Elsewhere.
Deep within the Great Desolation, in the Kuafu Tribe.
Inside a rugged stone hall built from enormous beast bones and rocks.
Three imposing figures, their baleful auras soaring into the heavens, sat gathered together. Before them, the stone table was laden with great chunks of bloody meat and strong liquor.
They were Kuafu, the great witch of the Kuafu Tribe; Chi You, the great witch of the Chi You Tribe; and Hou Yi, the great witch of the Hou Yi Tribe!
Kuafu's face was the color of dark dates, his bristling beard like needles. He grabbed a roasted beast leg, charred and fragrant, and tore into it with huge bites.
Chi You's face was like purple bronze, his crimson beard blazing like fire. He was sharpening two massive gleaming golden axes with a whetstone, sparks flying in all directions.
Hou Yi's face was round as a full moon, his eyes bright as stars. He carefully wiped the ancient greatbow in his hands, his gaze focused.
The hall was filled with a thick scent of blood and a savage air.
Suddenly!
"Report—!!!"
A witch warrior over ten feet tall, drenched in blood from head to toe, staggered into the hall and collapsed to the ground. His voice was hoarse with grief and fury.
"Lord Kuafu! Lord Chi You! Lord Hou Yi! Disaster! Tao Qin... Great Witch Tao Qin... he... he was slain at the shores of the East Sea by... by a bull-nosed Daoist riding a qilin!"
"What?!"
Boom!
Kuafu abruptly rose to his feet. The half-eaten beast leg in his hand was crushed to pieces, sending meat and bone fragments flying!
His eyes instantly turned crimson, like burning bronze furnaces. A violent baleful aura erupted from him, blasting the stone stool beneath him into powder!
"Tao Qin is dead?! Killed by some bull-nosed Daoist?!" Kuafu's voice was like rolling thunder, making the entire stone hall hum.
"Y-Yes, my lord!" The reporting warrior wept bitterly. "That Daoist was ruthless! He brought out a treasure fan, and with... with just one sweep! Lord Tao Qin and several brothers... they... they were all wiped out!"
"Roar—!!!"
Chi You let out a heaven-shaking roar, like an injured ferocious beast!
The whetstone in his hand shattered into dust. His two giant axes buzzed and trembled, erupting with soaring killing intent!
"What audacity! What an audacious bull-nosed Daoist! He dared kill a great witch of our Witch Clan! This hatred cannot be borne beneath the same sky!"
Hou Yi's hand, which had been wiping his bow, suddenly stopped. Cold light burst from his eyes like two icy Sharp Arrows piercing through the void!
He slowly raised his head, his voice chilling to the bone. "Do you know that Daoist's name? What does he look like?"
"R-Reporting to Lord Hou Yi! This lowly one heard the Dragon Clan call him... Immortal Dao Xuan! His appearance... he wore a blue headwrap, had twin topknots, wore a yellow robe, had a face like white jade, and rode a Five-Colored Qilin!" the warrior hurriedly replied.
"Dao Xuan?!"
"He rides a Five-Colored Qilin?!"
Kuafu and Chi You roared almost at the same time!
"It's him! That bull-nosed Daoist who stole the Banana Fan at Buzhou Mountain!" Kuafu gnashed his teeth, hatred surging in his eyes!
"Old grudges and new! Today, we'll settle them all at once!" Chi You crossed his giant axes, producing shrill sparks!
A trace of understanding and gravity flashed through Hou Yi's eyes. He slowly slung the greatbow across his back and gripped his halberd tightly.
"Gather the troops!" Kuafu's voice boomed like a great bell, his baleful aura sweeping across the entire tribe!
"Summon the warriors! Follow me to the East Sea! Flatten the Dragon Palace! Tear that bull-nosed Daoist to pieces to avenge Tao Qin and settle the score from Buzhou Mountain!"
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The entire Kuafu Tribe instantly boiled over! Baleful aura shot into the skies!
Very soon.
Elite warriors from the Chi You Tribe and the Hou Yi Tribe were summoned as well.
The three peak great witches led several thousand incomparably fierce witch warriors, their baleful aura joining into a blood cloud. Like three torrents of destruction, they crushed mountains and rivers beneath their feet as they charged murderously toward the shores of the East Sea!
Wherever they passed, the earth trembled and baleful aura spread. Black Birds scattered through the forests, while beasts in the mountains cowered in hiding!
Their target—the East Sea Dragon Palace! Capture and kill Dao Xuan!
East Sea Dragon Palace.
