Chapter 359: Traveling the Four Directions, Welcoming the Bride at Many Households [Part Two]

The Endless Blood Sea.

It stretches without shore or limit; looking around, one sees only death, baleful energy, slaughter, and crimson waves.

Cold and desolate, dim and murky, only a crescent blood moon hangs in the sky, illuminating the realm.

Clearly, for the vast majority of living beings, this is not a pleasant place to be.

Just at this moment,

A thunderous boom suddenly erupted in the void, revealing a gateway adorned with frost patterns and hanging wings, inlaid with the shadows of the sun and moon.

In the previously cold and silent space-time, thunder suddenly arose, descending from above in a blaze of gold and fire, illuminating all directions.

Clusters of light flickered and vanished.

It was none other than the wedding procession of Fang Longye arriving across realms, creating an auspicious omen through its interaction with the void.

In an instant, the sounds of Golden Bells and fishing drums blared, festive music played, flowers scattered across the ground, and blessings purified the eight seas.

Accompanied by these myriad omens, Fang Longye's wedding procession, draped in red and hung with colorful silks, arrived in a grand and mighty manner, beating drums and blowing pipes, playing joyous music incessantly as they appeared within the Blood Sea. "Good heavens, this place really makes one uncomfortable!" As soon as he arrived at the Blood Sea, a stench of blood accumulated over eons rushed toward him.

Even though he had anticipated it, Fang Longye could not help but twitch his nose and knit his brows.

The ferocity of this Nether Blood Sea was more than a hundred or a thousand times greater than what he had seen before at the Rakshasa Sea Market; they were simply not on the same level.

He saw the surrounding Blood Sea surging, the waves crimson, not knowing how much blood of living beings was mixed within, permeated with a baleful energy that made one's heart tremble.

With eyes like torches, he could see that even space-time had become mottled, the blood color seeping into the laws, layer upon layer, twisted and mutated.

It is no wonder that in this land of the Blood Sea, apart from the Asura clan, no other race is willing to stay here.

This hellish place, I fear only that Minghe Laozu and the Asura clan would like it!

Fang Longye sat in the Treasure Chariot, gazing at the surging Blood Sea all around, and could not help but mutter to himself.

Just as he was muttering, a celestial sound of a jade chime suddenly came from the depths of the Blood Sea, and immediately after, large swathes of flames appeared in the space-time.

These flames were bright red and looked unremarkable, yet for some reason, they gave one an indescribable sense of eeriness and ferocity.

These were no ordinary flames, but the Red Lotus Karmic Fire that makes the world tremble at its name.

As soon as this sky-filling Red Lotus Karmic Fire appeared, in an instant, it swept toward the entire procession of Fang Longye.

Damn! Just as Fang Longye was cursing inwardly and preparing to dodge, he heard the voice of Gu, at the side of the Treasure Chariot, transmitting to soothe him:

"Young Lord, do not panic. This subordinate observes that this Red Lotus Karmic Fire actually bears no ill will."

Hearing the words of Gu, who was a Daluo, Fang Longye finally abandoned the thought of dodging and raised his head to face the oncoming Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

The flames were bright as red lotuses; in but a moment, they swept over and enveloped all the accompanying personnel.

The entire process, from the moment the karmic fire appeared in the air to when it swept toward Fang Longye and his group, took less than a ten-millionth of a snap of the fingers.

Among the accompanying wedding party, apart from the Taiyi and Daluo, the others had no time to react at all.

It was not until the karmic fire touched their bodies that they realized what was happening.

Just as a look of fear instinctively appeared on their faces, it vanished, and one by one, their expressions shifted from confusion to pleasant surprise.

The flames roared, emitting a crackling sound, yet as Gu had said, they did not cause the slightest harm to the entire wedding procession.

On the contrary, it was of great benefit.

"Comfortable~"

Within their primordial spirits, blossoms of Red Lotus Karmic Fire opened and fell, and a feeling of extreme comfort, as if they had laid down all burdens, surged into Fang Longye's heart.

"So it turns out to be a welcoming gift!"

Fang Longye could not help but smile; the Red Lotus Karmic Fire not only caused no harm but instead washed away the causal Karma that people had accumulated.

Well, to be precise, it was the evil causes and evil fruits; those good causes and good fruits were naturally preserved.

This was naturally an artificial result.

Otherwise, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire would not be known for its ferocity in Honghuang and be feared by most people.

One must know that, normally, once the Red Lotus Karmic Fire touches someone, it burns everything; if the Karma is not exhausted, the karmic fire does not extinguish, until it burns the person into ashes.

Even the True Spirit ceases to exist~

If it were not artificial, how could it be like this now, with only the benefits brought by the karmic fire burning the body, and not a trace of the harm caused by the Red Lotus Karmic Fire? Crackle, crackle, under the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, light splashed; it appeared intangible, yet once it touched the body, it ignited, the flames rising and burning away the causal Karma on everyone.

