Chapter 3172: Blood Domain
Gong Xuanzang was Gong Tian among the twenty heavens of the Hell Realm, the strongest of the Underworld Clan after Yinyue Tian. Xiu Chen had once said that Gong Tian was the backing of Wentong Great God, and it was precisely because of this backing that Wentong Great God became one of the successors to the Nether Hall Hall Master.
If Wentong Great God had not offended the Yama Clan, he would not have fallen so early.
"Boom!"
The stone statue was torn apart by Zhang Ruochen using spiritual power chains, like a horse being dismembered, scattering into rubble on the ground.
Picking up the warhammer radiating lightning light, Zhang Ruochen was surprised to find it was a Chaos-level supreme sacred artifact, clearly the war weapon of some god from a hundred thousand years ago.
"Crackle!"
The rubble on the ground trembled slightly, lifted off the ground, and collided to reassemble.
Zhang Ruochen found it unbelievable. A mere stone statue, not even a true great god, was so difficult to kill?
Mu Lingxi's eyes showed contemplation, then she sneered, "No wonder those three old fellows fought so fiercely in the Endless Abyss back then, shattering heaven and earth. There really is a secret hidden here."
Zhang Ruochen reached out his hand, and from his palm flew an endless stream of sword light, surging like a tidal wave toward the stone statue.
Moments later, the stone statue turned to dust.
Even its consciousness was severed by Zhang Ruochen using spiritual power techniques.
In the forest, everything finally fell completely silent.
Mu Lingxi said, "Zhang Ruochen, calculate what is different here compared to elsewhere?"
"Everything is different, including the rules of heaven and earth." Zhang Ruochen did not bother to calculate and said directly.
Mu Lingxi shot him a glare, "That the rules of heaven and earth are different goes without saying! What I want you to calculate is the origin of heaven and earth! Your divine way, it comes from a first-rank sacred intent, right? A first-rank divine path must have a different perception of this world, no?"
"Why don't you calculate it yourself?"
Zhang Ruochen ultimately did not ask this question. He closed his eyes and released the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram, letting it expand outward.
Mu Lingxi stared intently at Zhang Ruochen, sensing his power. A strange color appeared in her pupils, as she discovered that his strength seemed somewhat detached from this world.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's eyes snapped open. Like lightning, he pounced onto Mu Lingxi, and the two fell to the ground, landing in a heap.
"Whoosh!"
A spear pierced through space, aimed at the spot where Mu Lingxi had just stood.
The spear was covered in rust, flickering with purple flames.
No coincidental kiss occurred. Zhang Ruochen immediately rolled over and stood up, wielding the Abyssal Ancient Sword to strike at the spear.
"Boom!"
Purple sparks flew.
A disheveled three-headed monster was shaken out of the void by Zhang Ruochen's sword and crashed to the ground.
The monster had a human body, two of its three heads were skulls, and its tail was like a scorpion's.
Whether it was a living being or an undead, its strength was immense, able to clash head-on with Zhang Ruochen. In other words, it possessed power comparable to a Taixu realm initial stage great god.
Such a strong being in the outside world could serve as the realm lord of a powerful realm.
Mu Lingxi sat up from the ground. Zhang Ruochen's earlier tackle had been so fierce it nearly drove her into the earth. However, this young man did cherish this physical body; at the critical moment, he had first used divine qi to protect her.
That was why his shoulder had been pierced by the spear, leaving a bloody gash.
She stood up, like a beauty from a painting, watching the fierce battle between Zhang Ruochen and the three-headed monster, and said coldly, "That monster is a mutated piece of bone from the Three Evil Emperor. You cannot destroy it with pure force."
A thick surge of blood qi rushed from behind, instantly covering Mu Lingxi's entire body.
The smell of blood was intense.
A hideous blood corpse, three meters tall, appeared behind her. Its claws were sharp, blood-red saliva dripped from its mouth, and its whole body exuded a baleful aura.
Mu Lingxi frowned slightly. Her two jade-like fingers formed a seal, preparing to mobilize her power.
But unable to withstand her strength, the skin on her fingers burst open, and blood dripped down.
Earlier, to intimidate Zhang Ruochen, she had exhausted all the residual power she could use. Now, she could no longer mobilize any strength.
Sensing the fresh and powerful blood, the blood corpse grew excited. It opened its gaping maw and lunged straight for her head.
"Pfft!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew over, piercing the blood corpse's head and sending it flying backward.
Zhang Ruochen rushed over, summoned the six divine swords, and formed a sword array to protect Mu Lingxi within it. Then, he deployed the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations, trapping the three-headed monster and the blood corpse inside.
Mu Lingxi remained unflustered throughout, saying, "That blood corpse is a mutated piece of flesh from the Three Evil Emperor. To destroy them, try using light power or Buddhist power."
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Bodhi Tree, and instantly golden light shone for ten thousand li, with Buddhist radiance soaring to the heavens.
The sound of ten thousand Buddhas chanting sutras for salvation echoed through the forest.
An hour later, the three-headed monster and the blood corpse, under the Bodhi Tree's assault, had their corpse qi grow increasingly thin. Finally, they were completely purified and fell to the ground.
The Devouring Demon Insects swarmed in, frantically devouring them.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations and the six divine swords, walking over to face Mu Lingxi.
