The final rankings for the twenty new Blood Children were officially announced on the Blood Child Ranking. These positions were determined by multiple factors: cultivation level, combat strength, and overall performance during the assessment.
The moment the list was released, the entire Blood Realm erupted in excitement. Countless eyes turned toward the rankings, and the atmosphere grew incredibly lively. Yet there was one person—someone directly involved, the one who had dominated the assessment with his outstanding combat display, the dark horse of this Blood Child competition—who didn't care in the slightest about his so-called ranking.
Who else could it be but Lan An?
Star Guidance Hall…
A solemn and sacred architectural treasure, located in Blood Emperor City—the most critical stronghold of the entire Blood Realm.
After some investigation, Lan An learned that the Blood Child assessment had taken place in Blood Heart City, one of the five major cities surrounding Blood Emperor City. Without bothering to rest, he headed straight there.
Blood Emperor City was the residence of the pure-blooded Blood Royal Clan. Only those with sufficiently high status were permitted entry. Geographically, it stood at the absolute center of the Blood Realm, encircled by the five great cities like a protective ring, radiating overwhelming prestige. And the Star Guidance Hall—the single most important facility in the Blood Realm—was located inside Blood Emperor City. Unauthorized individuals were strictly forbidden from entering.
"Is this the Star Guidance Hall?"
Lan An felt extreme disgust in his heart. Although he hadn't yet stepped inside the seemingly luxurious and grand palace, the thick, nauseating stench of blood already wafting out made him want to vomit.
"Young one, we recognize you… You're the new Blood Child ranked 284th on the Blood Child Ranking—Xue Mie, correct?" In front of the grand gates of the Star Guidance Hall stood two old men, each eight feet tall, with fleshy wings sprouting from their backs. Their wrinkled yet deathly pale skin gleamed as they evaluated Lan An with sharp eyes.
Lan An nodded lightly. These two elders were both Blood Kings. To have Blood Kings guarding the Star Guidance Hall showed just how much importance the Blood Realm placed on it. There were likely even more terrifying existences secretly protecting the place from within.
"Young one, why haven't you refined the royal blood essence yet? Don't think that just because you have a bit of strength you can disregard everyone. The other planets are not lacking in powerhouses either. If you're not careful, you'll end up as nothing but a pile of white bones!" One of the Blood Kings assessed Lan An's condition, noticed he still hadn't cultivated blood power, and spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
People like Xue Shang and Xue Qian had gone into secluded cultivation the moment they received the royal blood essence. How could this Xue Mie instead rush straight to the Star Guidance Hall?
"I want to wait for the right opportunity to refine the royal blood essence so I can gain the maximum benefit!" Lan An casually made up an excuse to brush it off.
Refining royal blood essence? It held zero benefit for him.
However, his explanation actually won the approval of the two Blood Kings. After all, every person's physique was different. If this youth wasn't in a hurry, he must have his own reasons. They didn't press the matter further.
After giving Lan An a brief rundown of the rules inside the Star Guidance Hall, the two old Blood Race men casually allowed him to enter.
The moment he stepped into the main hall, many eyes immediately locked onto him. Lan An pretended to look flustered and scanned the surroundings with the awkward curiosity of a country bumpkin.
The crowd sighed and quickly lost interest in him…
The Star Guidance Hall—as its name suggested—was the place where transmissions between the Blood Realm and other planets were handled. Its purpose was to send Blood Realm powerhouses to invade, conquer, and plunder resources to bring back to the Blood Realm.
In Lan An's eyes right now, countless crimson formation arrays glowed brightly, connecting different spaces. The thick stench of blood emanated from them—clearly, fresh blood was the primary fuel maintaining these Transcending Star Blood Formations. Each formation was guarded by powerful Blood Race experts, the weakest of whom was still at the Blood Envoy level.
Having experienced far grander things—including the countless spatial rifts arranged by an Immortal Venerable not long ago—the scale of the Star Guidance Hall, while impressive, was far from enough to shock Lan An.
"Young Master Xue Mie, you wish to register for a battlefield on another planet?" A female Blood Race attendant in servant attire approached and asked politely.
Her alluring eyes darted over Xue Mie—the so-called "monster" of this Blood Child assessment.