Dao Xuan was deep in thought.
When a heaven-shaking commotion suddenly erupted outside the Crystal Palace!
"Report—!!!"
A shrimp soldier rolled and crawled in, practically tumbling into the hall. His helmet was crooked, his armor askew, and his face bloodless. His voice carried a sobbing tremor.
"Reporting to the Dragon King! Disaster! A great disaster!"
The immortal music in the hall came to an abrupt stop, and the dancing ceased at once.
The smiles on every dragon and aquatic creature's face instantly froze, replaced by terror.
Ao Guang's heart jolted. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, "What are you panicking for? What could possibly frighten you so badly? Can't you see the Immortal is here?"
The shrimp soldier threw himself to the ground, trembling like a leaf.
"R-Reporting to the Dragon King! It's... it's the Witch Clan! A massive force of witches has arrived at the shores of the East Sea!"
"At their head are Great Witch Kuafu of the Kuafu Tribe, Great Witch Chi You of the Chi You Tribe, and Great Witch Hou Yi of the Hou Yi Tribe!"
"The three great witches have brought several thousand ferocious witchmen. They're brimming with killing intent and have specifically demanded... demanded the capture and execution of Immortal Dao Xuan! They also want to flatten our East Sea Dragon Palace to avenge... avenge their fallen tribesmen!"
Boom!
It was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
Ao Guang's vision went dark, and his legs gave way. He nearly slipped off his throne!
His face turned ashen, his lips trembling. There was no trace left of a Dragon King's majesty!
Kuafu! Chi You! Hou Yi!
These three were no ordinary great witches!
Below the Twelve Ancestral Witches, they were among the Witch Clan's most powerful and infamous elite great witches!
Every one of them had slain Demon Clan demon commanders in battle, their ferocious reputations resounding far and wide!
And now all three had come, bringing several thousand Witch Clan elites with them!
This... this was a catastrophe of annihilation!
"It's over... it's over..." Ao Guang muttered in a daze. His gaze involuntarily shifted toward Dao Xuan in the seat of honor, filled with despair and pleading.
The hall fell utterly silent.
Every high-ranking dragon and aquatic creature was pale-faced and trembling.
As if the end of the world had arrived.
Dao Xuan sat in the seat of honor, his expression calm and unruffled.
It was as though the three Fierce Gods described by the shrimp soldier, figures capable of making the Great Desolation tremble, were nothing more than chickens and dogs.
He set down his jade cup and looked at Ao Guang's deathly pale face before speaking indifferently.
"Dragon King, do not worry."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried a strange calming power that eased Ao Guang's wildly pounding heart.
"They are merely a few great witches. What is there to fear?"
"Since they have come for me, I shall go meet them."
"Immortal!" Ao Guang's voice trembled. "Those three... are no small matter! They are all capable of battling demon commanders! You... you are of immeasurable worth..."
Dao Xuan smiled faintly and rose to his full height.
Beneath his Blue Gauze Headband, his face remained like Mutton Fat Jade, elegant and refined.
His pale yellow Daoist robe patterned with clouds stirred without wind, Pure Qi swirling around him.
"Since I entered the late Great Luo realm, I have yet to properly stretch my limbs."
"Today, they will serve nicely as a test of my skills."
His tone was calm, yet it contained immense confidence.
Watching Dao Xuan's composed bearing, Ao Guang somehow found a trace of hope rising in his heart.
He gritted his teeth and suddenly stood up, some of a Dragon King's decisiveness returning to his face.
"Immortal, your righteousness is admirable! How can this little dragon allow you to face danger alone?"
"Gather the troops! Pass my command! Assemble every elite warrior of the Dragon Palace! Follow the Immortal into battle and bolster our numbers!"
"Yes!" Prime Minister Turtle and the other aquatic ministers were stirred to courage as well and answered in unison.
A moment later.
At the shores of the East Sea.
The vast blue waters stretched endlessly, yet at this moment, killing intent filled the air!
A dark mass covered the sea surface!
Several thousand witch warriors stood in battle formation.
Every one of them was over ten feet tall, their muscles knotted and their baleful aura soaring skyward!
Some had faces black as pot bottoms, red hair, and fangs; some had indigo faces and beards like cinnabar; others had tiger-like faces, savage eyes, and murderous glints!
They held giant axes, bone clubs, and stone spears, their killing intent stirring the waves and changing the color of wind and clouds!
At the front of the formation.
Three great witches stood between sea and sky like three Primordial Divine Mountains!
