Chapter 150

“It should be around here . Search carefully, everyone . ”

Qiao Hua’s voice was hoarse and his appearance disheveled, but he still exuded a sense of confidence and good spirits . His gaze kept its confidence and steadiness while his face had a morbidly excited red blush . Only the corners of his eyes displayed his fatigue .

Everyone knew that Qiao Hua was bearing a heavy burden .

The blood catastrophe situation was rapidly deteriorating . There were sightings of blood fiends in many cities . Due to the emergency, the ones deeper in the Garden of Life were pressed by a heavy atmosphere . Even the areas that had been burned still had blood-red sprouts growing from the charred ground . The blood plants had a resilient vitality, instilling fear in everyone .

The blood fiends were getting stronger . Just seven days ago, they were hit by a sneak attack from a blood wolf, causing three deaths and six injured . This was the first instance of severe injuries and death received since they entered the Garden of Life . The blood wolf was a strong but cunning dire beast that quickly became everyone’s nightmare . Since then, the troop had become startled by the smallest things .

Their caution, however, did not improve their situation . They began to suffer continuous attacks from different blood fiends, increasing the number of casualties . This further strengthened their belief that they were traveling in the correct direction .

Qiao Hua continued to command them deeper into the Garden of Life while praying for divine intervention .

The burdens in Qiao Hua’s heart increased, but he continued to encourage himself, saying that this was the best option to take . As long as they discovered the first blood tree, they would be able to find a solution .

The blood poison could not be dealt with using ordinary ideas, which was evident from the blood grass that was growing from the charred soil . They sprouted at an astonishing rate . Only a few days had passed, and the blood grass had already grown past their kneecaps .

The fire, intended to prevent the spread of the blood poisoning, aided it in becoming stronger instead .

Qiao Hua examined the newly grown blood grass and realized that the blood poison in them was slightly different from the one gathered in his initial investigations .

Layers upon layers of transformations had taken place, and the blood poison became increasingly formidable—to the point that Qiao Hua experienced fear .

He did not express his worries and fears, knowing that the troop’s morale was undergoing some subtle changes . Everyone was tense and strained as they had yet to find the blood tree left behind by Si Nan . Furthermore, the continuous escalating attacks by the blood fiends and the loss of their people made their confidence in Qiao Hua waver .

The loss of confidence and intensifying insecurity made them extremely weak .

Qiao Hua’s resolute nature showed itself; he did not have the least bit of hesitation and held on to his determination . He believed his conjecture was correct and was not the least bit swayed .

Everyone dispersed to seek out the potential target .

Si Nan’s notes were decades old; since his time, there had been many changes in the Induction Ground . Even the geological landscape had noticeable differences . Furthermore, the notes had been organized by Si Nan’s students, and so many details were indistinct and unclear .

After analyzing the notes, Qiao Hua had jotted down a few potential locations .

Most of the people were in low spirits and were not encouraged by Qiao Hua’s words since their previous searches had proved to be fruitless . Everyone maintained their patience out of respect for Qiao Hua’s high rank . Their tolerance, however, was running thin . Some of the troop members were starting suspect whether Si Nan’s notes were real .

“Found it!”

An agitated voice suddenly rang out, and everyone involuntarily paused in their movements . After a moment of silence, they erupted in cheers .

Everyone rushed towards the loud shout .

Qiao Hua’s knees went soft . He no longer cared about his image and plopped butt-first onto the ground . He looked utterly exhausted . He did not think that their journey would have been met with so many mishaps, nor did he predict the blood poison to have worsened so rapidly . The burden he shouldered had been heavy beyond expectation .

The blood catastrophe had worsened with a swiftness outside of anybody’s expectations, even Qiao Hua’s . There were rumors of displeasure from the elders who had been persuaded by him .

The winner takes all while the loser is left with nothing .

If he could successfully resolve the blood disaster, then he would rapidly become the hero of the Induction Grounds—no, of the entire Avalon of Five Elements . To him, this was critical . As long as he succeeded, his population would be elevated to unprecedented heights .

Always, he had hoped and longed for such a chance . His ambitious nature had been stirred since long ago .

They finally found it… .

As long as they found the blood tree, he was halfway to success . This implied that there would be a feast for them soon .

It would be one of celebration, the best reward he could ever get . The courage he invested would soon reap numerous rewards . He could almost envision his name in the river of history, praised by millions of people .

He did not know where he got the strength from, but he stood and walked towards the group of people .

The crowd automatically parted to form a path, like the welcoming of a crowned victor .

With a steady pace, Qiao Hua held his head up high . The gazes that turned his way were no longer filled with doubt and suspicion but instead were of adoration and respect . Finding the blood tree was evidence of Qiao Hua’s correct theory .

They all believed that they would soon witness the destruction of the blood disaster . Most of them were overcome with emotion .

Qiao Hua did not let the success go to his head . Instead, he calmed himself and approached the blood tree . After regaining his absolute tranquility, he inspected the blood tree carefully .

After four hundred years of growth, the sapling had grown into an ancient tree of the firmament .

Not an inch of grass grew within a perimeter of fifty meters .

