The roar of the Blood Sea and the questioning of the Minghe, tinged with endless resentment, seemed to tear apart the ancient silence of the underworld. The overwhelming crimson aura and the Golden Light of Merit confined within a small space tore at each other and annihilated each other, forming a bizarre and magnificent scene.
Just as Minghe's aura grew increasingly unstable, the twin swords Yuantu and Abi hummed and trembled, almost breaking free of their sheaths, poised to strike at the very moment the will of the Sage emanated from the darkness—
A gentle, peaceful aura, yet containing an indescribable depth and loftiness, like a silent spring rain, quietly seeped into the ferocious and malevolent energy surrounding the Blood Waves of the Blood Sea —a energy powerful enough to erode the body of Daluo Golden Immortal—and gently settled upon the raging Minghe.
The aura was so familiar that it suddenly cleared the Minghe's primordial spirit, which had been almost completely consumed by violence and resentment.
He suddenly turned his head.
Above the endless sea of the Blood Sea, a figure in a green robe had appeared at some unknown time.
The newcomer's face was blurred, as if shrouded in the Daoist aura of the eternal blue sky, making it impossible to discern his specific features. Only his eyes, clear as the stars in the heavens, reflected the turbulent blood and struggling gold of Merit below, yet remained unmoved.
He simply stood there, emanating no overwhelming aura, yet the Blood Sea, which had been boiling with the wrath of the Minghe, gradually calmed down.
Even the void ravines that had been torn apart by the murderous intent of the Minghe were slowly mending under the soothing influence of this peaceful Daoist rhythm.
Sage!
"Eldest Brother!"
When Minghe saw Qing Huan, it was like seeing a guiding light in endless darkness; the madness and violence that filled his heart instantly found an outlet and a refuge.
The surging crimson aura around him paused slightly, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly, a mixture of the arrogance honed over countless years of cultivation and an unprecedented sense of bewilderment:
"Why?! Eldest Brother, tell me, why have I failed to become a saint?!"
His questions were no longer angry inquiries directed at the ethereal Heavenly Dao or the lofty Sage, but rather questions born of trust in his dear brother and his guide, and an urgent yearning for answers.
"I established the Asura Sect, propagated the Great Dao the Blood God Son, gathered the Luck of the Blood Sea, and condensed supreme Merit! The Hongmeng Purple Qi is also in my hands, the Three Corpses have been severed, and the Dao Foundation is perfected!"
I believe I am no weaker than the Three Pure Ones Nuwa! But why... why does that final step feel like an insurmountable chasm? Could it be, as Taiqing said, that my opportunity has not yet arrived?
Or is it as Yuqing rebuked, that my origins and my Great Dao are inherently despised by the Heavenly Dao, making me unworthy of the Saint Position?!
Minghe's words were like a series of thunderous explosions in Qing Huan's ears, each word imbued with the obsession he had accumulated over countless Kalpa and the grievances and resentments he felt at this moment.
Qing Huan listened quietly, his gaze sweeping over the vast Golden Light of Merit surrounding Minghe, which was bound by invisible shackles and unable to fully merge with his primordial spirit, then over the incessantly buzzing Yuantu and Abi Swords, and finally landing on Minghe's blood-red pupils, which were particularly dazzling due to extreme emotions.
He did not answer immediately, but instead took a step forward, his figure appearing silently in front of Minghe, standing with him atop the surging Blood Waves, as if he had become one with this malevolent land and with his brother who was struggling to seek the Dao.
"The Minghe."
A soft sigh, tinged with a hint of helplessness, but more so with a profound understanding and gentle warmth of human nature.
"Please calm down."
Qing Huan raised his hand, his fingertips showing no radiance, yet it seemed to have invoked some supreme Dao principle. With a gentle touch, he struck Minghe precisely between the eyebrows.
"Buzz--"
Minghe trembled violently, feeling a cool and vast aura, like the eternal blue sky, instantly surge into his primordial spirit, which was almost burning due to the rage.
