Since time immemorial, within the ancient nation of the Dao Gu lineage on the Immortal-Astral Continent, never had a single soul dared tread this path! This was born of their sheltered existence, shielded by the Three Grand Empyreans, governed by the Three Royal Sovereigns, and bathed in the ancestral light of their forebears.

They worshipped the Ancient Ancestor with near fanaticism. The Ancient Ancestor was, to the cultivators of the Ancient Nation, nothing less than the very Heavens!

Even the most arrogant among them would not dare show the slightest disrespect to the Ancient Ancestor. It was an idea instilled from their first breath, a belief echoed by all who surrounded them.

Even the Grand Empyrean Xuan Luo adhered to this reverence, a testament to its all-encompassing power.

But Wang Lin was different. He dared to cross this sacred threshold. His form became a soaring comet, whistling towards the dissipating vortex above. His aura blazed with unwavering resolve, boundless dominance, and fierce discontent!

Had he not received the Dao Gu blessing, it would have been one thing. But having been chosen, four drops of blood were utterly unacceptable! In his eyes, the matter was far from settled.

This so-called blessing was, in truth, nothing more than the acknowledgment of one as a descendant, an infusion of ancestral blood. A bloodline that Wang Lin did not necessarily require!

Indeed, should he so desire, he could claim the blood of the Immortal from the Madman, an essence equal to the blood of the Ancients!

It was for this very reason that Wang Lin launched himself towards the vortex. If the enigmatic Ancient Ancestor refused to grant him more blood, then he would force out the four drops within him, renounce his Dao Gu heritage, and embrace the blood of the Immortal, achieving immortality as one of their own!

“You have acknowledged me, but I have yet to acknowledge you. If you desire my acceptance of this bloodline, then you must grant me more blood and creation!” Wang Lin held no reverence for this unseen Ancestor; thus, he dared to bargain with him!

“A bloodline recognized by Wang Lin shall never be betrayed in this lifetime, but you offer me but four drops and expect my acceptance? This is far too meager!” Wang Lin roared as he plunged into the vortex.

His voice, a tempestuous cry, echoed into the swirling abyss, reverberating endlessly through its depths, a cascade of thunderous resonance swirling within the vortex’s heart.

The instant Wang Lin’s form stepped into the maelstrom, a wave of emotionless essence, akin to divine sense, erupted forth, engulfing him in an instant. It barred his advance, repelling him from the vortex’s embrace.

This aura, ancient and profound, held no hint of emotion, like that of a lifeless thing.

Wang Lin hovered within this swirling aura, his gaze fixed, cold, upon the vortex before him. His eyes flickered with resolve as he raised his right hand, his fingertip radiating a pearly white light, and pressed it to his brow. With a flick of his wrist, the very void around him twisted, conjuring illusory scenes.

Within these phantasms, a black-robed youth, his cultivation merely at the Core Formation stage, stood within the Ancient God Lands upon the Vermillion Bird Star!

The scenes shifted, showing the black-robed youth enduring trials within the Ancient God Lands, eventually inheriting the memories of Tu Si.

“You witness now the moment I first received the Ancient God’s heritage!” Wang Lin declared, his voice resonating. With another wave of his hand, the phantasmal tapestry transformed, revealing his entire journey, every instance of inheriting the Ancient God’s power.

Finally, the Dao Ancient Tomb within the Primordial Star emerged. These were Wang Lin’s memories, made manifest.

“You possess a hidden sentience; thus, consider well how much blood it shall require for me to accept your bloodline! Else, destroy me, and I shall renounce the Dao Gu blood and become an Immortal!” Wang Lin’s words were icy and resolute. As he finished speaking, the aura encircling him recoiled as if startled, retreating wholly into the vortex.

A long silence followed. Then, the vortex, once on the verge of dissipation, thundered anew, its swirling intensifying. From its depths, a crimson radiance began to spread once more!

Upon the Immortal-Astral Continent, above the floating city of the Dao Gu lineage, amongst the million Dao Gu tribesmen who waited with bated breath, and amidst the Royal Sovereign’s impatience, barely concealed, a miracle unfolded.

The dim crimson glow upon the brow of the sky-piercing statue suddenly erupted into a blinding, scarlet light. It washed over the land, enveloping all within its crimson embrace!

This sudden turn of events ignited a chorus of awed gasps!

“Another…impossible!” “Crimson light again! Can it be that a fifth drop of blood is forming!”

“Since the dawn of time, the Celestial Blood of the Dao Gu has always been delivered in a single offering! Never has there been such a change, such a resurgence of crimson!”

The Royal Sovereign’s face, for the first time, betrayed emotion. He stared at the statue’s brow, his eyes wide with astonishment.

“How can this be! It was nearly over, and yet this occurs! This…this…”

Only the black-haired Grand Empyrean Xuan Luo wore a knowing smile, his eyes gleaming with a strange light as he watched the statue’s brow, remaining silent.

