Hell, Blood Sea.

An aquamarine flame crossed the sky, the high temperature instantly evaporating the stormy waves into white steam, forming a colorful ribbon with a magnificent halo.

Then, the end of the light ribbon was blasted open by a pure green arrow. The arrow was like a meteor cutting through the wind and breaking the waves, instantly knocking Maha, who was at the other end of the sky, away!

Phoenix flew across the sky, her speed was so fast that it was almost like a shadow. Then, she grabbed Maha with one hand and pressed him down against the turbulent airflow.

Two figures fell rapidly from the sky, and then fell into the Blood Sea with a boom!

Zhou Hui followed, only to see the seawater parting from Maha's side as if it had a life of its own and retreating violently.

Chu River pressed one hand on his chest, and the two fell rapidly from the magnificent wall of water to the bottom of the sea, and then landed on a flat surface in the depths of the sea.

Zhou Hui rushed down without thinking, but then he heard Chu River's stern voice, "Don't come over!"

"You …"

"Don't come over," Chu River said indifferently. He half-knelt on the ground and looked straight at Maha under his feet, "… This is between me and Damao."

Zhou Hui hesitated and stopped in his tracks.

Under the immense pressure of the two Wisdom Kings' divine powers, all the demonic creatures in the sea of blood quickly fled into the distance. The seawater was pushed to the sides by an invisible force, forming an endless, spectacular, yet empty wall of water.

Maha lay motionless on the ground and said coldly, "Zhou Hui wants to kill me, mother."

Chu River said softly, "He doesn't."

"Why are you indifferent when he wants to kill me, but I'm stopped when I fight back?"

"He doesn't really want to kill you."

Maha's eyes moved and finally looked at Phoenix.

The Peacock Bright King's face was very similar to his mother's, but even a silhouette could distinguish the obvious differences.

Maha's eyebrows were slightly raised, and his eyelashes were habitually squinted. He looked very sharp and a little neurotic. His every movement was very casual, and when he spoke, his tone was always sarcastic. Even if he didn't say anything or move, just sitting there casually, his body was surrounded by a vicious aura that came from inside out.

It was only when he was facing Phoenix that he would feel less anxious.

"He might have thought about it, but he didn't really do it."

Chu River paused and said, "So I hope that your thoughts are just thoughts … Some things can't be changed, but don't put them into action for the rest of your life."

Maha said mockingly, "I thought you had been working hard to restore harmony to this family. So you admit that some things can't be changed?"

Chu River was silent for a moment.

"It's my fault."

After a long while, he said, "It's because I wanted to change things from the very beginning. That's what led to today's result."

He let go of Maha and sat on the ground. He casually put his hands on his bent knees and looked at the majestic water wall in the distance.

The tense atmosphere suddenly disappeared, and Maha was a little uncomfortable.

He lay on the ground and blinked for a while, then slowly got up and sat in front of Chu River, staring at his mother warily.

"… What do you want to say?"

"When you were punished by Heaven," Chu River said slowly, "I also felt that Zhou Hui really wanted you to die."

Maha was startled.

"That was when I hated Zhou Hui the most in my life. I felt that he should have saved you, but he stood by and did nothing. He even stopped me from taking your place to bear the punishment of Heaven … In a sense, he was the executioner who wanted to kill you.

Because of this, my anger and hatred for him reached an unprecedented level. I even thought of breaking up with him. Even the Snow Mountain Goddess of the Thirty-third Layer of Heaven … "

Maha listened attentively, but Chu River suddenly paused.

— — Even the Snow Mountain Goddess didn't ignite such a clear and deep hatred in me.

However, he didn't say this in front of Maha.

"But as time passed … I slowly realized that my anger toward Zhou Hui came more from empathy and self-deception.

During the hundreds of years you were sealed in the underground grotto of H City, the one I really hated was myself — — the one who couldn't protect you and watched my child fall into a quagmire … "

"It's not like that at all!" Maha suddenly retorted. "It has nothing to do with you!

If you hadn't been there since I was young — "

"It's like that."

Phoenix interrupted him calmly. "I've made too many wrong decisions in the process of educating you. It's because I can't face the fact that I've harmed my child that I've transferred all my resentment to Zhou Hui.

'Why didn't you help Maha?

