Although Bai Xiaochun was a bit taken aback, he quickly put a somber expression on his face and made sure his murderous aura was on full display. Then he shot up into the air to appear in front of Patriarch Droughtflame along with the other eight.

Not a single Blood Stream Sect disciple was shocked that Nightcrypt would be part of the group. In fact, for Patriarch Droughtflame to call him out was exactly what many people had expected would happen.

Not a single person even felt like commenting on the matter. Obviously, Plaguedevil was one of the most famous people in the Blood Stream Sect, and everyone recognized that he was a powerful Chosen!

Not only did the crowds of disciples on the mountain peaks feel that way, Song Que and the other Chosen didn’t dispute his qualifications at all, although brutal gleams did appear in their eyes.

Bai Xiaochun had already been in the Blood Stream Sect for a few years now. To mortals, that might be considered quite a while, but for cultivators, that amount of time would flash by very quickly. Even still, it couldn’t be considered a very short period of time. Bai Xiaochun had worked hard, and step by step, reached this day in which he was the focus of all attention, and had secured the approval of the entire sect.

Bai Xiaochun could sense that fact, and although he had been prepared for this day to come, even he couldn’t help but gasp inwardly at the status he had attained. It filled his heart with contentment and pride.

“Hmmmmphhh! Wherever Lord Bai goes, he ends up shining as brightly as the sun or moon. Ai... who made me this outstanding...?” Although he felt wonderful inside, not a trace of those feelings showed on the outside. He looked as cold and dangerous as ever, with a powerful murderous aura that rivaled all of the other eight Chosen.

The eight patriarchs were all blurry and difficult to make out clearly, but when they looked at Nightcrypt, it was clear that they were nodding in approval. Some of the patriarchs even studied him more closely than the other Chosen.

The fact that a Mortal-Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator could rise up in the fashion Nightcrypt had was so strange that some of the patriarchs had grown suspicious, and had secretly investigated him. However, because the mask he wore was a true precious treasure, throughout the years, not a single clue had ever slipped out that might reveal his secret.

Furthermore, his skill in the Dao of medicine was so important to the Blood Stream Sect that none of the patriarchs took their own suspicions too seriously.

“The nine of you will sit in meditation in front of these blood altars,” Patriarch Droughtflame said. He waved his hand, sending nine beams of blood-colored light flying out, which transformed into nine blood-colored altars. “Transform qi into blood to help me open the portal and summon the grand lich!”

Bai Xiaochun and the others all settled down in front of their respective blood altars.

In truth, there was no need for special help from these nine cultivators to summon the grand lich. However, after some discussion, the patriarchs had decided that because of the upcoming war, they should get a first-hand look at the power at the sect’s disposal.

Among the eight patriarchs, Patriarch Droughtflame was the one most insistent on going to war, and therefore, he took charge of summoning the reserve powers of the sect, as well as looking over the nine cultivators who were being tested in the process.

His gaze seemed to contain intense pressure that left Bai Xiaochun shaken inwardly. It was almost as if he could see the secrets of everyone he looked at; even the other eight cultivators surrounding Bai Xiaochun averted their gazes humbly.

Eventually, Patriarch Droughtflame looked away from them, turning his gaze up into the sky. He then lifted his right hand and waved it through the air. In response, the blood-colored beams of light shooting up from the five mountain peaks all rumbled and began to grow larger. Simultaneously, the blood-colored vortex grew larger, and in the very center of it, a huge blood-colored eye became visible!

As the eye opened, the sky dimmed, and a massive wind kicked up. Intense pressure filled the world, and a blood mist spread out in all directions. All of the Blood Stream Sect disciples down below were shaken, and prostrated themselves toward the eye.

“Look up, and see the power which lets the Blood Stream Sect dominate the other three sects!” Patriarch Droughtflame’s voice seemed to contain a bizarre power that forced everyone who heard it to look up into the blood eye in the sky.

Bai Xiaochun was deeply shaken. However, it was at that point that his Undying Live Forever Technique stirred, and gradually seemed to form a resonance with the blood eye.

Song Que, Xuemei and the others were all mentally shaken, and yet none of them dared to look down. They forced their heads up to look at the blood eye in the vortex above.

Many people cried out in shock. Even Song Que and the other Chosen, despite their high position and deeper understanding of the secrets of the sect, couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

Bai Xiaochun’s eyes went wide, and his mind felt like it was filled with crashing lightning.

Within that blood-colored eye, just outside of the very pupil, were four shadowy figures, one of them being an enormous, violet-colored skeleton!

The skeleton was covered with crackling lightning, as well as a swirling aura of death. Although it wasn’t moving at all, it emanated a powerful pressure that left anyone who could see it completely shaken.

