Time passed bit by bit. The sun set in the distant sky, and the peak of the mountain was illuminated by the setting sun. It was like a golden Buddha's light that shone brightly.
There were close to a hundred people standing on the square on the peak of the mountain. Among them, there were more than ten Zenith Heaven Realm cultivators. Among them, 16 were the Clan Leaders of the 16 Great Desolate Clans, while the rest were the leaders of the strongest clans among the top 100 clans.
Apart from them, the remaining people were the most talented and had the purest bloodlines among the younger generation of their tribes. Only these people could pass the test of the Ancient Path of Ascension and reach the peak.
Among them, the Hun Mo Clan had the most people, with more than ten of them. Meanwhile, the Mountain Moving Ape Clan had the least, with only Yuan Shanbai.
The Hun Mo Clan was the main bloodline descendant of one of the eight great True Spirit Kings, Rahu. Their clan was extremely powerful, and their overall strength was even greater than the Yingma Clan. They were an extremely powerful force in the wilderness.
The current chief was a tall middle-aged man. He wore an eye-catching purple robe embroidered with flowers, and he wore black scale armor on the upper half of his body. His muscles were bulging, and he seemed to be filled with explosive power.
His facial features were extremely ugly. His face seemed to be covered in a layer of plate armor, and there were protruding spikes everywhere. His wide mouth was like a toad's, and there were short purple whiskers under his chin that protruded like steel needles. He looked rather resolute and fierce.
Moreover, his aura was extremely powerful, and it was comparable to a late-stage Grand Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivator.
At this moment, his gaze swept across the entire square, and a hint of doubt flashed through his eyes. After a brief moment of hesitation, he walked to the center of the square and bowed to a person standing at the center.
The person wore a snow-white robe, and he was handsome. His bearing was extraordinary. He was the True Spirit King, Bai Ze.
"Your Majesty, the tribes of the wilderness have already gathered, and there should be no one else climbing the Ancient Path of Eight Wilderness. Why haven't we started the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony?" The chief of the Hun Mo Clan asked.
Bai Ze glanced at Little White who had just woken up and said, "There's no hurry. Let's wait for one more person. He'll be here soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, a suppressed growl came from the northern edge of the square. A figure that resembled a spider leaped from the mountain wall and landed on the square.
The person was none other than Han Li.
In addition to using the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art and the True Spirit Bloodline, he also used the Laws of Time as support. Only after spending six hours did he finally reach the peak.
Little White immediately spotted Han Li, who was bathed in the golden light at the top of the mountain, and immediately ran towards him.
On the other side, Liu Le'er was also overjoyed and immediately went up to greet them.
With a flash of light, Han Li's three-headed, six-armed form completely disappeared, and he returned to his original state.
However, the strange appearance he had transformed into earlier had already been seen by the others, and the peculiar aura his body contained was also sensed by the others.
The long-browed elder of the Mountain Moving Ape Clan merely narrowed his eyes, but he did not seem too surprised. However, the clan leaders of the other clans were a little unsettled.
"It's the human race … Why are humans able to ascend our sacred mountain?"
A middle-aged man about ten feet tall, with a purple face and a short beard, who looked like a leopard and had black wings on his back, spoke first. His tone was filled with anger.
He was the clan leader of the Flying Leopard clan. This clan was also considered a bloodline descendant of the Suanni, but they were not as pure as the Yuwu clan. They were a branch of the Yuwu clan's Patriarch.
Although they were also one of the sixteen great clans, they were still a generation younger than the Yuwu clan.
"Why does he have the aura of the True Spirit, and not just one?"
Another man with the head of a hawk and the body of a man holding a halberd shouted loudly. The two wings on his back could not help but spread open slightly. There were sizzling sounds coming from between the wings, and there were silver sparks winding around them.
This person was the clan leader of the Silver-winged Thunder Roc clan, one of the sixteen great clans.
Half of the other sixteen great clans' clan leaders were also shocked and furious. All of them wanted to kill Han Li as soon as possible.
Among the Qing Yuan clan, a white-faced old man with a hunched back only sneered when he saw this. He did not say a word.
He was the clan leader of the Qing Yuan clan. He was one of the few among the sixteen great clans' clan leaders who knew Han Li's identity in advance.
Chao Tian and Qing Zhu stood behind him, looking at Han Li with resentment.
Bai Ze could not help but frown when he saw the crowd's anger rising.
"Please calm down, Fellow Daoist Han Li has been invited by His Majesty to attend the ceremony," Han Li said with a smile.
Liqima, who was standing behind him, immediately understood. He came to the crowd and Han Li and announced loudly.
When the crowd heard this, they instantly quietened down. Although it was difficult to get rid of the doubts in their hearts, no one asked any questions.
"Everyone, don't worry. This Friend Han is a friend of the Wilderness clans. He was the one who found the bloodline of the Ink Eye Pi Xiu King, one of the eight ancient kings, and escorted it back." Liqima continued.
"So it's him …" Someone in the crowd exclaimed.
It was obvious that some of Han Li's deeds had already spread among the Wilderness' True Spirits.
