Deep within the Blood Sea's secret valley, Chaos Fire quietly burned the dark-red Blood Soul Pearl. On its surface, countless tiny fragments of souls writhed like living things, wailing as they radiated the purest Blood Sea Origin and boundless resentment.
Tongtian sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression solemn. His hands formed one mysterious, complex seal after another as he chanted an ancient, obscure incantation for summoning souls. This was not recorded in the Chaos Derivation Scripture. Rather, he had devised this heaven-defying Spell Technique himself, combining his understanding of the laws of karma, the Chaos Bead's power of creation, and the Blood Sea Secret Method provided by Minghe: the Chaos Blood Soul Summoning!
He wasn't performing an ordinary soul-summoning. Using the Blood Soul Pearl as a guide and the Power of Chaos as a bridge, he meant to forcibly call back a particularly unusual remnant soul from the endless river of time and space and the gaps in the cycle of reincarnation—one crucial to the current situation!
His target was none other than Wuyun Xian, leader of the Seven Attendants. During the War of Investiture of the Gods, Saint Zhunti had "fished" him over to the West with the Six Roots Pure Bamboo. Yet he had somehow perished in the end, without even having his true spirit placed on the Investiture of the Gods.
Wuyun Xian's true form was a golden-bearded Ao fish. His cultivation was profound, and he had once been an important figure in Interception Sect's Myriad Immortals Formation. He had perished in the West under mysterious circumstances, burdened by deep resentment. If Tongtian could summon his remnant soul, it would not only give Interception Sect another warrior, but also let him unearth many of the Western Teachings' secrets from Wuyun Xian's memories. He might even become a sharp blade to use against the Western Teachings at the upcoming Reincarnation Protection Association!
This went against the natural order and would be extremely difficult. It could also easily alert the Saints of the West.
But as Tongtian formed the final seal, the Blood Soul Pearl suddenly erupted in dazzling blood-red light!
"Let blood be the guide and Chaos the foundation. Across the ages and through time, heroic soul, return! Wuyun Xian, if you do not awaken now, when will you?"
Tongtian gave a low shout. The Chaos Bead blazed with light, and a misty-grey beam poured into the Blood Soul Pearl!
Boom! The Blood Soul Pearl exploded! Countless fragments of souls mixed with Blood Sea Origin and Chaos Qi, spinning madly in the air to form an enormous blood-red vortex! Deep within it, as though it connected to a distant shore of time and space hidden beyond mortal reach, came countless shrill cries and furious roars of defiance!
Tongtian struggled to keep the vortex stable. Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his Nascent Soul power rapidly drained away.
Gradually, deep within the vortex, a faint wisp of soul-light bearing a familiar aura seemed to answer the powerful summons. It struggled and resisted some kind of binding, slowly emerging with great difficulty!
Within the glow, the hazy shadow of a golden Ao fish could just be seen. It was Wuyun Xian's true form! Yet several golden Buddhist shackles wound around his soul, constantly eroding his consciousness. It was obvious that after being "guided" to the West, he had endured inhuman torment and control!
"Bald donkeys of the West! How dare you!" Seeing this, fury blazed in Tongtian's eyes. He immediately joined his fingers like a sword and sent out a precise bolt of Chaos Sword Qi, severing the Buddhist shackles in an instant!
The moment the shackles broke, the wisp of soul-light trembled violently and let out a cry of release filled with boundless hatred!
"Roar!" The remnant soul turned into a streak of blood-red light and shot out of the vortex, landing before Tongtian. It condensed into the blurry figure of a black-robed Daoist, its killing intent surging. It was none other than Wuyun Xian! His eyes were blood-red, filled with violence and confusion. His soul was clearly gravely damaged; his memories were incomplete, and all that remained was his bone-deep hatred of the Western Teachings.
"Wuyun Xian!" Tongtian called out, his voice infused with the Dao Sound of Chaos to shake his soul.
Wuyun Xian's remnant soul trembled. A trace of bewilderment flashed through his blood-red eyes as he looked at Tongtian and rasped instinctively, "Sect Master?" But then boundless hatred engulfed him once more. "Kill! Kill every bald donkey from the West!"
Tongtian sighed inwardly, knowing Wuyun Xian was in such poor shape that conversation was impossible. He immediately sent out a stream of Chaos Pure Qi to stabilize the remnant soul for the time being, then placed it inside the Chaos Bead to nurture it.
