The Western Lands' Spirit Mountain.
Above the heavens, a giant bird with wings stretching ten thousand miles circled in the sky. It was Kunpeng.
Relying on his peerless speed, Kunpeng reached this Western land in the blink of an eye.
"Sure enough, it's so barren it makes one sigh!"
Kunpeng circled Spirit Mountain several times. Everywhere he looked, apart from the endless scorched earth giving off wisps of Demonic Qi, there was practically nothing.
He recalled how, back then, Demon Ancestor Luohu and Dao Ancestor Hongjun had fought over the position of Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, igniting the Dao-Demon War.
Luohu had detonated the Western spiritual ley lines and even provoked the Dragon-Han Primordial Calamity, but in the end, he had been no match for Hongjun, suffering defeat and dying.
After that battle, the entire Western Lands had become a scorched wasteland.
"Hmph. No matter what, I can't let those two Western baldies live comfortably!"
Kunpeng surveyed this desolate land. Though he had no way to act, he was unwilling to let the matter go.
Jieyin and Zhunti had snatched his great opportunity from him. How could he not avenge this grievance?
After pondering for a moment, a crafty glint flashed through Kunpeng's eyes.
He immediately looked down at the ever-churning Demonic Qi. His enormous wings suddenly spread, and he began circling rapidly above Spirit Mountain.
In moments, the Demonic Qi seemed to be swept up by a hurricane. It gradually gathered together, completely enveloping Spirit Mountain.
Not only that, but with the Demonic Qi concentrated in one place, it was hundreds of times denser than before.
With a resounding cry, Kunpeng opened his mouth and spat out a blazing stream of True Sun Fire.
This fire was the most overbearing divine flame on the Solar Star.
It was also a precious spark that Demon Emperor Dijun had given him when trying to win him over.
Though it was only a single spark and would vanish after being used, Kunpeng could no longer worry about such a treasure.
He was going to ignite the Demonic Qi of the Western Lands and turn Spirit Mountain to ashes.
Spirit Mountain was Jieyin and Zhunti's lair.
Only by destroying the foundation of these two could he slightly ease the hatred in his heart.
With a resounding boom, the endless Demonic Qi was ignited by the True Sun Fire.
The entire Western Lands was engulfed in flames reaching the sky.
The originally barren Western Lands had only Spirit Mountain retaining a trace of spiritual energy, barely qualifying as a low-grade Grotto-heaven.
But now, this great fire burned it to the ground.
"Hahaha! What utter satisfaction!"
Kunpeng looked down at Spirit Mountain as it was swallowed by the blazing flames and laughed wildly.
Meanwhile.
Jieyin and Zhunti were joyfully hurrying back to the Western Lands.
Their gains at Purple Firmament Palace had truly been substantial.
Although they had been beaten black and blue to protect the Purple Cushion and had even lost their Natal Treasures,
they had become disciples of a Saint. Even if they were merely nominal disciples, their hopes of becoming Saints in the future had greatly increased.
Compared to becoming Saints, what did a few treasures matter?
How could the two of them not be beaming with joy?
"Huh? What's going on?"
Jieyin, who had been rejoicing, suddenly raised his eyes toward Spirit Mountain.
After traveling for a while, they were no longer far from Spirit Mountain.
"Not good! Why has our Spirit Mountain caught fire?"
Zhunti also spotted the flames surging into the sky ahead, rising from Spirit Mountain.
The two immediately panicked.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Jieyin and Zhunti instantly pushed their speed to the limit and rushed toward Spirit Mountain.
In midair, a streak of light suddenly flashed past.
It was Kunpeng.
He beat his enormous wings, moving several times faster than Jieyin and Zhunti.
"Jieyin and Zhunti, you old thieves! Go back and clean up that ruined nest of yours! Hahaha! How dare you steal my cushion!"
Kunpeng's wild laughter echoed in their ears.
Their expressions instantly darkened.
At this moment, they had already guessed that the fire at Spirit Mountain must have been Kunpeng's doing.
But they had no time to pursue him. They had to hurry back and put out the fire.
Besides, if Kunpeng did not wish to entangle himself with them, the two could not catch him anyway.
Not long after.
Above Spirit Mountain.
Jieyin and Zhunti were in a wretched state, their bodies blackened as though they had just crawled out of a cloud of smoke.
Their expressions were so gloomy they seemed capable of dripping water.
"It's over! Spirit Mountain has been completely burned down!"
Jieyin's face was filled with sorrow.
"Damn that feathered bird! I'll never forgive him! Amitabha!"
Zhunti cursed in fury, tears welling in his eyes.
