The Two Sages of the West departed with Minghe.
Logically, the Three Pure Ones should have been pleased to witness such a spectacle!
Yet within Biyou Palace, the Three Pure Ones wore grave expressions.
Yuanshi said darkly, "The Two Sages of the West truly never let slip any opportunity!"
Tongtian nodded. "Indeed..."
Minghe had not been part of their plans!
Who could have expected such a top-tier sect leader to become involved in the Investiture of the Gods?
During the discussion at Zixiao Palace, none of the Sages had foreseen it.
Yuanshi said in a low voice, "Though your abandoned disciples are powerful and numerous, they lack a leader."
A disorganized rabble was easy enough to handle.
But with Minghe commanding them, the situation would change drastically!
Yuanshi's expression was grave. "They have become an army!"
An army led by a Quasi-Saint and composed of Ten Thousand Immortals!
Our disciples are in danger!
Tongtian had a terrible headache as well.
Yuanshi was completely right!
Taishang suddenly said, "That Mad Immortal Lu Ya also seems to have been taken in by the Western Teachings!"
Yuanshi and Tongtian stared at Taishang in astonishment.
Taishang smiled bitterly. "I happened to receive the news."
Yuanshi flew into a rage. "That wretch actually dared betray Junior Sister Nuwa?!"
What audacity!
Lu Ya was known as the Mad Immortal, one of the Primordial Era's Quasi-Saints.
Yet the Sages knew his origins—he was the Tenth Prince of the Golden Crows of the Demon Court!
He had always sheltered under Nuwa.
Otherwise, he would have fallen long ago!
And now he had actually betrayed the Mystic Gate and joined the West!
A traitor through and through!
Yuanshi sighed. "This is a huge problem!"
Taishang nodded.
But Tongtian's thoughts stirred.
Lu Ya dared to defect?
Where had he gotten such courage?
If he had truly dared to betray them, why had he not done it earlier?
This was the Immeasurable Calamity!
Was he not afraid that Nuwa would cut him down in fury?
What major sect would welcome a traitor?
Unless...
Tongtian raised his head and looked toward the sky.
Unless that person had secretly guided Lu Ya into defecting in order to strengthen the foundations of the Western Teachings!
Otherwise, even if Lu Ya had two more lives, he would not dare!
Yuanshi muttered, "Minghe is one of the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace, a top-tier sect leader of the Primordial Era."
The Demon Sect followers under his command were no fewer than the disciples of the Western Teachings!
His ability to govern was exceptional!
The Two Sages of the West would certainly make great use of him!
As for Lu Ya, he was a prince of the Demon Court who had received a complete imperial education. He did not lack organizational ability.
Yuanshi racked his brains, yet found no solution.
Their side had too few disciples!
The Human Sect had only Xuandu, and he would not participate in the Investiture of the Gods.
The Chan Jiao had somewhat more disciples, but only around forty.
The Interception Sect had merely ten!
Adding the one from Wa Imperial Palace...
No matter how Yuanshi looked at it, they had no chance of winning!
He pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Must we truly enter the fray ourselves?"
That was the worst option!
The two Sages opposite them were utterly shameless!
If Yuanshi entered the fray, the Two Sages of the West would surely follow suit!
Even the resourceful Sage of the Chan Jiao was at a loss!
Taishang suddenly looked at Tongtian. "To capture bandits, first capture their leader. Are your disciples confident they can send Minghe and Lu Ya onto the Investiture of the Gods List?"
Yuanshi was dumbfounded!
What had he just heard?
Taishang was asking whether Tongtian's disciples could kill Minghe and Lu Ya?
If they could kill Lu Ya, that would be one thing!
But were Minghe and Lu Ya so easy to kill?
Lu Ya could be set aside for now. He was merely a remnant of the Demon Court, a high-level Quasi-Saint with a special identity. They could still give it a try.
But Minghe was incredibly difficult to kill!
Yuanshi asked himself what he could do if he faced Minghe while still at the Quasi-Saint stage.
The outcome would be hard to predict!
Minghe's most troublesome ability was his Blood God Son Great Method.
He had comprehended this supreme Supernatural Power from the Boundless Sea of Blood!
The Blood God Sons could contaminate primordial spirits and transform into clones to injure enemies.
Minghe possessed 480 Million Blood God Sons!
One person alone was an army of cultivators!
Their wills were united as one, making them an unparalleled demonic army!
Before Yuanshi attained the Dao, without the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud and Pangu Banner, he had been helpless against Minghe.
It was not just Yuanshi—none of the Quasi-Saints of the Primordial Era had a good solution!
That was why Minghe had declared, "So long as the Sea of Blood does not run dry, Minghe shall not die!"
Arrogant and domineering, he fully displayed the bearing of the Demon Sect Leader!
