Dao Ancestor

Inside Taiqing Palace on Kunlun Mountain.

The Mystic Mirror cast by Grand Pure One Laozi clearly reflected the suffocating scene atop Buzhou Mountain.

Pangu's Phantom stood tall, its chaotic aura permeating the Great Desolation with immense pressure.

The Heavenly Emperor Dijun's chest caved in, golden blood gushing out as he fell, his life hanging by a thread like a kite with a broken string.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi burned his Origin, enduring Pangu's second punch. The Chaos Bell let out a mournful cry, Mysterious Yellow Qi scattered, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he swayed precariously.

The two pillars of the Demon Clan were on the verge of collapse under the phantom Pangu's two punches!

All beings in the Great Desolation fell silent, only fear spreading.

Before the Mystic Mirror, Dao Xuan's mind trembled violently. The phantom Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus deep within his Primordial Spirit swayed wildly, and the Myriad Treasures Nine Dragon Seal hummed, almost breaking free from his body!

The Primordial Heavenly Venerate's expression was as dark as water, his eyes flashing with an uncertain light.

Sect Master Tongtian's clenched fists trembled slightly, all traces of his earlier eagerness to fight gone, replaced by deep apprehension and solemnity.

Grand Pure One Laozi's gaze was as profound as an abyss. An unprecedented solemnity settled upon his face, which had been as calm as a still well.

The phantom Pangu's indifferent, chaotic eyes locked onto the falling Dijun and the struggling Taiyi.

The colossal hand that propped up the chaos slowly rose again, clenching into a fist!

The third punch!

If this punch landed, Dijun and Taiyi would be utterly annihilated, their souls and forms destroyed!

The Heavenly Court of the Demon Clan would instantly crumble!

"Husband--!"

"Your Majesty--!"

Two piercing, desperate cries, accompanied by a clear, anxious shout, rang out simultaneously!

Two figures, one as bright as the moon, another as gentle as the wind, charged upwards without hesitation!

It was the Moon Goddess Xihe, Changxi, and Fuxi!

Xihe's body blazed with Moonlight, transforming into a cold, ultimate moon that blocked in front of Dijun!

Changxi merged the Sun-Moon Dual Wheels, unleashing an unprecedented brilliant radiance, forming a protective barrier around Taiyi!

Fuxi's long hair whipped wildly, the Fuxi Qin hovering above his head. Its broken strings hummed, his magical power expanding uncontrollably, manifesting wind, thunder, water, fire, mountains, and marshes, attempting to delay the world-opening fist!

"No!" Taiyi's eyes were bloodshot with rage, wanting to stop it.

"Xihe! Changxi! Fellow Daoist Fuxi!" the surviving great powers of the Demon Clan cried out in despair from below.

However, facing the phantom Pangu's third punch, imbued with world-opening power and utterly disregarding everything else.

Their resistance was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

BOOM--!!!

The punch had not yet arrived, but its terrifying pressure descended first!

CRACK!

The last strings of the Fuxi Qin snapped completely! The formation diagram, like fragile glass, instantly cracked all over and shattered with a roar!

PUFF!

Fuxi felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. Blood spurted from his mouth, his Dao Rhyme scattered, his aura instantly weakened, and he plummeted from the sky, his fate unknown!

Immediately after!

The cold moon dissolved and scattered silently under the fist's pressure, like ice and snow thrown into a raging fire!

Xihe let out a muffled groan. Her moon-white palace dress shredded inch by inch, revealing skin as pale as paper. She spat out blood mixed with ice crystals, her eyes quickly dimming. Like a moon butterfly with broken wings, she drifted down powerlessly!

Changxi's Sun-Moon Dual Wheels barrier lasted only a moment!

The Dual Wheels let out a mournful cry, their light completely extinguished, and cracks appeared all over their bodies!

Changxi's delicate body trembled violently. Her light golden palace dress was torn apart by the ferocious power, and divine blood of gold and red scattered across the sky. Her aura became faint, and she followed Xihe's fate!

Three punches!

The phantom Pangu's three punches!

Dijun was heavily wounded!

Taiyi was crippled!

Xihe, Changxi, and Fuxi, the three top combat powers, in order to protect Dijun and Taiyi, were also severely injured by the residual power of the third punch, completely losing their combat ability!

