"You two, won't you explain this to me?"

Three Qi Xius occupied three corners, each with the same face yet vastly different temperaments. If their faces were obscured, it would be impossible to tell they were the same person.

The Daoist of the Taiyin on the right had a faint smile, but his eyes were icy and malevolent. His pitch-black Taoist Robe emanated an eerie and oppressive charm.

The white-robed Daoist on the left was solemn and unsmiling. A seriousness in his brow concealed an extremely pure and sharp aura. He was like a Divine Weapon in its Sword Sheath: unassuming until unsheathed—then unstoppable!

In contrast, the Qi Xiu in the middle—the true self—seemed much simpler. He had a robust aura and a calm gaze, like a deep, rippleless pond: unfathomably deep and baffling to understand.

"It's truly unexpected that your greatest obsession turned out to be to rest properly. The great terror between life and death becomes so laughable when it comes to you. Taiyang, you agree, don't you?"

Twirling the teacup in his hands, the Daoist of the Taiyin chuckled lightly. It seemed they had seen everything Qi Xiu had just experienced in that dark territory.

"Not entirely. The true self seeks an absolute sense of security. Resting is merely the thought that comes after achieving safety. However, it was indeed perilous to face the great terror between life and death unguarded. If it weren't for the true self's obsession with this, you might still be struggling in that quagmire, unable to escape."

Compared to the Daoist of the Taiyin's frivolous tone, the Taiyang Daoist's words were measured and meticulous.

"That place of darkness just now, is that what's known as 'between life and death'?"

As a Cultivator of the "White Bone Demon Dao," Qi Xiu naturally knew what the so-called 'between life and death' referred to. The White Bone Devil God could transform into the White Bone Relic, saving a Cultivator from death once. However, resurrection is a great taboo in heaven and earth. Anyone who attempts to rise from death will face the great terror between life and death. But this great terror varies from person to person, and each encounter is unique.

Now it seems that the so-called great terror is likely the most obstinate desire in a living being's heart. Precisely because of this obsession, when it appears before you, you cannot bring yourself to let go or ignore it. You know it's false, yet it strikes directly at the softest part of your heart. After all, that's what you pursued in life. Now that it's right before your eyes, what's the point of being resurrected? This is the true terror.

Unfortunately, Qi Xiu's deepest obsession was neither power nor wealth, neither might nor lust. As a transmigrated outsider, he was always after a sense of security that ordinary people couldn't understand. But if you're already dead, what's the point of safety? It's a contradiction.

The great terror between life and death had to manifest his inner exhaustion instead and, combined with the brief peace after death, sought to make him succumb completely. But pushing too hard made Qi Xiu alert instead. He adjusted his thoughts in time and used the Suppression Character Talisman to quell his indolence, stepping out of that intertwining land of life and death.

"So this place is...?"

"The Ancestral Aperture Spiritual Platform, precisely the critical place for your advancement to the Blood-Stained Realm!" the Daoist of the Taiyin revealed the name of the land they were currently standing on.

"This is the Ancestral Aperture?"

Looking around in surprise, Qi Xiu hadn't expected to inadvertently stumble upon this place.

"You already croaked. Your physical body has withered, and your sea of consciousness is sealed. The Ancestral Aperture is where Consciousness first emerged. You've passed through the entanglement of life and death, so naturally, you returned to the Ancestral Aperture. When the White Bone Relic takes effect, you will leave. But true self, you truly gambled fiercely this time. If the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner hadn't, by chance, undergone an Extreme Breakthrough and been reverse-engineered into the White Bone Demon Dao, this calamity would almost certainly have been fatal. Confronting an Outer Realm Evil God... did you go and poke the heavens' hornet nest or something, for them to screw you over this badly?"

Sucking his teeth, the Daoist of the Taiyin's words made Qi Xiu's face twist in disgust.

"Sometimes, I really want to piss in your mouth to rinse it out."

Glancing disdainfully at the Daoist of the Taiyin, Qi Xiu pondered. The root may still lie in 'The Secret of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture.' This True Scripture is too ambitious, monopolizing all the advantages in the world, commanding the Ten Thousand Laws, and mastering all energies. With gain comes loss. Reaping all the benefits, the backlash will surely come. If it weren't for my own Human Path Merit protecting me and increasing my luck, this Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence would have been even more terrifying. An unprecedented death calamity might have been destined for me.

With a solemn expression, Qi Xiu voiced his speculation. 'The Secret of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture' was his own creation. But after many upgrades and the catalysis of its Divine Marvel proficiency, the content of this True Scripture had long been deduced and enriched by more than ten thousandfold. Just as he said before, reaping all the benefits, the backlash will surely come. Heaven's will is impartial and won't let one person take all the good for themselves. Therefore, whether it was his Dao-Entering Realm calamity or this current Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence, they were extraordinarily difficult, as if designed to doom him.

"I don't think this is a bad thing. A sword's edge is honed through grinding. Without intense pressure, how could the true self achieve today's accomplishments? In my opinion, these trials could even be more difficult. I observe that the true self still has some untapped potential," the Taiyang Daoist also slowly spoke up.

"Enough from both of you." Unable to face these two Avatars of himself, Qi Xiu turned his head towards the Taiyang Daoist. "Tai Yin was created when I used the Dual Heart Mirror to divide myself, but how did you come into being?"

