As Ye Yuyan completed his cultivation inside the black sea, outside of it was a world of red. In this world of red, hung a bloody sun that scorched the earth. The entire area was a massive red desert deprived of all life, except the vilest and insidious hiding in dunes and in the sand.
All across this land, serpents slithered and scorpion hissed and gathered all around looking for food. A blood wind passed through gathering sand as it whipped up sandstorms.
Off in the distance of this land was a large beacon of red light, this red light stood at the center of the world illuminating all things with its brightness only rivaled by the sun. Coming closer to the light one could see rather than a star, it was a palace!
The gargantuan frame of the palace cut through the horizon obscuring all things behind it, the palace was engraved with multiple blood dragons rising to the heavens.
Below the blood palace was a fortified shrine with a tower reaching right below around them were various villas and pavilions. Red-robed figures dashed through and from as they went about going to the different pavilions and villas trading and conversing.
There were various embroideries on their robes, some had tigers, dragons, but what was most conspicuous was a demon! The demon had black horns tipped with red and nine red lines along his body.
Wearing the demonic robe was a white-haired old man with an ashen beard. By his side was a charming woman dressed in a black gown and a white-haired young man in moonlight robes.
"So this is the famed blood sect?" Maven chuckled as he looked around, he looked over the various merchants before stopping on a small shack.
Helming the shack was fat and oily middle-aged man, his hairline was rapidly receding but he hid it with a comb-over and turban. Maven's eyes shined as he scanned over the old man's merchandise, he had an array of blood herbs laid on the shack table.
"Those herbs! All of them are high-quality blood essence replenishers!" Maven's eyes lit up with desire, previously he ignited his blood essence affecting his sword prowess to an extent.
As a swordsman progresses on the sword path, they become one with their sword. Damage to either them or their sword means the end of their path! Especially since medicines that replenish blood essence are rare.
"You're lucky, although those things are rare in the outside world. In here we have the perfect climate and techniques to cultivate blood herbs easily." Alister boasted proudly as he spoke to Maven.
"Haha, then why don't you get me a few?" Maven joked as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Alister furrowed his brows at and Maven and said in a displeased tone: "You'll have more than enough in the palace. First, we have to report to the Elders as Red Lotus instructed."
"Red Lotus, Red Lotus; Who's this Red Lotus you keep talking about?!?" Song Yue pouted with crossed arms and an annoyed expression.
"The sage is your master isn't he?" Alister questioned with his head slightly tilted to the side.
"Who's master? He's not my master! Now, why do you keep calling him that? Doesn't he have a real name?" Song Yue questioned increasingly through her bare teeth.
"I see..." Alister wryly said as he reached into his robes and removed a crimson talisman.
"If you wish to learn more about the sage, then let us enter the palace." Alister said as he flicked the talisman to the sky. The crimson talisman flashed with esoteric runes that quickly disappeared and suddenly it turned into a red beam blasting into the sky.
Around them, the locals of the Blood Sect looked at the sky and the origin point of the beam. Everyone's gaze centered on Alister's back as they shuttered at the sight of the demon.
"It's an Elder!!!" Someone yelled out into the crowd, suddenly various people took steps back avoiding nearing Alister.
Suddenly a blinding column of red light crashed down from the sky onto Alister, Maven, and Song Yue. Their bodies transformed into light motes assimilating into the red beam. The people in the street had already moved to the side completely avoiding the light.
This happened often whenever an elder appeared in the blood city, most elders remained in the palace cultivating but some would exit and use the Blood Edict to return to the palace.
The light column dissipated after Alister and Co disappeared, their forms shot through the sky as light motes. In seconds they were before the sky rending palace, it was a magnificent imperial palace that radiated a sanguine aura that eclipsed the sun.
Blood dragons danced all around it as lifeblood forces ascended to the heavens even distorting reality as they danced amidst the blood dragons.
The moment the light motes approached the palace, the massive palace gates flew open. The gates released a vile and dark aura that threatened to devour all life. Dark flames danced on the edges of the gates and suddenly a thousand green eyes opened from the darkness.
The light motes flew into the gate and started to coalesce, from the light motes Alister, Maven, and Song Yue's body reformed.
Their bodies reformed at the bottom of a dark stairwell, around them was all-consuming darkness. On the walls were various green eyes dancing across it as if sliding across a painting. The eyes all centered on the three when suddenly a silhouette appeared in front of them.
Maven eyes suddenly flashed as he suddenly unsheathed his sword and gathered Lunar Qi ready to slash it down.
"Wait! Don't attack..." Alister put his arm up in front of Maven and tried to speak calmly. But his wide shock filled eyes said something else.
Alister's brows furrowed as he said: "You..."
Before Alister could say anything else, the silhouette interrupted him saying: "My master has been waiting for you, Alister."
"Follow me." The silhouette said as it took a step forward onto the stairwell and kept walking.
Alister gritted his teeth before taking a step himself, and then he gestured to Maven and Song Yue to follow him. The two of them hesitated for a moment, they both weighed their odds of beating the silhouette.
"Don't even try it, you'll just get us killed." Alister whispered through gritted teeth and took more steps following the silhouette.
Seeing that they were being left behind, Maven and Song Yue followed them from behind coming closer to Alister. Song Yue got next to Alister and whispered to him: "Who is he?"
"In the blood sect, there are three factions, the Human, Demon, and Immortal." Alister explained as the followed the silhouette from behind.
"Each of the factions has a signature and a Supreme Elder. He's the supreme elder of the Demon faction!" Alister took another step forward with Song Yue and Maven not far behind. In a few moments, they would reach the top.
"A Supreme Elder, then who's his master?" Maven commented as he looked toward the eyes on the walls. At that moment, they reached the top of the stairs and overlooked a massive throne room. Green eyes danced across the walls and at the center, the silhouette was kneeling before the throne.
The throne was made of stone and was of modest size, green gems shone across the throne sides and on the armrests.
Seated atop the throne was a fat man dressed in a green Tunisia and a green turban. His broad body remained stuck in the throne as he fiddled with the gems on the armrest.
"I...don't know." Alister quietly transmitted to Maven as he looked at the man sitting in the throne with confusion.
"I heard you are acquainted with Red Lotus." The man sitting in the throne said with a garbled and demonic voice that rumbled throughout the throne room.
The green eyes seethed with excitement as he spoke. Alister went silent as he stared at the ground trying to avoid the various eyes centered on him.
"You dare be silent?" The Demon Elder said as he stood up from his bow.
The man in the throne took Alister's silence as defiance and tapped on one of the green gems on the throne.
Suddenly a blinding green light came from the gems and dark green energy transmitted into the air, the intense energy fluctuations flitted past Alister, Maven, and Song Yue making their bodies tremble with fear.
"This...this...is slaughter qi! He's a demon!" Maven struggled to say, his words only coming out as a stutter as his body unwittingly trembled.
"What incredible qi!" Song Yue exclaimed as her physique activated releasing a white light around her.
The white light struggled to push against the green Qi and suddenly the green Qi turned into blades and slashed against her white aura. Suddenly her white aura dissipated leaving her body vulnerable, and she collapsed onto the ground.
"Bow before the Primal Emanation, Belphegor!" The Demon Elder proclaimed as the man in the throne sneered and rested his head on his right hand, arrogantly looking down on all.