Chapter 1722: Chapter 848: Mysterious Passage, Blood Soul Pearl?
The night wind howled, sweeping through their robes, and dispersing some of the sadness and heaviness.
The belief in revenge was like the brightest star in the night sky, guiding their direction forward.
“Mo Han, do you remember the exact location of that cave?” Amidst running, Luo Chen asked. Although he was part of the previous battle, his memory of the specific location was not as clear as Mo Han’s.
“I remember, it’s where the Crystal Ball exploded. I won’t forget.” Mo Han’s voice carried a barely noticeable tremble, clearly affected heavily by his uncle’s sacrifice, but he was suppressing the sadness, focusing his attention on revenge.
“Good, that’s good.” Luo Chen nodded, not saying more, just silently quickening his pace.
Throughout their journey, they encountered several sporadic patrol teams from the Blood Ghost Sect but managed to handle them easily.
Now, both Luo Chen and Mo Han had significantly enhanced their strength, especially Mo Han, who seemed to be reborn after experiencing life and death struggles, becoming more composed and powerful.
At dawn, they finally arrived at that familiar desolate valley.
The valley was still filled with bizarre rocks, devoid of vegetation, with a faint smell of blood in the air, silently telling the tale of the fierce battles that had taken place there.
“This is the place.” Mo Han stopped, pointing to a heap of ruins deep within the valley, his voice heavy, “The place where the Crystal Ball exploded, it’s right there.”
Following Mo Han’s direction, Luo Chen looked over to see a deep chaos in the valley, rocks and debris piled high as if struck by a terrifying catastrophe.
“Let’s go take a look.” Luo Chen said, taking the lead to walk toward the ruins.
They cautiously searched through the ruins, hoping to find traces of the Crystal Ball.
Rubble lay everywhere, making the search extremely difficult.
As time ticked away, the sun gradually lifted, searing the earth, but neither dared to slack off, diligently sifting through each stone, each piece of debris.
“Found it!” Suddenly, Mo Han’s voice broke the silence with a hint of joy.
Luo Chen hurried over, to see Mo Han crouching by a pile of rubble, holding a crystal-clear Crystal Ball that was precisely what they had been searching for.
The surface of the Crystal Ball was covered in fine cracks, its light dim, yet it still emitted a mysterious and powerful aura.
“We really found it!” Luo Chen looked at the Crystal Ball excitedly, feeling a spark of hope, “Mo Han, can this Crystal Ball still be used?”
Mo Han carefully examined the Crystal Ball and nodded: “Though severely damaged, the core power remains, so it should still be usable.”
“That’s great!” Luo Chen clenched his fist in excitement, “With this Crystal Ball, we can definitely wipe out the Blood Ghost Sect completely!”
Mo Han, however, did not share Luo Chen’s excitement; his eyes remained calm as he silently put the Crystal Ball away.
“Luo Chen, what should we do now?” Mo Han asked, aware that while the Crystal Ball was powerful, to completely eliminate the Blood Ghost Sect, a meticulous plan and immense power were still needed.
Luo Chen contemplated for a moment and then said: “We should leave here first, find a safe place and discuss our next plan thoroughly.”
Mo Han nodded in agreement, and without lingering, they swiftly left the valley.
They found a secluded cave, settling down temporarily.
Luo Chen lit a campfire, dispelling the cold and dampness within the cave.
“Now that we have the Crystal Ball, what’s the next step?” Luo Chen asked Mo Han, knowing Mo Han understood the Crystal Ball more than he did.
Mo Han was silent for a moment, then slowly said: “Although the Crystal Ball’s power is strong, to completely destroy the Blood Ghost Sect, we must find their ultimate secret.”
“Ultimate secret?” Luo Chen frowned, “Are you referring to the secret in the Imperial Palace of the Tianyuan Empire?”
Mo Han nodded: “Qing Shuang is investigating the palace, potentially uncovering some clues, and we mustn’t remain idle, perhaps we can start from the Blood Ghost Sect’s base to see if we can find any traces about the ultimate secret.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Luo Chen agreed, “We’ve only skimmed through the Blood Ghost Sect’s base before; perhaps there are places we haven’t thoroughly searched.
We can infiltrate once more to see if we can discover anything useful.”
Having agreed, they began formulating a detailed infiltration plan.
They meticulously recalled the internal structure of the Blood Ghost Sect’s base, analyzed possible defense weaknesses, striving for infallibility.
Night fell once more, enveloping the desolate valley.
Luo Chen and Mo Han arrived near the Blood Ghost Sect’s base once again; this time, their target was more specific and deeper.
Utilizing their familiarity with the terrain and superb stealth skills, they quietly avoided the Blood Ghost Sect patrol teams, infiltrating the base interior once more.
This time, they did not rush to act but searched quietly within the base, seeking places where secrets might hide.
They searched the earlier battle areas and explored some corners they hadn’t visited before.
Suddenly, in a concealed corner, Mo Han discovered a tightly closed Stone Gate.
The surface of the Stone Gate was covered in dust, appearing unused for a long time.
“Luo Chen, look here.” Mo Han said softly, pointing to the Stone Gate.
Luo Chen stepped forward, observing the Stone Gate carefully, finding some ancient and mysterious runes inscribed on it, emitting a disturbing aura.
“Could this Stone Gate lead to the secret place of the Blood Ghost Sect?” Luo Chen speculated.
Mo Han nodded: “Highly likely, such a concealed Stone Gate with mysterious runes might hide something significant.”
They exchanged glances, seeing excitement and anticipation in each other’s eyes.
Gently, they pushed open the Stone Gate, emitting a heavy grinding sound as it slowly opened.
Behind the Stone Gate was a narrow passage, pitch-dark and exuding a cold, damp aura.
“Careful.” Luo Chen warned softly, stepping into the passage first.
Mo Han followed closely, both wielding weapons, cautiously exploring forward.
The passage twisted and turned, destination unknown, surrounded by silence, only their faint footsteps echoed through.
After walking a long way, the passage finally ended, opening into a vast underground space.
The underground space was brightly lit; at its center was a giant altar, adorned with various offerings exuding a strong scent of blood.
Around the altar, many black-robed members of the Blood Ghost Sect stood solemnly, seemingly engaged in some ritual.
Luo Chen and Mo Han hid in the shadows of the passage entrance, cautiously observing the underground space’s circumstances.
They noticed that in the center of the altar lay a large Blood Pool, its red blood rolling within, emitting a repulsive stench.
Above the Blood Pool hovered a Crystal Ball, emitting strange red light, much larger than the one Mo Han held.
“What is that?” Luo Chen asked quietly, pointing to the red Crystal Ball above the Blood Pool.
Mo Han’s eyes turned serious, and he answered softly: “That should be the core Divine Artifact of the Blood Ghost Sect, the Blood Soul Pearl.”
“Blood Soul Pearl?” Luo Chen queried, “What is that? How is it related to the Crystal Ball we have?”
Mo Han explained: “The Blood Soul Pearl is the source of the Blood Ghost Sect’s power, the centerpiece of their evil rituals. Legends say it contains potent Blood Evil Power, capable of manipulating minds and enslaving souls, while the Crystal Ball we possess, although able to counter the Blood Ghost Sect, is far weaker in power compared to the Blood Soul Pearl.”