The Dao-Demon Conflict Begins

Just as Hongjun was contacting the various immortals in the Zixiao Palace, preparing for the western expedition to slay the demon a thousand years later, Luohu, seated deep within the Mount Sumeru Demonic Palace, had already opened his eyes—those eyes filled with destruction and madness.

"Hongjun, you brat, and that skulking rat who hides his face..." he sneered coldly, the Demonic Energy surging around him nearly solidifying. The battle at the North Sea had given him the upper hand, yet it also made him realize that these Innate God-Demons, seemingly inferior to him, each had their own life-saving trump cards and were not to be trifled with. Especially that mysterious existence who had stolen the Geng Metal Divine Stone right under his nose, whose origins he still couldn't deduce—that one made him wary, a thorn in his back.

He had laid his plans across the Primordial World for three thousand years, planting enough hidden seeds. The fuses for the blood sacrifice were already scattered in every corner of the Primordial World.

"No more waiting!" A flash of bloodlight flickered in Luohu's eyes as he made his decision. He violently urged his Primordial Spirit, unleashing the World-Destroying Black Lotus, condensed with endless Sha Qi and Resentment Power. An invisible Demonic Thought, filled with depravity and the will to slaughter, spread like a plague through the causal connections in the dark, instantly reaching every region of the Primordial World that had been eroded or controlled by his Demonic Energy!

The Blood Sacrifice of the Primordial World had begun ahead of schedule!

In an instant, flames of war rose everywhere across the Primordial World, and tragedies erupted frequently!

In the East Sea, a group of Shark Clan warriors were patrolling the waters when a squad leader's eyes suddenly flickered with an eerie black light. Without warning, he raised his bone blade and viciously struck at his companion beside him, letting out a roar that didn't sound human: "Kill! For the Devil Ancestor!"

Somewhere at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, a Witch Clan hunting team had just finished their hunt when one of the Great Witches suddenly went mad, swinging his giant axe to cut down his own kin, flesh and blood flying everywhere.

In a certain Demon Race tribe in the east, a highly respected elder, while giving a lecture, suddenly had his face twist in agony as Demonic Energy surged around him, pouncing on the naive young demons in the audience...

Chaos! Indiscriminate chaos!

Unlike the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, where the three races fought in clear camps, this time, the enemy could be right beside you—your most trusted comrade, family, or teacher! One moment you're drinking and laughing together, the next they might turn into a killing puppet, plunging a blade into your chest! Trust collapsed completely; fear and suspicion spread like wildfire.

A thick, nauseating Blood Fiend Energy, mixed with overwhelming Resentment Power and despair, rose from every corner of the Primordial World, even more terrifying than at the end of the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, draping the entire Primordial World in a blood-red veil. The sky turned dark red, the sun and moon lost their light, and the wails of living beings and the roars of Demonic Beasts became the main theme between Heaven and Earth.

This sudden upheaval shocked Hongjun, who had been preparing to act according to plan!

"Luohu! How dare you!" Feeling the madly gathering Blood Fiend Karma surging toward the west, he knew Luohu was forcibly using countless living beings as sacrifices to break through to the supreme demonic realm! If he succeeded, the consequences would be unthinkable!

"Fellow Daoists, the demon is rampant, the blood sacrifice has begun. We can wait no longer! Gather quickly, and march west immediately!" Hongjun's divine thought carried unprecedented urgency, transmitting to Qiankun, Yin Yang, and Wang Shu.

Ancestor Qiankun and Ancestor Yin Yang, both abhorring evil, responded at once. Wang Shu, warned by Li Cha, understood the danger, but having already agreed and seeing the Primordial World's misery, she felt duty-bound.

Luohu's move also drew two more great powers to join the demon-slaying team. One was Daoist Wu Xing, whose path clashed with Luohu's destructive demonic way, and whose cave dwelling had been disturbed by Demonic Energy, stirring in him the thought of eliminating the demon—so he joined the expedition. The other was Great Immortal Yang Mei, who had originally been unwilling to interfere. Perhaps he calculated that this great calamity was unavoidable, or perhaps Luohu's actions had crossed his bottom line, but he changed his mind and agreed to go along.

Thus, the visible punitive force now consisted of six quasi-sage great powers led by Hongjun: Qiankun, Yin Yang, Wang Shu, Wu Xing, and Yang Mei! Such a lineup was the strongest coalition since the World Creation of the Primordial World!

In the shadows, Li Cha was already prepared. Using the power of the Chaos Pearl, he perfectly concealed his own aura, like an invisible shadow, quietly trailing behind the group. He wanted to see with his own eyes this legendary Dao-Demon war and the Zhu Xian Sword Formation that would bring Wang Shu to her calamity—what would it be like?

