txolops Chapter 262 The Blood River of the Netherworld, the Demise of the Jie Sect?
Chapter 262 The Blood River of the Netherworld, the Demise of the Jie Sect?
Chapter 262 The Blood River of the Netherworld, the Demise of the Jie Sect?
come down.
I don't know how much time passed; it felt like a moment, yet also like ten thousand years.
When Zhao Gongming stepped onto solid ground, he found himself in a strange space.
The sky was dark red, like a curtain soaked in blood, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. The earth was cracked, blackish-red soil, barren of vegetation, with only jagged rocks piercing the sky like sharp swords.
Before him lay a vast river of blood.
The Blood River was of unknown width, its water composed of pure blood, thick and viscous, constantly churning with dark red waves. Countless white bones floated on its surface, some humanoid, some beast-like, and some enormous skeletons whose names were completely unknown. The bones were so large that a single rib could be hundreds of millions of feet long.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood, so strong it was almost nauseating.
Zhao Gongming frowned slightly. He raised his right palm, and a beam of light shot out from his palm, trying to evaporate the blood river. However, when the light entered the blood river, it disappeared without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea, creating only a small ripple.
"It's not that simple after all."
He withdrew his hand and glanced at the blood river. Although the river water was churning, it was eerily silent, as if everything was suppressed in this deathly silence by some force.
"roar!"
Just then, a deep roar came from the depths of the Blood River.
The voice was ancient and desolate, carrying overwhelming resentment and killing intent, causing the entire space to tremble. Cracks appeared in the ground beneath Zhao Gongming's feet, from which dark red light shone through.
The river of blood began to boil!
Countless souls struggled to emerge from the river of blood, transforming into distorted faces that emitted mournful howls. These faces included men and women, the old and the young, and some that were not human at all—they had too many eyes, or no eyes at all, only endless emptiness.
However, what Zhao Gongming cared about most was the lingering aura on these dead souls.
That is—the aura of chaotic gods and demons!
"The chaotic gods and demons who died in battle before the great calamity of creation—" Zhao Gongming murmured, "So this is the legendary Netherworld Blood River."
Legend has it that at the beginning of chaos, there was an earth-shattering war between gods and demons, in which countless chaotic gods and demons perished, and their resentment transformed into all sorts of dangers.
The Netherworld Blood River before us was formed from the remnant souls of the Chaos Gods and Demons!
The spirits seemed to sense Zhao Gongming's presence, countless empty eyes turning towards him simultaneously. The next instant, the spirits roared and pounced.
Zhao Gongming snorted coldly, his right hand making a grasping motion as the Hunyuan Qiushui Sword was drawn from its sheath.
The sword light was like autumn water and the sky, stretching for thousands of miles. With a single slash, boundless sword energy poured out. Wherever the sword energy passed, the dead souls were like thin ice meeting the scorching sun, instantly melting away most of them.
However, even more souls surged from the river of blood, seemingly endless.
"The Way of the Sword!"
Zhao Gongming's sword stance changed, and the Hunyuan Qiushui Sword transformed into a long rainbow, drawing an arc above the blood river. Wherever the sword rainbow passed, all the dead souls turned into nothingness, and even the blood river was cleaved open with a crack hundreds of millions of feet long.
But the next moment, the crack slowly closed, and the river of blood continued to flow.
Zhao Gongming's gaze narrowed slightly.
These souls were originally formed from the resentment of chaotic gods and demons. Although they had lost their minds, the power of the chaotic origin remained. With his current cultivation, although he could kill them, it would require a lot of magical power.
But the Netherworld Blood River—it can never be completely eradicated.
"It seems that if we want to cross the river, we must trace it back to its source."
Zhao Gongming sheathed the Hunyuan Qiushui Sword, made a hand seal with his left hand, and a vast river roared out, cascading with endless time energy.
"Certainly."
He amplified the power of the Thirty-Six Heavens, from which a mysterious power of time surged forth, acting upon the Blood River.
The next moment, the once boiling river of blood began to slowly freeze. The surging waves of blood seemed to be suppressed by some invisible force, gradually coming to a standstill. The souls on the river surface also stopped struggling and turned into solidified sculptures.
Zhao Gongming flashed forward, stepping on the solidified river of blood.
In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the river of blood and reached the other side.
The resentment in this Netherworld Blood River is quite different from that in the Other Shore Sea. The resentment here is naturally formed and only attacks the living, without affecting their minds. Therefore, Zhao Gongming can cross the Blood River, but he cannot fly directly across the Other Shore Sea.
After he flew past, the blood river boiled again, and the dead roared once more. However, Zhao Gongming did not turn back, but murmured, "The remnant souls of the Chaos Gods and Demons—perhaps in the future there will be an opportunity to find a place for you all to return to. This would be a great merit."
After saying that, his figure disappeared on the banks of the Netherworld Blood River.
And so, Zhao Gongming continued on his way. He didn't know how long he had been walking when suddenly, his mind became alert, and the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda and the Chaos Star Chart flew out!
But it was too late. The next moment, he appeared in a hazy gray space.
There is no sky, no earth, only endless gray fog permeating the surroundings. There is nothing beneath your feet, nothing above your head, nothing in all directions.
Zhao Gongming frowned slightly and probed outwards with his divine sense.
However, the moment the consciousness left the body, a strange force devoured it completely, without even a trace of feedback being sent back.
"A formation?"
He tentatively took a step forward.
The void beneath their feet suddenly solidified, transforming into a bluestone path. The gray mist on both sides dispersed, revealing a scene beside the path—a peach grove, with peach blossoms in full bloom and petals falling in profusion, a vibrant and thriving sight.
However, Zhao Gongming's gaze suddenly turned cold.
Because he recognized the peach grove.
This is Jin'ao Island, the training ground of the Jie Sect!
He quickened his pace and walked along the bluestone path. As he went, the path widened and eventually became a broad bluestone avenue. At the end of the avenue, a magnificent and ancient Taoist temple appeared and disappeared, with three large characters shining brightly on the plaque: Biyou Palace!
Zhao Gongming stopped in front of the Taoist temple, his gaze complex.
The next moment, his body stepped uncontrollably into the Taoist temple.
Inside the Taoist temple, dozens of figures sat upright on prayer mats. The one in the lead had a face like jade, eyes like bright stars, and a Taoist aura that flowed around him, exuding an extraordinary demeanor.
That was his former senior brother, Daoist Duobao.
Beside him sat the Golden Spirit Mother, the Wudang Mother, and the Turtle Spirit Mother in turn. Behind them were the Ten Heavenly Kings, the Three Immortal Maidens of Sanxiao, and countless disciples of the Jie Sect.
They're all here!
But at that moment, a massive rift suddenly opened in the sky. A colossal hand, capable of blotting out the heavens, emerged from the rift and pressed down with earth-shattering power.
"not good!"
Zhao Gongming wanted to intervene and stop it, but the giant hand was too fast. He could only watch helplessly as the giant hand annihilated the entire Biyou Palace, along with his familiar fellow disciples, in one blow!
Blood mist filled the sky, and screams tore through the heavens.
Countless familiar faces vanished into nothingness in that instant, not even their true spirits could escape!