"Di Jun, Taiyi, Minghe, Kunpeng!" Zhenyuanzi watched the figures disappear before his eyes. After a moment's thought, he headed toward the Human Race.
With a flash, Zhenyuanzi appeared outside the Human Race's camp at Blackwater Bay and asked to see Jiang He. Inside the tent, he held that wisp of primordial spirit in his palm and bowed deeply to Jiang He. "Fellow Daoist Jiang He, Fellow Daoist Hong Yun was ambushed and died in a self-detonation. Only this wisp of his primordial spirit remains. I'm willing to join the Human Race. Please allow Hong Yun to be reborn among them and give him another chance."
Jiang He gazed at the frail wisp of primordial spirit, his heart stirring. Zhenyuanzi was also the Ancestor of Earth Immortals; if he could be brought under the Human Race's banner, their strength would increase greatly. More importantly, Hong Yun was an upright man. If reborn as a member of the Human Race, he might lend them support during the Tribulation of Calamity.
He recalled Empress Nuwa's instructions, then looked at the earnestness in Zhenyuanzi's eyes and slowly nodded. "Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, I agree. I'll make the proper arrangements for Hong Yun's primordial spirit and ensure he is reborn without incident!"
South of the Blood Sea,
Inside the Anti-Demon Alliance's camp, Brahma paced anxiously. A scout's urgent report came from outside the tent: "Alliance Leader! The fighting at Blackwater Bay has ended. The Human-Dragon allied forces and the Demon Race have made peace and withdrawn their armies!"
Brahma spun around, a flash of delight and resentment in his eyes. "Made peace? Bai Ze, you really let the Human-Dragon allied forces withdraw unscathed! But that's fine, too. With the Demon Race's main forces all at Blackwater Bay and along the East Sea, their defenses must be empty. If we attack now, we can break through the Blood Sea and wipe out the Demon Race in one fell swoop!" He immediately gave the order. "Pass on my command! The whole army moves out. Our target is the Demon Race's central stronghold. We must crush its defenders and seize the Blood Demon Race!"
The Anti-Demon Alliance's army assembled in an instant. Billions of Asura warriors, joined by cultivators from various allied races, surged toward the Blood Sea. Brahma gripped a massive axe, murderous aura rising around him, certain of victory. "Bai Ze schemes against the whole world, but he doesn't know I've already seen through him! The Demon Race's elite troops have all gone to Blackwater Bay. The Blood Sea is left with nothing but old and weak soldiers. This time, the Demon Race will pay!"
But when the Anti-Demon Alliance's army reached the edge of the Blood Sea, the sight before them made Brahma's heart sink. The Blood Sea wasn't guarded by the empty defenses he'd expected. Instead, Demon Race warships stretched across its surface, their Three-legged Golden Crow banners gleaming beneath the blood-red sky. Tens of thousands of elite Demon Race soldiers stood ready in tight formation, their auras as solid as an iron wall. At their head stood ten Demon Saints with terrifying auras—the Demon Race's Ten Demon Saints. Behind them were three hundred and sixty-five Great Luo Golden Immortals, arranged according to the positions of the heavenly stars, forming an immense and formidable array.
"Brahma, did you really think the Demon Race would be caught unprepared?" Bai Ze's voice came from the center of the formation, clear and steady as ever. "Under this Tribulation of Calamity, your little trick was already within my calculations. Sending aid to Blackwater Bay was only to draw you out."
Brahma's face turned livid, fury surging within him. "Bai Ze! You dared to toy with me! Today, I'll wipe out your Demon Race!" He raised his axe and ordered the charge. "Everyone, attack! Break the Demon Race's formation and slaughter them all!"
The Asura warriors roared as they charged the Demon Race's formation. Blood-red blades streaked through the sky, and murderous aura gathered into clouds that blotted out the heavens. But the instant they neared the formation, the Ten Demon Saints struck together, and the three hundred and sixty-five Great Luo Golden Immortals unleashed their magic power. The Star Array of the Heavens sprang into action!
In an instant, countless stars appeared in the sky, their power pouring down and turning into dazzling beams of sword light that swept across the Anti-Demon Alliance's army. Wherever the starlight passed, Asura warriors fell in droves. Their screams rose and fell, and corpses soon covered the Blood Sea. The Anti-Demon Alliance's assault crashed against the formation like a wave against an iron wall. They couldn't advance a single step; instead, the power of the stars crushed them relentlessly, and their losses mounted.
"Impossible! This can't be!" Watching his army steadily driven back, Brahma's eyes were wild with disbelief. "How can the Demon Race have such an elite force? How can they have such a terrifying array?"
Just then, an aura of utter savagery surged skyward from the depths of the Blood Sea. Ancestor Minghe emerged in blood-red armor, holding the Yuantu Abi Twin Swords, deathly energy and murderous aura swirling around him. Behind him followed millions of elite Asura warriors, along with every allied race in the Blood Sea. His forces were even more terrifying than Brahma's.