Yet, contrary to common sense, it did not bring the slightest harm, but instead made everyone appear to have a sense of innate purity and tranquil freedom.

Throughout the entire wedding procession, a glaze-like color spread, and the sun-like brilliance was dazzling.

It was as clear and pure as mutton-fat jade.

Except for the Taiyi and Daluo, all the remaining people could not help but show an expression containing great liberation and great freedom on their faces.

Such a situation, falling into the eyes of Fang Longye who had regained his composure, left him thoughtful.

"No wonder there is a saying in Honghuang that 'Buddhist and Demon are two sides of the same coin'; it seems it really isn't just someone throwing mud."

This Buddhist Dharma and Demon path, between the Brahma gate and the Demon gate, truly has an unclear and mysterious relationship.

Why did he make such a judgment?

It is truly because such expressions were too similar to the appearance of living beings when they are converted by the Brahma gate~

Moreover, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire is also played very skillfully within the Brahma gate and holds an unusual status.

Of course, this was only his speculation.

With his current cultivation realm, if he were to really look into it, he wouldn't be able to conclude anything~

While he was pondering, another sound of a jade chime came from the depths of the Blood Sea, and the Red Lotus Karmic Fire retreated at the sound.

The personnel in the entire wedding procession woke up one after another, feeling their whole bodies comfortable, as if they had washed away all their worldly dust.

One by one, they could not help but beam with joy.

Immediately after, before Fang Longye could give any orders, bells and drums rang out in the void, one after another.

The distant space-time seemed as if an invisible hand had gently brushed it, pulling back a layer of light veil to reveal the scene in the depths of the Blood Sea.

There stood a towering Dao Palace, purple and blue light hanging down, shining brilliantly; it was the legendary cultivation residence of that Minghe Laozu—the Blood God Palace.

As the Blood God Palace emerged,

In an instant, tens of thousands of blood lotuses bloomed in clusters, forming a rainbow bridge.

Red mist swirled, and floating fragrance condensed in the air.

It extended all the way from the Blood God Palace in the depths of the Blood Sea to where Fang Longye's Treasure Chariot was. Fang Longye exhaled, steadied his nerves, hurriedly stepped off the Treasure Chariot, and accompanied by Gu, followed the rainbow bridge, walking step by step toward the Blood God Palace.

……

However, before they even reached the gates of the Blood God Palace,

They saw a light of uncertain brightness rush out from the Blood God Palace, accompanied by blood winds and black clouds, with a sound like thunder.

Then it circled left and right, landed in the air, and as the strange phenomenon dissipated, it revealed its true form: an Ashura, wearing vermilion-purple armor and holding a large halberd in his hand.

"Who goes there? State your name!" Looking at this Ashura's appearance, he was about three zhang tall, with two fangs five or six feet long exposed outside his lips and mouth, disheveled hair, red eyes, a large nose, and a square mouth; his hand-claws were like a bird's, and both feet had long hair—very distinctive.

Fang Longye glanced at him and couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly; he had long heard that the Ashura clan had beautiful women and ugly men, and it seemed the rumors were true.

This guy was truly ugly. But on such a joyous day, why use someone so unsightly to greet guests? He didn't even know to swap in someone better-looking.

Of course, complaining was just complaining.

Fang Longye still maintained a polite demeanor on the surface, not even looking at this Ashura again, appearing focused and bowing his head in a salute.

There was no other reason; although this Ashura was ugly, he was an existence at the Great Luo Realm.

He didn't know what the other was thinking, but in the face of him, the bridegroom, the other actually still showed himself in his terrifying and ugly Ashura true form, completely disregarding the joyous occasion.

Perhaps the Ashura clan had different aesthetics? "Shijia Yin, I already told you that this appearance of yours won't do for receiving guests; where is there any festive atmosphere left?"

Before this Ashura could even open his mouth to speak, another person emerged from the Blood God Palace.

This was a very beautiful woman with delicate features, black hair hanging down to her heels, wearing a dark-colored small top, a pleated skirt, and small boots.

This woman held a small umbrella as scarlet as blood, the handle resting diagonally on her shoulder; the deep-colored handle and her delicate face complemented each other.

A red umbrella, a beautiful woman, and the sound of footsteps.

It was indescribably eerie.

The corners of Fang Longye's mouth twitched; with her appearance, there was even less of a festive atmosphere.

Am I here to welcome a bride?

Fang Longye almost began to doubt his life.

"Enough! Magaluo, Shijia Yin, you two with the broken brains, stop blocking our Ashura clan's young son-in-law."

Fortunately, before this seemingly difficult-to-deal-with Ashura woman could make things hard for him, the bridegroom, another voice came from the Blood God Palace.

*Sigh*—the one truly in charge had finally arrived!

Fang Longye could feel that as the words fell, a vast Aura approached from far to near, high and mighty, surpassing all others.