"Correct!" Lan An confirmed, speaking openly:
"If I've earned the trust of the Blood Royal Clan, of course I want to prove myself and see just how strong the geniuses of other worlds truly are!"
"Hehe, Young Master Xue Mie truly impresses this little servant!" The attendant smiled charmingly, though inwardly she cursed him for his arrogance.
He hadn't even cultivated blood power yet. She feared he wouldn't last long if he encountered any truly powerful genius. Still, despite her contempt, the attendant performed her duty professionally. She respectfully handed Lan An a list and explained:
"As Young Master already knows, maintaining the Transcending Star Blood Formations that connect our Blood Realm to other planets requires an enormous amount of energy…"
Lan An nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"That energy naturally comes from Bloodstones and the blood of other species… Our Blood Realm is not particularly wealthy, so the fuel we prioritize for operating the Transcending Star Blood Formations is mostly harvested from the blood of living beings on other worlds!" The attendant spoke calmly, as though hunting innocent lives to fuel the formations was the most ordinary thing in the world.
Lan An's heart grew even colder. These damned Blood Race… If someone used their blood as fuel instead, I wonder how they would feel?
"The list I just gave you contains the names of planets currently connected by active Transcending Star Blood Formations. You may choose whichever one you wish and register with me. Once enough people have gathered, we will arrange the transmission schedule. Your destination will be one of our Blood Realm's strongholds on that planet…" The attendant continued in a professional tone.
Lan An took a deep breath to suppress the surging emotion in his chest. His hand trembled slightly as he opened the list. The names of countless planets immediately jumped into his eyes…
"Earth Nether Star, Fire Mystic Star, Rainbow Star, Beast Emperor Star…"
These were all planets currently under invasion by the Blood Realm, with cultivation levels comparable to Yuelong Star. On each of these planets, the Blood Royal Clan had already established strongholds. That was why Blood Race geniuses who traveled to these battlefields already had a safe base to rely on…
However, after carefully scanning the list several times, Lan An's excited expression gradually turned to disappointment, then to a dark, ugly look. As if combining nervousness and probing, he asked:
"Where is Yuelong Star Realm? I heard that some formidable figures have appeared there?!"
"You wish to go to Yuelong Star Realm?" The attendant looked slightly surprised and asked.
"Correct. Why isn't it on the registration list?" Lan An said with clear dissatisfaction, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
"What a pity. The war situation on Yuelong Star has not been favorable recently. Within the next year, no Tribulation Realm powerhouses will be deployed there. Moreover, the cultivators on that planet have suddenly become unusually united, putting up fierce resistance and preventing the Blood Emperor Clan from plundering large amounts of resources. As a result, the Transcending Star Blood Formation connected to that planet has been temporarily suspended. Would Young Master like to choose another planet instead?" The attendant suggested several low-grade planets where, with Lan An's strength, he could dominate freely the moment he arrived.
Lan An felt a wave of helplessness. In his heart, he was both relieved and worried…
Relieved because the situation on Yuelong Star had not deteriorated to a catastrophic level. At the very least, the Transcending Star Blood Formation had been temporarily halted. Worried because if this situation continued, he had no idea how long it would take before he could return to Yuelong Star and reunite with his family and beloved wives.
"Haizz… The effect of the Child of Destiny has completely worn off… It looks like my luck has turned bad again!"
Thinking of this, Lan An opened the Fortune Wheel, hoping something good would appear to soothe his heavy mood.
…
Yuelong Star Realm.
One year seemed like a long time, but in the blink of an eye, several months had already passed—nearly half a year. During this period, the Blood Extermination Alliance had proven its importance. As teleportation arrays between various forces sprang up like mushrooms, the connection between the cultivation worlds grew tighter than ever.
Whenever any force was attacked by the Blood Emperor Clan, they only needed to send one person through a teleportation array to call for help, and the other sides would rush to provide full support. That was precisely why the Blood Emperor Clan had been forced to retreat multiple times. The amount of blood essence they managed to harvest was far less than before, causing the Transcending Star Blood Formations connected to their Blood Realm to be unable to operate continuously.
