Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1349: 866: Blood Pool Steward, Takes 10,000 Ghost Blood Jade_2

Additionally, Zhang Mo is involved now as well; should Xuanzhen keep lingering near Mo Xuanyu, he could face peril too.

Uncontrollable elements abound; aiding Xuanzhen to escape Blood Jade’s grip swiftly is wiser.

“Let’s give it a shot now—Mo Xuanyu has stepped out!” Xuanzhen revealed a thrilled look.

He had plotted this far in advance; dragging Yang Zhenshan here was precisely to free Yang Zhenshan from Blood Jade’s hold.

“Hold on! First, I must confirm the Blood Pool won’t threaten me!”

Not only does the Blood Pool transform martial artists into blood puppets, it also converts Foundation Establishment cultivators into ghost soldiers via Blood Jade’s command over the Divine Soul.

Yang Zhenshan’s soul crow embodies his Divine Soul Power; entering the Blood Pool, would it trigger Blood Jade to impose limits on Yang Zhenshan’s Divine Soul?

Yang Zhenshan mulled it over cautiously, deeming it tough to plant a restriction on his Divine Soul since it merges with the Grotto Heaven’s core.

Could the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade surpass the Grotto Heaven’s core in power?

“Here, take this. If successful, channel mana into it. If not, I’ll devise another plan!” Yang Zhenshan passed a Jade Token to Xuanzhen.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see soon enough!”

Yang Zhenshan stayed vague without elaborating.

Yang Zhenshan harbored some wariness toward Xuanzhen, first because their bond wasn’t profound enough for shared trials, unlike with An Yuxing, Liang Shengze, and Qu Changkong.

Second, Xuanzhen’s nature seemed erratic, far from the serene poise of a true Taoist. Plus, this elder schemed deeply, so Yang Zhenshan remained vigilant.

Yet, Yang Zhenshan placed partial faith in Xuanzhen, though it required further proof.

Success here would raise the question of Xuanzhen’s own departure.

Direct entry into Spirit Source Land offered the simplest path.

Once inside Spirit Source Land, wouldn’t Xuanzhen be under full sway?

Then, detaining him briefly in Spirit Source Land could foster loyalty and camaraderie, binding them as allies forever.

Xuanzhen paid no heed to such matters; pocketing the Jade Token, he guided the soul crow from the cavern.

An outsider alone could claim the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade from the Blood Pool; Xuanzhen himself couldn’t, as his Divine Soul carried the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade’s restraint, igniting agony from Blood Jade’s bind when nearing.

This explains Mo Xuanyu’s boldness in granting him partial Great Array control—Mo Xuanyu feared no theft of the Blood Jade.

Moreover, entrants to the Blood Pool for retrieving the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade remain unaffected; no one else qualifies. Pool immersion erodes all save those with the Yin Ghost Department’s Secret Technique.

Hence, Xuanzhen devised sending the soul crow into the Blood Pool; as Divine Soul Power, it resists erosion, allowing Yang Zhenshan to seize the Blood Jade via the soul crow without mishap.

Blood-red gleams danced in the dim cave, radiating eerie malice, and aside from Mo Xuanyu, others lurked within.

Through the soul crow’s senses, Yang Zhenshan noted Mo Xuanyu had casually forged numerous blood puppets over the past decade.

Xuanzhen held lofty standing here; a single word sufficed to scatter the nearby folk.

Swiftly, solitude enveloped the dim cave with only Xuanzhen remaining.

As Xuanzhen neared the Blood Pool, Yang Zhenshan beheld a far more ominous, chilling vista.

The vast Blood Pool, spanning hundreds of zhang, churned with dense blood plasma, pale bones and charred limbs bobbing atop, bubble pops mingling with chain rattles.

At the pool’s core rose three White Bone Pillars thrusting to the cavern roof, bronze oil lamps dangling from them spewing dark fumes.

By the poolside, a black stone platform etched with twisting runes bore twelve gutted corpses in a ring, iron hooks spearing their chest voids, chains vanishing into the depths below.

At the formation’s heart floated a scorched ancient scroll, fissures weeping crimson haze, ghostly visages faintly twisting within the vapors.

“What’s that?” Yang Zhenshan fixed on the scorched ancient scroll, probing.

“The Evil Blood Killing Array’s nucleus; its true nature eludes me—likely a magical treasure!”

“The Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade is at the bottom of the Blood Pool, beneath those three White Bone Pillars in the center! You need to dive in there!”

Yang Zhenshan gazed at the dense blood plasma, a wave of unease rising in his chest.

He had witnessed countless gory battles before, but this horrifying scene still twisted his gut with revulsion.

“Let me give it a try first!”

He directed the soul crow to approach the Blood Pool's brink, extending a claw to probe the surface. Detecting no strangeness, he guided it to descend slowly into the Blood Pool.

The viscous blood plasma swiftly swallowed the soul crow whole, plunging Yang Zhenshan's view into an endless crimson haze where nothing else could be seen.

Thankfully, the soul crow allowed vision not just through its eyes but also let Yang Zhenshan deploy a fragment of his Spiritual Sense, even if its reach was severely limited.

Submerged within the Blood Pool, Yang Zhenshan at once felt a baleful energy corroding his Spiritual Sense.

Even though the corrosion advanced sluggishly, he could clearly sense its presence.

It was like being besieged by myriad Yin Souls, their spectral shrieks resounding everywhere.

Nevertheless, this corrosive force barely troubled him at all.

He maneuvered the soul crow to emerge from the Blood Pool first, then steered it straight for the White Bone Pillars at the Blood Pool's heart.