Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 959 Blood Demon Suppresses Heavenly Demon
"A warning from the spiritual sense?" Chu Tai stared at the Central Plains. Just now, his spiritual sense had trembled slightly, as if a chill was extending from the Holy King's Path, like a blade hanging overhead.

He gently closed his eyes, his mind focused high above, and with a light tap of his fingertips in the void, he drew upon a wealth of information from the past, present, and future to deduce the changes in the heavens.

In an instant, wisps of black energy surrounded him, but when he tried to trace the source of that malevolent energy, he felt that the secrets of heaven were obscure, as if an invisible hand was manipulating the universe, making the deduction like viewing flowers through fog, and he could never see the whole picture.

He carefully deduced the scenario multiple times, but was eventually led into a void.

"here it is!"

Chu Tai was startled and was about to leave when towering crimson waves surged around him, and a scarlet torrent blocked the four directions. In the rolling blood, the cries of countless living beings, their karma and obsessions appeared, and the remains of tens of millions of dead souls tumbled in the viscous blood.

"Blood Demon Lord, why have you led me here?"

Chu Tai stared at the sea of ​​blood, where brilliant red moons gradually rose from the rolling waves.

This crimson moon's radiance, condensed like blood marrow, soared into the sky, its brilliance flowing forth, immediately stirring up a boiling sea of ​​blood. Wisps of blood energy surged upwards, swallowed by the crimson moon, transforming into an even deeper halo that spread in all directions.

Countless filth that had settled beneath the sea of ​​blood surged upwards, as if a black dragon were stirring the abyss, causing the remains that had remained intact even after thousands of years to rise to the surface. Under the glow of the red moon, withered bones sprouted jade-like skin, and the souls of the dead gathered their true forms. Ten thousand red lotuses, carved like blood jade, bloomed, with glistening dew floating on their pods, the essence of creation formed after the extinction of all spirits.

"The sea of ​​blood is desolate; apart from the blood lotus seeds, this is the only thing that's even remotely edible..."

The Blood Demon Lord stopped speaking halfway through his sentence, and Chu Tai noticed something was wrong.

The powerful demon in front of him was in a very abnormal state; he seemed somewhat dazed and foolish.

Through the red moon, Chu Tai could see the Blood Demon Lord sitting on a red lotus, his body surrounded by a misty, clear light, radiating an inexhaustible aura of creation. He seemed to be cultivating some extremely profound secret technique, or perhaps he was on the verge of achieving enlightenment.

Comparing the Blood Demon he encountered when he returned to the past, a guess arose in Chu Tai's mind.

Back then, the power of Heaven and the Heavenly Demon returned to the past with him. Heaven was sealed away again by him, and with the suppression of several True Lords and Dao Lords, there were naturally no major problems.

So what about the Heavenly Demon? The Heavenly Demon's power has never seemed to manifest.

"So, all these years, you've been suppressing the power of the Heavenly Demon?"

“Suppressing the Heavenly Demon? Oh, you mean him? I didn’t actually suppress him, it’s just that his path is very compatible with mine.”

The sea of ​​blood churned to both sides, like two murky curtains standing beside Chu Tai and the Demon Lord. Two twisted pillars of light intertwined beneath the sea of ​​blood, biting and assimilating each other, constantly generating new changes. And each new change was covered by the concept of rebirth.

The sticky, viscous blood churned and churned, its veins bursting and bulging, tearing and fusing together.

Finally, these two intertwined spiral chains hidden in the sea of ​​blood rushed into the red moon, transforming into a yin-yang fish with its head and tail entwined.

The yin-yang fish represent the incomplete Dao fruit of creation constructed from the Yin and the complete form, containing the Dao fruit of change of separation and chaos.

The white fish, symbolizing creation, clearly dominates, yet during its operation, there seem to be wisps of strange light.

No, it shouldn't be called glory.

The resulting existence has no form, no color, no sound, no smell, and not even a vital energy.

Therefore, it cannot be perceived.

Chu Tai was able to discover this entirely because of the constant changes in the two Dao Fruits around him.

Amidst numerous changes, the sudden appearance of nothingness is inherently a very strange thing.

If it weren't for the fact that this nothingness itself is unrememberable, Chu Tai would have been attracted to it the moment he saw it.

"What are you doing?"

Chu Tai had already discerned that amidst this entanglement, all changes and creations seemed to be heading towards a state of nothingness and emptiness.

