Kill That Bird

Although the Eastern Emperor Bell was a supreme treasure capable of blocking the Ancestral Witches for five hundred years, that alone was already a miracle.

"Attack together! In a few more breaths, we can kill these two feathered creatures and reclaim Father God's Chaos Bell!"

Dijiang shouted again.

"Yes, Big Brother!"

"Kill these two filthy birds!"

The other Ancestral Witches were extremely excited.

After five hundred years of fierce assault, they could finally see the light of dawn.

Inside the bell, the two emperors closed their eyes and gave up struggling.

They knew they were doomed to die today.

Buzz!

At that moment, a vast pressure descended upon the land of the Witch Clan.

The pressure was overwhelmingly powerful, forcing the Twelve Ancestral Witches to retreat in unison.

"A Sage!"

"It's a Sage's aura!"

The Ancestral Witches' expressions darkened.

Dijiang gazed ahead, anger in his eyes.

Inside the bell, Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Dijun opened their eyes.

"It's Dao Ancestor Hongjun come to save us!"

"Wonderful! We're saved!"

The two were overjoyed.

In a situation where death had been certain, a Sage had actually intervened.

"I am Hongjun. I hereby decree: the first battle between the Witches and the Demon Clan shall end here. Ten thousand years from now, the Witches and Demons may battle again!"

Hongjun's voice rang throughout the Great Desolation.

"No!"

Dijiang roared.

"Big Brother, don't act rashly!"

Zhu Jiuyin hurriedly held Dijiang back.

Though the other Ancestral Witches were blazing with fury, they knew that their Great Unity Golden Immortal bodies could not resist a Sage.

Unwilling!

Utterly unwilling!

Yet they could do nothing.

Dijiang, who had been restrained, gradually calmed down, his eyes gloomy.

The other Ancestral Witches were the same.

They developed a deep hatred for Hongjun.

A Sage was actually taking sides. How unfair!

What kind of Sage was this?

At this moment, the Twelve Ancestral Witches and Hongjun began their break.

Inside Fire Cloud Cave, Hong Yun opened his eyes after cultivating for five hundred years.

Hongjun's decree had just spread throughout the Great Desolation, so he had naturally heard it.

"I didn't expect Hongjun to intervene in the end. Dijun and Taiyi won't die after all."

Hong Yun murmured.

At the same time, he understood that the Great Desolation was now entirely under Hongjun's control.

And in the future, Hongjun would still scheme against him.

The pressure on him suddenly increased.

"My strength has improved considerably over these five hundred years!"

Hong Yun stared at the remaining thirty percent of Pangu's Essence Blood in his hand and thought to himself.

Over five hundred years, he had used the Great Dao Cushion to refine seventy percent of the essence blood.

His physical body had now become incredibly powerful.

Whoosh!

With a wave of his hand, he took out a spear-shaped spiritual treasure.

"Let's see which is stronger, my physical body or this Houtian Spiritual Treasure."

Though it was only an Houtian Spiritual Treasure, it was a supreme-grade one.

An ordinary Great Unity Golden Immortal would be killed or seriously injured if struck by it.

They would need a spiritual treasure of the same level to block it.

Hong Yun gripped both ends of the spear with both hands and exerted force.

Snap!

Amid a crisp crack, the spear broke into two pieces.

Hiss!

Hong Yun drew in a sharp breath.

His physical body was hundreds or even thousands of times stronger than before.

But witnessing himself casually snap a supreme-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure still left him deeply shaken.

"Too powerful!"

He exclaimed, delighted.

This was still not his limit, because he had no Innate Spiritual Treasure to test himself against.

Yes, when it came to magic treasures, he was pitifully poor.

Forget about a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—even an ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasure was beyond him.

This was related to his indifferent temperament and his refusal to compete or fight.

He had transformed several immeasurable kalpas ago, yet had accumulated almost nothing.

"Although my physical body is still inferior to that of the Ancestral Witches, it far surpasses that of the Great Witches of the Witch Clan!"

Hong Yun assessed himself.

And this was the result of not yet refining the remaining thirty percent of the essence blood.

If he refined it all...

"The remaining thirty percent will take at least another two or three hundred years!"

He thought to himself.

Though he had refined only seventy percent, he had already undergone a complete transformation.

First, his foundation.

His foundation had originally been extremely high, yet still inferior to that of the Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Witches.

But now, he was the fusion of the first cloud and Pangu's Essence Blood.

With the essence blood alone, his foundation rivaled that of the Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Witches.

Now, his foundation could well be the strongest in the Great Desolation.

Once he finished refining it all, he would firmly occupy the top spot.

Next was his cultivation.

Refining blood on the Great Dao Cushion for five hundred years was equivalent to cultivating.

With a hundredfold enhancement over five hundred years, it was comparable to fifty thousand years.

