Blood Sea Battle Decides Covenant, Undercurrents Rise in the Netherworld Depths

The slight dizziness from the spatial transition hadn't fully faded when a potent, nauseating stench of blood and overwhelming resentment washed over him.

Tongtian stepped out from the hidden spatial node, the Chaos energy around him automatically circulating, pushing back the encroaching, filthy blood qi. He found himself at the bottom of a vast, boundless sea of blood. Surrounding him was viscous, dark red water, in which countless twisted souls and vengeful spirits writhed and wailed.

This was the Netherworld Sea of Blood! And the exit of the spatial node was located in an extremely deep and remote trench within it. If not for the guidance of the Yang Mei Rune, it would have been impossible to find.

Old Ancestor Yang Mei actually set up a palace node at the bottom of the Sea of Blood... It seems he and Old Ancestor Minghe have some unknown connection. Tongtian mused inwardly, while his divine sense spread out cautiously like flowing mercury.

His injuries fully healed, his cultivation advanced, and having received Yang Mei's spatial inheritance, his confidence soared. However, Old Ancestor Minghe was no easy opponent. His divine ability, "As long as the Sea of Blood doesn't dry up, Minghe will never die," was a headache even for Saints. He hadn't come for a fight, but to seek a delicate "cooperation."

Yet, as soon as his divine sense spread out, it triggered countless hidden restrictions within the Sea of Blood!

Wuuu-- wuuu-- wuuu-- A low, killing horn blast instantly echoed through the Sea of Blood! Countless powerful auras surged out from the blood trenches and palaces in all directions!

"Who dares trespass into the core of the Sea of Blood!" a roar like thunder exploded. An Asura Demon King with three heads and six arms, wielding a blood saber, led a dense army of the Sea of Blood, surrounding Tongtian menacingly!

It was an old acquaintance, Indra, the Asura general he had encountered before!

Upon seeing Tongtian, Indra froze for a moment, then his eyes erupted with earth-shattering rage and hatred: "It's you?! Tongtian! You dare come to my Sea of Blood again?! You're seeking death!"

Old and new grudges surged to the surface. Indra gave Tongtian no chance to speak. His six arms brandished the blood saber, stirring up monstrous waves of blood, and he charged directly! Behind him, countless Asura warriors formed battle formations, their killing intent condensing into ferocious giant demons that pounced forward!

Tongtian frowned slightly. He had intended to offer courtesy first, but the other party gave him no opportunity to speak.

"Stubborn fool." He snorted coldly, not even moving from his spot. He simply formed his fingers into a sword and made a gentle slash forward.

"Shatter!"

Chii! A faint yet incredibly sharp, grayish sword qi appeared out of thin air. It wasn't aimed at Indra, but at the giant demon formed from the killing intent of thousands of Asuras behind him!

The killing intent demon, though seemingly mighty, was like butter under a hot knife before the sword qi containing the True Meaning of Chaos Destruction. It was split in two and instantly collapsed and dissipated! The Asura warriors forming the battle formation were hit as if by a heavy blow, spitting blood and flying backward!

Before Indra's blood saber attack could land, he felt an invisible yet irresistible force press down on him. His forward momentum halted abruptly, as if he had slammed into an invisible iron wall. His six arms trembled violently, and the blood saber almost flew from his grasp!

"How is this possible?!" Indra was utterly horrified! In their last encounter, while the opponent was strong, he had still needed his mount and trickery. Now, he was this powerful? He could shatter his army's battle formation with a casual strike?

Little did he know that Tongtian's cultivation had reached the peak of the late Quasi-Saint stage, coupled with the Chaos Great Dao and spatial laws. His strength far surpassed that of ordinary peak Quasi-Saints, making it effortless to deal with a Grand Unity Golden Immortal like Indra.

Tongtian stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Indra. "Let Minghe come out and see me. Otherwise, today, I will have you find a new set of Demon Kings for this Sea of Blood."

His tone was calm, but it carried a suffocating majesty and killing intent.

Indra was both shocked and enraged, but he dared not move rashly. The opponent's strength was unfathomable, far beyond his ability to contend with.

Just then, deep within the Sea of Blood, in the magnificent and bloody Blood God Palace, a vast, cold, and violent will slowly awakened.

"Tongtian, you are truly a persistent ghost!"

Old Ancestor Minghe's icy voice seemed to echo from every corner of the Sea of Blood. Immediately, the Sea of Blood churned, and endless blood waves converged, forming the figure of Old Ancestor Minghe, a grim-faced Daoist clad in a blood-red robe. He hadn't appeared in person, but had condensed a clone using the origin of the Sea of Blood. However, his pressure far surpassed that of Indra and the like.

"Fellow Daoist Minghe, it has been a while." Tongtian cupped his hands slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"Don't play coy with me!" The Minghe clone's eyes were icy cold. "You haven't settled the score for plotting against me last time and luring the Demon Gods to cause chaos in the Northern Darkness! Now you dare intrude into the core of my Sea of Blood, do you really think I can't kill you?"

