Chapter 2427: 万兽血域

"Swish!"A bloody light shot towards the depths of the void.

Great Sage Guizang's face turned ashen. Feeling the Banyan King's overwhelming killing intent, he knew that day would not end peacefully. He wondered why this suddenly appearing tree demon harbored such intense hatred for the Demon Realm.

Although the remnants of the Demon Realm were still universally reviled, after so many years, the hatred among the demon cultivators of this realm towards the Demon Realm had long faded, unless constantly reinforced.

Time was the most terrifying thing; just as beings in an era of peace could not comprehend the horrors of a chaotic world, it was difficult for future generations to deeply feel the suffering and sacrifices of their ancestors through history.

When Great Sage Guizang gained sentience, the war between the two realms had long concluded. Those born and raised in this realm, like him, might not feel a strong sense of belonging to the Spirit Realm, only leaning slightly towards it because it was home to their kind.

In the eyes of some demon sages, there was no fundamental difference between the Spirit Realm and the Demon Realm; both were enemies coveting the supreme treasure of this realm, which should rightfully belong to the cultivators here!

The Banyan King, however, clearly did not share this view, openly intending to fight him to the death. Even more vexing was the fact that he had brought this powerful enemy in himself!

At this point, it was too late for Great Sage Guizang to regret. He couldn't even justify himself, because a demon seed could only fully merge with a host if the host genuinely accepted it. If one refused to surrender to a demon, they could choose death over submission, just like Great Sage Chanxin.

Now, his only hope lay deep within this void: to subdue the supreme treasure, which would give him the power to confront the Banyan King. In reality, however, he knew little more about it than his opponent.

Great Sage Chanxin's guidance abruptly ended here. He had just been searching not only for the individual who entered earlier but also for any traces left by Great Sage Chanxin, both to no avail.

Great Sage Guizang suddenly felt an ominous premonition and roared into the deep void, "Friend, I know you can hear me! Why don't you reveal yourself quickly and join forces with me against this tree demon? Do you want to..."

His roar, imbued with his divine ability, thundered through the void, containing nothing but admonitions about mutual dependence and shared fate.

The one who had been pretending to be a ghost was his only ally.

Seeing his roar vanish like a stone into the ocean, without any response, Great Sage Guizang grew desperate. "Do you know what this place is? What's here? The supreme treasure that countless fellow cultivators yearn for is right here!"

When persuasion failed, only temptation remained.

Great Sage Guizang was now facing a life-or-death crisis and could only reveal the supreme treasure to lure the other party out. Unexpectedly, the other party remained unresponsive. To his dismay, the tree demon's eyes were fixed solely on him, pursuing him relentlessly.

Suddenly, Great Sage Guizang felt an intense sense of danger. At some unknown point, the surrounding void was no longer empty but had become filled with aerial roots of various sizes.

The bloody light halted abruptly. The surrounding aerial roots swayed gently, countless roots forming a vast jungle, and dense leaves creating a green ocean.

Great Sage Guizang found himself unwittingly enveloped by this jungle. The surrounding leaves and aerial roots were so dense that they blocked out all light and air, making it far more oppressive than a real forest.

A figure appeared in the bloody light. Great Sage Guizang's expression was exceedingly grim. He sensed the aura of a Dharma Domain within the jungle. This jungle was the Banyan King's Dharma Domain, and though it appeared to be just ordinary aerial roots, it was the strongest Dharma Domain he had ever encountered in his life!

Great Sage Guizang's eyes turned into blood-red pupils. Wherever his gaze fell, the aerial roots in his sight suddenly twisted. A grotesque scene unfolded: these roots transformed into bloody hands.

These bloody hands twisted even more violently, like flayed monsters with exposed flesh. Their fingers frantically clawed at their surroundings. The fresh scent that once belonged to the forest was now obscured by a thick, putrid stench of blood, creating a truly hellish sight.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

This place resembled a nest of bloody hands. Countless hands, dense as a forest, surged outwards like a tide in all directions, overwhelming everything in their path, tearing apart whatever they touched.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The bloody hands furiously tore at the surrounding aerial roots. In a flash, countless roots shattered, their fragments submerged in the waves of bloody hands. But the jungle was too vast; as the bloody hands tore through one layer of roots, another layer awaited them outside, seemingly endless.

Suddenly, a faint green glow emerged from deep within the jungle, and a surge of vitality instantly permeated the entire forest.

"Whoosh!"

The green light also formed a green tide, surging from all directions towards the bloody hands.

"Boom!"

The green tide collided with the bloody hands. The immense green tide washed over the hands, and those frantic bloody hands suddenly stiffened. Then, layer upon layer of bloody skin peeled off them, until they ultimately reverted back into the Banyan tree's aerial roots.

In an instant, the forest was cleansed, and all traces of the bloody stench vanished!

