Gu Er and Tan Ya, who were slower, were instantly stunned as they were trapped in the hazy red light. The surrounding air seemed to be stolen, making it difficult to move.
As if sinking into a muddy swamp, their heads were submerged.
...They were completely immobilized.
Their hearts were clutched tightly, and the feeling of imminent explosion caused all their blood to concentrate on the surface of their skin. Their veins throbbed, and even the capillaries in their eyeballs ruptured, turning into a patch of blood red.
The blood marsh unleashed by the demon god spread silently, instantly forming a formation. It was naturally not just to trap them so simply.
Gu Er discovered that his time was slowing down, and his powerfully built body was being consumed little by little within the red light by an invisible force. It was like falling into strong sulfuric acid, with flesh, bones, and skin being corroded and disappearing bit by bit by that cold and peculiar power.
"Wh-what is this?!"
Gu Er's face was covered in a ferocious unwillingness. He refused to yield to the absolute power of his opponent, nor would he give up on avenging Gu Junshi.
But now, even the act of approaching the opponent seemed so unattainable, let alone harming them.
He watched his arm begin to crumble from his fingertips like weathered stone, finally scattering into ash.
His eyes widened to their limit, and a roar of determination to perish together with the enemy emanated from his throat.
"You're insane. You can't kill the demon god by doing this. Besides sacrificing yourself, I don't see any other use for it."
Another urgent and furious voice echoed in his mind.
"Shut up."
"Don't forget, you wouldn't have gotten this far without me! If you're going to die, don't drag me with you!"
"I don't care—"
Gu Er's demonic horns, cultivated atop his head, gathered strength from their tips. Layers of gilded light filled with the luster of the sun, and a semicircular barrier in front of him slowed the impact.
The stagnant time before his eyes was being pushed forward bit by bit by his brute force.
He was like that stubborn ox, charging forward with all his might, even when his strength was nearly depleted.
"You want me to live in shame, you want me to plan before acting, you want me to endure humiliation, you want me to not be impulsive, bullshit! I can't listen, and I don't want to listen!"
"...You really are insane."
"This damned, broken world, if it's going to be destroyed, let's destroy it together!"
He roared, his mouth opening wide. Golden light intricately wove complex patterns from the tips of his horns, circling once as if gathering power, spreading throughout his entire head. Then his pupils, and his entire face, were enveloped in a dazzling golden light.
A terrifying and blinding energy erupted from his body, forcing even the red light to momentarily retreat. The red light suddenly surged and curled, forming a four-sided enclosure.
Immediately after, a straight, sharp beam of light shot out from his mouth, its destructive power astonishing and awe-inspiring.
It pierced all restraints and obstacles, scattered the overbearing red light, and reached the red pupils hanging high in the sky, arrogantly and contemptuously watching them.
BOOM—
The cultivators below, who were also trapped in the red marsh and suffering from endless torment and pain, suddenly saw the red light taken over by a golden light. The pain they endured lessened, and they looked up at the sky in surprise.
Their eardrums seemed to be plugged with damp, cold sponges, making all sounds appear unreal and blurred.
Their eyes seemed to be covered by fogged glass, making all sights appear hazy and illusory.
The old abbot of Mohe Zen Temple was stretched thin. He used his great selfless Buddha light to protect a group of juniors who could not protect themselves before the demon god, while also guarding the comatose individuals like Cheng Hong on the ground who might be affected by the battle.
His crimson kasaya was draped in darkness, stained with hazy gray. His robes fluttered, and his long gray-white eyebrows lay across his face, his eyes wide open.
"Is... is that the Golden Merit Light of the Heavenly Dao... It's so radiant. How many good deeds must this person have done to accumulate so much..."
"You're talking about him?!" a Celestial Venerable beside him exclaimed in shock. He couldn't believe it. "Abbot, he is clearly a drought demon of the ghost path. How can he receive the protection of heaven and earth and possess the Golden Merit Light? This... isn't this absurd?"
Just then, Tan Ya, holding the Cloud Thunder Sword above, slashed through the void with his sword. Lightning flashed and crackled, illuminating their eyes like cold light.
"You say it's absurd?"
"Don't you think it's more absurd that people with such low cultivation as yourselves can still live safe and sound?"
At these words, everyone was utterly stunned.
"His name is Gu Chuhao, and he is Gu Junshi's own brother! You had better remember that."
At this moment, black shadows began to float and fly up from the ground. These were the demons and monsters contracted with Gu Junshi.
Taking advantage of the red light's dissipation, they formed a peculiar and strange formation in the sky above Fengdu.
They surrounded the Dead River, forming star lines that extended into a six-pointed star light circle. The light circle grew larger and larger, and within the formation, a strange and profound domain gradually emerged.
Tan Ya was the first to observe the situation. He glanced at it, his eyes stunned for a moment, and then, for some reason, he felt an inexplicable premonition.
His heartbeat suddenly quickened.
"Heavenly Dao! I can see your disgusting presence everywhere!"
The demon god had been imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao for tens of millions of years. If there was anyone it hated and wanted to retaliate against the most, it was the Heavenly Dao.
Its red pupils narrowed into needles, chilling people to the bone. The sky formed thick leaden blocks, which fused and writhed together, both disgusting and dangerous.
"You dare to borrow the power of the Heavenly Dao before me? I will make you wish for death but be unable to achieve it."
Countless black lines shot from the sky. Their speed was imperceptible to the naked eye, and the ground was suddenly destroyed. Those who were caught were pierced through like skewers and fell to the ground. Those who were lucky enough to dodge in time were then penetrated through their shoulder blades by the nearby black lines the next second.
In the blink of an eye, people were either dead or crippled. The earth was riddled with holes, and floating rocks drifted in the void without support. The entire world was rendered unrecognizable by the demon god's rage.
The most astonishing among them was Gu Er.
He was now like a puppet with strings, with black threads threaded through the joints and muscles of his entire body. His eyes were vacant, his expression twisted and stiff.
"Your physique is indeed extraordinary. Using it as a blood puppet will surely create a more spectacular scene of slaughter than any demon could produce. A blood puppet bearing the Golden Merit of the Heavenly Dao, hahahaha..."
Seeing Gu Chuhao's body contorted by a powerful force, he then turned to look at them, his eyes fiercely red and bloody, like a boundless Shura of purgatory churning within.
When they were allies, they hadn't felt this keenly, but now that he was an enemy, the overwhelming pressure that washed over them made their breathing tighten and their faces pale.
"This is bad. Even the drought demon has been controlled by the demon god. Wh-what should we do?"
"Are you expecting him to be able to move the demon god?! I had already predicted this outcome."
"What's the use of saying this now? The demon god has only descended its primordial spirit to this realm and still needs other means to deal with us. Once it truly recovers its strength and breaks free from its prison, this world will likely turn to dust in an instant!"