Chapter 678: It’s Too Late

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“What do you mean, Senior?” Jiang Hao asked as he looked at the thing in his hand.

It must be some form of ident.i.ty rune for the Astronomical Academy. Did that mean he had been recruited to the Astronomical Academy?

“Do you feel wronged for serving the Astronomical Academy?” Gu Jin asked with a smile.

“I’m not capable, Senior.” Jiang Hao shook his head and sighed. “Your greatness is beyond my reach, and your knowledge is beyond comparison. Impersonating someone like that will surely bring disaster. Why make it difficult for me, Senior?”

Gu Jin burst into laughter. He was surprised by the words he heard.

“Don’t worry, even if you don’t say anything, they won’t dare to test you. And they might even misinterpret your words and derive real wisdom from them. It might even lead to breakthroughs. So, don’t pay too much attention to it. I gave this to you just to bring some new shade to the Astronomical Academy. They haven’t seen any changes there for a long time. Without change, there is no growth.”

Gu Jin sighed.

“The path of cultivation is about understanding certain principles. The more you know, the easier it is to progress. That’s why I never understood what the absolute truth was.”

Jiang Hao felt that there should be a way to remove Gu Jin’s ident.i.ty from his body, but for now, he didn’t think too much about it. Instead, he asked for the secret technique.

“There is no secret technique. You’ll understand as you go. Whether you can find the one you are looking for depends entirely on luck,” Gu Jin said with a smile.

Jiang Hao lowered his head and didn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he turned and walked further inside.

“The further you go, the more you’ll endure, and what you see and hear will be mixed with the disasters of the era. A slight misstep can lead to being trapped in a cage. You should think carefully about it,” Gu Jin said as a warning. “Thank you for the warning, Senior,” Jiang Hao said without looking back.

Time was running out.

As Gu Jin watched Jiang Hao’s receding back, he suddenly asked, “What is your truth?”

Jiang Hao paused for a moment.

“The truth is under the Heavenly Blade, and nothing more.” Gu Jin was momentarily stunned. Then, he smiled.

Youth was a wonderful thing.

Watching the figure continue on its path, he asked, “How old are you?”

Jiang Hao didn’t pause this time, and Gu Jin didn’t mind. “I touched you during the exchange. So, I know your appearance is fake. I can vaguely guess your real age from your vitality. If my guess is correct, you are somewhere between thirty and forty years old. Is that correct?”

Jiang Hao stopped and turned to look at the man behind him with a smile. “Senior, aren’t you going to ask for my name?”

“I won’t ask.” Gu Jin shook his head and smiled. “Because whatever I hear will be a lie.”

Jiang Hao chuckled and shook his head. Then, he continued on his way.

Gu Jin watched Jiang Hao and his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

‘A Return to Void Realm cultivator in his thirties, with an incredibly powerful strength. Even his mental state is extraordinary. Only a few have such talent. I’ve done my best to tie him to the academy. Whether the academy can hold onto him in the end will depend on their fate.’

From the moment he saw Jiang Hao, he had planned everything.

He was so young. The person might be extraordinary to be able to enter this place so easily.

His cultivation technique was indeed unusual.

Gu Jin slowly closed his eyes.

He had done everything he could for the academy.

Now, he could focus on the battle against the Blood Pool.

Jiang Hao walked on the surface of the Blood Pool. He remained vigilant about the changes in his surroundings.

As he went deeper, he could feel something affecting him. He even heard miserable cries and pleas for mercy.

After the voices appeared, some images began to emerge. Many people were being captured, and blood was converging from all directions.

This was the bloodshed caused by man-made conflicts.

Soon, he also heard curses, each one falling on his ears and manifesting upon him.

But in an instant, the curses formed and then began to disintegrate.

Jiang Hao was astonished. It was this powerful.

As the curses appeared, he took out the pearl.

Instantlv. the curses disaDDeared. and the illusions and sounds vanished with them.

It was the Heavenly Fate Misfortune Pearl capable of suppressing all curses.

When he took out the Heavenly Fate Misfortune Pearl, he felt that the entire Blood Pool seemed to react strangely.

It seemed to be keeping its distance from him.

“It seems that the Heavenly Fate Misfortune Pearl has a restraining effect on the Blood Pool. So, where is Senior Qian Chen?” Jiang Hao looked to the left and the right.

Logically, Senior Qian Chen should be on the left, but his exact location was unclear.

For now, he could only head toward the center.

The further he went in, the thinner the fog became, and the more he could see and hear.

There was the sound of the wind.

Then, he heard a faint conversation.

“You can’t continue like this. This body is suitable, but introducing this blood will destroy its inherent value.” The voice was low but familiar.

Jiang Hao recognized it immediately.

It was Liu Xingchen.

‘Is he nearby?’ Jiang Hao looked to the right but saw no one.

“Don’t worry. The blood here contains the power of many strong cultivators, and I can filter out the harmful things. I can even advance two minor realms. There won’t be any issues.”

“If the filtering is good enough, I can use my True Dragon power to temper this body and raise it by two minor realms.”

“At that point, give me the blood, and I can use witchcraft to enter the Return to Void Realm. After that, I’ll go find the essence of plants and trees, and I can continue to improve.”

“Good. Let’s raise this body to a sufficiently high realm as soon as possible. It will help us deal with problems better.”

Jiang Hao was surprised. It was the same voice but with different tones.

It sounded like three people talking to each other with the same voice.

‘Is it the Blood Demon, the True Dragon, and the sorcerer?’ Jiang Hao immediately thought of the three remnant souls.

For now, their top priority was to raise Liu Xingchen’s cultivation realm.

According to what they said, they needed to ascend to the Return to Void Realm inside the Blood Pool before leaving.

After that, they would continue advancing elsewhere.

Following this path of advancement, Jiang Hao felt that he might be surpa.s.sed soon. But wouldn’t such rapid advancement have any negative consequences?

It was too fast.

He could only observe and act accordingly the next time he encountered Liu Xingchen.

It made him feel anxious. He couldn’t afford to be overtaken.

Lowering his gaze to the Blood Pool, Jiang Hao sighed.

Whether it was Senior Qian Chen or the Blood Demon, they were both using the Blood Pool to enhance their cultivation realms, and he seemed to have no idea how to utilize it.

Although he felt regretful, he didn’t mind.

He already had enough opportunities. He didn’t need these and wouldn’t push for them.

At that moment, a voice sounded from the side.

It was Senior Qian Chen.

“I didn’t expect the Blood Pool to exceed my expectations, but it’s fortunate that I’ve established some connection. This should be enough. It’s time to

leave.

“Success or failure hinges on this moment.”

Jiang Hao sighed inwardly. Time was running out.

At the same time, outside Devil’s Den, some people gathered together. They had captured many fellow disciples and were now entering Devil’s Den.

“We haven’t found Jiang Hao from the Cliff of Broken Hearts. It looks like Senior Qian Chen will have to take matters into his own hands.”

“Let’s put that aside for now. Our senior should have succeeded by now. This is the final step.”

“Let’s go. We have no way back now. We must a.s.sist Senior in successfully establishing the Blood Wish Alchemical Path before the sect reacts.”

“This time, we have to play our part..”