On the left stood one figure.
Several zhang tall, his face was the color of dark dates, and his thick beard stood upright like steel needles!
He wore a vicious helmet fashioned from the skull of some unknown colossal beast, along with crude yet incredibly heavy bronze plate armor!
His muscles coiled like dragons, seemingly containing limitless strength capable of splitting mountains and shattering earth!
He held a gigantic black staff as thick as a roof beam, forged from some unknown divine wood!
He was the great witch of the Kuafu Tribe—Kuafu!
On the right stood another figure.
He too was several zhang tall, with a face like purple bronze and a crimson beard blazing beneath his chin!
He wore the Nine Cloud Blazing Beast Crown, forged from fierce beast skulls and blazing refined gold, along with chainmail and a Great Red Robe that snapped in the wind!
A white jade belt circled his waist. He rode a Fire-Eyed Golden Beast, shaped like a qilin but even more savage, its entire body burning with dark red baleful aura!
In each hand, he held a gleaming golden giant axe the size of a door panel, cold light flashing as baleful aura coiled around it!
He was the great witch of the Chi You Tribe—Chi You!
At the center stood a third figure.
His build was comparatively lean and powerful. His face was as round as a full moon, as though brushed with vermilion, while his eyes shone like bright stars!
He wore a Hair-Tying Golden Crown, a Golden Forehead Band gleaming brilliantly, with two magnificent pheasant feathers swaying from either side!
He wore a Great Red Robe beneath golden chain armor, an arrow quiver at his waist and an ancient greatbow on his back!
He stood upon the waves as though walking on solid ground!
He was the great witch of the Hou Yi Tribe—Hou Yi!
The auras of the three great witches were linked, their baleful energy piercing the heavens. Like three Great Desolation Fierce Beasts, they locked their gaze firmly upon the East Sea Dragon Palace!
Just then.
The East Sea abruptly parted!
Pillars of water shot into the heavens!
Tens of thousands of elite aquatic warriors from the East Sea Dragon Palace emerged in formation under the personal command of Dragon King Ao Guang!
Shrimp soldiers held halberds, crab generals wore helmets, whale strongmen beat drums, and merfolk blew conches!
Banners fluttered, and armor gleamed with cold menace!
Though their momentum was far inferior to the Witch Clan's ferocity, they had still assumed the stance of those prepared to fight to the death!
Before the formation.
Five-colored auspicious clouds supported a majestic qilin.
Dao Xuan sat upon the qilin's back.
He wore a Blue Gauze Headband, a pale yellow cloud-patterned robe, and cloud-treading shoes.
His face was like Mutton Fat Jade, his bearing elegant and refined, his eyes clear and brows handsome.
Compared to the three vicious-looking great witches opposite him, he seemed utterly out of place. Yet he possessed an unhurried composure as deep as an abyss and as steady as a mountain.
"Bull-nosed Daoist! It really is you!"
Kuafu's enormous eyes widened, his voice booming like a great bell and sending the sea waves churning!
He recognized Dao Xuan at a glance!
"Several tens of thousands of years ago, atop Buzhou Mountain, you seized the spiritual root and ruined our Witch Clan's opportunity! Today, you have slain my people again! Old grudges and new hatred will be settled today!"
Chi You was even more enraged. Sensing its master's fury, the Fire-Eyed Golden Beast let out a heaven-shaking roar!
"Dao Xuan, you little thief! The hatred of that stolen treasure has yet to be repaid, and today you slaughtered our Witch Clan warriors again! Give me your life!"
Hou Yi did not speak, but his gaze was cold as a blade. The halberd in his hand lifted slightly, his killing intent locked onto Dao Xuan.
Faced with the towering rage and killing intent of the three great witches, Dao Xuan remained calm.
He gently patted the qilin beneath him and smiled faintly.
"I was wondering who it was. So it is you defeated fools."
"Back then, the spiritual root went to the one destined for it. How could that be called theft?"
"As for today, your people recklessly hunted the Dragon Clan, an affiliate of my Mystic Sect. How were their actions any different from demons? I acted on Heaven's behalf and killed them. What was wrong with that?"
"Stop making excuses!" Kuafu roared. Black light surged from his giant staff. "Today, I will make your body and soul perish!"
"Why waste words with him? Kill!" Chi You had long since lost patience and shouted furiously!
"Roar!"
The Fire-Eyed Golden Beast stomped through the air, wrapped in baleful flames that could burn the heavens, like a falling meteor!
