Chapter Forty-Seven: The Fiendish Miasma of Blood and Slaughter

At this moment, Qingxu’s heart was in turmoil as well. What baffled him most was Taowu’s cultivation level. Coupled with the information provided by the Investiture System before and after, the problem became clear!

“Could it be that the Investiture System made a mistake? If so, I can never fully trust it again.” He’d already made the worst-case plan in his mind. But for now, he pushed those concerns aside—this was the moment for him to take action. If he delayed any longer, the tens of thousands of humans before him would surely perish.

Just as Taowu bared its fangs and readied its claws, eager for a massacre, and the thousands of humans prepared to fight to the death, the void above them suddenly rippled. There, several yards above Taowu’s head, a massive golden brick appeared out of thin air—dozens of meters long, wide, and thick. As soon as it materialized, the brick crashed down with tremendous force. Everything happened in a flash; by the time Taowu noticed, the brick had already smashed into its broad back.

Bang!

A thunderous, muffled crack resounded as the brick rebounded upward, scattering dazzling sparks. On Taowu’s back, a huge white mark appeared, laced with thin lines of blood, from which blackish-red blood slowly seeped.

The agony was indescribable. Taowu could not suppress a sky-shaking roar—clouds for ten thousand miles around scattered, wild winds howled, the air was filled with fury.

“Good heavens, that body’s defensive power is far too monstrous!” That golden brick had been Qingxu’s handiwork, but seeing its effect still left him deeply unsettled.

Lacking a suitable treasure—the Xuanmo Sword was still being attuned, and the Jade Void Palace Lantern consumed too much spiritual power for ordinary combat—Qingxu, after forging ten thousand Xuan-gold war blades, had refined the remaining Xuan-gold into a single golden brick. Though the material was less than ideal, it was forged by his avatar; with the power of an early-stage Taiyi True Immortal, this brick was a spiritual immortal weapon with ten layers of postnatal restriction. Yet, even with a surprise strike, it had only managed to scratch Taowu’s surface. Qingxu was utterly astonished.

“Which rat dares to ambush me? Show yourself and die!” Taowu, enraged, glared about with bloodshot tiger eyes, but could not locate his attacker. This was no wonder; his cultivation was only at the early Xuanxian stage, while Qingxu’s avatar was an early Taiyi True Immortal—a full major realm higher.

“Wicked beast, I, a wandering Daoist, witnessed your evil deeds. That strike was but a light punishment and a stern warning. If you repent, all is well. Otherwise, today I will surely uphold justice and exterminate evil, though it is a pity that your hard-earned cultivation will be scattered like dust in an instant.” As he spoke, Qingxu revealed himself, his cold gaze fixed on Taowu, exuding an aura of righteous severity.

Through this test, Qingxu had ascertained the extent of Taowu’s defenses. If he went all out, even with just his avatar, he could slay the beast—let alone if he called upon his Three Pure Ones avatars. Still, if words could make the opponent retreat, so much the better; any karmic ties could be settled later. Once his avatar had fully absorbed the Primal Yellow Purifying Water, Taowu would hardly be worth a mention.

“A coward who skulks in the shadows and attacks from behind dares to boast so shamelessly? Today, you will not escape death!” Taowu, upon seeing Qingxu, was startled—a Taiyi True Immortal! But soon, something occurred to him, and he sneered coldly, brimming with false confidence.

Hearing Taowu’s words, Qingxu frowned. He had deliberately displayed his avatar’s cultivation and the Five Energies in his chest to frighten Taowu away and save himself trouble. Unexpectedly, the beast was nothing like he’d anticipated; instead of being intimidated, it was bursting with confidence, even threatening to kill him.

“What trump card gives an early Xuanxian the confidence to slay a Taiyi True Immortal?”

As Qingxu pondered, Taowu’s massive body began to emit wisps of foul, blood-red mist, which grew denser with each passing moment until it shrouded him completely.

Blood Fiend Miasma: Refined from the essence of the Netherworld Blood Sea, combined with murderous intent, it can confound souls and minds, inflict fiendish heart-devils, corrode golden bodies and Daoist forms, dissolve relics and primordial spirits into thick blood, thereby increasing the miasma’s power.

