Qing Xuan descended from the heavenly court to the Sea of Blood.
Ming He saw Qing Xuan and released his great formation, saying to him, "I can't help with this matter."
Qing Xuan nodded and said, "Thank you. Allow me to lend him a hand next!"
As Qing Xuan's feet derived the Great Dao and light mingled, he sat down cross-legged. The primordial source from his brow flowed out and into Qi's body.
The derivative power entered Qi's body, and that drop of Pangu's blood was gradually transformed into the Eight-Headed Serpent bloodline by the derivative power, strengthening Qi's primordial essence.
In Kunlun, Qing Ling placed another piece, a black piece that merged with a white piece, creating a synergy that influenced the northwest of the chessboard.
Yuanshi chuckled and followed suit, moving from the center to deploy his pieces. Each move was deadly, far from the celestial core but still surrounding it.
Qing Ling remained unfazed, playing his own game, his black pieces advancing cautiously, allowing no room for error.
In the Sea of Blood, Pangu's bloodline within Qi's body had fully integrated. The Eight-Headed Serpent bloodline would become renowned because of him.
The will of the saber path manifested and merged into the slumbering Qi.
Qing Xuan's face was slightly pale. Although the effect of depleting his primordial essence was wondrous, transforming Pangu's bloodline was still too taxing for him.
Seeing this, Ming He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Demon God!"
Even though Qing Xuan's imprint was gone, Ming He, having dealt with him personally, knew this was Qing Ling's clone.
Even though Qing Ling was no longer the master of the Earthly Dao, Ming He still respected him. Not only him, but all the great powers in the underworld, and even the Earthly Dao itself. This was the honor bestowed upon him by the Earthly Dao. He was not bestowed a divine title because his status was too high, and no title could be conferred except for the Master of the Earthly Dao.
Qing Xuan smiled and cupped his hands, "It is my duty to watch over Qi.
However, my identity today is that of a Demon God, and my stance is with the demons. I must ask fellow Daoist Ming He, can the Asura Sect join forces with the demon race?"
Ming He shook his head and chuckled, "Do not speak of this again. Even if Di Jun and Tai Yi themselves were to come, my bottom line would not be compromised!"
Qing Xuan sighed upon hearing this, bowed, and took his leave from the Sea of Blood.
In Kunlun, Yuanshi placed another piece. The scattered pieces on the board suddenly tightened, a white piece landing in the "mountain" position, adjacent to the "harmony" position.
The mountain position diagonally intersected with the river, creating a vast and boundless landscape.
In the northwest, Qing Xuan, who had just left the Sea of Blood, paused. He frowned, then descended, his myriad black hairs enveloping him. He landed on the ground and transformed into a simple, ordinary reed.
A few breaths later, the earth trembled, and two figures appeared.
Di Jiang walked alongside Houtu, each step spanning thousands of miles.
They walked slowly. Given their strength, they should have covered this distance long ago.
However, Houtu was reluctant to part, and Di Jiang was even more so.
Di Jiang felt grief, personally seeing Houtu off, abandoning witchcraft for his path. The brother and sister who had been together for a long age were now separated.
He wished the ground beneath his feet would stretch on forever, never reaching the Sea of Blood.
But the Sea of Blood was not far.
At this moment, Houtu suddenly stopped, at the very spot where Qing Xuan had stood earlier.
"Elder Brother, please stop."
Di Jiang heard this and stopped, asking, "Why did you stop?"
Houtu concentrated her senses, scanning the surroundings, and said sternly, "Who is hiding here?"
In Kunlun, Qing Ling's long, slender fingers holding the chess pieces trembled slightly, and he hesitated with the black piece in his hand.
Yuanshi chuckled, "Daoist friend, have you regretted it?"
Qing Ling smoothed his brow, placed a piece on the outer edge, and said leisurely, "The Great Dao is like chess; once a move is made, there is no turning back!"
Yuanshi sighed, "Chess is life, and what is spilled cannot be gathered!"
A white piece entered a gap, and the four horizontal and four vertical lines in the northwest enclosed the black pieces.