"His mind may be incomplete, but this is enough." Tongtian's gaze turned cold. Wuyun Xian's remnant soul alone was the strongest accusation against the Western Teachings! Yet just as he had put the remnant soul away, another change occurred!
The blood-red vortex, which had been about to dissipate, seemed to have lost control. It began madly devouring the surrounding Blood Sea Qi and Chaos Energy, swelling at an alarming rate! The passage connecting to time and space within the vortex had not fully closed. Instead, an even more vicious and terrifying roar rang out from beyond it, as if from a ferocious beast of the primordial age!
"Roar!!!" A terrifying killing intent far surpassing Wuyun Xian's, enough to make the soul tremble, suddenly burst from the other side of the vortex! Immediately after, a gigantic claw covered in black scales and wrapped in destructive lightning seized the edge of the vortex, trying to force its way across!
The aura radiating from that claw came from the same source as Ancestor Minghe's, but was even more ancient, purer, and more savage!
"What is that?!" Tongtian's expression changed sharply. He could feel that he had somehow connected with an ancient, terrifying being forgotten by the Blood Sea! This was definitely not the target he had intended to summon!
"Not good!" Deep in the Blood Sea, Ancestor Minghe sensed the terrifying aura, which came from the same source as his own but was full of menace. Shock and fury filled him. "It's the remnant soul of the Primordial Asura King, the one I suppressed deep beneath the Eye of the Blood Sea! Your technique stirred it up!"
The Primordial Asura King? The Blood Sea's original ruler, before Ancestor Minghe created the Asura Clan?
Tongtian's heart tightened. He immediately poured all his power into the Chaos Bead, trying to forcibly close the passage!
But it was too late! The Primordial Asura King's remnant soul had accumulated countless eons of resentment and power. Now that it had found an outlet, how could it possibly give up?
"Roar! Minghe! Insect! Release this king!"
Rumble! The entire Blood Sea boiled! The blood-red vortex was forcibly wrenched wider, and a vast, hideous phantom of a primordial Asura struggled to crawl through the passage! Its power was so great that it seemed to be nearing Quasi-Saint Peak!
The terrifying killing intent crashed against Tongtian's Chaos Domain. Even Ancestor Minghe's true body, far away, was stirred into action. Blood waves surged as he appeared, his expression terribly grim!
"Tongtian! Stop it, quickly! If it fully breaks free and devours the Blood Sea Origin, its power will recover instantly—perhaps even surpass what it was in ancient times! Even I might not be able to restrain it then!" Ancestor Minghe shouted urgently as he sent Yuantu and Abi slashing toward the Asura phantom!
Tongtian knew he had caused trouble. Without hesitation, he summoned the Qingping Sword. Chaos Sword Qi crisscrossed through the air as he joined forces with Ancestor Minghe to strike at the Primordial Asura King's remnant soul with all their might! Yet the Asura King's remnant soul was astonishingly powerful. It withstood attacks from two Quasi-Saint Great Powers on its own. Though its phantom grew dim and black scales flew from its body, it continued roaring as it crawled out!
"As long as the Blood Sea remains, this king cannot die! Minghe, you thief, you stole my Blood Sea! Today, I'll take it all back!"
Just as the chaos reached its height, Tongtian suddenly had a flash of inspiration. A ruthless glint appeared in his eyes!
He abruptly drew upon the resentful, violent power of Wuyun Xian's remnant soul, which he had just put inside the Chaos Bead. Mixing it with his own blood essence, he used the Chaos Bead as the core and sent it toward the Primordial Asura King!
"You want power, don't you? Here!"
That remnant soul, laden with the Interception Sect immortal's boundless resentment and Chaos Aura, was the most vicious of baits. It instantly sank into the Asura King's phantom!
Instinctively, the Asura King's remnant soul devoured the power, hoping to use it to grow stronger and break through its confinement.
But then it cried out, "Aah! What is this?! Damn this resentment! This Chaos Aura! No!"
Wuyun Xian's remnant soul and the Asura King's were inherently incompatible. Now that they had been forcibly fused and then corroded by Chaos Qi, a violent clash and backlash erupted!
It was as if countless bombs had gone off inside the Asura King's phantom. It let out a shriek of agony as its enormous body twisted and swelled violently. The half-emerged body began to shatter, piece by piece!
