Chapter 68: The Asura Blood Hall
So how did they solve it? Well, putting aside other sects, the Six Paths Demon Sect chose to split the sect into three major layers, each one split from the other yet still adherent to the same overall body. The split was based on the theory of Daoism, which formed the nine levels of mortal cultivation.
The lowest layer was the Six Paths Halls, which were split into the Hungry Ghost Hall, the Wild Beast Hall, the Divine Deva Hall, the Desolate Hell Hall, the True Human Hall, and the Asura Blood Hall. Each hall had the same structure and was a part of the Six Paths Halls, which was a part of the Six Paths Demon Sect.
However, the halls were like their own mini sects, which was how the split-layer system of the Six Paths Demon Sect was intended to function in the first place. So they each had their own Sect Master (Hall Master), Elders (Path Lords), and disciples (Path Walkers), as well as some of the various arms of government.
In the eyes of the overall sect, Path Walkers were Outer Sect Disciples, Path Lords were Outer Sect Deacons, and the Hall Master was just an Outer Sect Elder. The requirement to enter the Path Walker spot was to have a spirit root and pass the various tests to be admitted, akin to typical sect recruitment. The level here usually existed in the Qi Refinement or Mortal Flesh realm.
The goal was to be upgraded to a Path Lord by reaching Foundation Establishment or Body Foundation, which afforded better rights and access to better resources in the Six Paths Halls. Once one entered Core Formation, they could either opt to compete for the position of Hall Master if their talent was lacking, or they could attempt to advance further to the next level, the middle layer.
The middle layer was the Six Paths Lower Sect, which was what most people were familiar with when they thought of the Six Paths Demon Sect. Here, the membership levels were more formal, from the Inner Sect Disciple, the Core Disciples, and the True Elders.
Inner Sect Disciples were at the Core Formation level and were young enough to still keep progressing after rising from the Six Paths Halls. Then upon advancing to Nascent Soul, one could qualify to become a rare and powerful Core Disciple, who was now part of the face of the sect.
If one reached the Soul Formation realm, the situation became similar to the lower layer. You could either settle for being a True Elder who managed the middle layer or compete with your fellows to ascend to the top layer of the sect.
The top layer was the Six Paths Upper Sect, which hardly interacted with the cultivation world but was the absolute power of the sect. It was split into four levels, with the True Inheritors at the bottom who were those competing to become the next Sect Master or more, with realms starting at Dao Integration.
Next were the Grand Elders, who were not necessarily those with lacking talent nor the ones with great age, but rather those with strong ability. Here, a minimum realm of Void Refinement was necessary, entering the upper echelons of cultivation.
Then came the Sect Master, the highest power of the sect outwardly, who was at the Nihility Realm. This was a fixed realm, so the one who entered this position was giving up their discipleship for management, meaning they had likely reached the end of their path.
Finally, there was the position of Demon Ancestor, held usually by either retired Sect Masters at the Ascension Realm—the final realm of mortal cultivation before immortality—or True Inheritors who failed to ascend. Ancestors usually had no chance of ascending, so they could act as deterrents and prevent those like the Trinity of Righteousness from exterminating the Demon Sect in the lower realm.
This was what Bai Ruyi explained in detail to Li Ling as they traversed the bustling Holy City, eventually arriving before the location of the Asura Blood Hall, Li Ling’s target.
The Asura Blood Hall was a sprawling expanse of blood-red buildings with a bizarre architecture that heavily displayed the motifs of weapons, combat, and violence. Just being near it, one felt an indescribable urge to punch their nearest neighbor, something that was actually quite often an occurrence here as there was an ongoing brawl right at the door.
Li Ling initially raised his hand to slaughter the two fellows, but remembered the rules of the Holy City and licked his lips. In the end, he could only bypass them with Bai Ruyi, who watched the battle with morbid interest, seemingly tempted to entice the combatants to give their all and escalate the level of the fight.
Walking into the Asura Blood Hall, Li Ling realized that the area was more akin to a large campus ground. From the gate, there was a large courtyard with a huge dueling ring in the center, which was occupied by two Mortal Flesh disciples battering each other with the Blood Asura Descent technique at various levels.
Li Ling only paused for a second to gauge them and the crowd around them who were at the same level. He noticed that the majority were in the late stage of the Mortal Flesh realm, with robust auras thick with Blood Qi. However, his brows inevitably furrowed when he noticed the violent instability of the majority of disciples, who had expressions of malevolence as they watched blood flow on the stage.
The two on the stage were even more violent, brawling in the most raw manner with their fists striking each other’s flesh like thunderclaps, the Blood Qi of both warriors tangling with each other for dominance. Such a battle would not end quickly, and Li Ling had no intention of standing around to watch, especially since eyes were falling on the clear outlier that was Bai Ruyi.
