第19章 临血海,合力战冥河

Even though they were Houtian Spirit Treasures, Red Boy still hesitated, too embarrassed to accept them.

Zhen Yuanzi and Li Yu both felt somewhat awkward. The gifts could not even be given away, so they repeatedly urged Red Boy to accept them without worry. After a long bout of back-and-forth pushing and pulling, Red Boy finally accepted several Houtian Spirit Treasures.

They had already waited outside Hongyun's cave abode for quite some time, yet Hongyun had not come out. Either Hongyun was not home, or something had happened.

Li Yu and Zhen Yuanzi exchanged a glance, each seeing the worry in the other's eyes.

"Uncle, Uncle, come in with me. I'll go wake Father," Red Boy said.

"Wake him? Could it be that your father is in secluded cultivation?"

Cultivators rarely slept anymore. Generally speaking, "waking someone" meant calling out someone in secluded cultivation and ending their practice.

"Father is in secluded cultivation, healing his injuries!" Red Boy said, his eyes reddening.

Healing injuries!

So something had indeed happened!

Li Yu's heart jolted. Could Hongyun truly not escape the fated calamity of perishing, body and Dao alike?

"Quick, take us to see your father. How badly is he injured?" Zhen Yuanzi asked anxiously.

Compared with Li Yu, Zhen Yuanzi had known Hongyun for far longer, and their friendship ran much deeper. Upon hearing that something had happened to Hongyun, Zhen Yuanzi was genuinely anxious.

"Rest assured, Uncle. Father's injuries are improving, and his life is not in danger!"

Red Boy still led Li Yu and Zhen Yuanzi into the main hall. After simply setting out some spirit fruits and fine wine, he went to find Hongyun.

Seeing Red Boy handle matters so methodically, Zhen Yuanzi finally relaxed a little.

"Fellow Daoist Li, did you know something? Is that why you called me to rush here with you?" After Red Boy left, Zhen Yuanzi mulled it over and over, feeling that this matter was far too much of a coincidence.

"What happened to Fuxi unfolded right before my eyes. And now we are in the midst of the Witch-Demon Calamity. Fellow Daoist Hongyun has traveled the Primordial World for many years and has deep ties with both the Wu Clan and the Demon Race, so I was somewhat worried. I simply never expected that something had truly happened to him. I do not know whether it has anything to do with the Wu Clan or the Demon Race," Li Yu explained.

That explanation barely managed to smooth things over. Zhen Yuanzi no longer suspected anything and said, "That is indeed reasonable. It is fortunate that we came this time. Once this is over, we must have Hongyun and his family move to my Five Villages Temple. And Fellow Daoist Li, you should come as well. If we gather together, even the Wu Clan and Demon Race will have to weigh their options. Everything can wait until this calamity has passed."

As the two spoke, Red Boy returned, with Hongyun following behind him.

With a single glance, Li Yu discovered that Hongyun's cultivation had been damaged.

Since Purple Cloud Palace's second preaching, those who had gone to listen had generally reached at least the mid-stage Quasi-Saint realm. Yet Hongyun's cultivation had now fallen sharply, and he looked as though he had only just entered the Quasi-Saint realm.

"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, Fellow Daoist Li, why have you come?" Hongyun asked with a smile.

"It is fortunate we came, or we would never have known such a thing had happened. Does this have something to do with the Wu Clan and the Demon Race? Tell us. We must seek an explanation for this matter!" Zhen Yuanzi said.

Zhen Yuanzi knew Hongyun's temperament very well. He was absolutely not someone who stirred up trouble. This time, he had most likely been bullied.

"Go outside. I have some matters to discuss with your uncles."

After sending his child away, Hongyun revealed a smile uglier than weeping and said, "It has nothing to do with either the Wu Clan or the Demon Race. Minghe did it."

Minghe?

Born within the Blood Sea, he not only possessed the Twelfth-Rank Karma Fire Red Lotus, an innate spirit treasure renowned alongside Li Yu's companion treasure, but also the two treasure swords Yuantu and Abi, which killed without staining one with karma.