He had already seen through her weakened state, so his fear of a Heaven-level powerhouse had greatly diminished. The way he looked at her became much more unrestrained.
Mu Lingxi seemed to read Zhang Ruochen's thoughts and said, "What, thinking of making a move?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "How would this junior dare to act presumptuously before Senior Feng Tian? I only wish to have a proper discussion with you. We are now in the same boat; if the boat capsizes, we all die."
"Senior has also seen that a drop of Gong Tian's blood can mutate a stone statue to the level of a Taiyi great god. A piece of flesh and a bone from the Three Evil Emperor can reach combat power comparable to a Taixu realm great god."
"It has been a hundred thousand years. Why is this happening? This place is definitely abnormal."
"Going forward, I cannot predict whether we will encounter even more terrifying things. So, I earnestly ask Senior to share what you know with this junior. It will benefit us all."
Mu Lingxi said, "It's rare for you, Zhang Ruochen, to have such good temper and control your emotions."
Feng Tian knew very well that if any other Taixu realm great god in the world were in Zhang Ruochen's position, knowing she could not act, they would have taken the risk.
Of course, taking the risk would inevitably lead to death and destruction.
Because Feng Tian was never one to compromise. Her pride and stubbornness meant she would rather perish together than stoop to deception and humiliation with a Taixu great god.
Zhang Ruochen's feelings for Mu Lingxi were the softest part of his heart. It was this softness that could dissolve Feng Tian's pride and stubbornness, preventing them from falling out and maintaining a relatively relaxed atmosphere.
Mu Lingxi said, "A hundred thousand years ago, Jiusi Yitianhuang, Gong Xuanzang, and the Three Evil Emperor led three armies from the Endless Abyss to attack the Kunlun Realm. At that time, Kongchengzi and Biluozi, who were guarding the Kunlun Realm, led the gods of the Heavenly Court to meet them in battle, and both fell."
"Of course, the Hell Realm also paid a heavy price, with many gods falling. Jiusi Yitianhuang, Gong Xuanzang, and the Three Evil Emperor were all injured. That was why, after Xumi and the Heavenly Court's strong ones arrived, the Hell Realm army retreated."
"I, this Heavenly One, did not participate in that battle. That is all I know."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "In other words, the third gradient of the Endless Abyss actually connects to some place in the Hell Realm? The Endless Abyss is an entrance for the Hell Realm to attack the Kunlun Realm?"
Mu Lingxi thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps it connects to the Hell Realm, but only Jiusi Yitianhuang, Gong Xuanzang, and the Three Evil Emperor know where the entrance is. However, there are no powerful formations or restrictions here, yet Jiusi Yitianhuang and the others never took this path again. Don't you find that strange?"
"If you want the answer, we need to go deeper into the Endless Abyss. And don't hide your methods anymore. In my eyes, your trump cards are no different from a child's tricks."
With that, Mu Lingxi took the lead and walked forward.
Zhang Ruochen held the Bodhi Tree, its Buddhist light illuminating all directions. The six divine swords formed a sword array, hovering above his head, as he advanced, clearing all the malevolent beings in the blood domain.
Killing corpses when encountering them, slaying ghosts when meeting them.
They crushed everything in their path.
Mu Lingxi asked, "How is your perception? What is the difference in the origin of heaven and earth compared to the outside?"
"Just follow me."
The tenderness in Zhang Ruochen's eyes vanished, showing a dominant side. Following his subtle perception of the origin of heaven and earth, he moved rapidly in one direction.
Dealing with a proud and arrogant woman like Feng Tian, Zhang Ruochen had considerable experience. He could not yield endlessly.
Soon, they reached the end of the blood domain, where a cliff appeared ahead.
It was like a clear dividing line, splitting the world into one side of blood red and the other of black. A black waterfall flowed through the void, containing a strange power that devoured all things in the world.
The Devouring Demon Insects all gathered at the cliff's edge, poking their heads out and making "squeaking" sounds.
Mu Lingxi stood on the back of one Devouring Demon Insect, came to this spot, stepped onto the ground, and glanced down at the cliff, saying, "Such a familiar aura."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was extremely grave, "Has Feng Tian never been to the Abyss of Darkness?"
"You mean this aura is of the same origin as the Abyss of Darkness?" A rare hint of surprise finally appeared in Mu Lingxi's eyes, which had always been devoid of fluctuation.
"It is somewhat similar, yet very different. And that different aura, it actually..." Zhang Ruochen's brow was already deeply furrowed.
Mu Lingxi said coldly, "I hate it most when people only say half of what they mean."
You know that, don't you?
Aren't you exactly that kind of person?
Zhang Ruochen did not want to provoke her and said directly, "The aura different from the Abyss of Darkness is very similar to the Yuchen Divine Temple in Xinghuantian. Most crucially, the divine corpse buried beneath the Yuchen Divine Temple also shows signs of mutation. Could there be a connection?"
"If you want the answer, jump down from here."
Mu Lingxi spread her arms, falling backward like a white butterfly, plummeting down the cliff with extreme composure, as if she did not care at all whether danger lay below.
Zhang Ruochen always harbored a sense of caution toward the Abyss of Darkness.
But now, there was no retreat.
He put away the Devouring Demon Insects and jumped down the cliff, facing the darkness head-on.