Chapter 565: Blood Sea: Devils Cultivate and Establish

On the night of the blood moon, Tianji Shengyu was shrouded in a layer of eerie red light, as if the whole world had been stained with an ominous hue.

The moon hung high in the sky, but it was no longer the usual silver-white; instead, it was like a bleeding wound, emitting a red light that made hearts race.

This red light pierced the clouds, fell upon the earth, and cast long, twisted shadows over all living beings.

On the battlefield, the blood moon's light illuminated every inch of land; blood and soil mixed, forming patches of dark red mire.

Corpses lay scattered—some belonging to human cultivators, some to demon warriors, and others to subterranean creatures that had fallen in battle.

Their eyes were empty and lifeless, as if they were speaking of the battle's cruelty and mercilessness.

The wind carried a pungent smell of blood and burnt residue, the lingering aftereffect of spells and divine abilities unleashed.

Flames leapt among the ruins, devouring the remaining structures and lives; smoke, dust, and ash were blown by the wind, swirling in the air like the revelry of death's ghosts.

The booming of spells, the clashing of weapons, the warriors' shouts, and the wounded's wails intertwined, forming a terrifying symphony.

Under the blood moon's illumination, these sounds became even more mournful and desperate.

In this chaos, the members of Shadow Moon moved like ghosts, their figures flickering in the red light, their weapons flashing with cold light; each strike carried the threat of death.

Their target was Xingchen, the one who held the key to the ancient prophecy; they intended to uncover all secrets on the night of the blood moon.

Xingchen stood on the altar, the ritual nearing its end; the power within the Light Gate grew ever stronger, as if it would devour the entirety of Tianji Shengyu.

His face bore resolve and fervor, as if he were ready to welcome the ancient power about to arrive.

However, at that moment, Youming appeared. The ancient coin in her hand resonated with the Light Gate, causing it to tremble, as if it were about to close.

The cultivators of Tianji Shengyu always maintained a sense of awe and vigilance toward heavenly omens.

Yet the arrival of the blood moon night made them feel an unprecedented panic and fear.

This fear stemmed not only from the blood moon's rarity and eeriness, but also from the ill omen it represented and the potential disaster it foretold.

On the night of the blood moon, the moon in the sky became like a bleeding eyeball; its deep crimson light spilled across the land, as if manifesting some ancient curse of heaven and earth.

The cultivators lifted their heads to gaze at the bloody moonlight, and an inexplicable surge of panic welled up in their hearts.

Their hearts filled with doubt and unease, for in ancient legends the blood moon often foretold the coming of disaster and turmoil.

The cultivators gathered in their respective sects or places of practice, nervously discussing the omens of the blood moon.

His face was filled with worry, his eyes revealing fear of the unknown.

Some elder cultivators recalled the ancient texts' accounts of the blood moon; those stories describing the disasters and catastrophes it brought made everyone present feel a chill.

The young cultivators, under their masters' guidance, strengthened their defenses and vigilance, gripping their magical treasures and weapons tightly; although their hearts were full of fear of the blood moon night, they still held their posts, ready to face any possible crisis.

Under the blood moon's red light, the cultivators' spiritual power seemed affected as well; some lower-level cultivators even felt their power become unstable under the blood moon's influence, forcing them to double their efforts to maintain it, lest an accident occur at a critical moment.

As the night deepened, the blood moon's light grew richer, and the whole of Tianji Shengyu seemed to be enveloped in a layer of blood-colored mist.

The cultivators' panic intensified accordingly; they began to wonder whether this blood moon night was related to the recent turmoil and strife in Tianji Shengyu, or whether some heavenly force was warning them of an even greater disaster to come.

"The blood moon's light is richer than ever; could this be an omen of Tianji Shengyu's doom?" an elderly cultivator trembled, his eyes full of worry.

"The ancient texts record that when the blood moon appears, heaven and earth change color, and great disaster must follow. What shall we do?" a middle-aged cultivator gripped his staff tightly, his voice noticeably shaking.

"I feel my spiritual power becoming chaotic under the blood moon's influence; could this blood moon night even affect our cultivation level?" a young female cultivator furrowed her brows, her voice filled with panic.

"Do you still remember? The last time the blood moon appeared, Tianji Shengyu suffered a catastrophe, countless beings ravaged. Can we escape this time?" an old cultivator who had endured the blood moon catastrophe rasped, his eyes flashing with a terrible light.

"The blood moon's light makes me feel suffocated, as if an invisible pair of eyes were watching us in the dark; this feeling sends a chill down my spine." a young male cultivator tightly hugged his own arms, trying to dispel the cold in his heart.

"Our defensive formations seem to weaken on the blood moon night; if an outside enemy invades, we may hardly be able to resist." a sect elder spoke solemnly, his words revealing concern for the sect's safety.

"It is said that the blood moon night is when demonic entities are most active; will the monsters lurking in the darkness take advantage to cause chaos?" a female cultivator's voice trembled slightly, her eyes darting about as she searched for possible hidden threats.

