To everyone watching, the bell seemed formidable, but none realized that Evan Yang was utterly unafraid of its flames—in fact, he was absorbing them.
Kid, admit defeat and hand over your Blood-Mark. I'll let you out.
You're overthinking it. Your bell hasn't done anything to me yet—bring out whatever tricks you have.
Stubborn, aren't you? You think you're tough, but I'll shred you now." Prince Leng sneered, and cracks appeared inside the bell. Sensing these cracks were unusual, Evan Yang swiftly flashed into the Strange Spiral Shell, ignoring whatever happened outside.
Prince Leng knew the cracks would surely destroy Evan Yang, and believed Evan couldn't last fifteen minutes. So, after waiting, he planned to retrieve the bell, and when the crowd heard nothing inside, they assumed Evan was dead.
What should we do? Dad isn't making any noise.
Don't worry. Your dad is cunning, and don't forget, he has lots of treasures. Maybe he's just resting inside.
Exactly, don't worry. Good things always come after disaster.
Ember Yang listened to the others and wondered how Evan would escape. Meanwhile, Prince Leng, thinking the time was right, sneered, "There should only be scraps left inside now."
As Prince Leng put away the bell, Evan Yang flashed out in front of him, smiling, "Are you so sure I made a move?" He then pressed a palm to Prince Leng's chest.
Blood sprayed out instantly. Prince Leng stared at Evan Yang in disbelief, "You—you can't possibly... Impossible! Impossible!"
Nothing's impossible. You always thought your artifact was unbeatable, but you were too careless. Looks like today is your unlucky day." Evan Yang smiled at the heavily wounded Prince Leng.
Prince Leng knew he had lost, but refused to accept it. He tried to escape with his Blood-Mark gear, but the Blood-Mark Platform flashed automatically, forcing out all the blood aura he'd gathered. Instantly, tens of thousands of Blood-Marks appeared in the air, making the crowd burn with envy.
Evan Yang hadn't expected the Blood-Mark Platform to react so quickly. He took out the Limitless Spear, and in a moment, countless Blood-Marks poured into it—now totaling over a million.
Seeing Evan Yang absorb his blood aura, Prince Leng couldn't believe it. "Give it back—give it back!"
You've already lost," Evan Yang said.
Impossible! I'll defeat you!" Prince Leng glared fiercely.
You still want to fight? Are you so desperate you don't care about your own life?" Evan Yang asked, staring at him.
Prince Leng was furious, but reminded himself to stay calm. If he attacked now, his heavily wounded self would stand no chance against Evan Yang.
Just wait. I won't give up so easily." Prince Leng stormed off angrily. After he left, the crowd glanced nervously at Evan Yang, then hurried away, afraid he might drag anyone he disliked onto the Blood-Mark Platform.
In the end, only Ember Yang and the other two were left on the platform.
Dad, you're seriously amazing. You came out totally fine!" Ember Yang laughed.
Who do you think your dad is? You really think a little trick like that could kill me? Not a chance." Evan Yang grinned.
Told you so. No way that guy could take down your dad." Lynn Lin laughed.
Ember Yang smiled, and just then, an elder appeared behind them, saying with a smile, "Congratulations."
The voice startled Ember Yang and the other two. Seeing the skeletal elder, they let out a cry and hurried to Evan Yang's side, staring warily at him.
Evan Yang smiled, "Senior, you've been here the whole time?"
That's right. I was wondering who would win. The winner gets a chance to enter the Blood Pool." The elder smiled.
Seeing Evan Yang talking with the elder, Ember Yang and the others realized Evan knew him, and that the elder seemed very powerful.
So you're saying I have a chance to enter the Blood Pool?" Evan Yang asked.
"That's right. Get ready, and when you're prepared, come find me in the Gods' Quarter." The elder smiled strangely, then left. After he was gone, Ember Yang muttered, "Dad, who is that guy? He looks scary."
Him? Just a weirdo. Don't worry about it. But your dad might need to go into seclusion for a while. You three can handle things on your own, right?" Evan Yang grinned.
You're going to the Blood Pool?" Melody Wood quickly guessed Evan's destination.
That's right," Evan Yang replied.
Ember Yang asked curiously, "The Blood Pool? What's that place?"
If I'm not wrong, it's a place to cultivate the Blood-Mark arts," Melody Wood explained.
Whoa, Dad, really?" Ember Yang was surprised, remembering Melody Wood's earlier explanation.
That's right. So you need to be good and listen to your two big sisters," Evan Yang said.
