Chapter 5123: Bloodruin Cataclysm Hex

Several young disciples of the Miredon Family walked leisurely through the inner estate pathways, their laughter echoing beneath the elevated waterways that crisscrossed above the grounds like flowing rivers suspended in the air.

The Bloodline Hall stood nearby.

It was one of the most important buildings within the family estate, second only to the Ancestral Hall itself. Towering dark-blue pillars lined its entrance while countless glowing runes flowed across the walls like streams of water. At the very center of the hall rested the Bloodline Mirror, an ancient treasure capable of measuring bloodline purity and talent.

The upcoming bloodline awakening test had become the hottest topic among the younger generation.

"I’m telling you right now, Senior Brother Kallus is definitely going to place first."

A tall youth folded his arms confidently as he spoke, "His father already said his bloodline resonance reached nearly eighty percent last year. That means senior brother Kallus would definitely reach above ninety percent after the Bloodline Awakening Test!"

The others immediately scoffed.

"Ninety percent?" Another youth sneered. "Young Mistress Serane awakened the Deep Aquatic Tide Body six months ago. On top of the Miredon Bloodline, she has a new water-attributed physique which is extremely compatible. She’s obviously going to dominate everyone."

A young woman beside them nodded vigorously, "I heard even the elders were shocked after testing her."

"Of course they were shocked," Another disciple added excitedly. "Even though she’s from the branch family, her lineage is more or less connected to the Patriarch’s branch. Her bloodline purity was already eight-five percent when she first awakened. The second and final awakening chance after coming of age would boost her bloodline purity, but it doesn’t even matter since she has her physique. Young Mistress Serane would only get insanely strong!"

One of the younger boys looked full of envy.

"If my bloodline purity exceeds sixty percent, my father said he’ll finally allow me to cultivate the family’s higher-grade arts."

The others burst into laughter.

"Sixty percent? Don’t dream too much."

"You’ll be lucky if you don’t embarrass your branch."

The young boy’s face immediately reddened, "You bastards..."

One of the girls sighed dreamily.

"If I can score above eighty percent purity, I might finally attract the attention of the direct lineage."

"Marriage proposals?" One youth snorted. "Cultivation is what matters. Bloodline purity determines everything in our Miredon Family. The purer your bloodline, the stronger your future, and that directly translates into how many resources you receive and opportunities you get inside the family, which means an increase in cultivation and ultimately decides how far you can reach beyond the Autarch Stage."

The others nodded instinctively.

That was common sense within the family.

Their bloodline was their pride, their inheritance, and their very identity.

The Miredon Family had risen to prominence because of the purity of their water-darkness bloodline. Generation after generation, they obsessed over preserving and strengthening it. Every disciple understood from birth that their worth was tied directly to the bloodline purity flowing through their veins.

Who among them came from a worthy branch family and a trash branch family was directly decided by the bloodline purity they possessed on average, which was precisely why the Bloodline Hall held such importance.

Although they looked excited, there was also a faint sense of unease as this would decide their future within the family.

The atmosphere became increasingly lively as more disciples joined the conversation.

"Do you think any of us can reach ninety percent purity one day?"

"Ninety?" Someone laughed loudly, "Only monsters from the main lineage could reach that level."

"I heard Ancestor Varell himself possessed nearly ninety-three percent purity in his youth."

"That’s why he became a powerful Exalt. I heard his cultivation base reached as much as Level Six Exalt Stage, although I’m not sure since it was just my grandfather who told it to me when he was drunk. He said it was a fantastical moment to witness the power of a great Exalt."

The youths looked toward the distant Ancestral Hall with admiration.

To them, the old, secluded ancestors were almost mythical figures. They were ancient monsters who carried the purest forms of the family’s bloodline and consequently survived to this day while still protecting the family. In their minds, these people deserved the greatest respect.

One disciple suddenly grinned mischievously.

"Forget bloodline purity. I just want to see which poor fool embarrasses himself in front of everyone."

The group burst into laughter again.

*Boom!~*

A deafening sound suddenly erupted nearby.

The laughter stopped instantly as the disciples turned toward the side entrance of the Ancestral Hall.

The massive doors had swung open violently.

At first, they thought someone had attacked the estate.

Who would be daring enough to attack one of the core regions of their family estate? Just as they wondered, they saw a figure stumbling out from the darkness.

An old man staggered forward unsteadily.

Blood dripped from his robes.

No, blood didn’t drip but poured like a small fountain from head to toe.

The family disciples froze.

For one brief moment, their minds failed to process what they were seeing.

The old man’s skin bulged unnaturally while black-red veins crawled beneath the flesh like living parasites. Blood streamed endlessly from his eyes and mouth as he staggered forward in complete disarray. Thick streams flowed from his sleeves and fingertips before splattering onto the stone pathways below.

His body trembled violently with every step, as though something inside him was trying to claw its way out.

"An-Ancestor...?"

One disciple’s voice cracked.

The old man lifted his head, his expression blank.

One look at this old man’s visage and the faces of the family disciples instantly lost all color.

His eyes were bloodshot beyond recognition, so that they were almost fully black. Blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth in endless trails, yet the most horrifying sight was his skin itself.

It bulged like swelling and twitched as though it was alive, even shifting unnaturally as though something was moving inside.

The ancestor lurched forward before collapsing onto one knee with a wet splatter.

"H-Hex..."

He coughed violently while trying to reach out his hand towards them, but only managed to gurgle and spray a mouthful of blackened blood across the ground, causing the family disciples to recoil in horror.

The blood hissed faintly where it landed, carrying an unbearable stench that resembled rotting corpses soaked beneath stagnant water for centuries.

"There’s... a hex..."

His voice sounded strained and broken, barely resembling human speech anymore.

The old ancestor clawed at his chest desperately.

Then they heard it.

*Crack!~*

A sickening sound echoed from within his body.

*Crack!~* Another followed rather quickly.

Then another crack echoed like a heartbeat.

The disciples stared in frozen horror as his ribs visibly shifted beneath his skin.

His bones were breaking apart inside him.

"No... no... impossible..."

The ancestor’s breathing became ragged.

The water-darkness bloodline aura surrounding him suddenly erupted outward, but instead of the familiar pure undulations of the Miredon Family bloodline, it carried a foul and corrupted presence that made everyone instinctively nauseous.

"Eearrghhhhhhh!"

The old man screamed, his cry no longer resembling that of a human but of an animal being skinned alive.

One disciple stumbled backward and vomited onto the stone floor. Another collapsed onto his rear, trembling uncontrollably. They were struck with fear when they watched the ancestor’s flesh suddenly split open along his arm as black-red blood burst outward.

Something beneath the skin writhed before dissolving into black sludge that stopped moving, but flowed like a puddle staining the ground.

"Call the elders!"

"Get the physicians!"

"Quick!"

The family disciples could barely hear themselves under their pounding hearts and panic.

Several disciples ran deeper into the estate while others remained frozen in place, unable to tear their eyes away from the horrifying scene unfolding before them.

The ancestor convulsed violently on the ground.

His fingers bent backward with snapping cracks, and veins burst across his body one after another.

The disciples could notice the corruption spreading beneath his skin, like ink diffusing through water, but they dared not approach him to help. They could only watch him writhe miserably while choking in his own blood before he suddenly clawed at his own throat, tearing flesh apart as though trying to rip something out from inside himself.

His chest abruptly sank inward before blood exploded from his mouth.

His eyes widened so far that the capillaries around them burst apart.

Finally, he stopped moving and collapsed.

"..."

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