Minghe's Probe, True Forms Revealed

Di Jiang stood at the edge of the Sea of Blood, drawing upon the power of space. He absorbed the intensely potent malevolent energy like a whale swallowing water, his mind immersed in the preliminary construction and simulation of the Great Formation of the Myriad Heavens.

At the same time, he keenly sensed a hidden intention deep within the boundless, viscous Sea of Blood beneath his feet, observing him cautiously through layers of blood waves.

Di Jiang understood. It was the landlord of this place – Minghe!

The disparity in their cultivation realms allowed Di Jiang to feel the wariness, apprehension, and even a deeply hidden unease emanating from that intention. It was understandable; anyone would be wary if a stranger suddenly appeared in their home and started gathering resources at their doorstep, even if it was just malevolent energy, which wasn't a core resource for Minghe.

Di Jiang's divine sense swept across the Sea of Blood, perceiving the life source hidden at its core, almost fused with the entire sea, and the billions of Blood God Son clones scattered throughout it. This Minghe is naturally cautious, with excellent means of self-preservation.

"Four hundred and eighty million Blood God Sons. As long as the Sea of Blood doesn't dry up, Minghe won't die. He's got something going for him. But relying on this to deal with me? He's still far from it," Di Jiang thought dismissively.

He sensed that although Minghe was observing him secretly, he had no intention of intervening or driving him away, tacitly approving his collection of malevolent energy. Di Jiang was happy to have peace and quiet, too lazy to expose him, and continued his experiment.

However, after a while, Di Jiang noticed a subtle change in the observing intention. The previous wariness and apprehension remained, but a hint of curiosity had been added, along with an indescribable sense of affinity.

Just as Di Jiang found it somewhat strange, the surface of the Sea of Blood before him suddenly bulged upwards silently. The viscous blood gathered and took shape as if it had a life of its own.

In the blink of an eye, a figure coalesced.

It was not the sinister old demon rumored in later generations, but a handsome youth who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. He wore a robe condensed from the purest blood-colored energy, his features exquisitely refined to the point of being almost demonic.

His skin was fair, yet his lips were as red as blood. His pair of crimson eyes resembled the purest rubies, carrying a hint of newborn innocence and curiosity, yet deeply concealing an innate ferocity and cunning.

He stood barefoot on the blood waves, his aura intimately connected with the entire Netherworld Sea of Blood, as if he were the sea, and the sea were him.

Minghe looked at Di Jiang, a complex glint flashing in his crimson eyes. He then cupped his hands, his voice clear and resonant, possessing the unique quality of youth yet with a composure unbefitting his appearance.

"Netherworld Sea of Blood, Minghe, greets fellow Daoist!"

He paused, his gaze lingering on the majestic vital energy and profound spatial dao rhythm surrounding Di Jiang. His tone carried a hint of confirmation and sudden realization:

"Fellow Daoist's vital energy is radiant, resonating with the Primordial World. Coupled with the profoundness of the master of space! You must be the orthodox being born from Father God Pangu's essence blood, the master of Mount Buzhou, right?"

Minghe, having been formed from Pangu's impure blood, shared a subtle bloodline connection with Di Jiang, who was born from Pangu's essence blood. Though one was impure and the other pure, one orthodox and the other extraordinary, they both originated from Pangu. This faint connection allowed him to perceive it clearly at such close proximity.

It was precisely this origin, combined with his assessment of Di Jiang's strength, that led him to decide to reveal himself rather than remain hidden. Observing a powerful being of the same origin from the shadows was ultimately inferior to a direct encounter.

Facing the handsome youth before him, condensed from pure blood and malevolent energy, whose aura hovered at the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Di Jiang's eyes, containing vortexes of time and space, narrowed slightly, a flicker of understanding and a hint of displeasure crossing them.

His divine sense was incredibly sharp; he had already penetrated the facade of this clone and sensed its close connection to the entire Sea of Blood's origin, yet it was not the sole, most core source.

A Blood God Son clone. How cautious.

