The Avalon Of Five Elements

"Besides, what right did Chi Tong have to declare himself the Scarlet-eyed Emperor?" The Holy Emperor spoke with contempt.

He set the teacup down, a sparkle in his eyes revealing his keen interest in the topic.

"Compared to the leaders of other generations, the Second was pretty ordinary. He was slightly talented, but not outstanding in any way. His character was also soft, and there were many people who refused to obey him. Some even opposed him outright."

The Holy Emperor scoffed coldly, then continued. "Hmph, how did he even put up with all of that?"

Bei Shuisheng wanted to laugh, but he held it in. He quickly lifted his teacup to hide his expression.

"Speaking of putting up, no one could compare to him." The Holy Emperor's tone suddenly changed to one of admiration and sorrow. He continued, "Before Chi Tong's revival, the Second led a mediocre existence without achieving anything. It was only after being possessed by Chi Tong's demonic consciousness that he became respected."

"Demonic consciousness?"

"Yes, Chi Tong was born from avedha-vasa and strengthened through blood sacrifice. He was versed in the teachings of blood while also contemplating avedha-vasa through Dhyana. These two sides were complete opposites and served to counter each other, yet Chi Tong managed to blend them together. He eventually achieved a half-god, half-demon state. Chi Tong used Dhyana to build up his blood spiritual force one step at a time. The resulting blood spiritual force was of an unparalleled purity that was unstained by the influence of evil. He used the ways of the blood elementalist to nurture avedha-vasa, creating the extremely malevolent [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness]."

Bei Shuisheng was completely captivated by what he was hearing. The Holy Emperor possessed unparalleled knowledge regarding training practices, and it was greatly enjoyable to listen to his explanations. Hearing such an odd name, Bei Shuisheng could not help but ask, "Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness?"

"Making use of karma, which was inherent within Dhyana, the seeds find life in death. The blood spiritual force he possessed while he was alive was extremely pure, giving rise to a demonic consciousness that brimmed with vitality and felt gentle and placid. This was how he managed to swindle offerings from so many tribes in the wilderness. At the moment of death, his demonic consciousness was like a withering flower that preserved its future in the form of a seed. This [Death Seed] was incorporeal and required a suitable host to germinate within. The host's consciousness would become the seed's fertile soil, allowing it to germinate and eventually bloom. Our [Life and Death Flower Sacrificial Art] is an imitation of these [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness] and a pretty lousy one at that. Sadly, it is one of the few things that we managed to learn from the demonic consciousness. Besides the favor you asked for, one of the reasons I bestowed God's Blood upon She Yu was her ability to master the [Life and Death Flower Sacrificial Art]. I wanted to see how God's Blood would evolve in her body."

Bei Shuisheng experienced a moment of clarity. "His Majesty is wise! But I wonder who the host of her sacrificial flower was? It was my mistake that I hadn't thought to ask her."

The Holy Emperor waved. "That's not important. Let's continue with Chi Tong."

The Holy Emperor's expression had become even graver. Even though the way he spoke of Chi Tong reflected a great deal of disdain, deep inside there was not even the slightest bit of contempt.

"It is thus reasonable for Chi Tong to be known as a demonic god. Every drop of God's Blood glows brightly enough that even fools can comprehend its wonder. Anyone who covets the power of God's Blood will inevitably have their minds corroded by [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness]. [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness] remain dormant until the host's mind reveals a sliver of weakness. It takes root right at that moment, making it practically impossible to guard against. The Second was completely blindsided, hence the Night of Frozen Blood."

"After slaughtering 100 people, the Second finally regained a tinge of conscious awareness. He threw himself into a beast cage, placed a bloodletting lock on himself, and broke off all four of his limbs."

The Holy Emperor's face was devoid of expression, while his voice was low and hushed.

Bei Shuisheng's heart was racing. He could imagine just how hair-raising the situation had been during that long, bloody night. He imagined just how deep the Second's despair must have been when he locked himself within the cage.

"God's Blood was so resilient that the Second's limbs regenerated in a flash. Thankfully, he had placed the bloodletting lock on himself. Oh, I suppose you don't know what that is. Bloodletting locks were created to deal with dire beasts. Once put in place, they were impossible to remove. These locks had 36 chains that were loaded with blades. Strapped around the entire body, they were able to drain every last bit of blood from the target. The process of bloodletting was extremely painful, and even the most resilient dire beasts were unable to last longer than three days."

Bei Shuisheng held his breath.

The Holy Emperor proceeded indifferently, "The Second, oh or rather, Chi Tong, endured for nine days and nine nights before giving up and exploding. We managed to collect a large amount of blood samples, and the Beast Venom Palace had a field day with his corpse. It was after this that we perfected the practice of nurturing blood spiritual force, so the credit must be given to the Second. Between the Second and I, no one else dared to tamper with God's Blood."

Bei Shuisheng let out a long sigh. "That was… tragic."

"Tragic?" An austere smile appeared on the Holy Emperor's face. "The foundation of all things tend to lie on the dried-up remains of those before us. If our enemies' remains can be found among these, surely some of our own must as well?"

Bei Shuisheng muttered, "If Chi Tong has taken over Ai Hui then I suppose Ai Hui devoured God's Blood?"

