In Taixu Hall.
Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes.
Manifesting remotely to give Nether Spring his instructions had taken but an instant.
Below, the three envoys were still waiting.
"My friends," he began, breaking the silence. "I am aware of the matter regarding the counterattack on Central Earth."
The Holy Sect appreciates the sincerity of the Three Sects.
However, this affair has wide-reaching implications and requires careful consideration."
He rose from his cloud throne, his black great cloak draping down.
"I will report this to the True Monarch personally."
"You three have traveled far. Please, rest in the guest quarters for now."
Everything will be settled once the True Monarch has made a decision."
Hearing this, the three nodded slowly and withdrew from Taixu Hall.
The hall doors closed behind them.
In the vast hall, only Qi Yun remained, standing alone.
He slowly descended the Black Jade Tier and walked to the center of the hall, gazing up at the ancient mural on the dome ceiling: "Boundless Heaven and Earth."
Chaos first parted, Yin and Yang were divided, and a giant axe cleaved through the primordial mist.
Qi Yun’s gaze was tranquil as he stared for a long, long time.
Outside the hall, dusk settled in. The distant mountains were the color of ink, and a sea of clouds churned.
A monstrous wave that would soon sweep across the Profound Yellow world—
was already beginning to form.
...
「Beneath the frozen ocean of the North Sea, ten thousand fathoms deep.」
Nether Spring transformed into a streak of viscous, bloody light, speeding through the ink-black depths of the sea.
Everywhere he passed, the seawater was stained a faint red before being rapidly eroded by his baleful blood energy, forming transient pockets of "Blood Water Domain."
Within these domains, fish stiffened and died, algae withered away, and even the silt that had settled on the seabed for eons hissed softly, as if some invisible force were draining it of its last vestiges of life.
He had been traveling north for seventeen days.
Along the way, he passed seven islands inhabited by Overseas Cultivators and three underwater Demon Race tribes, never once stopping.
But the name "Blood Demon Daoist" had already spread like a plague across this already tumultuous stretch of sea.
On the first day, he passed Black Reef Island. Three Foundation Establishment Early Stage Loose Cultivators on the island joined forces and set up an array, intending to ambush the "Lone Demon Cultivator." They were drowned by 9,800 Blood God Children, leaving not even bones behind. The island’s Spirit Vein was completely defiled, unable to recover its vitality for a hundred years.
On the third day, he encountered a patrol from the Profound Turtle Division. The leader, Elder Xuan Gui, was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Seeing the surging Blood Sea, he furiously manifested his hundred-zhang true form and used his life-bound Turtle Shell to clash head-on with the torrent of Blood God Children.
Three quarters of an hour later, the Turtle Shell shattered, his Divine Soul was extracted, and the entire patrol was reduced to nourishment for the Blood Sea.
On the seventh day, the Ghost Shark Country launched a full-scale assault. Their three Ghost Shark Generals were all Foundation Establishment Masters. They commanded a three-thousand-strong Ghost Shark Battle Array and harnessed the deep sea’s baleful yin energy to lay the "Profound Remains Cyan Wave Array," attempting to trap and kill Nether Spring.
In that battle, the Blood Sea surged back for three thousand li. The capital of the Ghost Shark Country was destroyed, and its king fled with his remaining forces into a Returning Ruins Rift, not daring to show his face in the world since.
On the thirteenth day, he passed Penglai Relic Island. The island was protected by an Ancient Ruins Array. Its Cultivators sealed their gates and activated every Restriction.
Nether Spring merely gave it a passing glance and did not linger.
Yet, a blood-colored stain suddenly appeared on the Mountain Protection Array of that Overseas Immortal Island, which had a legacy of three thousand years. The stain spread for a hundred li, damaging thirty percent of the Array Foundation. It would take a century of nurturing to recover.
A fearsome reputation is built on a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Now, in this vast and chaotic Overseas region, the very name "Blood Demon Daoist" was enough to make ordinary Cultivators tremble in fear, to make local powers lock their gates, and to force even ancient, great clans to re-evaluate this terrifying entity who had appeared out of nowhere, cultivated a bizarre blood Dao, and acted with utter impunity.
"So long as the Blood Sea does not dry, Nether Spring will not die."
No one knew who first said it, but this phrase was already quietly circulating throughout the Overseas region.
At this moment, Nether Spring had reached the depths of the North Sea.
The temperature of the surrounding water plummeted, and all light vanished completely.
