Chapter 108: The Blood-Red Sea of Clouds

At this moment in Hangzhou, a massive, swirling vortex of blood-colored clouds appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun and shrouding the entire city.

Such a bizarre celestial phenomenon remained shocking and unsettling, even in this era where cultivation was practiced by the masses. Countless people rushed out of their homes, pointing all manner of recording devices at the crimson vortex to livestream the scene, sparking widespread panic and exclamations. Even ordinary people, unversed in the ways of cultivation, could sense that something was deeply wrong. Those practitioners who had studied ancient texts turned deathly pale, their spirits shaken to the core.

"This looks remarkably like the blood sacrifice of a great demon as recorded in the ancient scriptures!"

"Someone is attempting a blood sacrifice using all the living souls in the city!"

"This is disastrous! Some demonic cultivators were spotted here a while ago, and now they’ve vanished, only to be replaced by an even more terrifying demon!"

Various aircraft, rarely seen in Hangzhou on ordinary days, suddenly sprouted like mushrooms after rain, rapidly fleeing toward the outskirts of the city. These were the wealthy elite, sensing the impending doom and attempting to escape. However, they soon discovered with despair that the city was sealed off in every direction, a hundred miles from the center, by an invisible energy barrier. Aircraft that collided with it exploded instantly, the soaring flames reflecting the desperate faces of countless citizens.

"Are we being sacrificed?" someone cried out in despair. "I’m still just a child, I don't want to die!"

"I’m still a virgin, for God's sake..."

Crowds flooded the streets, gazing up at the monstrous, eerie crimson vortex in absolute hopelessness.

When Song Yue and his companions emerged from another plane of existence, Hangzhou was already spiraling into mild chaos. Countless people were rushing into underground shopping malls—the city’s air-raid shelters designed for wartime bombardment. Whether such places could withstand a demon's blood sacrifice, however, no one knew.

People love to belittle animals, using them in metaphors to mock others. For example, they might call someone a coward, saying they are like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand when faced with danger. In fact, experiments have shown that ostriches never actually do this; they are quite fierce, and an average person would be no match for one in a real encounter. It is the very people who constantly make jokes about animals whose reaction to this terrifying crisis was the true equivalent of burying their heads in the sand, believing that if they couldn't see the danger, it wouldn't exist.

The sight of masses of people panicking and surging into the underground malls left Chen Jue, the "alien," speechless. He looked up at the sky and muttered, "If a true Great Demon has come, hiding in an underground mall—or even a hundred meters underground—will be useless." He frowned, puzzled. "How could such a powerful demon dare to run wild in the human world? Is it insane?"

Song Yue looked toward the depths of the blood-colored clouds with worry. He didn't know where his Master had gone, but he was certain it was connected to this. He also knew that the intruder was, in all likelihood, the mastermind behind the incident involving the Li family's demonic cultivators.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Zhu Jia, with whom he hadn't spoken in a long time. Her voice was choked with tears. "Song Yue, how are things on your end? I’m sorry, it’s my fault for involving you. I should have let you leave Hangzhou back then..."

It seemed she had also noticed the events unfolding in the city.

Song Yue replied calmly, "People are already handling it. Don't worry, it will be fine."

He said this as much for Qian Qianxue and Wen Rou as he did for Zhu Jia. The two girls stood in silence, staring intently at the crimson sky, their eyes filled with anxiety.

Chen Jue took a deep breath and looked at Song Yue. "I’m going to help the Master! You stay here! By the way, you have a Heaven-Reaching Stele, don't you? If things look dire later, take them and hide inside! Don't worry about rules at a time like this; survival is what matters. Remember, don't come out easily! Wait at least ten days or half a month. Caution is never a mistake."

The manager from the planet Yuhuoxing had shed his former delicate demeanor, looking now like a fearless warrior. He handed Song Yue a palm-sized black metal medallion. "If you come out and find that I have perished, go to Yuhuoxing. This is my token. Tell them what happened here. No one will give you any trouble."

Song Yue took the medallion. On the front, it bore an ancient character for "Yellow," and on the back, three vigorous pine trees rooted on a cliffside. *Three Pines!* Chen Jue was a member of the Ancient Three Pines Sect!

