Chapter 469: Netherworld Blue Lotus

Boom— as the blue lotus rotated, the entire cave dwelling began to shake, wave after wave of powerful energy surged out from the lotus, filling and surging through the whole space.

Those black shadows, under the lotus's light, instantly began to twist at a visible speed, as if suffering some mournful pain; eerie wailing sounds rippled through the space, making it extraordinarily weird and gloomy.

Seeing this, the cultivators present felt their scalps go numb, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

"Now, increase the power!"

Just then, Longling sensed the moment was ripe and let out a fierce, loud shout.

Her body burst forth with even more dazzling light; her Ultimate Dao Divine Sense reached its peak at this moment, merging with the power of the Black Clan's strong ones, forming a tremendous energy torrent that instantly surged into the lotus.

"Hummm..."

Under the infusion of everyone's power, the blue lotus spun faster and faster, its light growing ever stronger, illuminating the entire cave dwelling.

"Wooo..."

The black shadows began to dissipate in the lotus's light, eventually turning into threads of black-heat silk, which were absorbed by the blue flame lotus.

As the black shadows faded, the murderous malign energy in the cave dwelling gradually weakened, and the whole space slowly began to return to calm.

"Success!" the Black Dragon Clan Chief exclaimed excitedly.

His eyes flashed with joy as he watched the black shadows being absorbed by the lotus, and his own shadow reappeared.

Longling also let out a sigh of relief.

She swept her divine sense over the lotus and found that the power contained within it was gradually subsiding, as if it had fulfilled its mission.

"This lotus may be a protective seal left by the Black Clan's ancestors, meant to guard the secret of the cave dwelling." Longling said solemnly, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.

The lotus's power is extremely strong, capable of purifying those black shadows, showing it has a close relation to the Black Clan's inheritance.

With the black shadows completely gone, the cave dwelling's murderous malign energy also gradually subsided, giving the whole space a feeling of tranquility and mystery.

That blue lotus rose slowly within the sea of fire, as if lifted by an invisible force; its light gradually became softer, no longer as blazing as before.

Longling's gaze remained fixed on the blue lotus; she herself could feel the mighty, pure energy contained within it.

This lotus is certainly no ordinary object; it may be a supreme treasure left by the Black Clan's ancestors, or perhaps the most crucial secret item in the cave dwelling.

"Lady Longling, this lotus..." the Black Dragon Clan Chief asked.

His voice trembled slightly, his eyes filled with awe.

Longling gave a slight nod.

She drew a deep breath, slowly extended her hand with palm upward, and a gentle suction emanated from her palm.

That blue lotus seemed to respond to some summons, drifting slowly toward her palm and finally settling steadily in Longling's hand.

Upon touching Longling's palm, the lotus immediately emitted a faint humming, as if engaging in some mysterious communication with her.

Longling closed her eyes, and her divine sense gradually resonated with the power within the lotus.

She could feel the ancient information and power contained within the lotus.

"This..." Longling's face showed an expression of surprise; her divine sense wandered within the lotus, as if crossing time and space, she saw the traces left by the Black Clan's ancestors on this land.

"Hum..."

The blue lotus's light gradually retracted, eventually becoming like an ordinary lotus; its surface flowed with a faint blue glow, appearing mysterious and noble.

"Lady Longling, what have you discovered?" the Black Dragon Clan Chief could not help but ask, his face showing a curious expression.

Upon hearing this, Longling's eyes flashed with the light of wisdom.

What this lotus means for the Black Clan: it is not only a precious heritage left by their ancestors, but also a possible key to their future development.

"This lotus contains the power and wisdom of the Black Clan's ancestors; it is the companion Dao object of their pre‑ascension." Longling said solemnly, her voice tinged with delight.

The Black Dragon Clan Chief's face showed an excited expression, understanding what Longling's words meant.

The discovery of the Black Clan's ancestors' pre‑ascension Dao object is undoubtedly a major divine treasure for the Black Clan.

"Lady Longling, the Black Clan is willing to follow you wholeheartedly and cooperate with you." the Black Dragon Clan Chief said solemnly, his tone full of resolve.

Longling nodded in satisfaction.

As the blue fire sea in the cave dwelling gradually dissipated, the whole space returned to calm.

Longling carefully placed the blue lotus into a specially made spirit‑jade box to ensure its power would not leak.

Seeing this, the Black Dragon Clan Chief and the other Black Clan strong ones tidied up their treasures and prepared to leave this mysterious cave dwelling.

"Everyone be careful; the seals in the cave dwelling may not yet be fully lifted." Longling reminded, her divine sense still vigilantly probing the surroundings.

