Chapter 78 - Holy Temple Fierce Battle 3

78: Holy Temple Fierce Battle (3) 78: Holy Temple Fierce Battle (3) Lu Hong had a dream in which a lion-headed Heavenly God crouched by his side, touching his head and laughing, “You’re quite good.”

“Who are you?” Lu Hong felt incredibly sleepy, his eyes nearly closing at any moment.

“The fact that the Lionheart Bloodline has come into your possession puts my mind at ease.

It seems that the War God’s decision to leave a trace of his divine seal in the Blood Colosseum was a precautionary measure.

I wonder how the Lionheart Royal Family is faring these days.

But with you here, I believe the Lionheart Royal Family will shine once again.” The Lionheart Divine Beast stood up and softly said to Lu Hong, who was about to fall deep into sleep, “Sleep, sleep, don’t worry, no one can hurt you.”

No sooner had the Lionheart Divine Beast finished speaking than, outside the dream, Bodo held the Blood Holy Sword high and forcefully stabbed at the unconscious Lu Hong.

“Roar!” Just when Bodo thought he was about to succeed, a lion’s roar suddenly erupted from beneath the Blood Colosseum, nearly destabilizing his spirit.

The roar’s shockwave threw Bodo out of the Colosseum.

“The Lionheart Divine Beast?!” Bodo’s face went pale with terror; he never expected that there would be a trace of the Lionheart Divine Beast’s divine seal beneath the Blood Temple.

“Scram!” the Lionheart Divine Beast bellowed, scaring Bodo into a panicked flight, abandoning any further thoughts of assassinating Lu Hong.

As Lu Hong fell into slumber, Audron outside the Holy Temple was already regretting chatting with Lai Li to relieve boredom—that girl simply had too many questions!

“Audron Grandpa, do you know why we can’t produce Heavenly Gods on the Continent of God’s Grace now?

You just mentioned the Era of the Gods; why did it seem so easy for Heavenly Gods of the Human Race to emerge then?

Is there some special method?

Can you tell me?” Lai Li, having heard Audron’s story, combined it with the current state of God’s Grace and threw a slew of questions at him.

“Don’t ask me.

If I knew any special method for becoming a god, I’d be one by now.

Why would I still be relying on this stele to scrape by?

Furthermore, hadn’t I told you already that your current Continent of God’s Grace is only as big as a single province from our time?

It doesn’t even compare to how many times larger my Human Race’s territory was,” he retorted.

Lai Li nodded and, following Audron’s responses, continued to inquire, “Then why is today’s Continent of God’s Grace different?

Was it because of the great battle of the gods that shattered God’s Grace?

Was it caused by the war among the Heavenly Gods, or was it another race’s invasion that resulted in what happened to God’s Grace?”

“I told you I don’t know, I don’t know!

I’ve been stuck in this accursed place since the War God severed the World Bridge.

Whatever happened on the Continent of God’s Grace after that, I know nothing, so stop asking me about things I have no clue about!” Audron turned away impatiently, signaling that he didn’t want to talk anymore with Lai Li.

“Don’t, please!

What about the World Bridge?

You must know how the abyssal Human Race forged it, right?

Do they truly understand the secrets of space?

If they really mastered spatial secrets, why didn’t they just find a way to cross dimensions directly instead of using the World Bridge as a bridge?

For us now, planar travel is easy; as long as you have the coordinates of the other plane, you can easily cross.

Couldn’t you do the same back then?” Lai Li circled around to face Audron, barraging him with relentless questions.

“Ah, I’ve told you I’m just a warrior.

I don’t understand all these profound principles.

I can kill demons, sure, but what do I know about spatial secrets and whether abyssal Humans have grasped that?” Audron turned away again, not wanting to see Lai Li.

But Lai Li didn’t give up; in fact, she outright ignored Audron’s desire for solitude: “But you’ve fought the abyssal Human Race for so long, surely you know if they have any space skills?”

“I don’t know; they never used them.

