Chapter 1155: Nine Extremes Nirvana, Return to Simplicity

After Ruotian Zhuque's words, Ye Chen became completely obedient, sitting quietly in his seat like a little lamb. He had thought he could browse a few more sacred artifacts, but he never expected her to pull something like that.

Involuntarily, Ye Chen shivered, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Behind him, Ruotian Zhuque acted as if nothing had happened, casually admiring the nails she had just manicured.

She was well aware of the space black hole incident, but to her, it was nothing significant. As a saint who had transcended the mundane world, she no longer cared about her physical form. After all, it had been an accident.

"How embarrassing."

Ye Chen covered half of his face.

"Young friend Ye Chen seems unwell. Is something the matter with your health?"

Seeing Ye Chen covering his face, Ruotian Zhonghuang smiled warmly from beside him.

"I've seen too many beauties."

Ye Chen coughed dryly.

"That's interesting."

Ruotian Zhonghuang's smile turned a bit peculiar. It was unclear what he would do if he found out that Ye Chen had seen his aunt's body—perhaps slap him right then and there.

"The Sacrificial God Stele."

As the two conversed, the Great High Priest of the Zhuque family ascended to the clouds, his ancient voice deep and ethereal, instantly silencing the noisy Lingshan. All eyes converged in one direction.

With that, the nine great elders of the Zhuque family each formed hand seals.

Immediately, the ground rumbled, and an altar emerged from beneath, towering a thousand feet high. At its center stood a divine stele, engraved with ancient runes and imprinted with a Zhuque totem.

This was the Zhuque God Stele, refined by the ancestors of the Zhuque family and passed down through generations.

"The crown princes, ascend the altar!"

The Zhuque Great High Priest spoke again, his expression gravely solemn.

At these words, the eldest prince stepped forward and mounted the altar. He took a deep breath, raised his arm slightly, and pressed his palm against the Zhuque God Stele.

Instantly, the stele trembled, and a divine light shot into the sky, transforming into a massive Zhuque that danced in the heavens. Its phoenix wings flapped, sending waves of roaring flames surging forth, radiating brilliant splendor.

"Eight Extremes Blood Pulse!"

Exclamations erupted from below.

Basking in the admiring gazes from all around, the eldest prince revelled in it, feeling as if he were on the verge of ascending.

Ye Chen tilted his head slightly and glanced at the eldest prince's blood pulse Zhuque, then turned to Ruotian Zhonghuang beside him. "Senior, what exactly is an Eight Extremes Blood Pulse? Is there more to it?"

"Of course there is."

Ruotian Zhonghuang smiled warmly. "The Zhuque blood pulse is divided into nine extremes, with one being the lowest and nine the highest. It's simple to distinguish them—just look at the color of the blood pulse Zhuque. They correspond to red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, silver, and gold. Take the eldest prince, for example: his blood pulse Zhuque is silver, which means it's an Eight Extremes Blood Pulse."

"So, does that mean the one with the highest blood pulse level will become the next Zhuque Saint Lord?"

Ye Chen asked again.

"Not necessarily."

Ruotian Zhonghuang replied with a gentle laugh. "The blood pulse level is just one factor, not the deciding one. A strong blood pulse doesn't guarantee superior talent. There are still battles of strength and final support rates from various factions to consider. The winner of these three rounds will be qualified to take the position of Zhuque Saint Lord. That's how I rose to it in my time."

"I see."

Ye Chen chuckled.

"Wow, the second prince is also at Eight Extremes."

Another wave of exclamations rose from below.

"Silver Zhuque—the third and fourth princes are also at Eight Extremes."

Amid the astonishment, everyone's eyes were fixed on the altar. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth princes had all placed their palms on the stele, and four divine lights shot up simultaneously, each manifesting as a silver Zhuque.

"All of them are at Eight Extremes."

The crowd below erupted in a frenzy, voices buzzing like a tidal wave.

"What a generation of talents!"

Ruotian Zhonghuang smiled contentedly. "In my era, only I had an Eight Extremes Zhuque blood pulse. Now, in the Zhuque Xuan generation, they've all emerged at Eight Extremes."

"Maybe there's even higher."

Ye Chen smiled leisurely, his gaze shifting to the altar, where Xie Yun had just stepped up.

