ion was as if I had just been putting on an act, and would continue to do so.""Well, I won't be rude then!" The prodigy saw this situation and had no choice but to make the first move. As long as he p...Chapter 334: Bloodline of Freedom, Part 2

Meanwhile, they also did what was expected of them. They dispersed the captured individuals and distributed a portion of Black Wind Fort's treasury to those people. The rest naturally belonged to them.

Famous sects needed funding too. Seizing these ill-gotten gains was justified, and it was something they often did!

This is one matter on another side. Returning to this side, Black Snow continued answering Freedom's questions.

"It’s a box. We don’t know what’s inside yet, but it must be an important item."

"A box Is it the one in the room at the very back of Demon Palace You actually opened it Who managed to cultivate the Soul-Destroying Art to its sixth level" Freedom guessed what the box was and knew the condition for opening that room.

"How did you know Did you enter before" Black Snow immediately asked. She hadn’t mentioned these matters yet, but Freedom seemed to already know them in such detail, which could only mean he had entered Demon Palace himself.

"Oho, I didn't go inside oho, I just saw a description." Freedom looked up at the moon and said, clearly dodging the question.

"You must have gone inside. How can you not find a way in after being in Soul Gate for over a year What methods did you use to get in The entrance of Demon Palace had never been opened before." Black Snow was curious and chased after Freedom’s question, seemingly unconcerned about this matter becoming known to the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.

"You’re not worried they’ll find out This is strange. Your attitude seems suspicious. Are you lying to me" Freedom found it odd. While changing the subject, he voiced his suspicions.

He felt that the Ten Thousand Sword Sect had some connection with Black Snow and wasn’t simply an enemy of hers. Otherwise, Black Snow wouldn’t have revealed this secret even if she was captured by them.

"I’m not lying to you. I’m not afraid they’ll find out because they themselves are a branch of the Dark Sect. They want this box in order to seize control over the Dark Sect." Black Snow revealed something that surprised Freedom but seemed unsurprising at the same time.

Were these words to be spread across the continent, it would cause an earthquake of level twelve. Who could believe that the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, which was part of the coalition against the Dark Sect, turned out to actually be a branch of the Dark Sect

Now thinking about it, perhaps Black Snow’s interference with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s actions back then was merely an effort to weaken their opponents.

"Why is there another branch How many branches does your Dark Sect have" Freedom felt somewhat exasperated. He knew Greedy Wolf Empire was a branch of the Dark Sect, and that Tang Dynasty had some connection with it too. Now a Ten Thousand Sword Sect also appeared.

It seemed like all the struggles on the continent were merely internal fights within the Dark Sect, which was truly inconceivable.

"The Dark Sect has existed for over ten thousand years; countless factions have branched off from it. The thirty-six branches we’re talking about are relatively powerful ones and can be put on display, but like the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, many only know of them in part!" Black Snow became rather proud as she spoke on this matter, which was something to be proud of for anyone.

The Dark Sect had indeed controlled the situation on the continent all along; it’s just that nobody knew about it. They felt that the righteous sects and countries were actually branches of the Dark Sect in many cases.

However, over the past three thousand years, the Dark Sect has fragmented into pieces, reducing its influence on the continent compared to before, though it still remains very powerful.

No one knew how the Dark Sect originated or why they had such a terrifying power. Freedom had read some historical records and studied the emergence of the Dark Sect. They seemed to appear out of nowhere at a certain time without any preceding signs.

It was unclear whether this was due to a gap in historical documentation or something else; Freedom couldn’t investigate it as it pertained to history from over ten thousand years ago.

However, there was an interesting record. It seemed the Dark Sect wasn’t originally called the Dark Sect and that the Soul-Destroying Art wasn't originally known by that name either. The Dark Sect wasn’t a villainous force at first; it was initially called Muyun Sect which established a powerful empire—the Muyun Empire.

Later, due to the rash actions of the Muyun Sect and their deeds perceived as evil, along with some people’s propaganda, the Muyun Sect gradually became known as the Dark Sect. Someone deliberately used the homophonic meaning of 'mò' (dark) to change its name, while the Muyun Empire turned into Demon Empire, a forbidden existence never recorded in official history.

The Dark Sect didn’t seem to mind this and enjoyed it greatly. A leader of the Dark Sect wanted to live without being constantly scrutinized by others so he disbanded the Muyun Empire, dividing it into many factions that infiltrated various parts of the continent, controlling everything from behind the scenes.

