Purple Cloud Palace, the Might of a Saint

Hongjun's face darkened as the Saint's overwhelming pressure, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing, descended upon every member of the Witch Clan. Even the sky grew dim beneath the weight of his emotions.

Many Witch Clan members whose cultivation was insufficient felt the blood in their bodies cease to flow.

Their hearts nearly stopped beating as well.

Pangu Hall above Di Jiang's head trembled violently, as though it were about to shatter.

Even so.

From the highest-ranking members to the lowliest members of the Witch Clan, not a trace of fear could be seen on anyone's face.

So what if he was a Saint?

The sons of the Witch Clan knew no fear. At worst, they would die.

"Very good."

Hongjun ultimately forced down the towering fury in his heart. After spitting out those two icy words, his figure vanished from where he stood.

"Hmph!"

Di Jiang could not help but snort, a hint of disdain in his expression.

A Saint was nothing special.

Houtu, however, secretly let out a breath of relief. Had that senior not pointed it out to her, she truly would not have known how important she was to the Primordial World.

And if she had not known, there would naturally have been no driving Hongjun back today.

If they had truly come to blows, how could the Witch Clan have been a match for him?

Even if they had not been wiped out on the spot, they would likely have suffered devastating losses.

The Witch Clan owed a tremendous karmic debt for this.

Houtu looked at Di Jiang. "Eldest Brother, our Witch Clan from now on..."

"Stop. We'll discuss this matter later."

Di Jiang cut Houtu off. Who knew whether Hongjun was still watching them?

What if he overheard them?

If their carelessness harmed that person, their sin would be grave indeed.

Houtu's heart trembled, and she hurriedly shut her mouth.

In her moment of carelessness, she had nearly exposed that person. She truly should not have.

"Move out."

Di Jiang turned around and swept a hand through the air, leading his clansmen deeper into the Blood Sea.

Purple Cloud Palace.

The returned Hongjun sat cross-legged within the hall. The anger in his expression had already faded, as if none of what had just happened had ever occurred.

If he could not even control his own emotions, how could he call himself a Saint?

"A variable."

Hongjun murmured softly as he pondered in secret.

That variable seemed to have exceeded his expectations somewhat.

With the cultivation of a Quasi-Saint, or even a Great Luo, it had been able to discern Houtu's future.

Even he had been unable to do that in the past.

A variable with such abilities would surely become his greatest obstacle.

Unfortunately, the enemy was hidden while he stood in the open.

Unable to root out the other party, Hongjun could only passively respond to whatever came his way.

And the most pressing matter was the changes within the Witch Clan.

Houtu transforming into reincarnation was the general trend. Even after merging with the Dao, he could not stop it. Yet he could influence when she transformed into reincarnation and how she did so.

Reincarnation could emerge, but the Earthly Dao absolutely could not awaken. Otherwise, his plans would suffer a tremendous blow.

The slightest misstep could cause all his efforts to come to nothing.

And to prevent the Earthly Dao from awakening, the Heavenly Dao had to be powerful enough.

The number of Saints could nurture the Heavenly Dao.

According to his original plan, the Heavenly Dao should have six Saints, all disciples of the Mysterious Gate. Houtu would then transform into reincarnation only after the six Saints of the Heavenly Dao attained the Dao.

Only then could the Heavenly Dao completely suppress the Earthly Dao.

And prevent its awakening.

Yet Houtu had now entered the Blood Sea ahead of time. The Three Pure Ones and the others had already fallen a step behind.

"The Three Pure Ones!"

As though suddenly recalling something, Hongjun's divine sense abruptly enveloped the entire Primordial World.

"Just as expected!"

When he saw that Laozi, Tongtian, and Nuwa were still at Mount Kunlun and in the East Sea, with no intention of coming to Purple Cloud Palace to hear the Dao, Hongjun's expression darkened once more.

Since that damned variable could see through Houtu's future,

Laozi and the others would naturally be no exception.

And since the three had no intention of coming to hear the Dao, it was clear that the damned variable had not spared them either.

The situation had further slipped out of control.

"Laozi and the other three are a minor matter. Continuing to let the variable run unchecked is the greater problem."

"I must find a way to drag it out."

"Otherwise, if it continues disrupting matters, my plans will surely come to nothing."

As he pondered, Hongjun waved his sleeve.

As the laws of the Heavenly Dao circulated, a spatial rift suddenly opened within the hall.

Laozi, Tongtian, Nuwa, and Fuxi fell out from within.

Hongjun had actually forcibly brought the four from the Primordial World to Purple Cloud Palace.

The four stared at Hongjun with terror written across their faces.

So this was a Saint?

The gap was far too great, wasn't it?

Laozi was the first to regain his composure. He swept his gaze across Tongtian and the other two, then gave Hongjun a slight bow. "May I ask why the Saint has summoned us here? What are your orders?"

Nuwa and the other two all fixed their gazes on Hongjun.

Each of them felt uneasy.

The senior had said, "Do not be bound by Heaven," yet Heaven now seemed intent on forcibly binding them.

How could they solve this situation?

The senior had not said, and for the moment, they could think of no solution either.

"Speak truthfully, and you may be spared death."

Hongjun's icy voice echoed through the hall. Terrifying Saintly pressure then enveloped the four, crushing them until they could not straighten their backs.

They even felt an inexplicable urge to kneel in worship.

The four gritted their teeth and forced themselves to endure the pressure.

They could not kneel. Absolutely could not kneel.

If they knelt, they might never again have a chance to attain the Dao.

And even if they did, they could only remain bound by Heaven.

Laozi forced himself to ask, "May I ask what the Saint is referring to?"

Hongjun glanced sideways, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Laozi immediately felt a terrifying force slam into his chest.

Bang!

Laozi's body was abruptly sent flying, crashing heavily into the wall.

Pfft!

After hitting the ground, Laozi felt heat rise in his throat and could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

His aura instantly withered.

Laozi stared at Hongjun in horror. With merely a glance, the other party had inflicted upon him an injury to his Dao that would be difficult to heal.

Wasn't that far too powerful?

"Eldest Brother!"

Having come to his senses, Tongtian took a step and rushed to Laozi's side.

"Eldest Brother, are you all right?"

Tongtian helped Laozi up. After sensing Laozi's injuries, he abruptly turned to Hongjun. Invisible sword intent burst forth from his body.

"Saint. What a Saint indeed."

"Hmph!"

Hongjun merely snorted coldly, and terrifying pressure suddenly descended from above.

Bang!

Tongtian's entire body was instantly forced to the ground beyond his control.

Crack, crack, crack...

He struggled desperately, but no matter how his bones cracked beneath the strain, it was useless. Instead, he only injured himself further, blood unconsciously seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Third Brother!"

Seeing this, Laozi flew into a rage and raised his hand, reversing yin and yang.

Boom!

The laws of yin and yang instantly collapsed. Laozi's body fell prone beside Tongtian, yet Hongjun had not made any movement at all.

Before a Saint, a Great Luo had no power to resist.

Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance, and both saw despair in the other's eyes.

The gap was too vast.

They simply could not imagine how this situation could be broken.

Hongjun then said calmly, "Though I intend to accept three among you as disciples, whether you are willing is unimportant. Nor must it necessarily be you."

He glanced sideways at Fuxi.

"Your life or death matters even less."

Hongjun's gaze shifted to Nuwa. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips as he threatened, "You would not want your brother to die because of an outsider, would you?"