Chapter 19 - Hongyun Meets His Doom

The afterglow of the Dao rhythm outside Zixiao Palace had not yet faded.Hongyun carried his large red gourd, hurrying along his way. Although kind-hearted, he was no fool. With the supreme treasure Hongmeng Purple Qi in his possession, he had to reach his Hongyun Island as soon as possible.The unrefined Hongmeng Purple Qi glowed like a burning candle, leaving a conspicuous trail across the Primordial sky—like fireflies in the dark night, standing out sharply amidst the chaotic qi."The Dao Ancestor bestowed this purple qi upon me. If I can comprehend Hunyuan in the future, I must protect all beings in the Primordial World."Hongyun stroked the gourd's strap with his fingertips, recalling Zhunti's grateful gaze when he gave up his seat at Zixiao Palace, and the creatures suffering in the Western Wasteland. A smile unconsciously tugged at his lips, and he quickened his pace.He never regarded the Hongmeng Purple Qi as his own private treasure, but rather as a responsibility bestowed by the Heavenly Dao. Yet he forgot that in this Primordial World, countless beings coveted this "responsibility."When he reached Luohun Ridge (Soul-Falling Ridge), the surrounding air suddenly turned cold.This mountain ridge was a famous dangerous place in the central Primordial World. The mountains were composed of chaotic black stone, and what seeped from the cracks was not spiritual veins, but corrosive black turbid energy. Ordinary innate creatures would detour around it.Hongyun intended to speed through the area, but suddenly sensed two faint auras behind him: one as cold as an abyssal lake, filled with devouring greed; the other as thick as the Nether Blood Sea, carrying a nauseating stench of blood."Which fellow Daoist is here?"Hongyun stopped, holding his large red gourd horizontally in front of him, his spiritual energy tensing instantly. Although gentle by nature, he was an innate god who had lived since the dawn of chaos, with a far sharper sense of danger than ordinary beings."If you have important matters to discuss, why not show yourself? Hiding in the shadows is not the act of a gentleman."Before he finished speaking, endless black blood suddenly gushed out from behind the chaotic black stones on the left.When the black blood hit the ground, it transformed into countless tiny blood beads, condensing into a blood-colored formation in the air. Vague roars of wronged souls could be heard within the formation patterns—it was Ancestor Minghe's famous divine ability, the "Blood River Formation!"At the same time, circles of black vortexes appeared in the void on the right. Low whale songs echoed from the vortexes, and a figure clad in dark blue scale armor stepped out slowly—Kunpeng!"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, long time no see."As Ancestor Minghe's voice fell, the Blood River Formation erupted simultaneously. The blood beads condensed from the endless black blood wove into a dense net in the air, and the wronged souls in the net roared and pounced. The blood-colored sword qi of the Yuantu and Abi Swords stabbed straight at Hongyun's heart!From the void on the right, Kunpeng's Northern Underworld Vortex followed closely. His dark blue scale armor glinted coldly, and the massive black vortex twisted even the surrounding chaotic qi into nothingness. Its suction tugged fiercely at the foundation of Hongyun's Dao rhythm.Hongyun's face paled drastically. His large red gourd urgently sprayed pale golden spiritual light, forming a shield—but it was instantly covered in cracks under the combined attack of the blood sword qi and the vortex.Just as he was about to mobilize the Hongmeng Purple Qi to counterattack, he felt a dull pain in his chest—Kunpeng's black claw shadow had penetrated the afterglow of the shield, scratching fiercely at his sternum. The Northern Underworld Dao energy frantically devoured his origin through the wound. Minghe's blood net wrapped around his limbs, and the red blood energy directly pierced his soul!"I... refuse to accept this!!!"Hongyun's shrill roar echoed through Luohun Ridge. Suddenly, a wisp of pale golden soul core lit up between his brows—it was the last spark of life condensed