Black Exalted Blood
"You want it?" Tianming asked.
"Yes! It’s extremely important to me. For you, it’s just a weapon. But for me, it’s a divine artifact that can create a prosperous future. It is my faith!" Yu Ziqian exclaimed. He wanted it even if he couldn't keep it.
Tianming looked up at the Divine Worldeater Cauldron once more. There was no doubt that it was far more valuable than the Lifesteal Silverdragon and the myriad dao pills. But if I didn’t have the myriad dao pill, how would I compete for the Divine Worldeater Cauldron?
Yu Ziqian had given him the pills before the cauldron even appeared, instead of exchanging one for the other. The cauldron is precious, but sincerity is also required when dealing with friends. He’s made up his mind and given me the myriad dao pills. If I help him win this artifact, then he’s lucky and made the right choice. At the thought of that, Tianming didn't want to overanalyze the matter. After all, he had seen his competitors; it wouldn’t be easy to seize the Divine Worldeater Cauldron. As Yu Ziqian expectantly stared at him, he simply said, "Okay, let’s try our best."
"Are you saying you’re willing to help me?" Yu Ziqian was close to tears.
"Yes, let’s give it a go," Tianming replied.
"This is a most valuable treasure, a top grade-eight divine artifact...."
"We don't know alchemy."
Waving his hand, Tianming said, "Don't get all moved. We’ll try, but who knows whether or not we’ll get it?"
"It would be great if I was a woman," said Yu Ziqian.
"Why?"
"I’d devote myself to you and have your children..."
"Are you serious? Then castrate yourself!" Tianming glared at him.
They were quickly approaching the cauldron. Although Meow Meow hadn’t reported the situation, they weren’t considered late since they were alerted by the shocks.
Despite the sudden appearance of the dazzling light and cauldron, there weren’t many people gathered in the Imperialdragon Palace at the moment, mainly three parties. They were the wargodeans, Xuanyuan Dragon Sect, and Dreamless Celestial Nation. Weisheng Moran was the only Dreamless Celestial Nation disciple present. The moment he laid his eyes on her, Tianming deduced that the cauldron’s appearance had something to do with her.
At that moment, the black drum in Weisheng Moran's hand had expanded to about two meters in diameter. The top of the drum opened like a door. Without hesitation, she entered the drum, and its head closed once more.
The black drum carried her up, turning into a black light as it descended into the mouth of the cauldron. In an instant, Weisheng Moran was inside the cauldron, having seized the decisive opportunity.
The four disciples headed by Long Longlong failed to notice Tianming behind them. The black drum in Long Longlong’s hands had expanded and opened. The four entered the drum together and the drum head closed. Like Weisheng Moran, they entered the mouth of the cauldron.
As for the wargodeans, there was a small change of plans. Zhan Yuance was more than three meters tall, while the diameter of the black drum was only about two meters wide. As soon as he stepped inside, he realized there was no way to extend the walls of the drum and was forced to shrink as much as possible. At his urging, Zhan Yingying and two other male disciples squeezed in.
With their size, the drum was crowded. If they had been ordinary people, they could probably have fit ten people if they squeezed really hard. The drum
There were more than two hundred wargodean disciples left behind. Glancing at each other, they made a quick decision.
"Charge!" Without the black drum, their bodies slammed into the mouth of the cauldron. To their surprise, there were divine hazards raging in the opening and the wargodeans were swept out as soon as they tried to force their way in. It was clear that no one could enter without a black war drum.
"You guessed it. ‘Admission tickets’ are required."
The black drum was that ticket. The four groups had only made it here because they’d acquired a black drum.
The noise and tremors in the Imperialdragon Palace had yet to stop. Majestic drumming spread out from the cauldron. In a short period of time, tens of thousands of disciples would be attracted to the palace. However, they could only watch the battle like the remaining wargodeans on the scene. Without a black war drum, they didn’t stand a chance.
"Get in." Tianming pulled out his drum, which began expanding at once.
The four of them immediately entered the drum. Lifebound beasts didn’t occupy space inside. The Soulfiend was no lifebound beast, but a spiritform. It transformed into a vortex, surrounding Lingfeng's body. Hence, they had plenty of space. With that, the drum carried them to the cauldron.