Across the vast Western Lands, Spirit Mountain had been the only place suitable for cultivation. Now, it had been burned bare.
It was not merely a blessed land or Grotto-heaven—it was inferior even to an ordinary mountain range.
All spiritual energy had vanished, while the remaining Demonic Qi continued to spread everywhere.
How were they supposed to cultivate now?
They had planned to return to Spirit Mountain and enter closed-door cultivation for several centuries, which would have allowed them to advance from the early stage of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm to the middle stage.
But now...
Helpless, the two could only put out the flames at Spirit Mountain first and wait for it to slowly recover.
After all, Spirit Mountain was their foundation and the place destined for them.
Giving it up was absolutely impossible.
As they repaired Spirit Mountain, they sighed repeatedly:
"Looking across the Great Desolation, apart from Dao Ancestor and Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, where are there any good people?"
"Exactly! Fellow Daoist Hong Yun was willing to give us his Purple Cushion. Everyone else would only fight to take it!"
"Especially that Kunpeng. He even took revenge on us like this!"
"Absolutely detestable! Truly detestable!"
Within Wuzhuang Temple.
Hong Yun discussed the Great Dao with Zhenyuanzi and tasted several Ginseng Fruits. He suddenly felt that there was no greater joy for an immortal.
After staying at Wuzhuang Temple for several months, Hong Yun bid farewell to Zhenyuanzi.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, I have nothing to give you before you leave. You must accept these five Ginseng Fruits."
Zhenyuanzi saw Hong Yun off outside the temple and produced several Ginseng Fruits with a wave of his hand.
"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, you're too courteous."
Hong Yun accepted the fruits, arranged to meet Zhenyuanzi again, and then flew toward Fire Cloud Cave.
"Now that Dao Ancestor Hongjun has finished his first lecture, the Witch-Demon Tribulation is probably about to arrive!"
Hong Yun pondered silently as he flew.
Although he had the system at his side and could receive rewards for wreaking havoc in the Great Desolation,
what era was this? The Witch-Demon Tribulation was about to descend!
How terrifying was the power of a tribulation? Hong Yun was no ignorant novice of the Great Desolation.
At its peak, even mighty Quasi-Saint Peak experts such as the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Dijun, and Taiyi would perish.
Before the tribulation, all would turn to dust.
"Strength. The most important thing right now is strength!"
Hong Yun calculated in his heart.
Only with sufficient strength could he preserve his life during the tribulation.
Otherwise, he could only lie low and absolutely avoid getting involved in the affairs of the tribulation.
It was easy for others to lie low. Zhenyuanzi hid in Wuzhuang Temple, while Minghe concealed himself in the Sea of Blood.
But Hong Yun could not do so.
Because he was already caught in Hongjun's scheme!
According to the original course of events, he would die because of the Primordial Violet Qi.
"This Primordial Violet Qi is Hongjun's scheme against me. I wonder whether I'll be able to refuse it when the time comes!"
Hong Yun speculated silently.
He immediately shook his head. It would probably be harder than ascending to heaven.
If he rejected a gift from a Saint, he would be slighting the Saint's dignity and would only invite an even deeper scheme.
"If all else fails, I'll turn the tables when the time comes!"
A thought stirred in Hong Yun's mind.
He flew onward while pondering, but failed to notice where the route was taking him.
When he looked up, he had already arrived at the territory of the Witch Clan.
Farther ahead.
A group of enormous beings was surrounding and attacking two Three-legged Golden Crows.
That enormous race was the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Within the encirclement, Eastern Emperor Dijun and Demon Emperor Taiyi were in a rather sorry state.
Both were at the middle stage of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm, yet they could not defeat the twelve Ancestral Witches at the early stage of the same realm.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches had been formed from Pangu's Essence Blood. Although they had no souls and could not refine treasures,
their physical bodies were tougher than ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Born from the same source, they possessed astonishing power when fighting together. Even experts at the late stage of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm found them difficult to handle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Ancestral Witches' attacks crashed toward Dijun and Taiyi like waves.
Fortunately, Eastern Emperor Taiyi had brought out his Natal Treasure, the Eastern Emperor Bell, blocking one fierce blow after another.
Hong Yun knew that the Eastern Emperor Bell had an extraordinary origin.
It was an Innate Supreme Treasure.
Moreover, it was a top-tier treasure containing World-Opening Merit.
It had transformed from the World-Opening Divine Axe.
When Pangu had split open the heavens and earth, the divine axe had broken into three parts.
The axe face became the Taiji Diagram, capable of stabilizing earth, wind, water, and fire. Wherever it reached, chaos would subside.
