The Netherworld Blood Sea was located at the very bottom of the vast land of Honghuang.
It could be said that however vast Honghuang was, the Netherworld Blood Sea was just as vast.
Xuanjian and the two Ancestral Witches, Xuanming and Houtu, arrived at the Netherworld Blood Sea.
The sensation this place gave off was... oppressive, sinister, dead, and despairing. As far as the eye could see, everything was crimson red.
The sky was an oppressive dark red, devoid of any sun or moon, with no distinction between day and night.
The sea of blood was exceedingly viscous, exuding a thick, nauseating stench of blood.
Yet, from such a filthy place, an Innate Sacred Being accompanied by the extreme Dao of Slaughter was born!
Minghe of the Blood Sea!
Of course, Xuanjian knew that besides Minghe, another Innate Sacred Being existed within the Netherworld Blood Sea.
It was just that this entity had not yet been born into the world.
“Fellow Daoist Minghe, please forgive our sudden visit,” Xuanjian called out toward the expanse of the blood sea.
A moment later, the sea of blood churned violently. Boundless waves of blood roared and surged, and a terrifying blood fiend aura permeated outward, forming a blood mist capable of corroding a cultivator's Essence Soul and physical body as it drifted over the sea.
And within this blood mist...
A colossal outline quietly emerged.
When it breached the blood mist, Xuanjian and the others finally saw clearly that it was an imposing and majestic blood-colored palace!
Inscribed upon it were the words: Blood God Palace!
Standing proudly before the Blood God Palace was a tall, upright figure stepping upon the Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus.
He wore a blood-red robe. His posture was tall and straight, his countenance demonic and sinisterly handsome, yet his gaze was gloomy and vigilant. Two peerless slaughter swords hovered and circled around him, their extreme killing intent soaring into the sky and roiling the heavens.
“Fellow Daoists.”
The arrival was none other than Minghe of the Blood Sea.
In this era, the Asura race had not yet been born. In the entire expanse of the blood sea, Minghe was the only living being.
Who in their right mind would travel to the blood sea without reason?
Who else could it be if not Minghe?
Minghe offered courtesy first, performing a Daoist salute toward Xuanjian and the other two, before speaking warily, “My blood sea is perpetually engulfed in surging blood fiend qi and soaring malice. Ordinary living beings dare not even approach. For the three of you to visit so suddenly, I presume you are not merely passing by.”
Seeing this, Xuanjian smiled. “Fellow Daoist Minghe is straightforward. In that case, I will not beat around the bush.”
“The three of us have come here intending to do some business with Fellow Daoist Minghe. I wonder what your thoughts are?”
“Business?”
Minghe pondered the word carefully. He recalled that within the Dao of Commerce, a transaction referred to a cooperation based on equal exchange.
A transaction.
A transaction was good.
As long as they were not here to cause trouble.
Although Minghe was solitary by nature and preferred to keep to himself, he still understood the wonders of the Dao of Commerce.
If he could foster good relations with this Lord of the Dao of Commerce, it would definitely bring him benefits without harm.
“I see.”
Minghe nodded in feigned realization, stepped aside slightly, and made an inviting gesture. “Fellow Daoists, please enter the palace so we may speak.”
“Excellent.”
“Good.”
“Mhm.”
...
After entering the palace...
Minghe put away the Karmic Fire Red Lotus and retrieved four prayer mats crafted from innate divine materials from his spatial storage.
Once the four of them were seated...
Minghe cast several uncertain glances at Xuanming and Houtu.
Annoyed by his staring, Xuanming swept her icy, deep blue eyes across him and asked impatiently, “What are you looking at?”
Minghe said, “Fellow Daoist Xuanming, this poor Daoist means no offense. It is just that... I sense the aura of cultivation from both you and Fellow Daoist Houtu. Although it is faint, it is undeniably genuine cultivation.”
“However, this poor Daoist recalls that Ancestral Witches do not possess Essence Souls and should not be able to cultivate the immortal Dao...”
“Fellow Daoist Minghe,” Houtu spoke up, “as you can see, we Ancestral Witches have remedied our innate deficiencies and birthed Essence Souls. Thus, having cultivation is only natural, is it not?”
“What?”
Minghe was stunned.
