Chapter 3718: Soul Mother
"Boom!"
Two divine artifacts descended, enough to stabilize the starry sky and shatter countless stars, but here, they could not suppress the surging sea of blood at all. The power of order boiled over.
Xuan Yuan the Second and the Truth Hall Master shot backward from the blood sea like two glowing cannonballs.
"Bang!"
Xuan Yuan the Second slammed heavily into the stone wall, carving a crater thousands of miles deep into the core of the Soul Realm. Only by relying on his half-ancestor skeletal body did he withstand it; otherwise, he would have surely fallen apart!
The Demon God Stone Pillar crashed to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen unleashed layers of Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seals, catching the Truth Hall Master and continuously dissipating the impact force on her body. Even so, Zhang Ruochen and the Dragon Lord were still sent flying backward.
Fortunately, none of the three suffered serious injuries. They quickly regrouped and stared at the blood sea with heightened vigilance, as if facing a great enemy.
The blood water receded, continuously contracting toward the center, twisting into a water column that shot straight into the sky.
The aura grew stronger and stronger, the space became more and more distorted, and the divine power fluctuations erupted as if they would tear apart the millions of miles of land in the entire Soul Realm.
"In a moment, find an opportunity to break the suppression of order and leave quickly. I will hold her off. If I don't make it back, Zhang Ruochen, the position of Truth Hall Master will be yours to take over."
The Truth Hall Master stood at the front, the world transforming into the boundless cosmic Truth Realm Form, her expression solemn to the extreme as she spoke to Zhang Ruochen and the Dragon Lord.
Zhang Ruochen stood to the left rear of the Truth Hall Master, holding the Sword Ancestor Divine Tree in one hand and the Kirin Fist Gloves in the other, gazing at the blood-red water column in the distance. He felt a suffocating aura but showed no intention of retreating.
He said, "This matter started because of me, and it was my recklessness that implicated everyone. Uncle Dragon, I will find an opportunity to break the suppression of order and open a path of escape for you. If the Hall Master and I don't make it back, the position of Truth Hall Master will be yours to take over."
"Don't rush to take responsibility. Even if you hadn't proposed it earlier, I would have suggested collecting the blood in the sea. As they say, wealth comes with risk—how can we only share the wealth? If we stir up a taboo, we bear it together."
The Dragon Lord's gaze was firm. He put away the Demon God Stone Pillar and held it in his hand. Countless dragon shadows surged from within his body, and the sound of blood flowing inside him rumbled like thunder.
"Rustle!"
The blood-red water column grew thicker and thicker, drawing the entire blood sea into it.
At the center of the water column, a graceful figure with disheveled hair appeared, barefoot with snow-white feet. Beneath her feet was a gray sea of resentful souls stretching hundreds of thousands of miles, like a ghostly female specter.
Above her head, the core of the Soul Realm collapsed, turning into countless continental plates floating in the Void World.
The smallest continental plate was over a million miles in length and width, as heavy as a divine sun star. Countless dust and rocks revolved around it.
Each continental plate was connected to a tributary of the Santu River, extending endlessly into the distant chaotic void.
The Soul Realm itself was connected to multiple Santu River tributaries.
Such a breathtaking scene made the Dragon Lord hold his breath. He whispered, "Could the origin of the Santu River be related to her?"
The Truth Hall Master shook her head gently and said solemnly, "She is very strong, with an extremely high realm, but to say she is so powerful that she could create the Santu River—I don't believe it. However, amidst the myriad complexities, I glimpsed a thread of heavenly secrets and can now be certain that the Santu River does have human factors involved. The answers that countless Primordial Ancestors have sought might be revealed in this era."
"This is not the source of the Santu River! She is merely drawing on part of the Santu River's power to nurture her own soul, seeking true immortality and indestructibility."
Zhang Ruochen stared intently at the woman in the blood-red water column and said, "The Soul Mother has gained consciousness and cultivated to such a powerful level—how could the Heavenly Court's All Heavens be completely unaware?"
The Truth Hall Master shook her head gently. "It is normal for the world spirit of a great realm to gain consciousness. As for why she has become so powerful... it should not be cultivation achieved in this era. Otherwise, why would she choose the method of possession to reappear in the world?"
The woman suspended in the blood-red water column was Lian Xi.
The blood from the entire sea and the yin energy from the Santu River were all flowing into her body.
Her physical body was growing stronger and stronger, and the world's energy and rules of the entire Soul Realm were continuously converging toward her.
She was completely one with the Soul Realm.
She was the soul; the realm was the body.
Zhang Ruochen said in a deep voice, "Back then, the Soul Mother chose Lian Xi, granting her seven souls and three spirits, all in preparation for future possession? Who exactly is the Soul Mother? She cannot simply be the world spirit of the Soul Realm!"
The Truth Hall Master said, "It should be related to the Nether Ancestor! If I am not mistaken, the Soul Mother's consciousness was born in the Primordial Era, and the Nether Ancestor transmitted the Dao to her, allowing her to attain such powerful cultivation."
"Once a world spirit embarks on the path of cultivation, its lifespan becomes no different from that of flesh-and-blood beings, and it will eventually die under the Eon Calamity."
"On the eve of the Eon Calamity's arrival, the Soul Mother should have used the blood sea here to preserve her divine soul and consciousness, falling into eternal slumber to evade heaven and earth."
"In this era, her consciousness awakened, but she could not use her power. If she did, she would attract the Eon Calamity and still be doomed. So, she chose Lian Xi, granting her seven souls and three spirits, to cultivate together with Lian Xi's original three souls and seven spirits. When Lian Xi reached the God Realm, that would be the day of the Soul Mother's possession."