Suddenly, the Investiture System’s prompt flashed through his mind, leaving Qingxu stunned. Matters were growing more complicated—this now involved the Netherworld Blood Sea.

In the era of primordial chaos, the great Pangu slew three thousand gods and demons, opening the heavens and myriad worlds and creating the vast wilderness. At last, he died of exhaustion, and his body transformed into all things. The Netherworld Blood Sea was formed from his navel—an ultimate place of yin, evil, filth, and slaughter, where no fish swam and no birds flew. Only one mighty being was ever born there: Patriarch Minghe.

“The Netherworld Blood Sea lies within the Netherworld realm. Without the cultivation of a Da Luo Golden Immortal, one cannot break through the barriers of the Three Realms, and even then, venturing into the Blood Sea is courting death—Patriarch Minghe is no kindly soul!” According to many myths from his previous life, Patriarch Minghe was the master of the Netherworld Blood Sea. He created the Asura race, ruled the Asura Path among the Six Realms of Reincarnation, founded the Netherworld Sect, and was its ancestral teacher. It was said that he refined the Blood Sea into avatars—480 million Blood God Children—and boasted that unless the Blood Sea dried up, he would never perish. His glory was almost equal to a Hunyuan Sage.

“Could it be that the mastermind behind the Four Fiends’ assault on humanity is Patriarch Minghe?” Qingxu couldn’t help but suspect it. First, Taowu’s cultivation alone was insufficient to traverse the Three Realms’ barriers and reach the Netherworld. Second, acquiring essence from the Blood Sea was exceedingly difficult—the only explanation was that Minghe permitted it.

“Late-stage Earth Immortal? So that’s it. I misjudged him.” As Taowu unleashed his trump card, the Blood Fiend Miasma, his cultivation dropped from early Xuanxian to late-stage Earth Immortal. In that instant, Qingxu understood the truth: Taowu’s real cultivation was only late-stage Earth Immortal, and his earlier misjudgment was due entirely to the miasma. Taowu’s body and spirit were saturated with murderous, fiendish energy, making him almost one with the Blood Fiend Miasma.

Having grasped the truth, Qingxu felt a weight lift from his heart. The Investiture System hadn’t failed him after all—he could rest easy.

“Wild Daoist! Kneel and beg for forgiveness, and I’ll spare your primordial spirit!” Taowu’s booming voice rang out from within the dense Blood Fiend Miasma, though his mind hatched another plan: “As soon as his mind wavers, the fiendish heart-devils will strike; the miasma will follow, dissolving him into blood and merging him into the fog, making it even stronger. Heh heh!”

“Hmph! Such petty tricks can’t fool me. Even without the Investiture System’s warning, you wouldn’t succeed.” With a single thought, Qingxu saw through Taowu’s plot, and a cold smile curled at his lips.

“Immortal! You have our deepest gratitude for stepping forward to help our people, but please, you must leave at once! This blood miasma is terrifying—even a Demon King cannot withstand it!” One among the tens of thousands of humans called out loudly. Though he knew Qingxu was their only hope, he could not bear to see their benefactor die for them.

In the hearts of mortals, a Demon King was a being of unfathomable power, capable of casting countless mighty spells and reducing mountains to dust in an instant. Some among them had witnessed a Demon King clash with Taowu, only to be turned into a pool of blood and absorbed by the miasma in a single exchange—a scene that had terrified many.

“Demon King? In the Wilderness, Demon Kings’ cultivation varies—some Earth Immortals, some Celestial Immortals, and even some petty demons who haven’t attained immortality call themselves such. It’s impossible to gauge the miasma’s power based on that title alone; I’ll have to test it myself.”

Even the Blood Fiend Miasma contained within Taowu’s body had allowed him to manifest as an early Xuanxian; unleashed, its power increased tenfold at least. For a moment, even Qingxu didn’t dare take it lightly. Moreover, his avatar keenly sensed the oppressive force the Blood Fiend Miasma exerted upon his mind and spirit.