from his lifelong merit and Hongmeng Purple Qi. Though only the size of a grain of rice, it stubbornly resisted the erosion of the blood energy.But just as the soul core was about to collapse, a cyan-gold escape light shot through the air like an arrow leaving the bowstring, moving so fast that it left several afterimages—it was Ao Xuan!After bidding farewell to Yuan Hao and Cang Lie at Zixiao Palace, Ao Xuan had been secretly following Hongyun all along.He knew Hongyun would meet this disaster, originally planning to find an opportunity to warn him. But he never expected Kunpeng and Minghe to act so quickly. Ordinarily, wouldn't they exchange words for a long time first? He didn't expect the two to attack directly—even launching a sneak attack!This caught Hongyun, an innate god, off guard, breaking his soul with a single strike!Sensing the energy explosion at Luohun Ridge, Ao Xuan immediately activated his Azure Dragon water fortune and wood-element laws. The cyan-gold spiritual light around him surged, and his escape speed was three times faster than usual. He abruptly left Yuan Hao and Cang Lie behind, rushing to the battlefield first."Presumptuous!"Ao Xuan let out a cold shout. The Azure Dragon Reverse Scale Sword in his spine unsheathed automatically, and the cyan-gold sword light, carrying the sharpness of Pangu's sky-opening merit, slashed straight at Kunpeng's claw shadow.The moment the sword light collided with the claw shadow, Kunpeng felt a sharp pain in his palm. The Northern Underworld Dao energy was scattered by the merit golden light, forcing him to withdraw his claw to avoid further harm.At the same time, Ao Xuan held up the Water Spirit Pearl in his left hand. A pale blue water curtain exploded into existence, defusing all the blood demon sword qi stabbed by Minghe. The merit golden light on the water curtain even forced the Blood River Formation to retreat half a zhang."It's you, Azure Dragon!" A fierce light flashed in Kunpeng's eyes. The Northern Underworld Vortex expanded again, and countless star runes flickered within it. "Hmph! Perfect—you also possess Hongmeng Purple Qi. Minghe and I can each take one!"Ancestor Minghe also grinned ferociously, urging the Blood River Formation. The endless black blood transformed into dozens of blood-colored long whips, lashing toward Ao Xuan's vital points. "This boy bears the merit of opening the sky—perfect for refining my Blood God Sons! Today, we'll slay him first, then claim Hongyun's remaining soul!"But Ao Xuan did not engage them head-on. His figure twisted like a spirit snake, weaving through the blood whips and the vortex.He knew he had not been transformed for long, and was by no means a match for these two great powers working together. His only goal now was to save Hongyun's remaining soul.Glancing at the wisp of pale golden soul core between Hongyun's brows, Ao Xuan suddenly spotted the large red gourd lying on the ground. A thought struck him: this gourd was Hongyun's natal magic treasure—it must be able to protect the remaining soul!Taking advantage of a brief lull in Kunpeng and Minghe's attacks, Ao Xuan suddenly knelt down. His left hand grabbed the large red gourd, and his right hand condensed a wisp of merit golden light, precisely wrapping around the pale golden soul core.As soon as the golden light touched the soul core, it instantly purified the blood energy on it. The soul core transformed into a stream of light, automatically flying into the gourd. Since the gourd was inherently connected to Hongyun's origin, it sensed the soul core's aura and lit up with a soft golden light at the mouth, steadily containing the remaining soul."You dare!"Seeing Ao Xuan seize the remaining soul, Kunpeng flew into a rage. The Northern Underworld Vortex sucked fiercely at Ao Xuan's back, and the chaotic black stones were drawn into the vortex and crushed into powder instantly.Minghe's blood whips coiled around Ao Xuan's ankles like poisonous snakes, and black demonic energy crawled up his legs along the cuffs of his robe.Ao Xuan waved the Azure Dragon Reverse Scale Sword hastily, cutting off the blood whips. Just as he was about to activate the Water Spirit Pearl to escape, he felt