The Ancestral Witches had Essence Souls?
Since when!
This was far too shocking for a divine being!
The Ancestral Witches were already invincible across Honghuang with their physical bodies and could wield the Laws of the Great Dao. Their physical bodies were unmatched, and their methods reached the heavens. Now that they had Essence Souls as well...
The Ancestral Witches had become even more terrifying.
They absolutely must not be offended.
This was the truest thought in Minghe's heart.
Minghe said, “Then I must congratulate the Ancestral Witches.”
Houtu replied, “Thank you.”
Xuanming remained silent. She was not good with words to begin with, having come along this time merely to act as a bodyguard.
“Fellow Daoist Xuanjian.”
Minghe turned his gaze back to Xuanjian and asked with a smile, “What kind of business do you wish to conduct with this poor Daoist?”
“Fellow Daoist Minghe surely knows that the Wu tribe has no Essence Souls, cannot cultivate the immortal Dao, and can only pursue the path of the physical body,” Xuanjian said.
Minghe nodded, indicating he understood.
This was common knowledge throughout Honghuang.
The Wu tribe lacked Essence Souls.
Even though the Ancestral Witches had birthed Essence Souls, it was impossible to bestow Essence Souls upon the hundreds of millions of ordinary Wu clansmen.
Therefore, aside from the Twelve Ancestral Witches, the rest of the Wu tribe was no different from before.
Xuanjian continued, “Cultivating the physical body requires blood vitality and fiend qi. Fiend qi is easy to resolve, but blood vitality is hard to come by. To obtain blood vitality, one must consume the flesh and blood of living beings, with the flesh of the Demon race being the most optimal.”
“However, hunting the myriad races on a massive scale will inevitably incur boundless killing karma. Therefore... the method of hunting is untenable.”
“I understand.”
Minghe grasped the meaning.
After birthing Essence Souls, the Ancestral Witches could perceive the heavenly secrets and understand the Great Dao.
They knew that unrestrained hunting of the myriad races would only push the Wu tribe into an abyss. Yet without hunting the myriad races, the Wu clansmen would starve to death from the depletion of their blood vitality.
If the Wu tribe wanted to resolve their current dilemma, they had no choice but to seek another way.
Thus, they had set their sights on his blood sea.
Throughout Honghuang, all shed blood would ultimately converge into the Netherworld Blood Sea.
Therefore, within his blood sea, there happened to be the exact blood vitality and fiend qi the Wu tribe required.
“I understand what Fellow Daoist seeks,” Minghe said truthfully. “However, this blood sea of mine contains not only blood vitality and fiend qi, but also resentment, malice, turbid qi, negative karma, and various other negative energies.”
“Are you certain... the physical bodies of the Wu tribe can endure it?”
“This poor Daoist naturally knows that the Wu tribe is renowned throughout Honghuang for their physical strength, but my blood sea is no ordinary mud puddle. Even if an Ancestral Witch took a swim in it, they would shed a layer of skin, let alone ordinary Wu clansmen.”
Minghe did not refuse, but he made the stakes and risks clear to Xuanjian, Xuanming, and Houtu.
Minghe's meaning was evident: he had no objection to their business, but how did they plan to solve this biggest problem?
“It is very simple. We only need to borrow Fellow Daoist's Blood Sea Formation.”
“What Blood Sea Formation?”
Minghe was baffled.
Xuanjian was even more baffled.
Huh?
Minghe doesn't have the Blood Sea Formation right now?
That was troublesome.
The Blood Sea Formation created by Ancestor Minghe possessed abundant marvelous uses, utilizing the blood sea to its absolute fullest.
It was precisely the combination of the blood sea and the Blood Sea Formation that allowed Minghe to hold a place of significance even in the future era of Saints.
But right now...
It seemed Minghe had not yet pioneered the Blood Sea Formation.
The two stared at each other in bewilderment.
For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent.
Just then, the system prompt chimed within Xuanjian's Essence Soul, followed immediately by the system interface popping up.
【Ding! Detected that Minghe of the Blood Sea has not yet created the Blood Sea Formation and is unable to assist the Host in refining the blood vitality and fiend qi of the blood sea. The Host's choices are as follows:
Option One: ...】
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