Though he had not truly stepped into the realm of Mythical Grand Unity, he had already taken a crucial step.
Foundation Establishment First Layer—achieved!
Next, he had to cultivate to Foundation Building Tenth Layer before he could touch the true core of the Mythical Grand Unity Technique.
Only then would he officially advance to Mythical Grand Unity.
Even at Foundation Establishment First Layer, his power was enough to shock Hong Yun.
Previously, at the peak of Grand Unity, he had relied on the Devouring Divine Ability, Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique, and Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to reach the level of an early-stage Quasi-Saint.
Now, his combat power had increased a full hundredfold.
Hong Yun secretly estimated that he could fight head-on against not only an early-stage Quasi-Saint, but even a mid-stage Quasi-Saint.
Once he advanced to Foundation Establishment Second Layer, crushing a mid-stage Quasi-Saint would be effortless.
According to the realms of the Mythical Grand Unity Method, he could achieve invincibility within his level at every stage.
Even if his opponent possessed a top-tier treasure, his Great Dao Treasure Gourd was likewise a Supreme Treasure.
This treasure was capable of both offense and defense. Whether trapping or killing enemies, it was terrifyingly powerful and absolutely no weaker than any other treasure.
However, to outsiders, Hong Yun's aura remained at the peak of Grand Unity.
No matter who investigated him—even if a Saint personally came—he would merely be judged as nothing special.
Hong Yun did not care in the slightest about other people's opinions. True strength was the real trump card.
Especially with the third sermon approaching, Dao Ancestor Hongjun would bestow Primordial Violet Qi.
By then, he would be drawn into the Saints' schemes.
Whether he could contend with the Saints, or even turn the tables and suppress them, would depend on this strength.
After breaking through to Foundation Establishment First Layer, Hong Yun did not stop.
Whoosh!
He waved his hand and offered up ninety percent of the Netherworld Blood Sea, preparing to refine an external incarnation of the Mythical Grand Unity Technique.
Once the incarnation was complete, he would gain another trump card for preserving his life.
"Refine!"
Hong Yun shouted, and light shot from his hand, vanishing into the blood sea suspended in the void.
At the same time, he circulated the incarnation technique and began condensing it.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
The spiritual power of ninety percent of the Netherworld Blood Sea was vast beyond measure.
Yet at that moment, it rapidly shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"The consumption of this incarnation technique is simply horrifying!"
Hong Yun secretly clicked his tongue.
He estimated that even if he used all the spiritual roots and spirit fruits obtained from the Three Immortal Islands, their total spiritual power would not last an hour of refinement.
Fortunately, he had devoured ninety percent of Minghe's blood sea.
Otherwise, even with this technique, he would have been unable to refine it.
However, refining an incarnation for the first time took an extremely long time.
Hong Yun calculated that it would be impossible to complete without four or five hundred years.
If the incarnation perished outside in the future, condensing another one would be much faster.
He could probably reconstruct one in a year or two.
But this first time was indeed a trial.
Hong Yun settled his mind and patiently continued refining.
There were still more than two thousand years before Dao Ancestor Hongjun's third sermon.
He had plenty of time and was in no rush.
Time flowed on, and five hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five hundred years, the situation in the Great Desolation had grown turbulent and unstable.
The conflict between the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan had intensified, nearing its boiling point.
More than nine thousand years had passed since Hongjun had last saved Dijun and Taiyi.
The Dao Ancestor had once ordered that the two clans were not allowed to wage a major war within ten thousand years.
For now, both sides were limited to small-scale clashes.
Once the ten-thousand-year deadline arrived, the Witch Clan and Demon Clan would surely erupt into an all-out war.
However, this was only the second great war.
The truly terrifying Witch-Demon Tribulation was the third great war, when all Twelve Ancestral Witches and the two Demon Emperors would perish.
Within Yuxu Palace on Kunlun Mountain.
"Hahaha, I have finally Severed the Three Corpses!"
Taishang Laojun threw his head back and laughed, overwhelmed with delight.
He had successfully refined the Three Corpses and entered the early stage of Quasi-Saint.
His aura surged, and his strength increased more than tenfold.
"Congratulations, Big Brother!"
"Congratulations, congratulations!"
Yuanshi and Tongtian stepped forward and bowed in congratulations.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, you must cultivate diligently and never slacken! You must break through to the Quasi-Saint realm before the Dao Ancestor's third sermon!"
Taishang Laojun's tone was arrogant as he looked down at the two of them.
Yuanshi and Tongtian nodded upon hearing this.
But they felt somewhat displeased inwardly.
The three of them had all been transformed from Pangu's primordial spirit. None was inferior to another.
Now, Taishang had merely entered the Quasi-Saint realm first, while they were not far behind.
Yet they could not stand his lofty, superior attitude.
The two said nothing more, turning around and returning to their residences to enter seclusion.
This time, they swore that unless they Severed the Three Corpses, they would never leave seclusion.
Within Fengqi Mountain.
Nuwa's aura was powerful, and she had already reached the early stage of Quasi-Saint.
