This Tribulation Has No Fate with the West
With countless Kalpa of planning and divination, he deduced the secrets of heaven, acting like the most skilled chess player in this Tribulation Primordial Wilderness swept across the Gao Ming...
However, Hongjun intervened.
Acting on behalf of Heaven, Words Follow Law.
The divine runes imprinted on the origin of heaven and earth and the depths of the souls of all living beings not only locked away the long, almost hopeless future of the Witch and Demon Races, but also acted like an insurmountable chasm, effortlessly freezing and erasing the meticulously planned, fatal blow that was about to reach its target.
The result... wasn't much different from the original trajectory!
Houtu is not dead, Gou Mang's lingering spirit remains.
Although the Witch and Demon was severely weakened, with two of the Twelve Ancestral Witches perishing and the foundation of the Heavenly Court crumbling, it ultimately preserved its core flame and framework under the forceful "binding" of the Heavenly Dao, and was imprisoned in that cage called "Ceasefire".
Qing Huan devoted his heart and soul, risked being drawn into the core of the Tribulation, only to find that what he ultimately gained was nothing but an illusion...
An unprecedented, chilling, and bone-chilling sense of resentment, like the most poisonous miasma at the bottom of an abyss, quietly entwined Qing Huan's mind.
This is not ordinary anger or frustration, but a tremor stemming from a profound understanding of a higher being's perception that "one's own will is ruthlessly overridden by a greater will."
Hongjun's power, which transcended the realm of sainthood and was almost the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, and his iron will that viewed all living beings as chess pieces and could determine eternity with a flick of his hand, were deeply imprinted in the depths of his Yin-Yang eyes.
The initial shock has subsided, and the somber mood has turned into a heavy weight.
"Ten thousand Kalpa..."
Qing Huan's thoughts flowed silently.
This timescale, long enough for the world to change countless times, was merely a prohibition in Hongjun's words.
For me personally, was it a period of agonizing hibernation?
Is it because of the ample layout? No!
Hongjun's appearance was like a thunderclap tearing through the darkness of chaos, completely awakening him.
The Tribulation has not ended; it has simply been forcibly paused.
The Witch and Demon's Heavenly Mandate may seem locked, but beneath the rules, the undercurrents will only be more turbulent.
When that eternal iron law fails, the Karma resentment accumulated over countless years will erupt in a more violent and thorough way!
At that time, if one does not become a saint, one will remain an ant!
When the Tribulation again, even the most powerful and influential figures below the level of Sage, with their Tongtian abilities, will find it difficult to escape being reduced to ashes if they are even slightly involved.
Even powerful figures like Di Jun and Tai Yi, wielding the Chaos Bell and the River Diagram and Luo Script, and ruling the ancient Heavenly Court, were ultimately subject to the Heavenly Dao and ended up in such a miserable state.
Even the Twelve Ancestral Witches, with their physical bodies Tongtian and their mastery of the fundamental laws, suffered greatly, with most of their bodies withering away, leaving only their remnant souls to eke out a living.
Today, he is able to take advantage of the Tribulation and has powerful treasures protecting him, seemingly transcending worldly affairs. However, if he stops here, he will surely have a share in the gray power that sweeps across the Primordial Wilderness in the next Great Tribulation!
A sense of urgency!?
Like an invisible whip, it lashes fiercely at the depths of the True Spirit.
The desire for a higher realm and for the Hunyuan Dao Fruit has never been so intense and clear as it is now.
This is not about pursuing some vague and ethereal "Tao," but rather a necessity for survival! It's the only way to step out of the chessboard and become a true player!
His indifferent expression remained unchanged, and even his unfathomable eyes only moved slightly, as if he were merely gazing at the Chaos Qi flowing in the abyss.
But the aura around him froze almost imperceptibly for a moment.
The Chaos Qi flowing along the ribs of the Seven Symbols Umbrella subtly quickened, pulverizing a faint wisp of energy that had dissipated due to resentment, leaving no trace.
The World-Purifying White Lotus seemed to brighten by a tiny bit, as if wiping away a speck of dust from the mirror of the heart.
The Heavenly Dao Cage... Qing Huan pondered this thought.
The laws of Heavenly Dao are fixed, and the world is drawn as a prison, locking away the Witch and Demon. Isn't this also locking away all the variables in this world that try to break free of their cages?
But this cage, for him, may be both a confinement and a barrier.
Ten thousand Kalpa —that's a long enough period.
