Nothing much was said during the journey. Fei Yue followed behind them in silence, not failing to notice the occasional stealing glances except the leader, throw at her, but she ignored them.
After her encounter with the strange entity, she had been reborn, her body had transformed significantly. Her feminine features were greatly enhanced to a considerable degree.
The chirping of birds filled the air as they made their way deeper into the forest, taking various unfamiliar turns.
They walked for hours without rest. Unitill Fei Yue no longer recognize any of the terrains,
Surprisingly, she kept up without complaining even once.
This greatly surprised the group. Ordinarily, as adepts, it would have taken them a few hours to reach the Shen Passage instead of two days, but they had intentionally chosen to travel on foot. It was unclear whether the leader was doing this for Fei Yue's sake or for another reason.
Fei Yue seemed to possess infinite stamina. Though the others couldn't see it, the leader, who was a high priest of the Golden Order, could.
He sensed something unusual about this seemingly ordinary woman.
He, too, had occasionally stolen a couple of glances at her, but not for the same reason as his men. Each time he looked, he noticed a faint crimson mist surrounding her.
After more than a day and a half of traveling without stopping, the leader pointed to a small hill ahead. "The passage is just up there." From their current location, Fei Yue could see a strange construction resembling a massive path, though she couldn't tell exactly what it was.
The group continued onward while Fei Yue took the opportunity to examine the information she had received from the strange entity.
"Who are you?" Fei Yue yelled in her mind. Ever since she emerged from the crimson cocoon, a strange voice had been trying to communicate with her, but in her disoriented state, she had ignored it.
[I am The Avista]
The reply was short, shorter than she had hoped. "why do you sound like me? " she thought.
The voice she was hearing in her head was undoubtedly hers, it was unmistakable.
Though it sounded more menacing and mechanical without a shred of emotion in each words.
[This is normal to ensure the succeeding Blood Lord familiarize with The Avista, mow efficiently]
Fei Yue nodded in understanding. What better way to accommodate a forign voice in her head, this way things would seem like she was just communicating with herself, in he thoughts.
She decided to ask specific questions. "What are you?" she asked.
[I am the semi-sentient mind, created by the Blood Ancestors, with a single prime directive: To ensure the succeeding Blood Lord reaches the peak of the Blood Evolution Path]
The answer was longer than the first but raised more questions. Blood Evolution Path? Blood Ancestors? Fei Yue forced herself to calm down.
"What is the Blood Evolution Path?" she asked, considering it the most vital information she needed.
[The Blood Evolution Path is an adept pathway created by the First Blood Lord, The Blood Ancestor. It was further enhanced, modified, and perfected by subsequent Blood lords up to its current phase. The Avista was created by the Fifth Blood Lord]
Fei Yue nodded. "How many Blood Ancestors have existed in the past, and what happened to them?" From the Avista's words, it was evident that the Blood Ancestors were powerful adepts. Though she knew little about the adept world, she could sense the strength of the Blood Path.
It was clear that the strange entity that had brought her to life was a Blood Lord.
The fact that he powerful enough to resurrect her spoke to its merit.
[There have been a total of seventeen Blood Lord have existed in the past. except the blood ancestor.
The one who passed this technique to you was the sixteenth, making you the eighteenth.
Except for the seventh Blood Ancestor, who died after being captured and imprisoned by his enemies, the others committed suicide after experiencing Blood Influx. Thankfully, the last Blood Lord passed the legacy to you]
"What?" If not for maintaining her composure, Fei Yue would have screamed. Such powerful adepts committed suicide? What about her? Would she meet the same fate? "What is this Blood Influx?"
[The Blood Influx is the only drawback of the Blood Evolution Path that the sixteen Blood Ancestors failed to eliminate. When a Blood Lord absorbs the bloodline essence of powerful beasts, they inevitably absorb a bit of the beast's soul signature. After absorbing the blood of thousands of beasts, the influx of thousands of soul signatures tries to override the Blood Lord's soul, driving them mad. They often commit suicide before things spiral out of control]
"Aside from ensuring I reach the peak of the Blood Evolution Path, what else do you do?" Fei Yue asked. Having a voice in her head constantly speaking was unsettling, and from what she had gathered, the Avista seemed fairly useless.
[The Avista is a filtration system that filters out unwanted essence signatures, leaving only the useful ones, which reduces the chance of experiencing Blood Influx at earlier stages]
"Well, that changes everything," Fei Yue thought. From the Avista's words, the earliest Blood Ancestors died tragically. Clearly, not all were talented enough to contribute significantly to the path, and after sixteen Blood Lords, the drawback persisted.
"What exactly is the Blood Evolution Path?" This was a key question. Unknowingly, Fei Yue was beginning to embrace her role as the new Blood Lord. Unbeknownst to her, her evolution had tainted her soul with cursed blood, transforming her into someone different.
[The Blood Evolution Path involves absorbing the bloodline signatures of powerful beasts in hopes of creating the ultimate lifeform]
It was as she had guessed. The original creator was truly a madman. "Who knows, the drawback might be the heavens' way of balancing things," she thought. The heavens are somewhat fair and neutral to all.
"What happens if I consume the blood of humans?" she asked.
[Humans, as well as many other races, lack strong bloodlines and thus provide no benefit. You grow stronger by absorbing the bloodline signatures of power beasts—the stronger the beast, the stronger you become]
Fei Yue sighed in relief. Thankfully, she didn't have to drink human blood.
All this time, Fei Yue had been conversing with the semi-sentient entity known as the Avista in her mind, without alerting the party.
They made a turn into a hidden valley at the center of a circular chain of mountains. If not deliberate, it would have been impossible to find this place. "We are here," the leader said.