Chapter 1: The Ownership of the Eternal Divine Blood

The moment Ji Ning stepped across the threshold of the towering dark divine mansion, space shifted. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a corridor.

The walls of this corridor were rough and uneven, with a torch inserted on each side. The torches burned, casting firelight throughout the passage.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning stood in the corridor and looked around. There was no one else.

"What's going on? Did I get separated from You Ji and the others?" Ji Ning thought to himself.

Suddenly, he sensed faint energy fluctuations ahead. He looked carefully and saw strands of flame flying out from the torches on both sides, gathering in midair in the corridor and coalescing into a barefoot maiden dressed in thin gauze. The maiden had bright emerald-green hair, and though she wore a layer of gauze, it was nearly transparent.

"I am the spirit of the divine mansion's formation. This is one of my avatars," the maiden said.

Ji Ning asked in confusion, "How did I get separated from the others?"

"All of you who survived the grinding mill of life and death are entitled to an opportunity. But you took different paths, and the opportunities suited to you differ. So you have been teleported to different parts of the divine mansion," the maiden said. "Follow me."

Ji Ning obediently followed.

…

Indeed, each of them had been teleported to a different area.

The blood-robed youth Aluo Yi also appeared in a corridor. His eyes, faintly tinged with bloody waves, looked around with a hint of urgency. Suddenly, in midair ahead of him in the corridor, a barefoot maiden clad in thin, nearly transparent gauze coalesced as well.

"I am the spirit of the divine mansion's formation. This is one of my avatars. Follow me," the maiden said.

"Where is the Eternal Divine Blood?" Aluo Yi asked.

"Eternal Divine Blood?" The maiden looked at him, a strange smile on her beautiful face.

"Yes, the Eternal Divine Blood. I should have performed the best on the grinding mill of life and death. The golden-eyed puppet said earlier... our performance this time qualifies us to obtain the Eternal Divine Blood, but we must enter the divine mansion to get it." Aluo Yi looked at the maiden, his eyes full of anxiety. "I don't care about other opportunities. I want the Eternal Divine Blood now."

The maiden looked at him and gently shook her head. "There is none."

"None?" Aluo Yi was stunned.

"There is no Eternal Divine Blood for you," the maiden said, looking at him.

"What do you mean?" Aluo Yi grew anxious.

"Simply put, the Eternal Divine Blood has been given to another cultivator, not you," the maiden said. "Still, you will receive an opportunity."

"Impossible!" Aluo Yi's eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared in fury, "I am the strongest. Of the five World-level survivors, how can the other four compare to me? That Su Youji, who just broke through to World-level? Or the Dragonbound World God of the Da Mo Institute? Or my servant? Or Fu Kai? None of them are worthy! Lord Wanshen Daojun, an ancient great power, is too proud to be unfair!"

"The trials left by the master are all fair," the maiden said. "The result of this trial... you indeed are not qualified to obtain the Eternal Divine Blood."

"Damn it!"

Aluo Yi was both anxious and furious.

How could he not be anxious? How could he not be furious? The Eternal Divine Blood was tied to his very life. This time, he and Fu Kai had spared no expense to come here. Just rushing from the Mist Sea to the front gate of the divine mansion had involved countless dangers. They had braved the risk of death for the sake of the Eternal Divine Blood.

If he obtained the Eternal Divine Blood, he would rise to the heavens in a single step.

If he didn't, he would die.

No one could save him, not even his father.

And on this grinding mill of life and death, his breakthrough in strength had made him the strongest World God. He had believed that the Eternal Divine Blood would fall into his hands. But now, with this outcome, how could he not be anxious and furious?

"How could this be?"

"The Dragonbound World God? Impossible. He only won by luck thanks to his talismans."

"Fu Kai? He won so miserably, and his strength is far inferior to mine."

"My servant? Also very unremarkable."

"Fire Fairy Su Youji? Hmm... it's possible. She, a newly broken-through Chaos Immortal, ended up killing Wulai! That counts as the greatest leap in strength across levels..."

Aluo Yi pondered.

"Is it Su Youji?" Aluo Yi looked at the maiden before him.

"That is a secret," the maiden said. "No need to ask further."