"In this way, she could use the identity of a contemporary cultivator to evade heaven and earth and avoid the Eon Calamity."
The Truth Hall had collected countless ancient and modern texts. The Truth Hall Master surely knew many hidden secrets unknown to others. Using these historical records and the Way of Truth, she could deduce and analyze many buried truths.
Suddenly, Lian Xi, suspended in the blood column, opened her eyes. Two blood-red beams shot straight out from her eye sockets, extremely eerie and ferocious.
The world suddenly became incredibly still, and all sounds vanished.
It was as if time itself had frozen.
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen immediately manifested the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, creating a small world of his own that covered the Dragon Lord and the Truth Hall Master, restoring the flow of time.
The Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal in the Dragon Lord's hand trembled violently, trying to fly toward Lian Xi in the blood column.
A sinister smile appeared on Lian Xi's face. "Your divine souls are all very powerful—exactly the tonic I need. By seizing your Profound Meanings and the divine artifacts in your hands, I will surely return to my peak. Looking across the world, who in this era can rival me?"
The Truth Hall Master snorted coldly. "Your divine soul is indeed powerful, but the vessel for possession is too weak. You are far from being qualified to be complacent."
"Do you think your cultivation can stop me?"
The Soul Mother's voice sounded from within Lian Xi's body. Then, she extended an arm, and a river of light surged from her palm. The river of light evolved into countless tributaries, like vines, flying over the heads of Zhang Ruochen and the others, entangling Xuan Yuan the Second.
Xuan Yuan the Second let out a heart-wrenching roar as his divine soul was continuously devoured.
The Truth Hall Master snatched the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal from the Dragon Lord's hand, used the Bright Mirror Platform to protect herself, and held the Pure Yang Divine Sword.
With one slash, she struck upward!
The dazzling sword light severed the river of light.
The Truth Hall Master charged straight toward the blood-red water column, saying, "You two stop being a hindrance here. While she hasn't fully condensed the blood sea into her body yet, get out of here quickly!"
Zhang Ruochen had already realized that the Truth Hall Master intended to self-destruct her divine heart and divine source, taking the Soul Mother down with her.
It wasn't that they couldn't escape together by advancing and retreating as one, but that the Truth Hall Master wanted to sacrifice herself to nip the Soul Mother in the bud. Otherwise, if the Soul Mother truly recovered, with the bloodthirsty and soul-devouring methods she had displayed, it would be a catastrophe for the entire universe.
Even a Heavenly Venerable-rank might not be able to stop her.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Lian Xi, his heart aching. He knew clearly that Lian Xi was already dead.
In the face of a powerhouse like the Soul Mother, her soul consciousness was too weak, like a bubble on the sea's surface—it didn't even need to be touched; a single wave could shatter it.
There was no point in him and the Dragon Lord staying any longer.
The Dragon Lord also clearly saw the Truth Hall Master's intention. His heart heavy with pain, he said with difficulty, "Let's go!"
"Roar!"
Xuan Yuan the Second let out a long howl, charging out of the deep crater in the earth's core. "Go? Fight! I have never suffered such a great loss in my life. Revenge! Kill!"
Xuan Yuan the Second did not charge toward the blood column but instead rushed upward to sever the tributaries of the Santu River.
As a former half-ancestor, he had enough insight to see that the connection between the Santu River tributaries and the Soul Mother was extraordinary. Cutting them off would inevitably cause significant repercussions.
But rivers of light flew from the Soul Mother's brow, sending him flying.
Coupled with the pressure of the power of order, he couldn't even get close to the Santu River tributaries.
Zhang Ruochen was moved by Xuan Yuan the Second's fierce determination. His gaze gradually turned sharp. "Indeed, how can we leave without even fighting? Kill! Revenge! Lady Shiji, if you are truly here, make your move now! Otherwise, once she fully merges with the blood sea, we will all die here."
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen's robes fluttered as he soared into the air, using the Wuji Divine Dao to pierce through the power of order, opening a passage leading upward to the Santu River.
"Kid, you've got guts!"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xuan Yuan the Second transformed into a beam of golden light, rushing into the passage and charging toward the floating continental plates and Santu River tributaries above.
"A mere remnant soul and dead thing dares to oppose me?"
The Soul Mother sneered coldly. Blood-colored beams shot from her pupils, piercing the sky, shattering space, and shaking the cosmos, landing on Xuan Yuan the Second.
"Bang!"
Xuan Yuan the Second's battered skeletal body finally couldn't withstand it and shattered apart.
The Dragon Lord took a long, deep breath. Golden light shot from his pupils. "Then let's fight! We're not leaving today!"
"Roar!"
The Dragon Lord fully transformed into a dragon, soaring into the sky, stepping on golden divine clouds, and charging without hesitation into the passage Zhang Ruochen had opened.
"These two bastards!" The Truth Hall Master was furious.
She knew her own future achievements were limited, but she had high hopes for Zhang Ruochen and the Dragon Lord. If she could save them both and simultaneously take the Soul Mother down with her, it would be the best outcome.
Now, this situation left her in a dilemma, extremely annoyed, yet a sense of emotion stirred within her heart.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to chase after the Dragon Lord, a cold yet extremely pleasant voice sounded in his ear. "The Soul Mother is merely a servant nurtured by the Nether Ancestor during his transformation into the Nether. Even if she merges with the blood sea and returns to her peak, she is far from qualified to kill me. You overestimate her!"
The Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Cauldron flew out from Zhang Ruochen's body, hovering above his head.
Instantly, darkness spread outward, continuously devouring the light.
(Chapter End)