At this point, all the top combat powers of the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court had fallen, like lambs awaiting slaughter, exposed under the phantom Pangu's indifferent, chaotic eyes!

Just one more blow, and the high-ranking members of the Demon Clan would be utterly annihilated!

The Great Desolation fell into a deathly silence.

Fear was no longer sufficient to describe the feelings in the hearts of all beings; it was utter despair and coldness.

In front of the Kunlun Mystic Mirror, Dao Xuan's breathing almost stopped.

Sect Master Tongtian abruptly stood up, then slumped back down, his eyes filled with complexity.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's lips moved slightly, finally dissolving into an almost imperceptible sigh.

Grand Pure One Laozi, who had closed his eyes, slowly reopened them. His gaze pierced through the mystic mirror, as if waiting for something.

The giant hand of Pangu's Phantom rose again.

This time, its target was directly aimed at Dijun, Taiyi, Xihe, and Changxi below, who had lost their ability to resist!

An end was imminent!

At this critical moment, when all beings held their breath and heaven and earth grieved together!

"Clang--!"

A clear, melodious bell sound, as if it had existed since the dawn of chaos and echoed to the ends of future time and space, rang out without warning throughout the entire Great Desolation!

This bell sound, unlike the domineering majesty of the Chaos Bell, was more vast, more profound, and more unfathomable!

It seemed to contain the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, the laws of the universe!

Wherever the bell sound passed, the boundless pressure brought by Pangu's Phantom, the chaos fiend qi that enveloped heaven and earth, and the destructive aura filling the cosmos were instantly smoothed out, stabilized, and dissipated like snow melting in boiling water!

The giant hand of Pangu's Phantom, about to descend, was forcibly held in mid-air by an invisible, irresistible force!

The entire Great Desolation space-time seemed to have been paused at this moment!

"Hmm?"

For the first time, a clear fluctuation appeared in the indifferent, chaotic eyes of Pangu's Phantom.

He slowly raised his head and looked towards the boundless, distant depths of the firmament.

All living beings, regardless of their cultivation level or location, subconsciously, uncontrollably, followed the source of the bell sound with their gaze.

High above the nine heavens, purple qi arrived from the east for thirty thousand miles!

Thousands of auspicious colors cascaded down, and myriad rays of auspicious light erupted!

Within the misty purple qi, the phantom of an ancient, vast palace, as if bearing the origin of the Great Dao, flickered in and out of existence.

It was the Azure Palace!

The palace gate opened silently.

A figure stepped out slowly from the purple qi and auspicious light.

He wore an extremely simple purple daoist robe that moved without wind.

On his head was the Nine Heavens Cloud-Piercing Crown, his face ancient and weathered, as if he had experienced countless tribulations.

Three long beards hung down to his chest, adding a touch of immortal grace.

In his left hand, he held a Dragon Head Staff, neither gold nor jade, ancient and vigorous, the dragon's head held high, as if possessing the power to suppress all heavens and realms.

In his right hand, he held a Pure Water Alms Bowl. Within it, clear waves rippled. It appeared ordinary, yet seemed to contain the supreme power to purify all defilements in the world and smooth all karma.

It was the foremost Saint of the Great Desolation, the Dao Ancestor of the Xuanmen—Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun stood in the air, without any earth-shattering aura emanating from him.

He simply stood there, yet he seemed to have become the center of the entire Great Desolation.

The sun, moon, and stars dimmed before him, and mountains and rivers bowed their heads.

The laws of the Great Dao flowed around him, subservient!

"Hongjun!"

A deep voice, like the thunder of chaos, emanated from Pangu's Phantom, carrying a trace of defiance and rebelliousness originating from the depths of his bloodline.

"This is the karma between my Pangu lineage and the Demon Clan! Do you intend to interfere?"

The voice boomed, shaking the Great Desolation.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze was calm as he looked at the towering Pangu's Phantom. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every living being, like the pronouncements of the Great Dao:

"Pangu opened the heavens, his body transformed into all things, benefiting the Great Desolation. However, the Heavenly Dao operates according to its own order. The Demon Clan should not be annihilated in this tribulation."

"Should not be annihilated?" Pangu's Phantom roared, chaos qi churning, "My sons and daughters have suffered countless deaths. If this hatred is not avenged, I am unworthy of being the bloodline of the Father God! Hongjun, do not meddle in my affairs! Withdraw quickly!"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's expression remained unchanged, and he said faintly, "The conflict between the Witches and Demons is a manifestation of the great tribulation of heaven and earth. Each has its karma and its losses.