This was more comfortable for that Dark Sect’s leader and suited their sect which focused on cultivation. They thought this arrangement indeed worked well—allowing them to cultivate peacefully while obtaining the best resources—and thus continued with it.

As such, many forces connected to the Dark Sect emerged on the continent in various ways, whether as sects or nations. Although some of these factions had forgotten their history and completely separated from the Dark Sect, the influence of the Dark Sect remained strong.

"Alright, I understand that now. This is an internal matter for your Dark Sect then. I can help you open this box, but it will cancel out one of your conditions." Freedom said; this situation didn’t seem particularly tense despite Black Snow’s capture. The Dark Sect might have internal strife, but they generally wouldn’t kill each other as that was against their teachings and also a reason for the sect's continued strength.

The Myriad Sword Sect also had no intention of killing Black Snow or harming the Recluse. There was no need to do so; as long as they obtained what was inside this box, Black Snow would eventually be under their control, and killing her would mean losing a powerful subordinate.

They knew that Black Snow would certainly submit because, just like them, if they lost, they would have to follow Black Snow's orders without any complaints.

"This won't do. Your condition can’t be wasted like this," Black Snow refused the Recluse’s suggestion.

"Then I won’t open it for you," the Recluse also declined.

“I’m not asking you to force it open; we would rather wait if that means breaking the box,” Black Snow shook her head and said.

"What do you want me to do then"

"You just have to bleed a little…"

“…”

If this had happened before, the Recluse would think that Black Snow was trying to kill him. But now it didn’t sound like that. He seemed to understand how to open this box normally.

The box worked similarly to the Demon Palace’s main gate; both needed blood from a person with demon sect heritage to be opened. However, unlike the main gate of the Demon Palace, this box required an exact match for it to work; any failure would cause the fresh blood to be expelled and the mechanism to reset.

Moreover, forcefully opening the box might trigger its mechanisms and destroy what was inside—a significant difference from the Demon Palace’s main gate, which could withstand such attempts.

"You guys are putting too much faith in me. I may have some blood ties, but they're not pure enough. You should find someone who has practiced to the sixth level of Heavenly Devil Technique; otherwise, continue practicing until you reach the ninth level and then it will definitely open."

Knowing this, he knew that expecting him to be able to open the box was like hoping for a miracle.

"The emotionless one has tried. He only managed a third of the way, so there's still quite a distance left. As for reaching the ninth level of Heavenly Devil Technique… I probably won't see it in my lifetime. Others have also attempted, but even fewer succeeded. That’s why I want to try with you; you are our last hope, although it is very slim."

Eastern Emotionless was indeed her; only she could progress so quickly. In that case, Eastern Emotionless would be of great importance in the Demon Sect, and if she continued advancing, she could become the next leader.

However, even so, reaching the ninth level wasn’t easy. There were few members who reached this level historically, let alone now when blood ties are already very thin. The first six levels were vastly different from the last three.

This was why Black Snow thought she would never see it in her lifetime… "Then we’ll wait for another generation! Your descendants will have a chance!" Recluse smiled and said this, making Black Snow want to beat him up. He clearly meant that they couldn't achieve it, so they should give up.

"Bring this brat here and bleed him."

Fan Gao ordered directly; he didn’t want to waste time with Recluse since his blood was all that mattered anyway.

“Wait a minute, I’ll do it myself!!” The Recluse immediately said. Being bled by someone else would waste too much blood.

In this situation, resisting wasn’t wise; they only needed a little blood and fighting so many experts over that was pointless; he might lose even more blood then.

"You’re smart," Fan Gao snorted. He then told someone to hand Recluse a small knife and placed the box in front of him, though he held it himself as such an important thing required his personal attention.

The Recluse didn’t take their knife but used his own delicate dagger instead, carefully letting out just a little blood—no more than necessary.

"Why so stingy Give me more," Fan Gao said unhappily.

“Come on, you think this is something A little bit is enough; if it works, that’s all we need. If not, extra won’t help. I believe this probably won't work…”

The Recluse was speaking when he suddenly paused. He had thought his blood would only move the mechanism a tiny bit at most but was surprised to see it continue moving further and further… until the whole mechanism was finally completed!!

Under moonlight, the box emitted a hazy glow as some clear mechanical sounds echoed out; this box actually opened under Recluse’s little drop of blood!! his expression, as if he wants to eat me!!"That's right. There's a good medicinal herb ahead, I'll go pick it!" After leaving those words, Xiangyuan ran towards the hillside. Eating and Eating hopped...