Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 462: Bloodforge, One Billion Blood Devil Tokens (4)

"Astral Lord." The immortals' gazes were drawn to the Astral Lord, their eyes brimming with reverence and a hint of curiosity.

For most of the High Immortals and Earth Immortals present, this was their first glimpse of an Astral Lord.

"Proceed to the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm to observe the battle," the Astral Lord commanded.

This scene played out simultaneously across thousands of second-tier divisions under the Silvermist Division of the Bloodforge Devil Hall.

Afterward, numerous Earth Immortals and High Immortals from the thousands of divisions began entering the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm, preparing to observe the battles.

However, Earth Immortals and High Immortals were only authorized to observe ordinary participants from their divisions; they couldn’t monitor the Bloodforge Seeds from their own divisions, let alone those of other divisions.

Of course, the Blood Devil Token rankings were visible to all. Through the leaderboard, they could roughly gauge the performance of the top-tier geniuses.

...

Within a special space of the Silvermist Plane in the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm, tens of thousands of seats stood in neat rows. Many were already occupied by figures of varying appearances, each exuding an aura of immense power.

The diversity of these beings was striking. Some radiated heat like living furnaces, while others emanated a bone-chilling cold. A few were shrouded in black robes, while others appeared eerie and sinister. Some carried themselves with an air of wild, untamed dominance.

Despite their differences, one thing united them all – each was a great being, commanding respect across vast spacetime territories.

"Yin He, you've arrived. I hear you've discovered quite a formidable young talent this time. Wu Yuan, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's his name. Wu Yuan possesses... decent talent."

"Haha, you're here as well!"

"Chen Deng! It's been ages.”

"He hasn't observed a Golden Core Bloodforge Battle in over ten thousand years."

"Indeed, it has been far too long," Astral Lord Yin He and Astral Lord Chen Deng were among the notable figures in this assembly, their seats positioned near the front.

It was evident that only Archimmortal-level powerhouses of the Silvermist Division were granted access to this exclusive space.

“It’s Meng Jie. Astral Lord Meng Jie has arrived.”

“Meng Jie, what luck!” Instantly, more than half of the Archimmortals in the special space turned to look at the purple-robed figure that appeared out of thin air.

"Meng Jie, your Ao Qi is the strongest contender this time."

"Ao Qi cleared level sixteen of the Dark Star. Truly impressive. He has the potential to become an Archimmortal.”

“Remarkable indeed. He’s poised to become the Bloodforge King!” The Astral Lords in the front row spoke in rapid succession, their words overlapping in their eagerness to engage with the purple-robed figure.

Though all present were Archimmortals, a clear hierarchy existed. The Astral Lords formed their own inner circle, while the ordinary Archimmortals who had come to observe the battle mostly conversed in hushed tones among themselves. The distinction between the two groups was as stark as night and day.

"It's hard to say for certain," Astral Lord Meng Jie replied with a mysterious smile. "Impressive as Ao Qi may be, Wu Yuan's talent surpasses him by more than a mere notch. Once they reach the second stage, it's quite possible he'll overtake Ao Qi and claim the title of Bloodforge King."

Astral Lord Yin He laughed. "Haha, Astral Lord Meng Jie, surely you jest. Wu Yuan still has a long road ahead of him. I'm merely hoping Ao Qi will show him mercy."

The Astral Lords continued their banter.

After a full hour passed, a gentle yet pervasive voice suddenly echoed through the special space. "Honored Archimmortals and Astral Lords, the Golden Core Bloodforge Battle is about to commence."

"We will project in real-time the top ten thousand geniuses ranked by Blood Devil Token number!"

"Additionally, if any Archimmortal or Astral Lord wishes to focus on a particular participant, you may do so at any time."

In an instant, tens of thousands of small projections materialized in the air. Within them, the initial top ten thousand geniuses were displayed, ranked by their Blood Devil Token count.

Simultaneously, a massive list appeared, ranking the first-ranked participant all the way down to the millionth.

With the mental processing speed of an Archimmortal, monitoring tens of thousands of projections while tracking the ranking of a million participants was hardly difficult. Not a single detail would escape their notice.

And so it begins. Astral Lord Yin He effortlessly scanned through the myriad projections. In an instant, he locked onto one particular figure among them. Wu Yuan.

Under normal circumstances, the supervision of the centennial Golden Core Bloodforge Battle required only a single Archimmortal. It was part of their duty. Most of the time, Astral Lords wouldn’t bother watching battle at all.

This time, however, was different. About a hundred Astral Lords from the thousands of divisions under Silvermist had chosen to attend. Their presence was largely motivated by having promising disciples participating in the battle.

For Astral Lord Yin He, there was only one reason for him to be here—Wu Yuan.

Don't disappoint me. He thought silently, his gaze fixed on the projection. At the very least, you need to break into the top hundred in the first stage. Your final ranking should reach the top twenty.

Bloodforge King? In truth, Astral Lord Yin He harbored no expectations of Wu Yuan seizing that title. The young cultivator's period was simply too short.

Aim high, and you may fall somewhere in the middle; aim for the middle, and you'll often fall to the bottom. Everything he had told Wu Yuan back then was merely to motivate him to strive with all his might towards becoming the Bloodforge King.

Set your sights high but keep your feet on the ground.

...

