Chapter 124: The Great Emperor of Fengdu

This was a concealed battle. The aftermath was so thoroughly suppressed that not every Qi Practitioner could perceive that intensely brilliant beam of light. Yet, the disturbances in the distance were simply too great, too immense to be masked.

Xu Zhong’s eyes stung painfully. Through that radiance, however, he could see red threads, thin as vessels, spread across the heavens and earth. Like true dragons, they writhed and stretched across the sky; they were the source of all spiritual energy within the Mingzhao.

"Is that... lifeblood?" Xu Zhong realized, contemplating in his heart, "For lifeblood to be imprinted upon the heavens and earth, transforming into an endless flow of spiritual energy—how powerful must a Qi Practitioner be to achieve such a feat?"

The human body is a vast treasure trove. Lifeblood, the Niwan palace... these were all hidden chambers, either waiting to be developed or yet to be explored. Xu Zhong had seen Qi Practitioners who cultivated lifeblood before. Tang Yuan was one of them. But Tang Yuan did not rely solely on lifeblood; he also practiced spells. However, his mastery of spells was not refined; he only understood the basics. His true strength lay entirely in his lifeblood. Even then, when Tang Yuan cultivated his lifeblood, he used his hidden chambers as a stepping stone, necessitating the absorption of external spiritual energy.

Yet, what Xu Zhong saw now was worlds apart from Tang Yuan’s lifeblood furnace.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A slight, continuous tremor emanated from the ground, originating from the Heavenly Prison. Xu Zhong looked up to see Fengdu manifesting, with countless jets of magma erupting from within, mingled with murky, death-laden mists and miasma. In an instant, the world was turned upside down.

Old Man Li seemed to be locked in a struggle with a formidable opponent. Because their cultivation was so immense, fearing they might harm the innocent, they had pulled the Heavenly Prison into Fengdu.

Just then, a silver radiance rushed in from afar, brilliant and dazzling. It shifted in the sky, becoming like a jade disc, instantly replacing the moon overhead. In a heartbeat, Xu Zhong felt an immense pressure, as if he were carrying the entire firmament on his shoulders. This weight nearly stifled his breath. The appearance of this jade disc prevented Fengdu from fully invading the Mingzhao, allowing only a small corner to manifest, which encased the entire Heavenly Prison.

Xu Zhong gazed at the jade disc. The next moment, Yuan Yi, who was inside the disc, felt something and cast a glance toward him. Meeting again as old acquaintances, both remained exceptionally calm. Even though Yuan Yi now possessed the power of an innate deity, not far from that of a Creator, Xu Zhong could perceive countless chains upon him, binding him.

It was something known as "Law." He was bound by the Law; every action was restricted, leaving him hampered. But a moment later, Xu Zhong felt utterly bewildered.

"Why do I know these things?"

It was as if this knowledge had always been hidden in his mind. The moment he saw those chains, their names and functions flooded his brain.

"Could it be..." He suddenly recalled that after the ancient Yue Heavenly Dao was devoured by the Thunder Ancestor, a cluster of fire had been struck into his body. Bai Zhaoju called it the "Kindling." Perhaps, at this moment, that Kindling was revealing its purpose.

Hum! The air trembled gently, and the surrounding ripples spread wildly like folds. This terrifying fluctuation was easily suppressed by Yuan Yi within the jade disc, preventing Jiankang from being razed to the ground.

Xifeng Lie’s muscles bulged as he inhaled and exhaled the power of heaven and earth. His lifeblood manifested externally, madly stripping away the lifeblood power within the Mingzhao. His strength spiraled upward, turning into a crimson ocean that shook the entire Mingzhao. Terrifying power churned within the sea of blood, appearing to turn into flames that ignited the sky in an instant.

Xifeng Lie reached out and grasped. The lifeblood descended, transforming into a colossal divine sword. Clutching this blade, he exuded a will that looked down upon the world, invincible under heaven. At this moment, the sword intent was surging, blotting out the sky and sun, vast and boundless. As long as one were within the Mingzhao, no matter where, one could feel this lingering sword intent.

