Desire Seed
If it were just Yang Xiu alone, he would gladly risk his life.
But Golden Court was behind him.
With only three Divine Core Perfected One experts currently in charge, how can Golden Court possibly withstand the wrath of a Heavenly Venerable?
A moment later, he opened his eyes, stared at the grayish-white talisman, and said in a very low voice:
"Senior brother, has anything been sent from Jade Void?"
Xu Mo shook his head, his face ashen.
"No one can relay the message, and no one dares to relay it."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu suddenly smiled.
That smile was extremely cold, carrying an indescribable sense of desolation:
"So this imperial decree fell into my lap without anyone to consult with."
A mountain wind swept by, causing his golden robes to flutter and the golden bells at his waist to jingle softly, but there was no longer any clear and melodious sound, only a heavy sob.
South Sea.
Since the three great wars between immortals and demons during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods, countless Demonic Dao cultivators and some remnants of the Witch Department who had once aided the Demonic Dao path crossed the sea to the south and lay dormant there.
For hundreds of thousands of years, the brilliance of the immortal Immortal Dao in the Central Plains has never illuminated this vast ocean.
Immortals do not descend, nor does the Dao manifest; only demonic energy surges like a tide, crashing against the reefs day and night, turning this land, except for the Dragon Palace of the South Sea, into a "demon's paradise" that cultivators speak of with great shrewdness.
In the Great Void of the South Sea today, the Blood Qi are boiling.
An endless sea of blood stretched to the edge of the sky, churning ceaselessly. The foul, turbid air condensed into crimson smoke, enveloping the entire Great Void in a nauseating crimson hue. Between the undulating waves of blood, countless distorted human faces seemed to rise and fall within them, mouths agape but silent, as if weeping and lamenting.
On the other side of this surging sea of blood, on the other side of the sky, lies a completely different scene.
A sea of pink.
The pink was extremely pale and soft, like the blush of dawn that tinges the branches when peach blossoms first bloom in March. It floated quietly in the Great Void, neither churning nor spreading, like a thin veil of mist, bathing half the world in a soft, warm glow.
Within the pink mist, countless graceful figures could be vaguely seen, appearing and disappearing. Laughter and warbling voices drifted out, like the gentlest yet most deadly whisper on a pillow during a spring night's dream. The sound did not pass through the eardrums, but went straight into the Spirit Platform, stirring the deepest chord in the heart of every living being.
Just then, from the depths of the sea of blood, a profound sound like muffled thunder rolled by, causing the entire crimson ocean to tremble slightly.
The voice was low and hoarse, as if countless clots of congealed blood were blocking the throat, each word carrying an undisguised rage:
"Miaoyu, you sit here so comfortably. Back then, we agreed that you would activate the Desire Seed hidden within the mortal energy of Canglan, so that Qixia would be Poison of the Mortal World the Cang Lan world, his Divine Ability would be corrupted, his Dao Path would be blocked, and he wouldn't be able to recover for at least a hundred years. But now? In less than two years, he's completely broken. You and I have planned this all this time, calculating every step, except for this one move, which is like punching empty air. Is this how you, from the Heaven of Following Desire lineage, do things?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sea of blood surged even more fiercely. A stench rose suddenly, as if it were about to devour anyone at any moment.
But from within the pink mist opposite, a soft laugh came.
The voice was extremely soft and alluring, like a woman's whisper on her pillow, or a young man's light laughter as he leaned against a railing; it was androgynous, a yin and yang intertwined, like two extremely fine threads twisted together.
"Brother Xueluo, why get so angry? The abbot of Qixia Temple won't lose a single hair." The voice was unhurried, with a hint of amusement at the end. "It's true, I personally planted that wisp of desire within Cang Lan. But you were there that day, patting your chest and saying, 'This method will definitely succeed, and that Dao Path from Qixia Temple will be ruined.' The cup of blood wine we drank together in your Blood Homeland Heaven, is it still warm? How can you put all the blame on me?"
After he finished speaking, a silence fell over the sea of blood.
A moment later, Xueluo's voice rang out again, this time even colder than before:
"My Blood Qi is known for its deadly prowess. You, from the Heaven of Following Desire lineage, excel at concealment, erosion, and bewitching the mind. Planting the seed of Desire Seed is your duty. Your own methods were inadequate, allowing that brat, with his Purple Mansion cultivation, to dissolve it in less than two years, and you blame me? If you hadn't failed, how could the Abbot of Qixia Temple have recovered so quickly and become involved in the Nanzhao situation? Do you know how many arrangements my Blood Homeland Heaven has lost because of your mistake?"
"Oh."
Within the pink mist, the intertwined voice of yin and yang gently rang out, as if countless tiny bell sounds were rippling through the fog.
"Speaking of losses, how many have you, Xueluo, suffered? Three thousand years ago, you were intercepted by Qizhenzi on the shores of the South Sea and nearly knocked off your golden throne. I didn't stand by and make any sarcastic remarks then. More than a decade ago, in the Longchuan Heaven, you personally went to stop Qizhenzi and had your arm severed by his sword. That sword strike was brilliant; it not only cut off your arm but also extracted a Golden Nature Blood Qi. You know better than I where that Golden Nature went. Two years ago, you went to stop him again, and what was the result? The old wounds hadn't healed, and new ones were added. All in all, you, Xueluo, a dignified True Lord, are destined to be defeated by Qizhenzi, a Supreme True Person One, and destined to suffer losses when facing the Mysterious Gate. And now you come to ask me for an 'explanation'?"
"Furthermore, Qixia Temple was established during the Investiture of the Gods, and its founder lived during the time of the Earthly Sovereign. Who knows how many treasures he left behind?"
Miaoyu's voice still held a smile, but that smile was now filled with coldness.
"The losses you inflicted on Blood Homeland Heaven were your own doing, one after another. I only lost once in Heaven of Following Desire, yet you expect me to bear the blame for the entire game. Brother, there's no such logic in this world."
The sea of blood shrank violently, then suddenly surged. A crimson wave shot into the sky, like a giant scarlet hand reaching out to grab the pink mist from afar. The pink mist merely rippled slightly, like a thin veil fluttering in the wind, neither dodging nor avoiding, but instead blocking the crimson light several miles away.
Xueluo's voice came from the depths of the sea of blood, like the low growl of a wounded beast:
"Miaoyu, are you saying these things to bring up old grievances with me?"
"Bringing up old grievances?" A sigh came from the pink mist, androgynous yet carrying a chilling indifference. "Brother Dao, whether we bring up old grievances or not, we're already in this state. You've lost an arm, lost your Golden Nature, and lost face that has lasted for thousands of years. I've lost a scheme, lost a hidden piece, and lost the initiative with the Abbot of Qixia Temple. In the end, we're both losers. Since we're both losers, why bother reopening old wounds and making ourselves a laughingstock?"
Amidst the sea of blood, all was deathly silent.
After a long silence, Xueluo coldly said:
"According to you, what should we do next?"
From within the pink mist, the voice slowly rose, the laughter vanishing, leaving only a chilling undertone:
"What else can we do? Wait. Wait for the Five Virtues Change Positions again, wait for several True Lord to die in the Central Plains, Jiangnan, Guanzhong, and Nanzhao, wait for the world to descend into chaos once more. At that time, our gains and losses will be insignificant."
As soon as he finished speaking, the pink mist slowly dissipated, as if it had never appeared.
The sea of blood gradually calmed down and disappeared.