Only the occasional bioluminescent deep-sea creature would streak through the darkness, leaving a brief, strange trail.
Ahead, an endless range of undersea mountains appeared.
The entire mountain range was a deep, ethereal blue, its surface covered in a thick layer of ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice. Beneath the ice, ancient and complex natural patterns were faintly visible.
These were the traces left by the Dragon Race, who had reshaped the Earth Veins and condensed the Water Element Dao Principle with their supreme power.
The North Sea Dragon Palace was close.
Nether Spring slowed slightly. The bloody light receded, revealing his form.
He stood on an abyssal plain. A hundred li ahead lay the majestic mountain range that stretched across the seabed like a towering barrier cleaving Heaven and Earth.
In the center of the mountain range stood a colossal gateway, ten thousand zhang tall and carved entirely from Deep Sea Cold Crystal.
On either side of the gateway coiled a lifelike, ten-thousand-zhang-tall ice dragon sculpture. Their eyes were inlaid with Star Cores, which emitted a cold, faint, and eternal light in the absolute darkness.
Their claws gripped the gate’s pillars, and their tails wrapped around its base. Every single scale was carved with meticulous detail, making them seem as if they could come alive at any moment and roar at the heavens.
Above the gateway hung a giant plaque, also formed from cold crystal, inscribed with four ancient draconic words:
[North Sea Dragon Palace].
A vast Water Essence Dao Rhyme flowed between the strokes, and an ancient majesty—originating from the depths of a bloodline, sovereign over all living things—spread out as if it were tangible.
Merely gazing at the gateway from a distance, Nether Spring felt a heavy pressure, as if the weight of the entire North Sea was pressing down on his shoulders.
It was not the pressure of a single Cultivator.
It was the "presence" of an ancient race, one that had inherited its legacy from primordial times, ruled the four seas, and witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras—a presence built upon ten thousand years of heritage and tempered over endless eons.
This "presence" was formless and intangible, yet it was everywhere.
It permeated every drop of seawater, was branded onto every inch of the Dragon Palace’s territory, and even influenced the workings of the Celestial Dao in this region of the sea.
Nether Spring’s blood-red eyes narrowed. The Blood Sea around him churned of its own accord, coalescing into a viscous, blood-colored shield that insulated him from the intangible draconic might.
"Now this is interesting..."
he murmured, a cold arc forming on his lips.
However, just as he was about to press forward—
BUZZZ!!!
A hundred li ahead, the Star Cores inlaid in the eyes of the ice dragon sculptures flanking the majestic gateway suddenly erupted with a blinding, ethereal light!
The light shot out like two celestial pillars, instantly tearing through the deep-sea darkness and illuminating a thousand-li radius as brightly as day!
Immediately after, from within the previously silent, ethereal blue mountains behind the gateway, nine colossal auras suddenly surged forth!
ROAR—!!!
Nine dragon roars exploded almost simultaneously!
Each roar contained a completely different Dao Rhyme.
One was bone-chillingly cold, another as violent as fire, another as heavy as a mountain, another as swift as lightning...
Nine ten-thousand-zhang-long draconic figures soared up from various parts of the mountain range, unfurling their massive bodies in the deep sea—bodies large enough to eclipse the stars!
Their scales reflected the ethereal blue light, each one as large as a house with natural Dao Patterns flowing along its edges. Their horns were formidable, seeming to pierce the heavens. Their claws tore at the seawater, creating terrifying underwater vortexes. Their eyes were like nine miniature cold moons, locked onto Nether Spring with icy mercilessness.
Nine True Dragons!
And all of them... at the Foundation Establishment Master Level!
No, three of the auras were especially powerful, already approaching Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Perfection. They were just half a step away from entering the Great Master Realm!
"Blood Demon Daoist!"
The True Dragon in the center, its body covered in ice-blue scales and its horns majestic, was the first to speak. Its voice was like the clashing of ten-thousand-year-old ice, filled with undisguised killing intent:
"You slaughtered the people of Bixuan Palace and murdered those of our Dragon Race bloodline! You deserve to die ten thousand deaths!
How dare you set foot in the North Sea Territory today—do you truly think the Dragon Race has no one to answer you?!"
Before its voice had even faded, the sea parted behind the gateway!
A dense, countless tide of Dragon Palace troops, numbering in the tens of thousands, surged forth!
In the front rank were the "Ice Flood Dragon Guards," clad in Profound Ice Armor and wielding Tridents. Each one possessed a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivation, and when they formed their battle array, their auras linked together, making them comparable to a Foundation Establishment Master.