The Bloodforge Plane was the creation of a super powerhouse of the Bloodforge Devil Hall. Within it lay three thousand worlds, each capable of hosting a first-tier division's Golden Core Bloodforge Battle.

Among these, the Bloodforge World numbered 893 belonged to Silvermist.

Wu Yuan's consciousness stirred. This is really uncomfortable. He thought, finding himself suspended in darkness after entering the spatial vortex. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as he waited, unable to move, his thoughts sluggish.

After what felt like an eternity but was in reality only an hour, an icy voice reverberated through Wu Yuan's mind, "All participants are in position. The Bloodforge Battle will now commence."

With those words, Wu Yuan landed on the ground. Immediately, he swept his gaze in all directions.

He found himself in a vast, winding cavern passage that stretched as far as the eye could see. The cave's cross-section was roughly circular, with a diameter of about thirty thousand li!

The cavern walls were studded with massive crystals that emitted light, banishing shadows and making the vast cave as bright as day.

Scattered across the walls were numerous pits and crevices of varying depths. Some were shallow indentations, while others yawned open, theoretically large enough to conceal a large group of immortal cultivators.

My Soul Force remains unaffected. Wu Yuan noted with relief. The spatial pressure here is similar to that of the Origin Blood World.

He quickly extended his Soul Force, probing his surroundings.

Nine hundred li!

Years of diligent Visualization of the black pagoda had paid off, elevating the strength of his body refiner self's soul to nearly the peak of the Yang Soul level.

Meanwhile, a strand of Wu Yuan's consciousness remained tethered to his personal hall within the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm.

Though he couldn't communicate with the outside world, he could receive battlefield directives. Most crucially, he could monitor his Blood Devil Token ranking:

Blood Devil Tokens: 1000

Rank: 593,422 (tied)

There must be over 400,000 second-tier Bloodforge Seeds in the entire Silvermist Division, and more than 180,000 participants from the immortal nation.

This was information he hadn't known before.

This Bloodforge Battlefield world is a spherical space with a diameter of one hundred million li, internally connected by numerous tunnels, each with a diameter of thirty thousand li. Wu Yuan recalled.

The walls of the caverns were indestructible. At the very least, even with first-stage Amethyst Cradle phase strength, it would be extremely difficult to cause any significant damage. And even if damaged, the walls would automatically repair themselves over time.

Simultaneously, a vast array of weapons, artifacts, and precious materials would randomly appear throughout the countless tunnels of the Bloodforge World.

Therefore, the process of the Bloodforge Battle was actually quite simple.

Participants had to navigate the labyrinthine tunnels, using their Soul Force, vision, or other special means to search for opponents and eliminate them.

As time progressed, the combat region of the Bloodforge World would steadily shrink, forcing the surviving participants into ever-closer proximity.

It's like a battle royale. Wu Yuan mused inwardly, his mind flashing to an old, popular game in his previous life.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a terrifying surge of spiritual energy erupted over a thousand li away. Looking up, he saw two figures already locked in a frenzied, intense battle.

Hm? Almost simultaneously, Wu Yuan noticed the rankings on the Blood Devil Token leaderboard begin to fluctuate. The positions of many geniuses began to rise rapidly, a clear indication that the slaughter had begun in earnest.

It has started. A trace of bloodlust flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes. In a blur of motion, he darted toward the two figures engaged in battle a thousand li in the distance.

Even without employing any ether art or Beast Fusion with Little Black, Wu Yuan could cover over two hundred li per second with his physical body alone. As he moved, he accelerated further.

In an instant, the two battling figures noticed his approach and turned pale with fear. "Not good, it's a Bloodforge Seed!"

"You sensed me?" Wu Yuan grinned, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

Within the Bloodforge Battlefield, whenever a Bloodforge Seed or an immortal nation participant came within six hundred li of an ordinary participant, their presence would be detected.

Moreover, Wu Yuan's speed was nearly at the first-stage Amethyst Cradle level.

"Then there's no need to hide. Little Black, Beast Fusion." At his command, a pair of obsidian wings instantly materialized behind Wu Yuan. With a slight vibration, his speed soared to five hundred li per second.

By then, the two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators had only managed to flee a mere hundred li.

Their efforts were futile in the face of Wu Yuan's overwhelming speed. In less than half a breath, Wu Yuan closed the distance.

Don't blame me. He thought coldly. If you must blame someone, blame this damned ideology. His eyes were hard, devoid of mercy as he moved without hesitation.

His wings flashed like sabers, instantly slicing through the two Golden Core cultivators.

Their bodies exploded in a gruesome display, blood and viscera splattering the cavern walls. They had no power to resist, not even a chance to struggle.

For Wu Yuan, killing ordinary Golden Core cultivators was now as effortless as swatting flies.

Two Blood Devil Tokens. He observed the ranking with detached interest.

However, what truly caught his attention was the blood mist being released from the black pagoda.

This Bloodforge Battle, with its insane scale of slaughter, will generate an unimaginable amount of blood mist. Wu Yuan realized.

Hm? Spreading his Soul Force once more, he instantly sensed a Golden Core cultivator hiding six hundred li away.

Trying to hide? Wu Yuan charged directly at his new target.

As he barreled straight toward his quarry, several Golden Core cultivators further away took flight in terror, fleeing madly in all directions.

"Kill!" Wu Yuan roared, showing no mercy as he unleashed a storm of blood and carnage within the tunnel.