Before he finished speaking, the entire Sea of Blood seemed to come alive. Terrifying pressure squeezed towards Tongtian from all directions, and countless Blood God Son clones, like phantoms, flickered in and out of the bloody water, locking onto Tongtian.

Tongtian, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed, simply chuckling softly. "Fellow Daoist, why get angry? The previous incident was merely each taking what they needed. If I hadn't lured that Demon God, how could you have furthered your understanding of that otherworldly aura and perfected your Way of Slaughter?"

Old Ancestor Minghe's eyes flickered slightly, clearly having had part of his thoughts exposed. Although he had suffered a slight loss fighting that One-Eyed Demon God, he had indeed sensed a completely different destructive Great Dao and benefited greatly.

"Hmph, glib-tongued! If you can't give me a satisfactory explanation today, I'll leave your clone here to taste the flavor of my Blood Sea Soul Refining!" Old Ancestor Minghe's tone softened slightly, but his killing intent remained undiminished.

Tongtian's expression turned serious. "I have not come today as an enemy, but to make a deal with you, or rather... form an alliance."

"An alliance? With you?" Old Ancestor Minghe scoffed. "A stray dog like you is worthy of discussing an alliance with me?"

"What if I can help you break free from the Heavenly Dao's constraints and truly achieve the state of 'As long as the Sea of Blood doesn't dry up, Minghe will never die,' the Primordial Unity freedom?" Tongtian's words were astonishing.

Old Ancestor Minghe's pupils contracted sharply, and the blood waves around him momentarily stilled! Breaking free from the Heavenly Dao's constraints? Primordial Unity freedom? This was the realm he had dreamed of! But then he sneered, "Arrogant! Even Saints cannot escape the Heavenly Dao, and you think you can?"

"Saints entrust themselves to the Heavenly Dao, and naturally are bound by it," Tongtian said slowly. "My path is the Chaos Great Dao, transcending all. Your Way of Slaughter is also not entirely in harmony with the Heavenly Dao. Being confined to the Sea of Blood will ultimately have its limits. With the help of the Chaos Origin, perhaps... you can find another way."

Above his head, the Chaos Bead faintly appeared, emitting a trace of pure Chaos energy.

Old Ancestor Minghe stared intently at the Chaos Bead, greediness and apprehension intertwined in his eyes. He could feel that the bead held a fatal attraction for him!

"What do you want?" Old Ancestor Minghe's voice became a little hoarse.

"It's very simple." Tongtian held up two fingers. "First, if I establish a dojo in the future and teach the method of Primordial Unity, you must act for me three times, helping me resist the pressure from the Saints."

"Second, the Netherworld Underworld and the Land of Reincarnation are adjacent to your Sea of Blood. If there is an invasion from another realm and Reincarnation is in danger, you must fight alongside me to protect Reincarnation's safety."

"In return," Tongtian's voice grew heavier, "I can share my insights into the Chaos Great Dao with you, and with the power of this bead, help you temper the origin of the Sea of Blood and condense the Seed of Chaos Slaughter Dao! Perhaps in the future, if there's an opportunity, we can explore that other realm together and prove our Dao through slaughter!"

With the conditions laid out, Old Ancestor Minghe fell silent. The blood light in his eyes flickered rapidly, clearly engaged in intense deliberation.

The conditions Tongtian proposed were incredibly tempting! Sharing the Chaos Great Dao and helping him condense the Chaos Slaughter Dao were almost his greatest hope for breaking through his current bottleneck! Acting three times and guarding Reincarnation, though a considerable price, seemed not entirely unacceptable compared to what he could gain. Especially the invasion from another realm... if it was as Tongtian said, it would be a huge opportunity and challenge for him.

As for opposing the Saints, had he, Minghe, ever feared them? He was a lawless being to begin with!

The risks were immense, but the rewards were unimaginable!

After a long while, Old Ancestor Minghe suddenly raised his head, the blood light in his eyes blazing fiercely. "Good! I will trust you this once! But words are not enough, we must make a Great Dao Blood Oath!"

"As it should be!" Tongtian nodded.

Immediately, the two swore an oath using their own Great Dao. Old Ancestor Minghe even forced out a drop of his essence blood from the origin of the Sea of Blood, while Tongtian invoked a wisp of Chaos Dao Origin. Together, they forged a Covenant Rune, inscribed within the laws of the Great Dao. Should either party violate it, their Dao foundation would crumble, and they would never advance again!

The oath was made, and thunderous rumblings echoed in the sky above the Sea of Blood. The alliance was established!

Old Ancestor Minghe's expression eased slightly. He looked at Tongtian with less hostility and more scrutiny and anticipation. "Speak, what do you intend to do next? How can this old ancestor help you?"

