I Was the Sun Before I Became an Immortal

The cultivators still waiting at the entrance watched helplessly as Si Chen rode the great crimson bird and vanished into the depths of the cavern. They stole a glance at Lü Ci, who was pinned against the rock wall, his face a shade of iron-grey fury.

Having a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse's dignity ground into the dirt and stomped on repeatedly — that was absolutely explosive news.

Yet everyone understood that if they lingered to watch any longer, they would only be inviting fire upon themselves.

No one dared to stay. They all lowered their heads and quickened their pace, surging toward the dark cavern entrance, terrified that even a moment's delay would make them the target of Lü Ci's wrath.

Lü Ci's figure flickered, and he landed at the lake's edge. He channeled his spiritual energy into a massive phantom hand and swiftly scooped the two Elders out of the dark-green lake, where they had been struggling to hold on.

Though both had managed to preserve their lives, the protective spiritual light of their Magical Artifacts had grown dim, and their Daoist robes had been corroded into tatters — a thoroughly wretched sight that spoke of enormous losses.

Lü Ci looked at the state of his subordinates, then thought of Si Chen's casual, dismissive wave as he departed. A wave of turbulence surged in his chest; his blood nearly burst through his throat.

Young Master Fang was silent for a moment before turning to Lü Ci and asking, "Sect Master Lü, that person just now — who was he…?"

Lü Ci drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his towering rage. "Nothing but an ignorant little demonic cultivator. Young Master Fang, rest assured — I will handle this matter cleanly."

He deliberately emphasized the words "demonic cultivator," both to salvage his own face and to preemptively brand Si Chen with that label.

Young Master Fang nodded at this, asking no further questions. But his gaze drifted thoughtfully toward the direction Si Chen had left, and he repeated softly to himself:

"A demonic cultivator, is it…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Si Chen, Heishan, and Chifeng had already traveled a considerable distance through the labyrinthine cavern passages.

The depths of the cave branched in all directions, with countless forks, like a massive maze.

Several times, Si Chen looked down a particular tunnel, felt it "looked about right," and was just about to step forward — only to be blocked by Heishan's enormous body.

"Whoa, my dear brother! Please, don't!" Heishan waved a bear paw in alarm, hastily cutting him off. "If we let you lead the way, the three of us will probably end up settling down in this cave and growing old here!"

Chifeng swished his tail and nudged Si Chen with his head in exasperation, pushing him toward the direction he had chosen. "Right, so… Si Chen, brother — finding the path is something you should leave to me and this dumb bear…"

Si Chen felt a flash of indignation, but when he recalled his own remarkable achievement of getting lost for two years, he had no choice but to concede.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered cultivators or demon race members who had entered earlier.

The moment they spotted Si Chen's group — especially once they recognized Si Chen as the one who had brazenly ambushed a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator at the lake — their faces changed dramatically. They looked as though they had seen a ghost, immediately giving the group a wide berth, practically trying to press themselves into the walls.

They couldn't afford to provoke him. They truly, absolutely could not.

Without Si Chen's interference in navigation, and under Chifeng's guidance, they soon arrived at an extraordinarily vast underground space.

To call it a cavern would be an understatement — it was more like a grand hall.

The surrounding rock walls had been smoothed and leveled with considerable care, and one could even faintly make out ancient carvings etched into them, bearing unmistakable signs of deliberate craftsmanship.

At the center of the hall stood a massive pool, filled to the brim with a thick, dark-red liquid that gave off a rich, cloying, metallic-sweet scent.

At the same time, a vast and pure surge of energy radiated outward from within it, causing everyone who sensed it to feel a jolt of invigoration.

"This… this is Flood Dragon blood?!" someone cried out in shock, their voice filled with disbelieving, frenzied joy.

"No doubt about it! Such pure vital blood energy — this is absolutely true Flood Dragon blood!"

"Legend has it that Flood Dragon blood contains a trace of dragon might. If one can absorb and Refine it, not only will one's cultivation surge greatly, but it can even cleanse the marrow and strengthen one's Bone Constitution and physical body!"

The crowd erupted into a frenzy. Whether human cultivators or demon race members, greed blazed in every pair of eyes.

With such temptation before them, almost no one could remain calm.

Strengthen one's Bone Constitution?

Si Chen heard those words and felt a stir in his heart.