The six great powers, plus Li Cha in the shadows, made no effort to hide their vast auras, turning into six (actually seven) world-spanning rainbow beams, heading straight for the Western Demon Domain. Wherever they passed, the pervasive Blood Fiend Energy was temporarily dispelled by the combined, majestic Dao might.

But Luohu had operated in the west for years—would he let them reach Mount Sumeru so easily?

Just as they entered the edge of the western region, still a considerable distance from Mount Sumeru, a sudden change occurred!

"Boom!"

The earth trembled, demon clouds blotted out the sun! Ahead, on the desolate, shattered land, a dense, endless tide of demon armies surged like black floodwaters! These Demonic Beasts came in all shapes and forms, exuding dense Demonic Energy, numbering in the millions at least! Their eyes held only mad killing intent, and their deafening roars merged into a solid mass of Demonic Energy.

Above the demon army, four figures radiating the terrifying demonic might of early quasi-sage stood like demon gods!

The leading Demon King had a handsome face but a sinister charm, with the Law of Desire flowing around him, tempting all to fall—this was Pāpīyas!

Beside him, one figure had a graceful form and a constantly shifting face, sometimes merciful like a holy mother, sometimes ferocious like a demon, wielding the demonic thoughts of destruction and rebirth—this was Shiva!

The third had four arms and two faces, with a profound aura as if it could devour everything, paradoxically unifying the contradictory laws of protection and destruction—this was Vishnu!

The last one was massive as a mountain, with indigo skin, wielding a demon hammer, filled with the purest power and rage—this was Rudra!

These four Demon Kings were Luohu's most capable generals, commanding the western demon horde!

"Hongjun! This road is blocked! By the Devil Ancestor's decree, we take your lives as a gift for his ascension to supremacy!" Pāpīyas's voice was magnetic but carried a fatal allure, trying to shake the six's resolve.

"Hmph, mere specters and monsters dare block our path? Kill!" Ancestor Qiankun, the most hot-tempered, roared and unleashed the Qiankun Cauldron, expanding it to ten thousand zhang, slamming it down onto the densest part of the demon army!

The great battle erupted instantly!

The six quasi-sage great powers each displayed their skills. Hongjun held the Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation above his head, vast purple energy surging, his Fly Whisk sweeping with natural Dao principles, purifying Demonic Energy; Ancestor Yin Yang evolved the Yin Yang Taiji Diagram, black and white energies cycling, grinding all things to dust; Wang Shu drew upon Stellar Power, moonlight like silk, where the cold starlight passed, Demonic Beasts melted like snow; Ancestor Five Elements manipulated the cycle of five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth mutually generating and overcoming, forming a forbidden elemental zone; Great Immortal Yang Mei was the most bizarre, his form flickering between reality and void, folding and twisting space at will, banishing entire swaths of demon troops into unknown voids.

The four Demon Kings led their elite forces, forming a Demon Array to tightly entangle the six. Papīyas's seductive demon sound infiltrated everywhere, Shiva's dance of destruction stirred inner demons, Vishnu's devouring power disrupted mana flow, and Rudra's violent strength clashed head-on.

And the millions of demon troops, like mad dogs, feared no death, surging forward wave after wave, even charging close and detonating without hesitation! The self-destruction of Mystic Immortal and Golden Immortal level Demonic Beasts was not to be underestimated—though unable to truly harm quasi-sages, the endless chain of explosions produced shockwaves and chaotic demonic energy that greatly interfered with the six's spellcasting, draining their mana and mental focus.

In an instant, this western border region turned into the most brutal meat grinder. Dao techniques thundered, Demonic Energy raged, stars fell, space shattered! Every moment, tens of thousands of Demonic Beasts were turned to ash under the quasi-sages' divine powers, but the essence blood and resentful souls they released upon death were immediately absorbed by the omnipresent Blood Sacrifice Array, thickening the surrounding Blood Fiend Energy to a visible degree, like viscous blood plasma permeating the air, even beginning to corrode the six great powers' protective immortal light.

"Luohu has a venomous heart! He doesn't care at all about these demon lives!" Daoist Wu Xing waved his sleeve to scatter a group of self-destructing Demonic Beasts, his face grim. He felt his own Five Elements Law's operation becoming slightly sluggish.

"He's using these demon troops' lives, and the energy from our battle, as fuel for his blood sacrifice, weakening us while strengthening himself!" Hongjun's gaze was icy, seeing through Luohu's scheme. He could sense, far off in the direction of Mount Sumeru, a terrifying demonic might rising at a frightening speed.

This brutal blocking battle was merely Luohu's appetizer. The true life-or-death trial still lay within the Zhu Xian Sword Formation. And the more they were worn down, the lower their chances of facing that formation.

In the shadows, Li Cha watched this fierce battle quietly, his brow slightly furrowed. Luohu's ruthlessness and cunning were indeed as legendary. He subtly activated the Chaos Pearl, drawing his aura to its utmost concealment, like a calm observer, waiting for the moment of the final showdown.