The Secret Realm's Treasure-Seizing Battle Against Minghe; a Perilous Escape from the Blood Sea

Before the blood sword even reached him, its fierce killing intent and filthy Blood Fiendish Qi had already pricked Tongtian's skin and sent his Nascent Soul trembling!

Ancestor Minghe's Blood God Son clone! And a Quasi-Saint-level one at that!

Though this sort of clone was no match for Ancestor Minghe's true body, with its vast divine powers and top-grade spiritual treasures, it shared the same origin as Minghe. Its mastery of the Blood Sea's laws was extraordinary, and its combat strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Quasi-Saint of the same rank!

In the blink of an eye, Tongtian had no time to wonder how he had been exposed. With death at hand, he reacted almost instinctively!

"Roar!"

The newly formed Primordial Dao Seed within him trembled at an unprecedented frequency, and an aura of Unopened Chaos, of the primordial beginning, suddenly burst forth! Though faint, it carried an overwhelming pressure of supreme rank!

At the same time, his feet shifted in an arcane step, and his figure blurred like a phantom. At the very last instant, he narrowly twisted aside by half a fraction!

Swoosh!

The killing blood sword skimmed past his ribs, its sharp edge slicing through his tattered Daoist robe and leaving another shallow wound on his Saint Body. Filthy Blood Fiendish Qi poured into him, frantically trying to erode his life force!

Tongtian grunted, his face paling further, but an astonishingly cold light flared in his eyes!

He had dodged the fatal strike!

A flicker of unmistakable astonishment crossed the Blood God Son clone's scarlet eyes. It seemed not to have expected this intruder, whose aura was not particularly strong, to evade its sure-kill attack. And that strange aura just now had even made the soul it had inherited from the Blood Sea Origin tremble?

That instant of astonishment was all he needed!

Tongtian moved!

He ignored the Blood Fiendish Qi pouring into his body and did not waste time tangling with the Blood God Son clone. He had only one goal: the Chaos Bead inside the Spatial Rift ahead!

Whoosh!

He poured all his magical power into his legs without reservation, even going so far as to draw once more upon his Saint Body Origin. He became a twisting streak of light and shot straight toward the Spatial Rift!

"Looking for death!" The Blood God Son clone recovered and let out a shrill screech. It flicked its blood sword, turning it into thousands of blood-red sword images that swept toward Tongtian's back like a storm. At the same time, the power of a vast Blood Sea domain spread out, trying to lock down space and stop him from entering!

[High-intensity spatial confinement detected! Analyzing method of escape... The host must expend thirty percent of his magical power to forcibly tear through the confinement for 0.3 breaths!] The system's prompt rang out rapidly.

"Break!" Without hesitation, Tongtian followed the method of circulating magical power provided by the system, joined his fingers like a sword, and slashed sharply behind him!

Rip!

A faint yet incomparably keen Chaos Sword Qi appeared out of thin air. It carried a hint of Splitting Chaos, of resetting Earth Water Fire Wind. Though weak, it struck precisely at the weakest point in the Blood Sea domain!

The mighty force of confinement abruptly faltered!

0.3 breaths! That was enough!

Tongtian did not slow for an instant. Like a fish slipping through water, he slid into the unstable Spatial Rift!

Thousands of blood-red sword images struck the entrance to the rift, setting off a violent explosion, but they were a step too late!

"Roar!!!" The Blood God Son clone let out an enraged roar. It could sense that its target had already entered! Without hesitation, blood light flashed around it, and it followed him into the rift!

The instant Tongtian and the Blood God Son clone entered the Spatial Rift one after the other, deep in the heart of the Blood Sea, in the innermost reaches of the magnificent and blood-soaked Blood God Palace,

a figure slowly opened his eyes atop a huge Lotus Platform formed entirely from the boundless Blood Sea Origin. He wore a blood-red Daoist robe, his face was sinister, and as his eyes opened and closed, it seemed that countless Blood Shadows were born and extinguished within them.

