"Hmph! I have no ties to the West. You two damned scoundrels dared refine members of my tribe into guardian vajras!"
Kuafu had a fiery temper and didn't care about appearances. He pointed at Daoist Jie Yin and cursed him to his face.
"You two scoundrels—I have nothing to say to you." Da Yi stood shoulder to shoulder with Kuafu. Earthly Fiend Tainted Qi swirled around his forty-eight-thousand-zhang Great Witch body, his battle intent soaring and killing intent surging. He looked ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
Both of them hated Jie Yin and Zhun Ti to the core.
"Heh, I'm afraid you two fellow Daoists have misunderstood me. Since that's the case, I won't disturb you any further."
Seeing how little regard the two had for him, Jie Yin's face twitched violently. A hidden glint of coldness flashed in his eyes, but when he saw Kunpeng casting sinister looks his way from time to time, he gave up the thought of attacking.
He had stopped the two Great Witches to test whether they knew the identity of the mysterious mighty cultivator who had intervened last time.
But it didn't matter if he couldn't find out.
At least they could be sure that the man wasn't among the Three Thousand Purple Firmament Guests. That was enough.
"Senior Brother, let it go. That person didn't come to hear the Dao Ancestor preach. No matter how powerful he is for now, we'll eventually surpass him! If we brothers can become Heavenly Dao Saints like the Dao Ancestor, then we can kill that cowardly rat with a flip of our hands!" Zhun Ti sent telepathically.
"Good." Jie Yin nodded, then turned into a stream of Qi of Light, carrying Zhun Ti away with him.
He had wanted to fight Kuafu and Da Yi, but not here.
During the earlier struggle over the meditation cushions, the two brothers had already thoroughly offended Kunpeng. Hong Yun might indeed be a Good Old Person, but Zhen Yuanzi wasn't.
If they started fighting, those other mighty cultivators might join in too.
Then, outnumbered, they would be at a disadvantage. The Barren West had no other mighty cultivators to call on.
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti left in a somewhat disheveled state. Watching them go, Dong Wang Gong looked thoughtful. He gave Kuafu and Da Yi a long look, and began considering whether to win them over.
Of course, it was only a thought. Cautious by nature, Dong Wang Gong still didn't know what made Kuafu and Da Yi so intimidating to Jie Yin and Zhun Ti, so he decided to take his time.
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti's departure also prompted some of the mighty cultivators lingering outside Purple Firmament Palace to leave. Ziwei Star Lord was among them.
As Dong Wang Gong and Ziwei Star Lord stepped beyond the palace's barrier, the Chaos Current less than thirty million li ahead suddenly began to boil.
"Rumble!"
True Sun Fire poured down like a heavenly river, burning the pitch-black Chaos void crimson. Di Jun and Tai Yi, wrapped in scorching waves of heat, blocked the path of Ziwei Star Lord and Dong Wang Gong.
"Di Jun, Tai Yi, do you still want to fight?"
Dong Wang Gong's fingers tightened slightly around the Dragon Head Crutch. Pure Yang Energy spontaneously formed a red barrier around him, and a solemn look crossed his eyes.
Even with the Dragon Head Crutch, a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure bestowed by the Dao Ancestor, his treasures still couldn't compare with those of the two Three-legged Golden Crows.
Di Jun and Tai Yi not only possessed well-known treasures such as the Innate Supreme Treasure, Chaos Bell, and the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures River Diagram and Luo Book, but also the Fusang Tree, one of the Ten Great Top-grade Innate Spiritual Roots, and the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Cuiwei Two Forms Lamp.
"Fellow Daoist, it looks like there's no avoiding a fight today."
The star-patterned robes around Ziwei Star Lord lit up, and fragments of stars rustled in his sleeves as he studied the two across from him.
This was a struggle for fortune. It was different from a Dao Struggle, but just as brutal.
Ziwei Star had formed from Pangu's Purple Mansion. Like Sun Star, it had the right to vie for the fortune of ruling over the stars.
Thus, as soon as Ziwei Star Lord had emerged, Di Jun and Tai Yi had joined forces to attack him. Back then, he had only survived thanks to Dong Wang Gong's timely rescue.
