He was overjoyed again.
Because he knew clearly that this was Hongjun's voice!
A hair-thin line appeared before him, carrying an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth. Its terrifying power inspired fear at a glance.
Looking at the tiny crack, Shen Ni hesitated.
He had a feeling.
If he stepped inside, his life and death would probably no longer be in his own hands.
"Hongjun?"
Just then, a light chuckle rang beside Shen Ni's ear, startling him.
A colossal hand suddenly descended, pinning Shen Ni to the ground.
Qing Tian came striding through the air. With a casual point of one finger, he infinitely enlarged the crack in the void, transforming it in an instant into a terrifying Heavenly Abyss stretching thirty million li and hundreds of thousands of li wide.
Endless Void Astral Wind raged out from within, savagely tearing through everything before it, as if it intended to destroy this entire world.
"Not good, Qing Tian!"
Hongjun's gaze suddenly tightened, and his expression changed in alarm.
After learning that Qing Tian had pursued him to the Northern Continent, he had not dared to travel through the Primordial Wilderness at all. Afraid that the slightest trace of him would be discovered, he had hidden himself on Kunlun Mountain.
Yet he had never expected that Shen Ni would still expose his whereabouts.
It turned out that Qing Tian had maintained his cat-and-mouse attitude all along precisely to lure the fish onto the hook.
He had bet that Hongjun would not be able to sit still and would definitely intervene.
"Hongjun possesses the Jade Plate of Creation and can obscure the secrets of heaven. To find his trail, this is the only option."
Qing Tian pondered inwardly.
His movements did not stop. With every attack, heavenly thunder boomed and winds and clouds surged. The void was pierced straight through by a terrifying crack that led directly into the eternal unknown!
How far was Buzhou Mountain from Kunlun Mountain? More than hundreds of millions of billions of li!
The distance between them was so remote that even measuring it in light-years made it seem unreachable. It was practically an astronomical figure.
Under normal circumstances, even a powerhouse in the Sub-Saint Realm would have to constantly traverse space and fly tirelessly for hundreds or even thousands of days and nights to travel from Buzhou Mountain to Kunlun Mountain.
But Qing Tian was different.
His current strength was unfathomable.
With a download speed of 1.5G, his strength increased with every breath.
Nearly a thousand years had passed, and his cultivation had long since reached the true Peak Quasi-Saint level. He was only one step away from the Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm.
At such a level, his methods were already beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.
Now, relying solely on the trace of aura released by Hongjun, he had locked onto Hongjun's location and launched a brazen attack across billions of light-years, unleashing an assault that could destroy everything.
On Kunlun Mountain, Hongjun's beard and hair flew wildly as he abruptly rose to his feet. The Jade Plate of Creation appeared above his head, shining with rays of light that enveloped him completely.
Hongjun reached into the void with both hands, and a black banner suddenly appeared in his grasp.
With a shake, heaven and earth collapsed as the universe and Primordial Wilderness were transformed into the origins of earth, water, wind, and fire.
All things in heaven and earth began returning to chaos. For a time, the entire Kunlun Mountain trembled.
It seemed unable to withstand such destructive power and was about to revert from acquired to innate, returning to the boundless chaos.
The Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner!
Just then, the endless void continuously shattered. A tremendous force violently surged over, colliding head-on with the Pangu Banner's black radiance and erupting with an attack capable of annihilating all living beings.
Rumble!
Hongjun's face turned pale. He staggered back several steps, and even the hand gripping the Pangu Banner trembled. Terror filled his eyes.
How was this possible?
I used the Jade Plate of Creation to deduce all things, relied on the Pangu Banner to break through the void, and even borrowed Heavenly Dao Power. Only then could I barely open a passage to rescue Shen Ni.
What methods did Qing Tian possess that allowed him to ignore a distance of billions of light-years and attack me directly with his own power?
Such methods were simply appalling, leaving Hongjun drenched in cold sweat.
However, this was not the time to be shocked.
Facing Qing Tian's attack, Hongjun had no intention of meeting it head-on. Instead, he decisively employed a technique and threw out a golden lotus platform. It spun continuously in the void, blocking Qing Tian's earth-shattering attack.
He knew very well that Qing Tian possessed the World-Ending Black Lotus and the Creation Green Lotus, and was certainly planning to recreate the Chaos Green Lotus.
