At the instant Luohu self-destructed, East King Duke deliberately approached Mount Sumeru from hundreds of thousands of li away to carry out his plans. The shockwaves swept over him. Although he was protected by the Five Directional Banners, he had lost the protection of the Dao Lotus and was still seriously injured.
A wave of weakness from his soul came over him. He hurriedly swallowed dozens of drops of Three Lights Divine Water, and only then did it slowly ease. He let out a sigh of relief.
Soon, the Twelve-grade Yin-Yang Dao Lotus flew back beneath his feet. After inspecting it, he saw two spiritual lights shining within the lotus platform, radiating the pure power of the Yin-Yang Law. A delighted expression appeared on his face, and he nodded slightly.
He immediately put it away. For the moment, he had no time to deal with it.
The Western Continent Cataclysm caused by Luohu's self-destruction lasted for nearly a hundred years. After hundreds of thousands of years of the demons running rampant, the Immortal Dao had become stagnant, and the world, already eroded by devil qi, had grown even more desolate. The Innate Spiritual Qi had dissipated, all things had withered, and devastation filled the land.
Hongjun gazed at this land, but his heart remained unsettled for a long time. Feeling his slowly draining fortune and the Karmic Sin covering his body, he truly had indescribable difficulties.
Fortunately, the Devil Affliction had been eliminated. Once the Primordial World's Calamity Qi dispersed, clarity returned between Heaven and Earth throughout the entire world. It was as if the clouds had parted and the sun had appeared.
As soon as the Calamity Qi was eliminated, rays of rosy light suddenly appeared above the nine heavens. Waves of Heavenly Dao Congratulatory Sound rang out, followed by vast amounts of Xuanhuang Merit descending from the sky, covering more than ten thousand mu.
Wherever the Xuanhuang Qi passed, all things showed signs of revival. After the Merit descended, it immediately split into several portions and scattered away. The largest portion naturally belonged to Hongjun.
After obtaining the Xuanhuang Merit, Hongjun used part of it to offset the Karmic Sin he had suffered. As for the remainder, he did not absorb it, but instead sent it all into the Western Continent.
After receiving the Merit, the originally withered land of the Western Continent revealed a little vitality and began to recover. Its Spiritual Veins slowly started to grow and gestate. Although it was still far from recovering and the process was extremely slow, at least it would not continue deteriorating.
Thus, the Karmic Sin within Hongjun was finally erased, and his own fortune recovered somewhat. Only then did he slightly relax. However, he still owed the Western Continent a great deal of Karma, which he could only repay slowly.
With the pressure eased, Hongjun pondered silently. After a long while, he let out a long sigh.
"It seems I still have to take that step. But if it comes to that, even if I achieve sainthood, will Hongjun still be Hongjun then? Rahu, could this also be your scheme against this old Daoist?"
Although he had won, he had also fallen into the mire of Luohu's schemes. What his path to becoming a Saint would bring remained unknown.
After Hongjun obtained most of the Merit, quite a lot still remained. It was divided into several portions, with one portion going to the dragon, phoenix, qilin, and other members of the Three Tribes who had resisted the demons, slightly reducing their Karmic Obstacles.
Zhenyuanzi had rendered merit through protecting the Spiritual Veins. Under his and East King Duke's arrangements, he had prevented the Spiritual Veins of the Western Continent from being Severed, so he naturally obtained Merit as well—and quite a lot of it.
Aside from Hongjun, the one who received the most Merit was East King Duke. He had done a great deal during the Dao Demon War. First, he had joined Zhenyuanzi in protecting the Spiritual Veins. Second, he had slain numerous demonic Great Luo, including the Luohu Clone. Third, he had knocked down the Immortal Trapping Sword, which could be considered an indirect destruction of the Immortal Slaying Great Array.
Each one of these matters had been crucial. Therefore, East King Duke was fully deserving of the Xuanhuang Merit.
The Xuanhuang Qi descended, exceeding by several times all the Merit he had obtained since his birth combined. If he absorbed it all, he even sensed that he could break through directly to the Quasi-Saint realm.
However, East King Duke did not do so. He had his own path, and this Merit had another use.
He drew all the Xuanhuang Qi into his soul. The Merit was wondrous. Although he had not refined or absorbed it, merely letting it enter his body had already cleared away the longstanding ailments of his Dao Body. His entire bearing became extraordinary, taking on an inviolable, sacred air.
