Gone Mad! So Much Merit It Explodes, Hongjun Vomits Blood on the Spot!

On the peak of Buzhou Mountain, golden rain of merit poured down, its grandeur unprecedented in all of history.

The entire Primordial World fell silent at this moment.

Kunlun Mountain.

Primordial Lord of Heaven abruptly opened his eyes. The Three Treasures Jade Ruyi flickered unstably as he tried to divine the heavenly secrets, but his efforts were thrown into chaos by a dazzling golden light and a vast dragon's might.

"To mend the mountain with brute force, though it yields great merit, it ultimately deviates from the righteous path, a trick!"

He showed disdain on his face, yet couldn't hide the deep shock in his eyes.

Laozi's expression of effortless inaction rippled. The simple staff in his hand paused slightly, and he sighed, "A variable... has become a constant."

Empress Nuwa's delicate eyebrows furrowed. Gazing at the sea of merit that had almost dyed the sky golden, she murmured, "Not cultivating the Primordial Spirit, not revering Heaven and Earth... and yet they can walk the path of merit? This..."

Confusion filled her heart; this completely overturned her understanding of the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth.

The West, Mount Sumeru.

"Senior Brother, this... this immense merit!" Zhunti's eyes widened, a flash of greed quickly replaced by deep apprehension.

He quickly calculated, "The Witch Clan is powerful and will surely clash with the Demon Clan again. Perhaps our West... can profit from it?"

For a time, the prestige and deterrence of the Witch Clan in the Primordial World soared to an unprecedented peak.

Amidst the golden rain of merit, Xuanzheng felt a warmth spread throughout his body, every cell cheering.

Even more astonishingly, behind his head, circles of golden merit light gathered, layer upon layer, finally forming ninety-nine, eighty-one sacred and extraordinary Golden Wheels of Merit!

The golden wheels were brilliant, radiating immense light, almost blinding the eyes of all beings in the Primordial World!

"[Meritorious Saint Witch], [Construction Quasi-Saint]... this path, it truly works!" Xuanzheng's thoughts became clear, his future path growing ever more defined.

The other Twelve Ancestral Witches also experienced a surge in their auras, their strength leaping forward qualitatively.

Dijiang's body rippled with spatial distortions as he exclaimed in delight, "So satisfying! Never felt so satisfying!"

Zhurong laughed heartily, his true flame body condensed to perfection, "I feel like I could punch a star into oblivion!"

Houtu felt a closer connection to the Great Earth, a look of relief gracing her face.

In Zixiao Palace.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun sat on his cloud bed, his expression as dark as water. When the immeasurable merit poured down, and when the blinding eighty-one Golden Wheels of Merit appeared behind Xuanzheng's head, his calm facade finally broke.

This was no longer a simple patching of loopholes! This was the forging of an entirely new Great Dao, a path to the heavens that bypassed his "Profound Gate Immortal Dao"! Once this path was established, his foundation of using the Profound Gate to enlighten the Primordial World on behalf of the Heavenly Dao would be completely shaken!

"Wretch! Wretch! How dare you undermine the foundation of my Great Dao!"

"Pfft—!"

A mouthful of purple-gold Dao blood, imbued with the rhyme of a Saint, sprayed out over ten feet. Hongjun's eyes blazed with fury, his aura in disarray.

He wished to intervene, but the Heavenly Dao responded with the will of "Great merit, to be rewarded." He wanted to interfere, but found the Heavenly Dao even more proactive than he was!

Hongjun felt a surge of anger stuck in his chest, unable to rise or fall, which finally turned into a cold decision: "Fine! Since the Heavenly Dao has its flaws, I shall merge with it and enact its judgment!"

Just as the Witch Clan was immersed in the immense joy of their newfound strength, a drastic change occurred!

A vast, cold, and indifferent supreme pressure descended sharply from the direction of Zixiao Palace, instantly enveloping the entire Primordial World!

[Buzz—!]

Heaven and Earth fell silent, all sounds ceased! All beings, regardless of their cultivation level, trembled under this pressure, their Primordial Spirits agitated, as if ants gazing up at the heavens.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's indifferent yet supremely majestic voice echoed in every corner of the Primordial World:

"The Heavenly Dao is constant, all things are in order."

"The Witch Clan acted against Heaven's will. Though they have benefited Heaven and Earth, their power has become excessive, disrupting the balance. Now, I, on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, shall bestow the [Calamity Balance Lock]!"

"Witch and Demon Clans, from this day forth, for one million years, you shall not lightly initiate wars of extermination!"

"Those who violate this will face heavenly condemnation and annihilation!"

As the words fell, "Crack—!"

An invisible shackle, woven from the authority of the Heavenly Dao and the laws of Saints, descended from the nine heavens, precisely locking onto the neck of the golden dragon of Witch Clan Destiny above Pangu Hall!

"Roar—!"

The golden dragon of Destiny let out a roar of extreme unwillingness and pain, struggling violently but unable to break free. Its light dimmed considerably.

Another shackle descended upon the Heavenly Court of the Demon Clan, settling upon the golden crow of Destiny.

Inside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Di Jun and Taiyi were stunned at first, then complex expressions of having narrowly escaped disaster appeared on their faces.

On the peak of Buzhou Mountain, Xuanzheng's expression instantly turned grave.

But he showed no anger, no roar.

The moment the law shackle descended, the [Karma Scale] in his left palm had already quietly appeared. He pointed the scale's rod at the chain and gently nudged it!

[Ding! Object being weighed: Calamity Balance Lock.]

[Cause: The Witch Clan's rise was too rapid, disrupting the balance predetermined by the Heavenly Dao.]

[Effect: Prohibits the Witch and Demon Clans from engaging in "genocidal" level warfare, with a time limit of one million years.]

[Note: The definition of "Law" is strict, only restricting "wars of extermination," and does not impose constraints on other forms of conflict, friction, or competition...]

Xuanzheng slowly raised his head, looking in the direction of the lofty Zixiao Palace.

A moment later, a cold, playful curve slowly formed on his "honest and simple" face.

"Old Hongjun can't sit still and is personally intervening to tip the scales?"

He sneered inwardly.

"A million-year ceasefire? Heh, you can't handle this, can you?"

He gently flexed his wrists, feeling the surging power within his body and the information from the [Karma Scale] in his palm. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes before disappearing.

"Not allowed to fight 'wars of extermination'? Fine!"

"Then what about economic warfare, cultural infiltration, commercial dumping, proxy wars... do these count as 'wars of extermination'?"

"Old man, you think this is locking me up? No, you've given me a million years to fleece the Demon Clan into becoming a protected species through culture and economy!"

"The game is getting more and more interesting!"