Why did you stop me from taking Maha's place to bear the punishment of Heaven? '

— — Actually, I knew deep down that if I had personally taken your place from the first bolt of Heaven's punishment, I wouldn't have been able to hold on until the last strike, and Zhou Hui wouldn't have had a good ending. "

Maha was silent for a long time.

"And Zhou Hui's decision wasn't wrong.

Rather than saying that he chose to sacrifice you, it's better to say that he chose to bear the price of resentment to protect me … "

Phoenix's tone was slightly complicated as he paused.

"Many years ago, I thought that children were the most important. You and Garuda, who were connected by blood, were the ones who couldn't abandon each other.

But as time passed, I gradually realized that this was actually a very selfish way of thinking.

Just based on bloodline, you believed in supreme importance. Where did you place the sincerity and love of others? "

"In a long life, you can always find someone who shares your heart. You give them feelings, and you can ask them to accompany you to the end of your life with the same feelings.

However, this person won't be your descendant. Children don't have the responsibility of excessive emotional needs of parents, and parents don't have the obligation to sacrifice everything for their children.

Zhou Hui was very clear about this from the beginning, but I didn't understand it until the last moment. "

"… I understand what you mean." Maha took a breath and said in a low voice, "But I still don't want to change my mind …"

He crossed his legs, his slender white fingers resting on his ankles. Dingding his eyes fell to the ground, and his long silver hair flowed down the side of his face.

Chu River looked at him.

When Maha was still a little peacock, he was used to sitting cross-legged like this, playing with his feathers in a corner.

At that time, he was suffering from the torment of nightmares. Every day, he was confused between terrifying illusions and reality. He was manic, restless, and neurotic. Only when he was alone would he calm down a little.

"It doesn't matter." After a long while, Chu River sighed.

"…"

"I just want to explain to you what your father did when the heavens punished him … But you're right. There are some things that can't be changed."

They sat facing each other. In the distance, the sound of the waves came from the dark sky.

"Let's discuss something," Chu River suddenly said.

Maha raised his head.

"Zhou Hui's lifespan as a Hell Demon is limited. It's estimated that he still has so many years."

Chu River made a number. "And your symptoms of the Five Decay of Heaven have been alleviated in the Blood Sea. It shouldn't be a problem for you to last until then."

"Are you saying that I can give him the last stab before he dies?" Maha asked without much hope.

"No."

"What I mean is that if you only go back and forth between the God Realm and the Demon Realm and don't invade the Human Realm, after Zhou Hui dies, I will give you my Godhood."

Chu River's expression was very calm. She didn't even pause in the slightest. It sounded no different from "Be obedient from now on" or "My inheritance will still be inherited by you."

However, these words were no less than a bomb in Maha's ears. He was stunned on the spot.

"… You're not joking?"

Chu River nodded very seriously and said, "No."

Maha's lips were tightly pursed. His face was a little pale as he stared at his mother in disbelief.

Before Phoenix ascended to the Colorless Sky Killing Buddha, she had also said the same thing. However, in the context of that time, Maha had taken it as a joke.

This kind of thing was completely beyond his scope of understanding. He simply couldn't imagine that one day it would actually happen!

Not far behind him, Zhou Hui had been squatting on the ground with a straw stick and drawing circles. At this moment, his movements suddenly paused.

"… I thought …" Maha's voice was unsteady. If one listened carefully, the end of his words trembled a little. "I thought you would go and steal a Godhood for Father … something like that …"

"Is Godhood cabbage? Can you steal it just because you want to?"

Chu River asked back. "Besides, there are too few Godhoods that are compatible with Hell Demons. We can't go to the Asura Tribe and massacre them. How about we steal Garuda?"

Maha was speechless. The only thing he felt was absurdity. "But if that's the case, your life will soon …"

"I know.

But the world is like this. There is no path that can lead to the best of both worlds. "

They looked at each other for a moment, and Chu River smiled slightly.

"Maha, gods like you and me have almost the same lifespan as the heavens and earth. Therefore, all the choices you and I make are destined to be short passersby in life.

Just like an innkeeper who watches the guests come and go, there will be a day when you will want to close the inn, pick up your luggage, and follow him on the road. "

"For me, your father would only occupy a certain period of time in my life. However, for him, I occupy an infinite amount of weight in his limited life.

This is an unfair game in itself, and I just want to change this unequal situation. "

Maha's mind was buzzing. He instinctively wanted to refute, but Chu River had already stood up.