A hundred years ago, she had Severed the Three Corpses and successfully broken through.
Yet when she looked toward Fuxi, regret filled her eyes.
Her elder brother had been drawn into the Demon Clan by Dijun and Taiyi.
Now, his mind was no longer focused on cultivation, and he had only just reached the peak of Grand Unity.
There was probably no hope of Severing the Three Corpses before the third sermon.
Within Wuzhuang Temple.
After returning from the East Sea, Zhenyuanzi once again entered secluded cultivation.
"Daoist friend Hong Yun reached the peak of Grand Unity long ago. I cannot fall too far behind. Within another two or three hundred years, I will surely Sever the Three Corpses and enter the Quasi-Saint realm!"
He secretly swore an oath.
He had thoroughly comprehended the method of Severing the Three Corpses and was on the verge of breaking through.
Upon the Solar Star.
Dijun was still at the peak of Grand Unity, while Eastern Emperor Taiyi had already Severed the Three Corpses and entered the early stage of Quasi-Saint.
"Big Brother, when will you break through to the Quasi-Saint realm?"
Taiyi asked Dijun.
"I estimate it will be within these two or three hundred years!"
Dijun replied.
The reason Taiyi had taken the lead was that he had spent years cultivating in seclusion on the Solar Star.
Dijun, meanwhile, had been busy with Demon Clan affairs, recruiting Fuxi, Kunpeng, and others.
Now Fuxi was a Demon King, and Kunpeng was the Demon Master. The Demon Clan's power had greatly increased.
"The Witch-Demon War is approaching. If you break through to the Quasi-Saint realm, we will definitely be able to overwhelm the Witch Clan!"
Taiyi said excitedly.
"By the way, how is your refinement of the Eastern Emperor Bell going?"
Dijun asked.
"This is an Innate Supreme Treasure, so refining it is not easy! But now, I can bring out eighty percent of its power!"
Taiyi replied.
Previously, he had only been able to activate thirty percent. Reaching eighty percent was already a tremendous improvement.
If he encountered the Twelve Ancestral Witches again, breaking through the defenses of the Eastern Emperor Bell would be incredibly difficult.
At Spirit Mountain in the Western Lands.
Jieyin and Zhunti continued their bitter cultivation without pause.
Though their auras were powerful, they remained at the peak of Grand Unity.
"Senior Brother, I always feel that Severing the Three Corpses is unsuitable for me. Recently, I have been comprehending Buddhist Dharma, and it feels closer to my path!"
Zhunti calmed his aura and spoke to Jieyin.
"Indeed, the Xuanmen's cultivation methods do not seem to be our path. I have gained considerable insight into Buddhist Dharma!"
Jieyin nodded in agreement.
"Then why don't the two of us switch to cultivating Buddhist Dharma?"
Zhunti was eager to try.
If they cultivated Buddhist Dharma, they might already have entered the Quasi-Saint realm.
The Xuanmen's cultivation methods had truly held them back.
"Wait. In another two thousand years, the Dao Ancestor's third sermon will expound the path of Sainthood, and we must attend. If the Dao Ancestor noticed that I cultivated Buddhist Dharma instead of the Xuanmen's methods, I fear it would be inappropriate..."
Jieyin said worriedly.
"Senior Brother has considered everything carefully!"
Zhunti nodded in agreement.
Within Western Kunlun.
Eastern Prince Gong and Queen Mother of the West looked dispirited.
Since returning from the East Sea, powerful figures from the Great Desolation had come knocking one after another to demand treasures.
For nearly a thousand years, the two had suffered terribly, and their days had been miserable.
At the same time.
Within Fire Cloud Cave.
"The external incarnation of the Mythical Grand Unity Technique is finally complete!"
Hong Yun rose to his feet, his face full of delight.
Beside him stood an incarnation identical to him in every way.
"Hahaha, the Mythical incarnation is finally complete!"
Looking at the incarnation, whose aura and strength were exactly the same as his own, Hong Yun laughed heartily.
From this day on, he had another life.
No, not just one...
He glanced toward the greater part of the Netherworld Blood Sea that remained after the refinement.
At this rate of consumption, ninety percent of the blood sea could give birth to ten incarnations!
Whenever an incarnation perished, its consciousness would return to the true body.
Then the blood sea could be used to reconstruct a new incarnation.
That meant he had gained ten lives. How terrifying!
However, the incarnation remained motionless at that moment.
Without Hong Yun's consciousness controlling it, it could not move at all.
Buzz!
Hong Yun injected his consciousness into the incarnation.
In an instant, his perspective shifted.
The true body sat motionless on the Great Dao Cushion.
Meanwhile, this incarnation of his seemed to have become the real Hong Yun.
There was no need to adapt, because the incarnation and true body were completely identical.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hong Yun activated the Devouring Divine Ability and then offered up the Great Dao Treasure Gourd.
The treasure had originally been in the true body's personal space.
Now, however, it emerged from the incarnation's space, floated beside him, and spun without end.
