Inside the Jade Void Palace, Meng Qi spread open his right palm, where droplets of blood rolled like tiny beads of mercury, flawless and perfect to the extreme. They carried a profound depth, as if reflecting the void itself, exuding an overwhelming presence that influenced the very structure of the surrounding heavens and earth. An aura of extreme antiquity and boundless vicissitudes emanated from them.
Based on what he had witnessed from the ancient Fusang Tree and his years of insights from the Haotian Mirror, he was certain beyond doubt that these droplets of blood belonged to the Heavenly Emperor Haotian—the former ruler of the myriad heavens, the supreme sovereign of the primordial era, whose fame had even endured into this epoch. On the fragmented Earth of the Primordial Chaos, which served as a “ferry of salvation,” worship of Him had persisted for a long time.
The ancient deity Jiufeng, a renowned warrior under the Heavenly Emperor Haotian, had gathered these scattered droplets of blood from His fall. Was she attempting to fuse and nurture them to resurrect Him? Or was she planning to “borrow a hen to lay eggs”—using external forces to cultivate a corresponding illusory Dao Fruit from the blood, then refining and absorbing it to take the crucial step toward reaching the Other Shore? Meng Qi’s thoughts raced as he pondered the intentions of the primordial demon god, now known as the Nine-Headed Great Sage.
However, lacking key clues and with the Nine-Headed Worm already annihilated at Mount Ling, reduced to ashes without a trace, he found it difficult to reach a definitive conclusion for now.
If it were the former, it would starkly illustrate the terror of those who had reached the Other Shore: even after the destruction of the myriad realms, having fallen for an entire epoch, there was still hope for His resurrection relying on just nine drops of blood devoid of spirit, vitality, or the power to regenerate! This was akin to being truly unkillable!
—Meng Qi believed Jiufeng’s knowledge and strength were sufficient to judge whether there was even the slightest chance of success.
If it were the latter, it would confirm that the Heavenly Emperor Haotian’s realm had at least reached the level of the Ancient Ones among those at the Other Shore. Even blood devoid of spirit and vitality still contained aspects of the Great Dao, allowing for fusion, complementation, and growth, eventually forming a corresponding illusory Dao Fruit or something slightly inferior.
From this perspective, it made sense that the mingled blood of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian and Donghuang Taiyi had given rise to the Fusang Tree, which bore the distinct mark of an “epoch.”
Meng Qi’s thoughts wandered freely, making boundless associations in search of a spark of inspiration. Suddenly, he remembered something!
Without hesitation, he flicked his left hand, summoning the eerie blood peach, crimson as if dripping with blood. It spun in confusion, as if awakened from slumber and still somewhat dazed.
This object had been obtained from the Peach Orchard, grown within the skull of the Star of Longevity, and labeled by Little Sang as an ancient evil relic. How would it react to the blood of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian, the supreme sovereign of the primordial era?
This was far more significant than fragments of the Haotian Mirror, which were merely divine weapons or treasures—this was part of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian Himself!
After half a spin, the eerie blood peach suddenly froze. Then, beneath its translucent skin, the vein-like structures abruptly swelled, bulging grotesquely as an aura of ancient, vast, and sinister power erupted!
The chamber darkened abruptly, and the illusory River of Time manifested on its own. It felt as if lifespans were rapidly draining away, or as if the past were replaying—time itself was thrown into chaos, filled with an overwhelming sense of “rage”!
“Haotian!”
A phantom yet authoritative voice seemed to echo from beyond the source of the River of Time, dripping with hatred and gnashing fury. It carried no trace of spirit or vitality, like an echo etched into the fabric of the heavens and earth—a reverberation that had endured the destruction of epochs!
Meng Qi’s brow arched slightly. The reaction of the eerie blood peach and the anomalies it summoned had exceeded his expectations.
At this moment, countless thoughts collided in his mind, finally converging into a single name:
“Donghuang Taiyi!”
The other supreme sovereign of the primordial era, who had fallen at the hands of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian!
One of the three primordial sovereigns whose fame still lingered to this day!
—Among the Three Primordial Sovereigns, the Heavenly Emperor Haotian stood first, followed by Donghuang Taiyi, and lastly Fuhuang—a title modeled after the Five Ancient Emperors of this epoch.
Meng Qi’s gaze, profound and inscrutable, settled on the eerie blood peach. It trembled as it leaped onto his right hand, circling the droplets of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian’s blood with an air of gnashing fury, as if it wished to devour them whole. Yet it seemed incapable of doing anything to the lifeless blood, only able to absorb things related to lifespan.
Lifespan was part of the natural order, fundamentally an aspect of the Dao of Time. In the era of ancient myths, while the Heavenly Emperor had mastered the Dao through time, capable of draining lifespans and hastening decay, he was neither unique nor exclusive in this regard. The Peach Orchard’s embodiment of lifespan still belonged to the Golden Mother, the Queen Mother of the West. In the primordial era, the foremost figure renowned for the Dao of Time was Donghuang Taiyi!