"Only by standing united can we withstand the unknown threats brought by the blood moon night." a cultivator bearing the air of a leader stepped forward, his voice firm, attempting to soothe everyone's panic.

Nevertheless, even so, the cultivators' panic did not completely dissipate; the terror of the blood moon night lingered in their words like an inerasable shadow, weighing on every heart.

Yet under the eerie light of that blood moon night, the cultivators of Tianji Shengyu began to feel an unprecedented change.

Deep within their hearts, the desires—greed, anger, ignorance—normally suppressed by cultivation, at this moment ignited like sparks, burning wildly.

The cultivators' gazes began to turn frenzied; their reason, under the blood moon's influence, became fragile and easily broken.

"Do you feel it? Something inside me seems to be stirring, I… I can't control it!" a young cultivator seized his own hair in terror, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

"Me too… I… I saw things I didn't want to see; they tempt me, making me… want to kill!" another cultivator gripped his sword tightly, the blade trembling, as if sensing the wielder's inner struggle.

"This isn't just our problem—look over there!" an old cultivator pointed not far away, where the cultivators had already begun to brawl over trivial disputes, their fighting lawless, filled only with endless brutality and madness.

"This blood moon… it is amplifying our dark side, turning us into beasts!" a female cultivator's voice choked with tears, her eyes brimming with sorrow and despair.

As the blood moon night deepened, those violent cultivators grew stronger; their power seemed bolstered by some unseen force, their eyes holding only slaughter and destruction, as if controlled by an evil power.

"Look at their eyes—there is no reason, only endless madness!" a cultivator pointed at those lost cultivators, whose eyes had turned blood-red, as if possessed by demons.

"I've heard that at the summit of Black Horse Mountain there is a blood light shooting into the sky—a command that calls all cultivators who have lost their minds!" an old cultivator rasped, his face etched with dread.

"We must stop them; we cannot let them be swallowed by that blood light!" a sect elder shouted loudly, though his voice also trembled slightly.

Yet those lost cultivators seemed drawn by an irresistible force, beginning to march toward the summit of Black Horse Mountain.

Their bodies were enveloped by the blood light, their minds utterly consumed, turning them into puppets that knew only slaughter.

"They… they are no longer human; they are monsters!" a young cultivator shouted in terror, his voice nearly breaking.

"What… can we still do? We cannot oppose this power!" a female cultivator's voice was steeped in despair, her tears already dried.

In the terrifying atmosphere of the blood moon night, the cultivators' fear and despair reached their peak. What they faced was not only external enemies, but also the darkness within their hearts, amplified—now the deepest nightmare of Tianji Shengyu.

Boom—

As the blood moon night's red light grew ever richer, those cultivators with red markings on their faces seemed utterly controlled by an evil force; their eyes lost any trace of humanity, leaving only endless lust for slaughter.

On their skin, the red markings spread like living things, each line exuding eerie power, granting them a terrifying boost in strength and speed.

"Those cultivators… the red markings on their skin, they're moving!" a young cultivator pointed in terror at those under control, his voice trembling.

"This is not merely a power increase; they… they seem no longer human." an experienced old cultivator said solemnly, his eyes full of worry.

Those cultivators covered in red markings began to stir up a bloody storm across Tianji Shengyu.

They swept through like a raging tempest, leaving nothing but ruin wherever they passed.

Their target is those forces that possess the Myriad Source Mother Essence; they feed on blood, and each time they devour a cultivator's life force, their power becomes even more terrifying.

"They're here! The monsters controlled by the red markings are here!" a guard shouted in terror, his voice echoing in the night sky, filled with endless panic.

"Hurry! Activate the defensive formation! We must protect the Myriad Source Mother Essence!" a sect elder loudly commanded, his face full of resolve.

However, the cultivators controlled by the red markings seem immune to any defense; their power is so great that almost no one can withstand them.

Whoosh—...

Their attacks were like a violent storm, each impact causing the sect's defensive formation to teeter on the verge of collapse.

"No! This is impossible! Why does the formation have no effect on them?" a formation master shouted in despair, his eyes full of disbelief.

Under these cultivators' attacks, the sect's defenses were torn apart like paper.

They rushed into the sect, killing anyone they saw and destroying anything they saw, their hands stained with blood, and their power grew stronger in the slaughter.

"Their power... their power is growing! With each person they kill, they become more terrifying!" a cultivator discovered this fact in horror during the battle.

Blood flowed like rivers, and not a blade of grass grew.

Wherever the cultivators controlled by the red markings passed, only death and destruction remained.

Those atrocities plunged the entire Tianji Shengyu into deep panic, with no force able to resist their encroachment alone.

"How can we possibly fight these monsters!" a sect leader shouted in despair, voicing the hearts of all cultivators.

But even when some forces joined together, facing these nearly invincible cultivators, they still felt powerless.

These cultivators were like messengers of the Death God, their presence filling every corner of Tianji Shengyu with the shadow of death.

