Appetizer

If you're going to scheme against me, don't blame me for striking back!

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, my Eastern Emperor Bell is merely a companion treasure."

Eastern Emperor Taiyi waved his hand, feigning nonchalance, but he was actually speaking to the Twelve Ancestral Witches, as they lacked a Primordial Spirit and couldn't refine treasures.

However, Hongyun's next words struck everyone like thunder, leaving them stunned.

"This Eastern Emperor Bell was formed from Pangu's primordial axe. Its original name was the Chaos Bell, and you merely renamed it the Eastern Emperor Bell!"

In an instant, everyone froze.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi renaming the Chaos Bell to the Eastern Emperor Bell was a top secret.

How could Hongyun possibly know?

He was filled with confusion.

Dijun, standing nearby, was also utterly astonished.

This was the first time he'd heard that his second brother's companion treasure was actually the Chaos Bell.

This was formed from Pangu's primordial axe!

Even if it was only a part of it, Pangu's power was immense.

To be honest, even Hongjun, who had now become a Saint, was not worthy of carrying Pangu's shoes.

He was the true ruler of the Great Desolation!

The ancestor of the Great Desolation.

Immediately, Dijun's face lit up with ecstasy.

If the Eastern Emperor Bell was the Chaos Bell, didn't that mean the demon race was favored by the Heavenly Dao!

They could even ascend to a higher status by being connected to Pangu.

On the other side.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches had initially intended to give up beating the two demon emperors.

After all, teaching Dijun and Taiyi a lesson was just to vent their anger.

But seizing the Ginseng Fruit could help them break through from the early stage of Grand Unity to the middle stage.

This temptation far surpassed beating someone up.

However, upon hearing that the Eastern Emperor Bell was the Chaos Bell, all the Twelve Ancestral Witches showed shock.

"The Chaos Bell, that was Father God's supreme treasure!"

Dijiang blurted out.

"That's right, even if it's just a corner of the divine axe, an item belonging to Father God must not fall into the hands of the demon race!"

Zhurong echoed repeatedly.

The other Ancestral Witches also regained their senses.

The relic of Father God, which we have searched for countless years, is actually in the hands of the demon race. Today, we must reclaim the Chaos Bell!

Houtu also declared loudly.

The Chaos Bell, the Pangu Banner, and the Taiji Diagram – these three relics of Pangu had been sought by the Wu clan for a long time.

Later, they learned that the Pangu Banner and the Taiji Diagram had fallen into the hands of Saint Hongjun, so they had to give up their hopes.

After all, for a mere Grand Unity Golden Immortal to attempt to snatch treasures from a Saint was no different from wishful thinking.

But the whereabouts of the Chaos Bell had always remained a mystery.

Now that its location was suddenly revealed, the Twelve Ancestral Witches could hardly believe it.

But seeing Eastern Emperor Taiyi's ever-changing yet unrefutable expression, they knew Hongyun was telling the truth.

This Eastern Emperor Bell was undoubtedly Father God's Chaos Bell.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The Twelve Ancestral Witches immediately abandoned the idea of snatching the Ginseng Fruit and transformed into their twelve majestic true forms, surrounding Dijun and Taiyi.

If before they had only intended to teach the two demon emperors a lesson.

Now, they had developed the killing intent to slay the two emperors and reclaim the Chaos Bell.

Their bodies grew from thousands of meters to 129,900 meters, fully displaying the might of their true forms.

"This is bad!"

Feeling the Ancestral Witches' aura increase severalfold, the demon emperor Dijun's face turned ashen.

"It's over!"

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's heart sank like ice.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches were going all out to take their lives.

Even with the Eastern Emperor Bell protecting them, the two of them would hardly escape death.

After all, although this treasure is powerful, Eastern Emperor Taiyi is only at the mid-stage of Da Luo, far from refining all its restrictions.

The Ancestral Witches' combat power, channeled through the bell, struck again and again, and sooner or later they would be pulverized.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully causing chaos. Reward: a drop of Pangu's Essence Blood!"

At the same time, by Hongyun's ears in the distance, the system's voice sounded again.

Hiss!

"Pangu's Essence Blood!"

Hearing the notification, Hongyun sensed that the reward was within his grasp.

With just a thought, he could retrieve this treasure.

This was a supreme treasure capable of nurturing Ancestral Witches, countless times more precious than the Ginseng Fruit.

If he refined this blood and gained a physical body as powerful as an Ancestral Witch, his strength would undoubtedly increase severalfold.

The great powers of the Immortal Dao in the Primordial World, while capable of wielding magical treasures and casting divine arts, always had their physical bodies as a weakness.

If his physical body could rival an Ancestral Witch, he would be invincible in both close combat and ranged attacks.

"This reward is too generous!"

Hongyun was overjoyed.

Bang bang bang!

