Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 210

Chapter 210: Hunt for Orchid II

Aiden waited patiently for Serina and Shelly to return. Serina had been fighting the Spirit Saint from a distance, while Shelly stood by to assist if necessary. When they finally came back, Serina wore a somber expression on her face.

“What happened? Why the long face?” he asked, looking first at Serina and then at Shelly.

Shelly shook her head and summoned another ghost. By the clothes, Aiden recognized the ghost as the same Spirit Saint of the Heavy Serpent Clan they had just killed.

“What about him?” Aiden asked, intrigued.

“We learned something from him,” Shelly replied.

Aiden turned his attention to Serina, who began to explain the unsettling truth they had uncovered.

It turned out that the sect master’s youngest son had accidentally killed a fellow disciple, and this incident had caused his Martial Spirit grade to increase. After further investigation, they discovered that the son’s Martial Spirit had a unique poison called Burning Blood Poison. The more blood his Martial Spirit ingested, the stronger it became.

Realizing this, the sect devised a gruesome plan. They aimed to create the Violet Dragon Orchid, a rare and powerful item, by exploiting the high blood concentration and Dragon Spirit energy found in the valley. To achieve this, they systematically slaughtered all the magical beasts in the area, collecting their corpses to use in the orchid’s cultivation.

However, some overzealous members of the clan took it a step further, incorporating human corpses into the mix. While the sect leaders didn’t explicitly endorse this, they also didn’t prohibit it. For them, the primary goal was the successful cultivation of the Violet Dragon Orchid.

To expedite the process, they leaked the news of the Violet Dragon Orchid’s existence, attracting more cultivators to the area. Unbeknownst to these cultivators, their blood was being used to accelerate the orchid’s growth. Death Valley had effectively become a slaughterhouse orchestrated by the Heavenly Serpent Sect. They targeted and killed cultivators who met certain criteria, while preventing those with lower cultivation levels from entering.

The whole situation was a macabre exploitation of lives, both beast and human, all to nurture the Violet Dragon Orchid and empower the sect master’s son.

Aiden frowned and asked, “So there is no Violet Dragon Orchid?”

“No, but there will be soon. It won’t be the Violet Dragon Orchid, though. It will be a Blood Dragon Orchid, a twisted and dark version of it,” Serina replied, shaking her head.

“Meaning?” Aiden pressed for more details.

Serina explained, “The natural Violet Dragon Orchid is formed through a harmony of blood, dragon energy, and various plant beast essences, resulting in a stable combination of Violet Energy. However, in the artificially bred one, the excessive corpses overpower the blood energy, leading to its dominance. This causes the blood energy to devour other energies, creating the Blood Dragon Orchid.”

“We need to stop it,” she insisted.

“Why?” Aiden asked.

“Because it is a perfect catalyst for demonic cultivators. If the sect master’s son even gets near it, the Blood Dragon Orchid will devour him, resulting in the birth of a Blood Demon Dragon through his body. Given the number of cultivators they are killing, it will likely start from the Spirit God realm,” she said anxiously.

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t they know about it too?” Aiden questioned, finding it hard to believe that the sect would risk their leader’s son.

“They don’t know about it. It was an ancient accident when an alchemist tried to breed it with monster carcasses. He thought he would evolve his Martial Spirit, which he did, but it also took over him and destroyed his entire sect in just one breath. Many Spirit Gods of that time had to join forces to subdue and kill it,” Serina explained.

“After that, it was listed as taboo information to prevent any demonic sect from utilizing it,” she added.

Aiden nodded, understanding the implications. “But surely, it wouldn’t have been the only case, right?”

“No, it was the only documented case. The Alchemist Association falsely spread information that forcefully cultivating it results in an abnormal Violet Dragon Orchid that killed their elder. They even showed the site where the dragon unleashed its fury first, which was filled with blood energy. They claimed it was due to their elder’s body exploding from excess blood energy, leading everyone to understand the grave consequences of artificially cultivating the Violet Dragon Orchid,” Serina elaborated.