"No, no... Lord Wanshen Daojun is an existence of what caliber? That Su Youji is weak in strength, and she only survived thanks to that monstrous Ancestral God! How could Lord Wanshen Daojun give the Eternal Divine Blood to Su Youji? Even giving it to that monstrous Ancestral God would be far more reasonable than giving it to Su Youji." Aluo Yi's expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Monstrous Ancestral God..."

Aluo Yi suddenly remembered.

Before the grinding mill of life and death trial, the three-eyed bald man had said: "All surviving cultivators... will receive a small opportunity. The cultivator who performs best on the grinding mill of life and death and survives may obtain the Eternal Divine Blood."

"'The cultivator who performs best'... yes, 'cultivator.' World Gods and Chaos Immortals are cultivators, and Ancestral Gods are also cultivators." Aluo Yi carefully recalled everything that had happened and found no contradiction. That monstrous Ancestral God was entirely capable of obtaining the Eternal Divine Blood.

In terms of performance,

An Ancestral God had ultimately killed a perfected World God, even if he had set some 'traps.' That was already incredible. He, Aluo Yi, had only killed a peak World God, and he himself was originally a peak World God.

"Yes, if we count the Ancestral God..."

"That monstrous Ancestral God is indeed more likely than me to obtain the Eternal Divine Blood." Aluo Yi looked at the maiden and growled, "It's that monstrous Ancestral God, isn't it?"

"I said, it's a secret," the maiden replied calmly. "Alright, don't waste time. Since you survived, you are entitled to an opportunity. Follow me."

"No need. I don't want the opportunity," Aluo Yi said, his eyes full of cold light.

"You don't want the opportunity?" The maiden frowned.

"Yes. I want to leave the divine mansion immediately," Aluo Yi said.

"Don't regret it," the maiden said. "Such an opportunity is something others beg for but cannot get. You'd better take a look first; you can leave after seeing it."

"I don't need it," Aluo Yi said indifferently. Every survivor got an opportunity, but how good could it be? Moreover, for him, no matter how good the opportunity, without the Eternal Divine Blood, he was doomed.

"Very well, then I will send you away," the maiden nodded.

…

The golden-robed youth Fu Kai also looked at the maiden avatar before him, his face dark: "As expected, the Eternal Divine Blood wasn't given to me! It must have fallen into Aluo Yi's hands. No... I still have a chance!"

"As long as I kill Aluo Yi and seize the Eternal Divine Blood!"

"So what if his strength has broken through?"

"On the grinding mill of life and death, I couldn't use many of my treasures. With my treasures, I can sweep away anyone below the Daolord of Life and Death." The golden-robed youth's eyes burned with madness. "Kill Aluo Yi and seize the Eternal Divine Blood."

"Follow me," the maiden instructed.

"I don't need any opportunity. I want to leave the divine mansion now," the golden-robed youth Fu Kai said directly.

"You want to leave now?" The maiden was surprised.

"Yes," the golden-robed youth nodded.

"No regrets?" The maiden asked again.

"No regrets." The golden-robed youth Fu Kai's eyes were full of madness. He was backed into a corner. In his view, the Eternal Divine Blood had already fallen into Aluo Yi's hands. If he didn't seize it, he was dead. The only chance for survival was to intercept Aluo Yi before he left this chaos world and kill him!

If he failed to intercept him, Aluo Yi would tear through the void and leave, and there would be no way to stop him.

"How strange. None of them want the opportunity; they all want to leave the divine mansion immediately," the maiden muttered.

"None want the opportunity?" Fu Kai was startled. "Who left? Aluo Yi?"

The maiden glanced at him: "That's a secret."

"It must be Aluo Yi. I want to leave immediately, right now! As fast as possible," Fu Kai said anxiously.

"As you wish," the maiden nodded.

…

Ji Ning, on the other hand, calmly and curiously followed the maiden. The maiden walked barefoot along the corridor, and soon a huge arched stone door appeared ahead.

"Come in," the maiden said, stepping through the stone door.

Ji Ning followed her inside. As he entered, his eyes lit up. This was an immensely vast hall, surrounded on all sides by countless carvings—thousands of massive stone carvings. The hall was so vast that with a single sweep of his gaze, Ji Ning estimated it to be a hundred miles across and over ten miles high.

"What is that?" Ji Ning noticed a corner of the rocky hall. In the corner was a long table, and on the table lay a translucent, white-glowing sphere.