"Xifeng Lie, your lifespan is at an end; you should come with me to Fengdu!" Old Man Li’s aura was overbearing. He stepped forward, and with each step, he pressed down on that sword intent. Surrounded by the Samsara Cave Heaven, divine light and clouds surged from him, forming cloud waterfalls that spanned thousands of miles across the high sky.

"Get lost!" Xifeng Lie roared, slashing the divine sword in his hand forward. In an instant, it severed the cloud waterfalls and rainbow light, erupting with the metallic clang of swords. It even tore a corner of the sky, allowing the starlight and moonlight of the heavens to pour into this realm.

"Obstinate and unyielding!" As the words fell, Old Man Li reached out a large hand, grabbing toward Xifeng Lie.

Rumble! He easily caught the sword light in his hand, then squeezed hard, shattering the entire divine sword into wisps of lifeblood energy.

Xifeng Lie exhaled. It was the Gale of Chaos’s Destruction. As this gale blew forward, the scattered lifeblood energy transformed directly into a hundred thousand divine swords, covering the sky and descending upon the firmament. His own lifeblood surged, rising into the sky like wolf smoke. Xifeng Lie unleashed the power of his physical body and threw a punch.

The hundred thousand divine swords hummed, swept forward by his lifeblood power in a display of "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor." Behind him, the sea of blood erupted in a brilliant array of colors, filling the world and burning fiercely.

Old Man Li frowned slightly. His hands moved rapidly, forming seals and unleashing divine light that fell like millions of stars.

Collision! A deafening roar! Ripples!

Yet, all of this was thoroughly suppressed by Yuan Yi. He watched everything before him silently, like a spectator. The hundred thousand divine swords were engulfed in the galaxy without stirring a ripple, while the galaxy was ignited by Xifeng Lie’s lifeblood fire. In an instant, the flames spread onto Old Man Li’s arm; no matter how he cast his spells, he could not extinguish them. Even if he were to sever his arm, the fire would continue to burn, for it seemed to be burning his very essence.

Old Man Li groaned, clearly injured by the fire. Xifeng Lie stumbled, his body pierced by divine light that sought to extinguish his vitality. But he was already dead—what vitality could he have? He staggered forward, raised his fist, and struck.

The entire Mingzhao responded to him. Countless streams of surging lifeblood poured endlessly into his body, nourishing his essence and extending his life. For a moment, his aged body began to grow young again.

Old Man Li cast a seal, mobilizing the very source of the Mingzhao under his hand, and pressed down. But his seal was as fragile as paper; it shattered at the slightest touch. Xifeng Lie’s fist reached Old Man Li’s face. Old Man Li was quick-witted; he grabbed Xifeng Lie’s right arm and twisted it with force. With a crack, the bone broke, blood sprayed, and the entire arm was torn off.

But Xifeng Lie did not even blink. With a tremor of his body, the severed arm rapidly regenerated. His left fist had already landed on Old Man Li. In an instant, Old Man Li was sent flying, along with the entirety of Fengdu.

Old Man Li’s blood churned as he opened his mouth to spit, only to spew out a roaring sea of fire. This was the fire of lifeblood—a fire that could not be extinguished. Xifeng Lie seized the opportunity to advance, the sea of blood behind him churning ever more violently, the flames burning with greater intensity.

Old Man Li knew he was no longer a match for Xifeng Lie, so he fled into the depths of Fengdu and shouted, "Lord of the Underworld, if you do not act, I shall be beaten to death!"

Xifeng Lie followed in his wake, chasing him, intent on killing him. Yet, at that moment, the entire Fengdu trembled. A gaze, as if cast from the dawn of creation, looked toward this time and place, easily piercing Xifeng Lie’s body. Even though Xifeng Lie’s body was run through, it continued to gush with endless vitality.

But the next moment, a throne of immense size appeared in everyone’s line of sight. Seated upon that throne was a monarch, unchanging and immovable. It was the Lord of Fengdu, one of the first deities born at the dawn of the world.