Shenni's Bitter End, a Flood of Merit
In the Dragon Palace of the Primordial World's North Sea.
Ancestral Dragon sat high upon the Throne as a Dragon Clan man in golden armor reported to him respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the Fierce Beasts have been wiped out across the North Sea Region. In the East Sea Region, the Third Crown Prince and the others are clearing out the last packs. They should reclaim it all within ten thousand years!"
With the Beast Calamity Tribulation nearing its end, the Three Clans had reached an unspoken understanding to divide the Primordial World among themselves.
The Dragon Clan claimed the entire sea, the Phoenix Clan occupied every Mountain Range near Immortal Mountain, and the Qilin Clan expanded its territory outward from Qilin Cliff.
Ancestral Dragon listened to his subordinate's report, but his mind was elsewhere, consumed by news of Shenni.
The Calamity Cycle was nearly over, yet Beast Emperor Shen Ni, who held a third of the entire Beast Calamity Tribulation's Fortune, had still not appeared.
As Dragon Emperor, he took great pride in his clan. Though the people of the Primordial World regarded the Three Clans as equals, he believed the Dragon Clan stood above the other two!
If either of those clans killed Shenni first and seized the Fortune left by the Calamity Cycle, wouldn't the Dragon Clan have to surrender its place as the foremost of the Three Clans?
The thought only deepened Ancestral Dragon's frustration. He cut off the man's report.
"Still no trace of Shenni?"
The man below him froze for a moment, embarrassment crossing his face.
"Your Majesty, we've sent out every Great Firmament clansman, but none have found any trace of Shenni..."
Ancestral Dragon frowned. He was about to speak again when his expression changed sharply and he looked east.
Though trillions of kilometers separated them, he could faintly sense boundless pillars of Fiendish Qi surging into the sky. Great Firmament Fierce Beasts had clearly fallen!
And there was more than one pillar! Several Great Firmament Fierce Beasts had fallen in succession. Nowhere in the Primordial World held so many of them except at the Beast Emperor's side!
As Ancestral Dragon began to calculate, the once-obscure Heavenly Secrets cleared in his mind like clouds parting before the sun.
Beast Emperor Shen Ni's Death Tribulation had arrived. He had no chance of survival!
Fury surged through Ancestral Dragon. Forgetting all further instructions, he took one stride and rushed toward the Blood-Colored Light Pillars!
In the Primordial World, Li Yi and Yuanfeng pursued Shenni together, leaving him nowhere to flee in heaven or on earth.
They chased him from the Primordial World into the Thirty-Three Heavens, then fought their way back down again.
Shenni wielded his Dharma Treasure and looked at the two relentless pursuers behind him. Bitter frustration rose in his heart.
He had fought all three clan founders. Though he feared the Southern Netherworld Divine Fire, he could still contend with it.
The Purification Power unleashed by that Heaven-Earth Daoist, on the other hand, was the bane of his kind. Whenever a wave of it came at him, he would rather take a hit from the Southern Netherworld Divine Fire than let it touch him. The agony it caused his soul was bad enough, but it also stripped away some of the Fiendish Qi from his body!
"Daoist! You're only winning because of your Dharma Treasure. If you've got the guts, put it away and fight me properly!"
Li Yi said nothing in response to Shenni's taunt. He simply poured in more Magic Power, surrounding Shenni so tightly with pure-white Purification Power that there was no gap to escape through.
Shenni was so angry he nearly coughed blood, yet there was nothing he could do.
After several more rounds of fighting, despair crept into Shenni's heart. At last, he knew he would not survive the day.
He looked at the two battling him from a distance, hatred rising within him.
If I'm going to die, neither of you will get off easy!
Li Yi's expression shifted. A faint sense of danger struck him, and in a flash, he guessed what Shenni intended.
Boom!
In an instant, divine light burst from Shenni. Every trace of Magic Power and Fiendish Qi in his body converged, then detonated!
The overwhelming force reached the two of them almost at once.
Yuanfeng's face filled with alarm at the sight.
Though she was a Quasi-Saint, her body was not as strong as Ancestral Dragon's. If she failed to withstand the self-destruction of a Middle Primordial Unity Supreme Immortal, it could kill her!
She was about to bring out her own Spirit Treasure for protection when Li Yi's voice reached her.
"Don't resist..."
Yuanfeng looked at the black Dao Cauldron descending over her. After a brief hesitation, she chose to trust Li Yi.
Boom!
Shenni's self-destruction slammed into the Cosmos Cauldron and sent it flying. Inside, Li Yi channeled every ounce of his Magic Power into driving its defenses to their limit.
As an Innate Supreme Treasure, the Cosmos Cauldron's defenses were formidable. Even a Quasi-Saint's self-destruction only sent it flying while Li Yi powered it with all his might. It suffered no damage at all.
Once the force of Shenni's self-destruction had dissipated, Li Yi put away the Dao Cauldron and flashed to the site of the blast.
Space there had shattered, and Fierce Fiendish Qi mingled with Spatial Turbulence. Yet none of it could block Li Yi's divine sense. In mere seconds, he gathered every treasure Shenni had left behind.
Yuanfeng saw what Li Yi was doing, of course. But he had just saved her, so she would not dream of laying claim to those treasures.
Only after Li Yi came to a stop did she clasp her hands and bow in thanks.
"Fellow Daoist, you have my deepest thanks."
Even if she could have survived that self-destruction, she would likely have been gravely wounded. Recovering afterward might have taken Yuanhui.
Li Yi swept his divine sense over his spoils, and a smile tugged at his lips.
As a Quasi-Saint, Shenni had carried nothing below an Innate Spiritual Treasure!
There were sixteen treasures in all: one Supreme-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, two High-grade Innate Spirit Treasures, and the rest mid-grade and Low-grade Supreme Treasures.
Satisfied, Li Yi put away the Spirit Treasures. Only then did he turn to Yuanfeng with a smile.
"It was nothing. No need to mention it!"
By then, many Great Supernatural Beings had arrived. They surveyed the ravaged battlefield in astonishment.
"We're too late! Shenni blew himself up."
"This Calamity Cycle is over!"
"Who brought it to an end?"
"Phoenix Ancestor Yuanfeng, and the other one is... Heaven-Earth Daoist!"
Ancestral Dragon had arrived as well. He stared at the two figures standing in the air above the battlefield, grinding his teeth so hard he nearly coughed blood.
Heaven-Earth Daoist? Did Yuanfeng bring him here?
And Shenni was useless! He blew himself up and didn't even hurt either of them?
Before he could think further, countless streams of Golden Merit Light rose from across the Primordial World and sped toward those who had brought the battle to an end!
Countless Cultivators who had gone into seclusion to avoid the calamity awoke. After a brief calculation, they understood what had happened.
"The Beast Calamity Tribulation is over!"
"At last, this great calamity has passed!"
"The Calamity Cycle is over. Everyone who helped kill the Fierce Beasts will receive Heavenly Dao Merit..."
Countless streams of Golden Merit Light flew toward those who had faced the tribulation, apportioned according to their contributions during the Beast Calamity Tribulation.
At the site of Shenni's self-destruction, powerful beings who had avoided the calamity watched Li Yi, now wrapped in Golden Merit Light like a tightly bound parcel, their eyes full of envy!
How many Fierce Beasts would someone have to kill to earn that much Merit?
Ancestral Dragon stood nearby, surrounded by golden light himself, with several Merit Golden Wheels rising behind him. Yet as he watched Li Yi wrapped in Merit, his heart felt as though it were bleeding.
Damn that Heaven-Earth Daoist! All that Merit should have belonged to the Dragon Clan!