"Well, don't go looking for trouble in the human world. Stay in the Blood Sea obediently. The sword in your hand is Susanoo's Tian Congyun. After he was born, he was indeed reprimanded by his father because he missed his mother too much.

But at that time, his mother was already dead. I was not dead yet. It's better if you don't cause trouble. "

"…" Maha said awkwardly, "It's not just because of this sword that I …"

Chu River raised his hand and patted him on the head.

Although this action was condescending, his voice was very soft.

"You will find someone to accompany you in place of your parents. Only this person can accompany you to the end.

I was wrong in the past. From now on, it won't happen again. "

Chu River turned around, passed through the towering water wall, and walked towards Zhou Hui on the other side of the Blood Sea.

Maha looked back at him.

At that moment, the violence and anxiety around the Mahamayuri seemed to have faded away. Only his eyes were a little empty and confused.

Zhou Hui stood up and Chu River walked in front of him.

"Go back. It's not over there yet."

Zhou Hui nodded, looking thoughtful. He was still holding the grass root in his mouth.

Chu River pretended not to see it and walked towards the endless Iron Wheel Mountain under the gray sky in the distance.

Zhou Hui followed closely behind him. After a long while, he stammered, "Well, if one day …"

"Hmm?"

"… If I die …"

Chu He looked straight ahead, remaining calm and collected.

Zhou Hui's tongue was suddenly tied, and the words that came out of his mouth became, "Where do you think it's better to bury me?"

"…" Chu River was silent for a moment and said slowly, "Mount Buzhou."

"Why?"

"The place is big. You and I can be buried together."

The wind blew from his face. His hair and clothes were instantly lifted back, reflecting in Zhou Hui's deep eyes.

Chu River didn't even turn his head. He just pulled Zhou Hui up.

Their fingers intertwined and their palms touched. Zhou Hui quickly walked to his side and saw that in the sky above the Iron Wheel Mountain not far away, there was a space-time passage that was overflowing with light. The Human Boundary Monument was flashing out of the space-time passage from the space-time passage.

That was the entrance to hell for the new undead that died every day in the human world.

From there, they could return to the human world, where they came from.

"Hey," Zhou Hui looked straight at the sky and finally said, "About Shakti, I actually have something to say …"

Chu River said flatly, "Don't say it."

"No, no, these words have been in my heart for a long time.

Do you know that she's now possessed? Actually, after she became possessed, she became much better. Back then, she was really too pretentious.

I'm not the kind of person to gossip behind people's backs. Besides, I don't want to talk about my stupid past. But if you mind … "

"I don't mind."

"No, no, no, it's okay if you mind.

What I want to say is that everything has a process of development. Just like how Shakti changed from being pretentious all the time to being free in a few thousand years. Back then, I was just a magical beast who had just transformed, had a little intelligence, and was often in a state of stubbornness.

Now that I think about it, I should wait until I'm more mature before looking for you. But when I'm hot-headed … sometimes I make stupid mistakes … "

"Don't say it," Chu River couldn't take it anymore. "I didn't care about her at all back then!"

Zhou Hui stared at him with a look of desperation.

"I was just very concerned about whether you would be like Shakya!"

Chu River said, "At that time, I was already beginning to suspect him. I was afraid that you would be like him, two-faced!

As for the Snow Mountain Goddess, I never cared about her. If I was really conflicted, she would have died a thousand times over. How could it be as simple as burning her house?

So what you want to explain is not important at all. I will look for the answers I care about from other aspects, understand? "

Zhou Hui looked at him distrustfully. After a while, he asked, "… Then what was the fear you saw in Shakti's mirror?"

"It was you who killed Maha Peacock Stew," Chu River said casually.

Zhou Hui was about to mercilessly expose his lie when he suddenly saw Chu River standing halfway up the mountain, squinting his eyes and looking up. "Huh?"

"Don't even think about changing the topic —"

"No," Chu River pointed at the space-time tunnel in the air and asked in surprise, "Isn't that Brother Yan?"

Zhou Hui's only reaction was "Don't even think about changing the topic." But when he looked back, he was also stunned.

Thousands of souls formed a torrent, passing through the Human Boundary Monument and rushing towards Hell from the space-time tunnel.

In the middle of the grey, translucent tide, there was a soul shimmering like a tiny star in a huge school of fish. If one looked closely, it was because there was a pentagram flashing in the chest of this soul. The light was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

— — It was Yan Lanyu's soul, Yang Shihun.

