"Below Saints, All Are Ants"

Over there, Dijun's expression changed drastically, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

"Dijun, I will protect Hong Yun today. Do you have any objections?"

Zhenyuanzi took out the Earth Book. His tone was calm, yet his words exploded like thunder.

Before his words had faded, the pressure of a late-stage Quasi-Saint erupted with a bang, sweeping in all directions.

Everyone's minds shook, and they were utterly shocked.

Though they were surprised by his cultivation, Dijun's face still darkened at those words.

That tone simply treated him, the Heavenly Emperor of the Demon Race, as if he were nothing!

As though anyone could step on his head?

And Zhenyuanzi even asked whether he had objections?

What gave him the right to decide another's life and death?

Seeing this, Zhenyuanzi secretly groaned inwardly.

It was not that he was arrogant. It was simply because he was now an Interception Sect Elder, and every word and action reflected the sect's reputation. He could not show weakness.

Besides, Tongtian was watching coldly from within the void. How could he possibly retreat?

Yet those words undoubtedly enraged the other side.

Taiyi had always possessed the hottest temper. He immediately roared, "You're courting death!"

The Chaos Bell in his hand smashed down. Its shadow blotted out the sky and sun, and before it even struck the ground, the surrounding space had already twisted and torn apart.

If this strike landed solidly, even an Ancestral Witch would likely suffer grave injuries and cough up blood.

Yet Zhenyuanzi remained unhurried. He lightly raised the Earth Book, and a flash of radiant light appeared.

In an instant, an earthen-yellow curtain of light stretched before him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of deafening explosions shook Heaven and Earth. The aftershocks scattered in every direction, collapsing mountains and splitting the earth wherever they passed, reducing all things to dust.

When the smoke and dust gradually settled, Zhenyuanzi put away the Earth Book and demanded loudly, "Dijun, are you planning to wage war against my Interception Sect?"

His voice was not loud, yet it pierced straight into the heart like a sharp blade.

Dijun's pupils contracted as thoughts raced through his mind—

The Interception Sect? Zhenyuanzi had actually joined the Interception Sect?

Thinking of Tongtian's methods, a chill ran down his spine, and his first instinct was to withdraw and end the fight.

But on second thought, if he let Hong Yun go today, how could Hong Yun ever die once he was under the Interception Sect's protection?

The karmic debt owed by Zhunti and Jieyin would remain unresolved, and the Saintly Position would be impossible to attain. Would that not ruin the greater plan?

His heart hardened, and he gritted his teeth before deciding. "Zhenyuanzi is falsely claiming to be a member of the Interception Sect. Generals, heed my command! Join forces and kill them! Do not let a single one escape!"

Taiyi immediately understood. With an angry roar, he repeatedly struck the Chaos Bell, its soundwaves surging like a tide.

The other demons no longer hesitated either. Each unleashed divine abilities and magical treasures, blasting toward the two of them from all directions.

For a moment, the winds and clouds changed color, and the mountains and rivers for tens of thousands of miles trembled.

Fortunately, I set up the formation in advance. Otherwise, this would have been hard to resolve.

Dijun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Faced with the attacks filling the sky, Zhenyuanzi's expression changed dramatically.

He finally understood—Dijun was deliberately playing dumb despite knowing full well!

He was both shocked and furious.

Shocked that the other side still dared to attack after learning that he belonged to the Interception Sect;

Furious that the dignified Heavenly Emperor could act with such utter disregard, treating the Interception Sect's majesty as nothing!

This was simply lawless!

What enraged him even more was that these people did not take him seriously at all. They spoke of suppressing him as though they could do so at will, without the slightest reservation.

"Old friend, leave quickly! This tribulation was fated for me. Why must you die alongside me?"

"Later, I will self-destruct with all my might. Take the chance to break out. Do not hesitate!"

Hong Yun's face was white as paper. Knowing clearly that he could not escape this calamity, he trembled as he urged him.

"Do not worry. The Sect Master will never stand by and do nothing."

Zhenyuanzi's tone was steady. As he comforted Hong Yun, he also pushed all his mana to its limit.

Brilliant earthen-yellow radiance layered upon itself, condensing into one sturdy barrier after another.

Boom—!

