Chapter 12: Pixiu
"Haotian, do you know who I am?" A majestic voice sounded, and at this time the Blood Prison King had transformed into the old man's appearance from before, appearing in front of Haotian.
"You're the Blood Prison King, aren't you? But there's nothing good in this blood prison. I was just thinking of having a good fight, old man. Take my punch!" With that, he threw a fist at him. At this moment, Ao Tian's heart was filled with resentment. He had been trapped in the blood prison, suffering all sorts of hardships, and couldn't escape all because of this old man. Although his cultivation had improved in the blood prison, his resentment towards the old man had also increased greatly.
Zai Zhe was also proud of his skills and wanted to test them out, so he didn't think twice before making a move against the old man.
The old man was standing there with a smile, completely unmoving. When the proud Tian's fist was still 1 meter away from the old man, it suddenly couldn't move forward anymore.
"Kid, just you wait, go cultivate for a few thousand years. Maybe by then you'll be able to catch up with me." At this time, Ao Tian's heart was shocked, his full-strength palm couldn't even touch the old man's body, it seemed that he was still far too inferior.
A wave of despair and coldness surged up in his heart. Half-kneeling on the ground, his eyes suddenly presented a white hue.
"Not good, it seems I've dealt a big blow to this kid. Looks like I'll have to help him out, or else he'll go crazy." The old man thought to himself.
"Kid, don't be too discouraged. Your punches are powerful, but the gap between us is too big, we're not even on the same level. So it's normal that you can't hit me. Cultivate with a calm mind, or else you'll invite heart demons." Although the words were brief, the old man had used his Clear Mind Incantation, and though they were spoken lightly, to Ao Tian they felt like a slap in the face. Ao Tian suddenly came back to his senses.
"Thank you, senior, for saving my life," he said, and with a 'thud' sound, he knelt down. Looking at the current Ao Tian, his face was respectful, without any pretence.
"Ah, the child can be taught. Rise up, I am the Blood Hell King Qilin you were just shouting for." As he spoke, he transformed into his true form, and a mighty aura pressed down upon them. (Qilin is also known as Tianlu or Evil-Repelling. It has the head of a dragon, the body of a horse, the legs of a deer, and resembles a lion in shape. Its fur is grayish-white, and it can fly.)
"Ah, Qilin... aren't you the divine beast of the heavenly realm? How... how... can you be the Blood Hell King?" Ao Tian's heart was aching, and in front of such a powerful aura, he could only stutter. He remembered that his grandfather had told him before that the Qilin was a divine beast of the heavenly realm, responsible for patrolling the heavens and preventing evil spirits, ghosts, and diseases from disturbing the heavenly court. So how could the Qilin appear here now?
"Why can't I be the Blood Prison King?" Looking at Ao Tian being so capable, Pi Xiu also withdrew his momentum and returned to his previous state.
"To be honest with you, the old man who claimed to be the Blood Prison King and looked exactly like me earlier is actually a high-ranking god from the divine realm. He was also sent to assist you in your cultivation. Otherwise, with your current level of cultivation, it's simply delusional to think that you could have survived this long in the Blood Prison."
"Senior, who is that Supreme God you mentioned? Why would he want to help me?"
"This you'd better not ask about, when it's time for you to know, you'll naturally find out. Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."
"Arrogant one, I have come on the orders of the Supreme God to test you. Are you prepared?" The old man had already regained his former dignity as he spoke.
"Almost... ready... " Said it's ready, but actually lacking confidence in heart.
"Alright... as long as you pass my three trials, you can leave the Blood Prison and come and go freely from then on without any obstruction. However, if you fail to pass, you will stay here and cultivate until you can pass. Do you understand?"
"Clear"
"Okay...the first test of heart begins"