Those mutated creatures were powerful enough in physique alone to surpass our Human Race, so why would they need to use any skills?” Audron pushed Lai Li away, “That’s enough, no more questions, really.

I don’t know anything.

Where do all your questions come from?”

Her pursuit for truth had helped Lai Li overcome the fear that Audron had previously instilled.

Seeing that he refused to answer, she shouted vehemently, “No!

You must tell me!”

“I’m really scared of you now.” With no way left to turn, Audron helplessly dove into the stele, vanishing without a trace.

“Hey, hey, don’t run!

Audron, come out and answer my questions!” Lai Li chased after him to the stele, pounding on it, but no matter how she called, Audron simply hid and did not respond.

“You wait, I’ll see who can last longer!” Stubbornly, Lai Li refused to give up when her questions remained unanswered.

She sat down with a pout beside the stele, staring fixedly at it, determined to latch onto Audron the moment he dared to show his face and not let go.

Time passed, and finally, Lu Hong woke from his faint.

He felt incredibly comfortable and had a very strange dream in which he heard a conversation between the War God and another Heavenly God.

They seemed to be discussing the future of the Continent of God’s Grace.

The War God said there were too many gods on the continent, which would inevitably lead to disaster.

However, the other Heavenly God was nonchalant, claiming that the more Heavenly Gods there were, the stronger the continent appeared.

No matter how numerous they were, it would sufficeto dispatch them to guard other lower planes, maintaining a constant number of Heavenly Gods on God’s Grace and thus averting annihilation by the will of the world.

The two argued for a long time, each holding to their views and failing to reach an agreement.

Eventually, the War God asked the other Heavenly God what he would do if the Continent of God’s Grace ever stood on the brink of collapse.

“I would use myself as a pillar, upholding the Continent of God’s Grace so it never falls into the void,” the other Heavenly God answered.

Thereafter, Lu Hong heard nothing else.

Lu Hong stood up, tearing off the tattered clothes on his body, and picked up the greatsword from the ground.

He had already passed the trial of the Blood Colosseum.

The gate to the next level was already before him, awaiting his step through.

Passing through the blood-red gate, the scene before Lu Hong changed numerous times, until he found himself in the midst of a sea of blood.

This was the third trial of the Holy Temple, Seize the Vein of Blood.

To those who participated in the lower-level trials without risking their lives, this was an enormous blessing.

The sea of blood, which submerged over half of Lu Hong’s body, concealed incalculable Bloodline Powers.

“Spirit clans have souls, beast clans have bodies, dragon clans have majesty, sea clans have spirits; every clan of the Continent of God’s Grace has its unique strength, but what about our Human Race?” As Lu Hong arrived, the endless sea of blood began to boil slowly, and the voice of the War God came from the void, spreading across the entire sea, seemingly questioning Lu Hong.

“Responding to the War God, if asked why the Human Race is strong, it is due to its inclusiveness.

Though we lack the natural gifts of other races, the Human Race can assimilate any bloodline and make it our own.

This is our greatest advantage, we too can become the leader of all clans.”

“Leader of all clans, we too can be!

Good, good, good!” The voice of the War God was filled with excitement, it seemed that Lu Hong’s answer was the standard one.

“Within this sea of blood lies the accumulation of my life’s work, the bloodlines of all clans are present.

You may choose as you wish, survival after the fusion of bloodlines counts as passing the trial.”

Once here, Lu Hong had been slightly tricked, but luckily it was only a game at that time.

The Bloodline Fusion that the War God spoke of was something Lu Hong entirely lacked the skill for—such secret techniques were likely from the Era of the Gods and had long been lost to time.

However, at the time, Lu Hong had soaked in the sea of blood for three days, sought friends for private chats, and posted a global reward before he managed to acquire the method for Bloodline Fusion.

And because he proceeded with caution, he chose a low-level bloodline and successfully passed the trial.

But now, though Lu Hong had mastered the method of Bloodline Fusion, it was of no use: “War God, I already possess the power of a bloodline, there is no need to choose another.”