"It's Li Tianming, Yu Ziqian, and the others."
"Stop them!"
"Get the drum!"
The wargodean disciples who had been swept away by the cauldron quickly locked on to them. However, they were still too late. Before they could respond, Tianming had already entered the mouth of the cauldron.
The world seemed to spin and the noise around them was deafening. The Divine Worldeater Cauldron was much larger than the orderian cauldron; just the storm at the mouth of the cauldron resembled an ocean.
"It's hard to imagine how such a huge divine artifact was forged," said Tianming.
"A top smithing guru must be an expert cultivator. The creator of this Divine Worldeater Cauldron was definitely one of the best in the astralscape of order. It may take decades, or even hundreds of years to create this kind of divine artifact. Even a grade-eight divine pill requires at least that much time." Glancing around, Yu Ziqian almost fainted from the excitement. If his portable grandpa was present, he would be thrilled as well.
It was impossible to see the artifact soul for the time being, but Tianming could hear the beasts—the roar of the lion, the cry of the ape, the horse’s whinnying, and the birdsong. A cacophony of their cries arose; it was as if there was a stampede of billions of beasts rushing past their ears.
They sank into the abyss and could no longer see the exterior of the cauldron. The black war drum was out of control as it whizzed further into the cauldron. Meanwhile, Tianming continued absorbing the nova source and supplementing his astralforce, finally completing his transformation to eleventh-level ascension.
"There’s probably a fierce battle up next. Get ready," Tianming reminded.
Yu Ziqian was still in the midst of his pill recession and couldn’t be counted on. The three of them would have to do most of the fighting.
The violent roars still echoed in their ears as their surroundings gradually lit up. When the storm in the cauldron passed, a vast area became visible before them. It looked like they were in a formation battlefield. At a glance, Tianming noticed a drop of black exalted blood floating in the air in the center of the battlefield. The blood of the previous owner of the Divine Worldeater Cauldron was actually black.
"God knows what kind of monster that person was."
About ten breaths later, the blood disappeared. It seemed that they were meant to compete and the blood would belong to the victor.
Who were the competitors? They had all appeared: Tianming in the north, Zhan Yuance in the west, Weisheng Moran in the east, and Long Longlong in the south. The four war drums were facing one another. Tianming discovered that they were separated by a transparent barrier. The barrier wasn’t a formation, but part of the cauldron, like a divider. The cauldron resembled a pot with four sections.
The exalted blood was originally in the center, but had disappeared. With that, the drum heads opened again. As soon as Tianming and the others exited the drum, it shrank back to its original size and turned into a tattoo that merged into Tianming's left cheek. The other three parties had all emerged from their drums with a war drum tattoo on their faces as well.
"Hurry up!" Zhan Yuance immediately rushed toward the position of the exalted blood, but slammed into the barrier. It was clear the exalted blood wasn’t to be seized at once, but to be obtained according to the rules set by the Sky Palace.
The wargodeans soon calmed down and stared at Tianming’s party. The transparent divider inside the cauldron temporarily blocked them from one another. Although Tianming couldn't hear them, it seemed they were provoking his group. Ever since he had seized the Lifesteal Silverdragon, Zhan Yuance was obsessed with defeating him. Therefore, the wargodeans looked ferocious.
……
At that moment, Tianming discovered that the entire cauldron had become transparent. As a result, they could all see the disciples that had gathered outside due to the noise and shocks originating from the Imperialdragon Palace. With astonishment on their face, the disciples surrounded the Divine Worldeater Cauldron. Many tried entering through the mouth of the cauldron, but without a black drum, they could only anxiously watch on. Without an admission ticket, they could only be spectators.
The Sky Palace had deliberately arranged for the battle to be seen by everyone. That way, no matter who obtained the cauldron, they wouldn’t be able to stay low. The temptation of the treasure was strong enough to suppress their fear of arousing the envy of others, and the desire to dominate the world could drag them into madness. In this world, everyone hoped to rise. No one was willing to be trampled and be forced to obey orders, pour out all their strength for someone else, or bow and scrape.
"Who’s inside the cauldron?"
"It looks like Weisheng Moran, Long Longlong, Zhan Yuance, Li Tianming, and Yu Ziqian."