The Primordial World

They instantly understood that Gonggong's rage-fueled collision with Buzhou Mountain might have been a scheme by the Heavenly Dao.

"So, Ancestor Witch Gonggong's previous actions were actually part of the Heavenly Dao's plan?"

The Saints understood immediately, grasping the deeper meaning behind the Heavenly Dao's directive.

Despite knowing this, they felt powerless.

At this moment, their gazes all turned to Li Er.

The Heavenly Dao's directive was only issued to the five Saints, overlooking Li Er.

If Li Er's previous intervention to prevent Gonggong from crashing into Buzhou Mountain was a coincidence, then this time it undoubtedly pushed the boundaries of coincidence.

The most critical issue was how to execute the Heavenly Dao's command—to erase all traces of Buzhou Mountain.

This was undoubtedly a monumental task.

Facing Li Er, making him back down was nearly impossible.

The only way was to meet the challenge.

Zhunti spoke, "Senior Brother Laozi, what directive has the Heavenly Dao's will issued to us?"

He had skillfully steered the conversation to the crucial point.

Li Er smiled faintly, understanding why the Heavenly Dao had not issued a directive to him.

It was because he had attained the Dao by severing his Three Corpses, placing him beyond the Heavenly Dao's control, fundamentally different from the five Saints who had attained the Dao through Merit.

This meant he was not bound by the Heavenly Dao's directives.

The other five Saints, such as Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, and Jieyin, could not do the same.

This was the limitation of Saints bound by the Heavenly Dao, but it did not apply to Li Er.

Regarding the Heavenly Dao's directive, Li Er had already prepared himself after choosing to protect Buzhou Mountain.

The Heavenly Dao's schemes always followed the natural flow of things, but Li Er, existing beyond its control, disrupted this pattern.

Therefore, under a predetermined fate, the Heavenly Dao, in order to maintain its authority, had no choice but to issue a directive ordering the Saints not to preserve Buzhou Mountain.

This also caused the situation, which had already seemed to be resolved, to become tense once more, similar to the atmosphere during the previous struggle for the Chaos Bell.

However, unlike the chaos before, the five Saints now had to join forces against Li Er, forcing him to yield, thereby completely destroying Buzhou Mountain.

Facing this situation, Li Er had long anticipated it and made preparations.

Buzhou Mountain had a deep connection with him; he would never allow the Pangu Imprint to dissipate.

This was related to his Dao.

Facing the doubts or hesitation of the other five Saints, Li Er already had a countermeasure, knowing well that preserving Buzhou Mountain was intrinsically linked to his Dao.

Li Er, having transmigrated, attained the Dao by severing his Three Corpses, and walked his own path, not following in the footsteps of his predecessor.

He was acutely aware of the consequences of defying the Heavenly Dao's will, yet when facing the combined assault of the five Saints, he remained incredibly resolute.

Could the combined might of the five Saints shake him? Li Er wanted to find out.

The atmosphere among the Saints was silent; they hadn't expected Li Er to be so unyielding.

They speculated that if they followed the Heavenly Dao's directive, they would inevitably confront Li Er. The strength of a single Saint might not be enough to contend with him; perhaps several Saints would need to join forces.

Although the answer was obvious, they still held onto a sliver of hope, as facing five opponents alone was simply too astonishing.

Li Er's words made them understand that once they accepted the challenge, a storm among Saints would be unavoidable.

After a period of silence, the Saints decided to accept the challenge, looking towards Li Er. Venerable Yuanshi, being the first among the five Saints to make a move, respected Li Er, but he also, among the Three Pure Ones, most desired to surpass Li Er and prove himself.

Venerable Yuanshi unleashed boundless Yuqing energy, wielding the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner. The entire void was enveloped in a half-sky of jade-yellow light.

However, Li Er's expression remained calm, only raising an eyebrow for a fleeting moment as Yuanshi brought forth the Pangu Banner.

Beneath Li Er's composure, Yuanshi's fighting spirit surged even higher.

He was determined to prove himself, striving to transcend his position as merely one of the Three Pure Ones and declare his identity—Venerable Yuanshi.