An incomparably terrifying attack descended...

In an instant, the void spanning hundreds of millions of miles seemed as though Heaven and Earth had shattered.

Violent astral winds howled through the void, and space cracked apart inch by inch before collapsing into endless abysses.

The radiance of divine abilities and magical treasures tore through the heavens, illuminating the Myriad Worlds.

Even the sun, moon, and stars dimmed beneath such power, as though they had been extinguished.

"Freeze!"

A voice that was not loud rang out across the battlefield like metal being split apart.

The moment Zhenyuanzi heard that familiar voice, delight appeared on his face.

Yet while some rejoiced, others naturally trembled in fear.

The instant that voice fell, Dijun and Taiyi's expressions both changed.

When they saw the figure slowly materializing in the void, their pupils shrank sharply and their eyelids twitched wildly.

"So Saint Tongtian has arrived. I wonder why the Saint has come in person. What guidance do you have?"

Dijun forced out a smile and knowingly asked the question anyway, his words brimming with perfunctory politeness.

At this moment, where was the bearing of the Emperor who once controlled life and death and commanded the Demon Race?

"Are you provoking the Interception Sect?"

Tongtian glanced at him indifferently. His tone was mild, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.

Though the words sounded casual, they struck Dijun's ears like thunder.

Especially the faint killing intent concealed within them, which made his heart tremble violently.

"Dijun would not dare!"

He hurriedly defended himself, his mind turning rapidly as he sought a way out.

He suddenly understood—this had all been Tongtian's scheme!

Tongtian had arrived long ago, yet deliberately concealed himself, waiting for Dijun to step into the trap bit by bit.

Most infuriating of all, he had truly crashed into it like a fool.

Thinking that Tongtian might be secretly sneering at him, Dijun felt utterly stifled.

He should have noticed earlier!

How could Zhenyuanzi have broken into the formation without a sound?

Without outside assistance, would that not have been sheer fantasy?

"You would not dare? Hmph! As I see it, there is nothing in this world that you, Dijun, would not dare to do!"

Tongtian snorted coldly, his words carrying deeper meaning as they pointed directly at the siege of Zhenyuanzi.

Dijun's heart churned like stormy seas, but he still forced a bitter smile onto his face.

"This time, I was indeed rash. I ask the Saint to forgive me."

His wording was clever, deliberately emphasizing that he had mistaken Zhenyuanzi for someone impersonating the Interception Sect.

Rather than admitting that he had dared attack despite knowing Zhenyuanzi's identity—an distinction sufficient to decide life or death.

Seeing his elder brother lower himself so humbly, Taiyi's blood surged in his chest, nearly bursting forth.

The dignified Heavenly Emperor of the Demon Race, one of the three great powers of the Primordial Wilderness, was now bowing and scraping like an ant.

How pitiful!

The demon generals behind them lowered their heads, their morale utterly gone, like soldiers of a defeated army.

"Take one finger strike from me. If you do not die, this matter will be settled."

Tongtian could not be bothered to continue dealing with him and gave a cold laugh.

His gaze was as indifferent as a frozen abyss, while invisible pressure crashed down upon Dijun like collapsing mountains and roaring seas.

Dijun shuddered, but a glimmer suddenly flashed through his eyes.

His previously lowered head abruptly lifted.

"Do you mean that?"

"Heh, do you think you are worthy of making me break my word?"

The corners of Tongtian's lips curled upward, his mockery completely undisguised.

What a joke.

How could a late-stage Quasi-Saint possibly withstand a Saint's full-powered strike?

Did he truly think that "below Saints, all are ants" was merely something said in passing?

"Good! In that case, I respectfully ask the Saint for guidance!"

Dijun took the Chaos Bell Taiyi handed over, then waved his hand and recalled the River Diagram and Luo Book that served as the formation's core.

Hong Yun had already been rescued, so the formation had lost its purpose.

He might as well use all these supreme treasures to protect himself and endure this strike head-on.

In his view, he was still a great expert at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm.

No matter how strong Tongtian was, could he truly end his life with a single finger?

Tongtian saw through his thoughts, and a faint cold smile appeared on his lips.

Watching this unfold from behind him, Zhenyuanzi's heart suddenly tightened.

