Undying Life

Chapter 875: The Heaven-Defying Formation

"Even the Primordial Saint didn't want to be involved? How is that possible? What could make a Saint afraid?" Cheng Baiyi questioned skeptically.

Taiyi Saint King glanced at Cheng Baiyi and shook his head. "Saints aren't afraid; they simply choose not to get involved."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Cheng Baiyi retorted.

Shaking his head, Taiyi Saint King explained, "It's entirely different. Saints are the strongest beings in existence, but there are some things they prefer not to meddle with."

"Who would believe that?" Cheng Baiyi scoffed.

"Silence!" the Zixiao Sect Master reprimanded.

Cheng Baiyi reluctantly fell silent.

The Zixiao Sect Master and the Taichu Saint King continued to focus on Taiyi Saint King.

"Do you believe it?" Taiyi Saint King asked with a faint smile.

"I believe it," the Taichu Saint King nodded.

"I believe it too. But I'd like to know when this Five-Colored Divine Stone appeared. Was it during the era of the Primordial Saint?" the Zixiao Sect Master inquired.

"Yes, it was during the time of Hongjun, Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti. The Shang Dynasty was also present. The Seven Saints had not yet begun their plan to alter the heavens' mandate. It's hard to believe so much time has passed!" Taiyi Saint King reminisced.

"Then why did Su Daji say that this was a treasured gift from Nuwa to Qingqiu? If it can't be taken, why was it given as a great gift?" the Taichu Saint King asked.

"Su Daji was favored by Nuwa. In the past, for the sake of King Zhou of Shang, she manipulated the Seven Saints into a confrontation that led to the Investiture of the Gods. Originally, the Seven Saints were not supposed to interfere, but Su Daji provoked them, nearly causing the collapse of their grand plan. Although Hongjun Daozu's calculations eventually mitigated the losses, Su Daji's actions left the Saints uneasy. Ultimately, she was sentenced to death but was saved by Nuwa," Taiyi Saint King recounted.

It was evident that Taiyi Zhenren had played a crucial role in the Investiture of the Gods, having detailed knowledge of those events.

"Su Daji? No wonder she was the top genius of the fox clan back then!" the Zixiao Sect Master remarked.

"Indeed. During the grand plan of altering the heavens' mandate, none of us knew the true purpose. We were all pawns of the Saints. Su Daji, however, managed to deduce their plan simply by observing our actions, causing the Saints much distress. Her intellect rivaled that of the Saints!" Taiyi Saint King said.

"You didn't know the purpose of the Investiture of the Gods?" the Taichu Saint King asked, surprised.

"Of course not. Those who knew couldn't escape divine retribution, not even the Seven Saints. How could the disciples of the various sects? If I had known back then, I wouldn't have just been reincarnated to cultivate anew," Taiyi Saint King shook his head.

"So you mean to say that the appearance of this Five-Colored Divine Stone predates the grand plan to alter the heavens' mandate?" the Taichu Saint King frowned.

"Correct," Taiyi Saint King confirmed.

"Then who is sealed beneath it?" the Zixiao Sect Master asked.

"I don't know. The ferocious demon being suppressed was something the Primordial Saint was very wary of," Taiyi Saint King said.

A silence fell over the group. The surrounding cultivators were also listening quietly, their hearts filled with mixed emotions, but unable to suppress the greed in their eyes.

"Sect Master Zixiao, Saint King Taichu, I must ask you to leave. This object cannot be taken, even if Su Daji once spoke of it," Taiyi Saint King shook his head.

Everyone looked at the massive Ghost Island, their expressions heavy with seriousness. It couldn't be taken? Who was sealed beneath it that even Saints wouldn't dare involve themselves?

The mystery of the Five-Colored Divine Stone deepened, leaving everyone in a state of contemplative silence, aware of the immense causality and danger that lay ahead.

"The older they get, the more afraid they are of death!" Nine-Tailed Princess muttered beside Zhong Shan.

"Huh?" Zhong Shan was slightly taken aback.

"What's there to fear? How can we not take such a treasure as the Five-Colored Divine Stone? A peerless fiend? So what if it is? If the sky falls, the taller ones will hold it up!" Nine-Tailed Princess scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Su Afu asked, slightly surprised.

"If a peerless fiend comes out, the Saints will deal with it. Do you think the Saints will just ignore it? Besides, the fiend might not even cause destruction. Remember Patriarch Bodhi!" Nine-Tailed Princess explained.

"Huh?"

"After Patriarch Bodhi was released, he didn't go on a rampage. Instead, he was grateful to the stone monkey and taught him powerful skills. The fiend sealed below might also be grateful to whoever frees it, possibly even bestowing countless ancient immortal artifacts upon them!" Nine-Tailed Princess whispered.

Her whisper was relatively soft, but in the stillness, it reached the ears of many cultivators around.

The originally fearful cultivators were instantly enticed by Nine-Tailed Princess's words, their eyes lighting up with greed.

