In the blood lake, Li Xiaotian moved around like a hunter, needing to gather ten living beings within a month.
Once he did, he could leave whenever he pleased.
During this month, strange rumors began to circulate among the surviving beings in the blood lake.
The blood lake had gained consciousness and would devour lone beings.
No matter how powerful you were, if the blood lake targeted you, you would be instantly killed!
For a time, everyone was on edge. Originally, the beings in the blood lake were solitary, never gathering together. After all, everyone needed the quota, and upon meeting each other, they wished nothing more than to kill their rivals.
But as this rumor spread, many beings who felt their strength was insufficient began to gather, making solemn vows not to attack each other.
In just a few days, the formerly solitary beings in the blood lake had formed over a dozen organizations of varying strengths.
This was all due to the rumor.
They all believed the blood lake had developed its own consciousness, and anyone found alone would perish.
After all, the blood lake's inherent rules already made everyone suspicious.
Li Xiaotian, disguised as a small patch of bloody water, inadvertently overheard three supreme beings discussing these events, finding it all quite peculiar.
Were they talking about him?
Had he, through his own efforts, changed the blood lake's millennia-old rule against grouping up?
This was too exaggerated!
Li Xiaotian felt speechless but understood these beings. After all, within this month, including Yuan Tian, he had already killed eleven supreme beings!
Keep in mind that any being surviving in the blood lake possessed some form of life-saving ability.
Eleven deaths in a month was unprecedented.
It was only reasonable for the surviving beings to have such suspicions.
Li Xiaotian observed the three supreme beings at the bottom of the lake. One was a third-tier supreme being, and the other two were second-tier, of average strength. If he were to act, he was fully confident in eliminating these three.
However, he decided against it. The palace at the bottom of the lake was about to open, and many powerful beings who had already left the blood lake were returning. He didn't want to attract too much attention at this moment.
Without further delay, Li Xiaotian drifted towards the depths of the blood lake.
Along the way, he resumed his human form, his body surging with demonic energy. The only person who had seen him since entering the blood lake was Ying Sha, so he could easily pretend to be a powerful being who had previously exited the blood lake.
As Li Xiaotian ventured deeper, the concentration of blood in the blood lake increased, eventually seeming to be entirely composed of transformed blood.
Furthermore, the corrosive power of the water in the depths was even greater. If he relied solely on his physical body to resist it, even a golden body would eventually be corroded away by the lake water.
Li Xiaotian sank for tens of thousands of miles before finally seeing his target for this excursion: the palace at the bottom of the lake.
It was a colossal palace, black and red all over.
Various totems were carved into the surrounding walls, depicting beings from all races.
As he approached, Li Xiaotian's blood began to boil uncontrollably, as if the palace possessed a force that attracted the blood within his body.
Li Xiaotian let out a cold snort, suppressing the abnormality in his blood, and then slowly approached the palace.
In front of the palace's main entrance stood rows of protruding stone pillars, neatly arranged, numbering one hundred in total.
At this moment, quite a few beings had already gathered around the palace, all positioned in front of the main entrance. Each occupied a stone pillar, radiating a terrifying aura. In fact, the auras of several of these beings made Li Xiaotian feel a sense of danger.
Mid-tier powerhouses! Li Xiaotian's eyes narrowed sharply. Three mid-tier powerhouses had actually arrived!
Li Xiaotian's arrival did not draw any attention. Everyone was seated cross-legged on the stone pillars, waiting quietly.
Li Xiaotian, without making a fuss, found a stone pillar in a corner and sat down cross-legged.
Although called stone pillars, each could accommodate at least ten people.
Fortunately, Li Xiaotian had already gathered all the information about the palace during this time.
Each time the palace opened, only one hundred beings were allowed entry, and the standard for entry was these stone pillars.
When the palace opened, the stone pillars would transform into tokens. Only those holding a token would be qualified to enter the palace.
As for those without a token who attempted to force their way in, they would be instantly killed by the palace's terrifying power! This applied even to mid-tier powerhouses!
Li Xiaotian observed the number of beings present. Including himself, there were seventy-three. However, this was just the beginning; as the palace opening time approached, more and more individuals would arrive.
Every time the palace opened, these hundred stone pillars would trigger a battle for possession.
Everyone wanted to secure a spot to enter the palace.
It seems I arrived early, Li Xiaotian thought. That's good, as it saves me from having to provoke someone to take a stone pillar after they're all occupied.
After all, his personality was not one that liked to initiate trouble.
As soon as Li Xiaotian sat down, another being arrived. Seeing that there were still empty stone pillars, the newcomer's face lit up with joy, and they quickly claimed one.
Li Xiaotian glanced at them and then shook his head slightly. A second-tier supreme being, actively claiming a stone pillar – this was clearly courting death.
As time passed, more and more powerhouses arrived, and all one hundred stone pillars were occupied.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the area became tense, because the next being to arrive would inevitably have to fight for a stone pillar.
A disturbance rippled through the distant lake water, and many people present looked in that direction.
"Buzz!"
In the blink of an eye, a figure appeared before everyone. It was a human, middle-aged, with the strength of a third-tier supreme being.
The middle-aged man, seeing that all the stone pillars were occupied, frowned and instinctively stopped.
At this moment, many people were staring at him, and even the three mid-tier powerhouses at the front couldn't help but cast their gaze over.
The middle-aged man's gaze swept across the hundred stone pillars, then locked onto a target, and he flew directly towards it.
Li Xiaotian looked over and couldn't help but feel speechless. It was the being who had arrived after him, a stout human-like figure with six ears.
Considering that there were still over a dozen beings below the third-tier supreme level present, this middle-aged man chose the six-eared stout fellow. One had to admit, the stout fellow's luck was truly terrible.
"Boom!"
The six-eared stout fellow's expression drastically changed when he saw the middle-aged man charging at him. He immediately unleashed his aura and roared at the middle-aged man.
"Fellow Daoist, please leave. This spot is taken!"
Upon hearing this, many beings in the vicinity let out laughter. Fellow Daoist? Someone is coming to steal your fortune, and you're still so polite? This is practically begging to be robbed.
"Hmph! Scram, or die!" the middle-aged man coldly snorted, not attacking immediately.
"On what grounds? First come, first served. This is mine!" the six-eared stout fellow's face turned red, his eyes filled with grief and indignation. He shouted to the other beings around him.
"Fellow Daoists, this position is mine. I arrived first, and you all witnessed it."
"This person wants to snatch my spot. Those who arrive later will surely do the same. I hope all of you fellow Daoists can help me drive this person away, so that we, the hundred, can stand united, and no one arriving later can take our spots!"
"Boom!"
As soon as the six-eared stout fellow finished speaking, the middle-aged man couldn't help but make his move. He unleashed a punch.
The six-eared stout fellow roared, his entire body inflating like a balloon, attempting to withstand the middle-aged man's punch.
However, the gap in their strength was too vast. The moment his body came into contact with the middle-aged man's fist, he was sent flying backward with a single blow.
"No!" the six-eared stout fellow screamed, spitting out blood.
"Hmph! Ignorance! Get lost!" the middle-aged man coldly snorted and sat down cross-legged on the stone pillar.
"Fellow Daoists, you are just going to watch this person act so rudely? Now that I've been robbed, it might be you next!"
"On what grounds? We arrived here first. Why should they be robbed?" the six-eared stout fellow yelled, hoping someone would step in to help him.
But his plea only elicited mockery from the beings present. Even Li Xiaotian looked at him strangely. How did this stout fellow cultivate to the supreme level? Expecting others to help him with a few words was too naive!