Chapter 23

When facing Li Er and the Pangu Will, the Heavenly Dao Will merely looked at them coldly. Today's scheme had completely failed; further struggle was useless.

The Heavenly Dao then suppressed the turmoil in its heart and tried to face reality calmly.

Although the Heavenly Dao Will tried to threaten the Pangu Will, claiming that even if the Pangu Will endured for eternity, it would still have to fall into slumber like itself, and that this Primordial World would ultimately fall under its control—

The Pangu Will dismissed the Heavenly Dao's threat, mocking it for only knowing how to scheme from the shadows before daring to clamor against him.

In the end, the Heavenly Dao Will snorted coldly and dispersed.

After this clash, the only victor was Taishang Li Er!

Here, the Heavenly Dao Will had already retreated.

The Pangu Will had also reached its limit. This battle had consumed him greatly.

Although his imprint could endure for eternity as long as Pangu's spine remained, he was ultimately only a will, not the true Pangu.

Against the Heavenly Dao, if he had been the true Pangu, then at the height of his power, a single axe strike would have been enough to cleave it apart. He would not have needed to use Li Er's body bearing the Pangu Imprint and expend three axe strikes to split the Heavenly Dao as he had now.

After the great battle, the Pangu Will had reached his limit.

Before returning to Buzhou Mountain, the Pangu Will asked Li Er whether he had any questions. Whether it was Pangu's Dao, combat methods, or the Law of Strength, he could teach him.

If he did not ask now, this will would soon fall asleep.

Li Er merely smiled calmly and said that he did not need Pangu's Dao to be taught to him.

He emphasized that Pangu was Pangu, and he was himself. He would only walk his own path, not Pangu's Dao, because it did not suit him.

The Pangu Will was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, agreeing that although Li Er had originated from his primordial spirit, he was ultimately not Pangu himself.

Compared with the other two portions of his primordial spirit, only Li Qing had walked his own path.

Then, the Pangu Will transformed into specks of starlight and merged into Pangu's spine.

As long as Buzhou Mountain existed, his will would remain in the Primordial World for eternity.

After Hongjun regained control of his body, he looked at Li Er with shock in his eyes.

He had personally witnessed Li Er awaken the Pangu Will. It was an invincible existence comparable to the Great Dao.

Only Li Er could severely wound the Heavenly Dao beneath three axe strikes and leave it incomplete once more.

Hongjun could not help thinking, Is this Pangu's invincible bearing?

"Hongjun, it is truly gratifying that you have regained your freedom."

His consciousness returned! At this moment, Hongjun was no longer bound by the Heavenly Dao Will and fully displayed the bearing of Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Though he appeared no different, he was utterly unlike Heavenly Dao Hongjun.

As the saying went: beneath the Heavenly Dao stood Hongjun, but Hongjun was not the Heavenly Dao.

Clearly, this was his true self.

Li Er noticed Hongjun's change.

After the Pangu Will dispersed into Buzhou Mountain, Li Er saluted Hongjun. "Dao Ancestor, your brief freedom is truly worth celebrating."

Li Er's attitude toward Heavenly Dao Hongjun and Dao Ancestor Hongjun was clearly different.

The current Hongjun was the benefactor who had preached the Dao to him, and someone toward whom he was willing to show goodwill.

Hongjun nodded and replied with a smile, "If the Heavenly Dao had not been incomplete, it would have been difficult for me to gain even this freedom.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you as well."

To gain this brief freedom today, he had indeed benefited from Li Er's efforts to a certain extent.

Although this clash had damaged the Heavenly Dao's dignity, Li Er did not care.

Hongjun, however, was a man who distinguished gratitude from grudges. "I will remember this favor from today."

Li Er readily accepted. "You flatter me, Dao Ancestor."

Though he was tranquil and detached, he would not refuse benefits delivered to his doorstep.

Hongjun's favor was not karma, but it was undoubtedly beneficial to Li Er.

Today, the Heavenly Dao Will had fallen asleep, while Dao Ancestor Hongjun had gained a brief period of freedom. It could be said that he and Hongjun had each taken what they needed and obtained what they wanted.

A sound of rushing wind rose as the other Five Saints ended their observation and appeared one after another.

