Golden Light of Merit Descends, Small World is Opened

"It's finally over," the surviving cultivators finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Everyone wore expressions of joy. It had been too tragic. Gazing at the blood-red battlefield, they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

The brutality of this great tribulation far exceeded everyone's imagination; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that only one in ten survived.

Out of nearly 100 billion cultivators, only a little over 20 billion remained. Moreover, more than 150 billion Fierce Beasts were almost completely wiped out. Even powerful figures like Grand Unity Golden Immortals were reduced to just over 300 individuals. The devastation was extreme.

As everyone was still sighing, suddenly, sacred and solemn immortal music echoed from the sky, resounding throughout the entire Hong Huang. Endless Spiritual Qi transformed into golden flowers that scattered down.

The mountains and earth veins, damaged during the great tribulation, began to gradually recover under the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi. The lingering killing intent and malevolent aura were purified in a short period.

In an instant, the entire Hong Huang world became fresh and clean, with flowers blooming and the sky clear and vast. Everyone watched in astonishment, puzzled by this phenomenon.

But it wasn't over yet. Streams of Xuanhuang-colored golden light descended from the heavens. Some of these golden lights even landed on individuals present. Three of the largest golden lights flew west, while two flew east.

Whenever a great tribulation of heaven and earth occurs, although the chances of survival are slim, there are also great opportunities. The Heavenly Dao does not distinguish between good and evil. As long as one's actions during the tribulation contribute to the operation of heaven and earth, rewards will be given.

Therefore, even Luo Hou received a massive Golden Light of Merit.

Of course, not everyone could receive the Golden Light of Merit. Only those whose contributions to heaven and earth reached a certain level, and who were recognized by heaven and earth, would receive it.

As soon as the great tribulation ended, Li Yi returned to Penglai Island. After all, his injuries were severe, making it unwise to wander outside.

At this moment, Li Yi was meditating on the main peak of Penglai Island, examining his own body. A dazzling golden light in his Sea of Consciousness was slowly integrating with his soul. A profound and mysterious sensation swept through his heart.

Li Yi dared not be careless, knowing that this was a rare opportunity. He immediately maintained a state of mental and physical tranquility, keeping his mind clear, free from any thoughts, and without any nascent desires. He silently contemplated that trace of mystery.

This contemplation lasted for fifty years. Li Yi's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and two streaks of grey light shot out, causing a slight rift in space.

"My Sea of Consciousness has expanded by a quarter, my willpower has almost solidified, I'm at the peak of Golden Immortal, and the Nirvana Sword Dao is perfected," Li Yi's lips curved into a smile. He was clearly very satisfied with the gains from this seclusion.

"It's a pity the Golden Light of Merit is so rare. If there were just a little more, I might have touched the edge of the 'Reincarnation Sword Dao'," Li Yi felt a touch of greed, experiencing the immense benefits of the Golden Light of Merit.

"Never mind, everything still depends on myself," Li Yi cast aside this somewhat unrealistic fantasy and flew to the edge of the island, preparing to test the power of his perfected Nirvana Sword Dao. Furthermore, due to the integration of the Golden Light of Merit, Li Yi's willpower had grown significantly, making it sufficient to support the externalization of his intent without needing the power of the Green Lotus Ancient Sword.

Li Yi pointed his right hand towards the sea below. A grey, crescent-shaped arc of light slashed towards the ocean. This arc contained an intent of annihilation; everything seemed destined to perish before this intent. Silently, a massive trench tens of thousands of feet deep appeared, and the seawater within vanished into thin air.

Slightly raising his head, Li Yi pointed towards the sky. A rotating Taiji Diagram appeared within the clouds. Soon, all the clouds within the Taiji Diagram's area vanished into thin air, and the entire sky turned dim. Even light could not penetrate the Taiji Diagram; any light that fell into the area was completely annihilated.

"If I were to use the power of the Green Lotus Ancient Sword, it would likely be even greater, and the consumption would be less," Li Yi mused slightly. "Next, I need to comprehend the 'Reincarnation Sword Dao' as soon as possible and advance to Grand Unity Golden Immortal."

Northern Hong Huang, Blood Prison City.

The Blood Prison Five Ancestors stood suspended above a mountain peak, followed by the people of Blood Prison City. Everyone gazed excitedly at their Main Body above.

"To open up a Small World, just thinking about it is exciting," one Golden Immortal stammered, clearly overwhelmed.

"Our Lord's power is beyond our comprehension," someone sighed.

"Hmph, our Lord is one of the Five Great Supremes, so naturally his Spiritual Power is heaven-defying."

The people of Blood Prison City chattered incessantly, but it all revolved around one topic: opening up a Small World.

The Main Body's long hair danced in the wind, and his cold, emotionless eyes emitted a brilliant white light. Illusory golden threads of rules appeared in his eyes.

The Main Body extended a fair finger, and mysterious runes wrapped around it, emitting a faint pressure.

Shortly after, the Main Body pointed at a node of rules. With a "Boom!!!", it was like a chain reaction, and space began to collapse piece by piece.

At this moment, two beams of golden light shot from the Main Body's eyes. As soon as they appeared, they transformed into countless runes, each over ten feet large, flying into the chaotic spatial fragments.

Gradually, the entire area calmed down, and a small world, hundreds of miles in extent, appeared before everyone.

The Main Body frowned slightly and waved his sleeve, channeling an unparalleled magical power into the Small World. With a "Rumbling!!!!" sound, the Small World continuously expanded—a thousand miles, ten thousand miles, a hundred thousand miles, finally stopping when it reached tens of millions of miles in extent.

Once it was completely stabilized, the Main Body's vast will descended upon the Small World. A surge of wind and clouds arose, and mountains, rivers, land, and sky... gradually took shape.

The Blood Prison Five Ancestors and the others watched, dumbfounded. It was successfully opened just like that? A casual point of the finger, a few beams of golden light, and a simple Small World appeared.

Truly, his Spiritual Power was boundless. Their gazes were filled with reverence.

After the Small World was opened, the Main Body remained within it. The Blood Prison Five Ancestors also moved nine Black Giant Coffins into the Small World, and all the Grand Unity Golden Immortals entered the Small World to go into seclusion. The Blood Prison City outside was left to the management of the Golden Immortals.

After the great tribulation, with Hongjun and Yang Mei in seclusion, many Grand Unity Golden Immortals also chose to go into seclusion. Among the remaining cultivators, the Three Tribes constituted the majority. Ancestral Dragon, Heavenly Phoenix, and Ancestor Lin were all safe and sound. Therefore, no other force in Hong Huang could contend with the Three Tribes, excluding Blood Prison City, of course. The Three Tribes officially became the protagonists of Hong Huang.

Ancestral Dragon, Heavenly Phoenix, and Ancestor Lin were also ambitious. Moreover, the opportunities were unprecedentedly good, with almost no competitors. If they didn't act now, they would never have such a good chance again.

If they could occupy vast territories, gather great momentum, and cultivate with the aid of this momentum, they might become the next Supremes. The thought of the Supremes' world-destroying, star-shaking power sent a wave of fervor through them.

The Dragon Tribe, in addition to occupying the oceans, began to claim the rivers and coastal areas within Hong Huang. The Phoenix Tribe settled in most of the volcanic regions. The Kirin Tribe, unwilling to fall behind, began to seize territories across the Hong Huang land, with Buzhou Mountain as their center.

Furthermore, the Dragon Tribe gathered most of the scaled races and proclaimed themselves the Lord of Scales and Armor. The Phoenix Tribe also subdued many flying races. Naturally, the Kirin became the Lord of Beasts.