Red Cloud's Killing Tribulation

Hongjun continued, "The third step is nurturing the Law Dao Tree."

"Once the Law Dao Seed has condensed, it must be nurtured through the years, through comprehension, and through great tribulations. You cultivate the Dao of Mystic Purity and Clarity. In the future, you will be unable to avoid tribulation aura, karmic debt, demonic thoughts, lost souls, and the suffering of all living beings."

"But remember this well: witnessing tribulations is fine, but becoming too deeply entangled with a great tribulation is another matter entirely."

Xuan Heng's heart tightened. Hongjun had made it perfectly clear: he could use the great tribulations to temper his Dao, but if he became too deeply involved and turned into a chess piece within the tribulation himself, then it would be over.

Hongjun continued, "There are two greatest taboos in proving the Dao through Laws. First, excessive reliance on one's own Dharma treasures. Proving the Dao through Laws is, in truth, a variation of proving the Dao through strength, so you cannot rely too heavily on your Dharma treasures."

"Second, excessive obsession. Should you encounter matters in the future and wish to intervene, you must weigh them carefully. If someone cannot be saved, yet you insist on saving them; if someone cannot be kept, yet you force them to remain—then sooner or later, your Mystic Purity Dao will be tainted by obsession."

Xuan Heng nodded. "This disciple understands."

Hongjun nodded as well and waved a hand. The three thousand Dao patterns within Purple Cloud Palace slowly circulated, eventually transforming into the hazy phantom of a Dao Tree.

The Dao Tree took root in the void, its branches and leaves flowing with mystic-blue clear light. Yet at the edges of its trunk, the aura of the Heavenly Dao still pressed down, as though trying to draw it back into the order of Heaven and Earth.

Only upon seeing this treasure tree flowing with the Dao rhythm of his own Mystic Purity Dao did Xuan Heng realize that Hongjun was demonstrating for him the path by which he himself would prove the Dao and attain Primordial Unity.

"Once the Dao Tree has matured, you may establish your own Dao Domain. Only when the Dao Domain is complete may you attain the fruition of a Primordial Chaos Limitless Great Luo Golden Immortal."

At this point, Xuan Heng had thoroughly understood the path of proving the Dao through Laws. Yet this path was incomparably arduous. To prove the Dao and attain Primordial Unity—there was a long road ahead and a heavy burden to bear.

"Awaken." Hongjun's voice exploded within Xuan Heng's mind, and only then did Xuan Heng realize that he had unknowingly entered a state of Dao comprehension.

"What I have taught you today is merely the method of proving the Dao. As for how to put it into practice, you must comprehend that yourself. No one else can help you with it."

After Xuan Heng awoke, Hongjun's voice reached him once more.

"This disciple thanks Teacher for transmitting the Dao."

Hongjun did not continue speaking. Instead, he looked beyond Purple Cloud Palace, his voice returning to its calmness.

"Sixty thousand years have now passed since you came to Purple Cloud Palace. It is time for me to merge with the Dao, and time for you to return to the Primordial World and see its lands once more."

As his words fell, before Xuan Heng could react, darkness filled his vision. The next moment, he was already within chaos, while Purple Cloud Palace had vanished without a trace.

The chaotic gale blew straight at him. Xuan Heng steadied himself, and the Eastern Blue Lotus Treasure-Color Flag appeared of its own accord. Treasure light descended, blocking the surrounding currents of chaos outside.

"Sixty thousand years... I wonder what state the Primordial World is in now." With that thought, Xuan Heng was just about to return to the Primordial World when an intense surge of Dharma power suddenly came from the other side of chaos.

Xuan Heng looked in that direction and saw a crimson cloud-light flying backward in disarray. Within it stood a red-robed Daoist, pale-faced, the robe over his chest already soaked through with blood. It was Red Cloud.

Xuan Heng frowned tightly. Why was Red Cloud here? More importantly, why was Zhenyuanzi absent? After Xuan Heng's warning back then, Red Cloud and Zhenyuanzi had been virtually inseparable. Why had Red Cloud suddenly appeared alone in the depths of chaos?

The next moment, Xuan Heng saw four figures pursuing Red Cloud from the direction he had been sent flying from.

Di Jun stood amid golden light, the River Map and Luo Script suspended before him. Patterns of the heavenly stars slowly spread outward, sealing off Red Cloud's avenues of retreat bit by bit.

Taiyi stood to one side, the Chaos Bell hanging above his head.

Minghe strode upon blood-colored light, Primeval Slaughter and Avici in hand, one sword to his left and one to his right, their Sword Qi cold and sinister.

Kunpeng was the fastest. His form shifted at times into a colossal kun and at others into a great peng; every pass forced Red Cloud into hasty evasion.

Xuan Heng was deeply puzzled by this sight. Though the scene before him was indeed an event that had occurred normally in the Primordial World of his past life, even down to the people laying siege, why had Red Cloud still walked this path after Xuan Heng had warned him twice?

Xuan Heng could not understand it, but neither did he rashly intervene. Instead, he swept his gaze around and observed his surroundings.