But things were different now. The Dao Ancestor had named Dong Wang Gong Chief of Male Immortals in the Wilderness, which had filled Di Jun with envy, resentment, and wariness. He had decided not to give Ziwei Star Lord another chance and to kill him at all costs!
"A struggle for fortune?"
Far away, the eyes of Xi He and Chang Xi, two mighty cultivators born from Moon Star, flickered with interest. Moon Star was also a supreme celestial body, and it too had the right to join this struggle for fortune.
But after a moment's thought, neither of them intended to act.
They disliked fighting, and the title of Lord of Stars held little appeal for them.
Kuafu and Da Yi, who had been about to return to the Primordial World, also stopped and simply stood at a distance to watch the show.
"Ziwei Star Lord, you're not going to live long enough to vie for the status of Lord of Stars. Today, you die!"
Seeing Dong Wang Gong and Ziwei Star Lord pause, Di Jun's eyes glinted with even greater coldness. He abruptly raised the River Diagram and Luo Book with his left hand.
"Whoosh!"
Before he had even finished speaking, the jade-silk River Diagram unfurled. Seven-colored points of starlight leaped around like living things, projecting the entire Primordial World Starry Sky into the Chaos void.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The outlines of the Big Dipper Seven Stars, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and other stars appeared with striking clarity. Every point of starlight shot out a golden ray of death, pouring down on Ziwei Star Lord like a torrential rain.
Though Di Jun hadn't yet used this treasure to devise the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, with his Grand Unity Magic Power infused into it, it was still beyond the power of ordinary mighty cultivators to withstand.
Dong Wang Gong's expression darkened. His robes stirred despite the lack of wind, and he was about to raise the Dragon Head Crutch to help.
But Di Jun said coldly, "Fellow Daoist Dong Wang Gong, this is a struggle for the fortune of Lord of Stars. You're the Chief of Male Immortals in the Wilderness, personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor. Why drag yourself into this?"
Dong Wang Gong furrowed his brow and tapped the Dragon Head Crutch against the Chaos. Pure Yang Energy collided with Di Jun's killing intent, crackling sharply.
He looked at the Chaos Bell poised in Tai Yi's hand, then at the faintly quivering stellar fortune behind Ziwei Star Lord. With a sigh, he made up his mind and joined the battle, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ziwei Star Lord.
"Then let's fight again!"
He had just become Chief of Male Immortals in the Wilderness, and with so many mighty cultivators watching, Dong Wang Gong had no intention of backing down.
Besides, since he had already formed a karmic entanglement with Di Jun and Tai Yi, there was no turning back. Either he did nothing, or he saw it through to the end!
"Bold!"
"Clang!"
Tai Yi barked and summoned the Innate Supreme Treasure, Chaos Bell.
The Sun, Moon, and Stars, Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind revolved around the outside of the bell. Mountains, rivers, and the myriad races of the Primordial World appeared within it. Five-Colored Radiance illuminated the heavens, while Chaos Saintly Might shook the universe.
The four mighty cultivators fought in a chaotic melee. Their treasures clashed, making for a spectacular battle.
They fought all the way through Chaos, advancing and battling as they went, until they had reached the Primordial World Starry Sky. Each drew on Star Power to fight the others.
Dong Wang Gong and Ziwei Star Lord were clearly at a disadvantage. They were no match for the two Golden Crow brothers.
Their cultivation levels were similar, but the difference their treasures made in their strength was overwhelming.
"Hum!"
Just as the three were clashing through their stellar fortune, the entire Primordial World Starry Sky suddenly shuddered violently!
Deep in the distant starry sky, a violet radiance shot into the heavens. Countless Stellar Runes flowed through it, and an Innate Restriction sealed for millions upon millions of years suddenly appeared, spreading in every direction like a canopy.
At the center of the restriction, the phantom of a massive tree with gnarled branches slowly took shape. Its boughs were laden with fist-sized fruits that shimmered with starlight.
It had appeared because the fortunes of Ziwei Star and Sun Star had collided—and because the time had finally come.
"A Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root?!"
"That treasure must be useful to the Ancestral Witches. Maybe it can help them cultivate the fifth level of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique!"
Kuafu and Da Yi exchanged a glance. Earthly Fiend Tainted Qi surged around them as they decided to seize the spiritual root for the Ancestral Witches.
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