He had taken human form extremely early, supposedly around the same time as Hongjun. Thus, when Hongjun preached the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace, Minghe had not gone. He considered himself Hongjun's peer and could not bring himself to lose face.

"How did you come into conflict with that Minghe?" Zhen Yuanzi asked.

Li Yu vaguely guessed part of the truth.

To this day, they had yet to see Hongyun's Dao companion, the woman named Jin Shan. This probably could not be separated from her.

"That day, Minghe suddenly came here and abducted my Dao companion, Jin Shan. He said Jin Shan was a living being of the Blood Sea, and that she had run away without his permission, so he intended to capture her and bring her back for punishment."

At this point, Hongyun was filled with indignation. "Later, I fought him. He retreated as we fought, luring me into the Blood Sea. Once we reached his lair, Minghe's strength surged with the Blood Sea's power. I was instead severely wounded by him and could only flee back in wretched defeat."

As long as the Blood Sea did not dry up, Minghe would not die!

With the Blood Sea's power at his disposal, there truly was no one beneath a Saint who could do anything to him. Thus, he was not someone easily provoked. He was arrogant beyond measure, treating the beings of the Blood Sea as his own forbidden possession and controlling their life and death.

Zhen Yuanzi had long heard of Minghe's reputation. He said, "This matter is troublesome, but we cannot simply stand by and watch. I intend to make a trip to the Blood Sea and witness Minghe's abilities for myself. What does Fellow Daoist Li think?"

At a time like this, Li Yu naturally could not back down. He immediately said, "They say Minghe is arrogant, that he does not even give Saints face and lords it over others in the Blood Sea. Then I shall take this chance to meet him."

"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, Fellow Daoist Li, do not act rashly. Minghe is indeed difficult to deal with within the Blood Sea. If anything happened to you because of this, how could I ever hold my head high between heaven and earth in the Primordial World? Hongyun appreciates the goodwill of you two, but you absolutely must not go to the Blood Sea to trouble Minghe!" Hongyun hurriedly tried to dissuade them.

"Heh!"

Li Yu merely gave a disdainful smile and said, "In a one-on-one fight, Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi and I naturally cannot do anything to him within the Blood Sea. I fear that even if the Three Pure Ones came, unless they relied on the might of an innate supreme treasure, they might not be able to do anything to Minghe either. But this time, we are going to take revenge. If one cannot beat him, then two will attack together. If Fellow Daoist Hongyun still has the strength to fight, then the three of us shall join forces and beat Minghe alone!"

"Fellow Daoist Li's words are exactly what I had in mind. Then it is settled. The sooner the better; let us depart at once and meet that Minghe!" Zhen Yuanzi settled the matter in one word, leaving no room for further discussion.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Hongyun accompanied them as well. They were going to rescue his Dao companion; naturally, there was no reason for him to stay behind.

At this time, the Wild Continent had not yet shattered into four pieces, and the Blood Sea lay to the north of the Primordial Wilderness.

Before long, the three could see the Blood Sea in the distance. It was a vast, blood-red expanse stained with filth, so broad that its boundaries could not be seen.

With such an enormous Blood Sea under his command, no wonder Minghe dared not give the current Saint Hongjun face, even refusing to attend a Saint's preaching.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, go challenge him and draw Minghe out. We will fight him here above the Blood Sea!" Zhen Yuanzi said.

"Very well, I'll go at once!"

Just as Hongyun was about to move, Li Yu stopped him. "Let me try this. I can also see whether the Mysterious Origin Water-Control Banner, one of the Innate Five-Element Banners obtained from Purple Cloud Palace, is any good."

Li Yu immediately flew above the Blood Sea, took a small gray banner from his sleeve, and tossed it into the sea. The little banner swelled in the wind. In no time, it spread across the sky and covered the earth, spanning a full thousand mu as it lay across the Blood Sea.