Chi You raised both axes high and brought them down with mountain-cleaving force! Two enormous axe lights ripped through the void, carrying the might of Heaven and Earth Creation as they struck straight for Dao Xuan's head!
"Good!"
A sharp light flashed through Dao Xuan's eyes!
He had been worrying that he would have no chance to test the methods of the late Great Luo realm!
With a thought, he moved.
The Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus instantly appeared above his head!
The pristine lotus dais slowly revolved, pouring down countless rays of Pure World Divine Light that shielded Dao Xuan and the qilin completely!
At the same time.
Dao Xuan flicked his right hand!
The Four Symbols Banana Fan was already in his grasp!
Facing the twin axes that cleaved down with the force to Burn Heaven and Boil Sea, he neither dodged nor retreated, but fiercely swept the fan!
Whoosh—!!!
Four-colored divine light swirled!
The primordial might of Earth Water Fire Wind erupted!
A terrifying force, formless and intangible yet capable of overturning heaven and earth, swept forth like a world-ending tidal wave!
Boom—!!!
A heaven-shaking explosion rang out!
Chi You's twin axe lights, powerful enough to split mountains apart, struck the power of the Four Symbols and instantly shattered like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun!
The violent shockwave swept in every direction, forcibly pressing a vast depression into the sea as towering waves surged into the sky!
Chi You felt an irresistible force rebound against him. His arms shook violently, and the Fire-Eyed Golden Beast beneath him let out a pained roar as it was blasted backward again and again!
"What a treasure! What a move!" Chi You steadied himself, both shocked and enraged, while the vicious gleam in his eyes grew fiercer!
"Take my staff!"
Seeing that Chi You's strike had failed, Kuafu let out a furious roar!
He took a single step, his massive form seeming to cross space itself as he instantly appeared at Dao Xuan's flank!
The pitch-black giant staff in his hand carried immense force, stirring boundless baleful qi as it smashed viciously toward Dao Xuan's waist and ribs like a collapsing pillar that held up the heavens!
This strike was overwhelmingly powerful, containing the heaviness of the Law of Earth and the savage extremity of strength!
Dao Xuan remained unhurried.
He formed a hand seal with his left hand!
The Myriad Treasures Nine Dragon Seal flew out from his auspicious cloud!
It expanded with the wind!
In an instant, it became as enormous as a mountain!
Nine dragons coiled around its body, their scales and claws dancing as they released earth-shaking dragon roars!
Its treasure light was heavy and majestic, suppressing the heavens!
"Suppress!"
Dao Xuan shouted softly.
Bearing its magnificent divine might to suppress all things, the Myriad Treasures Nine Dragon Seal crashed down upon Kuafu's head!
Boom!
The giant staff and treasure seal collided explosively!
Like two Primordial Divine Mountains crashing together!
Even space seemed to twist for a moment!
Kuafu felt an indescribably crushing pressure descend from above, as though the land of the Entire Great Desolation were pressing down upon his shoulders!
He roared repeatedly, the muscles all over his body bulging and veins throbbing. Even the void beneath his feet cracked under his tread!
That indestructible giant staff was slowly forced downward by the treasure seal!
"What a nosy Taoist! You've certainly got plenty of magic treasures!" Hou Yi's gaze sharpened.
He watched as Kuafu and Chi You, two supreme Great Witches, joined forces yet failed to take down Dao Xuan, only to be suppressed by his treasures. Alarm rose in his heart.
He knew he could not keep watching.
A cold glint flashed through his eyes as he silently removed the enormous bow from his back.
The bow was ancient and simple, neither metal nor wood, its body wrapped in mysterious patterns.
Then, with lightning speed, he drew a bone arrow from his quiver, black from end to end, its arrowhead gleaming with a cold and sinister light!
It was the divine arrow that had made his name!
Hou Yi moved like a ghost, drawing the bow and nocking the arrow in one fluid motion!
The bow bent like a full moon!
The arrow flew like a falling star!
Whoosh—!!!
A streak of black light silently tore through space!
As though it ignored distance, it instantly appeared at Dao Xuan's back!
Its tip pointed straight at a vital spot!
Sinister! Vicious! Inconceivably fast!
This was Hou Yi's greatest specialty: a lethal ambush strike!
"Immortal, watch out!" Ao Guang and the other dragons and aquatic clans were terrified out of their wits, crying out in alarm!
However.
The Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus above Dao Xuan's head burst with brilliant radiance!
Layer upon layer of lotus petals overlapped, with Pure World Divine Light flowing endlessly!