However, under the Heavenly Dao, there is still a sliver of hope for survival. The Demon Clan's destiny has not yet ended, and they should not be annihilated by you today."

"Hmph!" Pangu's Phantom's anger intensified, "Heavenly Dao? I am the Great Dao of Strength! My will is the will of heaven! Hongjun, you are merely a being who has merged with the Dao, and you dare to stop me?"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun shook his head slightly: "Pangu has passed, but the Great Dao endures. You have borrowed the legacy of the Father God to condense this form. Although you possess its power, you are not its spirit, nor its Dao.

Using it forcefully will only deplete your origin and will not yield good results for the Witch Clan."

Pangu's Phantom was silent for a moment. His chaotic eyes stared intently at Hongjun. After a long pause, the deep voice sounded again:

"Hongjun! Since you are determined to stop me! Do you dare to gamble with me?"

"If you win, I will do as you say and spare these demon ants today!"

"If you lose, then withdraw quickly and do not interfere in this matter!"

The Great Desolation fell into silence once more upon hearing these words!

A wager?

Pangu's Phantom and Dao Ancestor Hongjun were going to wager?

Who would win?

All beings in the Great Desolation, including the Three Pure Ones and Dao Xuan before the Kunlun mystic mirror, held their breaths, their hearts pounding!

This would be the ultimate confrontation since the creation of heaven and earth!

Would it be Pangu's (phantom) ultimate strength, or a Saint who had merged with heaven and earth?

Dao Ancestor Hongjun heard the words, his face devoid of emotion, and slowly nodded:

"Good."

The single word "Good," like a massive stone cast into a calm lake, stirred up monstrous waves in the hearts of all the great powers in the Great Desolation!

The Dao Ancestor had accepted the challenge!

Upon seeing Hongjun agree, Pangu's Phantom said no more.

The giant hand, fixed in mid-air, was suddenly withdrawn!

The colossal body, reaching into the heavens, erupted with an even more terrifying and purer Chaos Qi than before!

It was as if it intended to return this world to primordial chaos!

"Hongjun! Take this punch!"

Pangu's Phantom roared. The giant fist, imbued with the power to create heaven and earth, no longer targeted the Demon Clan. Instead, it tore through space-time, carrying the terrifying might to shatter all realms and recreate the elements, and fiercely struck towards Dao Ancestor Hongjun high in the nine heavens!

This punch was more concentrated, purer, and more terrifying than the three punches that had previously heavily injured Dijun and Taiyi!

The punch was thrown!

Chaos was created! Laws shattered! The river of time itself seemed to be severed by this punch!

All beings in the Great Desolation felt as if the end of days had arrived, suffocating them!

The Kunlun mystic mirror vibrated violently; had it not been for Laozi's full effort to maintain it, it would have long since shattered!

Sect Master Tongtian held his breath.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's pupils contracted.

Dao Xuan felt as if his Primordial Spirit would be torn apart by this punch's intent!

Facing this punch, capable of recreating chaos.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's expression remained calm.

He did not evade.

Nor did he use the Dragon Head Staff in his left hand or the Pure Water Alms Bowl in his right.

He simply raised his right hand slowly towards the world-shattering giant fist that was crushing space-time.

His fingers joined like a sword.

He lightly pointed at the world-destroying fist's momentum.

And softly uttered two words:

"Still."

Buzz--

Words Follow Law!

The Great Dao's decree!

An invisible, formless, yet supreme power instantly permeated the surroundings!

The fist momentum, capable of shattering all realms!

The violently raging chaotic airflow!

The fragments of torn space-time!

Everything!

Under Dao Ancestor Hongjun's pointed finger and single word—

Like a mosquito trapped in amber!

Instantly!

Frozen!

Stopped in its tracks!

Halted in the void less than a hundred zhang away from Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

Time ceased to flow!

Space turned into solid ice!

That world-destroying, heaven-shattering power was forcefully frozen and sealed!

The Pangu Phantom's colossal body was also bound by invisible shackles, its movements becoming incredibly sluggish!

The first move!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun, with just one finger, one word!