Facing Yuanshi's fierce onslaught, Li Er's response could only be described as "casual."

Li Er did not use the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram, nor did he erect the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda for defense.

Facing Yuanshi's Pangu Banner, he simply met it with his bare hands. His left hand radiated yang energy, while his right hand surged with yin energy, displaying the Way of Taiji.

The aura Li Er released was unprecedentedly powerful, with what seemed like Taiji flowing between his hands, yin and yang in disarray.

The Pangu Banner's attack intertwined with the Way of Taiji, instantly engulfing the entire void.

The remaining four Saints—Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—could not discern the outcome of the battle and could only speculate.

However, a figure was sent flying backward amidst the intense confrontation, blood staining the azure sky. It was Yuanshi.

The four Saints were shocked, not expecting that even Yuanshi, fighting with all his might, would be defeated so thoroughly, especially since Li Er had not used any supreme treasures.

Yuanshi was filled with disbelief. He had attained the Dao through Merit, while Li Er had attained it by severing his Three Corpses. In essence, Li Er's cultivation was already comparable to the late stage of a Saint, whereas Yuanshi was currently only in the early stage.

Therefore, if Li Er were to deploy his supreme treasures, that would be the true surprise.

Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, the four Saints, exchanged glances, stunned by the outcome of this battle.

They had originally expected the conflict between Taiqing and Yuqing to last for a long time, but the result was so swift and unexpected.

Above the void, Li Er stood tall.

He wore a Daoist robe, his long hair flowing, exuding an indescribable, terrifying aura.

This aura made him seem like a symbol of invincibility.

Holding an unknown magic treasure, the power Li Er displayed at this moment was like that of a Saint among Saints.

His attacks contained the ultimate essence of the Taiji Dao, possessing immeasurable might.

A wild laugh echoed from the void, followed by an extremely sharp sword intent that rose, filled with madness and slaughter.

This sword intent was powerful enough to cleave the void.

In the entire Primordial World, only one person could achieve this aura—that was Tongtian.

After Yuanshi's retreat, Tongtian appeared opposite Li Er.

He was surrounded by the Immortal-Slaying Four Swords, his killing intent even heavier.

However, facing Tongtian's attack, Li Er did not flinch.

With a thought, the power of the Yin-Yang Great Art in his hand increased significantly.

At this moment, his attack reached its zenith.

Facing Tongtian's Immortal-Slaying Four Swords, Li Er fearlessly met them head-on.

The void trembled, unable to withstand their attacks.

Tongtian's heart was filled with shock; he felt Li Er's terrifying strength.

Ultimately, Tongtian was also sent flying backward under Li Er's strike, his Immortal-Slaying Four Swords plowing four rifts in the void before coming to a halt.

This scene once again proved Li Er's formidable strength; he had single-handedly defeated two Saints.

Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, the three Saints, witnessed Tai Shang continuously defeat the two Qing with one hand, even though they held Supreme Treasures, and were utterly shocked.

They thought incredulously, "Who can match Tai Shang's power?"

The power Tai Shang displayed at this moment far exceeded their imaginations.

Facing the successive defeats of Yuqing and Shangqing, the three Saints dared not challenge Tai Shang alone.

After exchanging glances, they decided to join forces, each unleashing their top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Despite their imposing momentum, they appeared insignificant before Tai Shang.

Even with the three Saints working together, Tai Shang did not feel any pressure.

As one who attained the Dao through severing the Three Corpses, his cultivation already surpassed the Five Saints, naturally making it unnecessary for him to rely on Supreme Treasures to suppress the opponents.

In his previous battles with Yuanshi and Tongtian, Tai Shang had held back due to his camaraderie with the Three Pure Ones.

However, facing Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, he no longer held back.

Tai Shang's gaze was like lightning; he unhesitatingly swung his arm, attacking them.

His methods secretly harmonized with the Great Dao, as if the Heavenly Dao had reappeared, striking the three great Saints.

Facing Tai Shang's attack, the three great Saints simultaneously spat blood and retreated, their eyes filled with horror.

