Chapter 201: Chapter 185: Advent of the Blood Sea! Sorry, I’m Going to Level Up First

"Pfft!"

Li Wei violently spat out a mouthful of black blood as a sharp pain lanced from the crystal in his chest.

It was as if it was warning him: if he didn’t find enough "food" soon, it would turn on its host.

’I can’t wait any longer!’

A resolute madness flashed in Li Wei’s eyes.

He slammed both hands on the ground, unreservedly pouring all the Energy within his body into the Blood Array beneath his feet.

"By my blood, I offer my true name!"

"A sacrifice to the Blood Sea, may heaven and earth grieve with me!"

"Rise!"

BZZZZ—

The light of the entire, massive Blood Array flared violently.

No longer were they the permeating crimson threads from before. Now, dozens of thick, blood-red pillars of light shot toward the sky!

These pillars of light didn’t fly toward the so-called safe points. Instead, they shot straight for the hordes of Demon Beasts frantically attacking the Shield!

Outside Wind Eye Market, a Tier Two Early Stage Blood Feather Crow was ramming its body against the Trading Hall’s Shield.

Suddenly, it let out a wretched cry as a pillar of blood-red light descended from the sky, engulfing it.

Its body withered at a visible rate.

Its pure Qi Blood and Demonic Power, along with its very soul, were forcibly extracted, transforming into a stream of pure Blood Energy that flowed back up the pillar.

And it wasn’t the only one.

Thousands upon thousands of Demon Beasts, which had been marked beforehand.

At this moment, they all became fuel for this grand sacrifice.

For a time, the wails of ten thousand beasts echoed throughout the entire Suspended Mountain Secret Realm!

A massive amount of Essence of Life flooded madly into the Blood Array in the canyon.

Li Wei’s body was stretched to the brink of exploding by this immense power, yet he was laughing maniacally, tears streaming down his face.

"Hahahaha! It worked! It worked!"

In his chest, the "Holy Infant" crystal greedily devoured this energy, its light growing ever brighter.

Finally, a dark red divine light burst through the heavens.

In an instant, the sky of the entire Suspended Mountain Secret Realm was dyed a heart-stopping shade of blood red.

The Netherworld Blood Sea on the lowest level began to boil violently.

Billions of tons of blood surged, creating monstrous waves.

It was as if some terrifying entity, dormant for eons, was about to awaken.

A vast, indescribable pressure, originating from the primordial wilderness of ancient times, descended upon every corner of the Secret Realm.

Inside the Trading Hall, everyone, who had been busy with their duties, stopped what they were doing and stared at the sky in horror.

"What... What’s happening?"

"Is this... Is this the apocalypse?"

Panic spread like a plague.

...

At the very moment the world changed color, the silver figure outside the Trading Hall continued his frenzied, selfless dance.

Han Feng was completely immersed in honing his Body Technique.

To him, the terrifying pressure from the outside world was not an obstacle. It was the ultimate form of pressure.

Under this pressure, his mind, Sword Essence, and body were all forced to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

[Reversal of Heaven and Earth·Proficient (398/400), Skill Proficiency +1]

’Almost there!’

Han Feng’s eyes shone with a frightening light. He suddenly flipped, his body folding in midair at an angle that completely defied common sense and physics.

He barely scraped past the claws of a Wind Demon Wolf, and at the same time, exerted his strength again to instantly change direction a second time.

[Ding! Reversal of Heaven and Earth·Proficient (399/400), Skill Proficiency +1]

’Now!’

He poured all of his remaining Sword Essence into his legs.

Facing the terrifying pressure that made heaven and earth tremble, he executed one last, perfect midair spin!

[Ding! Reversal of Heaven and Earth·Proficient (400/400), Skill Proficiency is full.]

[Congratulations, Host! Your Skill has been upgraded to: Mastery!]

BOOM!

The familiar warm current of Skill Implantation surged through his body. Countless insights about spatial redirection and using momentum flooded his mind like a tide.

At that very moment, the system’s cold notification tones rang out one after another.

[Ding! Detected that the Host has met all promotion requirements.]

A blue screen of light, visible only to him, unfolded before his eyes.