He stabilized Pangu's ultimate strike! He stabilized space-time!

The Great Desolation fell silent!

All living beings who witnessed this scene had their minds go blank!

What realm is this?

What divine ability is this?

Pangu's ultimate power, the peak of strength, was so... powerless before a Saint?

For the first time, disbelief and shock appeared in the Pangu Phantom's chaotic eyes!

He struggled with all his might. The frozen space-time groaned under the strain, cracks spreading across it, yet he could not break free completely!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze was calm. He looked at the struggling Pangu Phantom and spoke again:

"Disperse."

Another word.

Said with utter nonchalance.

Yet it contained the supreme authority of "Words Follow Law," commanding the Great Dao!

As this word "Disperse" was uttered...

That terrifying, world-opening punch, frozen in time!

That solidified chaotic airflow!

Those shattered fragments of space-time!

They were like ice and snow thrown into a scorching sun!

Silently!

Melting!

Disintegrating!

Scattering!

Transforming into the most fundamental chaotic energy and returning to heaven and earth!

As if they had never existed!

The second move!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun uttered another word!

And Pangu's ultimate attack vanished into thin air!

The restraints on the Pangu Phantom suddenly loosened, but its colossal body violently shuddered, its aura fluctuating intensely. Clearly, the forced disintegration of this punch had caused a massive backlash to its phantom form!

"Impossible!" the Pangu Phantom roared with unwillingness. Chaotic energy surged madly, attempting to gather strength again!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun shook his head slightly.

He spoke no further.

He simply raised his right hand for the third time towards the sky-reaching, unstable Pangu Phantom.

This time, his fingers were not held together like a sword.

Instead, his five fingers spread open, and he pressed down towards the Pangu Phantom.

There was no earth-shattering momentum.

No dazzling, brilliant light.

Only an invisible, formless, yet seemingly immense power, representing the will of the entire Great Desolation, descended with a roar!

This power encompassed everything, carried everything, and operated everything!

It was not destruction, but... assimilation! A return!

Before this power, the Pangu Phantom's body, forcefully condensed from the essence blood, fiend qi, and will of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, was like a sandcastle meeting a tidal wave!

It disintegrated inch by inch!

It scattered piece by piece!

That sky-reaching, majestic figure became illusory and transparent at a visible speed!

"Roar--!!!"

The Pangu Phantom let out a final roar filled with unwillingness and disbelief. Its colossal body completely dispersed, transforming back into twelve dim, listless Ancestral Witch figures, their auras utterly depleted, falling from the high heavens!

The Twelve Capital Gods and Fiends Formation—broken!

The third move!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun simply pressed his palm forward!

And completely defeated the phantom of Pangu's true body that made the Great Desolation tremble!

Three moves!

Only three moves!

Effortlessly, as if lifting a feather!

The Great Desolation's foremost Saint, Dao Ancestor Hongjun, defeated the Twelve Ancestral Witches who had condensed Pangu's true body, with an undisputed, all-crushing stance!

The entire Great Desolation fell into an unprecedented, deathly silence!

Kunlun Mountain, Eight Sceneries Palace.

Before the water mirror, one could hear a pin drop.

Sect Master Tongtian's mouth hung open, his eyes filled with incomparable shock and reverence.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's expression was complex, containing relief, reverence, and a hint of ineffable enlightenment.

Grand Pure One Laozi slowly closed his eyes, murmuring, his voice soft yet resounding like a great bell in Dao Xuan's heart:

"Below Saints, all are ants... Today, I finally know this saying is not false."

Dao Xuan's mind trembled violently. He looked at the ordinary figure in the water mirror, clad in purple robes and holding an alms bowl and staff. A chill rose from the depths of his soul, instantly spreading through his limbs and bones!

A Saint!

This was the power of a Saint who had merged with the Dao!

Treating Pangu's phantom as nothing!

Words followed law, palms pressed down on the universe!

What late-stage Quasi-Saint, what world-opening supreme treasure, were all illusions before a true Saint!

At this moment, the eight words, "Below Saints, all are ants," were deeply etched into the minds of all the great powers in the Great Desolation like a brand!

Not a shred of doubt remained!

Dao Ancestor Hongjun stood high above the nine heavens, his gaze sweeping below.

On one side were the severely wounded and near-death Dijun, Taiyi, Xihe, Changxi, Fuxi, and the surviving high-ranking Demon Clan members, who had lost their fighting strength.