He had just witnessed Hong Yun's self-detonation on the shores of the East Sea and watched the Primordial Violet Qi vanish without a trace. Everything he had sought his whole life had turned to dust, and the rage pent up inside him had reached its limit. Already restless with the Tribulation of Calamity approaching, he was now wholly consumed by anger. He had plunged into the abyss of the calamity, with nothing left in his eyes but destruction and slaughter.
"Bai Ze! Di Jun! Taiyi! Your Demon Race has gone too far!" Ancestor Minghe's voice rang out like a thunderclap. "The Primordial Violet Qi vanished, making it impossible for me to become a Sage. It's all because of you! Today, I'll use the power of the Blood Sea to wipe out your Demon Race and make you pay in blood!"
Before his words had even faded, Ancestor Minghe raised his hand and unleashed the Blood Sea Array. In an instant, the Blood Sea surged, and its waters transformed into countless grotesque Asura demons that pounced on the Demon Race's Star Array of the Heavens. The Blood Sea Array brimmed with endless slaughter and deathly energy. It collided with the star power of the Star Array of the Heavens, unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the Primordial World.
The two peerless arrays faced off in the sky, star power and the Blood Sea's murderous aura entwining and devouring each other. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth fell into violent disarray, while space repeatedly collapsed and reformed. Di Jun wore golden crow armor, flames billowing around him as the River Map and Luo Book laid out the heavens, constantly reinforcing the Star Array of the Heavens. Eastern Emperor Taiyi held the Chaos Bell, its deafening chimes shattering vast swaths of the Blood Sea's murderous aura with every toll. The Ten Demon Saints each displayed their divine abilities, working with the three hundred and sixty-five Great Luo Golden Immortals to unleash the array's full power.
Ancestor Minghe personally commanded the Blood Sea Array. The Yuantu Abi Twin Swords slashed again and again, their blood-red sword energy tearing through the curtain of starlight. Countless Asura warriors charged forward, one after another, nourishing the Blood Sea Array with their lives. Both sides suffered devastating losses. The Blood Sea turned an even deeper red, while the phantom stars flickered repeatedly, as if on the verge of collapsing.
The battle between the two races swept across the entire Primordial World, and powerful beings everywhere acted to stabilize it!
Buzhou Mountain
At that moment, dazzling light radiated from Buzhou Mountain, and twelve figures swiftly appeared overhead. They were none other than the Twelve Ancestor Witches! Hou Tu, who had become a Sage of the Earthly Dao, immediately stabilized Buzhou Mountain. Just then, the Three Pure Ones appeared beside the mountain and joined in to help. Before long, Buzhou Mountain had stabilized.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches and the Three Pure Ones looked grimly at the two sides battling below. They didn't believe that the Demon Race and the Blood Sea alone could possibly shake Buzhou Mountain!
"Heavenly Dao! Hmph!"
They all snorted in unison!
Just then, the Primordial World trembled violently. An immense aura, towering above all living beings, descended. The sky split open with a massive rift, and a figure clad in gray robes, face indistinct, slowly emerged. It was Hongjun.
The instant Hongjun appeared, all the clamor in the Primordial World seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force.
Above the Blood Sea, the collision between the Star Array of the Heavens and the Blood Sea Array abruptly stopped. Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance, solemnity in both their eyes. The light of the River Map and Luo Book and the hum of the Chaos Bell faded at the same time. The Star Array of the Heavens slowly withdrew its phantom stars, revealing the Demon Race's weary, wary soldiers.
Jiang He also sensed Hongjun Dao Ancestor's oppressive presence from the Human Race's territory. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong!
Hongjun Dao Ancestor spoke with utter indifference, devoid of all emotion. "The conflict between the two races ends here!"
Those six short words rang in everyone's ears like thunder from the heavens.
"Dao Ancestor..." Taiyi stepped forward, then stopped. He wanted to ask why Hongjun was preventing the Demon Race from pressing its advantage, but when he came up against Hongjun's impassive aura, the words caught in his throat. The Dao Ancestor before them had no intention of responding. His presence seemed to exist only to carry out some predetermined command.
Minghe seemed to regain his senses as well. He said nothing as he gathered his remaining forces.
"The Demon Race returns east. The Blood Sea is sealed off, and the Asura Race must not leave." Hongjun's voice remained indifferent, without a trace of emotion. "The Tribulation of Calamity is not over. If anyone dares to fight again, the Heavenly Dao will destroy them."
Everyone's hearts jolted again. The Tribulation of Calamity wasn't over? After all this, it still wasn't over? The Blood Sea had been rendered useless—who would stand against the Demon Race now?
The Three Pure Ones, Empress Nuwa, and Empress Houtu all appeared at Buzhou Mountain. They had sensed something wrong with Hongjun as soon as they saw him. Taiqing gave a quiet sigh. "The Dao Ancestor is no longer the Dao Ancestor he once was!"
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