Devil Ancestor Self-Destructs, the West Suffers Calamity!

The void along the way continuously shattered; wherever the Primordial Demon Flame passed, even the spiritual energy was stained black, leaving the land barren and lifeless.

"Pfft!" Hongjun's Chaos Qi blade finally pierced a gap in the Heavenly Demon Pagoda's defenses, grazing Luohu's shoulder and severing a wisp of his remnant soul.

But Luohu paid it no mind, instead accelerating toward the west.

There, the demonic path marks he had planted in his early years began to glow. They resonated fiercely with the underground Innate Spiritual Veins, and the black power of the spirit veins surged upward along the marks.

"Boom—!" When Luohu's figure reached the skies above the Western Territory.

His burning Demonic Path Origin fully connected with the Western Spirit Vein.

The black power of the spirit vein erupted from underground, intertwining with the demonic flame to form a black lotus ten thousand zhang in diameter.

The lotus petals were covered in law runes of slaughter, destruction, and death. Then, the black lotus detonated with a thunderous explosion!

The force of the detonation swept across the entire Western Territory in an instant.

Countless stars shattered amid the roar, some crashing into the earth as meteors, gouging out bottomless pits.

Others were swallowed by the space rifts created by the explosion, leaving not even their star cores behind.

The Innate Spiritual Veins originally buried beneath the Western lands let out a mournful wail before snapping inch by inch.

Spiritual energy leaked out like a tide, only to be polluted by the demonic flame, turning into black toxic mist that shrouded the entire west. Where the toxic mist passed, mountains melted and vegetation withered.

The living beings of the Western lands—whether Golden Immortals, Primordial Unity Golden Immortals, or Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.

Or newly awakened Plant Spirits—were all caught unprepared, devoured by the explosion's aftermath, their true spirits burned to nothing by the demonic flame.

Only a handful of beings, who had been oppressed by Luohu in earlier years and hidden deep in mountain chambers, barely survived by relying on Innate Spiritual Treasures for protection.

Yet each was severely wounded, curled up in their chambers, not daring to show themselves.

The explosion's aftermath even reached the Eastern Territory.

Many eastern stars near the west shattered, and the underground spirit veins snapped as well.

Fortunately, Hongjun, Yang Mei, Ancestral Dragon, and other Golden Immortals of the Origin joined forces in time.

They channeled their laws to form a Golden Barrier, blocking most of the aftermath and preventing greater losses in the east.

When the smoke of the explosion cleared, the Western Territory had become a silent wasteland.

The earth cracked like a spiderweb, spirit veins were severed, and the air was thick with demonic flame and deathly qi, bereft of the spiritual radiance of old.

Hongjun looked at the tragic scene before him, his heart filled with bitterness.

This War of Dao and Demons, which had lasted ten thousand years, was won—but they had incurred a karmic debt to the west.

And they would have to bear this boundless Karmic Debt, for he was the instigator of this great war and its greatest beneficiary.

"Several fellow daoists, this battle is over. What plans do you have for the future?" Hongjun turned his gaze to Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and First Qilin.

The Three Clans were now severely weakened; the Dragon Clan had less than a tenth of its former numbers, and the Phoenix and Qilin Clans were even worse off, no longer capable of contending for dominance over the Primordial Wilderness.

Golden dragon scales, fiery red phoenix feathers, and dark yellow qilin armor were still stained with fresh blood.

Ancestral Dragon let out a bitter laugh, his voice full of exhaustion.

"What plans could we have? We will lead our clans into seclusion and no longer meddle in the affairs of the Primordial Wilderness."

Saying this, he looked up at Hongjun, a hint of pleading in his eyes.

"We are willing to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao, to forever guard the dangerous lands of the Primordial Wilderness and atone for our clans' sins. We only ask that you, fellow daoist, look after the remnants of our Three Clans in the future."

Primordial Phoenix and First Qilin nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with resolve.

They understood that the era of the Three Clans had long passed; the Primordial Wilderness was now under Hongjun's control.

Rather than harbor resentment, it was better to yield willingly and leave a sliver of hope for their clans.