His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of palace walls and boundless space, settling on a twisted stretch of sea near the Reincarnation Disk.

"The aura of Chaos... and a trace of... a familiar feeling I detest?" Ancestor Minghe frowned slightly. He formed hand seals to divine the secrets of fate, only to find the celestial secrets in that region in utter disarray, as if some force had forcibly twisted and obscured them.

"Hmph. Whoever it is, anyone who dares covet my things is courting death!" He gave a cold snort but did not go himself. A Blood God Son clone at the Early Stage Quasi-Saint level was enough to deal with most trouble. In this Blood Sea, he was invincible—unless a Saint came in person!

He closed his eyes again and continued comprehending his path of slaughter, but spared a sliver of his divine sense to watch what was happening there.

The moment Tongtian entered the Spatial Rift, the world spun around him, as though he had crossed endless stretches of time and space.

The next moment, an incomparably pure, ancient, and boundless Chaos Aura rushed toward him. Every pore on his body seemed to open with delight, and the Primordial Dao Seed within him trembled excitedly, greedily absorbing this rare nourishment.

He steadied himself and looked around. He could not help but feel shaken.

This was not the perilous Forbidden Zone he had imagined. Instead, it was a strange "paradise beyond the world."

The space was small, no more than a hundred li across. There was no sky and no earth, only walls of Chaos that were constantly being born and extinguished all around. At the center of this space floated a small "landmass," made not of soil but of condensed Chaos Qi.

Several Spirit Grasses, unseen anywhere else, grew on the landmass, glimmering with Chaos light. At its very center, a gentle yet unfathomably deep Misty Grey radiance floated quietly.

The orb of light was only about the size of a fist. Within it seemed to lie the birth and destruction of endless worlds and the evolution of galaxies. Just one glance made the heart tremble, as if gazing upon the Great Dao Origin!

Chaos Bead (fragment)!

Though it was only a fragment of the complete Chaos Bead, the rank and energy it radiated far surpassed those of any spiritual treasure Tongtian had ever seen! It was even slightly superior in quality to the Four Swords of Zhu Xian he had wielded at the height of his power! After all, this fragment had been transformed from the seed pod of the Chaos Green Lotus that had given birth to Great God Pangu. It was a genuine Chaos Supreme Treasure Fragment!

Tongtian forcibly suppressed his excitement and reached for the Chaos Bead fragment without hesitation!

But just as his fingertips were about to touch the Misty Grey orb—

"Wretch! How dare you!"

The Blood God Son clone let out a shrill screech behind him. A streak of blood light, sharp beyond compare, caught up with him and slashed at his wrist! At the same time, the secret realm shook violently, and the Chaos barriers around them began to destabilize. The Blood God Son clone was clearly attacking the secret realm itself by force!

If Tongtian did not pull back, his wrist would be severed! If he did, he might miss his chance—or even be trapped inside the secret realm!

At this critical moment, a ruthless glint flashed in Tongtian's eyes!

Instead of retreating, he surged forward even faster and grabbed for the Chaos Bead! At the same time, his thoughts raced. "System! Defend!"

[Understood! Activating emergency energy barrier. The host's remaining magical power will be reduced by seventy percent!]

A transparent screen, thin as a cicada's wing and shimmering with countless fine data streams, appeared around Tongtian's wrist in an instant!

Clang!!!

The streak of blood light struck the screen with a shrill, metallic clash! The screen rippled violently and instantly filled with cracks, but it did not shatter at once!

And in the instant this bought him, Tongtian's hand closed around the Misty Grey radiance!

It was cold to the touch, yet incomparably heavy, as though he were holding an entire world!

Hum!!!

The Chaos Bead (fragment) shuddered violently, sending out a will of resistance. It seemed unwilling to be taken!

"Subdue!" Tongtian barked. He forcibly roused the newly formed Primordial Dao Seed within him, releasing Chaos Aura of the same origin!

As though it had sensed a higher level of power from its own source, the resistance of the Chaos Bead (fragment) immediately weakened.

