Beneath the Great Wilderness
Beneath the vast lands of the Great Wilderness, lay an equally vast landmass. In fact, it was far larger than then totality of the five continents. Existing alongside an equally vast ocean of crimson waters, the Netherworld existed on the reverse end of the Great Wilderness. Simultaneously attached to that layer of reality, yet in its own dimension as well.
Yet ever since Pangu split heaven from earth, this area has been barren. An empty and cold land wherein nothing inhabited. Not even souls of any kind called this place home. Until several tens of thousands of years ago, this was the sole truth.
But the third generation of innate gods ushered in living beings for the first time. Despite the frigid dead air laced with illusionary yin attribute that would ordinary kill any living creature, these first deities resisted it. Instead, the yin laced qi became part of their being, allowing them to cultivate it.
Within the boundless sea of blood, Minghe rose atop a crimson lotus. In the vast lands of the Netherworld, Yanluo emerged from a coffin. The two lonely men inhabiting a dead world.
As Da Hai emerged from an explosion of rock, he appeared in the chilling sky of this grand abyss. Behind him, Yanluo was dragged out being pulled by a tendril of water. He wasn't really struggling, yet one could see his clear displeasure.
"What's the point of bring me here? I was content helping my new brother kill those invaders!" Yanluo argued harshly.
"Those devils are using the reincarnation system in some way," Da Hai said without looking back. "This place is filled with death but I'm unfamiliar with it. I request a guide from a native."
Yanluo scoffed at the inquisitive way Da Hai spoke. This wasn't even a request, this man had no care for his opinions on the matter.
"You know Haotian once asked the same thing. It's why I was up there and not down here. Whatever magical ritual is going on, it's clearing not starting from this place."
Yanluo voiced his opinions and indicated with his head. Da Hai gazed outwards into the distance. From his eyes, he witnessed vague outlines of flowing energy. Hands clawing upwards bound by chains. Individuals being pulled through an arc.
It was like a wheel. Were Da Hai unfamiliar with myths from his human inheritance, he'd have nothing to compare it to.
"In all my time pondering on the Dao, I could long sense the mechanism of life and death," the godfiend mused. "When someone dies, if their true souls still belonged to the Chaos World, then their existing soul will be drawn back into the earth. After a period of time, it'll inhabit a new physical form and reincarnate."
Da Hai gazed around him unbothered by the deathly chill. Thinking about it, the anchor point of the devil's entire formation should be on Mt Sumeru itself. Unfortunately for him, it was a nigh impenetrable fortress with the forces at his disposal.
It was not Hundun or even Luohu he feared. It was the Immortal Extermination Formation. The thorn always at his side since the start of this tribulation. Something no one can account for even if they knew it was coming. Only pray they had enough cultivators with sufficient strength to break it.
"You should know just as I, that those, 'souls', flowing in and out of my home are too strong for the reincarnation process," Yanluo said to Da Hai's agreement.
When someone reaches the peak of Heavenly Immortal, when they form the third and final crown. A Heavenly Immortal would attempt to take back their true soul from the river of time.
When a creature of a Chaos World was born, they are not in ownership of themselves. They may posses a soul, but it was in reality a creation of their true soul. Their soul may represent them being an immaterial spirit attached to their bodies. But their true soul was the record of this specific individual in all their iterations, completely unreachable by ordinary means.
A true soul was like a failsafe. Even if a soul was destroyed, the true soul can reproduce another to take its place. In this way, even if someone is killed in both physical and spiritual, they can still reincarnate. The only caveat being, obtaining their previous lives' memories will be much more challenging. This was natural reincarnation.
When Da Hai adventured through the Chaos Sea, he'd sometimes stop to examine Chaos Worlds that were not created by Pangu. After that, he knew that there could be numerous souls created by a true souls at the same time. They would simultaneously exist through numerous parallel timelines. So even in an alternate timeline, even if the appearance, species, or parentage change, the individual will be the same.
Yet the Primitive World operated much like a nascent Chaos Sea. It did not contain any other timeline other than the one Da Hai and the others existed in. The fact their they own their true souls, that being the totality of an individual, was proof enough.
"I know," Da Hai replied. "But I don't think their true souls belong to them either. The Devilish Dao is like a machine, every individual cultivator being a cog for that Dao fruit."
"What's a machine?"
"Another time."
Da Hai pondered as to the nature of the Netherworld. He approached the cycle of devil souls and attacked. Sending powerful bursts of spells its way.
"I've tried smashing it myself as well," Yanluo said. "We're both Chaos Immortals, even if you're vastly more powerful then me, our power is in the same dimension. I couldn't even touch it."
"Unreachable even by a Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortal who's stepped on the path of Wuji?" Da Hai retracted after seeing his attempts pass harmlessly through. "It's nature is too different then what I've studied."
"See what I mean? I wouldn't have gone to the surface had I another choice," Yanluo said rather smugly.
"What's that over there?" Da Hai asked instead. He pointed towards a different, more sinister flow of energy.
"Oh that's Minghe's problem not mine. He's been dealing with that mess for eons. Ha!"
Da Hai didn't respond immediately, opting to directly bring Yanluo with him. His destination was the shores of the Blood Sea that bordered the Netherworld.
The ocean of crimson water did not even register as the sea in Da Hai's mind. It's water was not remotely the same as saltwater from the Great Wilderness. When Da Hai reached his hand in to touch, he was quickly repulsed.
"What's wrong? It's just water." Yanluo, now free of Da Hai's binding stepped knee deep in the Blood Sea. His red skin was a similar shade as the liquid, the latter not even being transparent like real water.
"It's polluted." Was Da Hai's quick response.