"Most likely," the Holy Emperor replied. "While studying the demonic consciousness within God's Blood, the Beast Venom Palace deduced that there should be 10 droplets of God's Blood in total. Blood spiritual force is difficult to investigate, but the demonic consciousness leaves observable traces. We have five droplets in our possession, so there must be five more outside. The droplet left behind after the Second's explosion ended up in the hands of the Assembly of Patriarchs. I used up two droplets and gave one to She Yu, so we only have one left. Dai Gang has coveted God's Blood for a very long time. His [White Lotus Reviving Technique] is vastly different from the [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness], but both have similar effects. I believe he is trying to learn a thing or two from the latter. It's a pity he doesn't have much luck and the Great Wei Enterprise's droplet ended up with the Silverwheel Swordsman Chu Zhaoyang. Ai Hui has somehow gotten ahold of that droplet, so it seems highly likely that Chu Zhaoyang is actually Ai Hui in disguise."

How would Ai Hui feel if he knew that the Holy Emperor had hit the nail on the head by luck?

Bei Shuisheng suddenly thought of a question. "Will She Yu fall prey to the [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness]?"

"Haha, of course not." The Holy Emperor let out a hearty laugh. "Chi Tong underestimated the world's heroes. After the Second's incident, everyone realized that blood spiritual force had a flaw and were trying to figure out how to overcome it. It was only by my hands that this flaw was patched up and God Nation rose to today's glory. God's Blood is highly toxic to others, but it is superbly nourishing to the blood elementalists of God Nation. The blood spiritual force within it, however, is exceedingly powerful, so only those who are gifted can withstand it."

Bei Shuisheng heaved a sigh of relief and curiously asked, "How did Your Majesty break the demonic consciousness?"

The Holy Emperor smiled as his eyes narrowed into slits. He looked like he was reminiscing about something from the distant past. Bei Shuisheng suddenly felt as though his surroundings had become much colder.

"That's a long story." The Holy Emperor changed the topic. "It isn't necessarily true that Ai Hui doesn't stand a chance! The [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness] may be malevolent, but they aren't without limits. The karmic cycle in which Dhyana is firmly rooted is a two-way street. The [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness] were created through Dhyana and, as such, have to obey its laws. In order to take, it must give. What it gives is blood spiritual force, which feeds the host's flesh and blood."

Bei Shuisheng was baffled by the finer details since he had never practiced Dhyana.

The Holy Emperor did not seem to care and continued talking with zest, "Give and take. Things taken forcibly ultimately do not belong to you. The body isn't a mere shell, it has an infinitely mysterious intimacy with the mind and the soul. The strengthened flesh and blood will in turn nourish the mind and soul. This is what 'a sharper mind through strengthened flesh' means. If the host's mind is too strong or too weak, then this nourishing effect is useless. However, if the two were about the same strength then it might have some serious benefits."

Bei Shuisheng now had a better understanding. "Does His Majesty think that Ai Hui's mind is strong?"

The Holy Emperor answered, "That sword chime was clear and sublime, totally free of any blood energy. Didn't you feel its dissonance against the bloody glow that filled the sky?"

"Will Ai Hui emerge victorious?"

"Haha, we'll have to see how lucky he is."

"Your Majesty seems to be slightly interested in Ai Hui?"

"Yeah, of course I'm interested in the second person to be possessed by the [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness], but there are others who are even more interested."

""The Assembly of Patriarchs?"

"The Ye Clan? Why?"

"Hehe."

…..

In the empty Wilderness, two figures appeared out of thin air.

One of them was a man aged about 25 or 26. He was wrapped up in a black cloak and carried a small sack that contained a bright red object. He had a rather average-looking face, a reddish forehead, and an air of worry around him.

He was the Assembly's second Patriarch, Hong Rongyan.

A tall lady with a pair of slender legs stood beside him. She was as pretty as a peach blossom and was both charming and refined. Yet, her eyes were cold and emotionless. Her skin was as fair as snow with a crystalline quality to it.

This lady was Autumn Water, who had been injured by Ai Hui earlier.

On her shoulder was a coarsely made clay doll the size of a palm. It was one of Master Shao's random creations from back in the day.

The clay doll suddenly spoke in a delicate voice, "We're near. I can feel his presence. How repulsive, it reeks badly of blood."

The voice coming from the clay doll belonged to Autumn Water. Without moving the slightest bit, she stood still like an ice sculpture.

Hong Rongyan asked flatly, "Which direction?"

Autumn Water raised her hand and pointed to the left.

"There," said the voice coming from the clay doll.

The voice continued to speak through clenched teeth, "Hehe, looks like it is true that we only meet our enemies. Ai Hui, you're dead meat!"

Hong Rongyan replied unenthusiastically, "He can't die. We need to capture Chi Tong and can only unlock the secret to the [Deathly Seeds of Demonic Consciousness] by making use of him."

"I don't think there's a need to," scoffed the clay doll. "I've already started to gain control of my newfound strength. Even Chi Tong is no match for me unless he has successfully taken over Ai Hui's body."

Her words were filled with confidence.

"Enough!" Hong Rongyan's eyes were filled with displeasure as he stared at the clay doll. Coldly, he said, "I don't want anything to go wrong during this attempt to capture Chi Tong. Understand?"

The clay doll seemed to respect Hong Rongyan deeply. It muttered, "I was just rambling. Do you have to be so fierce…"

Hong Rongyan's gaze softened a little. Seeing that Autumn Water and the little clay doll looked rather out of sorts, he mumbled, "After all these years, we're finally here… I can die without regrets."

The clay doll fell silent. Autumn Winter stood unmoving like a lifeless puppet.

A moment later, the clay doll spoke again, "Don't just talk about death so simply like that."

"Ok, no talking about death now." Hong Rongyan's eyes regained their clarity.

"How can I die before announcing my arrival to the Blood of God and all those traitors?"