. The scent of blood and massacre slowly radiated from him.


    Soon, it was the next day. The four of them waited patiently for nightfall. Before the sky darkened, they had already congregated with the other thousand followers to head towards the Blood House.


    The Blood Saints were mostly above the Fifth Draconic Stage, so with a thousand of them congregated in one ce, they could be considered an absolute superpower to people from a small town like Baiyang Town.


    Under the influence of the Grand Priest, the followers were mainly vicious and violent characters. Long Chen looked around and saw mostly fierce, hostile faces. <i>These animals! I don’t know how many innocent people have died in their hands ...</i>


    Under the lead of the few remaining Grand Protectors, Long Chen and the others followed the crowd into the Blood House. There was a narrow tunnel with a descending staircase that could fit only two people across.


    Long Chen was at the back of the line, following them down. When he entered the underground city, he walked through the narrow tunnel for what seemed like a long time before it opened up.


    He found himself in a vast, underground space that was artificially dug out, also called the underground city. It was generally built to resemble a city, though all the walls were pure red and had strange images drawn on them. It was chilling.


    “Be very careful,” Li Jing reminded him before the trio separated from Long Chen. They were going to publicly fight the Blood Saints, and Long Chen was only going to be a bystander.


    At least, that was what they thought.


    He followed the crowd for a long time. Eventually, he arrived at the city center, which contained a gigantic poolrge enough to fit more than a thousand people. It was dry, but based on the remaining blood stains at the bottom, he could guess that it was the blood pool they had spoken of.


    The followers of the Blood Saints stood in neat rows by the blood pool. A huge, blood-colored altar stood on the other side. On it were threerge incense sticks emitting thick smoke that gathered at the ceiling of the underground city.


    At the bottom of the altar were the Grand Priest and five old people. All five of them were d in red and gold robes. They were the legendary Sect Elders, all powerful cultivators.


    Long Chen also nced at them. <i>Those five old farts! One look and I can tell they’re evil. Considering how relentlessly evil the Grand Priest is, I’m sure these people are terrible too. Just based on the bloody aura radiating from them, they must have killed many people as well.</i>


    Sensing the power within his body, Long Chen frowned. <i>The Heart Eater’s blood essence was still not enough for me to attain thete Human Core Realm. It looks like I will need to use Blood Transmutation on them if I want to make a breakthrough before I fight the Grand Priest ...</i>


    Long Chen was still hesitant about using Blood Transmutation on humans.


    “Don’t overthink it. If you don’t do it and something happens to Lingqing, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life,” Ling Xi said in an attempt tofort him.


    When he thought about the girl, Long Chen nodded helplessly. “Yeah. For her sake, I’ll break my rule once again!”


    “Long Chen, Blood Transmutation is indeed an unnatural but powerful technique. I’ve never seen anything more peculiar at least. It represents unlimited power, and anyone would go mad for it. Yet you’re able to control yourself, and having so much self-control at such a young age is very admirable.”


    Long Chen was satisfied with her sincerepliment. “That’s true. I’ve always been the most awesome person ...”


    “You’re shameless!”


    With Ling Xi giggling by his side, Long Chen’s tightened chest rxed a little. To be fair, the Grand Priest’s antics had given him a lot of stress.


    “The Sanguine Sacrificial Ceremony begins now! Everyone, kneel!”


    The five Sect Elders consisted of four men and one woman. That ugly, witch-like old woman’s shrill voice pierced through the crowd’s eardrums. Even Long Chen felt difort in his ears. He went on his knees like the rest of the crowd.


    The old witch shouted again, then she turned around to say a few words to the Grand Priest next to her before finally standing aside.


    Long Chen knelt. While everyone else was in genuine fear, his eyes darted around. “Xiao Xi, have you sensed Lingqing yet?”


    Within the sword, Ling Xi cocked her head with a frown. “There seems to be a fewrge, mechanical doors to the left of the blood pool. There are hundreds of girls there, about a hundred meters away from the pool, but I can’t sense Lingqing’s aura. Let me search harder...”


    Long Chen dared not act without confirming Yang Lingqing’s location.


    By now, the Grand Priest had already announced themencement of the Sanguine Sacrificial Ceremony. He first ced three incense sticks in therge cauldron on the altar, then the other five Sect Elders also ced their incense sticks with utmost reverence.


    There was a bridge above the blood pool connecting the altar to the ce where the rest of the followers were waiting. After the Grand Priest, the others started to head to the altar via the stone bridge to ce their incense sticks. Then they each took a red bowl of liquid from the side of the altar. They contained blood.


    Everyone returned to their original spots, now with bowls of blood. The Grand Priest also had a bowl.


    “Everyone, the most important time hase. Hold your bowls of blood steady! Grand Priest, the floor is yours!” the old witch announced in her shrill voice.


    She looked at the Grand Priest solemnly, whoughed and said, “My brothers, drink up!”


    “Drink!”


    “Alright!”


    The Grand Priest drank the bowl of blood first and then <i>crash! </i>The y bowl was thrown into the blood pool, shattering at the bottom. One by one, the y bowls were thrown in and the bottom was strewn with broken pieces!


    Due to the blood, the fragments were also blood-red.


    “Open the doors! Bring the blood origins in!” ordered the Grand Priest.


    Several mechanical doors opened with loud rumbles to the left of the blood pool. There were fourrge doors, each heavier than the next. Even with Long Chen’s current strength, he would find it difficult to break these stone doors in less than half a day.


    It was clear that the Grand Priest had taken great lengths to prevent outsiders from getting in!


    The doors were slowly opened, and a flood of screams and sobs rang across the space. Every Blood Saint followerughed maniacally when they heard the screams of agony. “Cry, cry all you want! These are yourst few minutes in this world, so cry all you want! We will be powerful thanks to your blood. You all should feel honored ...”


    The Grand Priest’s hystericalughter echoed across the entire underground city.


    Long Chen clenched his fist tightly amongst the crowd.


    “Long Chen, I found Lingqing! She’s under the altar!”