Shen Ni had fallen. The Fierce Beasts still stubbornly resisting lost all morale the instant they sensed their emperor's aura vanish completely, and the entire Fierce Beast army began a total collapse.
"Kill them! Leave none alive!"
Covered in blood, Zulong stood in the void, his sword pointed at the fleeing Fierce Beast army.
The allied forces of the Three Clans surged with morale. Seizing their victory, they began the final purge.
Hundun was surrounded by the Dragon Clan elites led by Zhulong. Deep wounds covered his enormous ball-like body, and his aura had weakened to its limit.
He looked at the densely packed Dragon Clan soldiers around him, then toward the direction where Shen Ni had fallen. A trace of mournful grief flashed through his eyes.
"My Emperor..."
His voice was hoarse and low, filled with bone-deep hatred.
"Taotie... one day, I will never let you go!"
His body began to disintegrate, turning into a sky full of chaotic baleful qi that slowly merged into the Primordial World.
The baleful qi drifted through heaven and earth, eventually becoming the evil thoughts within the Primordial World, lurking in dark corners as they waited for chances to corrupt living beings.
Qiongqi was trapped by Yuan Feng's Nirvana flames. His wings were burned black, and when his strength finally failed, he was captured.
Taowu, meanwhile, was suppressed by Shi Qilin's earth-element laws and forcibly buried a million zhang underground, sealed by the power of the earth.
Qiongqi looked at the blood-red sky and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha... listen well... we Four Fierce Beasts were all born from the baleful qi of heaven and earth... one day, we will return!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield, carrying the obsession of a curse.
The seal fell, and Qiongqi's voice came to an abrupt halt.
As the three great commanders were suppressed one after another, the remaining Fierce Beasts lost their last command structure and became nothing more than prey for slaughter.
Like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the allied forces of the Three Clans wiped out every Fierce Beast in the Far West Lands.
The Ferocious Beast Calamity, which had lasted countless yuanhui, finally came to an end.
Above the battlefield, the Heavenly Dao stirred.
A vast and solemn aura began gathering above the Far West Lands. Golden light poured down from the heavens, falling over every corner of the battlefield.
With the Ferocious Beast Calamity over, the Heavenly Dao accelerated its formation and bestowed a vast amount of merit to reward those who had rendered service.
The golden light of merit illuminated heaven and earth, splitting into several portions and descending upon those who deserved it.
Fifty percent entered Hongjun's body.
Hongjun stood in the void, sensing the Heavenly Dao Merit pouring into him. He fell silent for a moment.
As a Chaos Demon God at the peak of the ninth level of the Hunyuan Realm, Heavenly Dao Merit was of no use to him. Still, he accepted it.
Heavenly Dao Merit was a symbol of the Heavenly Dao's recognition.
To control the Primordial World, the Heavenly Dao's recognition was an unavoidable step.
Thirty percent was divided equally among Zulong, Yuan Feng, and Shi Qilin.
Pillars of golden merit light enveloped the three of them. The hidden injuries accumulated during battle healed at a visible rate.
What delighted them even more was that the cultivation bottlenecks which had stalled them for so long began to loosen beneath the cleansing power of that merit.
Zulong broke through first.
A powerful aura erupted from within him and shot into the heavens.
He threw back his head and roared. His dragon cry shook the surrounding lands as golden light blazed around him. He had astonishingly broken through into the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal Realm.
Yuan Feng and Shi Qilin broke through soon after.
Three Primordial Origin Golden Immortal auras rose at once, their pressure bearing down in all directions.
Seeing this, the soldiers of the Three Clans cheered in jubilation, their morale soaring.
The remaining twenty percent of the merit turned into a rain of gold that fell upon the soldiers of the Three Clans' allied forces. Though each person received little, it was enough to advance their cultivation somewhat and heal much of their injuries.
The blood-red glow over the Far West Lands finally faded completely.
The sky became clear once more, and sunlight fell upon the earth, drawing a close to this brutal war.