He was one of the three strongest Quasi-Saints in the Primordial Era. No one did not find him troublesome!
Yuanshi could not understand why Taishang would place his hopes on Tongtian's disciples.
There were only eight Biyou Palace disciples on the Investiture of the Gods List!
To his surprise, Tongtian was actually considering it seriously!
Yuanshi gaped. What was going on?
Taishang had asked in earnest, and Tongtian did not seem to be joking either!
Could Biyou Palace's disciples truly kill Minghe?
With Duobao, Zhao Gongming, and the others?
Yuanshi suddenly felt that there were many secrets within the Mystic Gate that he had yet to comprehend.
Just like when Pingxin had attained the Dao, or why her cultivation had soared so dramatically...
Could it be that Biyou Palace's disciples also hid secrets unknown to others?
After pondering for a long time, Tongtian finally nodded. "They can!"
Yuanshi was shocked and found it impossible to believe!
That was Minghe!
Minghe, the Demon Sect Leader!
Minghe, with 480 Million Blood God Sons!
Even Yuanshi had been helpless against him as a Quasi-Saint. Could Duobao and the others kill him?
No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd!
Taishang was moved. "It can truly be done?"
Tongtian smiled. "Naturally!"
Minghe was indeed difficult for other cultivators to kill.
First of all, the Merit he possessed was enough to inspire fear!
Was that not strange?
A Demon Sect Leader whose Merit did not lose to the Complete Perfection of Mystic Gate!
Some great powers even had less Merit than he did!
Merit was proof granted by the Heavenly Dao.
If your Merit was inferior to Minghe's, did you still want to kill him?
It would already be fortunate if he did not kill you instead!
Where had Minghe's Merit come from?
Though the Boundless Sea of Blood was extremely yin and filthy, it contained the filth of the Primordial Era and rendered great service to heaven and earth.
He had also created the Asura race, for which the Heavenly Dao had granted him further rewards.
Therefore, anyone wishing to kill Minghe needed far more Merit than him!
Otherwise, there was no point discussing it!
Only after overcoming the barrier of Merit could one compare cultivation, Supernatural Powers, and Spiritual Treasures!
That was another headache.
Minghe was a Peak Quasi-Saint with 480 Million Blood God Sons. A single drop of blood could restore him to life!
He was extraordinarily difficult to kill!
Furthermore, he had the Twelve-grade Karma Fire Red Lotus protecting his body, while Yuantu and Abi, two Innate Spiritual Treasures, guarded his path.
Countless Demon Sect followers protected him as well...
Killing him was as difficult as ascending to heaven!
Tongtian understood Yuanshi's headache perfectly.
In the past, Tongtian would never have dared promise such a thing.
That would have been irresponsible toward his disciples' lives!
But ever since he had taken his disciples to visit Senior Lin Dong on Penglai Immortal Island, Tongtian was full of confidence!
Minghe was nothing more than that!
He believed that Duobao and the other Eight Great Disciples would not disappoint him!
Yuanshi stared intently at Tongtian, seeking the slightest trace of bravado.
But Tongtian was calm and composed, utterly confident!
Yuanshi clapped his hands and laughed. "Excellent!"
Though he did not know where Tongtian's confidence came from, since Tongtian had said so, Yuanshi believed he could slay Minghe!
At that moment, the greatest minds among the Sages began working at full speed.
"In that case, we have a solution!"
"We shall proceed like this..."
Taishang and Tongtian nodded repeatedly. "Excellent!"
On Penglai Immortal Island, Lin Dong held Wind Tail in his hand, and his smile gradually deepened.
"My Merit has taken effect! Pingxin fought one against two in the Six Paths of Reincarnation and suppressed the Two Sages of the West, making them lose face badly!"
"However, they did not come away empty-handed either. They turned around and brought Minghe into the Western Teachings."
"The Western Fate Great Method truly is formidable!"
Before him, the light sphere projected countless images.
On the side of the Western Teachings, the figures were densely packed...
Lin Dong frowned. "The Western Teachings have so many disciples, as well as Minghe and Lu Ya commanding them. How will the Mystic Gate respond?"
Unless some great power killed Minghe...
But was that possible?
He recalled the books about the Primordial Era from his previous life. During the Investiture of the Gods, the Sages of the Human Sect and Chan Jiao had personally entered the fray.
Would they personally act this time as well?
"After the Investiture of the Gods, the Sages will withdraw, leaving only Quasi-Saints in the Primordial Era."
"By my calculations, that Monkey should be born soon as well."
"In that case, I can make my own moves and lay out my plans."
After all, I am also a Primordial Golden Immortal!
Lin Dong chuckled softly, took out a Mystic Yellow Embroidery Needle, and casually tossed it.
