# Chapter 3716: Blood Sea
Once exposed, the Qi Sea and Divine Source could no longer be hidden, leaving only a path to death.
Back when Yunshen Daozhu was imprisoned in the Destiny Temple, he was worn down for a hundred thousand years without dying, precisely because no one in that era possessed spiritual power surpassing his, no one could break his Dao, no one could find his Divine Heart, or destroy his spiritual will.
Yu Dongxuan's divine substance had been condensed by A Fuya, clearly intended for her to use in enhancing her own physical body.
Yu Dongxuan's divine soul was extracted by Zhang Ruochen.
The Blade Venerable, as if driven mad by greed, took away Yu Dongxuan's Divine Realm World, along with all the treasures within it. He claimed that his earlier strike was the key to killing Yu Dongxuan, and that he deserved a share.
A division of spoils, each gaining something.
Seeing how ruthless they were, Xuanyuan the Second, fearing he might follow Yu Dongxuan's fate, decisively retreated, heading deeper into the gray death aura.
Neither A Fuya nor the Blade Venerable pursued him.
This place was too eerie; even with their cultivation, they dared not act rashly.
Regardless of what thoughts each of the four harbored in their hearts, for now, they could only advance and retreat together, for a greater chance of survival.
A Fuya held the Divine Source in her hand, closing her eyes. Yu Dongxuan's divine substance emitted a white fluorescence, flowing around her, continuously falling upon her body. She began refining it on the spot.
The Blade Venerable used hundreds of war blades to set up a blade formation, then sat down on a large rock, taking out the Death God's Blade to tap and study it carefully.
Zhang Ruochen, meanwhile, probed the memories within Yu Dongxuan's divine soul, absorbing the knowledge and Dao insights accumulated over a million years.
Time continued to flow.
The Dragon Lord successfully refined the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal and stood up. Even so, his handsome face still bore an unshakable solemnity. "The Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal is more formidable than I imagined. It is a remarkable divine artifact, possibly crafted by the Nether Ancestor himself."
"Fully refined?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Dragon Lord shook his head. "About half. The inner core region of the Ghost Seal is quite peculiar; I cannot yet control it completely. However, reaching the level of the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Leader should not be difficult. Moreover, through it, I have sensed the World Spirit of the Soul Realm!"
"That World Spirit, known as the Soul Mother, seems to be summoning it."
The Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal rested in the Dragon Lord's palm, strands of golden dragon qi coiled around it, suppressing it tightly.
Yet it still trembled faintly.
Zhang Ruochen glanced in the direction the Ghost Seal was shaking. "I once suspected that some powerful figure had taken control of the Soul Mother. But now, it seems the situation is more complicated than I imagined."
The Dragon Lord asked, "And you? Did you gain anything from Yu Dongxuan's memories?"
A look of concern appeared on Zhang Ruochen's brow. "Yu Dongxuan cut away many important memories before his death, but after soul-searching, the gains are still substantial."
A Fuya stopped her cultivation and walked over slowly.
Zhang Ruochen looked at her. "Your Majesty, can you tell me who the thirty-six-winged angel in the Maer Temple is?"
A Fuya replied, "Meila once entered the Maer Temple, but the Grand Minister of Works believes that, given her cultivation at the time, could she have walked out of the temple with its secrets?"
"The Maer Temple is the most important entrance to the Ancestor Realm in the Paradise Realm. Legend says it was left behind by the thirty-six-winged angel, the Blazing Ancestor, in ancient times."
"The world only knows of the Radiant Divine Temple's fame across the universe, but they do not know that, in the eyes of the Paradise Realm's deities, the temple on Maer Divine Mountain is even more supreme."
"After Behi possessed Chrysa, he entered the Maer Temple again."
"Can the Grand Minister of Works tell me what exactly he saw in Yu Dongxuan's memories? What secrets are hidden within the Maer Temple?"
Zhang Ruochen stared intently into her eyes, as if trying to see through her, speaking unhurriedly: "Just the shadow of a thirty-six-winged angel. Let us set that aside for now. This place is dangerous; you must leave quickly."
"We cannot get out at all!"
The Blade Venerable said this from a distance, then added, "However, for now, this place seems peaceful enough. If given enough time, once I break through to Indestructible Infinite, I should be able to cleave through the order and Heavenly and Earth Rules here with a single strike."
"Senior Blade Venerable is confident in breaking into Indestructible Infinite?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Blade Venerable smiled confidently. "I have long found the path to Indestructibility. Now, with the Death God's Blade, and after thoroughly studying the Corpse Angel's Divine Source and divine soul, integrating everything, I have a chance to break into Indestructible Infinite."
"How long will it take?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Blade Venerable raised one finger, smiling leisurely.
Seeing his confidence, A Fuya asked, "One day?"
The Blade Venerable immediately put his finger down, his smile vanishing. "At least ten thousand years."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
If this old fellow were to break into Indestructible Infinite here, it would be far from a good thing.
