"Heavenly Venerable! It's the Heavenly Venerate Qing Huan!"
"We beg the Heavenly Venerable to have mercy! We are all banished members of the demon race!"
"Waaah... Heavenly Lord, have mercy and grant us a way to live..."
The countless remnant souls instantly sensed the supreme aura of the demon race's origin, like drowning people grasping at a last straw.
They frantically squeezed their shattered souls out of the Blood Waves, kneeling densely in the void, kowtowing and begging Qing Huan.
The cries and pleas converged into a monstrous spiritual storm, assaulting the law barriers of this land of death.
Especially those souls that could still form a semblance of a demonic form cried out in despair, turning their last remaining power into mournful wails.
Qing Huan stood suspended in the void, his body radiating Pure Light, keeping away the filthy, bloodthirsty, and resentful aura.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the millions of twisted, desperate soul faces below, his eyes as cold as ancient ice, without the slightest ripple.
"Your Heavenly Mandate is predetermined."
The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the wails, like the sound of judgment from the Above the Nine Heavens, carrying an undeniable coldness.
"The time is not yet ripe, and forcing it will be futile. Remain here and wait for the laws of heaven and earth to take effect. According to the deeds you committed in your previous lives, you will be punished or annihilated. All have their own destiny, and I have no power to interfere."
This bland announcement, like the coldest frost, instantly froze the embers of hope in all the remaining souls.
A powerful remnant of a tiger demon roared in resentment:
"No! No! Heavenly Venerable! We are also demons! You cannot stand by and watch us fall into an eternal Blood Sea and suffer endless torment! We beg you..."
"Snort!"
A cold snort rang out, like a resounding bell exploding above the endless Blood Sea!
The terrifying holy might crashed down like a tangible meteor!
The entire Blood Sea churned violently, and billions of remnant souls were as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly forced to prostrate themselves on the Blood Waves. Their souls flickered and trembled, their cries were even choked back, leaving only the fear and trembling from the deepest part of their souls!
"Stubborn fool! Can't you understand my decree?"
Qing Huan's voice carried a chilling killing intent.
"Dare to utter another sound, and don't blame me for being merciless. I will instantly annihilate you, sending you to eternal nothingness!"
The phrase "annihilated" is like the sharpest guillotine hanging over one's neck! Even as a wandering ghost, there is still a one in a billion chance.
If one's soul is completely annihilated, that is true and eternal death! There is no possibility left!
In an instant, all the pleas and cries ceased.
Fear completely overwhelmed despair.
Hundreds of millions of remnant souls, like frightened locusts, scrambled back into the depths of the surging Blood Waves, fearing that if they were even a step too slow, they would be completely reduced to ashes under that cold gaze.
Above the Blood Sea, a chilling stillness instantly returned, with only the viscous Blood Waves still silently rolling and devouring everything.
Just as this deathly silence descended, two incomparably sharp and deadly sword energies suddenly erupted from the depths of the Blood Sea!
A crimson sword light shot into the sky, tearing through the filthy blood mist like two ferocious blood dragons.
At the center of the sword energy, the Ancestor Minghe, clad in a dark red robe embroidered with profound blood-red Dao patterns, emerged from the waves with a radiant glow on his face, bowing respectfully to Qing Huan.
"My Eldest Brother has arrived! I am deeply sorry for failing to greet you properly!"
Minghe's voice revealed genuine excitement and a hint of deliberately concealed smugness.
This greeting was both respectful and warm.
Ever since I shamelessly acknowledged Qing Huan as my Eldest Brother, the benefits have been pouring in like Blood Sea wave! The complete <Three Corpses Path to Sainthood Method>...
Two Innate Spiritual Treasure from the same source, not to mention the Hongmeng Purple Qi containing the key to sainthood!
Minghe finally understood: cling to Eldest Brother Qing Huan, the strongest thigh in the Primordial Wilderness, and becoming a saint? That's just a matter of time!
Now I have a very stable mindset, and I am no longer as anxious and uncertain as I was when I first received the auspicious purple aura.
Qing Huan's gaze swept over Minghe like lightning, sensing the more refined, nearly perfect Mid-Quasi-Saint aura emanating from him, as well as the two killing swords that faintly emitted excited low hums. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes.
"Not bad, your cultivation has improved considerably, and your foundation is quite solid now."
A slight smile played on his lips.
"How about it? Want to stretch your muscles with your brother?"
Upon hearing Minghe, Styx's smile froze instantly, then turned into a bitter laugh. He waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
"Oh, my Eldest Brother! Please spare me!"
The memory of how Qing Huan nearly evaporated all of his Blood God Son clones with the terrifying "Four Symbols of Heaven-Opening's Creation," leaving them as mere "blood skin," flooded back to him instantly, as clear as if it were yesterday.
That overwhelming, unstoppable force that created the world, that supreme power that sealed off time and space, that sense of utter despair, like someone about to be slaughtered...
Minghe felt a chill run down his spine, and his lips twitched uncontrollably a few times.
"Eldest Brother, please don't tease me. My meager skills Dao Cultivation so weak that even if ten of them were tied together, they couldn't withstand a single finger from you!"
"Ha ha!"
Seeing the Minghe's embarrassed state, Qing Huan couldn't help but laugh loudly, which diluted the thick bloody and murderous atmosphere of the place.
"Alright, alright, I won't make things difficult for you."
He suppressed his smile and said seriously:
"I have come here regarding the matter of the Reincarnation Purple Lotus. I asked you to keep an eye out in the Netherworld last time; have you found any trace of it?"
When the topic turned to business, Minghe's ruddy face instantly fell, his brows furrowed, and his expression was filled with deep embarrassment and a hint of barely perceptible frustration.
"Eldest Brother..."
His voice lowered slightly, tinged with a hint of guilt, "Your younger brother... your younger brother is incompetent! Since your Eldest Brother entrusted this matter to me, I have not dared to slack off in the slightest. I have searched almost every nook and cranny of the Netherworld! I have dug more than 30,000 feet into the ground! My Spiritual Sense has swept over every inch of the dark land!"
But... but that Reincarnation Purple Lotus, let alone the lotus flower, not even a single leaf or a wisp of lotus fragrance could be detected!
Even..."
She glanced at Qing Huan, then lowered her voice even further.
"Even with other slightly decent Innate Spiritual Root and materials, I... got nothing."
It was as if the Netherworld had a grudge against him and was specifically targeting him.
Qing Huan's expression didn't change much; he had already expected this.
He nodded slightly, his tone calm:
"It's alright. Such rare treasures of heaven and earth, especially those related to the origin of reincarnation, have their own predetermined fate in appearing in the world, and cannot be obtained by force. If one's Luck has not yet arrived and one's destiny has not yet come, even if one travels through all the heavens and myriad realms, it will be in vain. You have done your best, so there is no need to worry."
He glanced intently at the Minghe, as if seeing through the self-doubt born of "zero gains."
"But you... perhaps you've recently exhausted your Luck? This Netherworld may be barren, but it's not a place where nothing grows."
His words carried a hint of teasing.
Minghe awkwardly rubbed his hands together and quickly changed the subject:
"Ahem... Thank you for your understanding, Eldest Brother! Since you have condescended to come to my humble and remote place, why not do me the honor of visiting my modest Dao Field for a while?"
Although there's no Nectar and Ambrosia from the Eastern Paradise, the 'Blood Bodhi' and 'Netherworld Vermilion Fruit,' specialties of the Netherworld Sea of Blood, are worth a try. It'll be perfect for discussing the Dao with my Eldest Brother and receiving his teachings!"