Hongjun gave a slight nod, his gaze brushing faintly over Haotian, who stood not far away.

Haotian was momentarily stunned, then gradually understood.

It must be that Master has already sensed that I will one day take over the order of the Primordial Wilderness.

Now, as the Three Ancestors swore to guard the dangerous lands, turning his gaze to me might also be paving the way for my future.

Realizing this, Haotian felt gratitude in his heart, but kept his expression calm, lowering his eyes to avoid revealing any flaw.

The Three Ancestors, sharp as ever, instantly read Hongjun's intent.

When they turned to look at Haotian, their eyes held more seriousness and appreciation.

Ancestral Dragon spoke first, his golden dragon eyes carrying a hint of goodwill.

"Young friend Haotian performed remarkably in this battle, slaying many Devil Race Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals at your own level. With such strength and wit, you are sure to achieve greatness in the future."

"If you have the chance, you are welcome to visit the Dragon Clan. We will receive you with open arms."

Primordial Phoenix and First Qilin echoed him, their words full of intent to build a good relationship.

Though they were retiring, they still wished to forge a bond with a future powerhouse for their clans.

Haotian quickly bowed in return, his tone humble: "Thank you for your kindness, three seniors. If fate allows, this junior will surely visit."

He did not accept immediately; the Three Clans had just suffered a great defeat and were in a time of despair.

Visiting now would only make them feel awkward. It's better to wait until the Three Clans have stabilized, then seek an opportunity to call on them later.

The Three Ancestors nodded to themselves. Just as they were about to leave, a sudden rumble echoed from the sky.

Golden rays of light poured down from the depths of the Heavenly Dao, cascading like a waterfall over the entire Cangwu Plain.

The warm radiance dispelled the bloodlust and demonic energy in the air.

This was the Heavenly Dao's reward for pacifying the Devil Race and guarding the Primordial Wilderness—the Merit that countless living beings dreamed of!

The Merit was divided into several portions. The two largest shares, about sixty percent, fell into the bodies of Hongjun and Yang Mei respectively.

Hongjun did not refine it immediately but temporarily stored the Merit within the Fragment of the Jade Plate of Creation.

Yang Mei also put away the Merit. Heavenly Dao Merit was of little use to him; keeping a portion was enough. The rest could be given to a few young friends of an old acquaintance.

One-tenth of the Merit transformed into countless tiny streams of light, flying to all corners of the Primordial Wilderness.

These were the nominal disciples taken in by Old Ancestor Yin Yang and Old Ancestor Qiankun during their lifetimes. The Heavenly Dao compensated them for the legacy of these two Innate Great Powers, helping to stabilize their cultivation.

Two-tenths of the Merit were distributed among the Rogue Cultivators and forces who had come to aid the battle, including Daoist Cangxuan.

Among them, Haotian alone received half a tenth. Golden Merit fell upon his head, surging through his crown into his body.

Like Hongjun and Yang Mei, he suppressed the Merit deep within his Primordial Spirit, planning to refine it later when breaking through to Golden Immortal of the Origin, so as to solidify his foundation.

The final tenth of Heavenly Dao Merit landed on Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, First Qilin, and the remnants of the Three Clans.

But this Merit was far too meager. Compared to the boundless Karmic Debt owed by the Three Clans, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

At most, it could only slightly alleviate the backlash of Karmic Debt, preventing them from being instantly devoured by it.

Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and First Qilin wore bitter expressions. After exchanging glances, a flicker of resolve flashed in their eyes.

They turned and gave their final instructions to the elders of their respective clans.

Ancestral Dragon instructed Zhu Rong to lead the Dragon Clan into seclusion in the East Sea, guarding the sea eyes of the Four Seas, and never again to involve themselves in the conflicts of the Primordial Wilderness.

Primordial Phoenix instructed Yun Feng to lead the remnants of the Phoenix Clan to the Southern Volcano, to cultivate in concealment and carefully watch over the clan's young.

First Qilin instructed the Golden Qilin to scatter the Qilin Clan across the Primordial Wilderness, using their auspicious nature to gradually dissolve part of the clan's Karmic Debt and accumulate Merit for the clan.