Since the beginning of Pangu, pure energy has risen while impurities have descended, and the earth began to separate.
However, within the earth, there still exists a lingering aura of blood resentment.
A sage opened up the realm of shadows, known as the Underworld. The Underworld can accommodate the souls of the dead and transform the blood resentment into something else.
The Underworld is divided into Hell's Eighteen Layers: Hanging Muscle Prison, Ghostly Misery Prison, Fire Pit Prison, Fengdu Yards, Tongue-Pulling Prison, Skinning Hell, Grinding Prison, Mortar Punishment, Car Crash Hell, Frost Prison, Shelling Hell, Intestine Extraction Hell, Oil Pot Hell, Dark Prison, Blade Mountain Hell, Blood Pool Hell, Avici, and the Scales Prison.
Initially, the Underworld was ungoverned and quickly fell into chaos. The most notorious figures were the Four Great Zombie Ancestors: Ying Gou, Houqing, Drought Demon, and Jiang Chen.
Later on, an Old Monk made a great vow, and only then did hell begin to stabilize.
Subsequently, the Underworld was established with the existence of the Ten Kings of Hell. The Ten Kings of Hell are: First Hall of King Qin Guang, Second Hall of Chujiang King, Three Halls of the King of Hell, Four Kings of the Underworld, Fifth Hall of Yama, Sixth Hall of Yan Wang, Seven Halls of Taishan King, Eighth Hall of Urban Kings, Equal King of the Ninth Hall, and Ten Kings of Hell.
However, relying solely on these Yama Kings to manage the Underworld was far from sufficient. Thus, powerful beings from the original realm also joined the Underworld under the title of Demon God.
Beneath the Demon God are Ghost Messengers; in addition to them are various ghosts roaming throughout the Underworld.
Ghosts are formed from various accumulations of resentment. Of course, there are also special entities like the Corpse-Feeding Ghost that I encountered previously in Kua Fu's Peach Blossom Forest.
Among ghosts exists a particularly unique type.
That is the Punishing Ghost!
Punishing Ghosts are not merely a type of ghost; they represent a special existence.
They belong to the category of ghosts but are very unique. These Punishing Ghosts lack thought and purpose in existence. Therefore, the Underworld has gathered these ghosts together to become Evil Spirits used for punishment within the Eighteen Layers of Hell.
Blood Demon is one such entity.
However, the Blood Demon has long since exited the Underworld's punishment, as people now believe that when the Blood Demon consumes too many emotions, it transforms into an existence akin to the Blood Demon itself.
The Blood Demon cannot be strangled; it can only be transformed.
"Young Master!" Mingyue called out anxiously when she saw me being suppressed by the Blood Demon.
I felt dazed, and the enormous sword of light beneath my feet lost its magical support, reverting directly back to a sword hilt.
"Bang!!!" I fell from the air and crashed onto the massive Cold Jade Mountain.
The Cold Jade was struck, creating a large pit, and the cold air from within entered my body, waking me up.
With my eyes closed, a vast ocean appeared in my mind.
That was the Sea of Blood!
The waters churned, and from the depths of the red sea came roaring sounds. On the surface of the sea, Resentment surged.
"Recitation of the Ten Faults, Zhu Yao Chang, Ten Thousand Emperors pay their respects. Silent River and Sea, Mountain Hidden in Clouds. Sun and Moon Stand Still, The Celestial Gem Cannot Move. Demonic Binding, Ghostly Purification. Revive the Dead, White Bone Transformation. Scholar of Ultimate Learning, Recitation of the Ten Faults. Thus Five Emperors' Guards, Three Realms Suppression, Demonic Essence Lost Eyes, Ghost Demon Extermination, Dying to Save, Obtain Life After Death. Therefore Scholar, Pollution Has Not Cleared, Body Not Yet Enlightened, Summon the Ten Directions, Unestablished Authority, Deity of Earth, Binding Spirit; yet dead and cannot be reborn. Recite This Chapter Lightly; one’s body will suffer calamity. Offering Respectful Tribute, Portal Prosperity. Eternal Prosperity with good causes and conditions. Disaster-Free, Divine Guardian. The Sutra is Profound and Wonderful; Unparalleled Jade Capital. Limitless Salvation is The Origin of All Paths; Majestic Brahma is difficult to surpass."
The celestial sounds of profound methods came forth; upon careful listening, it was indeed the Transcendental Sutra!
One by one, blood-colored souls were drawn to the surface of the sea by the voice of the Transcendental Sutra. Their originally violent expressions gradually began to calm down upon hearing it.
Suddenly, a blood-colored soul leaped from the surface of the sea and shed its crimson hue in mid-air, transforming into a clear soul that floated away!
"Is this the ultimate form of Transcendental Sutra?" I gazed at this scene and couldn't help but murmur to myself; wasn't this what I had previously missed in the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave regarding Taoist Arts?
"Could it be..." I pondered with countless thoughts swirling in my heart.
“Jade Sky Clear, the transformation of Dao and Chaos.” I recited softly, recalling the words I learned during my enlightenment from Pervert: “Focus your mind and align with the universe, measure the world and maintain balance.”
“If the world has come to this, then it is better to sever it all and reforge,” I grasped a sword technique in my hand, envisioning the changes of the Three Talents Sword Formation.
The Three Talents Sword Formation is essentially a simplified version of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation. The main difference between them lies in the swords used.