Seeing this, Great Sage Guizang's gaze sharpened. A spiritual light flashed beside him, and a spiritual beast emerged from it, revealing its true form.

Great Sage Guizang's demon body was originally a 'Sibuxiang' (a mythical creature with features of various animals). It had a pair of dragon horns on its head, turtle-shell-like patterns on its back, a tiger tail dragging behind it, and a pair of fiery phoenix wings extending from its ribs...

Beyond these most obvious features, many organs and parts of the demon body were also very peculiar, closely resembling those of ancient divine beasts. However, these disparate parts appearing simultaneously on one spiritual beast seemed forcibly pieced together, completely out of place; it was impossible for such a monstrous creature to naturally exist in the world!

Furthermore, organs like the dragon horns and phoenix wings on Great Sage Guizang's body subtly differed from true dragon horns and phoenix wings, seemingly lacking a certain divine essence.

"Whoosh!"

Its wings spread wide.

Great Sage Guizang let out a phoenix cry. His demon body burst into raging flames, and then a fiery phoenix emerged from the fire, while Great Sage Guizang's demon body vanished.

The moment the fire phoenix appeared, large fires erupted throughout the jungle. Even more astonishing was that the flames were a strange mixture of true phoenix fire and other demonic fires!

The entire jungle ignited, transforming into a sea of flames. The blaze was terrifying; within the inferno, countless aerial roots turned black and were reduced to ash.

The fire phoenix flapped its wings, circling above the sea of fire, scattering true phoenix fire, making the blaze even more ferocious.

However, beneath the sea of fire, new green shoots began to emerge from the ashes of the burned aerial roots.

Wildfires may burn, but with spring winds, new life emerges!

Just like mountain forests in the outside world, vegetation possesses incredibly strong vitality. Unless a wildfire completely destroys their root systems, they quickly regenerate new life after the blaze subsides.

Now, even though the fire had not yet died down, the jungle was already regenerating. The newly grown aerial roots and branches were once again reduced to ash by the fire. This cycle repeated, demonstrating the jungle's inexhaustible vitality, while the intensity of the fire gradually diminished.

As soon as the flames weakened, countless green lights immediately emerged from the ruins.

At this point, the flames could no longer instantly burn these aerial roots to ash, and the jungle gradually returned to its original state.

Seeing that even the true phoenix fire could not break the Banyan King's Dharma Domain, the flames around Great Sage Guizang suddenly transformed into ethereal water waves. Accompanied by a low roar, a tortoise shell emerged on the water's surface, and Great Sage Guizang transformed into a Black Tortoise.

This was precisely the cultivation method he had diligently practiced for years, collecting various divine beast bloodlines and integrating them into his body. When facing an enemy, he could transform into the body of an ancient divine beast and unleash its corresponding divine abilities.

Naturally, containing so many bloodlines within his body posed hidden dangers, yet it was also thanks to his own bloodline that he could use this method to suppress the demon seed within him. Unfortunately, true descendants of divine beasts were extremely rare in this realm, so he could only continuously purify from various mixed bloodlines, resulting in the divine abilities he cultivated being somewhat incongruous, like the "Sibuxiang."

For example, this Black Tortoise body was still far from his goal of achieving the Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) body.

If he had cultivated the true Xuanwu body, he would have been able to directly practice the Xuanwu clan's divine abilities before, and this expedition would not have encountered so many troubles.

"Splash!"

With a slight movement of the Black Tortoise body in the water, the Waters of Nine Heavens poured down, transforming the jungle into a vast ocean.

The water surged powerfully, rising higher and higher, threatening to engulf the jungle. Yet, the Banyan King's laughter echoed all around. "Having just been scorched by fire, this old man is quite thirsty. Thank you, fellow cultivator, for this timely rainfall!"

The Banyan King had countless avatars spread across an entire realm; what kind of terrain had he not seen?

Whether it was snowy mountains and ice plains, desert dunes, putrid swamps, or vast oceans, he could take root anywhere!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the water level receded at a visible rate. The aerial roots 'drank like oxen,' becoming even greener and more vibrant.

"Splash!"

The Black Tortoise raised its head, its expression extremely grim. Even though he knew his Black Tortoise divine ability wouldn't harm the Banyan King, he hadn't expected it to actually become nourishment.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a dragon's roar resonated throughout the jungle.

Great Sage Guizang had transformed into an Azure Dragon. Its body soared upward, accompanied by wind and clouds, and another strange phenomenon appeared within the jungle.

Within the forest, flashes of green light appeared. The aerial roots absorbed the green light, sprouting tender buds and growing new branches and root systems.

Under the Azure Dragon's divine ability, the jungle was not only unharmed but became even more lush. However, this transformed jungle felt out of place compared to its previous state, as if forcibly taken over by the Azure Dragon.

The next moment, the Banyan King declared in a deep voice, "I forbid it! What vegetation dares to grow beneath me!"