Immediately following, the modulated sound of a zither arrived, faint and indistinct, like high mountains and flowing water, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate, exceptionally pleasant to the ear.

In a trance, the blood moon in the sky seemed to fade its crimson, turning into a silver toad hanging above, and the surrounding blood energy was washed away.

There was only the vast, misty water, stretching without end.

It seemed as if he were no longer in the dim Nether Blood Sea, but had returned to the mortal world, with moonlight pressing in.

A moment later,

The song ended, leaving only lingering echoes.

Before he knew when, a figure had appeared before the gates of the Blood God Palace; it was a young man sitting on a nine-petaled red lotus, upright and straight.

A zither was placed before him, his slender fingers resting upon it, moving slightly; he appeared to still be immersed in the performance just now.

"Greetings, Lord Vishnu!"

The two Ashura, one male and one female, upon seeing the man, could not help but restrain their Aura and bow to him.

Vishnu? Fang Longye's heart skipped a beat; this person was one of the few prominent figures under Minghe Laozu.

He was born at the hands of Minghe Laozu at the same time as Zizaitian Bo Xun, who was also the father of Iron Fan Princess, his own father-in-law.

Among that first batch of Ashura, he was also a top-tier existence, though not quite a match for his father-in-law, who could challenge Rulai.

But now, he was also a being of Great Divine Ability.

"This junior greets Senior Vishnu!"

Regardless of whether the other was a true body or an incarnation, Fang Longye hurriedly and respectfully bowed.

This was a being of Great Divine Ability, with status and position to match; he dared not show the slightest disrespect.

"Enough, there is no need for so much courtesy."

Vishnu, this being of Great Divine Ability, finally took his hands off the zither, raised his head, looked at Fang Longye, and waved his hand with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Fang Longye saw an extremely delicate face, with features like a work of art and fair, tender skin that would make even women feel ashamed to look upon.

He was simply too beautiful to be a man.

Yes, one could only use the word "beautiful" to describe him, because the other's appearance really did not look like a man's.

This handsomeness carried a kind of bewitching quality, unlike Yang Jian or himself, which was the handsomeness of a man; this was a bewitching handsomeness like a woman's.

Fang Longye only felt that it was even more excessive than any "flower boy" he had seen in his previous life.

Of course, he was not a fool; even though he felt extremely awkward, he would not reveal a shred of it, only respectfully maintaining the posture of a junior.

Vishnu plucked the strings of the zither in his hand, emitting a pleasant sound, and said with a smile: "Follow me! The Old Ancestor wants to see you."

And who else could be called Old Ancestor by Vishnu but that Minghe Laozu? Even though Fang Longye had anticipated it, upon hearing this, his heart was still filled with a mix of surprise and joy.

He was happy because, given Minghe Laozu's status and position, the gift for his granddaughter's husband would certainly not be shabby. He was surprised because Minghe Laozu, this big shot, was the founder of the Demon path, and heaven knows if he would be secretly planted with some trap upon meeting him. Exhaling,

Fang Longye tidied himself up, and once everything was in order, he immediately followed Vishnu to the depths of the Blood God Palace to pay his respects to Minghe Laozu.

……

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

In an ancient hall, the mottled textures contained the flavor of long ages; there was no sense of decay, but rather a feeling of flourishing prosperity.

At the very center and highest position, a lotus throne hung in the air, possessing twelve petals, with immeasurable eons of accumulated karmic fire burning silently all around it.

It looked unremarkable, yet in reality, it contained great terror, great danger, and great intimidation.

Sitting cross-legged upon the lotus throne was a middle-aged man in blood-colored robes; his face was handsome, his features like a carving, and between his brows was a streak of blood, crimson to the extreme.

Before him lay two Innate Killing Swords, and behind him, various portals stood wide open, within which countless rays of blood-light were rendered.

Vaguely, it seemed as if an inexplicable, great terror was brewing, rising, and about to erupt.

If it were not Minghe Laozu, who else could it be? Not knowing if it was meant to give him a show of force or what, Fang Longye, facing this Minghe Laozu, only felt endless, boundless pressure.

It was as if he were placed in the middle of winter, covered in snow, a thick layer of it, the cold biting into his bones, his entire body stiffened, making it difficult to move.

Minghe Laozu did not open his mouth to respond, merely using his eyes to look him up and down.

Within that gaze was a sense of penetration, as if it could see through his past and future.

No, not as if.

At this moment, Minghe Laozu was indeed peering into everything concerning Fang Longye within the River of Time and Space.

A short while later,

This master of the Honghuang Blood Sea shook his head, sighed, and still said nothing, merely tossing an object that looked like a spearhead toward him.

Fang Longye reached out to catch it, and in an instant, relevant information flooded into his sea of consciousness; his heart jolted, and he immediately fell into a state of inexplicable surprise—it was actually this treasure! "Many thanks for the generous gift, Laozu!"

(End of this chapter)