Demon Emperor Blood River walked forward, paying no heed to Miao Rulai, nor to Warrior Emperor Wuzang or the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor. He did not even spare them a glance, proceeding directly toward an ancient ruin.
Upon that ancient ruin, a formation flickered faintly, appearing like a sword peak one moment and a wisp of smoke the next, as if it might dissipate at any time.
Within the formation lay seven or eight individuals whose fates were unknown. Suspended at the very center was a sword, its blade also flickering faintly, resembling an old man sitting cross-legged.
The Great Dao experts hidden within the other ancient ruins all knew this formation was the Taixu Sword Formation. Those whose fates were unknown inside it were also people of the Taixu Grotto. The one who had transformed into a sword was none other than Elder Tongbei, hailed as one of the Taixu Nine Swords of the Taixu Grotto.
The world knew that before Demon Emperor Blood River fell into the demonic path, he had once been a disciple of the Taixu Grotto, and moreover, its peerless, heaven-defying genius.
Although he had left the Taixu Grotto years ago over the matter of Cang Yan, and had even returned his formidable cultivation to the grotto.
Yet many knew that Demon Emperor Blood River still held feelings for the Taixu Grotto.
It was said that over the years, Demon Emperor Blood River had always wanted to help the Taixu Grotto rise again. Knowing that due to past events, the grotto had been jointly suppressed by the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and the various major powers of the Great Wastelands—left with no resources and no talent—and had thus gradually declined, Demon Emperor Blood River had more than once gifted the Taixu Grotto vast amounts of precious resources. He had also personally sought out heaven-defying geniuses to send to the grotto, all in the hope that the Taixu Grotto might one day rise again.
Unfortunately.
The Taixu Grotto did not appreciate his kindness and never accepted his goodwill, rejecting both the precious resources and the heaven-defying geniuses outright.
Some said the Taixu Grotto still harbored resentment toward Demon Emperor Blood River and had never forgiven him.
If not for Demon Emperor Blood River's single thought of entering demonhood back then, slaughtering until the Great Wastelands ran with rivers of blood and causing heavy losses to the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, the Taixu Grotto would not have been jointly suppressed by them, much less gradually declined.
Others said that if Demon Emperor Blood River had not fallen into the demonic path back then, he would certainly have become a hegemon of the Immortal Path. Even if the Taixu Grotto could not have become the leader of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, it would undoubtedly have been among the top few.
As the saying goes, success came from Blood River, and failure came from Blood River.
The Taixu Grotto rose again because of Blood River, and also declined because of Blood River.
However.
One thing was certain.
Demon Emperor Blood River had never forgotten that he was once a disciple of the Taixu Grotto. Even though the grotto had never accepted his goodwill, not even once, he had never stopped. At regular intervals, he would still gift vast amounts of precious resources, among which were no shortage of various rare treasures, even treasures of the Great Dao.
Moreover.
There was one thing no one could deny: over these years, if not for Demon Emperor Blood River's covert protection, the Taixu Grotto would likely not have merely declined—it might have long been expunged from the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens.
Demon Emperor Blood River had always been elusive, appearing only briefly. Since his single thought of entering demonhood in the Primordial Era, he had rarely shown himself in the Great Wastelands. This time, if not for the plight of Elder Tongbei and the others from the Taixu Grotto here, Demon Emperor Blood River likely would not have appeared.
Looking across the myriad realms, it was probably only people of the Taixu Grotto who could make Demon Emperor Blood River show himself.
Arriving at the ancient ruin.
Demon Emperor Blood River glanced at the faintly flickering, smoke-like Taixu Sword Formation. He walked over, raised his hand, and lightly touched it. The Taixu Sword Formation instantly turned to dust and vanished.
This scene could not help but make one marvel at Demon Emperor Blood River's formidable strength.
Although the Taixu Grotto had declined, the fame of the Taixu Sword Formation was thunderous. Moreover, the one who had laid down the sword formation was Elder Tongbei, one of the Taixu Nine Swords renowned throughout the Primordial Era, and he had even transformed into a sword to sustain the Taixu Sword Formation.
Do not be fooled by the Taixu Sword Formation's faint, flickering appearance as if it might collapse at any moment—it was merely an appearance. After all, the Taixu Sword Formation was created by the Taixu Sword Sage who once shook the Primordial Era. The Life-Transformation Sword that Elder Tongbei had transformed into was also created by the Taixu Sword Sage. Both its power and its profundity were extraordinary.
If not, earlier, over twenty experts following the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor had fiercely besieged it for a long time without being able to shake the Taixu Sword Formation. Even when the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor himself attacked, he could not break it open.
Yet now, Demon Emperor Blood River had merely reached out and lightly touched it, and the Taixu Sword Formation disintegrated. This was enough to show that Demon Emperor Blood River's existence surpassed imagination.
The seven or eight individuals lying on the ground within the formation, whose fates were unknown, were still alive. However, they were all severely injured, their cultivation damaged, and their minds shattered. They would require a very, very long time to recuperate.
As for Elder Tongbei's injuries, they were far more severe. To protect these disciples of the Taixu Grotto, Elder Tongbei had ultimately chosen to exhaust his lifelong cultivation, transforming into a sword to sustain the Taixu Sword Formation.
In other words, Elder Tongbei had used the cultivation he had painstakingly accumulated over countless years to protect the lives of the other Taixu Grotto disciples.
His life was not extinguished, but the man was ruined.
Throughout this, Demon Emperor Blood River did not utter a single word. His stern face showed no expression, revealing neither joy nor anger, neither sorrow nor happiness. He simply crouched down and carefully began treating the injuries of the Taixu Grotto disciples.
In the void.
Miao Rulai still sat cross-legged upon the palm of the sacred great Buddha, one hand held vertically before him, the other rotating prayer beads. His pair of eyes, seemingly embodying both yin and yang, Buddha and demon, watched the Demon Emperor Blood River here, a faint smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
No one knew what he was smiling about.
In the distance.
Warrior Emperor Wuzang's face was solemn, his brow tightly furrowed, also watching Demon Emperor Blood River.
If Miao Rulai's abnormal attitude earlier had forced him to be cautious, then after Demon Emperor Blood River's appearance, his heart was no longer merely cautious—it had become filled with worry.
It was not that in his mind, Demon Emperor Blood River was more fearsome than Miao Rulai.
To be honest.
Warrior Emperor Wuzang feared neither Miao Rulai nor Demon Emperor Blood River.
He had the qualification, the confidence, and the strength.
At least, that was the case when facing them individually.
But if he had to face both Miao Rulai and Demon Emperor Blood River—these two Great Dao hegemons—simultaneously, then even with all his qualifications, confidence, and strength, Warrior Emperor Wuzang could not help but feel some panic in his heart.
Especially since he knew that these people from the Taixu Grotto had been injured by the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor. If Demon Emperor Blood River did not pursue the matter, that would be one thing. But once Demon Emperor Blood River pursued it and took action against the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor, he could not stand idly by.
He and the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor were the dual poles of yin and yang, the limitless Supreme Ultimate.
The connection between them was not merely a matter of intertwined lives; even their true bodies and souls were intimately linked. Even their divine sense, spirit, will, and consciousness were thus—everything about the two influenced each other, truly meaning that damage to one meant damage to both.
If the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor's incarnation were to turn to dust, it would certainly affect the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor's divine sense. The divine sense would affect the true body. If the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor's true body were affected, he too would be affected.
Thinking of this, Warrior Emperor Wuzang took a step forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Wuzang pays his respects to Demon Emperor Blood River!"