The Merit Golden Lotus was an indispensable part of the Chaos Green Lotus.
If it were shattered here, the Chaos Green Lotus would never be able to reappear.
Sure enough, after sensing the aura of the Merit Golden Lotus, the surging power instantly subsided. It turned into a wall of surging air, upon which Qing Tian's face condensed, and a voice rang out.
"As expected of Hongjun. You actually know what I need. Fortunately, it isn't time for you to die yet. Get lost! This Merit Golden Lotus is mine now, in payment for sparing your life."
As his voice fell, the wall of air rapidly collapsed and transformed into a streak of azure light. It coiled around the Merit Golden Lotus and swept it away.
"Not good!"
Hongjun was horrified and hurriedly moved to stop it.
He had brought out the Merit Golden Lotus only to make Qing Tian wary of attacking it, not to actually give away this Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
The azure light was incredibly fast and vanished into the void in an instant.
The crack in the void rapidly healed. Hongjun's steps halted. After remaining silent for a moment, he finally let out a sigh and did not pursue it.
He knew clearly that chasing after it would be tantamount to courting death.
Qing Tian had such methods even across a distance of billions of light-years. If he truly delivered himself before Qing Tian, how could he possibly withstand him?
"Forget it. The Merit Golden Lotus was never fated to be mine. Even if I obtained it, I would eventually have to hand it to someone else. It might as well go to Qing Tian."
Hongjun consoled himself.
Yet he did not know why; an inexplicable pain welled up in his heart.
It hurt!
Near Buzhou Mountain, the Void Astral Wind continued to blow. On the ground, Shen Ni struggled frantically, yet he could never escape Qing Tian's restraint.
Before long, a streak of azure light flew out, with specks of gold mixed within it.
Qing Tian's eyes flashed as he put away the streak of light. The crack in the void vanished instantly, and the sky returned to clear and peaceful weather. Everything nearby remained completely unchanged—not even a blade of grass or a tree had been damaged.*
"The Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit! It really was in Old Daoist Hongjun's hands."
Qing Tian examined the Merit Golden Lotus and could not help smiling.
He had known long ago that this golden lotus would ultimately be handed by Hongjun to Jieyin, but he had not expected Hongjun to have obtained it already.
As expected, the title Treasure-Hoarding Hongjun was not unfounded.
Only such an opportunity could have enabled him to establish Treasure Rock and distribute Spiritual Treasures.
Thinking of this, a glint flashed through Qing Tian's eyes, and he muttered to himself, "If I want to upgrade the system, a large portion of the Spiritual Treasures will probably have to end up with Hongjun."
He sent the Merit Golden Lotus into the space within the World-Destroying Millstone as well, allowing it to merge with the Creation Green Lotus and the World-Ending Black Lotus.
Qing Tian calmly stared at Shen Ni and said indifferently, "Shen Ni, I gave you a chance before, but unfortunately, you did not know how to cherish it. Even if you regret it now, it is already too late."
Hearing this, Shen Ni's expression changed wildly. He hurriedly said, "Dao Venerable, spare me! Dao Venerable, spare me! This little beast is willing to submit and become the Dao Venerable's mount. I only ask that you do not kill me!"
Before this, he had still harbored a sliver of hope, believing that even if he could not defeat Qing Tian, he could certainly escape. He had even considered asking Di Tian for help.
But now, he had given up completely.
There was nothing he could do. The previous scene had simply been too shocking.
He had been on Buzhou Mountain, yet his attack had landed on Kunlun Mountain.
What kind of terrifying method was that?
It practically possessed part of the might of a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal!
Facing such an unparalleled ruthless figure, Shen Ni knew clearly that if he continued resisting, the only path awaiting him was death!
"A mount?" Qing Tian chuckled and said calmly, "I already have one."
Shen Ni's strength was certainly formidable, and with him as a mount, his speed would be countless times faster than Meng Wu's.
Unfortunately, this Emperor of Fierce Beasts bore karma that was far too terrifying. Even Qing Tian was unwilling to take it on.
It was not that he dared not. It simply was not worth it!
Shen Ni bore the karma of slaughtering the living beings of the Primordial Wilderness, as well as the consequences of wantonly killing the innocent.
Once Qing Tian accepted him, he would become entangled in karma with the Primordial Wilderness, heaven and earth, and all living beings. That would be nothing more than inviting trouble.
Before you continue