Okay, I will. Go ahead, Dad," Ember Yang said with a smile.
Lynn Lin sighed helplessly, "Leaving us behind again."
It's only temporary. I'll be off now—be careful, you three." Evan Yang said, then turned and left. Melody Wood told the other two, "Now you both need to be careful. Those Desert Tribe people will probably keep causing trouble, but the most dangerous one is badly wounded and won't affect us much. The rest aren't our match either."
That's fine. They're all like sick cats now—let them come if they want." Ember Yang laughed.
Exactly. Now everyone avoids us, so it's actually hard to collect Blood-Marks." Lynn Lin laughed.
You two, let's hope that's true. Come on, let's go find some prey." Melody Wood said, smiling.
As for Prince Leng, he was healing somewhere, surrounded by Desert Tribe warriors.
Damn it, I won't let that guy off—never!" Prince Leng growled after resting for a while.
Prince, what should we do now?" the Desert Envoy asked.
He thinks he can just waltz into the Blood Pool? Doesn't he still have three girls with him? Where are they now?" Prince Leng asked.
They're out challenging others," the Desert Envoy replied.
Challenging? Good. Go cripple each one of them for me," Prince Leng ordered.
The Desert Envoy frowned, "But they're all pretty strong."
Useless! You're scared of a few girls?" Prince Leng snapped angrily.
Understood," the Desert Envoy sighed.
Here, take these Holy Scorpions. They're lower grade—not as powerful as mine—but they should still affect them. I refuse to believe those girls can handle these insects," Prince Leng said.
The Desert Envoy smiled, "I'll take care of it right away."
So the Desert Envoy led his men and the insects to challenge Ember Yang and the other two.
Meanwhile, Evan Yang had arrived in the Gods' Quarter and met the elder. The elder grabbed him, and in a flash, they appeared atop a stone slab surrounded by a vast blood-red sea.
Seeing so much blood, Evan Yang exclaimed, "Is this the Blood Pool?"
That's right. Go in, then when you're cultivating, force out your Blood-Marks. I'll teach you how to expel Blood-Marks from your artifacts." The elder explained, then taught Evan Yang the method.
After finishing, the elder smiled, "The rest is up to you. Over a million Blood-Marks will be gone quickly. If you don't cherish them, you might not be able to truly cultivate the Blood-Mark art."
I'll give it a try. Thank you, Senior," Evan Yang said with a smile.
The elder smiled, "That's good. Good luck." With that, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Evan Yang stood on the stone slab, glanced around, then leapt into the Blood Pool. Instantly, a foul bloody stench hit him. He sat down to steady himself, suppressing the smell, and only opened his eyes once he'd calmed.
All around him was blood. He wondered how such a huge Blood Pool had formed. As he pondered, he took out the Limitless Spear and, following the elder's instructions, forced out his Blood-Marks.
As soon as the Blood-Marks came out, they circled Evan Yang, and he closed his eyes.
Inside the Blood Pool, the Blood-Marks wrapped around Evan Yang like bubbles in blood.
The bubbles were huge, filled with blood aura. Evan Yang's body absorbed the aura, which entered him and slowly fused with his own blood.
Evan Yang's blood was originally blazing flame, but now it had fused with the blood aura. Even he couldn't describe what his blood had become.
Evan Yang wondered if his blazing flame blood was similar to the Blood-Mark art—could it transform, making him stronger? Thinking about it, he grew excited about what would happen if both activated together.
In the shadows, the elder muttered, "Great Master, soon you'll be reborn. All this Blood-Mark cultivation is just to find you a suitable body. This kid is promising—his potential is enough to hold your mighty form."
Unaware, Evan Yang continued cultivating in the Blood Pool. The bubbles dwindled, and even the blood around him started to decrease.
Evan Yang was puzzled. What did the blood aura he absorbed have to do with the blood itself? The pool looked endless, but losing a bit meant losing a whole layer—something he couldn't even calculate.
At first, he thought it was just part of cultivation, but soon realized something was wrong. After several days, half the blood had vanished.
Evan Yang frowned, "What's going on here?"
Just keep absorbing. When you're done, you'll understand," came the elder's laughing voice.
Evan Yang asked curiously, "Senior, why does cultivating Blood-Mark art make the Blood Pool disappear?"
Because this Blood Pool is the blood of the Blood Demon Lord. As it enters your body, it fuses with you. Soon, your body will become incredibly tough, like the Blood Demon Lord reborn," the elder laughed ecstatically.