Li Xuan watched the deadly battle in the sky, thinking to himself as he prepared to take a detour.
After being killed dozens of times by the shockwaves of powerful battles,
he had long since learned what to do when he encountered a fight between strong opponents.
So it was best to hurry and steer clear of this battle between the Luan Bird and the Flood Dragon.
"Man, this world's getting more and more turbulent. Everywhere you look, someone's hacking at someone else..."
Li Xuan muttered, then quickly left this place of trouble.
He continued onward, proceeding with utmost caution.
What was the limit to how long this clone could survive?
Another year?
Ten years?
Or would he never die?
Come to think of it, I'm kind of looking forward to finding out...
Tsk, just waiting to die...
I think I'm a lunatic...
He flew low over the ground cautiously for half a day. By then, the sounds of the Luan Bird and Flood Dragon fighting had nearly faded away.
No matter how powerful the two of them were, their shockwaves couldn't possibly reach this far.
Only then did Li Xuan relax. He poked his head out again and continued flying west.
The farther west he went, the more battles he encountered.
The Three tribes of Birds, Beasts, and Scaled Creatures were fighting everywhere.
Li Xuan found it increasingly difficult to avoid them. At times, he nearly died.
After keeping this up for two months, Li Xuan felt more exhausted than he had in the previous decade!
He really was struggling to survive in the cracks! Death matches were everywhere!
One day, Li Xuan cautiously climbed over the tallest mountain he had ever seen. He stood on its peak and looked ahead, then froze in shock.
Ahead lay an endless wilderness.
Countless living beings were fighting there, locked in deadly combat!
As far as the eye could see, a sea of blood surged, and murderous intent filled the plains!
Mystic Immortals! Golden Immortals! Grand Unity Golden Immortals!
All kinds of living beings were entangled in battle.
Without exception, every one of them had revealed their true forms, roaring and shrieking!
Within a radius of a million li, it was just like hell!
At the same time, even more powerful and terrifying shadows clashed high above, their roars shaking the heavens and earth!
These were super battles between Grand Unity Golden Immortals and Primordial Golden Immortals!
"What the hell... I actually made it to the center of the battlefield alive?"
Hiding behind a boulder, Li Xuan cautiously poked his head out.
As he looked at the calamitous scene ahead, he was so shocked he could barely believe it!
Only the sight of the Three Thousand Demon Gods being slaughtered by Pangu had shocked him this much.
This was the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity!
And it was still in its early stages. The Beast Clan had yet to be completely crushed!
Later, when Ancestor Dragon and Yuanfeng each led the Scaled Creatures and Birds, with the defeated Beasts mixed among them, into their final death match, that would be a true mountain of corpses and sea of blood!
"What a waste of all that food..."
As Li Xuan watched the battle in silence, he couldn't help eyeing the corpses of the Mystic Immortals, Golden Immortals, and Grand Unity Golden Immortals that had fallen to the ground. He even spotted the corpse of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
If he could haul them back to Mount Taixuan, he could surely help his main body improve its cultivation by a few levels.
But he was only a clone, a useless Heavenly Immortal. How could he possibly go down there and drag the corpses away?
He couldn't even get close. The shockwaves from the fighting would kill him instantly.
As for having his main body come over?
Hahaha...
As he thought it over, Li Xuan wondered whether to turn back or venture farther ahead and, while he was at it, wait to die.
After all, he was only a clone. Spending another decade or so getting back to Mount Taixuan would be such a waste of time.
"Forget it. I'll keep going. I'll experience this calamity firsthand. If I die, so be it."
After thinking it over, Li Xuan made up his mind. He moved at once, about to head down the mountain.
"Calamity rolls in, sweeping through the mortal world. All living beings suffer beneath it. Sigh..."
But just then, a light, airy voice suddenly came from beside him.
The voice had appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost, and startled Li Xuan so badly he jolted.
He leaped to the side and struck a Baguazhang stance. "What the hell are you?!"
An old man was standing beside him. Li Xuan didn't know when he'd appeared.
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes and studied the old man, but couldn't sense a trace of his aura.
Clearly, the old man was just as timid as he was.
He'd concealed his aura completely.
Unfortunately, Li Xuan was only a clone, and couldn't bring the system's functions along.
Otherwise, he could've used the system to check what this old man was, and found out at a glance.
But since the old man was as timid as he was and wouldn't reveal his aura, he couldn't be that powerful.
Li Xuan rolled his eyes. "Hey, old man, why'd you have to scare me like that? This mountain's huge. Couldn't you stand somewhere else? Had to come right up next to me? What, you feeling unsafe?"
The old man's hair and beard were completely white. He wasn't very tall, and was half a head shorter than Li Xuan.
He was also bald, with a fringe of white hair hanging around his shiny pate. He looked a little sleazy.
Still, the old man had a fairly dignified face, with long white eyebrows and a long white beard.
If you ignored his bald head, he looked quite like an immortal sage.
At Li Xuan's words, the old man smiled. "Young friend, I sensed the same aura on you, so I came over to take a look. It's a pity you're only a clone. I have no chance to meet your Original Self."
"Heh..."
Li Xuan gave a dry laugh, thinking, This old bastard's still trying to act impressive in front of me. Aren't you only a clone, too? Would your Original Self dare come here?
"We can each watch our own battles. What's this about having the same aura? The aura of being a coward? Don't follow me. I'm going to check out the center."
Li Xuan glanced at the old man, then started down the mountain.
The old man didn't stop him. He only smiled and said, "Beneath this calamity, you may wish to hide, young friend, but I fear you won't be able to escape it forever. You and I will meet again."
"Yeah, right. What a show-off..."
Li Xuan muttered, then took a cautious step down the mountain.
The old man watched him slowly descend, smiling. Then he suddenly called out, "Young friend, would you tell me your name? You and I are fated to meet."
Li Xuan was on his way down when he heard the question. He curled his lip. "My name? Sure, why not! Your great grandpa's name is Long! Aotian!"
Long Aotian...
The old man nodded slightly and smiled. "That's quite a bold name, young friend. It rolls off the tongue. It's no less impressive than the name I chose for myself."
Li Xuan laughed and stopped. Turning to look up at the old man on the peak, he said, "Then what's your name? Let's hear it. You think it's as impressive as Long Aotian? I don't believe it."
The old man smiled too. "Hong means the beginning of heaven and earth, the source of all laws. Jun means the boundless weight contained within heaven and earth. So I gave myself the name Hongjun."
"Oh, Hongjun. I thought it'd be something more special..."
Li Xuan nodded with a smile and naturally began to mock him, but halfway through—
"Huh?"
Li Xuan's eyes flew wide. He stared at the old man on the mountain, completely stunned, and began to tremble.
He couldn't get another word out.
The old man smiled at Li Xuan. "It's only a name, a symbol of one's hopes. There's no need to be so surprised, young friend. You and I will meet again. When we do, we can discuss the Great Dao. After all, we share the same origin!"
As he spoke, the old man's figure slowly faded away.
A long while later, the mountain breeze swept past. Li Xuan's body, nearly petrified with shock, finally let out a stunned shout.
"You're Hongjun!?"
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