"Congratulations, Dao Ancestor, on regaining your freedom!"

They rejoiced at Hongjun's brief freedom.

The five Heavenly Dao Saints—Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—each congratulated Hongjun.

Compared with Li Er's gains, they were somewhat envious, but not overly disheartened.

After all, Li Er had thoroughly proven his strength through this battle, and the achievements and renown he had earned through his own power convinced them completely.

Amid the celebratory atmosphere that followed, All Saints suddenly turned their gazes toward the calamity aura between heaven and earth.

They realized that the heavenly phenomenon before them signaled that Calamity Fortune was about to descend.

All eyes focused on the gathering Calamity Fortune Tree as the dense Calamity Fortune condensed into fruit.

Yuanshi and the others could not help being drawn to this rare opportunity, their eyes filled with fervor and anticipation.

After all, this held far more allure than the honor brought by merit. No one could resist the power of Calamity Fortune.

Their breathing nearly stopped as they stared unblinkingly at the Calamity Fortune Tree that was nurturing fortune.

At this moment, an incomparably fierce desire to compete had already ignited in their hearts, for they knew that once this Calamity Fortune appeared, countless opportunities would follow.

Though Saints endured, great thieves never ceased. What they stole was fortune itself.

The struggle between merit aura and Calamity Fortune had its own merits on each side.

However, the wondrousness of Calamity Fortune was beyond what merit aura could match. Its ability to enhance one's own fortune was proof enough.

After becoming Saints, their need to transcend the Primordial World made them value fortune more and more.

Fortune was not only key to helping them strengthen the greater momentum of their Daoist Lineage; in the eyes of Saints, it was also the most precious hard currency.

For the living beings of the Primordial World, the descent of a calamity meant endless slaughter and disaster.

Yet the laws of fairness between heaven and earth dictated that a calamity would inevitably be accompanied by the appearance of a Calamity Dao Fruit.

The Calamity Fortune Tree had only just appeared. Though the time required for it to nurture the Calamity Dao Fruit was unclear, it would not be too far away.

Unfortunately, the Calamity Fortune Tree was currently shrouded in hazy vital energy, preventing All Saints from seeing its true state.

That transparent barrier blocked all attempts at prying. It was protected by the power of heavenly order, and even All Saints could not break through it.

Zhunti asked, "May I ask Dao Ancestor Hongjun, how many Destiny Dao Fruits are there upon the Calamity Fortune Tree?"

He wanted to know whether the Calamity Fortune would be sufficient for all the Saints to divide among themselves.

And as the sole survivor of the Dragon-Phoenix Great Tribulation, Hongjun undoubtedly possessed the deepest understanding of Calamity Fortune.

Thus, All Saints turned to Hongjun with their questions.

Hongjun replied calmly, "Calamity Fortune has no fixed quantity. It depends on the calamity aura and the number of slaughter tribulations."

All Saints understood upon hearing this and asked no further questions.

In truth, Zhunti had wanted to ask Hongjun about the amount of fortune that had existed during the previous Dragon-Phoenix Great Tribulation, but he ultimately chose silence.

Because even a fool knew that Hongjun had been the greatest victor of the previous calamity, monopolizing all of its fortune. Among those he had schemed against were no shortage of ancestral gods and demons.

The western lands had once been the battlefield of the struggle between the Dao and the demonic path, and that history remained deeply etched in memory.

At this moment, the Primordial World stood at a new turning point.

As All Saints waited for the Calamity Dao Fruit to be nurtured, their eyes burned brightly.

They knew that this opportunity was the key to catching up to Li Er. After the previous battle, he had already left them far behind.

This Calamity Fortune was their chance to surpass Li Er.

Thus, they did not dare slacken in the slightest.

Yet just as All Saints waited bitterly, the sight before them left them stunned.

The fortune of the Witch-Demon Calamity was unexpectedly devoured entirely by the Calamity Dao Fruit, and the void seemed to freeze as a result.

As the Dao Fruit was nurtured into being, the Witch-Demon Calamity Destiny Dao Fruit atop the Calamity Fortune Tree was revealed.

The mysterious Dao Fruit hung from a branch, densely covered in Dao patterns and exuding boundless majesty.

Though its surface appeared calm and still, the Calamity Fortune it stirred was enough to shake All Saints.