"Wonderful! Truly beyond wonderful!"
Hong Yun was endlessly amazed.
This external incarnation of the Mythical Grand Unity Technique had completely overturned his understanding.
It certainly lived up to the name "Mythical Grand Unity."
His consciousness then returned to his true body.
"Haha, now I no longer need to fear Hongjun's schemes!"
Since transmigrating, he had never felt so at ease.
In the original timeline, he had been killed by Kunpeng and Minghe over the Primordial Violet Qi.
Even the Primordial Violet Qi had secretly been taken back by Hongjun.
It was not that Kunpeng and Minghe were especially powerful, but that a Sage's schemes were beyond him. Without the strength of a Sage, he was doomed to die.
But now, he could sacrifice a clone and fake his death to escape the situation.
Mythical clones were impossible to distinguish from the real body. Even Sages could not see through them.
However...
"There's still time. Since Hongjun wants to set me up, how could it be my Hong Yun's style not to strike back?"
He whispered the question to himself.
In the original timeline, he had been powerless to resist after being schemed against.
But now, he was no longer that pushover.
How could he be satisfied without striking back?
"But how should I strike back?"
Hong Yun fell into deep thought.
To contend with a Sage, or even turn the tables on one, was easier said than done.
He was currently only at the first level of Foundation Establishment, roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Quasi-Sage realm.
Compared to a Sage, the gap was enormous.
"I must increase my strength first!"
Hong Yun made up his mind in secret.
The Mythical Grand Unity Method had already formed a Dao Fruit.
To advance from the first level of Foundation Establishment to the second, third, and all the way to the tenth, he needed to strengthen his Dao Fruit.
The Mythical Dao Fruit was different from the Great Desolation's Grand Unity Dao Fruit.
Mythical Grand Unity cultivators cultivated the Three Thousand Great Daos.
The Dao Fruit needed countless Great Daos as nourishment in order to grow.
This required Hong Yun to constantly comprehend the Great Daos.
At present, the laws of his Devouring Divine Ability had reached perfection.
But that was merely at the level of laws.
Divine abilities, laws, the Heavenly Dao, and the Great Dao advanced layer by layer.
The Mythical Grand Unity Method, however, skipped the Heavenly Dao entirely.
After all, the Heavenly Dao was merely a simplified version of the Great Dao, far less profound than the Great Dao itself.
The Great Dao had fifty, while the Heavenly Dao had forty-nine. That was where the profundity lay.
Why cling to cultivating the Heavenly Dao? Directly grasping the Great Dao was the proper path.
"Right now, I can study the Devouring Great Dao, but that's still far from my goal. Fortunately, I have ten Yellow Middle Plums in hand. They can help me comprehend the Law of Reincarnation and eventually form the Reincarnation Great Dao."
As Hong Yun spoke softly, he turned his palm, and ten Yellow Middle Plums floated before him.
However, this was still insufficient.
The Devouring Great Dao and the Reincarnation Great Dao amounted to only two Great Daos.
His ambition lay in the vast domain of the Three Thousand Great Daos!
"It seems that only by seizing more opportunities and fortunes can I accomplish this!"
Hong Yun secretly began making plans.
In the Great Desolation, opportunities and fortunes were everywhere. In the past, however, he had been like an idle crane drifting through the clouds, peaceful by nature and never competing with anyone.
That was why his cultivation had remained mediocre, and why he had earned the title of a pushover.
"Pushover" was not a good reputation, but a synonym for foolishness.
It was obvious that all the powerful figures of the Great Desolation regarded him as someone they could bully.
"From now on, first, I must fight for opportunities with all my strength and absorb the profundities of more Great Daos."
"Second, I must scheme more. Whoever dares to harm me, I will repay tenfold! Only then will the system's rewards be generous, and the path of the Great Dao become broader!"
Hong Yun silently calculated his plans.
At the same time.
At the summit of the Solar Star.
"I am Demon Emperor Dijun!"
"I am Eastern Emperor Taiyi!"
"I am the Demon Master Kunpeng!"
"I am Demon King Fuxi!"
"Today, I swear upon the Heavenly Dao to establish the Heavenly Court and protect the myriad spirits of the Demon Clan!"
"All members of the Demon Clan may submit to the Heavenly Court, strengthen our clan, and make our might shake the Great Desolation!"
Mighty voices burst forth from the Solar Star, shaking the four corners of the Great Desolation.
In an instant, the various mighty figures halted their cultivation and gazed into the distance with focused attention.
The Witch Clan and the Demon Clan had an irreconcilable grudge.
Now, they were as incompatible as fire and water, unable to coexist.
Now that the Demon Clan had established the Heavenly Court, how would the Witch Clan respond?
Just as expected.
The moment the Demon Clan's declaration ended, a world-shaking response rang out from the lands of the Witch Clan.
"I am Ancestor Witch Dijiang!"
"I am Ancestor Witch Zhu Jiuyin!"
"I am Ancestor Witch Zhurong!"
"I am Ancestor Witch Gonggong!"
Before you continue