This aura did not forcibly suppress his killing intent, but rather acted like the Gao Ming guide, soothing and calming the raging anger, the bone-deep resentment, and the extreme indignation at the Sage's reaction in his heart.
The crimson aura surrounding him receded at a visible speed. Although it was still dazzlingly red, it was no longer chaotic and violent, but instead became condensed and profound again.
The manic laughter abruptly ceased, leaving only slightly heavy breathing and a pair of eyes fixed intently on Qing Huan, yearning for an answer.
"Minghe, behold."
With a flick of his sleeve, Qing Huan pointed to the still dazzling Golden Light of Merit that was imprisoned around the Minghe River.
"You only say that this Merit is so vast that it can shake the heavens and is comparable to Nuwa Creates Humans and the Three Pure Ones Establishing a Religion."
"But do you know why this Merit is imprisoned here, unable to fully merge with your primordial spirit?"
Minghe focused his gaze, and with his peak Quasi-Sage cultivation, his mind was now somewhat calm, and he immediately noticed the abnormality.
The Golden Light of Merit seemed to be bound by invisible shackles, but upon closer inspection, these "shackles" did not originate from the suppression of some powerful being from the outside world. Rather, they seemed more like a kind of "rejection" or "disapproval" from the very rules of heaven and earth themselves?
"This is..." Minghe frowned.
"This is the sign of 'Dao Deficiency'." Qing Huan's voice was calm and clear, as if he were explaining a very ordinary principle of the Great Dao. "Your Merit, your Luck, your foundation in the Great Dao seem perfect and flawless, but in reality... a crucial link is missing."
Heaven and Earth, moved by your compassion, bestowed Merit upon you, but because it is 'incomplete,' it cannot help you complete that final qualitative transformation and imprint yourself with the Heavenly Dao.
"Dao Deficiency? Is my Way flawed?"
Minghe muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with a blood-red light.
"My path of slaughter is rooted in the Blood Sea, giving rise to 480 million Blood God Son, who rule the Asura Race and wield the power of killing and defilement. I believe I have reached the pinnacle; what more could I possibly lack?"
"It's not that your Great Dao itself is flawed."
Qing Huan shook his head slightly.
"But there is still a crucial 'Karma' between your Great Dao and this Primordial Wilderness world that has not been resolved, a 'link of heaven and earth' that you should have filled has not yet been completed."
His gaze was profound, as if piercing through an endless Blood Sea, looking into the deeper reaches of that Netherworld, towards some future yet to come.
Do you know where the souls of all living beings go after birth, aging, sickness, and death in this Primordial Wilderness world?
Minghe paused, then subconsciously replied:
"Ordinary living beings have fragile souls, and after death, their True Spirit mostly dissipate into the world and return to their origin."
A few powerful ones may linger in the world, transforming into ghosts and demons, but ultimately they cannot escape annihilation.
Perhaps some, driven by deep-seated obsession and by a stroke of luck, become local deities, but they are extremely rare.
"Good."
Qing Huan nodded.
"Birth has its order, but death has no fixed place. This is the greatest 'imperfection' since the Heaven-Opening Primordial Wilderness! Heaven and earth have yang, and therefore yin;"
Where there is birth, there should be death; where there is this world, there should be a final resting place. But now, where is this final resting place of death, this order of the underworld?
Minghe's pupils suddenly contracted; he seemed to have caught something, yet it was all blurry and indistinct.
Qing Huan continued:
"Your Blood Sea was formed from the navel of the Great God Pangu, gathering the most Primordial Wilderness. It is the most concrete manifestation of the 'yin' aspect of this Primordial Wilderness world!"
It is instinctively meant to bear a part of the cyclical nature of heaven and earth, especially... the destination and transformation of the departed souls!
"This Blood Sea... where do the souls of the dead find their final resting place?"
Minghe's mind trembled violently, Blood Sea surged instinctively, as if echoing Qing Huan's words.