The two great emperors of the demon race were trapped in the siege of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, enduring a storm of attacks.

Divine light emanated from the bodies of the Ancestral Witches.

Twelve divine abilities such as space, time, fire, and water were all unleashed.

The might of these divine abilities was world-shattering; any ordinary Primordial creature would have long since turned to dust.

But Dijun and Taiyi, protected by the Chaos Bell, could still barely hold on.

"This Chaos Bell is truly extraordinary. It will likely take hundreds or thousands of years for the Twelve Ancestral Witches to break through its defenses!"

Hongyun nodded inwardly.

If he had the chance, he wouldn't mind acquiring this heaven-opening treasure for himself.

"Forget it. If I try to snatch the bell now, not only is there no guarantee I'll succeed, but even if I did, I would incur the hatred of both the Witch and Demon races!"

Hongyun no longer lingered. He waved his hand, summoned auspicious clouds, and fled into the distance.

Seeing him leave, neither the Ancestral Witches nor the Demon Emperors could spare him any attention.

To the Ancestral Witches, the Ginseng Fruit was far less precious than the Chaos Bell.

The two great Demon Emperors were busy dealing with the Ancestral Witches' onslaught.

They had previously wanted to drag Hongyun into trouble, but unexpectedly, Hongyun had outmaneuvered them.

"This Hongyun, they say he's a good old man, but I think he's more cunning than I am!"

Eastern Emperor Taiyi gritted his teeth.

"Second brother, quickly find a way to escape!"

Dijun's face was filled with worry. Feeling the terrifying offensive power of the Ancestral Witches, he was filled with apprehension.

He had intended to descend from the starry sky and dominate the Primordial Great Land.

Unexpectedly, in their first battle with the Witch clan, they had fallen completely into a disadvantage.

The Witch clan was too powerful.

Even top Demon Emperors like them were powerless against the Ancestral Witches.

"Big brother, I have no other plan. We can only hold on!"

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's face was gloomy.

"Fortunately, with the Ancestral Witches' power, it won't take them hundreds of years to break my Eastern Emperor Bell!"

Since escape was impossible, they could only hope for a change in fortune within these few hundred years.

Several months later.

Hongyun finally returned to Fire Cloud Cave.

Inside the cave.

He sat cross-legged, taking stock of his gains from this trip.

Swish!

Hongyun flipped his hand and took out the Great Dao Cushion.

"Cultivation still depends on this treasure!"

He murmured.

The Great Dao Cushion not only helped him comprehend the laws of the Great Dao but also increased his cultivation speed by a hundredfold.

This was the foundation for his advancement from the early to the mid-stage of Grand Unity within the three thousand years he spent listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace.

Henceforth, he planned to meditate on this treasure often during his cultivation.

This was the only way to not squander its value.

Swish!

Hongyun flipped his hand again, taking out a drop of Pangu's Essence Blood.

Buzz!

The moment this treasure appeared, a mighty aura enveloped Fire Cloud Cave.

Fortunately, the cave's restrictions were strict.

Otherwise, if this aura leaked out, it might attract the attention of the great powers of the Great Desolation.

Especially Hongjun; if he detected Pangu's Essence Blood here, he would undoubtedly covet it.

Hongyun knew deeply that Hongjun was his greatest adversary. If he couldn't escape Hongjun's schemes, he would eventually perish and his Dao would cease.

However, his strength was still weak now, and Hongjun hadn't even deigned to look at him properly.

"Time is pressing. In ten thousand years, there will be the second sermon, and another ten thousand years for the third. According to the original timeline, after that, it will be the time I am schemed against and fall!"

"It's only a little over twenty thousand years!"

Hongyun muttered to himself.

The Great Desolation does not keep track of years. Twenty thousand years, in the eyes of the great powers, is but the blink of an eye.

For him to contend with a Saint was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Strength, only sufficient strength could break this predicament!

Hongyun pondered how to improve himself.

His foundation: he was formed from the first cloud in the Great Desolation, and this cloud was created from the breath Pangu exhaled while holding up the sky.

In terms of origin, although not as good as the Three Pure Ones or the Ancestral Witches, he was firmly among the top in the Great Desolation, far surpassing Dijun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi.

His cultivation: currently at the mid-stage of Grand Unity. He could not compare to a Saint, but compared to other great powers, he was by no means inferior.

Even the Three Pure Ones were only at the mid-stage of Grand Unity now.

Moreover, he possessed the Great Dao Cushion, making the possibility of his cultivation being surpassed extremely slim.

His techniques: this was his weakness.

Since his transformation, he had only cultivated the Colorful Cloud Immortal Art from his inheritance, and its power was mediocre.

Compared to the Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique or the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, the gap was vast.

It was even inferior to the immortal arts of the Three Pure Ones.

His physical body: this was a common ailment among immortal cultivators. Let alone him, even the physical bodies of the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa held no significant advantage.