These words were imbued with immense dominance. In an instant, the new branches and leaves withered, the new roots shriveled, and the jungle returned to its original state.

Subsequently, Great Sage Guizang continuously transformed into various demon bodies and unleashed a multitude of divine abilities, yet none could truly destroy the jungle or break this Dharma Domain.

Finally, Great Sage Guizang revealed his original demon body once more, seemingly having exhausted all his tricks.

He had just exerted immense effort, employing various divine abilities, only managing to slightly suppress the jungle. The moment he stopped, the aerial roots surged towards him like countless tree demons.

"Hmph!"

How could Great Sage Guizang merely await his demise? His previous actions were merely a prelude. At some point, a bizarre bell appeared near his mouth. Its surface seemed covered in a layer of human skin, with visible blood vessels, and its clapper was a bone, also covered in blood vessels.

This treasure, named the Navel Bell, was originally his famous spiritual treasure, which he later refined into a true treasure.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The bell vibrated, producing a sound like beating a drum made of human skin.

As the bell chimed, bloody light reappeared in the jungle. Dense blood vessels emerged on the surface of the aerial roots, permeating their interior, spreading throughout the jungle, ubiquitous, forming an boundless blood-red net. The Navel Bell in his hand was the center of this blood net!

This was Great Sage Guizang's true Dharma Domain, named the Myriad Beasts Blood Domain!

If he could collect the bloodlines of ten thousand ancient spiritual beasts, what would a mere Banyan King amount to!

"Thump, thump, thump...""Thump, thump..."

The bell's sound grew louder and louder, and the blood vessels sliced through the jungle like sharp blades. When Great Sage Guizang lifted the bell in his hand, countless blood vessels were drawn out of the jungle, transforming into various blood beasts and leaving behind patches of withered yellow.

Just then, Great Sage Guizang frowned. He heard some discordant sounds mixing with the bell's chime. Compared to the bell, these sounds were ethereal but grew increasingly clear, echoing from all directions.

Great Sage Guizang was astonished to see the jungle bear fruit. Red fruits, like hydrangeas, appeared, and the discordant sounds were emanating from within these 'hydrangeas'.

However, these sounds, which were mere discordance moments before, quickly grew to rival the bell's chime, before Great Sage Guizang could even react.

"Not good!"

Great Sage Guizang fully activated the Navel Bell, but its chime grew weaker and weaker. It wasn't that the bell's sound was fading, but rather that the ethereal sounds were growing increasingly louder.

"Clang!"

The Navel Bell trembled, its chime faltered, almost losing control. Immediately, countless blood vessels intertwined, and the very foundation of the Myriad Beasts Blood Domain was shaken.

"Clang!""Clang!"

Great Sage Guizang exerted all his might, yet the Navel Bell repeatedly slipped out of his control.

Gradually, an expression of terror appeared on his face. The Banyan King, surprisingly, had not used any external objects or tools from beginning to end.

"You..."

At this moment, Great Sage Guizang finally understood what kind of opponent he was facing!

The Banyan King was likely just a step away from becoming a Heavenly Demon!

Almost all the blood vessels were forced out, drifting aimlessly like rootless duckweed. Great Sage Guizang had never imagined that his proud Myriad Beasts Blood Domain could be so fragile!

His expression suddenly turned incredibly grotesque, like a malevolent ghost. Black growths, resembling a black lotus, sprouted from his seven orifices, eventually forming a lotus flower atop Great Sage Guizang's head.

At this very moment, the demon seed within Great Sage Guizang ignited, unleashing the trump card the demon leader had given him!

The lotus flower seemed both real and illusory. With a gentle sway, it dispersed like smoke.

The black smoke dispersed into the jungle. According to the demon leader, any demon sage in this realm, if struck by it, would either go mad or have their soul completely annihilated.

However, the scene Great Sage Guizang anticipated did not materialize. The jungle remained full of vitality.

Unbeknownst to Great Sage Guizang, black mist was emerging from some of the Banyan King's avatars, which were spread across various locations. As he distributed the black mist among his many avatars, its threat naturally diminished significantly.

These avatars, with their condensed aura, fully suppressed the black mist.

Within the Guixu (Ruined Abyss).

The Myriad Beasts Blood Domain finally collapsed. The Navel Bell emitted one last low chime. Even more terrifying, Great Sage Guizang's skin gradually transformed into bark, as if he was being assimilated and devoured by the jungle!

"Ah..."

With a shrill scream, Great Sage Guizang was completely submerged by the aerial roots, and the place where he stood transformed into a massive ball of roots.

In front of the Sea of Light.

Qingyuan had been standing there all along, witnessing the Banyan King's eradication of Great Sage Guizang without intervening.

At this moment, his expression shifted slightly. He saw a jungle appear at the edge of his vision—a living jungle, rapidly growing and spreading towards him.