He had a powerful premonition—

Dijun would not be able to block this finger strike!

It was neither contempt nor an underestimation of his opponent.

It was an instinct that arose from the depths of his soul.

A tremor from the depths of his soul seemed to warn him of Tongtian's unfathomable cultivation.

"Come!"

Tongtian slowly raised his right hand and pointed with only his index finger, aiming directly at Dijun's brow.

As his fingertip shifted slightly, the spiritual energy within hundreds of millions of miles receded like a tide, completely drained away.

The scattered essence of Heaven and Earth suddenly gathered, condensing in the void into a colossal finger that stretched across the heavens, blotting out the sky and crushing Heaven and Earth.

The instant that giant finger took shape, it descended with a force capable of crushing the heavens.

The void shattered inch by inch, and black hole-like cracks spread in every direction, as though the universe itself were wailing.

The terrifying aura swept outward. Even Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun, standing behind him, felt their chests tighten and their breathing nearly stop.

And this was only because Tongtian had deliberately restrained his aura and avoided them.

As for Taiyi and the others, their faces had long since drained of color. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, as though an invisible force had locked their souls in place.

Dijun, caught within it, had already laid down layer after layer of defenses and brought forth three spiritual treasures. Yet when that finger descended, he seemed to have fallen into a mire. Every limb and bone froze, and he could not move at all.

The arrogance and confidence in his eyes had been replaced by terror and despair. His Dao heart shook violently and nearly collapsed.

He watched helplessly as that immense finger drew closer, the distance constantly shrinking—five hundred zhang, three hundred zhang, one hundred zhang...

The shadow of death completely enveloped his heart. He could not even summon a thought of resistance and could only wait for fate to end him.

Yes, he knew perfectly well—if that finger fell, he would certainly die.

Without the formation concealing it, this earth-shattering strike instantly alarmed countless great experts throughout the Primordial Wilderness.

Sensing the anomaly, everyone focused their attention to observe. Once they saw that Tongtian was the one attacking, discussions immediately erupted.

"This Dijun truly does not know whether he is alive or dead. He actually dared provoke Sect Master Tongtian. Has he forgotten what happened before Purple Heaven Palace back then?"

"Hiss... This strike is far too terrifying! I do not think I could withstand it."

"Stop dreaming. Did you not see that Dijun cannot even move? He has been frozen in place. Do you think you could break free?"

"Enough talking. I have already prepared my gift for acknowledging a master. I am only waiting for the Interception Sect to open its gates and accept disciples."

"Fellow Daoist, have you no shame left as a Quasi-Saint? If you truly intend to join them, do not forget to bring me along!"

"..."

As the cultivators continued their discussions, the sky-reaching giant finger had already reached point-blank range, about to pierce through Dijun's chest.

At the critical moment, the Chaos Bell and the River Diagram and Luo Book sensed their master's peril and flew out on their own to protect him, instantly unfolding layers of barriers.

Yet even when Dijun personally activated them, they could not block that strike. How long could mere magical treasures last while facing it on their own?

At this moment, within Purple Heaven Palace.

Hongjun sat upon a cloud bed. His eyes suddenly opened, and his lips parted slightly as if a soft murmur escaped.

The next instant, the giant finger broke through three layers of defense, crushing through the treasure-light and striking Dijun directly in the chest.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

"Big Brother!"

"Heavenly Emperor!"

Cries of alarm echoed through the void for hundreds of millions of miles.

To everyone's surprise, Dijun did not fall on the spot. He merely spat out several mouthfuls of blood essence, his aura weakened to the extreme, like a guttering candle in the wind.

"Th... cough, cough... thank you, Saint, for showing mercy."

Supported by Taiyi, Dijun barely steadied himself and thanked him in a trembling voice.

The moment those words were spoken, all the surrounding onlookers sucked in cold breaths, their faces filled with shock.

Such a thunderous strike had actually still held back?

"The karma of this matter ends here. I hope you will act with caution in the future."

Tongtian gave a cold snort and offered no further explanation.

In truth, at the final moment, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had sent him a voice transmission in warning. Only then had he shifted his strike by half an inch.

Otherwise, Dijun's body and soul would have long since been destroyed.