Only the Wu Clan specialized in cultivating their physical bodies, making them incomparably strong.

However, at this moment, Hongyun gazed at the Pangu's Essence Blood in his hand.

"From now on, my physical body will definitely not be inferior to that of the Wu Clan!"

By refining this blood, he was confident his physical body would greatly improve.

Foundation, cultivation, techniques, and physical body were the cornerstones of cultivation for beings in the Great Desolation.

Currently, his greatest lack was techniques.

Besides that, magical treasures were crucial for beings in the Great Desolation.

"Magical treasures: I only have one innate auspicious cloud. When the Buzhou Mountain Gourd Vine matures, I can take one gourd!"

Hongyun mused.

According to the original timeline, the Buzhou Mountain Gourd Vine would bear seven gourds, with the red one belonging to him, which he would refine into the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd.

That was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

However, now, he felt that besides the red gourd, other gourds could also be considered.

If he could take the entire Gourd Vine, his deficiency in magical treasures would surely be addressed.

"First, I'll refine the Pangu's Essence Blood!"

The Gourd Vine had not yet appeared. Hongyun decided to first strengthen his physical body and improve his strength.

Swish!

He waved his hand, guiding a wisp of Pangu's Essence Blood into his body.

"Ah!"

In an instant, a tearing, heart-wrenching pain assaulted him, and he couldn't help but cry out in agony.

"This Pangu's Essence Blood is truly overbearing!"

Feeling the intense pain, Hongyun secretly marveled.

The essence blood was exceptionally fierce.

Just a trace entering his body made him feel as if he were in a furnace.

Of course, this burning was part of the bloodline transformation process.

As his bloodline gradually changed, he felt his physical body far surpass its previous state.

It took him a full three years to refine that single trace of essence blood.

Now, his physical body's strength had increased by more than tenfold.

"Just one trace took three years, and that was with the Great Dao Cushion's amplification!"

"No wonder it took the Twelve Ancestral Witches a whole epoch to be born!"

Hongyun murmured.

The Ancestral Witches were nurtured by Pangu's essence blood, with one drop per individual, yet their transformation took tens of thousands of years.

He had the Great Dao Cushion; refining one trace took three years. To refine a full drop would likely take several hundred, or even a thousand years!

However, this immense change in his physical body brought him both pain and pleasure.

"Continue refining!"

Hongyun estimated that if he could fully refine this drop of essence blood, he would be invincible in the mid-Great Luo stage.

He could even defeat a powerful being in the late Great Luo stage!

In the current Primordial Wilderness, apart from Hongjun, there was no one in the late Great Luo stage.

By refining this blood, he was confident that when the gourd vine emerged, no one would be able to contend with him.

Meanwhile, in the Nine Netherworld.

"Old Ancestor, the Primordial Wilderness is now a time of great contention, with the Witch and Demon races vying for dominance and seizing the world's fortune. Must our Netherworld race cower in this dark and sunless Nine Netherworld?"

A woman with black hair covering her body spoke to the white-eyed man beside her.

If Hongyun were here, he would certainly recognize this man as Old Ancestor Minghe.

Minghe's eyes were pure white without pupils. He rolled his white eyes and stroked the woman, saying, "Wumo, Old Ancestor has long wanted to enter the Primordial Wilderness to contend for fortune, but..."

"What is Old Ancestor worried about?"

Celestial Consort Wumo's long hair retracted like hands, revealing her peerlessly beautiful visage.

"Forget it. Since that's the case, Old Ancestor will go to the Primordial Wilderness and find a blessed land to establish our Netherworld's foundation!"

Minghe did not voice his hidden concerns.

The reason he hadn't entered the Primordial Wilderness to contend for fortune earlier was a premonition that it was not suitable for him to get involved.

But now that Wumo also suggested it, he decided to give it a try. At worst, he could retreat back to the Nine Netherworld if he failed.

Five hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, above the land of the Witch tribe.

"Hahaha, Dijun brat, Taiyi mongrel, today you will be buried here!"

Dijiang laughed heartily, his giant fist entwined with divine light, once again smashing towards the Chaos Bell.

Bang!

The immense sound shook heaven and earth.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The other Ancestral Witches unleashed their divine abilities, bombarding the Chaos Bell.

The shockwaves penetrated the bell, striking Dijun and Taiyi.

Puff! Puff!

Their faces turned ashen, and blood spurted from their mouths.

Their chests were stained with blood; in the past five hundred years, they had lost count of how many times they had vomited blood.

"Big Brother, my Eastern Emperor Bell has held on for five hundred years, but today it has reached its limit."

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's face was as pale as paper, his tone dejected.

Enduring for five hundred years was the limit.

"Second Brother, today our brothers might perish here. I truly cannot accept this!"

Dijun was in a sorry state, his eyes filled with unwillingness.