Tongtian smiled faintly. "I don't need your help for now, fellow Daoist. I need to borrow the land of the Sea of Blood to hide for a while and comprehend the Great Dao. Also, please help me keep an eye on the movements in the Netherworld's Underworld, especially Empress Pingxin and... the Western Teachings' actions in the Underworld."

He knew very well that the Western Teachings had been operating in the Underworld through Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for a long time and had great ambitions. Now, with the alliance with Old Ancestor Minghe, the Sea of Blood would become a thorn inserted into the Underworld.

"Agreed." Old Ancestor Minghe readily agreed. "In the depths of this Sea of Blood, I can allocate a region for you. It will be absolutely safe. As for the Underworld... Hmph, those bald donkeys' hands have indeed stretched too far!"

With the matter settled, Old Ancestor Minghe's avatar dispersed, and the Sea of Blood returned to peace. Although Indra and the other Asuras were unwilling, they did not dare to disobey their ancestor's orders and retreated resentfully.

Under Old Ancestor Minghe's guidance, Tongtian arrived at a hidden blood valley deep within the Sea of Blood, shrouded by special restrictions. The malevolent energy here was pure, and there was even a trace of Netherworld energy connecting to the earth's veins. Although the environment was harsh, it possessed a unique mystique.

He set up Chaos restrictions and began to enter seclusion. On one hand, he consolidated his cultivation; on the other, he began to meticulously study the spatial rune he obtained from Yang Mei, as well as... how to combine the Chaos Great Dao with his own formations.

At the same time, he did not completely isolate himself from the outside world. Through the special Blood Mirror provided by Old Ancestor Minghe, he could vaguely sense some major events occurring in the Great Desolation.

As expected, the impact of the Heavenly River battle continued to escalate.

The Heavenly Court was enraged, strengthening its defenses along the Heavenly River and tightening the guard over the True Spirits of the Jie Teachings Ranked Disciples. However, the fact that Tongtian had rescued Zhao Gongming and others could no longer be concealed, causing a huge shock among the high-level powers of the Great Desolation.

The Western Teachings and Chan Teachings intensified their pursuit of Tongtian. However, after the disturbances at Longevity Mountain and the Heavenly River, they seemed unable to ascertain Tongtian's full strength and their actions became more cautious.

What caught Tongtian's attention even more was that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's activities in the Netherworld's Underworld seemed to have become more frequent and urgent. The Western Teachings appeared to be accelerating their infiltration of the Underworld, even making contact with some remnants of the Witch Tribe.

One day, as Tongtian was comprehending the spatial rune, he suddenly sensed a familiar yet unfamiliar powerful aura through the Blood Mirror. It quietly entered the Netherworld's Underworld and headed straight for Empress Pingxin's Fengdu Hall.

That aura, serene yet carrying undeniable majesty, was actually one of Sage Jieyin's Three Corpses Incarnations?!

Sage Jieyin's incarnation personally visited the Underworld to meet Empress Pingxin? For what purpose?

A sense of vigilance immediately arose in Tongtian's heart. The Two Saints of the West, had they finally been unable to resist and decided to personally enter the fray for the prize that was the Underworld?

He immediately used the alliance to sense and contact Old Ancestor Minghe. "Fellow Daoist Minghe, do you know about Sage Jieyin's incarnation entering the Underworld?"

Old Ancestor Minghe's icy voice came from the Sea of Blood. "Just found out. That bald donkey's incarnation went to Fengdu Hall and has been having a secret conversation with Empress Pingxin for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Although this old ancestor couldn't pry into the specifics, I can feel... Empress Pingxin's aura seems to be fluctuating a bit."

Tongtian's brows furrowed tightly. Sage Jieyin's personal visit must have a significant purpose! Although Empress Pingxin was trapped in reincarnation, her status was transcendent, and her attitude was crucial.

"Fellow Daoist, can you try to find out more?" Tongtian asked.

"Difficult!" Old Ancestor Minghe replied. "Fengdu Hall is protected by the Reincarnation Disk, making it hard for even a Saint to pry forcefully. However... this old ancestor can send a few little fellows to eavesdrop on those old witches from the Witch Tribe."

Tongtian's eyes flashed. "I'll trouble you, fellow Daoist."

He ended the communication and his thoughts raced. Sage Jieyin meeting Empress Pingxin, Old Ancestor Minghe investigating the Witch Tribe... this Netherworld, seemingly peaceful, was actually surging with undercurrents. A major event was likely about to unfold.

And all of this seemed to point towards the approaching calamity from another world.

He could no longer just focus on his cultivation.

He had to find a way to contact Empress Pingxin as soon as possible, at least to understand the intentions of the Western Teachings!

His gaze turned to the System interface once more. Perhaps he needed to redeem some special items to sneak into Fengdu Hall again without anyone noticing.

The chess game of the Netherworld had begun. And he would undoubtedly be one of the most important players in it.