Chapter 261 : Purist Path
Chapter 261 : Purist Path
Seeing the sentiment on the first floor could make someone think that the powerhouses of Blood Sea all hated outsiders, but Cain knew it could not be so simple. If the racist ideology spread so deep into the organization, there would be no point in the Blood Duke asking him to come here.
If Cain had to guest, someone in the darkness was acting again, trying to pressure and intimidate him into running away with the leg between his legs.
The aura of all those Wave Kings could have crushed the spirit of an average Wave Warrior, but Cain's willpower was too high to succumb to something like that. He even looked back at those powerhouses, remembering their faces.
Bloodless #1 ignored those eyes and did not bother with the Wave King. Not like any of the present would dare to focus on him. He glanced at Cain, and when he saw the young man's composure, he showed a small smile and nodded before turning to the machete in the young man's hand.
"You are using your Natural Holy Weapon?"
Cain no longer bothered with the Wave King and turned toward Bloodless #1.
"Yes. I developed a domain skill with it, so it is perfect when it comes to handling crowds. Besides, too many eyes are sizing my battle power right now."
Before his trip with Bloodless #1, Cain's skill with his arms and machete were around the same level, so it made sense for him to prefer the latter, but things changed after learning Bloodflow Fury. Yet, Cain still used Slaughter on the bridge, hiding his maximum battle power and hand-to-hand skills.
Bloodless #1 understood all of that, and his smile grew wider. Every action the young man took was calculated.
"Very good. Let's go."
Bloodless #1 and Cain got into the teleportation matrix and vanished from the first floor the next second. The next second they appeared in the ceiling of a large room, which would not have been a problem if the floor was full of boiling blood.
Unlike Bloodless #1, which could remain in the air as if defying gravity, Cain began to feel as soon he appeared in the room. He had yet to master Air Walk, so he could not generate solid platforms of Wave he could use to stand in the air.
Luckily for Cain, he could use Sonic Dash, generating small shock waves from the soil of his feet that could keep him in the air.
Now that he was no longer falling, Cain was able to give a more thorough analysis of the boiling blood. He sent his Ego Wave into it, and even the red force field felt a searing heat, so it could not last for long inside.
'My body is stronger than most Wave Champions, and I have to use Blood Energy to temper my flesh and blood, yet I could not last a single second inside it.'
Just as he wondered about the use of boiling blood, he saw a man emerge from it. He had the appearance of a middle-aged man with a scar on his face, and streams of blood were going into his body through his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Of course, the one rising from the scorching blood was the Blood Duke, the man who managed to kill a Wave King with a single touch.
The blood stopped flowing into the Blood Duke's body, and his eyes focused on Cain the next second before a silver force field emerged from his mind.
Cain saw that mighty force field expanding across the room like a mighty fog monster, and while it was incredibly powerful, he only shook his head. The young man could not understand the necessity of the powerhouses to only test him with their willpower.
Just as the silver force field was about to flood Cain's body, his eyes glowed with red light, and his Ego Wave formed a thick defensive layer around him.
Cain's eyes narrowed as he felt the pressure of the Blood Duke's Ego Wave was slightly weaker than that of the Collapsing Lightning Duke. That could mean the Bloo Duke was weaker than the Sector Duke or that he was not unleashing the full power of his Ego Wave.
'Trying to figure out who is stronger is a waste of time since I can not even understand the level of their cultivation rank. Both are like moving nuclear weapons, and any of them can kill me with a single finger.'
The Blood Duke used his Ego Wave to test Cain's willpower and inspect this one. He was happy to feel the immense physical strength in the young man and was surprised to notice a new and powerful Lineage, along with an extremely robust mental defense. Yet, the true thrill only happened when he noticed Cain's soul force.
Less than two months had passed since the last time they saw each other, yet Cain had attained a quotative improvement in every aspect of his existence, from bloodline to mind and finally the soul!
"You are truly full of surprises, boy."
The Blood Duke rose to the ceiling and signaled for Bloodless #1 and Cain to approach him, which the duo did immediately.
Bloodless #1 only nodded to the Blood Duke while Cain clasped his hand and performed a full bow.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of questions were in Cain's mind right now, but he did not open his mouth. He could sense an intricate scheme covering the entire Blood Sea, and while he was already in the middle of it, he would not simply blindly follow the plans put in place by the Blood Duke.
The Blood Duke stared at Cai for a minute, and when he saw that the young man would not speak first, he opened his mouth.
"What do you think about my home?"
It might seem a simple question, but it would reveal Cain's ideology and how he could handle the current division among the people of Blood Sea.
However, what the Blood Duke got was something entirely different.
"That whoever made this place is unoriginal and really liked the word blood. I mean Blood Sea, Blood Duke, Blood Pagoda, Blood Island. What about the city on the other side of the bridge? Please don't tell me it is called Blood City."
Bloodless #1 showed an awkward expression, and the Blood Duke's eyes twitched as they heard Cain's words since the city was indeed called Blood City.
The duo had the power to level cities and burn rivers, but there was little they could do about their ancestor's taste in names.
The Blood Duke's eyes regained their focus immediately, and a sharp light appeared as he stared at Cain. The young man was able to defuse the situation and distract him for a moment.
"Ahhhh."
It was clear to the Blood Duke that Cain's scheming mind was not any less impressive than his cultivation talent, so trying to play tricks would be futile. Instead of wasting time, he took a direct approach.
"I am sure you were able to notice the dichotomy between the members of Blood Sea. That is the result of the ideologies of the Purist Path spreading across the island and city. I am the leader of the opposite party, the Integrationist Path."
Cain's eyes grew cold as he remembered the scorn with which those people looked at him.
"So they call themselves purists. What a fancy word for what they truly are."
That comment was enough for Blood Duke and Bloodless #1 to understand what Cain thought of the people of the Purist Path.
"The leader of the Purist Path is the High Blood Elder. I have done my best to limit the spread of that ideology, but it is currently gaining power."
Cain understood the problems with which the Blood Duke found himself.
"It is easy to hate and resent someone if the people you trust tell you they are the source of all the problems in your life. Learning to care for and appreciate someone you know nothing about is much harder."
The Blood Duke was glad to hear that, as it meant Cain understood it was not inbred ignorance the source of that mentality. Our view of the world is molded by what people around us teach us, and if your brother and father taught you that it was fine to hate a specific group, you would believe it to be true.
"The Purist Path was not born out of thin air, but to understand its origin, you must first learn about the Ascendance of the Blood Moon.
I am sure you have done some research and understand that it is an event that occurs every ten years and evolves into something even more significant after one hundred years. However, it is more than just trials or a lucky chance. It is connected to the origin of the Blood Sea and the bloodlines running through the veins of everybody in it."
The Blood Duke made a pause at this moment, and a serious expression appeared on his face as he stared at Cain.
"Tell me, how do you think this sea of blood that extends dozens of thousands of kilometers came to exist?"