A primordial demon god like Minghe, directly formed from Pangu's impure blood, possessed an extraordinary Origin/Foundation. He should have been a Golden Immortal from birth, not merely a Grand Unity. This was clearly a sign of his fear of Di Jiang's strength, unwilling to reveal his true form and only sending a clone to probe.

This overly cautious, survivalist approach irked Di Jiang, making him feel slightly disrespected. He, a dignified Primordial Golden Immortal, Pangu's True Lineage, had personally come to this Sea of Blood to collect some malevolent energy without even charging a fee, and the host, unwilling to reveal his true form, would only send a clone as a perfunctory gesture?

Di Jiang's expression remained placid, but his gaze, carrying an invisible pressure, fell upon Minghe's clone. Without directly answering the guess about his identity, he spoke with an undeniable indifference:

"Fellow Daoist Minghe, since you know of my Origin/Foundation, why not reveal your true form?"

Di Jiang's voice was not loud, but it resonated with the Space Law, piercing through the clone's obstruction and echoing clearly in the core depths of the Sea of Blood where Minghe's true form resided.

"A mere Blood God Son clone. Isn't that rather discourteous?"

The displeasure in Di Jiang's words was undisguised.

The crimson pupils of Minghe's clone contracted slightly, clearly sensing the displeasure and the suppressed pressure in Di Jiang's words. Minghe remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Di Jiang did not urge him, simply standing with his hands behind his back, his Primordial Golden Immortal aura faintly revealing itself, standing in opposition to the malevolent energy of the boundless Sea of Blood, suppressing it.

Finally, Minghe's clone raised his head, a look of determination on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "It was Minghe's oversight. I have offended fellow Daoist."

As his voice fell, the Sea of Blood beside him churned violently again, gathering even more immense and purer primordial blood energy. The Blood God Son clone, at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, melted into the surging blood waves.

The next moment, the blood waves lifted a new figure, slowly rising.

It was still the handsome youth of fifteen or sixteen, identical in attire and appearance to the previous clone. However, the aura emanating from him now was that of a mid-stage Golden Immortal!

Furthermore, it was more solid, more profound, and the resonance with the entire Netherworld Sea of Blood reached an unprecedented height, as if he were the embodiment of the will of this blood sea world!

This was Minghe's true form. Seeing that Minghe had finally chosen to reveal his true form, the displeasure in Di Jiang's eyes slowly dissipated, replaced by a barely perceptible hint of admiration.

He does have some courage. Not someone who only shrinks back.

Di Jiang inwardly evaluated, his opinion of Minghe rising slightly. To choose to appear despite knowing he was outmatched was a decisiveness not found in mediocre individuals.

His gaze fell again on Minghe's youthful appearance, a strange curiosity stirring within him. Why this youthful form? Logically, primordial demon gods, upon taking form, choose their appearance at will, usually as young or middle-aged Dao bodies to signify maturity and authority!

Di Jiang's divine sense swept over Minghe, faintly sensing two sharp, peerless killing sword energies hidden deep within his origin, not yet fully refined – Abi and Yuantu!

In an instant, Di Jiang understood.

"Ah, Abi and Yuantu are primordial killing swords born from the killing intent of heaven and earth. They are sharp and unyielding, valuing sharpness and spirit above all else.

Minghe, born with such ferocious treasures, must have been deeply influenced in his initial state of mind upon taking form. The youthful spirit, full of ambition, wielding a sword across the world, seeking justice and revenge – this is the state of mind and form most compatible with these twin killing swords!"

With this thought, Di Jiang looked at Minghe's youthful exterior again, and it seemed much more reasonable. This was not a disguise, but a true reflection of his nature at a specific stage. He wondered how the "Sea of Blood youth's" state of mind and appearance would change after experiencing the trials and tribulations of the Primordial World and engaging in more killing.

Di Jiang collected his thoughts and nodded slightly at Minghe, who had revealed his true form, acknowledging his sincerity. The previous displeasure had vanished. His primary objective was the malevolent energy, and since Minghe was sensible, he had no desire to stir up more trouble.