When All Saints looked at the Dao Fruit, every one of them revealed shock. "Only one?"

They could not accept this fact. This calamity was certain to contain many slaughter tribulations, so why had it nurtured only one Dao Fruit?

If that was the case, did that not mean Li Er would monopolize the entire Calamity Fortune? After all, they had previously joined forces against Li Er and knew full well how powerful he was alone.

After struggling so hard for it, only for Li Er to claim all the fortune, All Saints naturally felt unwilling.

At this moment, Li Er looked at Hongjun with a strange expression.

He seemed to understand that the favor Hongjun had mentioned earlier was to use this opportunity to let him monopolize the Calamity Fortune.

Having once monopolized the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, Hongjun had unique insights into how to gather calamity aura.

Moreover, as the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao Incarnation, if he wished to manipulate matters in secret, no one would notice.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's actions stirred doubts in Li Er's heart. Could it be that he did not merely follow the Heavenly Dao, but also sought private gain?

Thoughts churned within him.

Hongjun was clearly no fool. The first Dragon-Phoenix calamity had revealed his shrewdness.

While his other comrades had all fallen into dire straits, he alone sat secure and unmoved.

Without some means and strategy, how could he have laughed to the end? He naturally had his own various purposes.

Yet if he had ignored righteousness to reach this point, any carelessness would have seen him defeated by Luohu.

Li Er had his suspicions regarding Dao Ancestor Hongjun's actions, but he did not dare be certain.

After all, regarding unknown matters such as Calamity Fortune, he had only heard of them and never experienced them himself.

However, one thing was certain: the Dao Ancestor needed Li Er to use Calamity Fortune to strengthen the Daoist Sect's momentum and suppress the Daoist Sect Destiny diverted by the Western Sect.

Hongjun had even been willing to abandon his freedom and his own will in pursuit of the realm above the Heavenly Dao, becoming a Heavenly Dao Incarnation.

When faced with the choice between freedom and the Heavenly Dao Will, who would not wish to reclaim control over their own free will? It was like a saying from the internet: what connection did Heavenly Dao Hongjun, who opposed Li Er, have with his true identity as the Dao Ancestor? There was no karmic grudge or conflict between them; it was merely a contest between pursuing freedom and exploring the Heavenly Dao.

Why did Hongjun's support for Li Er not appear obvious? The key was that the Heavenly Dao's arrangement for the Five Saints to battle Li Er had long foretold that Li Er would stand supreme.

Even without support, Li Er could still seize the Calamity Fortune.

What was Dao Ancestor Hongjun's true intention? Saints such as Zhunti could not understand it; only Li Er saw a little of the truth.

Zhunti had carefully planned the Golden Crow slaughter tribulation, only to discover in the end that the Calamity Fortune had nothing to do with him, leaving him unwilling to accept it.

Thus, Zhunti asked Hongjun why the Calamity Fortune had produced only one Dao Fruit.

Hongjun explained that although Destiny Dao Fruits were related to slaughter tribulations, the deeper significance lay in their nurturing after heaven and earth responded.

In the battle to destroy Buzhou Mountain, All Saints had been defeated by Laozi. Heaven and earth regarded Laozi as the victor of the calamity, and thus condensed a single Dao Fruit.

To the many Saints, Hongjun's words were like opening a window to wisdom.

Each understood it from a different angle, but one point was universally acknowledged—Li Er had won this struggle for Calamity Fortune.

Even the Five Saints of the Heavenly Dao could not contend with him.

Although they all understood that the fortune of this Witch-Demon Calamity could ultimately only condense into a single fruit, they had still done their utmost to fight for it.

Yet their unwillingness did not prevent them from acknowledging Li Er's victory.

Under the protection of the power of heavenly order, no one could shake Li Er's position.

Like wind tearing through the sky, he easily broke through the boundaries of heavenly order and grasped the sole Dao Fruit in his hand.

Warmth spread through his palm. It was the manifestation of Calamity Fortune.

Though the Five Saints of the Heavenly Dao were unwilling, they understood that continuing to struggle was meaningless in the face of reality.

Li Er's strength and qualifications were enough to prove the legitimacy of his monopolizing the Calamity Fortune.