Now make no mistake, the Asura Blood Hall—nor any hall of the Six Paths Demon Sect—was not gender restricted. There were plenty of male Asura Practitioners, but there were also a sizable number of female cultivators as well, who looked over with bloodshot eyes full of malice.
It was just that, while everyone was wreathed in killing intent, even Li Ling, Bai Ruyi was radiating an aura of seduction that caused both male and female to have an interest. This interest fermented to the point where one particularly irate disciple directly reached over with a greedy look in his eyes.
"Woman, come and spread your legs as entertainment while I watch those two fight!" he said unscrupulously, clearly lost in the belligerent nature of the Blood Asura Descent.
Meanwhile, Bai Ruyi, whose cultivation was still sealed, smiled encouragingly toward the fellow, making him even more excited. However, his expression faltered when his arm was grabbed by Li Ling and crushed with ease, causing him to scream in agony.
Li Ling silenced the screams by throwing the fellow to the ground and stomping on his head, crushing it like a burst melon.
｢System Prompt: You have gained 13 Slaughter Points.｣
The place immediately became silent, even the duo battering each other on the stage pausing to look over with shock. After all, on one hand, they were practitioners of the Blood Asura Descent and blood was as important to them as to a vampire because it was the source of their strength.
On the other, not only was this the Holy City of the Tianmo Empire, but it was also the Asura Blood Hall!
If killing was allowed here, then there would long have been endless carnage in this place and endless rivers of blood as each cultivator devoured the other to grow.
So regardless of Li Ling’s justification, there was bound to be retribution!
"WHO DARES?!"
"FLOUTING THE RULES!"
"GOOD, GOOD, GOOD! SOMEONE ACTUALLY DARES TO KILL!"
"HAHAHA, THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!"
Furious voices roared from different areas of the hall as bloody auras flared into the sky, forming beams of light that charged into the courtyard area. Immediately, waves of power suppression acted upon everyone here, causing those at the Mortal Flesh realm to feel suffocated and kneel down weakly.
Bai Ruyi and Li Ling remained unfazed, the former wearing a wide-eyed smile of manic interest while the latter was nonchalantly amused, looking nothing at all like the perpetrator of the crime.
Immediately, there appeared four fellows, three women and one man. The women were young and beautiful, though with an edge of malice, while the man was slightly older, seemingly middle-aged and with a calmer overall disposition.
One of the women, who had tanned skin and brown eyes, glanced at the area, scanning the situation with her eyes and eventually falling upon Li Ling. She then forked a finger over to one of the spectating Mortal Flesh disciples and spoke while still staring at the casual Li Ling.
"Speak, what happened here?"
Her tone was imperious and brooked no space for negotiation, and the disciple in question had no intention of doing so anyway.
"Path Lady Ren, we were watching the ranking challenge of Path Walker Jia and Path Walker Qi when this person walked into the courtyard. He was then accosted by Path Walker Tie, who wanted to grab and rape his female companion when the stranger responded with a single blow to the head with his Blood Qi." The disciple answered quickly, speaking clearly.
One of the other women laughed, her curly black hair and bright blue eyes fixated on the corpse. "Hahaha, I don’t think so, Junior! That carcass has a broken arm and fractured ribs, which means his arm was broken and he was tossed to the ground before being killed!"
This caused the face of the disciple in question to change greatly. "Path Lady, that was what I saw...!"
Path Lady Ren did not bother to look at the fellow as she tossed him back to where he came, causing him to crash into countless other disciples who were silent, making all of them spit blood and scream in agony due to severe injury. One would even notice some flecks of glowing black-red blood on them that was foreign, the source of the harm they suffered.
"In the end, does it even matter? As the head of the Binding Blood Wing, it is my duty to uphold the law of the Hall. Do you have any last words or any pleas to make before it all ends?" she asked Li Ling coldly.
Li Ling rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That’s not going to work. Not only can you not defeat me, you don’t even have the right to judge me."
Path Lady Ren paused and then chuckled. "Ah, you must either be new here or you are muddled in the head. Within the Asura Blood Hall, only I and those part of my wing are allowed to kill first and explain later, which I shall exercise on you now."
Saying this, she wasted no time manifesting her Blood Qi, which was vastly different from what Li Ling had. If the Blood Qi of the Mortal Flesh realm was like a thin misty aura, then what she had was like congealed essence that cycled around her like a repressed tidal wave.
｢Name: Ren Xue
Status: Healthy.
Age: 54/400
Slaughter Points Value: 100
Cultivation Base: Qi Refinement Perfection (100%) || Body Foundation level 9 (34%)
Remarks: This woman is the head of the Binding Blood Wing which handles all disciplinary matters within the Asura Blood Hall. Due to her unique position, she opts to abuse her authority to kill offenders of the law within the safety of the hall rather than venture out or compete with other Path Lords for resources. She is excited by your actions, because she hardly gets a chance to take down one with Foundation Establishment cultivation, especially on her home ground.｣