She then began to fly towards the central area where the orchid was being cultivated. Aiden followed her, thinking, “There may be a chance they are near completion.” As he flew, he began to place abyssal crystals at specific distances, using a spell called Death Convergence to collect all the corpses along the way.

Death Convergence was a necromancy spell that required a long casting time, a large area, and a significant number of corpses—all of which were available in this place.

Shelly inwardly prayed that she wouldn’t be forced to use her cultivation, as it would result in her being forcibly expelled from this realm. She sighed and moved towards the central area, thinking, “If I were to forcefully ascend, I will surely destroy any associate of the Heavenly Serpent Sect in the Immortal realm.”

She noticed Aiden doing something with his weird crystals, collecting all the corpses. Though curious, she ignored it after some time, thinking Aiden was preparing another monster for the Blood Dragon.

They reached halfway to the inner area but stopped when they saw many old men in Heavenly Serpent Sect clothing blocking their way.

“Hmm, one Peak Spirit King, a lower Spirit Saint, and an unknown cultivation girl,” one of them observed, eyeing them.

“It’s a pity, but let’s kill them all.”

“Yes, those three would make good furnaces, but what a pity,” another one remarked.

They talked among themselves, looking at Serina and Shelly.

Aiden didn’t say anything and directly released Mikhail and Ryman. Seeing the sudden emergence of monsters, the Spirit Saints summoned their Martial Spirits.

“A summoning type Martial Spirit, huh!” one of them muttered.

“It is rare; you almost never see them here,” another commented.

“Whatever, they are only Peak Spirit Warriors. Let’s kill them and deliver them to the orchid too,” a third one said.

The others nodded and then charged at them.

All three of them summoned their Martial Spirits. Behind the middle elder, a massive snake spirit akin to a King Cobra emerged, its hood flared wide, revealing intricate patterns that pulsed with a sinister, venomous glow. Its scales were a shimmering black, and its eyes glowed a piercing yellow, exuding a sense of deadly precision and primal fear.

From the left elder rose a vibrant green spear, seemingly alive with an ethereal light. Vines and leaves entwined around its shaft, pulsating with energy. The spearhead was razor-sharp, glowing with a brilliant emerald hue, and it crackled with latent power, ready to pierce through any adversary.

On the right, a formidable black scorpion with red sinister lines emerged, its exoskeleton gleaming menacingly. The scorpion’s pincers snapped with deadly intent, and its tail arched high, dripping with a lethal, glowing poison. The red lines pulsed rhythmically, resonating with the elder’s own heartbeat, adding a layer of malevolent energy to the creature.

Aiden glanced at Mikhail and Ryman and instructed them to empower themselves. Both were enveloped in a brilliant light as they charged at the three old Spirit Saints.

Mikhail activated his undying will, encasing himself in golden light. The golden glow surrounding the Pitch Black Dullahan King was a sight to behold. Meanwhile, Ryman used his Aura of Supremacy, encasing himself in a regal aura of kingship, making his form seem even more majestic. Both of them clashed against the left and right elders.

Mikhail summoned his Sword of Despair martial spirit, engaging in a fierce battle with the spear-wielding elder. The Sword of Despair, a massive, dark blade with an ominous aura, clashed against the vibrant green spear, sending sparks flying.

Ryman summoned his Asura King martial spirit, a towering, demonic figure with six arms each wielding a different weapon. He clashed against the scorpion elder, his Asura King’s claws meeting the scorpion’s pincers in a brutal contest of strength. Other hands stopping the poison stinger.

Aiden, on the other hand, summoned his Death Dragon of Infinite Darkness, an enormous, shadowy dragon with eyes that glowed like burning coals. He used his soul essence to raise himself to the peak Spirit Emperor level. Alongside this, he summoned his Golden Sword martial spirit, a radiant blade imbued with divine energy, to finish the battle as quickly as possible.

The snake spirit elder unleashed a whip-like energy strike at Aiden. Aiden used his Void Guard to parry it and swiftly countered with Absolute Severance. The snake elder sensed the danger and attempted to dodge, but his left hand was severed from his body, causing him to scream in agony and rage. The battle had only just begun, but Aiden and his companions were already proving their superiority.