"Haha! I, the Divine King, am blessed by the gods. No matter how dangerous the situation, I always turn calamity into fortune. You want to curse me? That will never happen."The blond man spoke confidently as he steered the Bone Boat forward, riding the waves at great speed.
But just as the Bone Boat was speeding ahead, a blood-red tentacle suddenly shot out from the sea of blood and wrapped around the boat, dragging it down into the crimson depths—along with the blond man.
"It's the Foulblood Squid," Kunpeng said, his eyes flashing with intrigue. "A special ferocious beast from the Blood Sea. It possesses powerful stealth abilities. Once it submerges, not even divine sense can detect it. It can merge with the Blood Sea itself—your eyes might not even spot it. Its skin is tough, its flesh is resilient, and it can regenerate quickly. With its many tentacles, it's one of the most troublesome overlords of the Blood Sea. Once it grabs something, it rarely lets go. They especially love capturing the opposite sex."
Yi Tianxing raised an eyebrow. "Capturing the opposite sex? For what?"
"Reproduction, of course," Kunpeng replied with a smirk. "If I'm not mistaken, this particular squid is female... and she's taken a liking to our western friend."
Reproduction?
Upon hearing this, Queen Mother of the West turned her head away and scoffed softly, saying no more.
"Let him fend for himself," Yi Tianxing said meaningfully. He could already sense that beneath the waves, dark currents were surging. Dozens of Foulblood Squids were closing in. They clearly meant to tear that man apart—or perhaps, to share him. Either way, it'd be difficult for him to escape. The strength usable in the Blood Sea was severely limited, but the squids thrived in this environment and could use their full power.
If he couldn't break free, then he really would be captured to become a breeding mate.
Now that would be amusing.
Before long, a massive landmass appeared on the horizon.
The land wasn't completely barren—crimson trees unique to the Blood Sea, known as Blood God Trees, grew there. Their scarlet blossoms were brilliant, like freshly spilled blood. At its center stood a massive palace radiating an invisible aura of killing intent. Anyone who looked upon it would feel a chill of dread.
That palace floated above the Blood Sea like a warship. Three powerful characters appeared on its front:
Blood God Palace!!
This was the lair forged by none other than the Ancestor Ming He. If one looked closely, they could spot signs of ancient damage—as if the palace had once endured a devastating battle.
"This palace... isn't simple," Yi Tianxing murmured. He could faintly sense a familiar aura from it, but didn't investigate further. The Bone Boat came to a halt at the palace's edge.
There, two breathtaking women stood waiting with graceful postures and dazzling smiles. Their charm was overwhelming.
They were Rakshasa women of the Asura Clan—beings created by Ming He himself. The men of the Asura Clan were grotesque and terrifying, but the women were stunningly beautiful, capable of turning heads anywhere in the world.
"We welcome the three esteemed guests. Please, come inside."The two women spoke in perfect unison. They were twin sisters—truly a feast for the eyes.
But no one here was an ordinary person. The trio entered without a second thought.
As soon as they stepped into the Blood God Palace, a strange force of teleportation activated. In a flash of light, they appeared in a grand hall.
Inside were luxurious seats adorned with rare spirit fruits and treasures.
On the main throne sat a middle-aged man clad in blood-red robes. His garments shimmered like flowing blood, and just by looking at him, one felt as if they were staring into an endless ocean of blood—unable to look directly at him for long.
This man was none other than Ancestor Ming He, the master of the Blood Sea.
This was his domain, and he was also the initiator of this gathering. No one questioned why he sat on the main seat.
Others had arrived before them.
Yi Tianxing scanned the hall—more than a hundred supreme powerhouses were already present. Even if some were just avatars, their true bodies were undoubtedly more terrifying. Representatives from every major race had come: gods, ancestral witches of the Wu Clan, demon emperors of the Demon Clan, peak experts of the Beastmen, great beings of the Holy Spirit race, and more.
Each was a ruler in their own right.
When Yi Tianxing and his group entered, many eyes turned toward them. Upon seeing Yi Tianxing, the atmosphere subtly changed. The intent in those gazes varied, but not one held even a hint of disdain.
To underestimate Great Yi or Yi Tianxing at this point was suicidal—utterly foolish.
He and Queen Mother of the West found an empty seat and quietly waited. The real meeting had yet to begin. Meanwhile, they exchanged thoughts through divine sense.
The Queen Mother of the West took the initiative to introduce many of the powerful figures already present, while Yi Tianxing committed their names and auras to memory. These were the true apex existences of the Eternal World.
As time passed, more and more beings continued to arrive.
Eventually, the blond man who had been dragged under earlier reappeared, looking disheveled and furious as he entered the hall, his face dark.
"That's Zeus, king of the Olympus Gods," the Queen Mother said coldly through divine sense. "Unfortunately, he's despicable and disgraceful."
"What's his true cultivation?" Yi Tianxing asked.
"Peak Dao Proving—half-step Hunyuan," she replied calmly.
"And are there any Saints within the Olympus pantheon?"
"Yes. Gaia, Mother Earth."
Her tone grew solemn. Gaia was no ordinary being—the entire Greek pantheon essentially originated from her. Her power was beyond measure.
Before long, hundreds of high-level beings had assembled.
The great hall buzzed with divine presence.
The Ancestor Ming He, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally opened them. Twin beams of golden light shot forth from his pupils—like divine swords radiating murderous intent.
"Fellow Daoists," he said, "this gathering has been convened earlier than usual, and I believe you all know why. There is only one purpose—to slay the heavens!!"
His words immediately revealed the true reason for this assembly.
"The Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns were formed when the myriad worlds merged. The Heavenly Dao gathered the will and thoughts of countless realms into one, then divided them to create these Sovereigns. Within their bodies resides Innate Hongmeng Purple Qi—they were born Saints, holders of supreme positions.
"If they acted according to the Heavenly Dao, we would have no reason to oppose them. But now, there is definitive proof: the Eternal Night fiends have corrupted one—or more—of them. They've infiltrated and claimed their sacred positions.
"This we cannot allow.
"Letting the Eternal Night take over the seat of the Heavens would tip the balance in their favor and lead to immense loss for us. For the sake of the Eternal World, I, the Ancestor of the River of Blood, will never back down."
He declared his stance unequivocally.
He had walked the path of slaughter to prove his Dao—a path fraught with obstruction and almost no chance of success without Hongmeng Purple Qi. For him, seizing it was the only way forward.
"Everyone here is a progenitor figure within your respective races," Kunpeng added. "Before the fusion of the worlds, you stood atop your realms. You know well that the Heavenly Dao of the Eternal World far surpasses that of the previous ones.
"In the past, proving the Dao through strength was possible. But now? In this new Eternal World, that path is almost entirely closed. The limits under this Heavenly Dao are higher, yes—but so is the resistance.
"A Saint from the Eternal World would crush one from the old world.
"When the worlds merged, any already existing Hunyuan Saints retained their status. But for those yet to ascend, proving the Dao now requires the Hongmeng Purple Qi. It has become the only key to transcendence."
And the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns all possessed it.
The recent revelation of Eternal Night's infiltration provided the perfect excuse for every power-hungry being in the room.