As soon as Huangquan’s words fell, ripples of glazed crimson light radiated outward from beneath his feet, instantly sweeping across the Pure Land and extending infinitely into the distance.
Meng Qi felt his flawless, impervious body suddenly pierced like a hot water bag, as the Pure Land began to draw power from him in a bizarre yet relentless manner, unstoppable and irreversible. Waves of blood-yellow mist surged outward like water.
His recovery couldn’t keep up with the draining. In just eighteen breaths, his body’s strength would be completely exhausted… Meng Qi’s mind was as calm as a mirror, his thoughts swiftly assessing his condition. Beside him, the Asura Progenitor’s demonic form also flushed red, radiating a crimson glow infused with terrifying bloodlust and battle intent.
Seeing this, Huangquan burst into laughter. “When the Buddha measured the Nine Nethers, how could he overlook the Origin of Life and Death? These nine stone temples encircling the River of Huangquan were built precisely for this purpose!”
“Before, I didn’t understand their mysteries, but after stepping into the Origin of Life and Death, everything became clear!”
“Within this Pure Land, every point except my position as the catalyst is drawing power to connect the corresponding Pure Lands of the nine temples, forming an illusory River of Huangquan. This will invert the true river and open the Origin of Life and Death.”
“When that happens, Huangquan will die, and only the ‘Daoist of Life and Death’ will remain. I thank you both in advance for your ‘assistance.'”
His malicious tone barely concealed his ecstasy. His deliberate exposure and the leaking of secrets were all to lure powerful beings here—to serve as the fuel needed to activate the nine Pure Lands!
These thoughts echoed around them, taking no time at all to convey. Yet when his laughter faded, Huangquan noticed that neither the Asura Progenitor nor the thief who had stolen his bones showed any sign of anger, shock, or panic—only an eerie calm.
As Huangquan’s suspicious gaze shifted toward him, the Asura Progenitor raised his right hand and pressed it against his left chest, his voice like a thousand blunt knives scraping against bone:
“Zhenwu is weakened in the Nine Nethers. Even if I still fall short of his former strength, the gap isn’t vast. And this fellow Daoist beside me can make up the difference!”
He was actually considering whether Huangquan had enough power to open the Origin of Life and Death! As he spoke, his right hand suddenly tore at something, and his body swelled into a monstrous form far larger than Mount Sumeru.
His entire body was pitch-black, with nine heads—each bearing expressions of wrath, lust, slaughter, and more—and a thousand eyes that peered into the depths of one’s soul, chilling all who beheld them. His body was wreathed in blood-red flames, dark as the abyss, while nine hundred and ninety arms bloomed like petals, and twenty-four scaled legs stood like divine pillars.
With the Asura Progenitor’s true form revealed, the Pure Land was engulfed in a bloody crimson glow, littered with headless corpses and severed limbs. Spirits gathered, manifesting as ancient demon gods—the very beings the Asura Progenitor had slain in the past.
Once Asuras reach the half-god, half-demon stage, every powerful life they kill grants them a portion of their victim’s strength and lingering will, which they refine into guardian wraiths. Even if destroyed, these wraiths can reform later. Thus, the more they kill, the stronger they become. The Asura Progenitor, who has waged war since the dawn of the Nine Nethers, is a terror beyond words!
Amid the howls of wraiths, overwhelming bloodlust and battle intent swept through the Pure Land, piercing through realms and connecting to “other selves,” summoning countless figures that channeled cosmic power. The land transformed into a battlefield where war and slaughter became tangible, even manifesting faint traces of the illusory River of Time.
“Are you satisfied with this power?” The Asura Progenitor neither attacked nor defended, simply standing there, gazing down at Huangquan.
Huangquan was momentarily stunned. “You…?”
The Asura Progenitor’s nine heads grinned in unison.
“Didn’t I say? The willing take the bait!”
He wasn’t afraid of being used to open the Origin of Life and Death—he was afraid of not even getting the chance!
Even if his power was drained completely, he could still sense the opening of the Origin and glean insights into the mysteries of death. And if any strength remained, he could even follow inside.
As for Huangquan’s attempt to silence them—that was just another obstacle to overcome, like facing the end of one’s lifespan!
Faced with such willing cooperation, Huangquan felt strangely unsettled. He turned to Meng Qi, only to see the blood-yellow mist around him erupt, flooding the heavens and earth, transforming into a surging river of corruption and death. His power flowed unresistingly into the Pure Land.
Meeting Huangquan’s gaze, Meng Qi clasped his hands behind his back and chuckled. “It’s just a Huangquan avatar. If sacrificing it means opening the ‘Origin of Life and Death,’ then so be it!”
Besides, it was Huangquan’s bones being sacrificed, not his own. If he could explore the Origin before the Emperor of Fengdu used Little Glutton to enter, it would be an invaluable advantage!
As for any attempt to siphon power from his true self through the avatar—Meng Qi wasn’t worried. After all, he was the “Cause of All Effects”!
With that, he gestured toward the Pure Land’s entrance and quipped, “If the Asura and I aren’t enough, we’ve prepared another little friend for you. Hope you’re satisfied.”
Before his words faded, a crimson flash erupted at the entrance as Bloodslaughter Daoist stumbled in, his power being voraciously drained by the barrier. A mere dozen zhang of distance became an insurmountable chasm!
Faced with such eager compliance from his intended victims, Huangquan—who had initially been thrilled—felt a pang of confusion. While things were going according to plan, something felt… off.
Weren’t they supposed to rage, struggle, and curse him while futilely trying to escape or capture him? Instead, these two were practically grinning, even asking if he needed more power!
Suppressing his unease, Huangquan raised both hands, one glowing black, the other white, and pressed them downward. The opposing forces intertwined into a yin-yang symbol, fully activating the Pure Land.
**BOOM!**
With a deafening roar, the drained power surged across time, flooding into the next Pure Land.
**BOOM!**
One by one, the blue-gray stone temples along the River of Huangquan trembled violently. Stone lanterns ignited without flame, casting warm halos of light.
**Splash!**
Huangquan’s reincarnated form watched as a segment of the blood-yellow river materialized high above the Pure Land—a torrent of life, death, and corruption, flowing endlessly.
Illusory segments of the river linked together, forming a self-sustaining cycle that mirrored the real River of Huangquan. The convergence stirred monstrous waves and ghostly wails that split the clouds.
**Splash!**
For a brief moment, the River of Huangquan reversed its flow. The illusory blood-yellow condensed into a colorless point, from which an unfathomable aura of death—yet brimming with vitality—emanated.
The colorless point suddenly expanded into a bizarre vortex. Huangquan’s reincarnated form wasted no time, abandoning his weakened foes—Meng Qi, the Asura Progenitor, and Bloodslaughter Daoist—and lunged toward it.
The window to enter would last only a few fleeting instants!
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