Han Li was not surprised by the crowd's reaction. His eyes swept across the square, and when his gaze fell on the people of the Ming Wu clan, he could not help but be stunned. It's him?
At the forefront of the Chuang Wu Clan stood a tall white-haired young man with a gloomy expression. He wore a white and light golden brocade robe and had his hands behind his back. He was looking at the Chuang Wu Clan with a sly smile.
Han Li recognized him at a glance. He was the one who had tried to rob him of his Tao Core. The latter also recognized him at a glance.
The two of them had the same thought: Enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road …
When Han Li shifted his gaze again, his eyes fell on the Sky Fox clan. He found that in addition to the few people who had climbed up the mountain, there was another familiar figure in the crowd. It was Hu San.
Hu San's eyes met with Han Li's, and they nodded to each other. Before they could communicate, Han Li was called by Li Qima and led to the center of the square.
"Greetings, True Spirit King." Han Li cupped his fists and bowed to Bai Ze.
The latter nodded with a smile and glanced at the western sky. He saw that the sky was dark blue, and many stars had already appeared, emitting faint rays of light.
"The time is just right, the ceremony can begin." Bai Ze nodded and said.
When the patriarchs heard this, they immediately reorganized their clansmen and gathered neatly in the square.
Bai Ze came to the front of the crowd, and his eyes swept across the crowd.
"Today's Blood Sacrifice Assembly is a rare event for the races of the Wilderness for thousands of years. There are many reasons why it has never been held in the past.
Now the entire Immortal Domain is in chaos, and I'm afraid it has already reached the great calamity of the world that the Ink-Eyed Pixiu predicted. Our races of the Wilderness are involved in it, and it is difficult to resist. "
When the crowd heard this, they were puzzled. Only the patriarchs of the various races had a sudden change in expression. Clearly, not many people knew about the prophecy left by the True Spirit King Mo Yu.
Han Li naturally did not know about this, but he had personally experienced the changes in the Immortal Domain over the years, so he could more or less understand the meaning of Bai Ze's words than some of the juniors of the Wilderness.
Only those who were able to detect and prepare for the changes in the world when the wind had just begun, or even before it had begun, would be able to stand proudly at the head of the tide instead of being passively swept away when the wind and thunder suddenly arose.
Xiao Bai stood beside Han Li. Although she did not understand what it meant, she knew that it was the prophecy left by the Ink-Eyed Pixiu, so she listened very carefully.
"Today is the time to open the Temple of the Wilderness and the Asura Gate of Blood. The positions of the Eight Kings of the Wilderness have been vacant for a long time, and it is time to call them back and restore the glory of the Wilderness." Bai Ze continued, his eyes flashing with golden light.
"The Eight Kings return, restore glory!"
"The Eight Kings return, restore glory!"
…
With just a few words, the excitement of the various races of the Wilderness was instantly ignited, and they all began to shout loudly.
When Han Li heard this, he was slightly puzzled. Could it be that this Blood Sacrifice Assembly was some kind of sacrificial ceremony to summon the other missing True Spirit Kings?
"Where are the people for the Blood Sacrifice of the 16 Wilderness Tribes?" Bai Ze shouted.
Among the Yingma Tribe, Li Qi was the first to step forward. He stood in front of the formation with his chest puffed out and an imposing appearance.
Among the Sky Fox Tribe, Liu Le'er also stepped forward and stood in front of her people.
Then, among the Qing Yuan Tribe, Cheng Shou also stepped forward and came to the front. His tusk, which had been broken by Han Li, had somehow been reconnected and looked as good as new.
Among the Chanwu Tribe, the white-haired Youth with a gloomy face walked out. He stood in front with his arms crossed.
Among the Hun Zhu Tribe, a towering man dressed in black scale armor walked out. His face was like a wild boar's, and his lips were protruding, revealing three pairs of white teeth that were curved like crescent moons. He looked quite ferocious.
Among the Silver-winged Thunder Roc Tribe, a bare-chested Youth with spiky silver hair walked out. There was a golden lightning mark between his eyebrows, and there were two wings on his back. They seemed to be entwined with electricity and crackled from time to time.
Among the Mountain Moving Ape Tribe, the little white ape also walked to the front and looked at Han Li.
Standing at Han Li's side, Xiao Bai hesitated for a moment before raising his head to look at Han Li.
Han Li nodded at her with a smile. Only then did Xiao Bai leave his side and come to the front of the formation.
The people of these eight tribes could be considered direct descendants of the Eight Kings of the Wilderness. As for the other eight tribes, such as the Heaven-reaching Rat Tribe, the Hundred-legged Dragon Tribe, the Bone-transforming Snake Tribe, the Long-armed Ape Tribe, and so on, they were considered collateral bloodlines.
Each of them sent one person to serve as a sacrificial offering.
"All the sacrificial offerings, follow me into the Sacred Hall. The rest of you stay in the square and wait for the formation to be activated," Bai Ze ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the crowd replied.
Then, Bai Ze turned and walked toward a circular stone hall at the back of the square. Liqima and the others followed behind him and walked toward the stone hall.
At that moment, Bai Ze suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at Han Li. "You should also enter the hall."