This little peach had grown within the skull of the Star of Longevity, nurtured by its corpse and the Peach Orchard. It could absorb lifespan and craved things that prolonged life… bearing the eerie and sinister traits of primordial relics… and now, faced with the blood of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian, it reacted so violently that it even summoned the rage-etched echoes of the heavens and the chaos of time…
Putting all this together, Meng Qi could almost declare with certainty that it was connected to Donghuang Taiyi!
Its spirit was rudimentary, akin to that of divine weapons and treasures… Could it be that in ancient times, aside from the Nine-Headed Worm, someone else had gathered remnants of Donghuang Taiyi—be it blood or similar relics—hoping to use the calamity of the Heavenly Court’s fall, along with the Star of Longevity and the Peach Orchard, to resurrect Donghuang Taiyi or cultivate a corresponding illusory Dao Fruit?
An illusory Dao Fruit… a peach is still a fruit, one that fears the Tree of Dao capable of devouring near-Dao entities and the realms of the Nine Nethers… A thought struck Meng Qi as he studied the eerie blood peach, which was now bouncing around and crushing the droplets of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian’s blood.
Could this thing truly be an incomplete or imperfect illusory Dao Fruit?
The illusory Dao Fruit corresponding to Donghuang Taiyi?
And for some unknown reason, it had gained a semblance of spirit?
Amidst these questions, Meng Qi exhaled quietly, sighing inwardly: “Truly, it is the End of Days—even the entangled karma from the primordial epochs must find resolution here…”
After carefully studying and examining the eerie blood peach for a while without further discoveries, Meng Qi returned it to his left hand. He then immersed his divine sense into a droplet of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian’s blood, seeking to refine and comprehend the illusory Great Dao within while simultaneously activating the Cause of All Effects and his own endlessly refined and sublimated Heaven-Overturning Earth-Striking Technique. He attempted to awaken the residual memory fragments within the bloodline.
Only boundless darkness and the dust-sealed passage of time greeted him.
“It seems that without touching the mysteries of the past, I cannot awaken the memories lingering in the bloodline…” Meng Qi sighed, separating the droplet he intended to refine. He then pressed one drop onto an acupoint in his left hand, allowing it to seep in, while wrapping the remaining ones with the last Primordial Chaos Green Lotus Seed to nurture and observe what might emerge.
In any case, based on his deductions and the premonitions granted by the Cause of All Effects, it would not be the “Heavenly Emperor Haotian”…
Who had placed the eerie blood peach inside the Star of Longevity’s skull? Suppressing his questions, Meng Qi focused on refining the blood. As for his disciple He Mu, he was currently only at the stage of fusion—fully refining it would take an exceedingly long time.
……
He Mu sat in his room, still somewhat bewildered, unsure of how things had unfolded.
How had he returned to the Jade Void Palace?
Wasn’t there supposed to be a massive explosion at Jiufeng’s ancient abode?
After a moment, clarity returned, and he gazed reverently at the chamber where his master, Su Meng, was in seclusion. A realization dawned on him—from the barrier preventing divine summoning to the inexplicable explosion at the core, none of it had been mere coincidence…
His master truly held the threads of fate, having arranged everything in advance…
Just then, a tentative voice echoed in his ears: “Mr. Moonfall? Mr. Moonfall?”
Jiuli? How had she found him here? Startled, He Mu realized the voice seemed to come from the ancient blood he had fused with. Concentrating his spiritual sense, he reached out, responding as if using the All-Knowing Token: “Miss Jiuli, what’s going on?”
“So you’ve also fused with the Heavenly Emperor Haotian’s blood,” Jiuli’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
He Mu was taken aback. “The Heavenly Emperor Haotian’s blood?”
“Yes. My mother said those ancient droplets are remnants from the fall of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian, the supreme sovereign of the primordial era. The Nine-Headed Great Sage gathered some of them. Since the Great Dao He corresponds to includes the void, and the droplets share an inexplicable connection, we can communicate through the blood fused within us, even across the myriad realms,” Jiuli explained cheerfully.
He Mu suddenly understood, realizing the true extent of the benefits from this opportunity. A smile crept onto his face as he remarked casually, “I see. Is everyone else safe?”
This was essentially another form of the All-Knowing Token!
“We’ve all returned home. Outsiders don’t know about the blood fusion, so everything is normal. What about you?” Jiuli asked with concern.
Back at the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun… He Mu naturally wouldn’t reveal that. After a pause, he replied, “I have no backing to speak of, so I feared the Arctic Little Sage and the two demon gods who witnessed the events might hunt me down to extract the blood. Taking advantage of the explosion sending me far away, I slipped into the mortal realm and hid among the secular world. With the protection of the current Human Emperor, I need not fear their persecution. Once I’ve fully refined the blood and made significant breakthroughs, I’ll return to the starry domains.”
Jiuli hummed in agreement. “That’s a wise approach. I can vouch for my mother not coveting it, but I certainly wouldn’t trust the Arctic Little Sage or the other two demon gods.”
Then, she suddenly laughed. “Since you’re in the mortal realm, you’ll have to enlighten us about the so-called ‘world of flowers and wine.'”
Amidst lighthearted banter, the human and the demon began discussing the customs and sights of the mortal world.
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