“The blade is sharp, severing the roots of Resentment, and the sword technique is profound, cutting down the evil souls of the Sea of Blood.”
“Transform good intentions into a sword, use the sword to cut through chaos, purifying the Sea of Blood into a sacred altar, Ghostly Blade Formation!” Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck me as I pointed my sword towards the location of the Blood Demon.
“Ghostly Trap transforms into Sword Formation, Azure Lotus Flame, go!”
A cluster of Pure Lotus appeared unexpectedly beneath several Blood Demon, slowly spinning as its petals ignited with my Azure Lotus Flame!
“Whoosh~ Whoosh~” The lotus spun, creating a whistling sound.
“What of Blood Qi? What if the Sea of Blood churns?” I rose from my position, my body floating in mid-air: “Transform blood evil into a sword, severing the roots of resentment!”
“Ghostly Blade Formation! Rise!!” With both hands raised, the lotus that appeared beneath the Blood Demon suddenly transformed into a beam of Azure Light, merging with the Blood Demon.
“Ying!!!” A clear sound of sword resonance echoed from below, and at that moment, a transparent sword light burst forth from one of the Blood Demon's heads.
Transforming Evil Energy into a sword! This is the essence of the Ghostly Blade Formation!
“Whoosh!!!” As soon as the clear light sword appeared, it became a whistling sound as it shot forward.
Although I transformed the Evil Energy into sword light, I could not control this light; it moved on its own.
The Ghostly Blade Formation is my Transcendental Sutra!
In the void, there were three different forms of Radiance.
One was a crystal-clear light, another was a black-and-white shadow, and the last was merely a faint glow, through which its shape could be vaguely discerned.
"He has awakened," came an ethereal, aged voice from the center of the faint glow.
"I can feel it," said the black-and-white shadow. "His Transcendental Sutra has begun to take shape."
"Unfortunately, time is too rushed. I wonder if it will be of any use then," said the crystal-clear Radiance.
"Well, let's leave it to fate," replied the faint glow. "All we can do is pave the way for him; whether he can take that step depends on destiny. It would be great if Master were still here."
"Senior Brother, that's useless. Master has long since disappeared," sighed the black-and-white shadow. "We can only hope those two won't come out to cause trouble."
"When Master was here, there was someone to keep those two in check. Once Master left, no one could suppress them."
"There is still one person who can."
"Are you referring to that Daoist? Forget it; he is the father of that Holy Lord," said the crystal-clear light helplessly. "Back then, that ghost dared to cause trouble everywhere because that Daoist supported him."
"Sigh, I don't understand why Senior Brother got entangled with that Holy Lord."
As the three forms of light conversed, they fell silent again, continuing to float in the void.
A Gentle Breeze swept by, revealing a bamboo forest with a stream flowing gently beside it. At the end of the bamboo grove stood a large stone where a person sat, holding a gourd and drinking wine while looking up.
The person's appearance was unclear, and their identity unknown; all that could be discerned was that they wore an Azure Daoist Robe.
As they drank, they fixed their gaze on a certain direction where a woman in red was practicing swordplay.
The woman, clearly delicate in stature, wielded a sword technique that was bold and forceful, exuding an overwhelming presence. Although the sword in her hand appeared slender, the gust of wind generated from its swing indicated that it was far from light.
With a sharp cry, the woman swung her sword towards a man who was drinking on a stone. The man remained unfazed, leaping into the air and performing a graceful somersault before landing lightly back on the stone.
The light from her sword sliced through the bamboo grove behind the man, and in an instant, several bamboo stalks fell in neat rows along the path of her strike, toppling half of the grove.
"Brother?" The Red-Dressed Woman looked at the man, who seemed somewhat distracted, and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"I think an old friend of mine has awakened," the man murmured as he set down his wine jug.
"Old friend?" The Red-Dressed Woman asked in confusion. "Is it that person from Purple Cloud Palace? Has he awakened from his cultivation?"
"No," the man shook his head. "However, that person from Purple Cloud Palace is indeed related to him."
The man gazed into the distance and sighed.
"Never mind, never mind. Who knows when he will come looking for me," he said lightly as he waved his Daoist Robe and slowly sat back down, picking up the wine jug. "Tang Wuxu, oh Tang Wuxu, I wonder how much difference there is between you and your junior brother?"
In a grand palace, a Young Man in White Robes suddenly awakened from deep meditation.
The young man in white had a pale complexion and carried a white long sword on his back.
He sat within the palace as if he were nonexistent.
"This sword intent?" The young man opened his eyes, revealing irises that were also white!
"Has he awakened?" the young man murmured to himself. "But this sword intent seems impure; does he still harbor distractions?"
Rising from where he sat, the young man walked slowly out of the palace.
"Master, you found me a junior disciple, but you went off to enjoy yourself."
"However, from the sword intent, it seems he has already begun to awaken."
Suddenly, the young man raised an eyebrow, and the long sword behind him unsheathed with a 'clang.'
"6Holy Lord! Come out!"
"Haha! Outside the palace, a burst of laughter echoed: 'Tang Wuxu, you’re awake? How about a battle?'"
"Bring it on!" Tang Wuxu replied without hesitation, drawing a streak of sword light towards 6Holy Lord.
"Good move!" 6Holy Lord waved his Daoist Robe and charged forward.
In the void, three figures simultaneously opened their eyes.
"Tang Wuxu?"
"6Holy Lord?"
"Are they fighting again?"
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