He had gained an abundance from this great battle. Setting aside the great amount of Merit, he had obtained two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures: the Southern Flame Light Banner, which he had previously received from Yuanfeng, and the Immortal Trapping Sword, one of the Four Immortal Slaying Swords.
However, he certainly could not keep the Immortal Trapping Sword. This treasure bore the Heavenly Mandate. Together with the other three swords and the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram, it belonged to the future Upper Pure Tongtian Saint. Moreover, although the Immortal Trapping Sword was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, a single sword's power was limited. It was of little use to East King Duke, so he might as well follow the Heavenly Mandate.
Thus, after obtaining the sword, he did not even have the slightest intention of refining it. He simply waited quietly for the person who would come to take it away.
Sure enough, he did not have to wait long. A figure appeared in the valley where he was staying. It was Hongjun, the victor of the Dao Demon War and the future Lord of the Mystic Gate.
Hongjun's expression was calm at this time. After his Karmic Sin had been eliminated, he had gradually begun to show signs of attaining the Dao, making people afraid to casually pry into him.
"Young friend, we meet again."
Upon seeing East King Duke, Hongjun revealed a faint smile.
"Greetings, Senior Hongjun."
Hongjun nodded slightly. He gave East King Duke a meaningful glance before saying, "Young friend, you have done many things that greatly benefited the Primordial World this time. Obtaining Heavenly Dao Merit is truly worthy of congratulations."
"Senior, you flatter me. As an Innate Being of the Primordial World, doing things beneficial to the Primordial World is only my duty."
Facing Hongjun, East King Duke remained neither servile nor overbearing.
After the Dao Demon War, the Karma he had owed Hongjun because of the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner had already been repaid. In fact, because he had assisted Hongjun so much during this battle, Hongjun was instead the one who owed him quite a bit.
Hongjun pondered for a moment before saying, "This old Daoist came here to discuss something with you."
"Please speak, Senior."
"Earlier, in Luohu's Immortal Slaying Array, you took and collected the Immortal Trapping Sword. This sword is useful to me. Would you be willing to exchange it with this old Daoist?"
The Heavenly Secrets could not be revealed, so Hongjun naturally could not mention the sword's Heavenly Mandate. He did not know that East King Duke had long understood it clearly.
"Of course! However, may I boldly ask Senior Hongjun whether I can exchange this sword for something of my choosing?"
"Oh? Tell me."
East King Duke knew that if there were anyone in the Primordial World who possessed the most Spiritual Treasures, it had to be Hongjun before him. This future Dao Ancestor had been blessed by Heaven. He already controlled treasures such as the Jade Plate of Creation, the Pangu Banner, and two Twelve-Grade Lotus Platforms. Now he had also collected the Taiji Diagram, Qiankun Cauldron, Immortal Slaying Sword, Immortal Slaying Array Diagram, and other treasures belonging to Yin-Yang Ancestor, Qiankun Ancestor, and Demon Ancestor Luohu.
It was no exaggeration to say that he was covered in treasures. Moreover, the grades of his Spiritual Treasures were extremely high. He possessed no fewer than four or five Innate Supreme Treasures alone.
Among these treasures, the one East King Duke wanted most was undoubtedly the Taiji Diagram. However, he knew that the grade of the Immortal Trapping Sword was certainly insufficient to exchange for it. Besides, the Taiji Diagram also bore the Heavenly Mandate and absolutely could not be schemed for.
Thus, after pondering for a moment, he named a treasure.
"The God Slaying Spear!"
This had originally belonged to Luohu. It was not a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, let alone an Innate Supreme Treasure. In fact, it was not even counted among Spiritual Treasures and could be called an extraordinary treasure of Heaven and Earth.
However, this treasure possessed formidable power and controlled slaughter, with endless wondrous uses. East King Duke already had the Five Directional Banners and the Twelve-grade Yin-Yang Dao Lotus, giving him more than enough defensive Spiritual Treasures, but he was somewhat lacking in offensive weapons. Therefore, the God Slaying Spear was the most suitable for him.
Most importantly, it was said that someone wielding the God Slaying Spear could even injure a Heavenly Dao Saint. He walked the path of the Law Golden Immortal of the Origin, and with this treasure, he would gain a means of contending with Heavenly Dao Saints.
Before you continue