"As expected of the creator of the Taiyi Dao, he saw my problem at a glance."

The Blood Demon Lord finally revealed a slight smile. He looked at his own Dao Fruit and said, "Although I don't really want to admit it, that guy's cultivation is much higher than mine. Even with an incomplete Dao Fruit, it's not something I can easily refine."

"After the two great heavens connected, this force tried every means to guide me toward a corrupt and distorted direction, giving rise to many wonderful techniques, supernatural powers, and creatures within my Dao Fruit."

“At first, I was able to maintain relatively complete control, but as your cultivation level continued to improve, especially after you returned from the past, his power made a new breakthrough, and I could no longer suppress him. He found a loophole and had no choice but to launch an attack on the void, attempting to completely condense the Dao Fruit of Creation.”

"Completely condense the Dao Fruit of Creation? At your level, wouldn't it be better to just cultivate step by step?"

Chu Tai looked at the Blood Demon Lord's [Taiyin Complete Form] Dao Fruit with some doubt. It already contained most of the wonders of creation and had no loopholes or flaws.

"Just as your Taiyi Dao Fruit requires you to relinquish your own spiritual light and recreate yourself, if I want to completely condense the [Creation] Dao Fruit, I must also accomplish something called Creation from nothing."

Looking at his Dao Fruit, the Blood Demon Dao Lord had a hint of emotion in his eyes: "Originally, I only needed to create a sliver of existence from nothing, but I listened to the words of the Heavenly Demon Dao Lord back then and left a small crack in my own foundation. In the end, I was caught by the Heavenly Demon and forced to try to prove the wonder of creating something from nothing with myself."

"What does this have to do with the Heavenly Demon Lord?"

Chu Tai was taken aback. The Blood Demon Lord did not answer, but instead proposed a deal.

"I'll offer you the scene of how the Heavenly Demon Lord bewitched the Monarch Demon Lord back then, and the poisoned blade forged within the Holy King's Path to target you, in exchange for your full assistance in the future. How about that?"

What do you mean by "I'll do everything I can to help you this once"?

"When I condense the Dao Fruit of Creation, I can also promise that as long as I return successfully, I will leave the Great Heaven without leaving any backup plan."

The Blood Demon Lord's answer made Chu Tai think for a moment.

The other party's demands were exactly within Chu Tai's acceptable range. The Blood Demon Lord had always maintained a hands-off approach to matters. Furthermore, during the Heavenly Demon's interference with the Eastern Celestial Radiance Great Heaven, he had effectively suppressed the Heavenly Demon's influence, making him a meritorious figure for the Great Heaven.

In the end, Chu Tai had no direct conflict with the Blood Demon Lord, so he chose to agree to the deal.

Having received a reply, the Blood Demon Lord did not hide anything and directly told Chu Tai what he knew.

"Within the Holy King's Path lies a phantom kingdom originating from the Holy Kingdom's heritage. The kingdoms of the Central Plains today can be considered products of its influence, but that kingdom is purer and more imbued with moral brilliance, almost like the ideal kingdom that the Holy Kingdom's lineage pursued back then."

"However, everything within it relies solely on the power of those three individuals. The seemingly perfect morality and social system are almost like rootless duckweed. Once those three individuals withdraw their power, that nation will inevitably face destruction. And the power born from such destruction is an extremely poisonous weapon for all those who have inherited the lineage of the Holy Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai asked with some curiosity, "How do you know these things?"

“I remember that among your avatars, there is one named Shao Siming who possesses some of the power of new life. I have observed her carefully, and the essence of her power is actually somewhat similar to mine. Have you ever thought that new life, or rather, reproduction, actually covers a very wide range?”

The irrelevant answer made Chu Tai pause for a moment. He guessed what the other person meant, but he couldn't quite believe it.

"But it's not an easy thing to do."

"If I were alone, I naturally couldn't do this, but as I said, the Dao Fruit of the Heavenly Demon is also very beneficial to me. Having contended with it for so long, I have naturally grasped some of the wonders of change and differentiation, integrating them into my life and enhancing the concepts of new life and reproduction. Therefore, as long as there is new life or even new things appearing in this world, I can sense them and exert some influence. For example..."

The Blood Demon Lord's gaze fell upon a delivery room in the mortal realm, where a newborn baby, on the verge of stillbirth, was successfully born under his watchful eye.