He was cultivating the Nine Tribulation Thunder Body, which required tempering his physical body through every available means. He wondered whether this Flood Dragon blood might be of some use.

He walked closer to the blood pool. The nearer he got, the heavier the cloying, metallic-sweet scent became.

There was indeed a vast power within it — but it felt… restless and uneasy.

Si Chen stared at it, and for reasons he couldn't quite articulate, an instinctive sense of revulsion rose within him. He did not like it.

In the brief moment he hesitated, several people and Demon Beasts who could no longer restrain themselves had already splashed into the blood pool one after another.

"Ha ha! What pure power!"

"I can feel my body absorbing this energy!"

Cries of pleasure and excitement rose from within the pool.

Heishan and Chifeng exchanged a glance, their hearts stirred. The demon race had always placed great importance on the physical body — how could they miss a Fortuitous Encounter like this?

"Brother, should we jump in and soak for a bit? Maybe we'll be able to take a beating even better!" Heishan rubbed his bear paws together eagerly.

"The opportunity is rare." Chifeng nodded in agreement.

Si Chen looked at the churning blood pool, and that feeling of unease grew even more pronounced. He warned them, "This blood pool gives me a bad feeling."

Red Bean had long since shrunk back to the size of a small bird and was perched on Si Chen's shoulder. She too seemed to find the blood pool repellent, and unlike the other Demon Beasts, showed no eagerness to rush toward the Flood Dragon blood.

"Ah, brother, you're just being too cautious!" Heishan waved a bear paw dismissively. "This is Flood Dragon blood! A great tonic! Look how comfortable those people look soaking in it!"

Chifeng, though he felt Si Chen wouldn't speak without reason, found the temptation of the Flood Dragon blood simply too great. "We'll just try the edge. If anything feels wrong, we come out immediately."

Si Chen looked at the blood pool that made him uneasy, then looked at his two demon companions with their faces full of eager anticipation. In the end, he said nothing more, and simply gave a nod.

"Be careful," he reminded them.

Heishan and Chifeng let out low growls and stepped into the blood pool without delay, finding a spot to soak. Expressions of contentment immediately spread across their faces.

But as more and more people and Demon Beasts filled the blood pool, that feeling of unease grew stronger and stronger.

Afterward, more people continued to arrive at the hall. They too were overjoyed at the sight of the Flood Dragon blood, and the pool quickly became packed.

Latecomers could only wait at the pool's edge with burning, covetous gazes.

Seeing that Heishan and Chifeng would not be coming out anytime soon, Si Chen sat cross-legged at a spot a short distance away to wait, closing his eyes to rest.

Time passed little by little. Roughly one hour went by.

Si Chen suddenly wrinkled his nose. The smell of blood in the air seemed considerably heavier than before, and mixed within it was a trace of… something savage and violent that defied easy description.

He opened his eyes and looked back toward the blood pool.

What he saw made his brow furrow immediately.

In the blood pool, the first cultivator to have entered was trembling unnaturally, his face flushed crimson, the veins at his temples bulging.

Within a few breaths, the man's eyes snapped open.

A pair of eyes completely suffused with a terrifying, bloody crimson!

Roar!

He let out a low, guttural roar and lunged out of the blood pool without warning. His five fingers curled into claws, and with a gust of bloody wind, he raked them across the shoulder of a cultivator waiting at the pool's edge!

"What are you doing?!" The man was caught completely off guard. Several deep gashes, bone-deep, were torn into his shoulder. He was both shocked and furious.

But what answered him was a growing number of figures rising from the blood pool — all with eyes blazing crimson!

The people and Demon Beasts who had just moments ago been quietly cultivating and absorbing energy now seemed to have collectively fallen into madness, attacking every living thing around them without rhyme or reason!

"What's happening?!"

"Brother Li! Snap out of it!"

"There's something wrong with the blood! They've gone mad!"

The hall that had just moments ago been filled with opportunity and joy instantly became a scene of bloody carnage. Roars, screams, and the clash of weapons rang out without end.

Si Chen's figure moved nimbly, dodging the wild, uncoordinated lunges of several red-eyed cultivators.

His gaze cut through the chaos of the crowd and fell gravely upon the center of the blood pool.

There, Heishan and Chifeng — who had been soaking for quite some time — slowly stirred their massive bodies.

And then… they both opened their eyes at the same moment.

Those two familiar pairs of beast eyes were now a terrifying, all-consuming crimson red.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!