Water-Grinding Effort

Willow's long brows twitched, and anger surfaced in his eyes.

He stared at Luohu and shouted, "Daoist Luohu! This Poor Daoist said I did not obtain it, and that is the truth! The five of us have been schemed against by someone else—can you not see that!?"

"This Seat sees your mother!"

Luohu flew into a rage, raising his spear and thrusting it straight at Willow.

At the same time, he roared, "In this Primordial Wilderness, what living being is stronger than the five of us!? You and Hongjun planned this together, didn't you!? Die for This Seat!"

Willow abruptly retreated, while above his head manifested a Chaos Great Willow Tree that blotted out the sky like a colossal canopy.

The Chaos Willow Tree drooped down billions of willow branches, shielding him.

His face twisted with anger as he bellowed, "You truly are a fool!"

Boom!!

The power of the God-Slaying Spear clashed with the various lights cascading from the Chaos Great Willow Tree, producing a thunderous roar.

It shattered the very void, revealing all kinds of dark and terrifying Void Rifts.

Luohu's eyes instantly turned blood-red, and a fierce, murderous aura surged skyward!

Willow's words had thoroughly enraged him!

"You seek death!!"

With a furious roar, the God-Slaying Spear howled, spewing forth endless killing intent.

Even the Chaos Great Willow Tree swayed violently, clearly struggling to withstand its lethal force.

Hongjun watched expressionlessly from the side, but after only a moment, he made his decision.

He moved directly, standing beside Willow.

Before him floated the Jade Plate of Creation, and above his head hung a red Auspicious Cloud—the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud.

Raising his hands, he joined Willow in resisting Luohu's killing power.

At the same time, he spoke calmly, "Daoist Luohu! This Poor Daoist and Daoist Willow have not conspired to seize the Violet Qi. Please, stop now!"

With the combined strength of two Quasi-Saints, Luohu—who had yet to obtain the Four Swords of Zhu Xian and establish the Path of Slaughter—could not possibly break through their defense.

He roared incessantly, his spear thundering.

But it was blocked by the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud and the willow light, unable to advance an inch.

After pounding for a while, Luohu laughed in fury and ceased his attack, bellowing, "Fine! The two of you join forces, do you!? Good, good, good! Today, This Seat will take only one Violet Qi! But in the days to come! This Seat will take them all back!!"

Words filled with brutality, savagery, and venomous hatred echoed through the sky.

Luohu's blood-red eyes gave Hongjun and Willow a long, hard look.

Then, with a sudden movement, he mounted the Twelve Grade World Destroying Black Lotus Platform and sped off toward the west.

His subordinates exchanged glances, then moved as well, chasing after Luohu.

Seeing Luohu fly far away, Willow let out a sigh.

He then said to Hongjun, "Thank you, Daoist. This Poor Daoist is grateful for your help."

Hongjun shook his head and replied, "A pity. Daoist Luohu has an exceedingly violent temper. Now that he believes we conspired to embezzle the Violet Qi, a grudge has likely been formed."

"Could it be that the five Violet Qis were truly taken away by someone else's scheme?"

Yin Yang and Qiankun looked at Willow and Hongjun, asking thoughtfully.

Willow's expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "You two do not believe me either? Very well. This Poor Daoist, Willow, hereby swears an oath: if This Poor Daoist has embezzled the Violet Qi, may my Dao foundation shatter and I die, never to rise again through all eternity!"

For any cultivator.

Oaths were regarded with utmost gravity.

They were shackles placed upon the heart.

If one swore falsely.

It would severely hinder one's own Dao.

Eventually giving rise to the terrifying thought of self-doubt.

That was called a collapse of the Dao heart.

Thus, once Willow spoke these words, Yin Yang and Qiankun believed him.

After all, they were not violent brutes like Luohu.

Thinking this over, Yin Yang sighed and said, "Enough, enough. In the end, each of us obtained a Heavenly Dao Opportunity. This opportunity lies in refinement, not quantity—it all depends on personal insight!"