In the northwest, as Houtu let out a cold shout, the earth trembled, and a thousand miles of dust flew up. Qing Xuan reluctantly revealed himself.
"It's you!"
Di Jiang and Houtu exclaimed in unison. However, Houtu's surprise was due to an accidental encounter, while Di Jiang's was a cold laugh of "as expected."
Qing Xuan smiled and said, "Greetings, two Ancestral Shamans!"
Di Jiang sneered, "The Heavenly Court's Demon God has been caught alone. You will not return to the Heavenly Court."
Houtu pondered for a moment and said, "Elder Brother, this person is one of the few Demon Gods in the demon race who does not indiscriminately kill my people. To prevent the escalation of the conflict between the Wu and Demon races, let us suppress him for a few hundred eons."
Di Jiang, however, resolutely stated, "Impossible! This time, we must not let him go!"
Di Jiang attacked ferociously. The endless void in the sky shattered, as if the world was being destroyed. Such a terrifying anomaly surrounded Qing Xuan.
Qing Xuan's face turned grim. The two Ancestral Shamans had already reached the half-step Hunyuan realm!
Even if his true form were to appear, without using the Great Displacement Technique and the suppressing power of the Jianmu tree, he might not be able to defeat them.
Moreover, he was merely a Great Power of heaven and earth!
In Kunlun, Yuanshi's smile became even more amiable, "Daoist friend, do not be distracted.
Since you have entered the game and made your move, you should understand that a chess piece has its role, and the player also has their responsibilities."
Qing Ling nodded, his expression neutral, neither happy nor sad, and played three more moves against Yuanshi.
Yuanshi chuckled and said, "Daoist friend, your mind is disturbed."
As he spoke, he played another piece, fixing the formation once more, creating a predicament within a predicament.
In the northwest, heaven and earth trembled, and myriad derivative law chains struggled to support themselves amidst the collapsing void.
The beings in the Sea of Blood were all alarmed. Ming He sensed something was amiss. He took the Yuan Tu and Abi swords, summoned the Four Great Asura Kings, and said, "Follow me!"
The Four Great Asura Kings immediately followed Ming He out of the Sea of Blood and the underworld.
However, a voice was heard before the Yin and Yang realms of the underworld.
"Senior, please wait!"
Ming He's eyes swept over and saw a young Daoist standing there with a smile like a peach blossom, as if he were waiting for him.
Ming He coldly asked, "Who are you?"
The Daoist bowed and said, "Junior Guang Cheng Zi, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, has come on my master's orders to persuade the elders of the underworld to withdraw and not interfere with the matters of the Heavenly Dao!"
Ming He sneered, "How audacious! After so many years, you are the first to speak to me like this. Even if you are Yuanshi's disciple, so what? Today, I shall take your life to consecrate my sect's Asura flag!"
Saying this, Ming He reached out and was about to suppress this disciple of the three sects who had barely reached the Grand Unity realm.
Guang Cheng Zi's expression changed. He raised his sleeve and shouted, "By the decree of my Chan Sect's Saint, the Pangu Banner is here! Those who dare to offend will be killed without mercy!"
Ming He's outstretched hand stopped, and he asked in disbelief, "You expect me to believe you can wield the Pangu Banner?"
Guang Cheng Zi held a banner and stood at the entrance to the underworld, saying, "Junior cannot, of course. But within this Pangu Banner are the magical powers of five Saints. Even the most powerful beings cannot escape the chaotic sword energy driven by the Saints' magical powers!"
As soon as he spoke, he shocked everyone in the underworld. The magical powers of a Saint could kill them thousands of times with a single finger!
In Fengdu City, the Ghost Ancestor, who had just stood up from his throne, immediately sat down again. The ghost cultivators in the hall chose to feign ignorance and pretend not to see this awkward scene.
Ming He's face turned grim, and he let out a terrifying laugh, "Good. I, Ming He, shall see how many times you can wield it!"
But at that moment, a voice came, "Senior Ming He, please wait!"
Two figures, one black and one white, emerged from the other shore flowers.