"Let me try."
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky above.
A hundred zhang away, vision was obstructed, everything turning gray and hazy.
"Swoosh!"
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal manifested between his hands. Instantly, the space cradled in his arms pushed aside the power of order, forming an independent small world.
As Zhang Ruochen continued to draw circles, the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal grew larger and larger, spinning rapidly to form a tornado vortex.
Even before reaching the Infinite Realm, Zhang Ruochen could use the Wuji Divine Dao to break through the barrier between the Real World and Lihentian. With his current cultivation, the Wuji Divine Dao was naturally even more powerful. There were few places in the universe that could hold him back.
Seeing that the power of order and the Heavenly and Earth Rules were truly being torn apart by Zhang Ruochen, the others' expressions changed.
The might of a First-Rank Divine Path was more terrifying than they had imagined.
The Dragon Lord looked at Zhang Ruochen's calm demeanor and could not help but recall the first time he had met him.
How much time had passed since then? Zhang Ruochen already possessed strength rivaling his own.
The pressure was immense.
"Shwoosh! Shwoosh!"
The Blade Venerable and A Fuya transformed into beams of light, flying outward.
Zhang Ruochen returned the Pure Yang Divine Sword to Feng Yan and asked the Dragon Lord to take him away.
"Uncle Dragon, could you lend me the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal?" Zhang Ruochen suddenly spoke.
The Dragon Lord frowned. "You are not leaving with us?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "I came to the Soul Realm to save someone."
"You mean that woman named Lian Xi?"
"I can sense that she is here."
The Dragon Lord's gaze sharpened. "Come with me. Do not do anything foolish. I support your desire to save people, but you must act within your limits. The taboo here is no match for you. Why go to your death? Do you know how many people you are protecting right now? If something happens to you, how many will die because of it?"
Zhang Ruochen insisted, "I understand the need to weigh priorities, and I know that choices must be made between gain and loss. But once a knot forms in the heart, how can it be untied?"
"Actually, I am not entirely without a chance. Although the power of order here is strong, the order is old and not active."
"Then there are only two possibilities. First, the one who left this power of order here has long since departed, leaving only a doppelganger."
"Second, that taboo is sleeping. Or, like the sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword, it is in a half-asleep state. Once it fully awakens, it may face an Eon Calamity."
Feng Yan said, "If Big Brother does not leave, then I will stay as well! At worst, I will burn a body of five-colored mud to fully awaken the Pure Yang Divine Sword's spirit, and we will fight to the death. I have always been curious about the Nether Ancestor's initial place of transformation."
The Dragon Lord looked at the two of them, then sighed. "Am I truly getting old? My drive is not what it used to be. If it were back in the day, I would probably have made the same decision."
Zhang Ruochen said, "When Uncle Dragon charged into the Hell Realm back then, was it not also knowing death was certain yet going without hesitation? When he went to save Grandmaster, he stormed the Fate Divine Mountain directly. Who in the Heavenly Court had such courage? Uncle Dragon is still young!"
The Dragon Lord chuckled. "Very well. I will go mad with you once more. With more people, our chances of success are certainly greater."
Zhang Ruochen did not stand on ceremony. Together with the two of them, he headed in the direction indicated by the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal.
"Once the Blade Venerable gets out, he will immediately report what he found here to Hao Tian. Even if Hao Tian cannot come in person, at the very least, someone at the Indestructible Infinite level will arrive. So, even if we encounter an enemy we cannot defeat, as long as we hold out for a while, we will have a chance to survive," Zhang Ruochen said.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had two points he had not yet shared with the Dragon Lord and Feng Yan.
First, they had been pulled deep into the Soul Realm by an irresistible force. When the Blade Venerable and A Fuya left, the other party did not stop them. This suggested that the target was likely Zhang Ruochen, or the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal.
If Zhang Ruochen tried to leave, perhaps none of them would be able to escape.
Second, Zhang Ruochen actually wanted to use this opportunity to confirm a long-standing concern.
The Dragon Lord appeared very calm. "I think our luck cannot be that bad. How many strong people can there be in this world? Huh! The smell of blood is very strong."
Zhang Ruochen and Feng Yan also caught the intense scent of blood and heard the sound of waves.
Thus, the three quickened their pace.
Before long, they arrived at a blood sea shrouded in gray mist, all three of them frozen in place.
The Demon God Stone Pillar stood amidst the blood waves. Xuanyuan the Second's skeletal body was pierced through, hanging from the pillar. The so-called eternally indestructible Golden Chuan Armor was now tattered and broken.
Feng Yan's face turned pale, but he remained relatively calm. "Big Brother, it seems your calculations were off this time."
"Is it too late to regret now?"
The Dragon Lord stared at Xuanyuan the Second's skeletal body, holding his breath. Even someone like him, who had weathered countless storms, felt a chill run down his spine at this moment.
(Chapter End)