Soon, amid the chaos not far away, he spotted Receiving Guide and Zhunti hiding in the shadows.

"So that's it. You two are simply watching Fellow Daoist Red Cloud perish, body and soul destroyed."

Xuan Heng sneered, then turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

"Red Cloud, if you had hidden within Five Villages Temple under Zhenyuanzi's protection, perhaps we truly would have had no way to deal with you. But you actually ran out on your own. Heh—this is simply seeking your own death."

Minghe looked at Red Cloud as he spoke.

"Brother Zhenyuan..." Red Cloud lowered his head and murmured, confusion appearing in his eyes. The next instant, strands of black qi coiled around his brow, and the clarity in Red Cloud's eyes was suppressed once more.

"A killing tribulation of the Heavenly Dao. So it was driven by the Heavenly Dao—now it all makes sense."

Seeing this, Xuan Heng finally understood. Red Cloud had left Five Villages Temple and Zhenyuanzi entirely because of the Heavenly Dao's prompting. This killing tribulation of Red Cloud's had also been decreed by Heaven.

"Red Cloud, back in Purple Cloud Palace, you gave up your seat with such carefree grace. But my saintly seat was lost from the very moment you surrendered yours."

The hatred in Kunpeng's eyes was nearly impossible to suppress as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, the one who forced you to surrender your seat in Purple Cloud Palace was that Zhunti from the West. The one who took your meditation cushion was also Zhunti. Yet today, you have come to ambush and kill me. What kind of reasoning is that?" Red Cloud coughed up a mouthful of blood, his voice trembling slightly.

Kunpeng's expression turned even colder upon hearing this. "If you had not surrendered your seat first, how would Zhunti have come after me?"

Taiyi, beside Kunpeng, frowned. Clearly unwilling to listen to them wrangle over old grievances from Purple Cloud Palace, he immediately activated the Chaos Bell and attacked Red Cloud.

"Dong!" A bell chime rang out between Heaven and Earth. In the next instant, more than half the cloud-light around Red Cloud was shattered, sending him flying backward once again. The Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd also shook violently.

Di Jun raised a hand and pointed at Red Cloud. The star patterns upon the River Map and Luo Script abruptly tightened.

"Red Cloud, hand over the Primordial Violet Qi, and we can spare a remnant of your soul from perishing."

Red Cloud did not answer. Black qi surged between his brows, while the aura of the Primordial Violet Qi was forced into intermittent visibility.

"Big Brother, why waste words with him? Kill him, and the Primordial Violet Qi will naturally be ours."

Taiyi activated the Chaos Bell once more. Its radiance flared brilliantly. The cloud-light around Red Cloud was firmly suppressed by Di Jun's River Map and Luo Script, while Minghe and Kunpeng charged in simultaneously from two other directions.

The black qi in Red Cloud's eyes grew heavier and heavier; even his dodges had slowed considerably. If the combined strike of the four landed on Red Cloud, even if it did not kill him, it would shatter his origin.

Seeing this, Xuan Heng hesitated no longer. Red Cloud could not die. In the future, Red Cloud would be a great aid in keeping the West in check. He absolutely could not die now.

With a sweep of his hand, Xuan Heng sent the Calamity-Suppressing Gourd flying from his waist. The mysterious blue patterns around its mouth suddenly lit up, and a wisp of calamity-suppressing clear light fell directly into the center of the battlefield.

The surging, churning qi of the killing calamity was forcibly suppressed for an instant.

As the qi of the killing calamity was suppressed, a trace of clarity returned to Red Cloud's eyes. He then forcibly activated the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, narrowly slipping half an inch clear of Kunpeng's claws.

But the bell waves of the Chaos Bell and Minghe's Sword Qi followed close behind. Red Cloud had nowhere left to evade.

Xuan Heng hesitated no longer. Raising his hand, he brought forth the Taiji Diagram. Black and white qi unfurled, blocking the way before Red Cloud in an instant.

The bell waves and Sword Qi crashed into the Taiji Diagram, and chaotic currents immediately exploded outward.

"Taiji Diagram!"

Di Jun, Taiyi, Minghe, and Kunpeng cried out in shock at the same time, then all turned to look in Xuan Heng's direction.

Kunpeng's expression instantly turned exceedingly ugly.

Red Cloud was stunned as well. Looking at the mysterious azure Dao silhouette standing before him, the black qi in his eyes began to churn once more.

Another streak of calamity-suppressing clear light flew from the Calamity-Suppressing Gourd at Xuan Heng's waist, and clarity returned to Red Cloud's eyes again.

"Daoist Xuan Heng..."

Xuan Heng did not turn around. With a wave of his hand, the Eastern Blue Lotus Treasure-Color Flag shielded Red Cloud's entire body.

Then his gaze swept over Di Jun, Taiyi, Minghe, and Kunpeng, before finally casually glancing toward where Receiving Guide and Zhunti were hiding.

Zhunti and Receiving Guide's expressions changed at the same time.

"Fellow Daoists, four against one—aren't you giving Fellow Daoist Red Cloud a little too much credit?"