The temptation was immense. The Five-Colored Divine Stone was one thing, but the promise of "countless ancient immortal artifacts"?

Many people's eyes gleamed green with avarice.

Taiyi Saint King looked speechlessly at Nine-Tailed Princess. Despite his efforts to explain and caution, her few words had only excited the crowd further.

"Blood, blood sea...!" A sudden shout came from a distance. Everyone turned to see that the sea, at some point, had turned blood-red, resembling a vast blood sea that was rapidly encroaching on Ghost Island, assimilating more of the ocean as it moved closer.

"Woo woo woo...!" The sound of ghostly wails filled the air. Within the blood sea, the spirits of cultivators began to churn, their faces contorted in pain as they struggled but could not break free.

"Those are the souls of the cultivators from the recent Aolai Sea conflict! Someone collected their souls after they died!" someone shouted in realization.

"Whoosh!"

A massive wave surged from the blood sea, crashing down on the speaker.

"Ahhh...!"

With a scream, the person was dragged into the blood sea. In an instant, they seemed to be reduced to a pile of white bones, their death agonizingly horrific. The blood sea then absorbed their spirit, transforming them into one of its ghostly denizens.

The terrifying blood sea surged forward, dragging dozens more into its depths, each met with the same gruesome fate, their souls converted into blood sea ghosts.

"Whoosh!"

Many cultivators took to the skies, their eyes filled with terror. The blood sea was unimaginably horrifying.

"The sky is falling...!"

Those who had flown up were horrified to see the stars above plummeting towards the earth at a terrifying speed.

"Run...!"

Seventy to eighty million cultivators, terrified by the scene, turned and fled, desperate to leave the area as quickly as possible. While the allure of the treasure had initially gripped their hearts, the instinct for survival now overpowered any sense of greed, driving them to escape the impending doom.

But could they truly escape?

The Taichu Saint King, the Taiyi Saint King, and the Zixiao Sect Master remained unmoved, simply observing the surroundings with eyes full of suspicion and curiosity.

"What is this formation? It's so vast, covering the sky and blocking out the sun!" the Zixiao Sect Master frowned.

"Every direction is sealed. It seems stronger than the Jade Void Kunlun Formation and even more powerful than Sima Qing's Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation," the Taichu Saint King said in surprise.

"Blood Sea and Starry Sky Soul Sacrifice? How is this possible? How could such an ancient formation exist?" Taiyi Saint King exclaimed in shock.

"Taiyi Zhenren, do you recognize this formation?" the Taichu Saint King asked in surprise.

"To break a seal with a formation... Someone wants to break the seal!" Taiyi frowned.

"Break the seal?"

"Not just break the seal, but also nurture a demon, using the souls of a billion cultivators to strengthen the sealed fiend. It's madness! Who would do such a thing?" Taiyi Saint King said, horrified.

"Taiyi Zhenren, what exactly is this formation?" the Taichu Saint King asked, frowning.

"It's a feng shui formation that greatly disrupts the natural order. In the past, Hongjun Daozu personally destroyed all records of this formation, erasing the memories of those who knew it. How has it resurfaced?" Taiyi Saint King wondered, frowning deeply.

"Hongjun Daozu eradicated it? How do you know?"

"Hongjun Daozu destroyed seventy-two formations, techniques, and artifacts that severely disrupted the natural order. The Primordial Saint mentioned this formation to us back then," Taiyi Saint King said, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Hongjun Daozu must have missed something," the Zixiao Sect Master said, frowning.

"How could that be? Hongjun Daozu said it was destroyed. How could he have missed something?"

"So what do we do now?"

"How should I know!" Taiyi Saint King responded, irritated.

"How can we break this formation?"

"There's no way to break it unless a Saint intervenes. Otherwise, it can't be broken. Why else would Hongjun Daozu have been so concerned about it? Unless the person who set it up dismantles it themselves, it can't be broken. We must be cautious!" Taiyi Saint King shook his head.

"All ministers of Taichu, protect yourselves as best as you can. Your lives are in your own hands!" the Taichu Saint King immediately ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

This statement underscored the severity of the situation. Was the peerless fiend about to be released?

On a distant island beyond the blood sea, a figure stood with his hands behind his back, observing the blood-red sky.

"Sir, a thousand heavenly immortals have sacrificed their lives to activate the formation. It is now fully operational!" a subordinate reported.

"Good," the figure nodded.

"Sir, will such a large blood curtain attract powerful beings to break it?" the subordinate asked, worried.

"Break it? This formation was created by the God Emperor himself. Who can break it? Unless a Saint intervenes, which is impossible," the figure said confidently.

"The might of the God Emperor!" the subordinate said with admiration.

"Continue as I instructed. Once the energy of a billion souls pours into the seal, not even the Five-Colored Divine Stone can stop our lord. Our mission in the Aolai Sea will be complete," the figure said with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Yes, sir!"