The needle pierced through the Immeasurable Great Array, crossed countless stretches of time and space, and fell into the Primordial Era!
He lightly patted the light sphere.
The colors upon the sphere shifted.
The moment before, immortal aura drifted through the air, peaceful and serene.
The next moment, baleful aura filled the heavens, Karma intertwined!
Faintly, the ancient sound of a bell rang out.
"The calamity has come!"
At the same moment
All the Saints raised their heads:
"The great calamity has begun!"
The Bell of Heaven and Earth resounded through the void, its echoes drifting across the Earth Immortal Realm.
The great powers all wore solemn expressions.
The Immeasurable Calamity had begun!
Within the Earth Immortal Realm, aside from the disciples of Saints and Hunyuan disciples, every cultivator had tightly sealed their cave entrances, not daring to step outside in the slightest.
Even Haotian, who had triggered the calamity, along with the renowned Zhen Yuanzi and Kunpeng, the three foremost Quasi-Saints of the Primordial Era,
had all shut their gates, guarded their domains, turned away visitors, and secluded themselves.
This was the Immeasurable Calamity.
Once drawn into it, those with even slightly shallow fortunes would die and have their Dao extinguished, reduced to ashes!
There was no room for the slightest carelessness.
Within the Thirty-Three Heavens, a rare smile appeared on Hongjun's eternally unchanging face:
"The calamity I have planned for so long has finally begun!"
"After this calamity, I will be one step closer to repaying the Karma I owe the Primordial Era!"
"Once I have repaid the Karma of the Primordial Era, then... the Heavenly Dao... hehehe!"
Even with Hongjun's Dao Heart, he could not help feeling a trace of excitement!
An unforgettable scene rose involuntarily in his mind:
Within the endless Chaos Void,
the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods stood tall, their auras terrifying beyond measure.
The light of three thousand laws surged and reflected off one another, shaking the entire chaotic world.
They were the favored children of the Great Dao, its representatives within chaos.
An indescribable giant swung an unparalleled great axe, cleaving apart chaos and separating the clear from the turbid.
Along with boundless radiance came blood rain filling the sky.
A voice full of grief and fury resounded through the void. "Pangu, you dare kill us? This is a supreme crime. You will surely perish!!"
What answered him was an infinitely sharp axe strike,
After that single strike, the Chaos Demon God who had spoken perished completely.
Pangu said calmly, "I forge my own Dao. Why should I care how rough the road ahead may be?!"
His voice was icy to the bone, nearly freezing every Chaos Demon God stiff.
A moment later, all the Demon Gods roared, their shock and fury mingling as they charged forward madly.
They knew
either they would die, or Pangu would perish!
There was no third path!!
That battle swept through the entire Chaos Void. Not one of the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods escaped.
This was the great calamity before the opening of heaven.
Hongjun would never forget it.
That battle shook the entire Primordial Era!
The Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods and Pangu had all fallen!
Only a handful of Demon Gods, such as Hongjun, Yang Mei, and Luohu, remained.
No!
There was also the newly opened Primordial Era!
Hongjun clenched his fists tightly.
"Pangu... the Strength Demon God at the Half-step Great Dao realm. Good that he died!"
"If he had not died, how could Chaos Demon Gods like us ever rise?"
Yet even though Pangu was dead, whenever Hongjun recalled the impression Pangu had left upon him,
he still trembled uncontrollably!
What frightened him most was
that whenever he recalled it, it felt as though Pangu were watching him!
Those great powers who had not experienced that battle before the opening of heaven could never imagine just how savage Pangu had been.
With a casual sweep of the Sky-Opening Axe, several Chaos Demon Gods would fall.
Anyone targeted by Pangu would never survive until the next moment.
Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, strength stood foremost... entirely because of the record Pangu had carved out through slaughter!
Hongjun unconsciously clenched his fists tighter!
He knew Pangu had taken hold of his mind.
Even after countless eons, Pangu had still left an enormous shadow in his heart.
To dispel that shadow, he could only become stronger than Pangu had been in the past.
But that was by no means easy!
Pangu's cultivation back then had been at the Half-step Great Dao realm!
Hongjun waved his hand, as though that could dispel the shadow Pangu had left behind.
"The first step toward surpassing Pangu, controlling the Primordial Era, has already been accomplished."
"Next, I must destroy the Saints and seize control of the Heavenly Dao!"
"Only by stealing the Heavenly Dao can I advance to the Great Dao!"
"Then I can rid myself of my fear of Pangu!"
Hongjun's gaze flickered as he repeatedly considered every detail.
His gaze lowered slightly, falling upon the East Sea of the Earth Immortal Realm. Aside from seawater, there was nothing there!
Hongjun knew that Penglai Immortal Island was not within the Primordial Era.