Tongtian seized the chance to rapidly cast several arcane seals provided by the system, temporarily sealing the Chaos Bead's aura before stuffing it into his robes!

"You're asking for death!" The Blood God Son clone flew into a full-blown rage. It had not expected its opponent to dare withstand its attack and seize the treasure by force—and actually succeed! The humiliation was unbearable!

It held nothing back. Blood light surged skyward around it, forming a gigantic blood-red vortex. A terrifying suction force swept out, seeking to devour and refine Tongtian along with the entire secret realm! The secret realm began collapsing even faster!

Tongtian had seized the Chaos Bead and withstood a blow; his magical power was nearly exhausted, and his injuries flared up again. A trace of golden blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But he did not dare linger for a moment!

"Kui Niu isn't here. I can only rely on myself!" His gaze swept over the collapsing secret realm, then snapped to the weak point in space caused by the Blood God Son clone's frenzied attacks!

There!

He forced out another drop of Origin Blood Essence and burned it!

"Escape!"

Blood light flashed as he unleashed a movement art that consumed his origin. Like a blood-red shooting star, he narrowly skimmed the edge of the enormous vortex and charged toward the weak point!

"Where do you think you're going!" the Blood God Son clone roared, splitting into countless Blood Shadows that blocked his path!

A fierce light gleamed in Tongtian's eyes. He abruptly tossed behind him one of the Chaos Spirit Grasses he had plucked while collecting the Chaos Bead!

The Spirit Grass contained pure Chaos Energy. To a Blood Sea creature like the Blood God Son, it was both deadly poison and an irresistible temptation!

Sure enough, the Blood God Son clone hesitated instinctively. The Blood Shadows it had split off instinctively surged toward the Chaos Spirit Grass!

That moment's delay was all Tongtian needed!

The streak of blood light he had become slammed into the weak point in space!

Rumble!

The secret realm, already on the verge of collapse, could no longer hold together. It exploded completely! The terrifying Chaos currents and Blood Sea energy collided and annihilated each other in a frenzy!

Tongtian felt an irresistible force strike him from behind. He was blasted away like a kite with its string cut, tumbling out of the collapsing secret realm and back into the roiling Blood Sea!

Pfft!

He spat out several mouthfuls of blood. More cracks spread across his Saint Body, and his aura sank to its nadir. He nearly fell from the Quasi-Saint realm!

But he clenched his teeth and, carried by the force of the explosion, fled at full speed in the direction the system indicated, away from the Blood God Palace!

"Roar!!!"

Behind him, the Blood God Son clone let out an even more furious and frenzied roar! It had not been badly hurt, but it had been played for a fool, letting the treasure thief escape right under its nose! It immediately locked onto Tongtian's faint aura and pursued him relentlessly!

At the same time, the entire Netherworld Blood Sea seemed to have "come alive"!

Woo—woo—woo—low, murderous horn calls sounded from all across the Blood Sea!

Countless Asura warriors surged out of palaces, blood ravines, and whirlpools. They formed battle formations and began a massive manhunt!

One powerful Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level Asura commander after another appeared, directing their troops and laying out the Heaven and Earth Net!

Even more terrifyingly, Tongtian could clearly sense a vast, boundless, cold, and evil will slowly awakening from the deepest reaches of the Blood Sea, like an ancient behemoth opening its eyes and coldly surveying the entire sea!

Ancestor Minghe's true body had been thoroughly roused!

[Warning! You have been preliminarily locked onto by Ancestor Minghe's divine sense! The Blood Sea formation is being fully activated! Host, flee the Blood Sea at all costs immediately!] The system's prompt became unbearably urgent.

Blocked ahead, pursued from behind, and locked onto by the Ancestor's divine sense above!

Tongtian had fallen into the greatest crisis of life and death since his rebirth!

His eyes were icy as he frantically wrung every last bit of strength from his body, pushing his speed to the limit. Guided precisely by the system, he wove through the densely packed Asura patrols and natural hazards, racing desperately toward the Blood Sea Edge!

He had to escape!