his Dao rhythm stagnate—the suction of the Northern Underworld Vortex had locked his escape path.At this critical juncture, two figures suddenly rushed out from the chaotic qi: Yuan Hao held his innate stone staff, with earth-element and wood-element spiritual light coiling around it. He slammed the staff into the edge of the Northern Underworld Vortex, forcing the suction to pause for a moment. Cang Lie transformed into his hundred-zhang White Tiger true form, his golden metal claws glowing with cold killing intent, slashing straight at Minghe's Blood River Formation. Wherever his claw wind passed, the blood beads shattered one after another."Foolish tiger, I'm here to help!"Yuan Hao's voice was full of valiance. He swung his stone staff again, smashing it toward Kunpeng's waist. "Daring to bully Fellow Daoist Ao Xuan—you'll have to get past me first!"Cang Lie also let out a low roar. The "king" character mark on his forehead lit up with silver light, and golden metal spiritual energy condensed into several claw winds, slicing through all of Minghe's blood sword qi. "I am the innate White Tiger—how dare you run amuck here!"Taking the opportunity to break free from the vortex, Ao Xuan retreated to Yuan Hao and Cang Lie's side, clutching the large red gourd tightly to his chest. A faint fluctuation of the soul core came from within the gourd, and Ao Xuan let out a sigh of relief—fortunately, Hongyun's remaining soul was temporarily safe.He looked up at Kunpeng and Minghe, who both had dark expressions.In front of them stood three beings: the Azure Dragon protected by merit spiritual treasures, the White Tiger whose golden metal restrained blood, and the White Ape skilled in close combat. Their auras surged powerfully. If the fight dragged on, it might attract other great powers.A hint of hesitation flashed in Kunpeng's eyes: he had already obtained Hongyun's Hongmeng Purple Qi, but it was not yet refined. Facing the joint attack of the three now, if he insisted on continuing the fight, he might suffer damage to his origin."You're lucky today." Kunpeng snorted coldly, retracting his Northern Underworld Dao rhythm. The black vortex gradually dissipated. "Azure Dragon, White Tiger, White Ape—I'll remember this grudge! The next time we meet, I'll grind your bones to dust!"Minghe also retracted the Blood River Formation, and the blood color on his twin swords faded slightly. He glared at the three with venom. "I will not let go of the karma of Hongyun's remaining soul and the Hongmeng Purple Qi! Just you wait—the blood flames of the Nether Blood Sea will burn you down sooner or later!"With that, the two did not linger. Kunpeng transformed into a dark blue stream of light, escaping into the depths of chaos. Minghe wrapped himself in endless black blood and retreated toward the Netherworld, disappearing in the blink of an eye.Only when their auras had completely faded did Ao Xuan relax fully, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. If Yuan Hao and Cang Lie had not arrived in time, he would have surely suffered a heavy loss.Yuan Hao leaned over, staring curiously at the large red gourd in his arms. "Fellow Daoist Ao Xuan, is this the remaining soul of Hongyun in the gourd?"Cang Lie also leaned closer, a hint of solemnity in his tiger eyes. "Fellow Daoist Hongyun was inherently kind—never did I expect he would meet such a disaster here. We must find a safe place as soon as possible to nourish the remaining soul with spiritual veins, lest it dissipate completely."Ao Xuan nodded, speaking up. "We still need to find traces of Fellow Daoist Vermilion Bird in the Southern Region. Why not head south first? The spiritual veins there are abundant, which will temporarily protect the remaining soul. We can also inquire about the Vermilion Bird along the way."Yuan Hao and Cang Lie agreed in unison. The three did not delay. Ao Xuan tried to put the large red gourd into his storage conch shell, but found he could not control the gourd—unless he erased the mark Hongyun had left on it.Having no other choice, Ao Xuan had to carry the gourd on his back. The three figures transformed into cyan, white, and red streams of light, rushing toward the Southern Region.