The Sect's Abyss
Blood Lotus Sect—hidden deep within the crimson gorges of the Obsidian Wastes—was unlike any other sect in the cultivation world. Its walls were sculpted from blackstone, the soil forever stained in hues of red. Rumors whispered that the ground itself was fertilized by blood and spirit ashes of fallen cultivators. The main hall was carved into a mountainside, and from a distance, it resembled a demonic lotus blooming in a pit of despair.
The sect had once stood among the Five Unorthodox Powers of the continent. Now, with the Crimson Demoness awakening her ancient rite, they sought to reclaim their twisted glory.
The ruling council—known as the Crimson Petal Court—consisted of seven elders:
Elder Yanwu, a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator, known for his fire poison arts.
Elder Hu Qing, Late Nascent Soul, a master of corpse puppetry.
Elder Mo Jie, Middle Nascent Soul, an illusionist who turned pain into hallucinations.
The remaining four were early-stage Nascent Soul experts or late-stage Core Formation cultivators, but each bore blood seals forged in demonic rites.
Behind them all, in the shadows of the altar chamber, loomed the **Crimson Demoness** herself—her soul still tethered to the mortal plane through a ritual bound by the Eclipse Prophecy.
### Into the Maw
Now, they stood at the jagged edges of the Obsidian Wastes.
Yao Lin knelt beside a broken monolith, her golden bond-mark pulsing. "There's no wind here. Not even air dares move."
"This place reeks of old blood," Su Xue muttered, face grim. Though her cultivation sat firmly at the Peak of Core Formation, she felt it suppressed here. An invisible weight pressed down on her qi. Ever since the Eclipse signs began, her power had faltered at strange intervals—likely remnants of her time-seal unraveling too fast.
Ming Zhao scouted ahead with Mei trailing close, and the bonded girl tugged at Lu Xuan's sleeve.
"They're waiting for you, big brother. The old ones. They think you'll wear the crown again."
"I won't," Lu Xuan said quietly.
But even he didn't fully believe it.
The Devourer's Edge
They entered the outer wards of the sect under cover of night. The spiritual density of the region was like syrup—choking, heavy. Their footsteps echoed through the obsidian halls, and ghostly chants hummed behind every wall.
It wasn't long before they were discovered.
The ambush came sudden—twelve cloaked disciples wearing crimson masks. Each one a late-stage Core Formation or higher.
Yao Lin moved first—her sword swept in elegant arcs, slicing air and severing limbs. Su Xue joined her, but her frost qi flared once and then sputtered.
"Damn it," she gasped. "The seal again—"
Lu Xuan stepped forward.
A disciple charged.
His blade—still nameless after lifetimes—sang once.
The disciple's upper half vanished.
As more surged in, Lu Xuan exhaled. His cultivation flared—Peak Foundation Establishment—and a tremor ran through the floor.
Dark veins spiraled up his arms, and the unnamed blade devoured light itself.
He didn't fight with technique. He fought like a calamity.
And then it happened.
Breakthrough: Peak Foundation Establishment → Core Formation (Initial Glimpse)
As he cleaved through the seventh disciple, the altar deep below pulsed. Blood lotus energy surged upward—parasitic, vile.
Lu Xuan staggered—but instead of resisting, he let it in.
The Immortal Demon God Body accepted it—transmuted it.
The demonic corruption became a catalyst. His spiritual core shook. A phantom lotus blossomed behind him—half black, half gold.
"He's absorbing… the altar's essence?!" Elder Mo Jie, watching from the hidden scrying mirror, recoiled in horror.
Back in the field, Lu Xuan's aura surged past **Late Foundation Establishment**, then crossed into **Peak Foundation Establishment**, before snapping toward **Initial Core Formation**. The transformation didn't complete, but the threshold had been touched.
His demon eye bled tears of crimson fire.
Su Xue watched, horrified. "You're burning your lifespan."
Lu Xuan smiled. "Then I'll make every second count."
### Blood and Revelation
As the ambush faded and silence returned, they found the outer altar. Cracked bones lined the walls. In the center stood a bloodstained mural—depicting an ancient scene:
A man with a crimson eye and a nameless sword… seated on a throne of broken stars.
Su Xue gasped. "That's you. From… the first time."
Lu Xuan touched the mural. "I remember nothing of that life. Just the screams. And the betrayal."
Yao Lin approached. "The deeper we go, the closer we are to the truth. But it will hurt, Lu Xuan."
He turned, looking back.
"Everything already does."
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**Chapter End**