Xu Fang, already at fault for being late, felt embarrassed. The Minghe Ancestor, however, adopted a forceful, bullying attitude. Xu Fang, unable to resist, was dragged towards the Sea of Blood.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng and Ao Xue had no choice but to follow.
The little qilin sighed and hurried to catch up, heading for the Sea of Blood with them.
As he dragged Xu Fang along, the Minghe Ancestor began to tell him about the Sea of Blood.
"This Sea of Blood," he explained, "was formed from the navel of the Great Pangu. Its waves surge, and no fish, shrimp, birds, or insects can survive there. It is a place where the world's malevolent energies gather."
"I myself emerged from this Sea of Blood, bringing forth Yuan Tu and Abi. Naturally, I am the master of this Sea of Blood!"
This was consistent with what Xu Fang already knew. Pangu, in his transformation into all things, had his navel become the Sea of Blood, with the filth and blood from within pooling there. Since then, all the malevolent energy in the world had converged in the Sea of Blood, which the beings of the Great Desolation called the Nether Blood Sea.
Later, within this Sea of Blood, a placenta naturally formed, giving birth to the Minghe Ancestor who stood beside him.
Born from the Sea of Blood, the Minghe Ancestor was one with it. He cultivated immense divine powers from the Sea of Blood, allowing him to wield its power and dominate it, unchallenged.
This was why the Minghe Ancestor dared to confront the Demon Race. Within the Sea of Blood, he was invincible, boasting, "As long as the Sea of Blood does not dry up, Minghe will not die."
These were common knowledge among the beings of the Great Desolation, and Xu Fang certainly knew them. Xu Fang also knew other things.
Listening to the Minghe Ancestor recount his glorious deeds of dominance in the Sea of Blood, Xu Fang felt a sense of helplessness.
"Is it meaningful to brag to me about this? Your home is about to be occupied!"
Xu Fang thought to himself. He knew that in the future, the compassionate Houtu would establish the Underworld above the Nether Blood Sea.
At that time, although the Minghe Ancestor would still claim to be the master of the Sea of Blood, his control over the Nether Blood Sea would be diminished. He could only wait and see.
However, this was a matter of the future. Despite his sympathy, Xu Fang remained cautious and did not reveal heavenly secrets.
He mused that if he had the chance, he might be able to help the Minghe Ancestor, so that this old acquaintance wouldn't end up homeless.
The Minghe Ancestor led Xu Fang and the others, flying rapidly, and soon they neared the Sea of Blood.
At this point, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the other two followers began to feel the surrounding spiritual energy becoming increasingly chaotic, and their minds felt oppressed.
They involuntarily looked at Xu Fang, who also felt a turmoil in his mind, as if he could be influenced at any moment.
Seeing this, the Minghe Ancestor quickly spoke to comfort them.
"There's no need to be suspicious. This is the Sea of Blood affecting the surrounding areas. You are not creatures of the Sea of Blood, so naturally, you are not accustomed to it."
As the Minghe Ancestor spoke, and seeing that home was near, he became even happier and couldn't help but show off.
"Let me tell you, this Sea of Blood is a good place. Although it is disliked by the beings of the Great Desolation, precisely because of this, I have always been undisturbed here."
"You could say that in this Great Desolation today, the Sea of Blood, which the beings of the Great Desolation avoid, is actually the land of bliss and peace!"
The Minghe Ancestor's words were not entirely wrong. At this moment, the Great Desolation was engulfed in war, with the constant conflict between the Wu and Yao tribes.
In contrast, the Sea of Blood, disliked by all beings, and of no interest to the Wu and Yao tribes, was a rare haven of quiet in this chaotic era.
Thinking this, Xu Fang nodded repeatedly. Was this considered a blessing in disguise?
However, the little qilin had a different opinion.
He was already displeased that the Minghe Ancestor had interrupted their journey to find the Qilin Seal. Listening to the Minghe Ancestor's incessant boasting along the way, he became extremely annoyed.
Seeing him become even more unrestrained, the little qilin immediately retorted.
"Is this what you call peace and quiet? You call this peace and quiet?"
The little qilin said indignantly, pointing towards the Sea of Blood not far away.
"Little fellow, you have quite an opinion! What do you know... hmm?"
The Minghe Ancestor intended to reprimand the little qilin, but midway through his words, as he followed the direction the little qilin pointed, he was suddenly struck with great alarm.
He saw that above the Sea of Blood not far away, the blood waves were churning, rising hundreds of thousands of feet high, a magnificent spectacle.
"What is going on?"
The Minghe Ancestor was greatly shocked. When he had left, the Sea of Blood had been perfectly fine!
How could his home be like this just from him going out for a chat?
As it concerned the safety of his home, the Minghe Ancestor couldn't think further and quickly flew towards the Sea of Blood. This Sea of Blood was his territory, and it could not afford to be lost!
With the Minghe Ancestor gone, Xu Fang and his group were left staring at each other.
"It seems something has changed in the Sea of Blood. I wonder what happened."
Xu Fang said. Did he have a tendency to cause things to happen wherever he went? Was this the legendary protagonist's curse?
If that were the case, his visit to the Sea of Blood had truly brought misfortune to the Minghe Ancestor!
Hearing Xu Fang's words and seeing his troubled expression, the little qilin immediately spoke.
"Senior, we don't know what happened, and the danger is unknown. We should leave quickly and go find the Qilin Seal; it's much safer!"
The Golden-Winged Great Peng and Ao Xue nodded in agreement, feeling a desire to retreat. They truly could not bear such an oppressive atmosphere!
"Alright, since we're already here, why would I leave now?"
Xu Fang waved his hand and said.
"I want to see who is stirring up this commotion in the Sea of Blood!"
As Xu Fang spoke, he immediately headed in the direction of the Sea of Blood.
Since he was already here, how could he leave? Even if he couldn't help, he should at least go take a look and offer some comfort to the Minghe Ancestor?
The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the other two exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and followed.
There was no alternative. Since Senior Xu Fang had gone, as his followers, they could not falter even if they were afraid. They could only steel themselves and follow.
Xu Fang flew rapidly and soon reached the edge of the Sea of Blood.
Looking up, he saw that the Sea of Blood stretched for who knew how many miles, all of it blood-red. The spiritual energy flowing within was also incredibly oppressive.
And at this moment, above the Sea of Blood, fierce waves were constantly rising, hundreds or thousands of feet high, as if the Sea of Blood had exploded. They surged one after another, a magnificent sight.
Xu Fang had never seen the Sea of Blood before, but looking at it now, he could confidently say that this was definitely not its normal state.
After observing for a while, Xu Fang looked around, searching, and soon spotted the figure of the Minghe Ancestor.
Xu Fang flew towards the Minghe Ancestor and landed beside him.
The Minghe Ancestor felt Xu Fang's arrival and looked back at him, filled with gratitude for this fellow Daoist Xu Fang's unwavering support.
However, Xu Fang's subsequent words made the Minghe Ancestor want to laugh and cry.
"Minghe, your home exploded. What are you going to do?"