Bai Xiaochun knew a bit about Corpse Peak, and based on that, he quickly came to the conclusion that this was a grand lich! On Corpse Peak, there was nothing more powerful than grand liches, which surpassed even flying ghouls!

“Flying ghouls are comparable to Core Formation cultivators, but grand liches are like Nascent Soul patriarchs!”

The second blurry figure within the eye was a black mist that seemed to be filled with tens of millions of faces. All of those faces seemed to belong to old men, and radiated a powerful sensation of Time. Within that mist was a gargoyle, and from the powerful pressure it radiated, it didn’t seem to be any less powerful than the grand lich!

The third shadowy figure was nothing more than a pile of dried-up skin that was so old it was impossible to determine its age. It radiated a terrifying aura that was even stronger than that of the grand lich or the gargoyle. Just looking at it filled one with a sense of wonderment. Many of the Blood Stream Sect cultivators who saw it were left gasping.

Shaken, Bai Xiaochun looked over at the fourth shadowy figure, which was actually a sword!

It was a blood-colored sword, upon which sat a crimson imp. The imp had no hair on its head, and although it was only about as big as person’s hand, it radiated an intense murderous aura that surpassed the other three shadowy figures!

“Corpse Peak’s grand lich, Nameless Peak’s million-faced gargoyle, Lesser Marsh Peak’s totem canvas, Middle Peak’s ancestral sword! These are the signature relics of the Blood Stream Sect, and they are actually defending what exists in the pupil of the blood eye, another of the Blood Ancestor’s powerful reserve forces!

“Behold the complete Sacrificial Blood Dao Formation!” Patriarch Droughtflame waved his right hand, and the pupil in the blood eye began to expand to slowly reveal a fifth shadowy figure!

Clearly, it was being protected by the four figures outside of the pupil. The sight of the precious fifth resource of the sect caused Bai Xiaochun to begin panting, and his eyes to widen as he slowly came to see...

A scarecrow!

It was bizarre in appearance, with a patch of human skin held in one hand, and a steelyard balance in the other. A monstrous smile covered its face that made it seem as if it were sneering at the world.... When Bai Xiaochun looked into the scarecrow’s eyes, that smile seemed to fill his entire heart and mind.

Within moments, though, the Heaven-Dao aura within Bai Xiaochun spread out, driving the image of the scarecrow out from inside of him. As he sat there panting in recovery, he noticed that Patriarch Droughtflame seemed to be looking at him with approval.

The other eight Chosen around him were in all still in a daze. Xuemei was the next to recover, followed by Song Que. One by one, they drove out the image from within their minds.

“These are the reserve powers of the Blood Stream Sect,” Patriarch Droughtflame said, speaking to the sect as a whole. "Unleash your blood qi. As for the nine of you Chosen, begin the refinement process. Help me summon the grand lich!

“After summoning the grand lich, the other spirits will eventually awaken of their own volition. After they have all woken, the Sacrificial Blood Dao Formation can emerge from within the world of the blood eye!” Immediately, the innumerable cultivators in the Blood Stream Sect who were below the Core Formation stage all began to rotate their cultivation bases.

Foundation Establishment cultivators, Inner Sect disciples, Outer Sect disciples. Tens of thousands of cultivators all called upon the power of their cultivation bases to send blood qi streaming out. A blood mist formed, rising up into the air toward the nine blood altars, into which it merged.

Bai Xiaochun was seated in front of the fifth of the blood altars, and a tremor ran through him as the powerful blood qi began to merge into the altar, and through it, into him.

Before he even had time to think about what was happening, his Undying Live Forever Technique sprang into operation, absorbing the blood qi. He looked around, and saw that Xuemei, Song Que, and the others were all absorbing the blood qi. Apparently, they were using their own bodies as vessels; combined with a Blood Stream Sect secret magic, they were transforming the qi into blood.

Xuemei was the first to succeed. A drop of blood emerged from the top of her head and floated up to rest above her. Song Que was next.... Bai Xiaochun quickly followed suit, using his special Undying Blood refinement technique to transform the blood qi inside of him into a drop of blood, which then floated up out of the top of his head.

Soon, blood had emerged from all nine of the Chosen. Time passed, and the drops of blood grew larger. After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, Xuemei’s eyes snapped open. The blood above her head, which was already the size of a fist, flew over toward Patriarch Droughtflame.

Patriarch Droughtflame’s eyes flickered, and then he nodded his head slightly. The blood then transformed into a red beam of light that shot up toward the grand lich in the blood eye. A moment later, it touched the bones of the lich, which caused it to shake slightly, and a faint aura of life force began to emanate out from it.

“Eight more drops of blood!” Patriarch Droughtflame said coolly.

As massive amounts of blood qi continued to pour into the blood altars, Bai Xiaochun looked on with a somber expression. However, inwardly, he was shaken.

“So much blood qi,” he thought. “Should I help myself to a bit of it?”