Deep within Mount Sumeru, Luo Hou's Dao body slowly opened his eyes and swept his gaze around the cave.
Countless figures stood densely packed within it. Some were humanoid, some beast-like, and some had no fixed form at all.
Yet all of them radiated dense black qi. Scarlet light flickered in their eyes, and their auras were savage and evil.
These were all beings he had evolved from his own Great Dao laws during his slumber.
Luo Hou's Dao body looked at them, nodded in satisfaction, and slowly spoke in a low, imposing voice.
"From this day onward, you shall be called... the Demon Clan."
The figures all dropped to one knee and shouted in unison.
"We greet the Demon Ancestor!"
Luo Hou's Dao body nodded slightly. His gaze passed through the cave walls and looked toward the world beyond Mount Sumeru.
"It is time to begin my plan."
He muttered softly, then turned his gaze toward the Far West Lands.
In the next instant, his brows suddenly furrowed.
"Hm?"
He sensed that Shen Ni's aura had vanished, and the aura of the Fierce Beast Clan had nearly disappeared as well.
He calculated with his fingers, and his expression immediately became complicated.
"The Fierce Beasts... were actually wiped out?"
Somewhat unable to believe it, he continued tracing the scene and saw Zulong, Yuan Feng, and Shi Qilin gathered around an old Daoist, each calling him "Fellow Daoist Luo Hou."
Luo Hou's Dao body's face instantly darkened.
"Hongjun!"
He ground out the name through clenched teeth, the killing intent in his eyes surging.
"You old Daoist, you actually dared scheme against me!"
He raised a hand sharply, and the God-Slaying Spear appeared in his palm.
This was the true God-Slaying Spear itself, a complete top-grade Chaos Spirit Treasure.
Luo Hou's Dao body gripped the spear shaft, and with a flash, vanished from the cave.
Only the newly born Demon Clan members remained in the cave, staring at one another.
"What happened to the old Demon Ancestor?"
On the battlefield in the Far West Lands.
Hongjun had just finished dealing with Zulong and the other two's enthusiastic thanks and was walking toward Taotie, who had been immobilized in midair.
When Taotie saw Hongjun approach, all color had drained from his face. His eyes were hollow and despairing. He had already accepted his fate.
Hongjun stood before him, looking him over with contemplation in his eyes.
"An outsider from beyond this realm... capable of instantly raising his cultivation realm, and even creating an Innate Supreme Treasure that already exists out of thin air..."
He stroked his beard, preparing to leave with Taotie.
Just then—
"Hongjun, you old bastard! Die!!!"
A furious roar exploded through the sky!
Immediately after, a terrifying black beam shot straight at Hongjun's face!
The black light was unimaginably fast. Wherever it passed, space was torn open into a pitch-black rift.
Hongjun's pupils contracted slightly. The Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk instantly erupted with dazzling white light, forming a curtain of light around him.
"BOOM!!!"
The black light struck the curtain with a deafening blast. The curtain shook violently. Though it did not shatter, Hongjun was still forced several steps back.
Hongjun raised his head and looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared in the sky.
Luo Hou wore black robes and held a long spear. Black qi churned around him, while killing intent soared into the heavens.
"Fellow Daoist Luo Hou."
Hongjun steadied himself, his expression unchanged and his tone as calm as ever.
"Why are you doing this?"
When Luo Hou heard the words "Fellow Daoist," his eye twitched sharply, and the killing intent on his face grew even thicker.
"Hongjun, you old bastard! You stole my name and used it to swindle the Primordial World, yet you still dare pretend to be innocent!"
He shook the God-Slaying Spear in his hand, its tip pointing directly at Hongjun.
"You are courting death!"
Before his words had faded, he flashed forward and appeared before Hongjun. The God-Slaying Spear became a bolt of black lightning, stabbing straight for Hongjun's throat!
Hongjun did not dare lower his guard. The Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk blazed brightly as it met the attack.
The two great experts instantly clashed.
The God-Slaying Spear in Luo Hou's hand was a genuine top-grade Chaos Spirit Treasure. Every strike carried the terrifying force to rip space apart.