Amidst the shock of the million Dao Gu, the crimson light upon the statue’s brow coalesced in an instant. With a howling shriek, a fifth drop of blood hurtled forth!

This fifth drop confirmed what all had dared to only whisper, unleashing a tidal wave of shock and awe! All eyes were fixed upon it, their astonishment unyielding!

As time wore on and only the fifth drop appeared, the Royal Sovereign breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Five drops…even with five, what does it matter? I attained six in my youth, and rose to become a Royal Sovereign of the Dao Gu. I refuse to believe he will…” But before he could complete his thought, his composure shattered, his very body trembling!

For upon the statue’s brow, the crimson light blazed forth once more, even more intensely than before. This time, a sixth drop of blood emerged!

“Six drops of blood! Six drops!”

“The same as the Royal Sovereign of old! A blessing upon our Dao Gu clan!”

“Not six, but seven!”
The crimson aura coalesced, and amidst the echoing gasps, under the livid gaze of the robed noble, a seventh droplet of blood shot forth! More astounding still, even causing the ebon-haired Paragon Xuan Luo to laugh towards the heavens, was the emergence of an eighth droplet!

Eight drops of Ancestral Blood! Even Xuan Luo himself, in his own ascendance, had only attained a mere eight!

The onlookers were struck speechless, their gasps replaced by awed silence as they beheld the statue. The robed noble unconsciously licked his lips, a flicker of icy malevolence in his eyes.

“That inheritor of the Forgotten Lineage… how could he earn such favor from the Ancient Forefather? To be gifted eight drops! I am the true descendant, the blood of the royal line! I am the Ancient Prodigy, save for my esteemed Uncle!” He inhaled deeply, forcing down the venomous envy that threatened to consume him. He could not let Xuan Luo see his true feelings.

Replacing his dark thoughts with a practiced smile, the robed noble bowed respectfully towards the ebon-haired Paragon. “Congratulations, Uncle! It seems this boy is destined to become your sole disciple, and perhaps even surpass you, becoming the new Grand Paragon of our Dao-Ancient Clan!”

His words, coated in honeyed deceit, concealed a barbed intent. Yet, his seamless performance gave no hint of treachery, projecting only joy at the auspicious event. Few would suspect the darkness within.

The ebon-haired Paragon received the compliment with a countenance as still as a mountain lake. He turned, his gaze lingering on the robed noble with profound meaning.

The look sent a tremor through the robed noble’s heart. As he opened his mouth to speak, a fresh wave of astonishment erupted from the crowd. His heart plummeted. He whirled back to the statue, his face paling to ash.

A ninth droplet of blood was slowly, inexorably forming amidst the thunderous applause.

As the ninth droplet materialized, Paragon Xuan Luo’s eyes blazed with radiant joy, a delight impossible to conceal.

But the spectacle was not yet complete. Even as the ninth droplet settled, the crimson aura surged again. Before the breathless onlookers, the first signs of a tenth droplet appeared!

“A tenth! Never in history! The tenth droplet!”

“Ten drops of Ancestral Blood! Unbelievable! It suggests… could he be the true Dao-Ancient Emperor?”

“Even the royal family has never received ten! Who is he? Will he become the Emperor of our Dao-Ancient line?!”

The robed noble’s face was now a mask of iron. The suffocating tide of envy threatened to overwhelm him. He stared, transfixed, at the statue. The crimson glow at its brow intensified, drawing in every stray particle of light, concentrating into a final, single drop.

But this blood was not red. It was *violet*! The instant the violet droplet formed, the robed noble staggered back, his eyes wide with a shock that dwarfed all that had come before, laced with disbelief.

“Ancestral Soul Blood! This… this is Soul Blood! Impossible! Impossible!”

The ebon-haired Paragon Xuan Luo finally betrayed emotion. He stared at the violet droplet, his gaze mirroring the shock in the robed noble’s eyes. Even the ninth drop had not moved him so, yet this violet blood held him in utter awe.

“Ancient Forefather… did you send forth Soul Blood with a purpose? Soul Blood… from antiquity, only nine drops have appeared. Every three forged one of the Ancient Pillars…”

“Nine drops of Soul Blood gave rise to the three Ancient Clans as they stand today…”

The ebon-haired Paragon inhaled deeply. With a gesture, he pointed to the sky. Instantly, the heavens twisted and roiled, birthing a colossal crimson sun that engulfed the land, concealing the event from prying eyes.

“By the power of my Xuan-Yang, I seal this place! Let none of the Dao-Ancient Clan speak of this event, lest they face death, regardless of station!” Xuan Luo declared, his voice echoing with ancient power. He turned, his gaze piercing the robed noble once more.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes…” The robed noble bowed, his voice strained, his heart consumed by a jealousy that threatened to shatter his sanity.

“I must travel to the Immortal Clan, to retrieve this child…” The ebon-haired Paragon lifted his gaze, fixing it on the Immortal Clan territories in the far reaches of the Immortal-Astral Continent. “I shall bring him home.”