The three great Saints, working together, had actually lost.

Previously, Tai Shang's consecutive defeats of Yuqing and Shangqing had already been shocking.

Now, with his own power, he had repelled five Saints, which was even more astonishing.

To fight five and win, Tai Shang's strength inspired both fear and a sense of powerlessness.

Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti's only thought was: just how powerful was the Saint Li Er? As Saints themselves, they had their own ideals and goals, harboring an invincible spirit, able to look down upon all beings and unafraid of any challenge.

Even though Li Er's cultivation far surpassed theirs, this did not make them lose their fighting spirit.

After receiving the Heavenly Dao's command, they even looked forward to a battle with Li Er, using it to explore the gap in their strength.

However, after the actual exchange, they discovered the gap was enormous and had completely lost their fighting spirit.

Even recalling that Li Er had not even used his Innate Supreme Treasures when fighting them, it was still difficult to deny Li Er's terrifying strength.

Li Er possessed numerous Supreme Treasures, each one being the most powerful artifact in the Primordial World.

Yuanshi and the others, amidst their shock, couldn't help but ask themselves, "Could our combined strength as five Saints not match Li Er's alone?"

Just how terrifying was his Way of Taishang?

The five Saints, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, gazed at Li Er with solemn expressions.

If not for the Heavenly Dao's command today, they would never have joined forces.

The concept of winning unfairly, in their eyes, had become a joke today.

Because even with their combined might, they still could not defeat Li Er and were even severely injured.

This was a situation they had never imagined.

Li Er, with an ethereal bearing, stood before Buzhou Mountain, composed and self-assured.

Yet, in the eyes of the Five Saints, he was a terrifying existence, unmatched in all the world.

No matter how arrogant they were, facing Li Er, the outcome of this battle had already told them: if they wished to destroy Buzhou Mountain and erase the Pangu Imprint, Li Er was an insurmountable obstacle.

"Taishang is worthy of the name Taishang!"

Exclamations of admiration arose.

The Five Saints knew they were no match for Li Er. Faced with his invincible might, they chose to retreat.

This decision meant that the Heavenly Dao's first command had ended in their failure.

The price of failure would be incurring the wrath of the Heavenly Dao's majesty, with even more severe consequences.

Just as they had predicted, the moment they gave up the fight, a supreme heavenly secret descended from the depths beyond the thirty-third heaven.

Under the Heavenly Dao's pervasive aura, all five Saints, except for Li Er, felt their Primordial Spirits tremble.

At this moment, they sensed a majestic aura akin to the Heavenly Dao's judgment, as if they were subjected to irresistible restraints and suppression.

Even facing this sudden presence, the five Heavenly Dao Saints could not help but feel fear.

The power of the Heavenly Dao held supreme status in their hearts, just as the Primordial Violet Qi represented the Heavenly Dao's will, dictating all Saintly paths.

Therefore, the Heavenly Dao's position in their hearts far surpassed that of the Saintly path.

At this moment, in the void, the space before Li Er began to fluctuate slightly.

Immediately after, an ancient figure appeared before them all – it was Hongjun, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao.

Although Hongjun had stated during his previous union with the Dao that he would not easily appear unless a great tribulation befell heaven and earth, it had not been long since Li Er refused to establish the Human Sect. Yet, Hongjun had reappeared in the Primordial World.

Facing the Five Saints, Hongjun's words revealed deep disappointment and anger.

"To think that the mighty Five Saints could not even complete the Heavenly Dao's command!"

Though his words were calm, they conveyed the Heavenly Dao's fury and disappointment.

For Saints like Yuanshi and Tongtian, silence was their only possible response at this moment.

For they understood that their defeat today was a fact, and any explanation would be futile.

With Hongjun, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, having appeared, the gravity of the situation was self-evident.

Despite his dissatisfaction with the performance of these five Heavenly Dao Saints, Hongjun also knew that the situation today could no longer be salvaged.

Nevertheless, he still had to step forward to uphold the Heavenly Dao's authority and order.