In every corner of Tianji Shengyu, the cultivators not yet corrupted by the evil power of the Blood Moon Night began to try to unite, hoping to find a way to counter those cultivators controlled by the red markings.

Sect leaders, strong ones among the rogue cultivators, and even those powers that usually competed with each other set aside their grudges and jointly faced this disaster.

They gathered in one place, preparing to face the cultivators covered in red markings.

"Our unity is our only hope!" a sect head declared loudly, his voice revealing firmness and resolve.

"Our formations, our treasures, our spells—we must use them all, cannot retreat!" an elder waved his staff, his eyes flashing with unyielding light.

However, when the true battle began, they discovered their resistance was utterly futile.

The cultivators controlled by the red markings possessed power far beyond imagination, as if no force could stop them.

"No! This is impossible! Our attacks have no effect on them!" a cultivator shouted in despair during battle, his spells appearing as child's play before those red-marking cultivators.

"Our formation... our formation was easily torn apart by them!" a formation master watched in horror as his creation was destroyed, his face full of disbelief.

The cultivators' attacks were like stones sinking into the sea, while the counterattacks of those red-marking cultivators were deadly.

Each attack took the life of a companion, each defense seemed so fragile.

"Save us! Who can come save us!" a young female cultivator wept in battle, her voice filled with despair.

"Good heavens, could there really be no hope left?" an old cultivator gasped between bouts of battle, his eyes revealing deep helplessness.

"We must retreat, preserve the spark!" a sect leader, upon seeing the battle situation, painfully issued the order to retreat.

However, retreat did not mean safety.

Those red-marking cultivators were like bone‑eating maggots, relentlessly pursuing.

Their eyes held no mercy, only endless slaughter and destruction.

The cultivators' hearts were filled with fear and despair; they began to call upon legendary heroes or ancient deities, hoping someone would appear to rescue them from dire straits.

Under the shroud of the Blood Moon Night, the cultivators of Tianji Shengyu faced unprecedented despair.

The Blood Moon's light not only amplified their inner greed, hatred, and delusion, but also attracted the onslaught of a ferocious beast tide.

These ferocious beasts, under the control of the heart‑demon light, became abnormally violent; they broke free from the abyss's shackles and surged into the holy domain like a tide, wherever they went, all living beings suffered.

"The ferocious beasts are here! The ferocious beast tide has invaded the holy domain!" a cultivator screamed in terror, his voice especially piercing amid the chaos.

"Good heavens, are these ferocious beasts stronger than ever?" a female cultivator's voice trembled with tears, her eyes full of tears.

Under the impact of the ferocious beasts, the balance of Tianji Shengyu was completely shattered.

The superpowers fighting over the Myriad Source Mother Essence have seen their mutual conflict evolve into a horrific massacre of sects and clans.

Their power grew even greater under the Blood Moon Night, and their ambitions swelled accordingly.

"For the Myriad Source Mother Essence, we must annihilate all opponents!" a leader of a superpower said coldly, his eyes flashing with a ruthless light.

"At any cost, we must seize the Myriad Source Mother Essence; this is our only hope for survival!" another sect elder roared, his face full of ferocity.

In this chaos, countless forces were obliterated, their sects destroyed, their disciples slaughtered.

Throughout Tianji Shengyu, not a single corner was peaceful; everywhere was slaughter and destruction.

"We're finished, our sect is finished!" a sect disciple wept amid the ruins, surrounded by the corpses of his fellow apprentices.

"Everything has been destroyed!" an old cultivator wailed among the wreckage, his voice full of despair.

Besides those superpowers, some alliance forces were still struggling to hold on.

They barely maintained survival in this disaster, knowing that once they fell, they would never get up again.

"The alliance is our last hope; we must hold fast until the Blood Moon Night ends!" another alliance member clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with determined light.

Yet even the alliance forces felt deep despair.

Their power in this disaster seemed so insignificant that resistance appeared unable to change anything.

"Can we really survive? Can we truly wait for the Blood Moon Night to end?" a young cultivator gasped between battles, his voice full of uncertainty.

"I don't know, really I don't know." an old cultivator wearily replied in battle, his eyes full of confusion.

Amid the chaos and despair of Tianji Shengyu, a forgotten corner—a mysterious place deep in the Heaven's Pole Mountain Range—was undergoing a heart‑pounding change.

Here, countless black banners frenziedly danced in the red light of the Blood Moon Night, seeming alive, greedily absorbing the resentment and karma of heaven and earth, as well as that blood‑slaughter resentment.

"Look at those black banners—they're moving, they're... growing!" a cultivator of this place shouted in terror, his voice echoing across the empty mountain range.

"These are not ordinary black banners; they are Myriad Soul Banners, legendary evil artifacts!" an elderly cultivator trembled as he spoke, his eyes full of fear.

The Myriad Soul Banner, an ancient and evil treasure, can absorb the souls of living beings to enhance its own power.