"Hunyuan is Unity. When it divides, Yin and Yang emerge. The moment you used the Dual Heart Mirror, I was born alongside Tai Yin. However, I do not like competing with others and prefer to reside within the Ancestral Aperture, where it is quiet and comfortable. That's why I never appeared before." Taking a sip of hot tea, Taiyang glanced at Tai Yin sitting across from him. "Moreover, events have already proven that snatching it is impossible, no matter how one tries."

"Hmm? Who are you insulting?" Arching his neck, Tai Yin squinted, feeling as if he had just been slighted.

"Alright now. This tribulation was fraught with danger, and I nearly lost my life. But fortunately, though perilous, there was no actual harm, and I successfully broke through. Once I revive, I should be able to step into the realm of a great cultivator." Stopping Tai Yin and Taiyang's bickering, Qi Xiu's lips curved into a smile. He had diligently cultivated for over a decade, not daring to slack off for even a day. After undergoing countless hardships and calamities, he was finally about to achieve the Blood-Stained Realm and become a great cultivator.

Within the Ancestral Aperture, the passage of time could not be felt. There, Qi Xiu chatted and laughed with his two separated spirits, so it wasn't lonely at all.

Tai Yin remained his usual irreverent and eccentric self, greatly praising Qi Xiu for the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner's Extreme Breakthrough and the deduction of the White Bone Demon Dao. His bloodshot eyes and wicked smile gave Qi Xiu mixed feelings. Should I ever let this chaos-inciting Demon King out again? The White Bone Demon Dao is more than a hundred times more brutal and terrifying than the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner. If Tai Yin were to wield it, there would likely be no peace.

The Taiyang Daoist, on the other hand, had a calm and reserved personality. He spoke little, but every sentence was incisive, a complete opposite of Tai Yin. But there was one thing they had in common: the Taiyang Daoist had also abandoned Qi Xiu's 'Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery,' creating his own 'Great Solar Sole Self True Scripture' based on his own nature and talent.

Unlike Tai Yin, who sought to be singularly revered and control the Ten Thousand Laws of Heaven and Earth, treading a path of limitless Dharma Gates, Taiyang's 'Great Solar Sole Self True Scripture' had a main principle: to use the utmost strength to cross the sea of suffering and reach the other shore. In this scripture, all else is illusory; only power is the true existence. With his own unparalleled strength, he suppresses everything, like the vast Heavenly sun, singularly supreme!

Therefore, in terms of absolute power, the Taiyang Daoist was stronger and fiercer than the Daoist of the Taiyin, even surpassing Qi Xiu, the original body, in terms of sheer destructive force.

They stayed in the Ancestral Aperture for an unknown length of time. One day, as Qi Xiu was deeply discussing the Dao with Taiyang, and they both stood up, about to test their insights with a spar, Qi Xiu's figure suddenly became indistinct, as ethereal as the wind, as if about to dissipate into nothingness.

Slowly releasing the sword technique he had formed, the Taiyang Daoist smiled faintly. "Original body, it's time for you to go."

Feeling an increasingly distinct pulling sensation, Qi Xiu nodded. His physical body and soul were summoning his Consciousness to return. The scene before his eyes grew increasingly blurry. Qi Xiu faintly heard Tai Yin shout at the top of his lungs, "Let me out soon!" Then, he suddenly felt a tangible sense of fullness.

He had revived.

Slowly opening his eyes, Qi Xiu glanced around. The desolate wasteland around him was still the same leveled ruins. Judging by the swirling dust clouds that had yet to completely disperse, it seemed not much time had passed between his death and resurrection. The flow of time inside the Ancestral Aperture was not synchronized with the outside world.

"Is this… the Blood-Stained Realm?"

With a thought, Qi Xiu's vision sank into his body. Inside, he saw the original three hundred sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures had become more solid, like a dazzling array of stars illuminating his entire body. They were no longer separated as individual entities. Instead, aperture connected to aperture, one leading to all others. The myriad energies drawn in were now denser and more viscous, having upgraded from the previously gaseous True Gang to a liquid True Essence. The condensation of True Essence also meant that he could now wield even more numerous and profound Dharma Gates.

The Dharma Gates of the Blood-Stained Realm were drastically different from those of the Dao-Entering Realm. The ability to leverage and command the forces of heaven and earth was far greater and more potent. It was like the Dao-Entering Realm wielded a handgun, while the Blood-Stained Realm had a machine gun, or even a grenade launcher.

It seems that after achieving the Blood-Stained Realm, the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body has also grown with it. The struggle of the Dao-Entering Realm was not in vain. With these three hundred sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures, my True Essence will always be unrivaled among my peers. Just like those protagonists in the wuxia novels of my previous life who cultivated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, their internal power regenerates with incredible speed, seemingly inexhaustible. It was no waste working as hard as an old ox back then, cultivating those Mixed Primordial Beads one by one. All that hardship has finally paid off.

Seeing the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body grow alongside his cultivation Realm, Qi Xiu nodded to himself, then turned his gaze to his spine.

Stepping into the Blood-Stained Realm, besides the True Gang transforming into source energy, meant the soul traversed the Heaven and Earth Bridge to reside within the Ancestral Aperture. This allowed one to draw upon the ambient Divine Marvels to temper the spine and condense Tao Blood.

As long as Tao Blood flows, the flesh remains immortal. This is why the Blood-Stained Realm is also known as the Undying Realm. It also signifies the distinct Divine Marvel that sets the Blood-Stained Realm apart from the Dao-Entering Realm.

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