In the middle rank were the "Sea Taming Envoys," riding deep-sea beasts. Their mounts—giant whales, vicious sharks, poisonous jellyfish, and more—let out low roars, churning the undercurrents.
In the blink of an eye, a massive killing array covering several thousand li of the sea had taken shape!
The nine True Dragons occupied the Array Hubs, while tens of thousands of Dragon Palace troops formed an encirclement. Chains of runes sealed off all paths of retreat.
Killing intent, like a tangible cold tide, completely enveloped Nether Spring.
The Blood Sea roiled around him. The 9,800 Blood God Children sensed the danger and manifested on their own, forming a dark-red "blood cloud" that faced off against the ethereal blue Dragon Palace Array from a distance.
Their auras clashed, forcibly pushing the seawater aside and creating a "vacuum zone" several thousand li in diameter.
The abyssal plain began to crack. Layers of ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice peeled away, and even the majestic Dragon Palace gateway in the distance trembled slightly.
Nether Spring stood in the center of the blood cloud, his blood-red robes whipping about, his black hair dancing wildly.
He slowly raised his head, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the nine True Dragons, the tens of thousands of troops, and the Grand Array that radiated an ancient, murderous aura.
The corners of his mouth slowly parted, revealing a ferocious, excited smile, filled with endless bloodlust.
"Perfect..."
he said softly, his voice propagating strangely through the vacuum:
"My Blood God Children have been missing the taste of True Dragon essence blood."
Before his voice had even faded, he slowly raised his right hand.
He splayed his five fingers, palm facing down, and made an extremely simple motion—
a downward press.
BOOM—!!!
The Blood Sea behind him erupted! The 9,800 Blood God Children shrieked in unison, transforming into nine "Blood Rivers" as thick as mountain ranges and hurtling ferociously toward the Dragon Palace Array from nine directions!
He was going to...
slaughter his way straight through!
’The Dragon Race?’
’It’s not like I haven’t killed them before!’
At the very instant the nine Blood Rivers were about to collide with the Grand Array—
"Nether Spring..."
A voice sounded softly.
It did not come from the direction of the Dragon Palace.
Instead, it echoed directly in the depths of Nether Spring’s Purple Mansion.
It was gentle and calm, yet it carried an unquestionable will.
It was Qi Yun’s voice.
A flash of embarrassment at being caught flickered in Nether Spring’s blood-red eyes, but his hand ultimately paused.
The nine Blood Rivers hung suspended in the water, only three zhang away from the outermost chains of runes of the Grand Array.
He snorted coldly but did not retract the Blood Rivers. Instead, he flipped over his left hand, and in his palm, the lotus seed of the [Purifying World White Lotus] quietly appeared.
The lotus seed radiated a soft, pure white halo. In this part of the deep sea, filled with the Blood Sea and the Dragon Race’s killing array, it seemed completely out of place, and yet, somehow... glaring.
Across from him, the nine True Dragons were stunned when they saw the Blood Rivers halt abruptly.
Then, sensing the pure, life-filled Dao Rhyme emanating from the lotus seed, a look of shocked suspicion flashed in their eyes.
The Dragon Palace troops exchanged confused glances, wondering why the infamous Blood Demon Daoist would suddenly take out a Pure Yang Sacred Object that was the complete opposite of, and even seemed to counter, his Blood Sea Dao Intent.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense and the situation hung on a knife’s edge—
"Hold."
Another voice sounded.
This time, it came from the depths of the Dragon Palace.
It was deep and ancient, heavy with the weight of ages, and carried a supreme majesty that surpassed all the other members of the Dragon Race present.
Though it was just a single word, it seemed to stir the very Laws of the entire North Sea.
The once-violently churning seawater suddenly became calm.
The Blood Rivers and the Grand Array, on the verge of collision, were forcibly "frozen" in place by an invisible power.
Even the roiling Dragon Essence around the nine True Dragons involuntarily receded and calmed at this single word.
The moment they heard this voice, all the Dragon Palace troops, including the nine True Dragons, bowed their heads in unison:
"We greet the Dragon Monarch!"
Their voices merged into a tide of sound that echoed through the deep sea.
Nether Spring’s blood-red eyes narrowed as he looked toward the depths of the Dragon Palace.
There, an ethereal blue light was slowly beginning to glow.
And within that light, a blurry yet majestic figure was slowly... opening its eyes.
...
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