"Where is this?"
Shang Shitu, opening his eyes, scanned his surroundings. The myriad coffins before him had vanished without a trace, as had Hu Yan Zan and the other beings beside him.
The world was as it had been, the only difference being the disappearance of the surrounding beings and the myriad coffins, including the mysterious blood-red giant eye that had appeared before he lost consciousness.
"What on earth happened?"
Shang Shitu, completely bewildered, looked around. Meanwhile, in another world, Hu Yan Zan, who had also awakened, gazed at the surrounding landscape with bewilderment.
The bizarre scene before him surpassed his imagination. The giant eye that had appeared before he lost consciousness had, with a mere flash of light, displaced him.
Though this world was the same as before, and the ancient forest behind him remained, Hu Yan Zan knew this was no longer the Sea of Blood with its suspended coffins.
Yet, everything before him felt so real!
So very real!
"Gugu gu~~"
Again, that familiar, eerie sound. The mysterious blood-red net, the burial ground of countless true gods—all these scenes were inextricably linked to this strange sound.
"Gugulu~~"
A blood spring erupted about fifty feet away. As the blood receded, a blood-red coffin lay still, unmoving.
"Creak~~ Creak~~"
The coffin lid opened, a pair of large hands gripped its edge, and a figure sat up from within.
"How can this be?"
Hu Yan Zan's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the figure sitting in the coffin, unable to believe it was himself.
A being identical to him, clad in White Tiger armor, sat in the coffin, scrutinizing him.
"Puff~~"
Twelve crimson-gold divine fires ignited furiously!
Seeing those twelve crimson-gold divine fires, Hu Yan Zan truly found it hard to believe what he was witnessing.
The crimson-gold divine fires represented the pinnacle of the God Fire Realm, unique to the distinguished individuals of Huaxia. How could this duplicate of himself achieve this?
"Playing the fool!"
Hu Yan Zan scoffed at the duplicate who had ignited twelve crimson-gold divine fires, looking exactly like him.
Though he didn't understand how it was done, the White Tiger armor, no matter how perfectly replicated, could not contain the killing intent inherent to the White Tiger, the divine beast of Huaxia.
He then extended his right hand, and countless streams of white killing light condensed in the air, forming a blood-red spear!
"How dare you imitate me!"
"Perish!"
Gripping the spear, Hu Yan Zan unleashed twelve crimson-gold divine fires, the divine fire seed in his brow flickering.
He watched as the duplicate, also having forged a blood-red spear, burst forth from the coffin.
Boom!
The two spear projections, nearly identical, erupted with blood-red light, engulfing the entire world in a dense aura of killing intent.
In another world, Shang Shitu wielded his Furnace Spear, charging forward. Endless spear projections manifested in the void, the myriad blood sea beneath him exploding with spiritual energy, revealing the muddy earth soaked in blood!
"How dare you imitate me!!"
Not far from him, the fake Shang Shitu opened his eyes. As they opened, his pupils resembled strange petals, flickering with a lively flame. He remained motionless, staring intently at the furiously burning Shang Shitu!
"Submit to me, and I shall grant you eternal life!"
The fake Shang Shitu let out a cold sneer, his expression calm and unhurried as he looked at the spiritual energy spear projection raging in the distance.
"An ant dares to speak of eternal life!"
Shang Shitu's Furnace Spear swept out, and myriad blood-red lights shot towards the heavens, transforming into sharp edges that struck downwards!
At that moment, the entire blood sea world seemed to shatter like glass, blood evaporating at an alarming rate. Through the cracks in the collapsing world, Shang Shitu saw himself and Hu Yan Zan standing still and stunned on the blood-red water!
"Insignificant wretch, how dare you control my primordial spirit!!"
Seeing this, Shang Shitu understood. Everything before him was likely an illusion. His true self remained in that blood sea world, and this scene was likely related to that mysterious giant eye!
His brows arched, a wisp of dark energy spread through the void. An invisible beast opened its gaping maw, and with a roar, all the blood in the sea was swallowed.
The blood vanished, and the beast opened its eyes. Its divine gaze swept across, and Shang Shitu threw his spear. Boom!
"How dare you defy me!"
The fake Shang Shitu roared, wielding the blood sea with his Furnace Spear and charging towards Shang Shitu's spear projection.
The two spear projections collided, like a sonic boom, obliterating this fractured world. A terrifying scene unfolded as the light from the shattered glass world turned into torrents of blood that poured down!
The spear projection, now empowered by the ferocious beast of Taotie, remained unchanged, ferociously tearing through the fake Shang Shitu's attack and piercing directly into the blood-red coffin!
...
In another world, Hu Yan Zan's eyes turned into white light. A character resembling "King!" appeared on his brow!
Behind him, a pair of enormous wings unfurled. The White Tiger roared to the heavens, clearing a path with its might!
"White Tiger?"
The fake Hu Yan Zan exclaimed, his face instantly changing color as he stared in disbelief at the White Tiger divine beast behind Hu Yan Zan.
"In this world, in this era, there is still a White Tiger divine beast?"
"Impossible!"
"In the ancient era, during the myriad chaos wars, countless immortals bled, and gods perished. The White Tiger lineage charged into battle and was annihilated!"
"You!"
"How did you master the killing path of the White Tiger divine beast??"
The frantic expression on the fake Hu Yan Zan's face rapidly receded as he stared at the White Tiger divine beast spreading its wings, his pupils contracting violently.
"The gods have fallen, the twilight of the world!!"
"Who dares to stand?!"
His face then contorted into a look of madness. A blood-red pupil opened vertically on his brow. As the blood eye opened!
The heavens and earth were enraged!
"Rumble~~"
Thousands of blood-red chains descended, lashing furiously at the fake Hu Yan Zan's body.
His entire form cracked with bloody lines. The twelve crimson-gold divine fires turned blood-red, each divine fire containing an enraged, wide-open blood eye!
"You!!"
"You must submit to me!!"
Enduring the restraint of the thousands of blood-red chains, a ruthless expression appeared on the fake Hu Yan Zan's pale face.
Boom!
The blood eyes within the twelve blood-red divine fires snapped open, and a torrent of blood-red light, not belonging to this era, surged forth!
"Make me subservient?"
"Arrogant!!"
Watching his killing path, projected by the spear, Hu Yan Zan closed his eyes.
The phantom that imitated him could not possibly possess the strength to kill and resist him!
He was confident of this!