Chapter 146: Eve of the Red

Blinding crimson light erupted into the sky, illuminating the dark night. From a distance, four blood-red pillars of light could be seen moving rapidly. The beams from the west, south, and north quickly converged and began drifting toward the Minotaur encampment, while the pillar from the east faltered for a moment before veering toward the west.

Except for those at the Minotaur camp, no one noticed that the trajectory of these red lights was uncannily aligned with the path of Ye Ran.

"What is happening? This light..."

The Elves from the north had also arrived at the convergence point of the red pillars; Robin and Ophelia were both filled with astonishment. Even on the night of the "Blood Clan Relic" struggle, the radiance of the Blood Steles had never been this intense.

Ophelia frowned slightly. "Robin, is this another attempt by some conspirator to incite war?"

Robin shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go see. The King has already set up defenses."

Ophelia nodded, and the two figures darted quickly through the shrubbery. Beyond the Elves, the Dwarves, Minotaurs, and even the God-Hunting tribe were beginning to stir. This unexpected anomaly had drawn the attention of all parties.

Three hundred miles to the west, at the top of the towering Grusburg Castle, several figures appeared. Bei Yuming pushed up his gold-rimmed spectacles, lost in thought. *Ronin, are you playing some kind of game again?*

Little did he know that at that very moment, Ronin, who was crossing the sea by boat, was also fanning herself and pondering. "Could it be that Bei Yuming is up to his old tricks?" She smiled and shook her head, glancing back at the pitch-black sea. The ocean beneath the night shroud was turbulent, like the maw of a demon waiting to devour all in its path.

*Whoosh.*

On the black and red-streaked wasteland, Ye Ran ran with his spear on his back. Along the way, several auras swept past him in rapid succession. Gelanton, Qianlong, and others, fearing he might be in danger, followed closely behind.

From afar, they could see the three red pillars rapidly closing in, and the one from behind pressing forward as well. Within moments, Ye Ran caught sight of the three Blood Steles contained within the light. They were ancient and weathered, yet imposing and majestic. The red characters upon them were etched with the sharp strokes of a master, twisting like dragons and snakes. One of the steles was stained with several spots of blood, striking and vivid.

Ye Ran’s brow tightened. That was the eastern stele—were the characters on it moving?

Seeing that he was about to collide with the three steles, Ye Ran stopped abruptly and reached out to grasp the Cliffer spear on his back. With a rush of wind, several figures landed, and others emerged from the brush: Ophelia, Robin, Alisha from the iron mines, and Tunguska, the pale-skinned youth from the New Species Forbidden Zone. When he appeared, the Dwarves and Elves became visibly alert.

The atmosphere grew tense instantly. No one knew what had happened to the Blood Steles, but everyone could feel the hostility—and the bloodlust—in the air.

"I think... we should clear things up first. I am merely curious about this stele," Tunguska said with a wry smile, waving his hand. He could naturally sense that the surrounding hostility was largely directed at him. People in the Ipo Evil Lands had zero tolerance for the madmen of the New Species Forbidden Zone. The Dwarves were already gripping their battle-axes.

Just then, a slender figure drifted down from the east. His moon-white robes blended with the crescent moon above, and his pale, bloodless complexion was vaguely visible. It was another person from the New Species Forbidden Zone.

He spoke no words, but as his cold, chilling aura quietly dispersed, those who had been itching for a fight felt a layer of frost settle over their hearts. No one dared to strike at Tunguska anymore.

*Hmph, Siglai has come too.* Tunguska did not thank him; he despised this man from the bottom of his heart.

No one moved, but the Blood Steles, radiating blinding red light, did. The four steles shifted silently, surrounding Ye Ran.

"This is..."
"What is going on?"

Everyone was stunned, unable to comprehend why the Blood Steles had changed. Only Alisha wore a thoughtful expression.

Ye Ran instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes; once enclosed by the four steles, he was enveloped in a scorching red radiance.

"Ye Ran..." Lois, fearing for his safety, ran toward him immediately. Gelanton and Mirz held him back. "Though we don't know what is happening, those steles show him no hostility."

Indeed, Ye Ran, trapped in the center, remained unharmed. The red pillars rapidly contracted, solidifying until they became almost tangible, then tilted toward Ye Ran. While shielding his eyes from the glare, Ye Ran glanced at the steles. The characters were writhing like dragons and snakes, a bizarre interweaving of black and red.

The four beams of light tilted abruptly, focusing entirely on Ye Ran’s lower abdomen, while any residual light was absorbed by the solidified pillar now surrounding his body. The scorching beams surged into him. Ye Ran was startled and instinctively tried to resist, but he soon saw the light vanishing into his body at a visible rate, while the heat within him intensified.

Furthermore, his body underwent an unimaginable transformation. His hair turned crimson in an instant, as if dyed in blood, and faint red light shimmered beneath his skin. When all the red light had vanished, the red characters on the Blood Steles turned a deathly black, looking like threads being drawn from the stone into his skin.

Once the solidified light and the black characters were fully absorbed, the four Blood Steles quietly crumbled into dust, vanishing into the wind.

"This..."
"The Blood Steles... have disappeared."

Everyone was struck dumb. These steles had stood there since the formation of the Ipo Evil Lands, their positions never changing. No one had ever been able to destroy or move them. Many had tried and failed; all they could do was make rubbings of the characters. And now... after being absorbed by this youth, they had turned to dust.

*Hiss...*

A strange sound emanated from Ye Ran. Scorching white steam drifted from his body. His hair and eyes had turned blood-red, and the aura of blood and killing intent around him was like that of an Asura crawling out of hell, terrifying to behold.

"They have not disappeared."

Ye Ran’s bangs fluttered in the wind. With just a glance, he made those around him feel as though they were standing in the depths of hell. With a mere thought, searing red light rose from within him, and the death-black characters emerged, crisscrossing in the air. Within those black characters, the Blood Steles took shape once more—only now, they were blank, devoid of any writing.