Feeling the murderous aura rushing toward him, Randeng remained completely calm.
In terms of treasures, he had two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures and one Merit Supreme Treasure. In terms of cultivation, he was already a mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Minghe had the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, while he had the World-Destroying Black Lotus.
The only thing lacking was that Randeng's understanding of the Creation Law was still shallow, and he had yet to form even the rudiments of the Great Dao of Reincarnation.
Randeng finally made his move. He no longer concealed his mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation. Forming a hand seal, he poured all his magical power into the Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler and sent it against the two swords of slaughter.
The moment the blood-red blades of light, like a raging tide of the Blood Sea, touched the space around the Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler, they were absorbed and ground away by the space within it.
Randeng knew that the space inside his Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler was no ordinary space. It was the embryonic form of a world, which was why it could contain Innate Spiritual Roots.
"Mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal? How could you have cultivated so quickly?"
Minghe's voice carried a note of surprise. Ever since his birth, he had remained in seclusion within the Blood Sea, cultivating and comprehending the Law of Blood with the aid of the Blood Sea Formation.
He had considered himself the fastest-rising Innate Divine Saint in the entire Primordial World. He had never expected an obscure Daoist to reach mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal before him.
Randeng chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, your Blood Sea is vast, but it's also too small!"
Ever since he had emerged into the world, Randeng had cultivated the earth's ley lines, earned merit, attended the gathering, and defeated Tai Yi. His current cultivation had been won step by step, thanks to his advantage of foresight. What made Minghe think that bitter cultivation alone was sure to bring great strength?
When Minghe realized that the Yuantu Sword and the Abi Sword couldn't harm Randeng, the sea of karmic flames around them erupted. Boundless flames of karmic power surged toward Randeng, seeking to stir up the karmic power on him and the desires in his heart.
Yet the Precious Mirror of Merit within Randeng's Primordial Spirit radiated golden light, and the Golden Light of Merit tightly shielded his Primordial Spirit. The flames of karmic power couldn't penetrate even an inch into his Spiritual Platform.
"How can you possibly have no karmic power on you?"
Minghe could hardly believe it. Every living being carried at least some karmic power.
Randeng grinned but didn't reply. Naturally, everyone accumulated karmic power—even obtaining a spiritual treasure or spiritual root could do so. But Randeng had so much merit that he could spend it to offset his karmic power.
Seeing that none of his three spiritual treasures had worked, Minghe wondered to himself how he had managed to run into an Innate Divine Saint who happened to counter him so perfectly.
But Minghe didn't give up. He formed a hand seal, and an endless phantom Blood Sea appeared behind him. Then his body silently shattered, transforming into countless Blood God Sons that plunged into the phantom sea.
The Blood Sea changed from illusion to reality and surged into the surrounding space of karmic flames. This divine ability, which Minghe had developed by combining his cultivation with his four hundred and eighty million Blood God Son clones, was called Body Transformation into Sea of Blood. Through it, he could mysteriously draw upon a sliver of the Blood Sea's authority and add it to himself.
The moment the Blood Sea's waters touched him, Randeng felt his protective golden light begin to erode. As the place where the entire Primordial World processed all manner of negative filth, the Blood Sea's greatest powers were erosion and dissolution.
If the sea broke through his protective golden light, even his Grand Unity Golden Immortal body would be completely dissolved in moments.
"Oh no! Minghe's transformation into a sea of blood is extremely strange. Fellow Daoist Randeng might be in trouble!"
Tongtian watched anxiously from the side.
"Don't worry, third brother. Haven't you noticed that Fellow Daoist Randeng hasn't made the first move this whole time? That means he has this battle well in hand."
Taishang held back the restless Tongtian and explained.
Taishang was right. From the moment he began fighting Minghe, Randeng had done nothing but defend. He mainly wanted to test how his strength compared to the other Innate Divine Saints in the Primordial World.
Minghe was the perfect opponent: he had an exceptional origin and outstanding treasures. In the Primordial World, he stood nearly on a par with the Three Pure Ones. When it came to offense at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage, even the Three Pure Ones might not surpass him.
By now, Randeng had a rough idea. Within the same major cultivation realm, he feared virtually no Innate Divine Saint.