That deadly bone arrow, capable of piercing through a demon commander's protective divine arts, struck the divine light!
Clang—!
A crisp ring sounded!
As though it had struck the hardest barrier in the world!
The terrifying baleful qi and penetrating force within the arrowhead were steadily worn away and purified by the Pure World Divine Light!
In the end.
The bone arrow gave a mournful cry, its radiance dimming as it fell weakly into the sea.
It did not even touch the corner of Dao Xuan's robes!
"Hmph!"
Dao Xuan snorted coldly, his lightning-like gaze sweeping toward Hou Yi.
"Great Witch Hou Yi, and yet you resort to attacking from behind and wounding others with hidden arrows?"
"Is this how the Witch Clan, the true descendants of Pangu, conducts itself with such 'openness and honor'?"
"Ganging up on one man and still resorting to underhanded tricks! What a fine example of the 'righteous path of the Great Desolation'!"
The mockery in his words was unmistakable.
His voice rang clearly across the battlefield.
Kuafu, Chi You, and Hou Yi instantly flushed red!
Hou Yi in particular, having his ambush exposed before everyone, was humiliated and enraged beyond measure.
They might have been fierce and savage, but they were not entirely without shame.
Dao Xuan's ridicule left their faces burning.
"Stop flaunting that sharp tongue!" Chi You roared in embarrassment and anger. "As long as we kill you, who cares what methods we use!"
"Attack together! Go all out! Do not give him another chance!" Kuafu also roared.
The three Great Witches exchanged glances. No restraint remained in their eyes, only frenzied killing intent!
Boom!
The black light around Kuafu's giant staff grew even stronger as he drove the Law of Strength to its limit and smashed it toward the Myriad Treasures Nine Dragon Seal once more!
Baleful flames blazed over Chi You's twin axes. The Law of Fire erupted, transforming into two fire dragons that could Burn Heaven as they attacked Dao Xuan from both sides!
Hou Yi no longer concealed himself either, and his bowstring rang out repeatedly!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three streaks of black light formed a triangular pattern as they tore through the void, shooting straight for Dao Xuan's brow, throat, and dantian—three vital points! Utterly vicious!
The three supreme Great Witches had completely cast aside all dignity and launched an all-out siege!
Dao Xuan's expression grew somewhat more solemn, but he showed no fear.
The White Lotus Divine Light flowed above his head, Invulnerable to All Laws!
The Myriad Treasures Nine Dragon Seal in his left hand shone with boundless treasure light as it suppressed Kuafu!
The Four Symbols Banana Fan in his right hand swept out four-colored divine light, throwing Earth Water Fire Wind into chaos and dispersing Chi You's heaven-burning baleful flames!
At the same time.
With a slight movement of his mind!
A ruler flew from his sleeve!
Mysterious Yellow Qi coiled around its body, while Merit Golden Light flowed across it!
It was the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Merit Ruler!
The ruler swayed in the wind and expanded to over ten feet long!
Facing the three deadly bone arrows fired by Hou Yi, it lightly slashed!
Rip!
It was as though it had drawn a boundary between heaven and earth!
A Mysterious Yellow merit barrier appeared out of nowhere!
The three bone arrows struck the barrier as if plunging into a swamp. Their speed slowed drastically, while the baleful qi attached to them rapidly dissolved beneath the Merit Golden Light!
In the end, they fell helplessly!
Dao Xuan faced three enemies alone!
All his treasures were deployed!
The Four Symbols Banana Fan stirred wind, thunder, water, and fire!
The Myriad Treasures Nine Dragon Seal suppressed the eight directions and six realms!
The Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Merit Ruler measured heaven and fixed earth!
The Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus was Invulnerable to All Laws!
No matter how boundless Kuafu's strength, how Chi You's baleful flames burned the heavens, or how Hou Yi's divine arrows claimed lives!
Dao Xuan remained unmoving, seated firmly upon the qilin's back!
He dissolved the three Great Witches' storm-like barrage of attacks one by one!
Between sea and sky, treasure light and baleful qi intertwined and collided, while thunderous explosions rang without end!
Towering waves filled the sky, and the winds and clouds changed color!
At the center of the battlefield stood something like a colossal meat grinder. Any ordinary creature who came within a hundred zhang would be torn apart by the aftershocks!
Ao Guang and the other dragons and aquatic clans stared in utter stupefaction, their hearts reeling!
"The immortal... the immortal's divine might!"
"He... he can truly fight three supreme Great Witches alone without being defeated!"
Before you continue