It is enough to allow one to comprehend the more profound, supreme Dao that exists since the Primordial Judgment, Great Dao that intertwines annihilation and creation!
His gaze swept once more over the faint green light at the bottom of the abyss (the remnant soul of Gou Mang) and the frozen Houtu.
Murderous intent?
It has long since vanished.
To act now would be tantamount to throwing oneself into the furnace of Heavenly Dao's Dao, instantly turning into ashes.
The majesty of Hongjun's decree was no empty boast. They were alive and imprisoned, which ironically made them, in a sense, "anchors" for this long truce.
Very well, I'll spare your lives for now.
The connection between the bloodline laws of the Witch Clan and the roots of the earth, the resonance between the Heavenly Court legacy of the Demon Clan and the origin of the stars...
The twisted and meandering trajectory of these forces under the shackles of the Heavenly Dao may themselves be a "Daoist book" worth studying.
Just as Qing Huan suppressed all his turbulent emotions and resolved to make this place one of the starting points of his long journey of enlightenment,
That extraordinary perception, surpassing that of an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal, detected extremely subtle spatial fluctuations coming from the distant western horizon.
Two figures appeared and disappeared in the cracks of the shattered void, their auras a mixture of greed, disappointment, and deep apprehension, carrying also a trace of the sharp, metallic energy and the law of Karma unique to the West...
At this moment, Jieyin and Zhunti Way who are exhausting themselves in their Attain Sagehood, and who are even willing to shamelessly "beg" for alms everywhere.
The final battle Witch and Demon is about to begin. The Calamity Qi is soaring into the sky, and the laws of heaven and earth are in turmoil. This is the perfect opportunity to reap the benefits and convert those "destined" (whether dead or alive).
Lurking in the Chaos Turbulence surrounding the battlefield, like vultures waiting for the scraps of a feast.
Intending to take advantage of the fact that both sides were severely injured and the world was in chaos, they might seize a few extraordinary spiritual treasures, or "convert" the remnant souls of several demon Demon Marshal and great witches whose souls were seriously damaged to save face, or even hope to sense a fragment of opportunity to become a saint in the chaos.
Before Hongjun descended, the two watched as the Witch and Demon fought to a fever pitch, watched the Ancestral Witch fall, watched the Heavenly Court collapse, watched Di Jun and Tai Yi be bathed in blood, and watched Gonggong Zhurong go mad...
He could hardly contain his excitement at the impending opportunity.
Especially when Qing Huan tore through the abyss, condensing that ultimate aura of annihilation and pointing Gou Mang and Houtu, Daoist Zhunti almost couldn't resist reaching out his hand from the void!
However, an unexpected event occurred...
That supreme pressure from the Heavenly Dao, that divine rule that imprints Words Follow Law on the law for eternity, was like a basin of icy, chaotic spring water, completely extinguishing the flames of greed in their hearts.
Watching the Witch and Demon Races, under the cold shackles of the Heavenly Dao, begin to gather their remaining forces with immense difficulty yet unwavering determination...
Hope was dashed.
All calculations become laughable illusions before the absolute laws of Heavenly Dao.
To make a move now, even if it's just to steal a broken spiritual treasure, would be tantamount to openly challenging the order of heaven and earth while the authority of the decree of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun is still in effect!
The warning of "all turned to ashes" was not just directed at Witch and Demon.
In the eyes of the Dao Ancestor, what essential difference was there between himself and those struggling demon soldiers and sorcerers, two Quasi-Sage who had not yet attained sainthood?
They're probably just slightly larger ants...
"Well..."
A long, bitter sigh, filled with endless regret and helplessness, seemed to squeeze out from a crevice in Mount Sumeru, be swept away by the Chaos Qi, and finally vanish without a trace.
The Daoist Jieyin's face grew even more pained; beneath that compassionate exterior lay endless heartache.
They watched as an immense fortune (at least in their eyes) slipped away.
Daoist Zhunti's eyes flashed with a sharp light several times, but it eventually dimmed. He gripped the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white.
So be it, so be it. It's fate, it's destiny. The opportunities here are no longer available in the West.
"Senior brother, the Heavenly Dao is constant, and cannot be forced. The Karma here is too heavy, Dao Ancestor's eyes are sharp; this is not a place to linger."
Zhunti's voice was hoarse with a hint of resentment.
The Jieyin nodded heavily, his face filled with even deeper sorrow.
"Good. The West is barren; this calamity... is not our concern. Let us go."