He lightly tapped with a finger seal. The Jade Void Glazed Lamp blazed with golden light, and the Eternal Golden Flame surged out to collide with the Blood Sea. The Eternal Golden Flame possessed the power to purify and was the perfect counter to filth.
The Eternal Golden Flame fell into the Blood Sea, and strange sights appeared at once. The crimson waters boiled and evaporated without end.
At the same time, Randeng changed his hand seal again. A phantom world appeared behind the Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler. Carrying the weight of an entire world, it crashed viciously toward the Yuantu Sword and the Abi Sword.
The two strange treasures of slaughter let out a mournful cry, but continued to struggle against the blow.
Seeing this, Randeng summoned the merit within his Primordial Spirit and poured it into the Treasure Dropping Golden Coin. The pair of cloud-shaped wings immediately lit up.
The Three Pure Ones saw only a streak of golden light flash across the battlefield. The Yuantu Sword and the Abi Sword were knocked to the ground.
The Treasure Dropping Golden Coin had finally unleashed its divine ability for the first time, and it hadn't disappointed Randeng.
At the same time, the Netherworld Ghost Fire in the Spirit Coffin Palace Lamp transformed into a gray fire dragon. It darted at Minghe and burrowed into his forehead.
Minghe had devoted all his attention to controlling the Blood Sea and contending with Randeng. The Netherworld Ghost Fire invaded his Spiritual Platform and scorched his Primordial Spirit, drawing a scream of agony from him.
Randeng seized the opening and swung the Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler hard at Minghe's body. Caught off guard, Minghe had time only to summon back the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, turning it into a barrier.
With a crack, the barrier formed by the Karmic Fire Red Lotus shattered. Minghe was sent flying and slammed into the mountainside. The entire valley lay in ruins, except for the place where the Innate Banana Plant grew.
With Minghe defeated, the space of karmic flames dissipated, and the entire valley returned to clarity.
"Well, Fellow Daoist Minghe? You've lost this time, haven't you?"
Randeng's gaze was calm, as though defeating Minghe had been no more than a trivial matter.
Minghe could accept being defeated, but he couldn't stomach Randeng's calm expression. He gave a cold snort.
"Fellow Daoist Randeng, don't celebrate too soon! The river may flow east for three cycles of the Primordial Calendar and west for three more. Don't look down on Minghe just because he's down on his luck!"
Randeng couldn't help rubbing his nose. Had Minghe mistaken him for a villain?
Minghe then transformed into a streak of blood-red light and fled, leaving Buzhou Mountain for his Blood Sea.
Minghe secretly swore that this time, he wouldn't leave the Blood Sea until he had cultivated to Primordial Golden Immortal.
Seeing Randeng defeat Minghe, the Three Pure Ones all stepped forward to congratulate him.
"Ha ha! I knew you'd easily take down Minghe, Fellow Daoist Randeng!"
Yuanshi laughed heartily. He valued pedigree above all else. Minghe had been formed from Father God Pangu's umbilical cord and filthy blood—how could he possibly compare to the Three Pure Ones?
Just then, the Four Symbols Banana Fan finally ripened and emerged. Four Banana Fans—red, yellow, blue, and green—detached from the plant and shot outward.
Randeng and the Three Pure Ones all made their moves, each using a divine ability to ensnare one of the Banana Fans.
Randeng had his eye on the Earth Attribute Banana Fan. The Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler sealed the surrounding space, allowing him to catch the fan with ease and imprint it with his Primordial Spirit.
The Earth Attribute Banana Fan was a High Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure with thirty-six Innate Restrictions. It possessed the divine abilities to move mountains and suppress peaks.
A single wave could still thousands of mountains and ravines; a second could shift the spiritual ley lines of the Five Sacred Mountains; a third could draw upon the earth's ley-line dragon energy. It could suppress all techniques of flight and teleportation.
What was more, Randeng could comprehend the Law of Earth through the Earth Attribute Banana Fan, accelerating his cultivation.
The Three Pure Ones also each obtained a Banana Fan. Taishang obtained the Fire Attribute Banana Fan, Tongtian obtained the Water Attribute Banana Fan, and Yuanshi obtained the Wind Attribute Banana Fan.