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You set out from the starting point of the Martial Path, accompanied by so many people.
Unfortunately, the closer you get to the peak, the fewer people you’ll find by your side.
Some reach the end of their lives, becoming nothing but white bones along the way, while others find different pursuits, choosing to settle down and appreciate the scenery along the journey.
Xu Zimei could understand the thoughts of the two, Xiao Guizi didn’t want to venture any further, perhaps the appearance of Yao Shengnan and her unborn child had given Xiao Guizi a new pursuit.
And Lin Ruhu had also matured a lot, he wished to walk this Martial Path to Heaven by himself.
After all, no one can help you for a lifetime, the road others help you walk is ultimately not your own experience.
Everyone has their own thoughts and pursuits, and Xu Zimei was also willing to respect the choices of the two.
"The future is promising," Xu Zimei said to them.
"Brother, my real name is Zhang Guilin, I hope you can remember my name."
Xiao Guizi said with a smile, "My child’s name will be Zhang Shanshui in the future."
Xu Zimei nodded with a smile.
He talked with Lin Ruhu and Xiao Guizi for an entire day, and it wasn’t until the sky was brilliantly studded with stars that they finally departed.
Xu Zimei looked up at the starry sky, while a gentle breeze blew slowly from halfway up the mountain.
Xu Zimei simply moved a recliner to sleep in the courtyard, and that night he did not contemplate, nor did he cultivate.
He just quietly slept through the entire night.
A night without words, and the next day no one came to disturb Xu Zimei.
Xu Zimei slept until he woke naturally, then prepared to go to the Scripture Pavilion of the True Martial Holy Sect to see if there were any records about the Blood Clan.
With the Token of the Saint Heir, Xu Zimei had unobstructed access all the way to the highest floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
It was there he had previously researched the Demon-Slaying Family and the Myriad Dao Red Lotus.
After searching through a few sparsely populated shelves, Xu Zimei found a book titled "Legends of the Clans."
This book recounted the secrets of all the races on Yuan Central Continent since the beginning of time.
The content of the book was recorded on pages condensed by the power of space, given that the information was simply too much.
If recorded by ordinary means, the books would likely pile up as high as a mountain.
Xu Zimei slowly perused the book, spending the entire day reading in the Scripture Pavilion.
The myriad races within seemed to leap off the pages, unfolding a magnificent tale before him.
The Thousand Feather Clan, the Falling River Clan, the Ancient Moon Clan…
These were races Xu Zimei had never heard of before, fantastically alluring in their strangeness.
Finally, as dusk fell and the moon shone sparsely outside,
When the bright moon pearls of the Scripture Pavilion slowly lit up, Xu Zimei at last found the record of the Blood Clan.
...…
This was an ancient race.
The origins of the Blood Clan were long lost to history, but their zenith was during the Era of Emperors.
At that time, the Blood Clan produced an extraordinary Talented Disciple who, it is said, devoted three thousand years to arduous cultivation, and upon emerging, possessed the might to suppress his contemporaries.
That man was the Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch.
In the era when Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch appeared, he was almost invincible among his peers.
Everyone believed he would become a contender for Destiny and ultimately lead the Blood Clan to a true revival.
Unfortunately, Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch encountered another Evil Being.
That monster known as "Hengyu."
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Emperor Hengyu hailed from the Taiyuan Heavenly Sect, the Sect Gate that boasted two emperors.
Besides the Ancestor, Emperor Taiyuan, there was the even more brilliant Emperor Hengyu.
In the final decisive battle, the Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch suffered defeat at the hands of Emperor Hengyu and missed the Destiny of that era.
The disheartened Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch, having lost his earlier edge in the Martial Path, could only sadly embark on the path to immortality.
He devoted his entire life to the revival of the Blood Clan, aiming to raise a new generation of great emperors.
Unfortunately, the Blood Clan never saw another great emperor emerge from their ranks from beginning to end, leading people to believe that the appearance of the Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch would mark the beginning of the clan’s revival.
Who could have imagined that since then, it would already be the endpoint for this race?
...
Xu Zimei slowly flipped through the book in his hands, and although the records were not very detailed, he could still gain a rough understanding of some rumors from that era.
In the beginning, under the leadership of the Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch, the Blood Clan indeed started rising bit by bit.
Although they could not compare with the human race or Monster Race, they gradually secured a status among the Hundred Clans.
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the Blood Clan ended up offending an Imperial Rule Immortal Sect.
"Heavenly Sword Mountain!"
In that era, the conflict between the Blood Clan and Heavenly Sword Mountain had escalated to an intense stage, but the power gap between the two was not significant, leaving neither side able to overcome the other.
What the Blood Clan could never have anticipated was that the Destiny of that era would be carried by someone from Heavenly Sword Mountain.
A man known as Sword Slaying the Heavens emerged from Heavenly Sword Mountain and ultimately swept through, eliminating all obstacles in his path.
After a great battle, the Blood Clan was severely weakened and could only opt for self-imposed isolation.
Following this, Heavenly Sword Mountain in one of the five domains of the Central Continent, the Tianluan Domain, grew very rapidly and gained tremendous fame.
Since then, however, there has been no trace of the Blood Clan.
To this day, as the gears of the era slowly turn, everything has changed dramatically, but the Blood Clan has still not reemerged.
Xu Zimei looked at the information in his hands and slightly furrowed his brows.
Continuing to flip through the book, according to some uncertain reports, it was said that Blood Clan members were most often seen in the Netherworld Blood Sea.
Since the Blood Clan’s diet consists entirely of fresh blood, they need to absorb enough blood to survive.
And the purer the blood they absorb, the greater the benefits they reap.
Therefore, the Blood Clan doesn’t just have a high demand for the amount of blood – the quality is also crucial.
There have been several cases indicating that numerous bodies around the Netherworld Blood Sea died at the hands of the Blood Clan.
Hence, some suspected that the sealed location of the Blood Clan was in the Netherworld Blood Sea.
But such speculation lacked sufficient evidence to prove true, leaving it a matter of unknown truth.
...…
This information had been collected by the True Martial Holy Sect from various sources, so even they only had suspicions and dared not be certain.
After all, no one had truly seen the stronghold of the Blood Clan.
Xu Zimei felt that, whether it was true or not, he at least needed to have a look, as he might encounter something.
After putting away the book, he left the Scripture Pavilion.
Members of the Blood Clan had extremely long lifespans, maintaining their youthful appearance for a long time even without cultivation.
Based on their longevity, Xu Zimei even speculated whether their ancient ancestor, the Divine Blood Heavenly Monarch, was still alive.
After Empress Hongtian divided the Myriad Dao Lotus, the Red Lotus had been in the hands of the Blood Clan and had disappeared along with their sealing for quite some time.
Upon leaving the Scripture Pavilion, the sky had completely darkened.
