Shi Lang was standing in the blood pond with just one of his foot dipped inside the seething water. He had been like that for a week, and his soul was burning, it was not quick, but the pain was too much. His body was shaking and it was filled with cracks. The water seemed to havee to life.


    It had climbed over his body and seeping inside through the bleeding cracks. Shi Lang''s consciousness was turning darker and he was forgetting who he was. The process was extremely painful.


    While he was suffering, on the summit, Long Yang could not help but step forth and say, "Elder, I apologize but I cannot stand this anymore. Junior Brother Shi Lang is suffering so much. Is there really no way to save him?"


    His concern was genuine. Long Yang was very powerful, but he had a nickname in the sect which was the Naive Dragon. He would always put others before him. Yao looked at him and shook her head. She said, "The blood pool is condensation of spiritual energy and is tainted with the intent to ughter. This contamination is not new, but has been there for ages.


    Anyone who steps in that pool can onlye out when they haveprehended the ughter Laws to the peak, or when they have been consumed by the ughter intent and be one of the remnant spirits."


    Long Yang gulped a mouthful of saliva. He took a few moments to think and asked, "Elder, how can there be no cure?"


    Yao shook her head, and someone among the disciples asked, "Even supreme yang treasures won''t work?"


    Yao smiled faintly and said, "It is not yin spirits but the remnant spirits. The strong desire to kill. Yang treasures cannot counter it. If we had a solution to this situation, then that ce would not have been a forbidden zone. If Shi Lang wants toe out, then he has to ovee this tribtion on his own."


    The other disciples who were sparing with each other came over, and began to discuss the situation for a few minutes before Elder Yao gave them a whooping.


    Shi Lang was unaware of this all and was trying his best to fight the ughter intent invading his mind. He could not defeat this thingpletely because it did not originate from a fixed source. The ughter intent was inside his body, another thing that was troublesome here was the fact that the intent was natural.


    He could not fight against the nature, he might have achieved the union of Dao and Man, but he was still not above the nature. Thinking about it, he decided to take a gamble. The Terran switched off all the nerve receptors and he began toprehend everything that he was sensing.


    He remembered everything that he could from the moments earlier when his soul was burning. Shi Lang was on a spurt, his strength was growing at a speed that even he could not imagine.


    The Dao nt inside his body had already reached the length of eight feet, and a small bulb was visible at the top of it. However, the situation inside his Dantian was a littleplex. Unlike the Dao nts other people had, Shi Lang''s Dao nt had many branches protruding from one stem.


    He did not know when this happened but he could understand that they were probably rted to the Dao Laws heprehended. Shi Lang did not care about it, he would talk about thister with his master. However, he forgot this problem.


    Inside his soul sea, the situation was dreadful. The surroundings were dark, and his Immortal Soul was covered with red cracks. It looked very fragile, but it was still sitting with his eyes closed.


    The darkness spread over quickly and gradually his entire Immortal Soul was about to turn into a crimson figure, a voice echoed in his mind, "Lang."


    The darkness was consuming everything, his body, his soul, his memories, and when it was about to reach the deepest part of his brain, the memories of his family and Amelia of all people erupted before the darkness could consume them.


    The immortal soul opened its eyes and a burst of rage flowed out of them. The Terran said, "Get out."


    He began to intent a ughter intent of his own and with only one thought. To destroy everything that affected Amelia. Her memories were now his reverse scale. He was not fighting the natural intent to save anything but to y the attacker and that was all.


    The pure sheer desire to y everything was the essence of ughter. To be indiscriminate, to be the destroyer, to consume everything that stopped him from achieving his goal. Friends, family, moral, pride, and even humanity. He gave it all up in that moment and stood on the ground as the personification of ughter Dao.


    The Dao nt inside his Dantian reached the nine feet mark, but the flower on the top did not bloom. His strength was now that of a peak Dao Soldier, but he was still far away from the Dao General Realm.


    ...


    It was thest day of the month, and Shi Lang was still inside the blood mist, however, there was no movement. Long Yang had been observing the situation whenever he could find a chance. He was very anxious for the past few days. Beside him stood Elder Yao with a solemn expression.


    Suddenly, she said, "All of you, step back from the edge. Now!"


    The disciples reacted quickly, and just as they stepped back, a strong wave of red energy shed around the entire crimson peak. The ce seemed to be surrounding by a red cloak. This change, alerted the entire sect.


    Elder Yao gulped and said, "No matter what happens, you all are to watch the cloak of light and try to perceive it. Understood? Unless this cloak vanishes none of you are to take an eye off."


    The disciples exchanged nces and then sat down on the ground as they looked at the cloak.


    ...


    Cao Ming opened his eyes and looked at the red cloak reaching through the clouds. He smiled and said, "Good."


    Then he closed his eyes andy on the rocking chair with a faint smile on his lips. The entire sect was alerted, and the disciples were panicking. They had never seen such a change and when such things happen in the forbidden region it meant something big was going on.


    The various elders appeared in the void, and the sect master said, "All the disciples are to look at the red cloak and perceive the secrets inside it as much as they can. This is a once in a lifetime opportunities."


    The disciples moved, and the elders exchanged nces with a smile on their faces. The sword elder said, "I did not expect that I will ever see the cloak of ughter again in my life."


    The rest of the people nodded, and the sect master said, "The cloak of ughter will help all our disciples gain some understanding of the ughter Dao. However, the one who triggered it, by crossing the trial of the blood pool will gain the Dao Spirit of ughter. Haha, I wonder what surprises he will bring us in the rest of the period here."


    The elders all knew what the Sect Master was talking about. Yang Bingshan said, "The medicine garden of Eden is about to open. I think, Xiao Lang will be a good choice."


    The sect master thought and said, "His alchemy skills are unmatched, but he would need to learn formation and prove his battle capacity. Only then will I send him in that hell hole you call a garden."


    Yang Bingshan chuckled as he nodded, and at this moment, Elder Juan said, "Sect Master, we can give him a free reign in there. Many small forces also send their treasured disciples there.


    The young fighting among themselves is fairpetition, and despite all the talent those brats from the six forces have, when have they ever been able to win against the warring disciple of my Martial Spirit Hall."


    His words triggered another serious discussion but they all supported him. As they were standing in the void, Shi Lang was eliminating the Intent of ughter inside the blood pond. Yes, he had pushing it out of his body, and now he was standing inside the pool with the water as high as his chin. However, it was no longer boiling and gushing like before.


    The blood pond seemed to have been tamed. The thick spiritual energy was flowing through Shi Lang''s body, and the red color of the pond was turning lighter as he absorbed the natural ughter essence inside his body to nurture the Dao Flower in the future.


    He was not greedy, but it was a message that he sensed when the final shred of ughter intent in his body had been yed. He absorbed the energy and consolidated it in his Dantian into a small seed that floated above the Dao nt.


    However, just when he thought it has ended the seed of ughter, rushed along his dragon meridian and entered his soul sea. Shi Lang was ready for another round of battle, when his memories began to restore, and the seed squirmed into a imitation of himself.


    There was one difference though, this Shi Lang was crimson red, and it held a sword and a spear with unkempt hair and eyes filled with nothing but blood lust as it looked at his Immortal Soul.


    Shi Lang was confused for a moment, but out of nowhere he sensed a strong connection with the crimson Shi Lang, and he realized that he has gained another opportunity, the ughter Spirit.