"Now!" Blood-red light burst from Ancestor Minghe's eyes. He seized this rare opportunity!
"Blood Sea, return to one—suppress!"
He roared. The entire Blood Sea seemed to gather its power, transforming into a blood-red rune that spanned heaven and earth and slammed down onto the crumbling remnant soul of the Asura King!
Tongtian also poured all his power into the Chaos Bead. Chaos Qi ground down like a millstone!
Rumble! Amid a string of earth-shaking explosions, the Primordial Asura King's remnant soul let out one final roar of defiance, then shattered completely. It turned into the purest Blood Sea Origin and chaotic soul power, dissipating into the Blood Sea.
The crisis had passed.
The Blood Sea slowly returned to calm.
Ancestor Minghe looked at Tongtian with a dark expression. After a long moment, he gave a cold snort. "Next time you perform a forbidden technique like that, give me a warning first! You nearly caused a disaster!"
Tongtian felt rather awkward as well. He cupped his hands. "I was rash." He had never expected to summon such a terrifying thing.
Ancestor Minghe waved a hand. Though displeased, Tongtian had ultimately helped him greatly by eliminating a major threat once and for all. He sensed the Blood Sea and found that, with the Primordial Asura King completely gone, its Origin seemed to have become a little purer.
"Forget it." Ancestor Minghe's tone softened somewhat. "How did things go on your end? Is the remnant soul useful?"
Tongtian nodded. "Its mind has been damaged, but it will serve as evidence."
"Good." Ancestor Minghe looked toward the Netherworld Underworld. "Empress Pingxin's announcement has gone out, and every faction in the Primordial World is stirring. From what I've learned, Ksitigarbha of the Western Teachings has stepped up his efforts. He's been meeting frequently with the stubborn old hands among the Wu Clan. I doubt he's up to any good."
At that, Tongtian's gaze sharpened. "The Wu Clan... It seems the Western Teachings want to undermine Empress Pingxin's foundations from within."
"Most likely." Ancestor Minghe sneered. "Those Wu Clan members have one-track minds. The Western Teachings might only need to sweet-talk them a little before they believe their lies."
Tongtian considered this for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we should give Ksitigarbha a hand and speed things up for him."
"Oh?" Ancestor Minghe grew interested. "How?"
Tongtian's lips curled into a cold smile. "He wants the Wu Clan's support, doesn't he? Then we'll give him a 'great gift'—one he can't refuse, but that will be enough to set everything ablaze."
An extremely bold, even ruthless plan slowly took shape in his mind.
He would forge a piece of "evidence"—evidence enough to drive a wedge between the Wu Clan and Empress Pingxin, and even make the Wu Clan feel indebted to the Western Teachings! Then, at the crucial moment, he would expose the whole thing!
When that happened, the Western Teachings would not only fail to win the Wu Clan over; they would become the target of everyone's anger!
"This must be planned carefully, with no loose ends." Tongtian looked at Minghe. "Perhaps your Asura subordinates will need to help stage a little play..."
The murmured plans of two great powers deep in the Blood Sea were bound to stir the winds and clouds once again.
At that moment, far away on Kunlun Mountain, Guangchengzi received Venerable Lord of Primordial Beginning's latest decree.
Its contents made his expression instantly turn grave—and stir with a trace of excitement.
The decree contained just one sentence: "The time has come. You may activate the 'Secondary Investiture of the Gods' and 'cleanse' the true spirits of certain troublemakers. Especially those connected to Tongtian."
Guangchengzi put away the decree, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Rest assured, Master. I know what to do."
He rose and headed toward the Heavenly Court.
The storm had never subsided. With the various factions fanning the flames, it was only growing more violent.
Tongtian and Minghe's whispered plans, Guangchengzi's actions, Ksitigarbha's schemes, Pingxin's patient watch... Everyone's attention was fixed on the upcoming Reincarnation Protection Association.
That gathering would become the eye of the storm. And no one knew that at the instant the Primordial Asura King's remnant soul had shattered completely and returned to the Blood Sea Origin, a wisp of its purest Source of Destruction had escaped full assimilation. Silently, it had merged with one of the Chaos Thunder Beads Tongtian had previously refined but not used up.
The thunder bead had grown even darker and deeper in color, faintly revealing a destructive purple-black sheen.
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