He felt that the late stage of the Great Unity Golden Immortal realm was not far away.

Then there was his physical body—the strongest beneath the Twelve Ancestral Witches, crushing even the great powers of the immortal path.

Even more surprising was that while refining the essence blood, he had awakened a divine ability.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches each possessed a divine ability because they had all been nurtured from Pangu's Essence Blood.

The divine ability Hong Yun awakened during refinement was Devouring!

Once mastered, Devouring Divine Ability could swallow and transform all things.

Since he had not yet refined even a single drop of the essence blood completely, he had mastered only most of the Devouring Divine Ability.

It was not yet complete.

Even so, he estimated that if he used it now, he could swallow an entire mountain range.

Once he finished refining everything, he would certainly master it completely.

"Next, I'll refine the remaining essence blood!"

Hong Yun pondered.

The first battle between the Witches and Demons had ended, and it had little to do with him.

Improving his strength was the most important thing.

Only by surpassing the Ancestral Witches, the Six Sages, and Hongjun could he reverse his destined fate of falling.

At that moment, an extraordinary scene unfolded outside Fire Cloud Cave.

Ancestor Minghe flew through the air, the voice of Dao Ancestor Hongjun's decree ringing clearly in his ears.

"The first battle between the Witches and Demons has ended?"

He pondered silently.

Since Hongjun had made such a declaration, he was certain that neither side would launch another large-scale conflict for some time.

Of course, sporadic clashes and conflicts would probably be unavoidable.

He had been in the Great Desolation for more than five centuries, searching everywhere for a blessed land where the Netherworld Clan could settle and establish itself.

However, after visiting many places, he had always found them lacking.

The splendid grotto-heavens and blessed lands of the Great Desolation were quite scarce. It was said that there were only seventy-two grotto-heavens and thirty-six blessed lands.

Those worthy of Ancestor Minghe's notice could be counted on one hand, with fewer than five in total.

Kunlun Sacred Mountain was an excellent choice, but unfortunately, it had already been occupied by the Three Pure Ones.

Jade Capital Mountain was the number one grotto-heaven in the Great Desolation and the place where Dao Ancestor Hongjun had once cultivated. Even if Ancestor Minghe had ten times the courage, he would not dare lay claim to it.

Buzhou Mountain was also pretty good, but it now lay within the territory of the Witch Clan. The Netherworld Clan currently lacked the strength to contend with them.

The remaining high-quality grotto-heavens and blessed lands were all occupied by great powers of the Great Desolation.

If he wanted to seize one by force, he would have to fight those great powers to the death.

In the end, Ancestor Minghe's gaze locked onto Hong Yun's Fire Cloud Cave.

"Though Fire Cloud Cave is not as peerless as Kunlun Sacred Mountain or Buzhou Mountain, it is more than sufficient as a temporary foothold for the Netherworld Clan!"

"When the Netherworld Clan dominates the Great Desolation in the future, will we still have to worry about lacking an even better grotto-heaven or blessed land?"

"Besides, Hong Yun has always been kindhearted. He was even willing to yield the opportunity to become a Sage to Jieyin and Zhunti. Surely he will hand over Fire Cloud Cave as well!"

Ancestor Minghe schemed silently in his heart.

In his eyes, Hong Yun was undoubtedly the easiest soft target to deal with.

Buzz!

Ancestor Minghe's might suddenly erupted, enveloping the hundreds of thousands of li surrounding Fire Cloud Cave.

Everything within that area was clearly detected by his divine sense.

However, Fire Cloud Cave was protected by layers of restrictions, and his divine sense could not penetrate inside.

"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, please come out and see me!"

Ancestor Minghe had no choice but to shout loudly. His voice rang out like a great bell, reverberating around the cave abode.

"Hm? Minghe?"

Hong Yun, who was refining Pangu's Essence Blood, stopped what he was doing when he heard the voice.

He frowned slightly. What purpose did Minghe have in coming to his Fire Cloud Cave?

He had no deep friendship with Ancestor Minghe.

Moreover, Hong Yun vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

"Ancestor Minghe isn't staying in the Nine Netherworld. He came to the Great Desolation and sought me out as well. Could he be plotting something?"

"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, I've long admired your reputation and have come especially to pay you a visit!"

Ancestor Minghe's voice came from outside the cave once more.

"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun..."

For more than ten days in succession, Ancestor Minghe continued calling out from outside.

Hong Yun had not wanted to pay him any attention, but this man showed no intention of leaving.

Whoosh!

Hong Yun could only stop cultivating. His figure flashed, and he arrived outside Fire Cloud Cave.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, you finally agreed to show yourself!"

When Hong Yun appeared, a sinister smile surfaced on Ancestor Minghe's face.

If Hong Yun had not come out, he had already planned to force his way into the cave abode.

