In just a moment, his aura had surpassed Bai Mei, who had already left the battlefield. The blood in the sky converged around him, forming a crimson Dharma Form with three heads and six arms.

Armed with a spear, a big blade, a Dharma Wheel, and more, his six arms struck out from the Blood Mist toward Li Qing and the others. Li Qing and Yang Yuhuan, both weakened from casting Divine Spells, were hardly in a position to fight back, while Xuantian Sect, merging man and sword, faced the massive Blood Vajra Dharma Form head-on.

The Platinum Sword, empowered by the Sun Star above, extended its sword light by ten meters, its blade emitting an even more terrifying heat. Unfortunately, Xuantian Sect's cultivation was far weaker than the Blood Demon's; after mere exchanges, he was on the brink of death.

Jing An let out a furious roar and unleashed his Dharma Form, which was notably smaller and less formidable in size, head count, and number of arms when compared to the crimson Vajra.

Even against two opponents, the Blood Demon showed no signs of faltering, and after a few rounds, both of them were in grave danger.

Seeing this, Li Qing hastily swallowed a handful of Elixirs and charged forward, wielding the Nanming Lihuo Sword. With the constraint of two Immortal Artifacts, the battlefield's balance shifted slightly.

Yang Yuhuan, having depleted her Mana through Divine Spells, was now rapidly absorbing Mana from the Jade Bracelet in her hand to replenish herself. Once she regained her strength, she joined the battle, but dared not get too close.

The five-person battle reached its climax, testing the fighters' reserves. The first to fall was Xuantian Sect; despite being the one who had cultivated the longest, his capabilities were quite underwhelming.

He was pierced through the chest by the Blood Demon's Blood Spear, plummeting to the ground with his fate uncertain. As time passed, three others expended too much Mana to continue fighting in the air, forcing the fight to move to the ground.

Among the four remaining fighters, Jing An suffered the worst, taking the brunt of the Blood Demon's attacks in the front line. Yang Yuhuan was in the best condition; protected by Li Qing, she remained unscathed but had almost exhausted her Mana and looked extremely pale.

The Blood Demon, apparently intact, seemed indifferent, though the Blood Mist Formation was now dried up and his Dharma Form could no longer be sustained. Instead, he appeared to have discovered something fascinating during the battle.

He pushed back Jing An with a blow of his Blood Spear, then flashed toward Yang Yuhuan. Ignoring the Nanming Lihuo Sword stabbing toward him, he thrust the Blood Spear straight at Yang Yuhuan's head. Her pupils contracted as terror of impending death filled her mind.

Blood splattered, but the agonizing pain she had expected never came. A figure stood before her, blocking the spear. Streams of blood flowed from the Blood Spear, empowering the Blood Demon. Li Qing performed a hand seal, rapidly extracting the moisture from the blood to form a chain that sealed the Blood Demon.

From afar, a platinum sword entwined with blood light suddenly shot forth, piercing through the Blood Demon's heart. Ignoring his wound, the Blood Demon gazed at the brilliant streak of light.

"So this is what true love looks like?"

Xuantian Sect had sacrificed everything to deliver one final strike, never to see his master again—nor in the next life, because he no longer had one.

Li Qing, drained of his essence blood, now had brittle, pale white hair.

"We've still won after all."

The Blood Demon sighed, resigned to the outcome despite differences in the process. With a darkly humorous tone, he looked at Li Qing, who had shielded his beloved from harm, and smirked: "You're all spent; I still have one strike left. Which of you wants to die?"

Li Qing found himself incredulous, though he knew the Blood Demon's supernatural power made such claims anything but exaggeration.

Li Qing steeled himself, prepared to endure the Blood Demon's final blow. Jing An struggled to rise as well, but the Blood Demon didn't spare either of them a glance, instead focusing on Yang Yuhuan.

"Do you not have the resolve to die for your companions?"

It was a hauntingly familiar scene, sending Yang Yuhuan's mind spiraling back to her past experiences.

The Blood Demon raised his Blood Spear and lunged at her. Li Qing's clone intercepted the spear, enduring a less devastating but nonetheless agonizing wound.

The Blood Demon roared with laughter at the sight. "You're no match for Ah Yao, hahaha!"