Though Hongjun's cultivation was higher, he was only displaying the fifth level of the Hunyuan Realm and was unwilling to reveal all his trump cards. For a time, Luo Hou actually suppressed him.
On the battlefield, the allied forces of the Three Clans all changed expression when they saw the black-robed figure who had suddenly appeared in the sky.
"Who is that?"
"What a terrifying aura..."
"From what he just said, it seems he is the real Luo Hou!"
Zulong, Yuan Feng, and Shi Qilin exchanged glances, each seeing solemnity in the others' eyes. They did not rashly intervene. A battle of that level was no longer something they could take part in.
Taotie, immobilized in midair, watched the two figures fiercely battling in the sky. His heart churned like a raging sea.
That is Luo Hou... the real Luo Hou!
What exactly is going on in this Primordial World? Hongjun and Luo Hou both actually have Sage-level cultivation?!
Remembering the Primordial World novels he had read in his previous life, he felt the world spin around him.
Those Primordial World novels led me astray! All that crap about Hongjun becoming a Sage only after the Dao-Demon War was a complete fucking lie!
Deep within his body, the system that had remained silent all this time also began to panic.
No... this Primordial World is far too strange... the power of its laws is absurdly strong, and now so many Hunyuan Realm experts have appeared...
I must find a way to send news of this place to my god... this Primordial World is absolutely not an ordinary world!
It began frantically circulating its origin power, attempting to break the seal Hongjun had placed. But the sealing power was incomparably firm. No matter how it struck, it could not shake it in the slightest.
In the sky, Luo Hou and Hongjun's battle had already continued for several thousand exchanges.
Luo Hou grew fiercer as he fought. Though Hongjun handled every move flawlessly, he appeared to be gradually falling into a disadvantage.
As Hongjun blocked Luo Hou's attacks, he rapidly considered his options.
Luo Hou holds the true God-Slaying Spear and possesses eighth-level Hunyuan Realm cultivation... continuing to fight head-on will not benefit me.
His eyes flickered.
But if I can use this opportunity to stir the vigilance of the other Demon Gods' contingencies... make them believe Luo Hou is a shared threat... then I can join forces with them to deal with him.
Having settled on a plan, he deliberately revealed an opening.
Luo Hou instantly caught it. Killing intent flashed in his eyes as the God-Slaying Spear became a bolt of black lightning and stabbed directly at Hongjun's chest!
"Pfft!"
Hongjun was struck by the spear and sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ground. He lay at the bottom of the crater, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked seriously injured.
"Luo Hou..."
Hongjun clutched his chest, his voice carrying a trace of weakness and anger.
"Do not go too far... this old Daoist does not wish to fight you."
Luo Hou stood in the void, looking down at him. The killing intent in his eyes did not diminish.
"You do not wish to fight? Hmph, that is not for you to decide!"
He raised the God-Slaying Spear again. Black light gathered at its tip, radiating a heart-palpitating aura.
"Die!"
As his words fell, the God-Slaying Spear left his hand and became a black meteor shooting toward Hongjun!
A sharp light flashed in Hongjun's eyes. The Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk suddenly erupted with brilliant radiance. The three thousand Great Dao laws flowed once more, condensing into a thick barrier of laws before him.
"BOOM!!!"
The God-Slaying Spear crashed into the barrier of laws with an earth-shattering blast.
Using the force of the impact, Hongjun flew backward. At the same time, he reached out and seized Taotie, who had been immobilized in midair.
The Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk flashed, the Law of Space activated, and his figure instantly vanished from where he stood.
Luo Hou recalled the God-Slaying Spear and snorted as he looked at the place where Hongjun had disappeared.
He lowered his gaze to the allied forces of the Three Clans below, who stood ready for battle. Disdain flashed through his eyes, but he could not be bothered to strike again. With a flash, he vanished into the void.
All that remained were countless Three Clans soldiers still shaken with fear, and a ravaged stretch of land.
Before you continue