The Black Clan's strong ones nodded, closely following Longling's steps as they slowly walked toward the cave dwelling's exit.

The blue fire sea in the cave dwelling had vanished, but a mysterious force still lingered in the air, making one dare not be careless.

As the crowd departed, the light inside the cave dwelling gradually dimmed, finally returning to the gloom they had when they first entered.

Longling walked in the lead, a faint golden light emanating from her body, illuminating the road ahead.

After returning to the Black Clan Ancestral Hall, Longling placed the blue lotus in a hidden and safe spot.

The power contained within the lotus bears a certain mysterious connection to the Black Clan's cultivation method.

In the days that followed, Longling pored over numerous ancient texts and scrolls, trying to find information related to the blue lotus.

Finally, he discovered in an ancient Black Clan scroll that this lotus is called the Netherworld Blue Lotus; it was discovered by chance by the Black Clan's ancestors during an expedition, then refined, becoming a companion treasure for those who attain immortality, not only able to arouse the Black Clan's bloodline power but also accelerate the cultivation progress of Black Clan descendants.

However, to fully activate the Netherworld Blue Lotus's power, the Black Clan's bloodline power and a special ritual are required.

Not long after.

Under Longling's guidance, the Black Clan began preparing to perform this ritual in the Black Clan Ancestral Hall.

Soon an auspicious day arrived; Longling placed the Netherworld Blue Lotus on the altar of the ancestral hall, and then the Black Dragon Clan Chief personally presided over the ritual.

When the ritual began, the entire ancestral hall was enveloped by a mysterious force.

The Black Dragon Clan Chief placed his hand on the Netherworld Blue Lotus and began chanting the ancient incantation.

As the incantation was chanted, the Netherworld Blue Lotus slowly rose, emitting ever more dazzling light.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot from the Netherworld Blue Lotus; the beam formed symbols in mid‑air, which coalesced into a humanoid shape whose inner workings could be seen operating in a weird manner—this was precisely the Ghost Dance Cultivation Method.

"Finally found it!" the Black Dragon Clan Chief exclaimed excitedly, tears glimmering in his eyes.

Longling also showed a smile.

However, at that very moment, a black silhouette suddenly rushed into the scene of the sacrificial ceremony in the Black Clan's ancestral hall.

When Longling and the Black Clan's strong ones discovered it was Heifeng, their faces were full of surprise.

Heifeng had actually suffered severe injuries.

As soon as he landed, he lay on the stone steps of the ancestral hall, his complexion pallid, his breath extremely weak.

"What's going on?" Longling asked hurriedly, a hint of urgency in his voice.

The Black Dragon Clan Chief also looked panicked, quickly ordering those nearby to check Heifeng's condition.

After an examination, they found multiple wounds on Heifeng deep enough to expose bone.

It was clearly the result of a fierce battle.

"How could he be injured like this?" A flash of cold killing intent flickered in Longling's eyes.

The Black Dragon Clan Chief shook his head, his expression unusually solemn: "No, these wounds look more like they were inflicted by our clan's own techniques."

Longling furrowed his brows, knowing this meant a traitor might have appeared within the Black Clan.

He immediately ordered the ancestral hall's defenses strengthened and began investigating the matter.

Under Longling's direction, the Black Clan's strong ones began searching inside the ancestral hall, quickly uncovering some clues.

They discovered a hidden chamber in the Black Clan, containing some foreign tokens and some cultivation manuals that contradicted the Black Clan's techniques.

"It seems someone in the Black Clan has indeed been bribed by outsiders," the Black Dragon said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Longling's eyes flashed with an icy light: "We must ferret out this traitor, otherwise the Black Clan will never know peace."

The Black Dragon Clan Chief nodded, his eyes also filled with anger and resolve.

Soon, the Black Clan's cultivators, following Longling's instructions, began screening members one by one, while also strengthening Heifeng's treatment.

With Longling's help, Heifeng's injuries gradually stabilized.

Longling used the pure energy contained in the blue lotus to heal Heifeng, his wounds recovering at a visible speed.

"Lord Longling, thank you for saving me." Heifeng said gratefully after waking.

Longling smiled faintly, knowing Heifeng's recovery was a great encouragement for the Black Clan.

He believed that as long as the Black Clan stood united, no external enemy or internal traitor could shake them.

In the following days, Longling and the Black Clan's strong ones continued their in-depth investigation, ultimately uncovering a plot that shocked the Black Clan.

They discovered that, in fact, an elder of the Black Clan had been bribed by external forces, deeply dissatisfied with the Black Clan's allegiance to History Tiger City, secretly plotting to seize the clan chief's position and control the entire Black Clan.

