Chapter 202: Chapter 201: North Sea Palace Slaughterhouse
The purity of one’s Luminous Blood determines their progress in inheriting from the Ancestral Ruins. From the very beginning, Gold’s Luminous Blood was exceptionally close to its purest form. As it was continuously refined by the Water of Origin, his Luminous Blood even began to touch the very limits of purity!
While undergoing the tempering of the Water of Origin, he could only see his own progress. Watching stripe after stripe light up, he knew his talent was second to none.
As he progressed further, the supply of the Water of Origin became even purer, and his inheritance progress accelerated.
It might have been because his perception of time had dulled while immersed in the Water of Origin, but there was no doubt he had reached the limit of his Luminous Blood’s purity. He could even sense that he was just one step away from the complete inheritance of the Ancestral Ruins—Nine Stripes!
All he had to do was wait a little longer, just a little bit longer, and he was confident he would obtain the complete inheritance of the Ancestral Ruins!
But then, the Water of Origin suddenly shifted. Its essence began to fade, flowing like a trickling stream into another space, impossible to grasp.
Gold realized, ’The Water of Origin in the Ancestral Ruins is likely not infinite. There’s a finite amount, and someone has probably reached a critical stage in their inheritance, requiring more of the Water of Origin. That must be why the Water of Origin from the other geniuses is flowing toward that person.’
He was shocked that someone else could trigger such a phenomenon. He used all his strength, even activating his Bloodline Talent, but he couldn’t stop the Water of Origin around him from draining away. He could only watch helplessly as his Square Stele, which had already reached Eight Stripes, came to a complete halt.
An unknown amount of time passed. He couldn’t draw anything more from the Water of Origin in the North Sea Palace. Then, just moments ago, the world inverted, and he returned to the main hall of the North Sea Palace. The first thing he saw was the Square Stele engraved with names, and he clearly saw the name at the very top—Hill.
"What ancestral inheritance did you receive."
Gold’s blond hair drifted about his head, and a cerulean light flared in his blue eyes. His blood was boiling, but he kept his tone suppressed.
’I never thought I’d be surpassed by some "unremarkable" nobody. Before this, I was the most talented Chosen One.’
’Before entering the North Sea Palace, Hill’s Physical Body Realm wasn’t particularly high. For a Chosen One, that level of talent wasn’t strange, and I never thought of killing him preemptively.’
’Besides, my own strength is mainly in my Bloodline Talent. I wasn’t too concerned with Hill’s physical superiority.’
But now, Hill had suddenly surpassed his inheritance progress!
Without a doubt, he had obtained the ancestor’s inheritance. His entire aura, presence, and the sense of threat he exuded were far greater than before!
Gold’s Bloodline Talent flared into a frenzied state. The entire hall of the North Sea Palace became encased in ice crystals. Even the entrance, wide enough for five or six people to walk abreast, was sealed by a layer of ice. An invisible, cold current blasted out from him, sending the hair of the twenty-some Chosen Ones standing opposite him flying. Those who had been lingering in the middle quietly retreated to the side.
"Are you going to make a move in the North Sea Palace?"
Jiang Qiu spoke softly, his expression unperturbed.
"I asked you a question! What is the ancestral inheritance!"
Gold roared, swiping his right hand through the air. Suddenly, ice crystals formed on the ceiling above him and in the corners behind him, turning into spikes. CRACKLE, CRACKLE! A series of Ice Spikes shot forward like a spiral of teeth, biting at the crowd. The entire hall became the maw of an ice crystal monster, its jagged fangs closing in on everyone!
"Lord Gold, we’re innocent! We didn’t get any ancestral inheritance, we..."
A few geniuses from smaller tribes, who had been lingering in the middle, had originally followed Gold in and were positioned closer to his side. But before one of them could finish speaking, an Ice Spike burst from his chest, blooming like a bloody Other Shore Flower.
It all happened in the span of a single breath. Most were stunned, unable to react in time, and were impaled by ice crystals shooting up from the floor. Only a few, disregarding the danger, scrambled toward Jiang Qiu’s sides.
"Help... help..."
SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!
In an instant, the few small-tribe geniuses who had reached out with wide eyes froze in place, disemboweled. A frigid tide crept up from under their feet like maggots, flash-freezing their bodies in the blink of an eye, along with the Ice Spikes piercing their stomachs, chests, and necks.
VMMMM—
After killing five people in a row, the growth of the Ice Spikes stopped in the space between Jiang Qiu and Gold. The Chosen Ones and tribal geniuses arrayed on either side of Jiang Qiu stared, dumbfounded, not daring to breathe. The cold glint from the tips of the Ice Spikes reflected in their trembling pupils.
They swallowed hard, furtively watching Jiang Qiu, the only one still confronting Gold, as their feet unconsciously shuffled backward.
The ancestral inheritance had always been the stuff of legend. No one knew what it specifically entailed. From the looks of it now, Hill was the first person in history to have reached Nine Stripes in the inheritance progress.
The later flow of the Water of Origin hadn’t been random; it likely meant that Jiang Qiu had taken the inheritance of the Ancestral Ruins for himself.
That was the inheritance from the Ancestral Ruins—the legacy of the ancestors who protected the Northern Boundary Human Clan!
"Even if I told you what the ancestral inheritance is, could you take it?"
A puff of white vapor escaped Jiang Qiu’s lips. The killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable.
The moment his fists made a cracking sound, Gold, standing opposite him, grit his teeth, raised his left hand, and furrowed his brow. "Hmph. I gave you a chance."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Ice Spikes that had stalled between them suddenly erupted. A huge wave of spikes, like thorns shooting from the ground, surged from the main entrance toward Jiang Qiu, as if the giant ice crystal monster was beginning to devour him!
Positioned slightly to the side, Cheng raised his fists to block the ice. With a loud BANG, his casserole-sized fist shattered an Ice Spike that had nearly grazed his chest, and fresh blood trickled down his arm.
The agile Fan weaved between the Ice Spikes. Though he was near the edge of the attack, he didn’t dare let his guard down for an instant. A long tear was ripped into the back of his padded jacket.
Most of the geniuses from the smaller tribes had not reached the Steel Bone Realm, and their reaction speeds were far too slow. Their heads exploded like watermelons. The geniuses who barely managed to dodge felt like they were in Hell, their hearts pounding wildly as their stomachs and legs were sliced open by one gash after another.
And yet Jiang Qiu, standing in the center of it all and facing Gold, remained motionless. His fists were still clenched as dense, blue ice fangs shot out around his head, his feet, his heels, and his chest.
Seeing that Jiang Qiu was about to be run through, Fan, who had just dodged an Ice Spike himself, widened his eyes and yelled urgently, "Jiang Qiu!"
’Here in the Northern Boundary, we’re not from the same tribe. From the perspective of the Chosen Ones, we’re even rivals. But at the end of the day, we’re all people of the Xia Country.’
’I have no hope of being the ultimate winner of the Chosen One competition, but Jiang Qiu still has limitless potential!’
’Anyone else in this world can die, but not Jiang Qiu!’
’He has to get the Enlightenment Fruit and become a Grandmaster who can stand on his own, not let any other power become the final victor!’