“Hmm?” The will of the War God fell upon Lu Hong, and after a period of examination and contemplation: “Indeed, you possess the power of a bloodline, but I am merely a divine soul left by the War God, and there has been no such precedent before.

Hence, you cannot be deemed to have passed.”

“Does this mean I have failed?

I won’t be obliterated, will I?” Lu Hong was speechless; it seemed that the War God was just a program left behind, without any discretion of its own.

The War God pondered for a moment before speaking: “That’s not appropriate either; since you have not failed in the bloodline fusion, nor have you died, the trial will not end.”

“What should I do, then?” Lu Hong spread his hands, indicating that he was clueless.

“Let me consider it.” After saying this, the voice of the War God gradually faded away, and the boiling sea of blood calmed down once more.

After a long wait, the will of the War God descended beside Lu Hong again: “The rules cannot be changed.”

“Then, can I still absorb the power of other bloodlines?

It seems impossible now, doesn’t it?” Lu Hong was somewhat worried; with the rules unchanged, he had to successfully acquire a bloodline power to pass the trial.

Now, with the top-tier Lioneart Bloodline already within him, how could his body accommodate a second bloodline?

Even if it could, it was likely that the Lioneart Bloodline within him would actively attack and eradicate any new bloodline.

If he were to follow the rules of the Holy Temple, this trial would be unsolvable for Lu Hong.

“Ordinary bloodlines of the hundred clans can no longer be integrated into your body; I have considered this thoroughly.” The War God knew where the contradiction lay and spoke clearly.

“War God, since you know I cannot integrate another bloodline, then how can I pass the trial?”

“Though you cannot accept the blood of other clans, the blood of my own clan should be compatible, without conflict.” The voice of the War God was deep, as if it had made a significant decision.

“My clan?

The Human Race’s bloodline?” Lu Hong was taken aback.

Does the Human Race also possess the power of a bloodline?

Hearing Lu Hong’s confusion, the War God explained: “Those who ascend to the throne of the gods will awaken an innate bloodline power within.

However, it is difficult for Heavenly Gods to leave descendants, so while the bloodline power exists, it has not been widely disseminated.”

“Are you saying?” Lu Hong suddenly thought of a possibility, and then his heart could not help but thump excitedly: “Are you saying you want to bestow upon me the bloodline of the Heavenly God?!”

“That’s right, I am but a Divine Soul formed from a drop of the War God’s blood.

Hence, besides the bloodlines of the hundred clans, this sea of blood also contains the War God’s bloodline.

Since you cannot assimilate the bloodline of the hundred clans, and the rules cannot be broken, it seems that only the War God’s bloodline is the path available.”

“But if I were to absorb the War God’s remaining blood, wouldn’t that mean you would no longer exist?”

“That does not matter.

I was only temporarily sustained by a sliver of divine soul, but once the War God’s body left a trace of blood, it must have been intended for this day.

I am merely following the will of the War God,” the remnant soul of the War God spoke indifferently, without a hint of sorrow or joy.

“Let’s think of another way,” Lu Hong shook his head; this was something he couldn’t do.

“No need for further words, the trial begins!” Despite Lu Hong’s refusal, the remnant soul of the War God did not listen to his objections; a drop of boiling Gold blood fell from the sky and into the sea of blood, instantly dyeing the entire sea Gold.

The domineering bloodline power of the War God devoured and assimilated the bloodline powers within the entire sea of blood in an instant, absorbing them for its nourishment.

“This…” Lu Hong stepped back several times.

“The War God’s blood has existed for a long time, and has long since dried up.

I have used the blood of the hundred clans as nourishment to revive one-thousandth of it; if you can refine this blood, you shall pass the trial.”

As soon as the remnant soul of the War God’s voice faded, the sea of blood that had turned Gold began to boil again.

All of the blood ascended into the sky and condensed into two huge sword blades, plunging ruthlessly into Lu Hong’s heart.