On the other side were the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the surviving Witch Clan warriors, also suffering from severe depletion of essence blood and weakened auras, unable to fight further.

Both sides had suffered heavy casualties and were greatly weakened.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun slowly spoke, his voice calm but carrying the undeniable authority of the Heavenly Dao, resounding in every corner of the Great Desolation:

"The conflict between the Witches and Demons, with its heavy karma, has damaged the foundation of the Great Desolation, causing suffering to all living beings, and the heavens and earth grieve."

"From this day forward."

"The Witch Clan shall govern the earth, overseeing the Great Desolation, managing the earth veins, and nurturing all things."

"The Demon Clan shall govern the heavens, overseeing the Stars of the Heavens, regulating Yin and Yang, and operating the Four Seasons."

"Both clans shall remain in their respective positions and fulfill their duties."

"Thirty thousand years!"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's voice suddenly became grand, like a decree from the Heavenly Dao:

"Within thirty thousand years, the Witch and Demon clans shall not engage in warfare again! They shall not wage war! Those who violate this will face Heavenly Punishment, their bodies and souls utterly destroyed!"

"Rumble--!"

As the Dao Ancestor's words fell, thunder rumbled faintly in the nine heavens, as if the Heavenly Dao were witnessing and imprinting this supreme decree!

The surviving warriors of the Witch and Demon clans, whether from the Demon or Witch tribes, involuntarily prostrated themselves under this Heavenly Dao's pressure.

Dijiang and the other Twelve Ancestral Witches, though unwilling and filled with indignation, under Dao Ancestor Hongjun's indifferent gaze, and before the irresistible Saintly might they had just personally experienced, could only suppress all their anger and unwillingness deep within their hearts.

They knew that the Dao Ancestor had appeared, the decree had been issued, and the battle of today had concluded.

Any further defiance would mean the utter destruction of their bodies and souls, and the complete erasure of the Witch Clan!

Dijun and Taiyi were heavily wounded and unconscious. The surviving Demon Clan high-ranking members, such as the Demon Marshal Bai Ze, also felt bitterness in their hearts, but could only bow their heads and obey.

Being able to preserve their lives and the foundation of the Demon Clan was already a great mercy from the Dao Ancestor.

Seeing that both sides had no further objections, Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze swept over the scarred and cracked Buzhou Mountain pillar one last time, a barely perceptible flicker in his eyes.

Then, the purple qi receded, and the auspicious light vanished.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's figure, along with the phantom of Purple霄 Palace, disappeared from the nine heavens without a sound.

As if he had never appeared.

All that remained was the decree of "thirty thousand years of truce," like a shackle of the Heavenly Dao, pressing heavily on the hearts of the Witch and Demon clans, and all the great powers of the Great Desolation.

At the summit of Buzhou Mountain, the fires of war had not yet extinguished, and corpses littered the ground.

Under the leadership of their respective leaders (or representatives), the warriors of the Witch and Demon clans silently began to collect the remains of their comrades, lick their wounds, and with endless hatred and exhaustion, slowly retreated.

A brutal war, lasting three thousand years and nearly shattering the foundation of the Great Desolation, finally came to an end.

Kunlun Mountain, Taiqing Palace.

The water mirror slowly dissipated.

Silence filled the palace.

After a long while.

The Primordial Heavenly Venerate finally spoke, his tone carrying a hint of complexity: "The Heavenly Dao is impartial, and also emotionless. Thirty thousand years... is a shackle, but also a chance to breathe. It's just this deep-seated hatred from the Sea of Blood..."

The Sect Master Tongtian, uncharacteristically, did not retort. He merely sighed, "The might of a Saint, I truly see it today. We... still have a long way to go."

Grand Pure One Laozi closed his eyes again, his aura returning to the ethereal, as if the scene that had shaken the Great Desolation moments ago had never happened.

"The tribulation has temporarily ceased, not ended. Thirty thousand years will pass in the blink of an eye. Cultivate in seclusion, and seek enlightenment."

Dao Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging waves in his heart.

He had personally witnessed the supreme power of Pangu's Phantom, and even more so, the Saintly might of Dao Ancestor Hongjun that crushed everything.

His yearning for power, his aspiration for a higher realm, had never been so intense.