"Wait!" Zhou Hui suddenly said, "There's also Old Yu!"

Chu River took a closer look and saw that Yan Lanyu's soul was facing the direction of the human world, as if he was reluctant to leave. Not far in front of him, another gray, translucent soul was passing through the torrent, trying to reach out to him. It was Yu Jingzhong!

"— — Catch them!"

Zhou Hui was instantly flustered and exasperated, "What's going on? Why are two human souls floating to Hell?!"

Chu River followed closely behind Zhou Hui, and the gorgeous Buddhist light of the Phoenix Wisdom King erupted from his side.

Wherever the light went, countless souls immediately flew up and broke away from the shackles of the Hell Path, flying towards the human world and the Thirty-Third Layer of Heaven.

For a moment, the sky of Hell was filled with souls. Yan Lanyu's Yang Shihun in the air was also about to dissipate, but Chu River held it down.

The illusory soul was caught in his palm as if it had substance. He looked back and saw that not far away, Zhou Hui had also caught Yu Jingzhong, and directly stabbed his five fingers into the soul's brain.

"Why the f * ck are you here?!

Are you dead?

How did you die?! "

Yu Jingzhong's soul was swayed left and right, and he stared blankly at Zhou Hui, obviously showing signs of dissipating.

"Return to the human world!"

Chu River made a prompt decision. He flew over and grabbed Zhou Hui, and directly dragged him into the space-time tunnel, "Their bodies are not completely dead yet!

If we go back now, we can still save them! "

Zhou Hui grabbed Chu River, and the two of them carried the souls of Yu Jingzhong and Yan Lanyu respectively. With a swoosh, they were sucked into the space-time tunnel by the recoil force.

In the next second, in the Yi Shishan of the human world, Zhou Hui and Chu River both fell onto the rugged ground with a "plop!"

Zhou Hui was cushioned at the bottom, and when he got up with his face covered in dust, he saw a huge pit in front of him, and Yan Lanyu's body was lying quietly at the bottom of the pit.

Yu Jingzhong leaned over his body, one hand holding onto him, and the other hand still maintaining the climbing posture. It was obvious that he was still trying to escape with Yan Lanyu at the last moment.

This posture was actually tragic to the point that it was a little absurd. Zhou Hui looked back at Yu Jingzhong's lifeless soul, and suddenly became angry. He immediately dragged him down the pit, and without caring about anything else, he kicked the soul back into Yu Jingzhong's body!

When the soul entered the body, it was like a metal vibration, echoing for a long time.

Then Yu Jingzhong's fingers moved, and then again.

His whole body suddenly spasmed, and he covered his chest, arched up, and coughed violently!

"Cough cough cough cough, cough cough cough!

… "

Yu Jingzhong trembled as he got up, and then the world spun around him, and he fell down again.

After falling down two or three times, Zhou Hui finally showed mercy and grabbed the back of Yu Jingzhong's collar. He lifted Yu Jingzhong, who was in an extremely sorry state, from the ground.

"Yan … cough cough!

Yan Lanyu … he … cough cough cough!

… "

Zhou Hui gave him a slap, "How old are you? You still want to die for love!

Isn't that Yan Lanyu?! "

Yu Jingzhong panted violently, and finally stopped coughing, which almost broke his ribs. He reluctantly raised his head to look.

He saw Yang Shihun floating above Yan Lanyu's body — it was just an ordinary translucent soul now, and the brilliance of the pentagram had completely disappeared.

Chu He knelt on one knee, murmuring something, and pressed one hand on Yang Shihun's heart.

His palm seemed to be covered with a warm halo, which completely enveloped the soul. After a few minutes, he gently pressed it back into Yan Lanyu's already cold body.

Yu Jingzhong rushed over, "Lanyu!"

The halo had not dissipated, and Yan Lanyu's pale cheeks seemed to be stained with a little bit of blood.

Yu Jingzhong held his hand tightly, and suddenly felt a movement in his fingers.

— It was a pulse coming from his wrist.

Yan Lanyu slowly opened his eyes, and a few seconds later, his scattered pupils gradually focused, and he turned to Yu Jingzhong.

"…"

His mouth moved slightly, but he did not make a sound. After a while, a tired smile appeared on his face.

Yu Jingzhong breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had finally unloaded a heavy burden. His body shook a few times, and he could no longer support himself, and fell to the ground with a thud.