[Class: Apprentice Sword Cultivator]

[Promotion Target: Swordsman]

[Promotion Requirements:]

[1. Core Swordsmanship [Sword Control Technique] has reached the "Mastery" Level. (Achieved)]

[2. Root Bone Transformation progress has reached [100/100]. (Achieved)]

[3. Host’s personal Cultivation has reached the [Meridian Passage Realm]. (Achieved)]

[4. Comprehend and master at least three "Mastery" Level [Swordsmanship·Body Technique] skills. (3/3)]

Looking at the four glittering golden words "Achieved," Han Feng grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.

The next second, the final system prompt arrived right on cue.

[Promote to ’Swordsman’?]

The blood-red color shrouded the sky, and the terrifying pressure weighed on everyone’s heart like a mountain.

And at the center of the storm, before the frenzied, dancing silver figure, a blue screen of light that only he could see floated silently.

Han Feng grinned. Against the backdrop of the blood-red sky, his smile seemed both arrogant and perfectly natural.

"Promote!"

Without a hint of hesitation, he made his choice with a single thought.

[Ding! Class promotion successful!]

[Class: Swordsman]

[Corresponding Martial Arts Realm: Tier Two·Meridian Passage Realm (Martial Artist)]

[Congratulations, Host! You have received a promotion reward!]

BOOM!

A surge of Energy, more vast and pure than any previous Skill Implantation, poured out from the void and instantly enveloped his entire body.

This Energy wasn’t a simple, crude enhancement. It was performing a much deeper optimization and reconstruction.

His bones, meridians, flesh, and even his Divine Soul hummed with joy as they were baptized by this Energy.

[Ding! New permission unlocked: Divine Power Module!]

[Description: Conventional attacks or Skills can be evolved through special methods into ’Divine Techniques’ with extraordinary effects. Example: Consecutive Attacks → [Sword Qi Tide].]

[Ding! New permission unlocked: All Things Identification (Basic Level)!]

[Description: Can perform a basic information scan on any target within line of sight. The level of detail is related to the Host’s Spiritual Strength and the target’s tier.] 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

[Ding! System Space unlocked: 1 cubic meter!]

[Description: A completely secure Storage Space. Can be accessed at will.]

[Ding! The system will now perform one "Foundation Establishment Empowerment"!]

[Description: The Host’s foundation has been detected to far exceed others of the same tier. This Empowerment will be a comprehensive physical enhancement. The effect of the Empowerment is related to the purity and quantity of accumulated energy. The more abundant the energy, the stronger the effect. This is a one-time opportunity.]

A brand new progress bar appeared on Han Feng’s panel.

[Foundation Establishment Energy: 0/10000]

Before Han Feng had a chance to study these new functions, a sudden change occurred!

The clamorous, panicked Trading Hall fell completely silent in an instant.

It wasn’t the kind of silence born from people hushing themselves out of fear.

It was a deathly stillness, as if time itself had been paused.

THUD!

Thump...

Wang Meng, who was closest to him, saw the light instantly fade from his large, bull-like eyes. His burly body fell straight backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Then came Zhang Hao, Lei Qianjun, Zhou Qi...

One after another, whether they were masters at the Third Layer of the Meridian Passage Realm or ordinary Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists.

Like stalks of wheat being reaped, they all collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Within just a few seconds, in the entire vast Trading Hall, not a single one of the several hundred elite students was left standing—except for Han Feng!

’What’s going on?’

Han Feng swept his Divine Sense over them and found that they had only fallen into a deep coma. Their vital signs were stable, but their spiritual fluctuations were incredibly faint.

He snapped his head up, looking at the blood-red mist that enveloped the world.

’The problem is out there!’

His gaze locked onto the bizarre blood mist, and with a thought, he acted.

’All Things Identification!’

[Target: Blood Sea Illusion Realm (Projection)]

[Information: Generated by the power of the ’Nether Abyss Blood Core’. Contains a special illusory Will that can distort the laws of reality and shape an illusory domain. It forcibly drags anyone with a Divine Soul Strength below 500 or who has not yet condensed Divine Sense into the internal Illusion Realm.]

’Just as I thought!’

A chill went down Han Feng’s spine.

His own Spiritual Strength had long since surpassed 700, and he had also condensed his Divine Sense, placing him just barely over the threshold for exemption.

Before he could think further, the blood mist before him surged.

The figure of a general, three meters tall, clad in tattered ancient armor and wielding a Long Halberd, slowly coalesced and took form.