Meanwhile, in a grove of trees next to the newborn's home, a drop of blood suddenly appeared from a flower bud that had just been successfully pollinated. Before the blood could fall to the ground, it transformed into a brand new flower bud that grew beside it. Then, the two flowers withered and fell together, forming two unripe fruits.

Similar situations have occurred in the creation of animals, plants, and even some handcrafted jewelry.

Whenever a new concept emerges, or something is combined to create something new, the Blood Demon Lord's power can intervene, though the intensity may vary.

"Fellow Daoist, the power of your Dao Fruit..."

Chu Tai didn't know how to describe it, but he sensed its immense power.

If he wasn't mistaken, the [new life] and [reproduction] covered by the other party's Dao Fruit should essentially be the [new] covering the [old], or the [old] giving birth to the [new].

Therefore, it can be inferred that the condensation of vital energy, the breakthrough of cultivation, and even the reshaping of the physical body are likely all influenced by its power.

After all, these changes can also be described as changes between the old and the new.

But how could such a powerful force have come to this point?

Chu Tai was even more curious about the other secret that the Blood Demon Lord was about to reveal.

The other party also noticed Chu Tai's confusion and asked, "You should know that the Dao Fruit of the Heavenly Demon Dao Lord actually covers up the will of Heaven, right?"

Chu Tai nodded, and the Blood Demon Lord asked again, "Then do you know where his divine will comes from?"

"Could it be the sky...?"

A bad feeling suddenly rose in Chu Tai's heart. He suddenly realized that, in terms of the characteristics and status of the heavens, the Eastern Pole Chenguang Great Heaven should also have a similar existence.

Therefore, after Chu Tai finished speaking, he added, "What about the Heaven of the Great Heaven?"

"Exactly."

The Blood Demon's words completely disheartened Chu Tai. Then he heard the Blood Demon Dao Master say, "Of course, he has now comprehended the will of both Great Heavens, and he has also put forward a hypothesis. A hypothesis about all phenomena being illusory."

"So what if all things are illusory? We all exist right now."

The Blood Demon Lord shook his head and said, "But what if everything we are doing now is part of a pre-written story?"

"The story here is not about how Daojun and his ilk regard us as characters who can arbitrarily create our destinies and manipulate the future. Rather, it is about how all living beings, including Daojun and the Great Luo Heaven, are part of the story. It's just that some people are less affected and some are more affected."

"Fellow Daoist Taiyi, if all your experiences are merely like those of Dao Lords, who hope to see joys and sorrows, witness the attainment of immortality, see the downfall of villains, and create stories for their own pleasure, can you accept that?"

"What's this?"

Chu Tai smiled, seemingly not taking it to heart at all.

The Blood Demon Lord continued, "What if your Dao Fruit, your sacrifices, and your past suffering were nothing more than someone else's joke? Or just a desire to see a similar story unfold?"

"That's just their idea. If it really comes to that point, even our current communication, every word we say, is nothing more than a thought of theirs, a pre-written story. What meaning would it have for us?"

Taiyi Dao Qi appeared in Chu Tai's palm. He raised his hand and pointed, and the first-grade Taiyi Dao Qi rolled in the sea of ​​blood, giving rise to a small world where countless stories unfolded.

“Look, the actions of these creatures are all derived from the personalities and choices I have arranged. But when it’s all over, do you think their experiences were meaningless to them?”

"Similarly, when a story is finished, even the original author loses complete control over it. No one knows how the story will evolve or whether it will have a different ending. Just like these little creatures, even though I created them initially using your sea of ​​blood, as long as others know about them, then they have other possibilities..."

He slowly lowered his palm, lifting that small world from the sea of ​​blood. The aura of [Life] and [Creation] descended, followed closely by [Spirituality] and [Wisdom]. Chu Tai shaped them, imbued them with spirit, and gave them the opportunity to become true life forms before sending them to other places.

"Just like now, I have created the foundation of flesh and blood and spirituality for them. As they interact with other living beings, or as the story continues to spread, they will develop their own innate spiritual light. Similarly, the story will no longer belong to the author's setting, since everyone's protagonist will inevitably be different."

"But what if the protagonist can't break free?"

"That just means the story is too mediocre and not engaging enough."

After saying that, Chu Tai looked at the Blood Demon Lord: "So, this is why the Demon Lord turned to the demonic path, and why you went to Wuhe Kong?"

(End of this chapter)