Seeing the change in Song Yue’s expression, Chen Jue knew this young junior brother must be aware of the Master's past. Without further explanation, he flashed into the sky, charging toward the heavens.

***

In the blood-colored clouds, Tiansongzi, one of the ancestors of the Ancient Tianle Sect, sat cross-legged in the void. His entire body was wreathed in lightning—lightning that was actively striking him—yet it was blocked by the terrifying defensive aura of blood energy erupting from him. The aged Tiansongzi glared viciously at the elegant middle-aged man before him.

"You ruined my plans?"

"You have such audacity!"

"Today, I will sacrifice all the living souls in this city!"

"No one shall escape!"

Tiansongzi roared. As he cast his spells, the crimson clouds thickened, pressing downward.

Although the laws of the human world were formidable, constantly striking him with lightning, the now-insane Tiansongzi was willing to sacrifice his remaining cultivation to endure it. He couldn't hold out for long, but it would be enough. Give him a few hours, and he would sacrifice the entire city. Then, his state would return to its peak, and he might even overcome death, taking his cultivation to the next level. He was gambling—gambling that he could complete the sacrifice before the laws of the human world destroyed him. He was gambling with his life. Therefore, anyone who stood in his way would be torn to shreds.

The Master watched Tiansongzi with cold eyes. He had not yet fully refined the Five-Colored Back-Flags, and to remain in the human world longer to watch Song Yue grow, he had suppressed his realm to the early stage of Infancy-Transformation. Under normal circumstances, even this level would be rejected by the Heavenly Dao. Fortunately, he was well-versed in the teachings of the Hundred Schools of Thought and had found a way to obscure the secrets of heaven, temporarily evading the "surveillance" of the laws of nature. But after this battle, it would be difficult for him to remain in the human world.

The Master sighed inwardly, looking at Tiansongzi. "You are courting death."

"You dare to stop me? Can you stop me? No wonder my disciple died tragically in the human world. To think this realm still holds someone like you! The people who attacked my mountain gate earlier were sent by you, weren't they?" Tiansongzi's voice was as cold as ice. "I will sacrifice this city today, and you will be the first! A mere Infancy-Transformation cultivator—you had a chance to run, yet you chose to play the saint. Very well, I shall grant your wish!"

With a burst of crimson light, Tiansongzi erupted like a bloody sun, releasing boundless energy. This was the true art of a powerful master, where the control of energy approached the level of law itself.

Facing a demon whose realm exceeded his own, the Master did not use the "Word-as-Law" technique, as it would not only fail but backfire. Despite the gap of a full major realm, the Master remained fearless. Five small flags flew from his body, turning into five streams of light that merged into the sea of blood. In the next instant, countless divine beasts and savage monsters, exuding terrifying primordial auras, charged at Tiansongzi. Simultaneously, a black silhouette tens of thousands of meters tall sat in the higher heavens, extending a hand like a curtain of sky, slowly pressing down upon the sea of blood.

Tiansongzi’s crimson light was blocked by the energy field erupting from the Master, though not entirely. The disparity in their realms was too great, and blood soon began to seep from the Master’s body. Just then, Chen Jue charged up from below, brandishing a bronze shield that expanded into a wall as vast as a city, shielding the Master.

"Who told you to come up? Go back!" the Master barked, his voice uncharacteristically harsh.

Veins bulged on Chen Jue's forehead; he tried to speak, but only vomited a mouthful of blood. With his strength, trying to block the attack of an insane, soul-divided Great Demon was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

"Did you hear me? Go back!" the Master shouted.

In the sea of blood, Tiansongzi roared in thunderous fury: "How can you possess this? The Five-Colored Flags... I must have them!"

The Master snorted and cast his spell, triggering a massive battle within the thick crimson clouds. Chen Jue’s bronze shield shattered with a bang. Just as the impact threatened to tear Chen Jue apart, the Master appeared before him and kicked him downward. "Go back and protect my disciple!"

*Boom!*

Chen Jue was kicked out of the crimson clouds like a kite with a broken string. He couldn't hold back his tears, shouting toward the clouds, "Master, you must survive!"