The top of the tree was thick and scarlet red like the evening maple in late autumn; it was breathtaking . Qiao Hua, however, did not raise his head . His gaze was fixated on the black streaks on the tree trunk .

The dull-red tree trunk was covered with black patterns like a totem from the ancient times . It exuded an indescribable gloom and evil .

“Teacher, what is this black decorative design?” Qiao Hua’s student gathered up his courage and asked .

“Blood traces . ” Qiao Hua did not move his gaze . His finger ran lightly across the black patters as he continued, “During the Cultivation Era, it was a taboo in blood-refinement . Very few know about this now . Senior Si Nan’s extensive knowledge in blood-refined techniques was startling . ”

The people’s expressions changed to one of admiration . Teacher Qiao was indeed erudite .

In their eyes, blood-refined techniques were mysterious and unfamiliar . Much of their understanding about the subject touched only upon objects used during the techniques .

To them, the teachers who pursued research in the bizarre such as objects of blood-refinement were like valuable . The rusty entrance was locked and covered with gray dust—a treasure left behind by the Cultivation Era . It could be worth less than a penny, or it could change the world .

To date, this door remained locked tight, and nobody had managed to open it .

While blood-refined objects were not destroyed, nobody was able to use or find anything wondrous about them . The long history and experience left behind by the Cultivation Era was unimaginable for the people of the Avalon of Five Elements after all . Even objects left behind by the mysterious and neglected blood-refined technique were not rare to see .

Apart from Ai Hui’s Blood Bandage, which was made of a special material, most of the objects were considered useless and placed in a corner to collect dust . Only those with special uses were kept .

Everyone held their breath, not daring to exhale .

Qiao Hua’s expression became bewitched . The more he understood, the more he sensed the coordination, power, and beauty in the blood traces on the tree trunk . It was as though he gazed into the sea of history of the Cultivation Era . In this humble corner was a fascinating blood-colored cloud that while not formidable, had never been destroyed or gone extinct .

What an era that people would yearn for!

Qiao Hua’s thoughts wandered far and away . He could not imagine the vastness of the Cultivation Era . To think that the blood-refined techniques, fit only to be on the sidelines, had not yet gone extinct . And it set off such shocking waves .

He remained in a befuddled state for a moment before regaining his senses . Strength and confidence returned to his body once more .

Perhaps blood-refined techniques used to be formidable, but now the times had changed . It was an era of elemental energy, and it was his era .

“Number seven medicine!” he confidently said to his students .

The rattan basket that was being carried by a student suddenly wiggled, and the sticks forming the basket separated to expose the contents within . In it were flower pods hanging from rattan sticks, and each pod was labeled with a number .

Finding the number seven flower bud, he inserted a thread of elemental energy .

The flower bud slowly blossomed . Inside, a crystal-clear bamboo joint containing a black liquid appeared before everyone . It was difficult to breed crystal bamboo joints as their rate of growth was slow . As such, they tended to be on the pricier side and were used to store precious medications .

The student gingerly took out the crystal bamboo joint . The black liquid medicine inside was like black lava . Even with the bamboo joint containing it, everyone could feel the heat waves .

Qiao Hua’s confidence was not without basis . He had thoroughly studied every detail in Si Nan’s notes to purposefully creating several types of liquid medicines for different contingencies .

For now, the situation was still within his control, and he was sufficiently prepared .

“Everyone, retreat by fifty meters,” he commanded gravely .

Without any objections, everyone quickly retreated by fifty meters . They widened their eyes, afraid to miss out on any details . This would surely be an unforgettable moment in their entire lives .

The fearful blood disaster was finally going to meet its end .

Qiao Hua took a deep breath and surprisingly felt slightly nervous . After careful consideration, he was confident that he had considered all aspects . His gaze became determined .

He cautiously removed the cap of the crystal bamboo . An unpleasant odor gushed out . Without a change in expression, he overturned it along the blood traces on the tree trunk .

The last drop of black medicine dripped out from the crystal bamboo and permeated through the tree trunk .

Qiao Hua had a relieved expression . The medication that he came up with was the bane of the blood poison . It could be considered to be another form of toxin that would directly counteract against the blood poisoning . It would spread in the same way, and there was no escape for anything already infected .

The branches exhibited signs of blackening . Qiao Hua became excited; it was going to start!

The black color began to spread, and the leaves fell in succession . All around them, the blood-red leaves descended and swirled like falling snow . Qiao Hua gave a hearty laugh .

Oh, what a pretty sight!

In a flash, the ancient tree was barren without any leaves on it .

Qiao Hua was pleased with himself when out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a dried-up twig . His pupils constricted, his expression frozen in place .

A newly grown sprout that was even more sparkling with a brighter red tint .

W… . . . Why… . . .

He stared blankly at what had been bare branches that were now filled with new sprouts that were blood-red and growing at an astonishing speed .

In the blink of an eye, the treetop was completely filled, similar to a bewitching sea of blood .

Without warning, the blood-red grass fifty meters away began to grow rapidly . In the midst of the surprised shouts and screams, it was like a paranormal beast with its ferocious maws wide open .

The blood-red ripple expanded outwards at an alarming speed .