The Three Clans' Calamity Ends, Hongjun Comes Calling!

With a thought from Li Yi, the Twenty-Four Blood-Colored Stars floating in the void slowly turned into a streak of starlight and entered the Array Diagram in his hand.

Li Yi studied the blood-colored killing formation on the diagram and nodded in satisfaction.

After his careful refinement, the Sea-Calming Pearls had transformed completely into the Twenty-Four Star Beads. Paired with the Array Banners, they might not rival the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, which could only be broken by four Sages, but they would certainly give anyone below a Sage a headache.

Now he had both the Twenty-Fourth-Grade Pure World Lotus Platform for defense and the Twenty-Four Star Lodge Killing Formation for offense! Even against a Late-stage Quasi-Saint, he would have to fight before anyone could say who would win!

As Li Yi finished refining his Spirit Treasure, the final battle between the Three Clans had begun on the distant Primordial Continent!

The vast North Sea had turned bloodred. Countless dragon, phoenix, and qilin corpses, each tens of thousands of miles long, floated on its surface.

Blood-Colored Light Pillars flared one after another, marking the deaths of Great Firmament Fierce Beasts.

Above the Nine Heavens, a Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon whose body stretched for millions of miles battled Yuanfeng and Primordial Qilin in the void.

Though Ancestral Dragon fought two opponents alone, he gave no ground.

In part, he was indeed the strongest of the three. But Yuanfeng also remembered what Li Yi had told her earlier, and most of her attention remained on the main battlefield below.

Phoenix Clan corpses fell from the sky. Their searing blood spilled through the void, and the Southern Netherworld Divine Fire lit half the sky of the Primordial World bloodred.

At the sight, Yuanfeng's Dao heart, clouded by Calamity Qi, finally cleared for a moment. In her Heavenly Phoenix form, she resolutely turned and left.

"All members of the Phoenix Clan and the Bird Clan under my command, withdraw from this place!"

Yuanfeng's voice echoed across the main battlefield. But the Phoenix Clan and the Bird Clans under her command were already lost in bloodlust!

Even with Yuanfeng herself giving the order, blood still tinged the Phoenix Clan's jewel-like eyes. Nearly everyone on that battlefield bore a bitter blood feud against their enemies. How could they withdraw so easily?

Above the Nine Heavens, Ancestral Dragon had been elated when Yuanfeng pulled away, believing he had won the battle. But at her next words, his expression changed sharply, as though something had struck him. His violet-gold eyes turned toward the battlefield below.

Dragon corpses floated across the North Sea. Fewer than one in ten Great Firmament cultivators of the Dragon Clan remained! Even eight of his own children had died in the battle moments ago!

The savage delight vanished from Ancestral Dragon's face. As realization dawned, sorrow entered his eyes.

Yuanfeng swept across the sky, looking down at her people still fighting to the death. A grief-stricken phoenix cry burst from her throat and rang across the entire battlefield, then across the Primordial Continent!

High above, countless Phoenix Clan cultivators jolted awake and looked toward their ancestor in the void.

Yuanfeng surveyed the battlefield. Less than one in a hundred of her clan remained, and sorrow rose within her.

"From this day forth, my Phoenix Clan shall guard the Undying Volcano forever, to atone for the slaughter we have committed!"

Some of her people below still resisted the order. But they saw the sea stained red and the familiar bodies floating in it, and at last came to their senses.

At the same time, Ancestral Dragon and Primordial Qilin descended from above the Nine Heavens.

Looking at the dragon and qilin corpses floating on the sea, they, too, slowly recovered the clarity of their Dao hearts.

The Three Clans had unleashed this Killing Tribulation and become entangled in Calamity Qi. They had already lost their Heavenly Protagonist Status. Worse, this endless Killing Tribulation would inevitably bring disaster upon the Three Clans in the future!

Having made up his mind, Ancestral Dragon saw Yuanfeng's resolve and slowly swore his own Dao oath.

"I shall guard the Eye of the East Sea forever, to atone for the slaughter committed by my Dragon Clan!"

Primordial Qilin looked at his people below, compassion filling his eyes.

"From this day forth, my clan shall withdraw from the world, cultivate auspicious energy, and bring blessings to the Primordial World to atone for the slaughter we have committed!"

As the ancestors of the Three Clans made their Great Vows, the Killing Tribulation clinging to the cultivators of the various clans below slowly dissipated. The calamity of the Three Clans had officially passed, but they had also left the stage of the Primordial World for good, with no hope of becoming its rulers.

On Immortal Island, Li Yi abruptly opened his eyes in seclusion. Though the ancestors of the Three Clans were billions of miles away, he had heard their vows.

Recalling that mournful phoenix cry that had shaken heaven and earth, Li Yi sighed inwardly.

Even a Quasi-Saint can't escape the power of a Calamity Cycle! Yuanfeng learned its outcome from me long ago, but until her fate was sealed, she still couldn't change a thing!

As he marveled at this, he faintly heard a voice carrying Dao Resonance from outside.

"I am Hongjun. I seek an audience with fellow Daoist Heaven-Earth!"

Li Yi's expression shifted at the sound.

Now that the Three Clans had withdrawn, Luohou must have used the slaughter they had committed to finish refining the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!

The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was known as the First Killing Formation of the Primordial World. Only four Sages together could break it!

Hongjun had likely come for that very reason! After a moment's thought, Li Yi had no intention of turning him away. His own cultivation had reached a bottleneck, and the Dao-Devil War might be the key to breaking through!

His mind made up, Li Yi vanished and reappeared outside Penglai Island.

Outside Penglai Island, an elderly Daoist in white stood in the void. Li Yi looked at him in amazement.

So this is Hongjun? The future Dao Ancestor?

Hongjun was also studying Li Yi. Neither could hide his Chaos Demon God aura from another of his kind.

Once Hongjun recognized Li Yi's origins, he was delighted.

Luohou's foundation was no weaker than his own, and according to his deductions, Luohou had now refined a Peerless Killing Formation that would take four cultivators of the same level to break!

Over the years, he had befriended Yang Mei and Yin Yang, but he was still one person short.

Heaven-Earth Daoist also had Demon God origins and had reached the Mid-stage Quasi-Saint level, qualifying him to help break the formation. With four of them together, Hongjun's chances in the Dao-Devil War would improve.

After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Hongjun cupped his hands to Li Yi.

"I am Hongjun. Greetings, fellow Daoist Heaven-Earth! I heard of you from fellow Daoist Yang Mei some time ago. I hope you will forgive me for visiting unannounced!"

Li Yi knew the old man had come to recruit him, but he saw no reason to say so. Smiling, he led Hongjun into his Daoist Abode.

In a pavilion, Yuanling poured tea for them with reddened eyes. Li Yi knew she was grieving over the Phoenix Clan. At a loss for words, he offered a few quiet words of comfort, then sent her away to rest.

After several hundred thousand years together, he had gradually come to regard Yuanling as his disciple. She had asked him to intervene before, but the Calamity Cycle was beyond his power to meddle with. Entering the fray would change nothing and might even have cost the Phoenix Clan more lives.

Hongjun sat across from Li Yi and began with pleasantries. Only after a long stretch of idle talk did he get to the point.

"I came today because I have a favor to ask of you..."

Li Yi composed himself, a faint smile appearing on his face. The old man certainly knows how to take his time!

"What favor would that be, fellow Daoist?"