Grand Return System

Chapter 247: Sea of Blood and the Fruit of Life

Sea of Blood and the Fruit of Life

Inside the Martial Emperor Tomb

At this moment, the sea of blood was churning.

Crimson waves surged endlessly across the vast world like an angry ocean trapped beneath a blood-red sky. Every crashing wave released a thick metallic scent into the air. Countless bones floated beneath the surface, occasionally revealed whenever the sea split apart under the pressure of powerful attacks.

The entire pocket dimension trembled from battle.

The sound of weapons colliding echoed endlessly.

The cries of cultivators fighting for fortune rang throughout the heavens.

The Martial Emperor Tomb had only recently opened, yet it had already become a battlefield.

And in one particular corner of this bloody world, three powerful experts were locked in fierce combat.

The target of their battle was a single spirit fruit.

A massive ancient tree stood alone upon a black island emerging from the sea of blood. Its roots stretched deep into the crimson ocean below while its branches reached toward the scarlet sky.

At the very top hung a glowing fruit.

Golden.

Radiant.

Overflowing with astonishing life force.

Even from thousands of meters away, one could feel the vitality contained within it.

Dario’s eyes burned with desire.

"Hmph, Old Hektor, Old Tobias, I was the first to discover this spirit fruit. Do you really want to snatch it?"

His sword swept through the sky.

A dazzling sword arc split apart the blood clouds.

BOOM!

The attack forced Hektor and Tobias backward.

However neither showed fear.

Instead Tobias burst into laughter.

"Haha! Ridiculous."

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

"This is too ridiculous."

He shook his head mockingly.

"Since it’s a treasure born from heaven and earth, it should belong to the capable."

"Is it really yours simply because you saw it first?"

"What a joke."

The surrounding blood sea exploded as his staff struck downward.

A massive whirlpool immediately formed beneath Dario.

Dario’s face darkened.

His injuries from his previous battle with Leon had never fully recovered.

That defeat remained a thorn lodged deep within his heart.

Every time he remembered it, his chest tightened.

Yet he could not allow this fruit to be taken.

Not today.

Not by these two old foxes.

Because among everyone present, he needed this fruit the most.

The astonishing vitality contained within it could greatly repair his damaged foundation.

Perhaps it might even restore some of the losses caused by his battle against Leon.

Hektor stroked his beard leisurely.

Unlike the hot-tempered Dario, he appeared calm.

Yet his eyes remained fixed upon the fruit.

Greed lurked behind that calm expression.

"Fellow Principal Dario."

He smiled faintly.

"I’m afraid you haven’t fully recovered from your injuries from Leon, right?"

"At this moment..."

"Do you truly think you have a chance against the two of us?"

The smile on his face widened.

The words immediately struck Dario’s sore spot.

"You old bastards!"

His killing intent erupted.

"I’m not afraid even if both of you attack together."

BOOM!

Sword light exploded.

The battle instantly resumed.

The blood sea below erupted into chaos.

Massive waves rose hundreds of meters into the air.

Sword energy.

Palm strikes.

Sacred Arts.

Everything collided violently.

The entire pocket dimension shook.

Elsewhere throughout the Martial Emperor Tomb, similar battles unfolded.

A brilliant treasure streaked across the sky like a shooting star.

The moment it appeared, dozens of experts rushed toward it.

"Mine!"

"Get lost!"

"Hand it over!"

Explosions rang out continuously.

On another side of the pocket dimension, several cultivators discovered a Blood Guillotine growing within a dark underground abyss.

Immediately another battle erupted.

Screams echoed through the darkness.

Blood stained the ground.

At this moment, the Martial Emperor Tomb had become a paradise for the strong and a graveyard for the weak.

Almost half of the powerful experts from across the Forsaken Domain had entered.

Some sought opportunities.

Some sought treasures.

Some sought inheritance.

Others sought glory.

Everyone desired something.

And because of that desire—

Chaos consumed everything.

Among all those battles, the fight between Dario, Hektor, and Tobias remained one of the most intense.

The three experts exchanged dozens of attacks in mere moments.

Dario’s sword transformed into countless streams of silver light.

Tobias summoned rivers of blood-red mana.

Hektor unleashed massive palm prints capable of crushing mountains.

The surrounding space cracked repeatedly.

Even the blood sea below seemed afraid of their power.

Suddenly—

The space above trembled.

A ripple spread through the air.

Everyone sensed it.

The three combatants instinctively stopped.

Their eyes turned upward simultaneously.

A brilliant figure appeared above the sea of blood.

A graceful woman stepped from a spatial passage.

Azure robes fluttered in the wind.

Long blue hair danced behind her.

Maya.

The moment she entered the Martial Emperor Tomb, she immediately felt something strange.

A mysterious suppression descended upon her.

Her cultivation reacted instantly.

Mana circulated differently.

The surrounding world felt disconnected from reality.

Maya frowned slightly.

"Mm?"

Her beautiful eyes narrowed.

"This is..."

A realization quickly appeared in her mind.

"A pocket dimension?"

The feeling was identical to what Leon had previously described.

The moment she entered, she understood.

Someone had created this world.

Someone powerful enough to leave behind an independent realm.

A Martial Emperor.

Only a true Martial Emperor could possess such unimaginable power.

Maya silently observed her surroundings.

Then she noticed the battle not far away.

Three familiar experts.

One ancient tree.

And one glowing spirit fruit.

Her eyes immediately brightened.

"What incredible vitality."

Even from this distance she could sense its value.

For a brief moment, temptation flickered within her heart.

However that thought disappeared almost immediately.

Maya was not foolish.

Three veteran experts were fighting over that fruit.

Even if she joined now, her chances of obtaining it were nearly nonexistent.

More importantly—

She had another reason for entering.

Leon.

A trace of worry flashed through her eyes.

That reckless man had entered alone.

Without backup.

Without waiting for reinforcements.

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.

"Idiot."

She muttered softly.

"Always causing trouble."

Yet beneath that irritation was unmistakable concern.

She had entered this dangerous tomb for one reason only.

To find him.

If she was lucky, perhaps she would also encounter some opportunities along the way.

But Leon came first.

Everything else came second.

Meanwhile, the three experts who had been fighting felt her arrival.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Dario lowered his sword slightly.

Tobias narrowed his eyes.

Hektor stopped stroking his beard.

The three simultaneously looked toward Maya.

For a brief moment—

Silence descended over the battlefield.

At this moment, the three people who were fighting felt that someone had barged into this domain and stopped.