What occasionally appeared above the East Sea was merely its entrance.
The great deity on Penglai Immortal Island was also one of his targets!
"Once my plan succeeds, I can use the Heavenly Dao to advance to the Great Dao."
"Once I succeed in advancing, whether it is Pangu or the mysterious master of Penglai Immortal Island, all of them will be punished!"
Time held no meaning for a Great Dao Saint.
Whether Pangu or the mysterious master of Penglai Immortal Island, both were thorns in Hongjun's heart.
Unless those two thorns were removed,
Hongjun always felt that his Dao Heart was not truly complete.
It was a strange feeling, Hongjun's spiritual intuition.
A cultivator's intuition was the sharpest.
He sensed that if his cultivation were to advance further, he would inevitably cross paths with those two.
Pangu had already perished when he opened heaven.
But the master of Penglai Immortal Island was still alive!
Hongjun fell silent for a moment before finally raising his hand and casually making a cut. A Space-Time Gate appeared:
"Sorry for the trouble, fellow Daoist. Please return and assist me!"
An aged voice came from the other side of the Space-Time Gate. "You are me, and I am you. Why make such a distinction?"
Hongjun said softly, "Good!"
With that handled, he finally set aside his concerns.
Now, he could properly enjoy the Immeasurable Calamity—the Investiture of the Gods Calamity—that he had designed!
Hongjun was exceedingly satisfied with the current situation.
Previously, when Tongtian had negotiated the Investiture of the Gods three times at Zixiao Palace, he had caused Hongjun no small amount of trouble.
Hongjun had once worried that the Investiture of the Gods Calamity might fail to achieve his goal.
But as things developed,
he was completely at ease.
He even had a small surprise.
Tongtian had abolished his own Saint position and disbanded the Interception Sect. This had allowed the Western Teachings to feast handsomely.
In terms of disciple numbers, cultivation, and combat strength,
they were unquestionably first in the Primordial Era. With more than ten thousand cultivators, it could be called the gathering of Ten Thousand Immortals—without even counting the Demon Sect followers Minghe had brought.
There were only three hundred and sixty-five positions on the Investiture of the Gods List.
As long as the Western Teachings were not destroyed,
they would surely flourish after the Investiture of the Gods Calamity!
This was even better than what Hongjun had planned!
Even with Hongjun's temperament, he felt exceptionally satisfied!
He could not possibly be more satisfied!
With only that handful of people among the Saints of the Mystic Gate, what could they use to stop the Western Teachings' Ten Thousand Immortals?!
Hongjun seemed already able to see the boundless Merit after the calamity!
The Bell of Heaven and Earth rang out.
The Three Saints of the Mystic Gate and one Hunyuan all turned their Dharma Eyes toward Mount Sumeru in the west.
They stared fiercely at the two Saints of the West!
Jieyin and Zhunti immediately felt the pressure multiply!
The two Saints were completely baffled!
Zhunti flew into a rage. "Four fellow Daoists, what is the meaning of this?"
The Immeasurable Calamity had only just begun. While the two Saints of the West were delighting in their disciples,
four immense pressures suddenly descended upon them from afar.
Even the most mild-tempered Saint could not endure that, much less the Two Sages of the West, who were famed for their shamelessness!
Yuanshi's face darkened, his voice exceedingly cold. His words stabbed straight into Zhunti's heart.
"The reputation of you two fellow Daoists has spread throughout the Primordial Era. For the sake of our disciples, we have no choice but to keep our attention on you!"
Zhunti was furious to the point of nearly dying.
What did he mean, their reputation had spread throughout the Primordial Era?
He was clearly saying that Zhunti's character was poor.
It was just short of pointing at his nose and cursing him!
Zhunti said coldly, "Yuanshi, do not slander me!"
Yuanshi said indifferently, "Every fellow Daoist saw quite clearly how Fellow Daoist Minghe joined your sect."
"The disciples of our Mystic Gate are precious. They are absolutely not fated with your Western Teachings."
"You are Saints. If you insist that they are fated with you... who among them would dare resist you?"
Even with Zhunti's thick skin, his face flushed crimson in embarrassment.
At that moment, he wanted to reveal his Golden Body Dharma Image and properly debate the Dao with Yuanshi!
They said one did not slap someone in the face or expose their shortcomings when cursing them.
Yuanshi was deliberately tearing open Zhunti's wounds, and he had torn open two at once!
He had not uttered a single curse word,
yet it made Zhunti feel worse than being cursed outright.
Being defeated by Pingxin was a humiliation.
Forcibly dragging Minghe into the sect truly had not been an honorable method.
But as long as no one mentioned it, Zhunti could pretend it had never happened.
Yet before all the Saints, Yuanshi had brought it up directly.
Before you continue