At this moment

Heiluo's figure flickered in and out of the shadows of the ancestral hall, his crimson eyes flashing with a ferocious light.

After Heiluo was discovered, he showed no remorse whatsoever, instead letting out a roar.

His voice was filled with discontent over the Black Clan's allegiance to History Tiger City.

"The honor of the Black Clan has been sold out by you weak clan chiefs!" Heiluo roared.

A violent energy surged around him, obviously some forbidden technique, the air growing heavy from his mighty aura.

Heiluo struck first!

He formed seals with both hands, chanting, as the dark clouds in the sky began to spin, forming a huge vortex.

At the vortex's center, wind blades shot forth like swords toward the people in the Black Clan's ancestral hall.

These wind blades were incredibly sharp, slicing space wherever they passed.

Seeing this, the Black Dragon's face flushed with anger.

What he could not tolerate most was infighting among the clansmen!

Heiluo actually disregarded blood ties and slaughtered his kin; those terrifying wind blades instantly left many Black Clan youths who had been assisting the ceremony dead or wounded.

"Boom"

Black flames rose around Heiluo's body, forming a fire shield.

The wind blades struck the fire shield, emitting a piercing screech, but could not penetrate.

Immediately, the Black Dragon Elder shouted, thrusting his hands forward; a black fire dragon flew from his palm straight at Heiluo.

Seeing this, Heiluo flickered, turning into countless afterimages to dodge the fire dragon's direct impact.

His figure darted swiftly through the sky, each movement spawning wind blades that formed a massive wind blade storm, aiming to envelop and entangle the Black Dragon Elder.

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in the Black Dragon Elder's eyes; his body suddenly swelled, transforming into a huge black fire giant.

The fire giant's hands clasped together, forming a huge fireball, which he then hurled violently into the wind blade storm.

The fireball collided with the wind blade storm, producing a tremendous explosion.

In the surrounding space, a small black sun seemed to appear, radiating light and rolling heat waves.

Even the shockwave of the explosion caused the entire ancestral hall to tremble.

The Black Dragon Clan Chief's face turned ashen!

He drew a deep breath and angrily said in a low voice: "Heiluo, your actions have betrayed the Black Clan; today you must pay the price for your treachery."

Heiluo let out a wild laugh, his form blurring as if merging with the surrounding shadows, then he shot toward the outside of the ancestral hall with lightning speed.

"Trying to escape?" Longling snorted coldly.

Her body erupted with a powerful aura, a golden light emanating from his body formed a huge light shield, sealing the entire ancestral hall.

The Black Clan's strong ones also launched their attacks!

Their attacks fell upon Heiluo like a violent rain, each strike accompanied by a tearing sound, as if trying to rend his body.

However, Heiluo's movement technique was extraordinarily strange.

He weaved through the Black Clan strong ones' attacks, each time barely avoiding deadly blows.

Heiluo's hand now held a black longsword, its blade covered with strange runes, each swing exuding a deathly aura.

Go die!

Heiluo roared, the black longsword erupting with black energy, forming a huge sword qi that shot straight at the Black Dragon Clan Chief.

The Black Dragon Clan Chief's face grew grave; he swung his sword, releasing a black sword qi that met it. The two forces collided in midair, emitting a deafening roar.

A flicker of surprise crossed the Black Dragon's eyes; he hadn't expected Heiluo's strength to have become so great that, even under siege by many Black Clan experts, he could remain undefeated.

"All together, attack! Don't give him any chance!" the Black Dragon Elder shouted, and everyone burst forth with even more dazzling black light from their bodies.

Upon hearing this, the Black Clan's experts each unleashed their greatest strength.

Their attacks surged toward Heiluo like a tide, forming a massive energy storm.

Heiluo's figure swayed in the storm, his body covered in wounds, yet his eyes remained fierce, without any fear.

"The glory of the Black Clan is not something you cowards can comprehend!" Heiluo roared.

Suddenly, a powerful self-destruct energy erupted from his body, causing the entire ancestral hall to tremble.

"Oh no, Heiluo is going to self-destruct!" Longling's face changed, and she immediately cast forth the blue lotus.

The lotus emitted a blue light, forming a protective barrier that sealed Heiluo's self-destruct power within.

Boom—

With a tremendous bang, Heiluo's body shattered into fragments within the blue barrier.

The battle ended, and the ancestral hall returned to calm.

The Black Clan's experts panted, their bodies covered in wounds, yet their eyes flickered with victorious delight.

Longling retracted the blue lotus and said: "The glory of the Black Clan is not achieved through betrayal and violence."

The Black Dragon Clan Chief nodded, feeling grateful toward Longling.

Without Longling's help, the Black Clan might have fallen into an even greater disaster.