Now that Hong Yun had appeared voluntarily, it saved him quite a bit of trouble.

"What brings Fellow Daoist Minghe here?"

Hong Yun's tone was calm.

He was busy refining Pangu's Essence Blood. Where would he find the time to exchange pleasantries with Ancestor Minghe?

Besides, he was no longer the good-natured Hong Yun of the past.

Be kind to others? Hmph!

Ancestor Minghe could hear the coldness in Hong Yun's tone. He frowned slightly, feeling somewhat surprised.

Wasn't Hong Yun reputed to have a good temper? Moreover, he had personally witnessed Hong Yun yield his seat in Purple Cloud Palace.

Why was he being so distant from him?

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, I merely wanted to befriend you and discuss the Dao. Why are you being so cold?"

To seize Fire Cloud Cave, Ancestor Minghe suppressed his displeasure and forced a smile onto his face.

Befriend him and discuss the Dao?

Hong Yun snorted, utterly unconvinced that Ancestor Minghe had any such interest.

"If Fellow Daoist Minghe has nothing else, I still have to return to my cultivation!"

With that, Hong Yun turned around and was about to return to Fire Cloud Cave, unwilling to bother with him any longer.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

Seeing Hong Yun's attitude, Ancestor Minghe shouted furiously.

"Hong Yun, I came here to borrow your Fire Cloud Cave! You'll give it up whether you want to or not!"

Ancestor Minghe simply tore off his mask.

He had shouted for over ten days, until his voice was nearly hoarse. After finally calling Hong Yun out, how could he let him return to his cave abode?

"Borrow my cave abode? You're trying to seize it by force!"

Hong Yun furrowed his brows, his expression darkening.

"That's right! If you were inside the cave abode, I might have to expend some effort dealing with those defensive restrictions!"

"But now that you've come out, haha, I'm taking this Fire Cloud Cave for sure!"

Ancestor Minghe let out a sinister laugh, his eyes gleaming viciously.

Hong Yun had originally been a cloud that transformed into human form. Fire Cloud Cave contained the power of the clouds of Heaven and Earth, complementing him perfectly.

While inside the cave abode, he could receive the support of the power of Heaven and Earth.

Even an expert more powerful than Hong Yun might not be able to gain the upper hand.

But now, Hong Yun had been blasted out of the cave by Ancestor Minghe and had lost that support.

In Ancestor Minghe's view, Hong Yun's combat strength would definitely be greatly reduced.

When it came to deviousness, who in the Great Desolation could compare to that old fox, Ancestor Minghe?

"I only used a little trick!"

Ancestor Minghe secretly congratulated himself.

"Why aren't you cultivating properly in the Nine Netherworld and instead came to the Great Desolation to seize my cave abode?"

Hong Yun was rather puzzled.

"I intend to lead the Netherworld clan and dominate the Great Desolation! Enough nonsense. Hand over the cave abode at once!"

Ancestor Minghe spoke bluntly.

He had no intention of hiding it. After all, he was about to lead the Netherworld clan into a struggle for supremacy against the Witch-Demon Tribulation.

"You're really courting death!"

Hong Yun was somewhat speechless.

This was the era of the Witch-Demon Tribulation!

Even Quasi-Saint Peak experts did not dare to casually involve themselves in the tribulation. Once they entered it, they were bound to end up dead, their Dao destroyed.

If he obediently hid in the Nine Netherworld, he could still avoid this tribulation. Yet he insisted on coming out to seek death.

"Haha, scared now, are you? With billions upon billions of subjects in my Netherworld clan, the lands of the Great Desolation will one day submit beneath my feet!"

Ancestor Minghe was brimming with pride, and his gaze toward Hong Yun was filled with arrogance.

At that moment, he truly felt that Heavenly Consort Wumo's suggestion had been incomparably correct, igniting the grand ambitions in his heart.

"Minghe, you and I are both at the mid-stage of the Great Unity. What makes you think you can defeat me?"

Hong Yun asked again.

He truly could not understand where Minghe had found such confidence.

Whoosh!

Upon hearing this, Ancestor Minghe waved his hand and produced a treasure.

Boundless blood qi billowed from it, covering the surrounding ten thousand miles.

"Netherworld Blood Sea!"

Seeing this, Hong Yun cried out in shock.

The Netherworld Blood Sea was vast and boundless. It was said that Ancestor Minghe had been born from it.

Even if his true body perished, he could use the blood sea to resurrect.

This was Ancestor Minghe's trump card, as well as the foundation of his claim to an undying body.

In the Great Desolation, even a Quasi-Saint Peak expert would die and have his Dao destroyed upon perishing.

But Ancestor Minghe was different. He could die billions upon billions of times, and each time, he could be reborn from the blood sea.

As long as the blood sea did not run dry, he would possess an undying body.