Hearing that name once more awakened a nightmarish memory in Yang Yuhuan, driving her to the brink of madness. Twisting her Jade Bracelet frantically, she hurled it at the Blood Demon, who exploded into a shower of Blood Mist, drenching both Yang Yuhuan and Li Qing.

The Blood Demon, despite cultivating the Blood God Scripture, had not achieved Immortal Ascension. In the end, he was still human, and humans die when their hearts are destroyed. His last attempt was merely a playful provocation.

...

Above, Puxian Bodhisattva held a fragment of Sunlight—the shattered soul of Xuantian Sect. From his sleeve, he produced a fragment of Moonlight. Though the Sunlight and Moonlight fragments had no Spiritual Sense, they instinctively drew toward each other until they intertwined.

"Amitabha Buddha. Sunlight and Moonlight have achieved perfection. I will take them back now, in hopes that after enduring this calamity, they will dedicate themselves wholly to the path of Buddha."

Nezha, holding not Sunlight or Moonlight but a fragment of Blood Light, mused over its strange kinship with him. Naturally, he could not let it fall back into the hands of the Ancestor of Nether River, lest another formidable enemy be born.

"Puxian, brother, please proceed. This fragment of Blood God's son is fated to walk the path of Buddhism. I shall arrange for it as well."

Puxian nodded and left without delay. Nezha, uninterested in the ensuing developments below, pondered deeply about where to best settle this fragment of Blood God's son.

After a long deliberation, he decided on the perfect candidate—the Little Raksamon Girl. Sharing a common origin with this fragment, she would surely know how to nurture it properly.

Meanwhile, Yang Yuhuan, traumatized by the events, would surely be bold enough to face the challenges ahead. For now, Nezha was content to be a spectator.

With action in mind, Nezha immediately set out for the underworld. Mortal chaos had spilled into Hell, where eight of the Ten Halls Yama were busy managing the turmoil. The strongest two had taken matters into their own hands, personally hunting rogue souls.

The others dared not venture out, as Lady Houtu had limited the number to two. Fearing confrontation with the runaway Yama lords, the rest begrudgingly shelved their axes and buried themselves in paperwork.

Nezha wandered the underworld carefully, wary of being drafted into service by Lady Houtu, before shifting his destination to the Blood Sea of the Rashamon Clan. Before he could enter, he was stopped by an old acquaintance: Yan Zhi, the fragmented Blood God's son.

Yan Zhi regarded Nezha with a wary expression, leaving him both puzzled and amused. Though he had attained the level of Daluo Golden Immortal, he was nowhere near as formidable as the Nether River Mother. Why was she so wary of him?

Unbeknownst to him, his infamous antics in the Blood Sea had driven the Ancestor of Nether River mad, earning him legendary status among Blood God's sons. Even the Nether River Mother feared he might muddle her mind with his words.

"Sister Yan Zhi, I don't mean any harm. Why be so guarded?"

Yan Zhi raised her hands defensively near her ears, unintentionally trading her imposing elegance for a clumsy, silly display.

"The Mother has warned us that you're exceptionally skilled at corrupting Blood God's sons. We've been told to be cautious around you!"

Nezha felt deeply wronged. How could he be blamed for tutoring the Ancestor of Nether River, only for the latter to twist the lessons, lose his mind, and spiral into madness?

Yan Zhi ignored Nezha's attempts at explanation. On their way to the Nether River Mother's great hall, every time Nezha said something she couldn't comprehend, she immediately crouched down, covered her ears tightly, and seemed utterly ridiculous.

Midway through their journey, a cry of "Nezha!" rang out as a figure leaped toward him. It was the Little Raksamon Girl, who hadn't seen him in ages. In the perception of immortals, time was vast and relative, and though they had only been apart for over a century, it felt exceedingly long to her—especially since she missed him dearly.

Seeing the Little Raksamon Girl arrive, Yan Zhi flashed a triumphant grin. Surely, Nezha wouldn't dare utter anything peculiar in front of her!

"Nezha, what have you been up to all these years? I've missed you!"

"Naturally, I've been diligently cultivating. Look, I'm a Daluo Golden Immortal now."

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