From an omniscient perspective, observing the Sea of Blood would reveal more than a dozen points of light of various colors surrounding it. They were employing miraculous methods to shrink the area covered by the Sea of Blood, forcing it to flow backward.
"Boom!" The Sea of Blood churned violently, letting out earth-shattering roars.
"I have broken free! None of you can seal me!"
This was the voice of the Sea of Blood. Li Xiaotian murmured inwardly, having heard its voice before.
"Amitabha, benefactor Xue, the agreed-upon time has not yet come. Please return to your slumber."
A voice echoed, neither male nor female, yet exceptionally pleasing and soothing to the ear.
"Slumber? Never! My premature awakening is destiny! The world has changed, haven't you noticed? Hahaha, it must be that your people have failed, which is why I have awakened early!"
The Sea of Blood laughed maniacally, churning fiercely as it attempted to resist being suppressed again.
No one responded to the Sea of Blood's words, but it was being continuously compressed.
"Damn it! Tongtian! You know I cannot die. Your actions are futile. The world has already changed. If I am sealed, other beings will surely replace me! Do not play with fire and court disaster!"
The Sea of Blood grew anxious. If it were truly sealed, it would face an endless slumber, a fate it absolutely refused.
"Humph!" A sound reverberated, followed by several colossal sword shadows descending from the sky, piercing into the Sea of Blood.
"Rumble!" Then came a series of deafening explosions. Li Xiaotian's eyes widened. He had been watching the entire time. As the sword shadows entered the Sea of Blood, they detonated, instantly vaporizing a vast amount of seawater.
"How ruthless!" Li Xiaotian's heart tightened. Though he did not fully understand, he knew the Sea of Blood was a sentient being. Those sword shadows had vaporized nearly a third of its waters.
This was akin to severing the limbs of a complete person.
"Aaaaah!!! Tongtian, don't force me!" the Sea of Blood roared in fury.
"Humph!" Another sword light flashed, splitting the Sea of Blood down the middle, creating a chasm. This strike vaporized even more of the Sea of Blood than the previous ones.
"Ruthless!" Li Xiaotian sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Sea of Blood. In just a short while, it had lost more than half of its volume.
Of course, the Sea of Blood was still gushing from the depths of the earth, so the losses would be replenished before long.
Li Xiaotian squinted and looked into the distance. He saw the source of the sword light: a bronze coffin floating in the air.
"Hmph!" Li Xiaotian grunted, his eyes stinging. With just that one glance, he felt a piercing sword intent emanate from the bronze coffin, causing his eyes to ache.
Then, Li Xiaotian looked in other directions. He saw a golden-haired girl riding a golden lion, six ancient knights clad in black, a monk, and several others.
Roughly twenty people in total, each exuding a terrifying aura that instilled an immense sense of crisis with just a glance.
"They are all powerhouses! This era has changed!" Li Xiaotian's eyes flickered. He knew that with the emergence of the Sea of Blood, this world was no longer the one he knew.
"The Sea of Blood must not leave the war zone! It must not harm mortals!"
The ancient bronze coffin transmitted its voice. This time, the Sea of Blood did not retort. It was afraid.
Following this, the bronze coffin vanished in a flash, and the figures surrounding the Sea of Blood also departed.
Li Xiaotian's gaze shifted. It seemed the bronze coffin was the most powerful entity, though the others were not weak either.
After the Sea of Blood appeared, the bronze coffin led some powerhouses. In essence, it was to give the Sea of Blood a warning and make it behave.
As for the "destiny" and "great changes" the Sea of Blood spoke of, Li Xiaotian did not understand them. However, this was not his concern. His immediate priority was figuring out how to get out.
He wondered about the Dragon King Hall. A flicker of worry crossed Li Xiaotian's mind. With the Sea of Blood appearing in the war zone, the entire area was likely submerged. He hoped Long Yi and the others had managed to escape in time.
What about his wife and daughter? The thought filled Li Xiaotian with a sense of urgency. If Ye Qingmei and their daughter Tiantian learned of his predicament, how could they bear such a blow?
He had to get out as soon as possible! Li Xiaotian gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming. No matter what, he had to return!
At this moment, Li Xiaotian began to assess his own condition. He clenched his fist, his expression peculiar. His strength seemed to have increased again.
Even stranger, his body felt different from before. His physical form was filled with the power of blood, yet a dense energy permeated his being.
What was happening? Li Xiaotian frowned. His body had undergone changes he was unaware of.
After a careful examination, Li Xiaotian gradually understood. His body had mutated, allowing him to absorb the energy of blood, and simultaneously, it was absorbing the energy from the stone tablet.
"Hehehe, little fellow, I never thought you'd survive. You have great luck to have lived through this ordeal under me," a sinister voice reached his ears.
Li Xiaotian frowned, ignoring it and focusing instead on sensing the changes in his body. He needed to gain control of himself.
"What is it? Do you wish to leave? You can beg me. If I am pleased, I might just let you go."
Li Xiaotian remained silent. However, he felt no fear towards the Sea of Blood. His survival was entirely due to the stone tablet beneath him, and his ability to escape also depended on it.
While Li Xiaotian, submerged in the Sea of Blood, was devising a way to return, the true upheaval outside the world was just beginning.
The world underwent great changes, with many figures appearing as if from myths. Yet, there were also others, ancient beings like them, though not as powerful as the entity within the bronze coffin.
In a mere month, numerous factions established by these ancient figures emerged on Earth. While existing nations still stood, their former influence had waned, their voices no longer carrying the same weight.
Earth, in essence, had become more chaotic than before.
An era where the strong and the weak coexisted, the disparity between them too vast, inevitably led to injustice.
These powerful individuals acted according to their own whims, paying no heed to the concerns of ordinary people, which in turn intensified the conflicts.
Currently, every nation faced a daunting challenge in governing its territories.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. The situation on Earth had not improved; instead, it grew increasingly chaotic.
The Great Qin Empire, in particular, suffered greatly. The number of powerhouses emerging here was greater, and many factions simply seized territory, disregarding Qin's laws entirely.
Concurrently, at the Dragon Palace Hotel in the capital of Great Qin, the hotel was a stark contrast to its former self.
Half of the area was in ruins, with copious amounts of bloodstains on the ground.
Outside the Dragon Palace Hotel, a group of people dressed in ancient attire had surrounded it.