The axe blade became the Pangu Banner. It specialized in attack and could split chaos apart, with single-target power second only to the divine axe itself.
The axe handle became the Chaos Bell. It specialized in defense and possessed the abilities to suppress chaos, reverse space and time, refine yin and yang, and turn the universe around.
After the world was opened, the Chaos Bell suppressed the stars of the heavens. Having completed its merit, it flew to the Solar Star and became the companion treasure of Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
It was later renamed the Eastern Emperor Bell.
Taiyi was only at the middle stage of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm and had not fully refined the restrictions within the treasure.
Otherwise, relying on this treasure, he would have been invincible.
What a pity...
But on closer thought, this treasure should have an even deeper connection with the Witch Clan. After all, the Witch Clan inherited Pangu's bloodline and revered him as their Father God.
This was their Father God's relic, after all.
"The Witch-Demon Tribulation hasn't reached its peak yet, but the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the two Demon Emperors have already begun fighting!"
"Fortunately, they're only at the early and middle stages of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm and haven't reached the Quasi-Saint Peak. Otherwise, the Great Desolation would probably descend into chaos!"
Hong Yun muttered.
This should be the first clash between the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan.
He did not want to be caught up in the tribulation. Upon seeing this, he intended to leave.
The grudges between the Witch Clan and Demon Clan had nothing to do with Hong Yun.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun!"
At that moment, a shout rang out. It was Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
Although the Twelve Ancestral Witches had them suppressed, the two had still noticed Hong Yun passing by.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, you and I both belong to the Demon Clan. Now that you see us being bullied by the Witch Clan, why don't you come to our aid?"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi shouted loudly.
They were no match for the Twelve Ancestral Witches. If they could draw Hong Yun into the fight, the three of them might be able to contend with their opponents and perhaps even suppress them.
After all, everyone knew that Hong Yun had broken through to the middle stage of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm at Purple Firmament Palace.
In Taiyi's eyes, Hong Yun was a good-natured man. Even if he was dragged into this, he would not hold a grudge.
"Excellent! Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, we all belong to the Demon Clan. We should unite against the Witch Clan!"
Upon hearing this, Dijun's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly shouted in agreement.
Their words reached the ears of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, instantly putting them on guard.
They all turned toward Hong Yun, wariness in their eyes.
If Hong Yun joined them, their plan to beat up the two Demon Clan Emperors today would likely fall through.
After all, Hong Yun's aura was powerful, far surpassing that of any one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
"Dijun, Fellow Daoist Taiyi, I'm merely a cloud that transformed into human form. How can you say I'm part of the Demon Clan?"
Seeing the two Demon Clan Emperors trying to drag him into this, Hong Yun was displeased and immediately denied it.
"Hahaha, you little Dijun, you feathered Taiyi, did you hear that? Fellow Daoist Hong Yun isn't part of your Demon Clan at all!"
The Ancestral Witch Dijiang burst into laughter after Hong Yun finished speaking.
The other Ancestral Witches also glanced at Hong Yun and gave him friendly looks.
As long as Hong Yun didn't help Dijun and Taiyi, they would definitely make these two miscellaneous birds suffer today!
At this moment, Dijun and Taiyi's expressions darkened.
They hadn't expected Hong Yun to directly deny being part of the Demon Clan.
But thinking about it, Hong Yun was the first cloud in heaven and earth to transform into human form. No one could refute his claim that he wasn't part of the Demon Clan.
Then, Eastern Emperor Taiyi's gaze shifted, and he shouted to Hong Yun again:
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, you just returned from Wuzhuang Temple. You must have a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root Ginseng Fruit on you, right?"
"Who in the Great Desolation wouldn't long for such a treasure?"
"A Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root Ginseng Fruit?"
"My heavens!"
"What a treasure!"
Upon hearing this, greed appeared on the faces of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
They stared at Hong Yun with bloodshot eyes, looking him up and down.
They disdained ordinary treasures—even Innate Spiritual Treasures.
But the Ginseng Fruit was different. Eating one could increase one's cultivation.
Treasures like this were exceedingly rare in the Great Desolation.
In terms of Innate Spiritual Root rankings, the Ginseng Fruit was firmly among the top ten.
"Let's see how you stay out of this now. Hmph!"
Seeing the Ancestral Witches' reaction, Eastern Emperor Taiyi laughed coldly to himself. His gaze toward Hong Yun was filled with smugness.
Dijun, standing nearby, secretly praised him. His second brother's mind really was sharp.
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. When it comes to treasures, how could my Ginseng Fruit compare to the Eastern Emperor Bell in your hands?"
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