"Been this way as far as I remember. It's your surface water that's strange."
Da Hai instead sat down to meditate. He could feel the flow of karma all around him, not the good kind mind you. It was not the pleasant experience he'd felt every time someone offered him incense, nor the wondrous feel after he preached to the masses.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, one filled with pain and anguish. The only thing he could compare it to was what Zulin tried to do all those years ago. The ominous sinful energy that he sucked out of the aftermath of Shenni's war, and attempted to replace Zulong's great meritous reward with.
Yet Da Hai could feel this sea being far, far, far worse. Thankfully, it was all trapped in this body of water. Were it released into the world, the collective resentment will draw immense amount of negative karma that may cause an apocalypse far worse than the current tribulation.
'No, this water is just condensed negative karma.' Da Hai realized upon swallowing small bits of the crimson water. More was being drawn in even as Da Hai pondered. The Blood Sea was like a natural vacuum for all the resentment accumulated by the Primitive World.
Where did it come from? Judging by the screams, it was from the feelings of hatred, resentment from countless living beings who'd lived since the dawn of time within Pangu's Chaos World.
Instead of being afraid however, Da Hai sat down and began meditating. Yanluo raised a curious eyebrow. The innate god made a move to leave were it not for the godfiend calling him to stop.
"Wait, meditate with me. Let's see if we can figure something out between this Blood Sea and the reincarnation system the Devilish Dao is using."
Seeing a lack of choices, Yanluo sat down with him. Even as large multi limbed beings rose out of the Blood Sea due to sensing the presence of these two intruders approached. Da Hai did not move from his meditative position.
…
For an undisclosed period of time since Liu Er's departure, Minghe remained in his bloodied frenzy. He cared not for wartime strategy by his higher ups. Only the euphoric feeling of slaughter interested him.
In battle, he refused to battle ghost devils, he will only fight living devils. And he will only ever act to split their bodies open. Their essence condensed into the form of blood was the only thing he wanted. The very thing he could never receive in the Netherworld.
Arguments by his fellow soldiers were petty to him. The rivalries sparked by the likes of Kun Peng and Hongyun did not interest him. The glean of various dropped treasures did not move his heart like it did so many cultivators. Not even the ambitious sounding talks of Di Jun.
Instead, Minghe remained isolated. Sharpening Abi and Yuantu between battles was the only thing he ever did.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Minghe perked up alarmed. His sudden action roused the attention of various officers around him.
"What's wrong soldier?" A dragon elder asked. Minghe did not respond to him, he was looking around in what seemed to be confusion. Then his handsome yet normally emotionless face turned to a look of anger.
CLANG!
Abi and Yuantu were stabbed into the ground. Minghe blocked out every sound around him as he focused. His current body rippled, its vitality weakened.
In another location, Minghe opened his senses.
Waves crashed against each other as a giant emerged from the Blood Sea. It resembled a mass of blood defying gravity by rising out of the sea. It took a few seconds for what seemed to be arms for emerge from its blob. Then eyes formed, followed by the Blood Sea blob compressing down to a humanoid form.
Da Hai opened his eyes to peer into the Blood Sea. Numerous multi limbed creatures he could only describe as Primordial Beasts surrounded him. They were unable to reach him no matter what they tried. But the sea giant in the distance was someone he recognized.
"Junior Minghe," Da Hai greeted while Yanluo perked up in surprise.
"I thought he left."
"As long as the Blood Sea never dries, Minghe never dies," Da Hai quoted.
Minghe's titanic form moved fast. He skirted across the Blood Sea, smashing those Primordial Beasts apart as he did so. He slaughtered so many of these vicious creatures of resentment what he resembled a meat grinder. Arriving before Da Hai, Minghe gazed down with a look of anger.
He felt truly violated.
"You never returned after heading east. You came here? Inside me?" Minghe truly felt panicked. It was because he knew Da Hai was far above him, potentially had the power to dry out the Blood Sea and end their shared existence.
Unlike every other innate god of his generation, Minghe never had a true body. The Three Pure One's physiques were condensed by Pangu's Nascent Soul, Hongyun was condensed by first cloud in the cosmos, Zhunti was nurtured by the Seven Branch Treasure Tree. But Minghe was the Blood Sea in the most literal sense of the word.
Even the body he used to fight in the tribulation was just a mass of water. One Minghe especially condensed to be stronger than the rest over many thousands of years. He could make countless bodies in an instant though their strength will vary, but they could all qualify as true bodies rather then avatars. The real Minghe existed in every single droplet of the Blood Sea.
"You? Yanluo?"
"Hello Minghe, it's a displeasure to see you again."
Minghe's form narrowed with distaste. He continued killing the primordial beasts rising from the Blood Sea, however he showed no joy in doing so. Even though they bled, it was blood condensed from the same resentful karmic sin that the Blood Sea was made out of.
"Minghe, I'm sure you're already aware of ghost devil's nature as spiritual beings. Constantly respawning no matter how many times they're put down," Da Hai said. His palms were clasped below his chin as he spoke. "I think I may have a solution to solve that."
"Huh?"
"I'll relay my message to Zulong. I need to study this place more, both the Netherworld and the Blood Sea. The Devilish Dao is taking advantage of this place for their reincarnation system, but I think I can get around that. I need the anti-devil alliance to hold on before I can act."
Minghe nodded helplessly. "No harm will come to my Blood Sea?"
"No," Da Hai lied. After studying so much, he could faintly see an artificial, regulated reincarnation system was possible. One that once created, could wrestle control of the whole process away from the Devilish Dao. He truly did not know if any change will come to the Blood Sea should a system like the Samsara cycle be established in the Primitive World. But after.