**Chapter 910: The Blood Lake Reappears**
*"What exactly lies in the central region? And what are the requirements to pass the second trial?"*
Li Xiaotian muttered to himself, deep in thought. As he drew closer to the heart of the Nine Domains, the baleful aura from the center grew denser, almost materializing into a thick, gray haze.
Finally, he stepped into the central region. The moment he entered, an indescribable killing intent assaulted him—cold, terrifying, and sharp enough to make even him feel a faint sting.
This shocked him. Given his current strength, few things in this world could harm him unless a high-tier powerhouse intervened. Yet now, merely the killing intent here was enough to affect his body. It was utterly inconceivable.
His expression solemn, Li Xiaotian pressed forward cautiously, his divine sense sweeping the surroundings in constant vigilance.
*Crack!*
His foot landed on a skull—unidentifiable as to what creature it belonged to, but the bone was crystalline, exuding an ancient aura. It had clearly weathered at least ten thousand years.
A flicker of surprise crossed his mind. For bones to remain intact after millennia, the original owner must have been unimaginably powerful.
Soon, he halted before a valley, narrowing his eyes as divine light erupted from them, scrutinizing the scene before him.
This valley was bizarre. Its edges were lined with jagged, spike-like rock formations.
*"This isn’t a valley!"*
Li Xiaotian’s heart jolted as he finally recognized the truth—it was the gaping maw of an unfathomably massive creature!
Its body was buried deep underground, with only its mouth exposed, frozen as if mid-breath. Over time, forests had grown within its jaws, and its once-razor-sharp teeth had eroded into jagged stone spires.
*This place is too eerie.*
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
*Whoosh!*
Killing intent surged. An attack came without warning, so sudden that even his heightened senses hadn’t detected it. The valley erupted with terrifying sword beams, lashing toward him.
*"Hmph!"*
Li Xiaotian snorted coldly and threw a punch. His current strength was monstrous—a single fist could annihilate all in its path. The sword beams stood no chance. Every law in the area was suppressed, restoring calm.
*Swoosh!*
But then, a dragon-like demonic beast charged at him, overflowing with killing intent. Another cold snort, and Li Xiaotian’s aura alone crushed it to death.
*"Strange creature. Though a demonic beast, it was saturated with death energy and completely ignored my presence."*
Frowning, he examined the corpse. It was only at the fifth-tier invincible level—weak enough that his mere aura should have terrified it into submission.
Yet, it had attacked fearlessly.
*This is unsettling.*
After observing the valley for a long time, Li Xiaotian chose not to enter. He sensed nothing stronger than himself within—meaning the buried leviathan had long perished.
He pressed onward.
After traveling for some time, he discovered an ancient cave at the foot of a stone mountain, spewing flames so intense they warped the air.
Li Xiaotian froze, sensing waves of despair emanating from within. He stepped inside—only to immediately retreat, breaking into a cold sweat.
*The power of annihilation.*
He had felt this before—during his first trial, when an opponent named Long Yu had demonstrated the destruction of a universe. Back then, he had sensed this same force.
The power to obliterate all things.
His expression darkened. Everything in this central region was unnaturally sinister.
Without lingering, he continued his journey, navigating through numerous perilous zones before finally reaching the deepest part.
There, blood energy shot into the heavens like sword beams, piercing the firmament.
Accompanying it was a metallic hum—a deafening chorus of blades—and a murderous intent so thick it made souls tremble.
*"That’s… a blood lake!"*
Li Xiaotian’s expression shifted drastically. At the very center lay a lake of blood, nearly identical to the one he had encountered in the Fire Spirit Realm.
The same crimson radiance.
The same boiling blood mist.
The same overwhelming, ancient killing intent.
Blood clouds churned, and scarlet light pillars stabbed skyward even from a distance.
*Blood lakes…*
A deeply unnatural existence. In an instant, memories flooded Li Xiaotian’s mind—the Blood Sea of the Nine Provinces, the blood lake of the Fire Spirit Realm, and now this one.
They all shared the same traits: suffocating blood scent, and the fact that they were made of *real* blood.
*"The Blood Ancestor!"*
A glint flashed in Li Xiaotian’s eyes as he recalled a certain entity.
The Blood Sea of the Nine Provinces was one of the Blood Ancestor’s avatars—a high-tier powerhouse, one of the divine beings of the God Realm, who had left incarnations across countless worlds.
Back in the Fire Spirit Realm, he had suspected the blood lake was one such avatar, albeit altered in some way.
*Could this one be another?*
No being reached the high-tier realm by chance.
*Did the Blood Ancestor, before ascending, also come here… to undergo this trial?*