Even so, the Blood Emperor Clan's actions had grown increasingly frenzied and brazen… They were a group of reckless, death-defying lunatics who would use any means necessary to plunder as much as they could…
…
U Origin Continent…
Like the other continents, U Origin Continent had not escaped the Blood Emperor Clan's targeting. Blood Guards, Blood Generals, and even Blood Emperor Sons continuously mobilized, hunting demon beasts and plundering blood essence. Battles on U Origin were even more intense than elsewhere, because the number of demon beasts far exceeded that of humans, making them easier targets. More importantly, low-level demon beasts lacked the intelligence to call for help.
As a result, U Origin had become the fattest prey in the eyes of the Blood Emperor Clan. Across the entire continent, the air was thick with the stench of war—brutal and merciless. However, on this particular day, the demon beasts suddenly realized they could no longer see any trace of the Blood Emperor Clan's cultivators on U Origin. It was as if they had all vanished into thin air—extremely eerie. Not daring to lower their guard in case it was a trap, the various demon races remained on high alert, carefully fortifying their defenses.
Fox Clan—One of the three great Ninth Grade forces, standing tall for countless years with overwhelming strength that no one dared underestimate. Most importantly, the Fox Clan had a unique secret art: every generation produced stunningly beautiful female fox demons—an absolute paradise in the eyes of male beings.
If the Hundred Flower Sect represented the pinnacle of beauty among humans, and the Spirit Elf Female Kingdom represented the pinnacle among异 races… then the Fox Clan was the undisputed representative of beauty among demon races.
In this generation, the Fox Clan's reputation had reached an unprecedented height in history—thanks to the peerless enchantress Hu Qingyu ascending to the position of Clan Leader. Her breathtaking, nation-toppling beauty had driven countless powerful male experts mad with obsession, including some who stood at the very peak of the cultivation world. Because of this, for many years, no force had dared to provoke or offend the Fox Clan.
But today, everything was different…
Hidden in the void, twenty Blood Generals and thousands of Blood Guards had completely suppressed their auras. They stared coldly at the beautiful, garden-like stronghold of the Fox Clan.
"Enjoy the Fox Clan as you wish. As for Hu Qingyu… I have already decided to offer her to His Majesty the Blood Emperor. No one is allowed to touch her—understood?" One of the Blood Envoys gave the cold order.
This was the same man Liu Yuqing had once seen staring at Hu Qingyu with lustful eyes. Unfortunately, Liu Yuqing had guessed wrong about one thing—this man wasn't simply lecherous or perverted. On the contrary, he was extremely cunning… As long as he captured a supreme beauty like the Fox Clan Leader and offered her to the Blood Emperor for his enjoyment, he would surely receive immense rewards. Who knows? He might even be heavily promoted and become a core figure in the Blood Royal Clan.
"This operation must succeed—no failure allowed! We have gathered all our forces from U Origin for this!"
The Blood Envoy emphasized his words. Although he couldn't personally take action due to the one-year agreement, there was no problem with directing the battle.
"Alright… Full force—attack! Wipe out the Fox Clan!"
Following the Blood General's thunderous command, a swarm of powerful figures tore through the void, carrying overwhelming killing intent as though they intended to slaughter the nine heavens and ten earths.
"Not good—enemy attack!"
The Fox Clan had not maintained its Ninth Grade status by being weak. They reacted in an instant. Beautiful figures activated their clan's unique secret arts to send out urgent alerts, while the young fox demons who had not yet gained human form scattered in all directions to flee.
"Heh heh… Where do you think you're running?" One Blood General at early Fusion Realm reached out to grab a young fox girl.
"Get lost!" An elder of the Fox Clan shouted coldly. Her Seventh Stage aura erupted as her eyes flashed with a strange heart-shaped light, instantly charming and confusing the attacker.
Seizing the opportunity, the Fox Clan elder rescued the young fox girl and hid her in a safe location.
The Blood Emperor Clan's surprise attack on the Fox Clan was something no one had anticipated. This was the first time they had targeted such a high-grade force, and their full-scale assault came like thunder and lightning.
Standing at the highest point of the Fox Clan, Hu Qingyu crossed her arms in front of her chest, pressing them together until they nearly burst. Her enchanting, nation-toppling beauty radiated as she surveyed the ongoing battles across the Fox Clan territory. Her red lips parted slightly as she murmured in admiration:
"Yuqing's foresight back then… was truly remarkable!"