Chapter 349 Searching Inch by Inch

Lu Ye’s way of tracking down Bai Qiulan? Blood sacrifice!

He’d be damned if boosting his magic with blood sacrifices didn’t work!

If he still couldn’t find her, he would mobilize all the cultivators of the Fourth Heaven to search—even if it wiped him out clean.

With eight million top-grade spirit stones, Lu Ye was certain he could send tremors through the entire Fourth Heaven.

Under Lu Ye’s spellcraft, the blood of demonic cultivators, evil practitioners, and demons began to gather.

The Vermilion Bird True Flame blazed to life, swiftly forging the sacrificial altar.

The stone sword, meanwhile, was jammed into the ground nearby. Having slain too many, its blade was once again drenched in blood, which grossed out Lu Ye, so he didn’t retract it into his body.

The Human Emperor Banner fluttered erratically, occasionally releasing surges of violet qi before drawing them back in.

The violet qi was tinged with black mist—a sign that the residual power absorbed from the Soul Banner hadn’t yet been fully digested, like a burp of excess energy.

It now floated over to the stone sword, watching as the blood on the blade gushed out and vanished, over and over, and couldn’t help but feel amused.

Oh yes, the Human Emperor Banner was totally roasting the stone sword.

The stone sword, full of grievances, let out a whimper.

It was pleading with Lu Ye to wipe it clean.

But Lu Ye was pressed for time and swamped with urgent tasks. Seeing the Human Emperor Banner and the stone sword so close together, he casually grabbed the banner, picked up the sword, and gave it a quick scrub.

The Human Emperor Banner ???

Huh?

It… it… it…

It had become a rag?!

"Waaah!"

The Human Emperor Banner couldn’t hold back its tears—it wasn’t about to become a rag!

As it wailed, all the vengeful spirits within the banner let out ear-splitting shrieks of misery. Lu Ye frowned, side-eyed the banner, and the weeping instantly ceased.

The altar stood ready—drenched in gore!

Lu Ye snapped a hand sign, and all the nearby blood surged toward him, swiftly covering the altar until it was dyed a vivid crimson.

As an endless stream of flesh and blood arrived, the altar’s hue shifted from blood-red to dark red, and finally to pure black.

Now, the altar looked utterly sinister, reeking of a nauseatingly sweet, intoxicating scent of flesh and blood.

No surprise there—this was the flesh and blood of fiends, after all, and the altar itself was a dark ritual. The demonic essence only amplified its power.

Lu Ye began casting his spell!

A vertical eye opened, its entire surface a ghastly blue-purple, chilling to see.

Its gaze fell upon the black altar, and eyes began to pop open from its surface.

One, two, three…

The uncanny glow emanated from each eye, as if they could see through all things in existence.

Soon, the entire altar was covered with eyes.

Many of them twitched and blinked erratically, making your skin crawl just by looking at them.

"Go!"

Lu Ye barked.

Suddenly, all the eyes on the altar disappeared in unison.

Lu Ye waited.

Bai Qiulan would never escape the Fourth Heaven.

Even if she surrendered completely to the Dark Origin and became part of it,

she still couldn't escape the binds of the Nine Heavens' Great Sage Law.

Otherwise, why would An Li have hurried to face her tribulation back then?

Wasn't it because she, too, had to abide by the Nine Heavens' Great Sage Law?

As long as Bai Qiulan was in the Fourth Heaven, Lu Ye would turn the Fourth Heaven inside out to find her.

He closed his eyes and searched using the secret technique.

*No hurry—he’d take his time.*

...

An Li had been reduced to nothing but her true spirit, and only with the help of the Dark Origin did she retain her consciousness.

She looked at herself and couldn't help but grit her teeth in rage.

Devourbeast!

Devourbeast!

*You’re done for! You’re finished! Not even Lu Ye can protect you—mark my words!*

*Damn it all!*

Why did the Devourbeast turn on her? An Li couldn't understand it at all. But as she slowly calmed down, she vowed never to repeat such a mistake.

An elderly man emerged from the Dark Origin.

He looked extremely aged, his face covered in age spots, his body reeking of decay, as if he truly was at the end of his lifespan.

Yet his eyes occasionally emitted a soul-piercing gleam, one glance was enough to freeze your blood.

"Let me take you to the Six Paths of Reincarnation. I belong to the same era as the Celestial Lord of Reincarnation, and we once had a friendship. He might hear us out."

"Thank you, Emperor Gaitian!" An Li thanked him.

Emperor Gaitian gave An Li a surprised look. "This old man has grown so decrepit, yet you, young one, can still recognize me?"

*Impossible!*

An Li let out a sigh.

She didn’t just know him; she had also witnessed him being beaten to death with her own eyes—his Emperor’s Dao Fruit consumed, and his Emperor’s Weapon absorbed by that idiot Shangguan Huanling.

An Li thought that dying at Lu Ye's hands wouldn't even count as humiliating for an Emperor, given that Lu Ye's battles were pure overwhelming strength. If you lost, you just had to accept it.

But having an Emperor's Weapon absorbed by Shangguan Huanling? That was a real disgrace, the worst kind of humiliation.

"Let's go. I'll take you to beg Celestial Lord Reincarnation."

Emperor Gaitian waved his hand, and An Li's true spirit was taken away.

Soon, Emperor Gaitian's figure appeared within the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

"Gaitian pays his respects to Daoist Reincarnation. Please show yourself."

A massive vortex churned endlessly, drawing in countless souls from all over the Nine Heavens—all the departed spirits of the dead.

Even an Emperor was awestruck at the sight of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Such was the supreme might of a Celestial Lord.

"Gaitian pays his respects to Daoist Reincarnation. Please show yourself."

Seeing this, An Li couldn't help but speak up, "Just go in. Reincarnation Lord won’t show."

Or perhaps the Celestial Lord had already sensed trouble and simply left.

The conflict between Providence and the Dark Origin was not something he would involve himself in.

No matter who won or lost, as long as he never took a stance, his position was untouchable. But the moment he did, everything would change.

Emperor Gaitian couldn't help but sigh.

"Reincarnation Lord might be the greatest Celestial Lord ever. Even the Saints, in their Celestial Lord days, weren’t this scary."

An Li didn't refute this, but she knew that even in his previous life—before his rebirth—Lu Ye was already stronger than Reincarnation Lord. If he were to become a Celestial Lord again in this life, Reincarnation Lord would get stomped.

"Daoist Reincarnation, sorry for barging in!"

He led An Li into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. The cycle operated as usual, with none of the Six Paths' rulers appearing. Emperor Gaitian could do whatever he wanted with it.

This was the Celestial Lord of Reincarnation's way—the reason he had survived for so long without ever facing calamity. He never got tangled up in karma.

Since the Celestial Lord of Reincarnation wouldn't interfere, Emperor Gaitian proceeded without hesitation, casting An Li into the cycle and hastening her reincarnation.