Qiankun also nodded. "Indeed. Since that is the case, let us part ways! Each of us will contemplate the Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi, seeking to attain the Heavenly Dao."

With that, Yin Yang and Qiankun mounted their Auspicious Clouds and headed north.

Only Hongjun and Willow remained on the spot.

Hongjun let out a soft sigh, then said, "Daoist Willow, we part here."

"We part here."

Willow sighed as well, his eyes filled with complexity.

Today, that brat had played him for a fool, turning him into a pawn in someone else's scheme.

And in the end, he was misunderstood.

That stifling frustration was simply unbearable to describe.

Hongjun nodded, stepped onto Auspicious Cloud, and headed eastward.

For a moment, the surroundings were empty.

Then Willow suddenly let out a low roar, his eyes blazing with fury!

He gritted his teeth, then moved his form and headed south.

The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity was thus completely over.

But a new kalpa began to slowly brew...

"Ding."

"Choice to observe the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity completed. Reward: ten thousand years of twentyfold cultivation speed, divine ability: Samadhi True Fire."

Li Xuan, meanwhile, sat motionless with closed eyes, deaf to the system prompt at his ear.

Refining five strands of Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi—the initial suppression was naturally extremely difficult.

That immense explosive force made every muscle and blood vessel in Li Xuan's body tremble.

But as the system's reward arrived, the twentyfold cultivation speed instantly took effect.

Twentyfold!

Spiritual energy liquefied, even crystallized!

The laws themselves became directly tangible!

On the Thirty-Six Grade Creation Green Lotus Platform, it instantly transformed into a pool of pure spiritual energy liquid.

Various laws howled as they ceaselessly drilled into Li Xuan's body.

With twentyfold spiritual energy absorption speed and comprehension speed, the pressure brought by the five strands of Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi was finally suppressed bit by bit.

Now that it was suppressed, all that remained was to refine them little by little and strip away the Heavenly Dao's will.

This was a slow, grinding task, requiring an unknown amount of time—perhaps even an eternity to complete.

Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of violet passing through them before vanishing without a trace.

"Hoo..."

He let out a long breath and sensed his condition.

The five strands of Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi now lay quietly in his four limbs and his sea of consciousness, ceaselessly scoured by endless spiritual energy and laws.

At this moment, the Heavenly Dao Primordial Violet Qi looked like stubborn stone.

Li Xuan's spiritual energy and laws scouring it were like dripping water.

Water dripping on stone... utterly meaningless, with no change at all...

Shaking his head, Li Xuan withdrew his thoughts.

At the very least, it would take three hundred and sixty-five million years...

Water dripping through stone?

Damn it all...

Li Xuan muttered, then slightly closed his eyes, intending to continue cultivating.

"Ding."

"Choice System activated."

"Choice One: Head to the Primordial Wilderness and seize the essence blood and essence energy of the dead beings from the Three Tribes. The more you seize, the richer the reward. Maximum reward: a Primordial Supreme Treasure."

"Choice Two: Head to the Southern Primordial Wilderness and take away the First Peacock and the First Golden-Winged Great Peng, who are about to be born. Completion reward: one random Innate Supreme Treasure, one drop of Divine Phoenix Essence Blood, one hundred thousand years of cultivation experience scroll."

"Choice Three: Head to the Southern Primordial Wilderness and kill the First Peacock and the First Golden-Winged Great Peng, who are about to be born. Completion reward: one random Innate Supreme Treasure, one drop of Divine Phoenix Essence Blood, one hundred thousand years of cultivation experience scroll."

"Choice Four: Continue cultivating for two hundred and fifty thousand years. Completion reward: divine ability: Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Transformations, ten thousand years of cultivation experience scroll."

Li Xuan looked at the choices before him, blinked, and said in surprise: "Kong Xuan and Golden Peng are about to be born?"