At that moment, Chen Jue and many others below looked up in astonishment. On the distant, endless horizon, a patch of red clouds appeared. Unlike the ominous, demonic crimson sea, this radiance felt strangely comforting. As it drew nearer, everyone realized it wasn't just clouds—it was a massive, fiery phoenix!

No one had ever seen a real phoenix, but the moment they saw it, the thought crossed every mind: *That is a phoenix!* Its wings blocked the sky, its speed incredible. It dove straight into the sea of blood.

Down in Hangzhou, the red bird perched on the old peony tree shivered, staring at the sky and screaming, "Phoenix! Phoenix! That's a phoenix!"

The old peony replied calmly, "You've met her before. What are you so surprised about?"

In the clouds, the Master, whose aura was steadily rising, smiled bitterly as he saw the phoenix. "I cannot stay long in this world. Are you in such a hurry too?"

"Bah! Stop with the nonsense. With your current strength, can you even beat this thing? He has grown up and has two girlfriends now; we can leave without any worries!" The phoenix spoke with a human voice, her temper seemingly volatile.

Had Song Yue been there, his jaw would have dropped. This voice, this tone—it was clearly his Master's wife!

Tiansongzi was going mad. He hadn't wanted to die, so he had made a desperate gamble, invading the human world and braving the laws of heaven to perform a blood sacrifice. Under normal circumstances, he should have succeeded! The protectors of this realm were usually just those annoying warriors. But he had struck suddenly, intending to finish the sacrifice and flee back to the cultivation world before anyone could react. Who could have imagined that not only would there be a death-defying Infancy-Transformation cultivator here to stop him, but also a legendary phoenix, thought to have been extinct for ages?

*Have I offended the Master of Creation?*

With the arrival of the phoenix, the Master's pressure eased. The Five-Colored Back-Flags formed a terrifying array, trapping Tiansongzi firmly within. The phoenix unleashed a sea of fire, replacing the crimson clouds. From the ground, the sky above Hangzhou appeared to be burning in a sea of flames, accompanied by thunderous roars.

Chen Jue had returned to Song Yue’s side. The tear tracks on his face remained, but he didn't wipe them away. He stared at the sky and said, "Do you know? The Master and the Mistress were once the absolute best in that other world!"

Song Yue stared blankly. He recalled his Master’s frequent refrain: "That is not your Mistress’s Way." He had always wondered what her Way could be. What did a grandmaster of martial arts practice if not martial skills? Later, when he brought back fire essence from Yuhuoxing, his Master had said to save some for her. He had been confused—why would a martial artist need fire essence?

Now, he understood. The Mistress was a phoenix! She was a demon! No wonder Sister Wang had appeared by his side!

In the sky, Tiansongzi was completely surrounded by fire. His nascent soul burst forth to fight alongside his original body, engaging in a desperate struggle against the Master and the phoenix. But with the laws of the human world above, the Five-Colored Back-Flags array below, and two formidable experts in between, Tiansongzi had lost all his advantages. Most terrifyingly, the man and the bird grew stronger with every strike, and the Heavenly Dao seemed to be ignoring them entirely! Clearly, their ability to deceive the heavens far exceeded his comprehension.

Eventually, his powerful nascent soul was swallowed by the sea of fire and devoured by the phoenix. His original body was shattered by a single palm strike from the giant black figure emerging from the black flag of the Five-Colored set.

At that moment, the Master’s realm successfully broke through into the Soul-Division realm! Had he not been sealed for decades, he would have reached this level long ago. It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse; the Master’s Way had long since surpassed this level. Today, to slay the demon, he had cast everything aside, stealing the power of the Heavenly Dao to refine the flags, and the harvest was extraordinary.

The moment he entered the Soul-Division realm, the outcome was sealed. Tiansongzi, who had invaded from the cultivation world, perished. His physical form was refined by the phoenix’s fire, his nascent soul devoured; he was utterly erased from existence.

Yet, the moment he died, the laws of the Heavenly Dao seemed to finally notice the two "escaped fish." The Master sent a thought plunging into Hangzhou, and then, together with the giant phoenix, he tore a rift in the sky and vanished in the blink of an eye.