The air of the Sea of Blood was full of corrosiveness. Zhang Chen was rendered useless from barely inhaling a breath, let alone being directly kicked into the Sea of Blood.
A wave rolled out from the water of the Sea of Blood, engulfing Zhang Chen. On the boat, the Black Robed Monster let out a strange, triumphant laugh before maneuvering the small boat into the depths of the Sea of Blood, casually tossing a blood-red flower into it, and then quickly disappearing into obscurity.
Soon after the Black Robed Monster departed, the Sea of Blood churned, a huge wave rose, and the red flower vanished without a trace.
When calmness returned, the Black Robed Monster reappeared in the Sea of Blood, his eyes fixed on the depths, a cold smile tugging at his lips: "You consumed my flesh, and I possess your body—isn’t that fair?"
Regarding Zhang Chen, when the Black Robed Monster kicked him into the Sea of Blood, the overwhelming tide surged with the intent to dissolve him entirely. With his magical power collapsed, Zhang Chen had no means to resist, left with no choice but to wait for death.
Who could have expected that just then, the crystal core within Zhang Chen’s heart suddenly thumped, countless runes within it lighting up, and shimmering runes twisted and reassembled into chains of order. A devouring force emanated from the crystal core, absorbing all the blood energy that had invaded Zhang Chen’s body.
The red taint on the Cyan Lotus was sucked away instantly, as if vacuumed off.
A glimpse of delight flashed in Zhang Chen’s eyes, but it soon faded as his expression darkened. The insignificant impurities were no longer the greatest threat; the massive Sea of Blood encased him completely, presenting the real danger.
The blood waters were about to assault his flesh to dissolve it, but suddenly he felt a suction from his crystal core, all 48,000 pores on his body opening, an immense consuming force pulling the blood water into his crystal core.
At this moment, Zhang Chen’s crystal core glimmered disturbingly with blood-red light, his body resembling a bottomless pit, devouring the ceaseless torrent of blood water.
Even the blood water around Zhang Chen formed a vortex, causing streams to swirl around, drawing more blood from the Sea of Blood.
"This crystal core of mine..." Astonished by the change, Zhang Chen couldn’t believe his eyes, stunned by the transformation of his own crystal core.
"Could the monster that fought the emperor long ago originate from the Sea of Blood?" Zhang Chen pondered fearfully.
A moment of drowsiness overtook him, pulling his eyelids shut. Relieved to have escaped the crisis, Zhang Chen drifted into sleep.
While Zhang Chen slept, his crystal core quickened its absorption of the Sea of Blood a thousandfold, actively drawing the water inward.
Though the crystal core was small, unable to hold so much water, as more Sea of Blood flooded in, its internal space began to collapse and expand under the weaving order of countless runes, reshaping the internal space.
The process, though lengthy, unfolded unseen in the sunless Netherworld. After an unknown duration, the chains of order inside finally reassembled, creating an expanded space within the crystal core. Zhang Chen’s pores emitted even stronger suction, turning him into a black hole, drawing the Sea of Blood into the crystal core.
Soon, the crystal core’s space filled with blood water, forming a nascent blood sea. In its midst, a radiant crimson light burst forth, seemingly nurturing a spiritual essence.
As the infinite blood sea poured in, the space within Zhang Chen’s crystal core swelled, collapsing and reconfiguring again and again.
Thus, with every expansion of the space within, the suction through Zhang Chen’s pores intensified, accelerating the absorption of blood. As more blood flowed in, the crystal core’s space expanded ever larger.
In the distance
A mosquito the size of a building slumbered, while the Black Robed Monster navigated the boat toward it, transforming into a streak of light to infiltrate, intending to take advantage of the mosquito’s evolution to possess it.
Yet, during the possession, he noticed an anomaly: "Why is the Sea of Blood’s level dropping so quickly, at such an unimaginable rate?"
The Black Robed Monster was finally alarmed: "Could the cosmic change reach its climax, dispersing even the Sea of Blood under the End of the Dharma?"
Born from the Sea of Blood, it was his sanctuary, his foundation, with his destiny and existence intertwined with it. If the Sea of Blood faced peril, disaster awaited him as well.