This final trial was several times harder than the previous two, but anyone capable of reaching the third isle was undoubtedly talented, so the casualty rate was far lower. The few who had set off earlier were all safe and sound, and were close to reaching the lake-heart palace.
After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, those cultivators arrived at the palace island almost simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, then all charged toward the palace at once — and in the blink of an eye, they had vanished from sight.
Only Pei Wenxuan remained. He turned his head and looked back at Yang Kai, who was still making his way across the Blood Lake.
Their eyes met, and Yang Kai's heart sank. A bad feeling crept over him — this fellow was probably about to pull something underhanded. Pei Wenxuan had tried to cause trouble for him the moment he'd arrived, only to be stopped by Qu Huashang. Now, with Pei Wenxuan on the lake-heart island and Yang Kai still out on the water, he finally had his chance.
The thought had barely formed when Yang Kai saw Pei Wenxuan flash him a grin, clench his fist, and launch a devastating punch in Yang Kai's direction.
Demonic qi and blood qi surged around Pei Wenxuan's body in tandem, rushing along his arm and transforming into a fang-bearing, claw-sweeping dark dragon that raced across the surface of the lake with terrifying momentum.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai might not have given this attack a second thought. But right now, he was standing in the Blood Lake, with most of his mental focus dedicated to maintaining the Blood Radiance Scripture's circulation and resisting the lake's pulling force. Less than thirty percent of his true power was available to him. If such an attack connected and his concentration wavered — causing the Blood Radiance Scripture to slip — the result would be catastrophic.
Pei Wenxuan had chosen the perfect moment to strike.
"Senior Sister Qu, get away from me!" Yang Kai barked, his eyes locked on the dark dragon hurtling toward him as he quietly marshaled his strength to defend.
But then, before it had even flown ten zhang, the dark dragon suddenly seemed to be caught by some unseen force. It plunged straight into the Blood Lake and vanished without so much as a ripple.
Yang Kai blinked in surprise. Pei Wenxuan looked equally stunned.
Frowning, he refused to believe it and unleashed another ferocious blast. Just like before, the attack was devoured by the Blood Lake before it ever came close to Yang Kai.
Pei Wenxuan's expression darkened. He let out a cold snort, shot Yang Kai a vicious glare, and said, "Count yourself lucky!" Then he turned and sprinted toward the palace.
That the Blood Lake could absorb even attacks was something he hadn't anticipated. If not for that, he never would have let Yang Kai off so easily. Continuing to waste time here wasn't worth it — those other cultivators had already entered the palace, and he was eager to test his own fortune.
Yang Kai watched his retreating figure, a flash of killing intent flickering through his eyes. He clenched his teeth silently, then called to Qu Huashang, "Let's go."
The two of them pressed onward.
It took more than half an hour before they finally set foot on the island where the lake-heart palace stood. The moment Qu Huashang stepped onto solid ground, she let out a heavy sigh of relief — the tension she had been holding in her chest all this time finally easing.
She glanced around and said, "Junior Brother Yang, it seems this trial doesn't offer any reward."
Yang Kai hummed in agreement. He had noticed it back when Pei Wenxuan and those others, Zhou Yi among them, had first reached the island — this place did not present inner cores as rewards the way the previous three isles had.
That disappointed him greatly.
By his reckoning, the first isle had offered fourth-grade inner cores, the second fifth-grade, the third sixth-grade. That meant this final central island had a very real chance of yielding a seventh-grade one.
And yet there wasn't so much as a scrap to be found.
It seemed that even within the Blood Demon Divine Lord's trials, seventh-grade inner cores were too precious to hand out casually as rewards. And besides, the Blood Demon Divine Lord's blood dao legacy was possibly hidden inside this palace — what reward could possibly compare to that?
But Yang Kai had come here primarily for high-grade cultivation resources. Having made it this far only to walk away empty-handed was bitterly disappointing.
Still, he was already here. The only thing to do was go inside and take a look. Who knew — there might actually be some treasure waiting within.
He raised his eyes to appraise the palace, then he and Qu Huashang walked toward the main entrance.
Before long they had entered the great hall, and both of them shivered involuntarily, struck by the eerie chill that permeated the place and made their skin crawl.
Yang Kai had expected to find more trials and greater dangers here, but when he looked around, the reality proved quite different from his expectations. The hall was not large — a single glance took in its entirety.
There was nothing inside except a raised platform in the very center. Seated cross-legged atop that platform was a skeleton of pristine white. It was impossible to tell how many years it had been dead — all flesh and blood long since gone — yet the bones remained as white as jade, radiating a faint spiritual luminance.
Yang Kai was genuinely astonished. He didn't know exactly which era the Blood Demon Divine Lord had lived in, but it had certainly been tens of thousands of years ago, perhaps even longer. For a skeleton from that distant an age to be preserved in such condition spoke volumes about how powerful this person must have been in life.
The others who had arrived before them were now gathered around the skeleton, each sitting apart from one another, their burning gazes fixed upon those bleached bones as though they were looking upon a supreme treasure.
Sensing Yang Kai and Qu Huashang's arrival, they all glanced toward the entrance.
"Everyone's here," Pei Wenxuan chuckled in a low voice.
Yang Kai regarded him with cold eyes, killing intent surging within him. This man had tried to cause trouble the moment Yang Kai arrived at the Blood Lake, then had attempted to kill him on its surface. Meeting again now, Yang Kai had no intention of showing mercy.