Xie Yun's appearance drew the attention of the entire gathering.

His talent was well-known in Youdu, exceptionally high, and he was seen as the most promising in the Zhuque family to surpass their ancestors.

However, as a prodigy who had endured great hardships, his dao principles were damaged, his foundation injured, and his blood pulse eroded. Everyone wondered how many extremes of blood pulse the former ninth prince of the Zhuque family had left.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Xie Yun raised his arm slightly and gently pressed his palm against the stele.

The stele hummed, and a red divine light burst into the sky, forming a red Zhuque.

"Only a red Zhuque?"

The entire audience was stunned.

"One Extremes Blood Pulse?"

The crowd stirred again. "The one once most likely to surpass the ancestors is now only at One Extremes? This is beyond our expectations!"

"What a disappointment."

The eight princes glanced at Xie Yun, their lips curling into mocking sneers, their eyes full of contempt.

"Ah!"

Sighs of regret echoed everywhere, lamenting that the once-peerless prodigy had completely fallen.

"This doesn't make sense!"

Mu Xuan Gong stroked his beard in confusion. He had sensed Xie Yun's blood pulse in the Danfu before, and it was stronger than the eight princes'. Seeing the red Zhuque now was truly surprising.

"How could it be only One Extremes?"

Behind him, Ruotian Zhuque frowned. "Xuan Yu's injuries were healed, so why has he lost his blood pulse?"

"How's that? Not confident in your most favoured nephew?"

In contrast to Ruotian Zhuque's worry, Ye Chen remained quite composed.

"You seem pretty confident yourself."

Ruotian Zhuque glanced at Ye Chen.

"That's natural."

Ye Chen smiled meaningfully. After all, he was the one who had healed Xie Yun, so he knew Xie Yun's condition best. In terms of blood pulse alone, Xie Yun far surpassed the eight princes.

A sharp Zhuque cry pierced the nine heavens, cutting through the discussions like a wave.

Xie Yun's blood pulse Zhuque suddenly changed in an instant, transforming from red to orange.

Huh?

This shift sparked a chorus of surprised voices.

Another Zhuque cry rang out as all watched. The orange Zhuque morphed into yellow, then spread its wings and became green. In less than three breaths, it turned cyan, then bathed in flames to emerge blue. After blue, it evolved into purple, then achieved nirvana to become silver, radiating silver light across the skies before finally cloaking itself in gold and turning golden.

This...!

The sight left everyone on the mountain collectively speechless, their eyes wide in shock. A blood pulse evolving from one to nine extremes was unprecedented.

How is that possible!

The eight princes furrowed their brows sharply. That golden Zhuque was blindingly dazzling—a Nine Extremes Blood Pulse.

So many missed it!

Many elders sharpened their gazes, their eyes burning with intensity as they stared at the sky. The golden Zhuque was incredibly radiant, like a sun that forced people to squint.

Yet, the spectacle wasn't over.

Amid the shocked murmurs, Xie Yun's blood pulse Zhuque let out another world-shaking cry. The brilliant golden Zhuque shed its glow, reverting to silver, then changing back through the colors until it returned to its original red.

"What on earth does this mean?"

Many were baffled.

"Can't you see? It's still a One Extremes Blood Pulse."

"But what was that just now? From one to nine extremes, like some kind of magic trick?"

"Maybe the Zhuque God Stele is malfunctioning."

"In the end, it's still One Extremes."

The eight princes sneered one after another, their eyes filled with blatant contempt.

"Zhuque, what do you make of this?"

On the seating area, Mu Xuan Gong smiled and sent a message to Ruotian Zhuque.

"Nine Extremes Nirvana, Fanpu Guizhen."

Ruotian Zhuque looked up at the sky, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment and satisfaction.

"Is a One Extremes Blood Pulse still in the running for Saint Lord?"

Below, the discussions continued like a roaring sea, mixed with sighs, mockery, and disdain. But none of them understood the profound mystery of the Zhuque blood pulse—perhaps only someone of Ruotian Zhuque and Mu Xuan Gong's caliber could see it clearly.

"This act is pretty impressive."

On the altar, Xie Yun completely ignored the surrounding chatter and threw a charming wink toward Ye Chen, his expression full of smug satisfaction.

"Nine Extremes Nirvana, Fanpu Guizhen—this act is spot on."