“There have been times in the past when outsiders acquired the position of blood master. You… can take a hard stance with him.” With that, she turned and left.
Bai Xiaochun watched her leave, then continued on into the immortal’s cave. Before long, he was in the cave’s main hall. The first thing he saw was the Song Clan Patriarch, sitting cross-legged on a stone dais!
The patriarch seemed to emanate a feeling of profound age, and was surrounded by intangible fluctuations. As soon as Bai Xiaochun neared, he felt incredible pressure weighing down on him.
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
The pressure from the patriarch’s cultivation base caused Bai Xiaochun to stop in his tracks, trembling. It felt as though countless mountains were crushing down onto him, and forced him to push back with all the might his cultivation base could muster.
After a moment, the pressure suddenly vanished, causing Bai Xiaochun’s cultivation base power to suddenly run wild inside of him. The heavenly demon appeared behind him, and his mid Foundation Establishment cultivation base erupted.
In that moment, the Song Clan patriarch opened his eyes, and his shining gaze came to settle on Bai Xiaochun, seemingly piercing into the deepest layers of his heart.
Thankfully, Bai Xiaochun had his heaven-defying mask. Despite the fact that he had lost control of his cultivation base, the mask still concealed his true level. The Song Clan patriarch looked him up and down, and apparently didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
The entire process only lasted for a few breaths’ worth of time, but to Bai Xiaochun, it seemed much longer than that. Sweat was rolling down his face by the time the Song Clan patriarch retracted his piercing gaze. At that point, Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, clasped hands and bowed deeply.
“Nightcrypt offers greetings, Patriarch.”
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Chapter
262: The Patriarch's Adopted Son!
As soon as the words left Bai Xiaochun’s mouth, the Song Clan patriarch snorted coldly, and then spoke words that echoed as deafeningly as thunder. “Admit to your crimes, Nightcrypt!”
Bai Xiaochun’s cultivation base was trembling, and the intensity of the patriarch's voice caused his face to drain of blood. He felt like he was a tiny rowboat being tossed about by the raging sea that was the patriarch’s fury, a rowboat that could capsize and sink at any moment.
He almost felt like he couldn’t endure, and was even considering using his newfound powers to suppress the patriarch’s cultivation base. But then Song Junwan’s words echoed in his mind. Although he couldn’t be sure if what she’d said was true, after considering everything that had occurred between the two of them, he made his choice. Gritting his teeth, he pushed back against the pressure, lifted his head up and looked directly at the Song Clan patriarch.
“What crimes did Nightcrypt commit!?” he said coldly and slowly, his veins of steel pulsing, blood qi surging.
“The position of Middle Peak blood master belongs to either Song Junwan or Xuemei,” the Song Clan patriarch said coolly. “No matter what occurred, any person other than them who acquires the title will have no choice other than to return it! You took a position that doesn’t belong to you! I will have that title back, and you will submit.”
“I, Nightcrypt, am loyal and faithful to the sect. I've performed countless meritorious services. If I'm not allowed to have the trifling blood master title, then so be it. You want to take it back? Well, I can’t stop you, but... don’t even think that I’ll submit to you!” Although Bai Xiaochun was nervous, he could read between the lines. If the patriarch wanted to strip him of his blood master title, there wouldn’t be a need to waste so many words. The patriarch could simply kill him.
However, the fact that he was spending so much time talking indicated that the Song Clan patriarch didn't actually want to remove the title from him. The truth was that such a title couldn’t simply be given or taken. Bai Xiaochun would have to die first, and then a certain amount of time would have to pass before another blood master could be raised up.
In fact, that was why Middle Peak had been bereft of a blood master for so many years.
With all these thoughts in mind, Bai Xiaochun stood there, a look of unswerving determination on his face.
The Song Clan patriarch looked at Bai Xiaochun and then let out a cold harrumph. “That girl Junwan knows me quite well, and has clearly taught you a thing or two. Am I right?”
Bai Xiaochun blinked, but didn’t utter a word in response.
The Song Clan patriarch flicked his sleeve and rose to his feet on the stone dais. “Nightcrypt, are you willing to accept me as your adoptive father, to become my adopted son?!”
Despite the fact that he spoke with a cool voice, the sound was so loud that the immortal's cave seemed like it might explode.
Bai Xiaochun was completely shaken by the patriarch’s words. Despite the vast difference in age between them, Bai Xiaochun could tell that the patriarch harbored no ill will towards him, and actually viewed him as extremely important.
His heart filled with many complicated emotions as he stood there silently. After a long moment passed, he looked the Patriarch in the eye, clasped hands and bowed deeply.
“Nightcrypt offers greetings, Father!”
The hint of a smile broke out on the Song Clan patriarch’s somber face, and within it could be seen his approval of Bai Xiaochun. The truth was that it didn’t matter very much to him who exactly became the blood master, as long as that person... was close to the Song Clan, and had strong character.
The blood masters were the face of the Blood Stream Sect, and embodied the might of the mountain peaks. In the coming war, they would be very important figures to the sect as a whole.
The patriarch had long since been paying attention to Nightcrypt’s doings. Although he still had some suspicions about how he had accomplished everything he did, he was still very pleased. That was especially true of his shocking skill in the Dao of medicine.
The only thing he wasn't very happy about was Nightcrypt’s cultivation base. He was only in Mortal-Dao Foundation Establishment, and that seeming weakness would make future growth difficult.
“We are on the cusp of war. If you fight well, then I’ll discuss matters with the other patriarchs. Perhaps we can pull off a heaven-defying act and remold your spiritual sea. Although such a thing couldn't be done overnight, we might be able to push you from Mortal-Dao into Core Formation.
“If you reach Core Formation, you will become a blood ripper. As for where you would end up in the end, it would all depend on your own good fortune. I can't say for sure what will happen, but considering your luck, you may be able to walk a path of your own.” With that, he waved his right hand, and a fist-sized violet-colored lamp flew out to float in front of Bai Xiaochun. Voice softening a bit, the Song Clan patriarch said, “Since you’re my adopted son now, I'm giving you this to keep you safe. It’s a magical device that I used years ago. It can release a bloodflame that can burn anything and everything. It’s comparable to the attack of a Core Formation cultivator.”
Bai Xiaochun looked at the violet lamp, and could immediately tell that it was something the Song Clan patriarch deeply valued. When he reached out to hold it, he could sense warmth flowing into him. The lamp also emitted a soft light that made it seem anything but ordinary. At the same time, it radiated a sense of intense danger that made Bai Xiaochun feel like he was looking at a raging fire.
The fact that the patriarch was giving him something like this showed that he truly did view him as a son.
Although Bai Xiaochun was delighted to have been given such a gift, it filled him with even more mixed emotions than before.