Naga Mountain Range.

Some say a Gate of Hell is buried here, while others claim this is the birthplace of the Blood Clan...

It has given birth to countless legends and has become a place no one dares to tread. Yet on the peak of the Naga Mountain Range, four elders dressed in red robes are slowly ascending.

They are fearless in the wind and snow, with a look of devotion, as if on a holy quest.

However, when they are less than 500 meters from the summit, the four suddenly halt.

One of them sniffs the air and then says, "Kars, it’s here. I can smell the scent of the Ancestor Blood Essence. The place we’re looking for must be nearby."

Upon hearing this, the elder named Kars says, "Then let’s spread out and start searching for the entrance to the Ancestor Cave."

The four then disperse and begin searching in the snowstorm.

After about ten minutes, one of them finds a human-sized cave entrance amidst the vast snow. The cave is pitch black and somewhat sinister.

But if one sniffed carefully, they could clearly detect a strong scent of blood inside the cave.

The elder who found the entrance shouted excitedly, "Kars, Bart, Harry, come here quickly, I’ve found the entrance to the Ancestor Cave!"

Upon hearing this, Kars, who was nearest, immediately called out to his companions, "Hurry over, Batty has found the entrance to the Ancestor Cave!"

After saying this, Kars immediately headed toward Batty’s location.

The other two quickly followed suit.

When the four gathered at the cave entrance, Bart smelled the scent wafting from the depths of the cave and a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes, "No mistake! This is it! This is the Ancestor Cave! We’ve finally succeeded!"

"Let’s not celebrate too soon. If the Ancestor Blood Essence has dried up, our plan will still fail." Kars was the calmest of the four.

Hearing this, Bart nodded and said, "You’re right, we shouldn’t celebrate too early. But finding the Ancestor Cave means our plan is more than halfway successful. Let’s not waste time and go in quickly."

With that, he took a step forward and entered the cave.

Kars and the other two followed closely behind.

Though the cave was dark, their eyes seemed to have inherent night vision, allowing them to move freely and not stumble despite the darkness. As they delved deeper into the cave, the scent of blood in the air grew stronger.

They had no idea how long they walked until their view suddenly opened up.

It was as if they were in a crystal palace, surrounded by millennia-old unmelting ice. In the center of this ice-constructed palace stood a pool.

In the middle of the pool stood a Demon statue.

It had wings on its back and sharp fangs.

If Xiao Zheng appeared here now, he would surely be surprised. He had seen this statue in Hades’ Netherworld King Temple, and in terms of both design and size, it was identical.

However, the most shocking thing was the scene inside the pool.

The pool was filled with blood water.

The bloody scent the four had smelled was emanating from here.

Kars and the others approached the blood pool, their faces exuding a deep satisfaction from the thick blood scent in the air. Upon careful observation, one could also see a hint of greed.

"Is this the blood pool constructed from the Ancestor Blood Essence?"

"It’s so beautiful, I can’t even think of words to describe its magnificence!"

"This is the Ancestor’s greatest masterpiece!"

"It contains immense power..."

The four gazed at the pool, expressing heartfelt admiration.

If not for maintaining a final shred of sanity, someone might have leaped into the pool. They had no idea how long they stared before reluctantly withdrawing their gaze.

Bart cleared his throat and then said, "Since the Ancestor Blood Essence in the pool hasn’t dried up, let’s begin quickly. If we delay any longer, it will be hard to keep our actions from being discovered by Hades."

On hearing this name, a look of hatred appeared in the eyes of the other three.

The four then removed their red robes one by one, and Kars carried a baby on his back. Under his protection, the baby hadn’t been affected by the severe cold and was still asleep.

When Kars gently placed the baby, swaddled in a blanket, on the ground, their eyes all fell on the infant.

Batty, with a complex expression, said, "Will the ritual of live sacrifice really work? What if it fails? What will we do then? With just the four of us, dreaming of confronting Hades is impossible."

"I don’t know if the live sacrifice ritual will succeed, but even if there’s only a one in ten thousand chance, we absolutely cannot give up," Bart replied. "This baby’s birthday coincides perfectly with the great Lord Morren’s birthday."

"As long as our plan succeeds, Lord Morren will awaken!"

"Stop wasting time and start," Kars said.

He then used his nail to make a cut on the baby’s forehead. When the blood seeped from the wound, the energy in the blood pool ahead suddenly became agitated.

"There’s a reaction from the blood pool, which proves our plan can work!"

"Kars, put the child in the blood pool!" Bart continued.

Without a word, Kars picked up the baby and walked to the pool. He stood by the pool, eyes shut, mumbling as if performing a mysterious ritual.

When he opened his eyes again, he placed the baby expressionlessly into the blood pool.

Though the amount of blood water seemed modest, as soon as the baby was placed in the pool, the blood immediately engulfed him without causing any ripples. Apart from the energy in the pool growing more violent, there was no apparent change.

After completing this, Kars retreated back to Bart and the others.

The four then focused their gaze intently on the pool, eyes filled with anticipation.

However, as time ticked away, the pool remained unresponsive. Batty frowned and said, "How is this possible? Has our plan failed?"

"No! Our plan hasn’t failed!" Kars suddenly shouted, pointing at the pool, "Look! There’s a whirlpool appearing inside the pool!"

The other three shuddered and quickly looked toward the pool.

Indeed, a vortex had formed in the pool!

And faintly, they could see the baby Kars had placed in the pool within the whirlpool!