Hongjun Lost His Temper-How Greedy This Heaven-Earth Daoist Was!

Beneath the pavilion, Hongjun lifted his cup and took a small sip. He sighed before speaking slowly.

"After the Beast Calamity Tribulation, a Great Supernatural Being in the West made a Great Vow and founded the Demon Sect. Its founder was Demon Ancestor Luohou!"

"Fellow Daoist, do you know how he intends to attain the Dao?"

Li Yi knew, of course, but said nothing. Instead, he feigned ignorance and asked Hongjun,

"Since he founded the Demon Sect, does he mean to follow the Heavenly Dao and attain enlightenment by teaching others?"

Hongjun shook his head.

"If that were so, I would not have come seeking your help today! The Dao he pursues is the Killing Dao!"

"He was behind the Tribal Tribulation, fanning its flames to amass the karmic burden of slaughter!"

"Recently, I sensed that his Devil Dao Spirit Treasure was complete. Now he is bound to unleash a killing calamity upon the Primordial World, defying heaven through slaughter to attain the Primordial Unity Great Firmament!"

"If he attains the Great Dao, I fear few living beings will remain in the Primordial World!"

"That is why I have come to invite you to the West, fellow Daoist, so we may destroy the Demon Sect together!"

"We must not delay. Every moment we wait strengthens the Devil Dao and brings more slaughter upon the living beings of the Primordial World!"

Li Yi nodded slightly as he listened, then suddenly asked Hongjun,

"Did you know all along that Luohou was secretly driving the conflict among the three tribes?"

Hongjun's expression stiffened for a moment before he gave an awkward smile.

"I only learned of it by divination after the tribulation ended and the veil over heaven's secrets lifted."

"Had I known Luohou was plotting such a calamity, I would have stopped him even at the cost of my life!"

A trace of cold amusement rose in Li Yi's heart.

This Dao Ancestor was hardly honest.

The two sides of the Dao-Devil War were bound by profound Karma. Hongjun also held the Fragment of the Creation Jade Butterfly and was well versed in the Dao of Karma. How could he have noticed nothing?

He had plainly let Luohou gather the power of the Devil Dao so that, when the time came, he could vanquish the demon and defend the Dao, earning enough Merit and Fortune to become a Sage!

Li Yi kept those thoughts off his face and merely offered a smiling compliment.

"Daoist brother, your compassion is admirable. I am impressed!"

"Luohou defies heaven and seeks to slaughter the Primordial World to perfect his Killing Dao. Naturally, we cannot stand by and do nothing."

"But what sort of Spirit Treasure has he forged? Even at your level, Daoist brother, you are not certain you can defeat him?"

Hongjun was delighted by the question. Without missing a beat, he delivered the answer he had prepared long ago.

"I know little of the details. I can only vaguely divine that it is a supreme treasure of the Devil Dao, unmatched in its capacity for slaughter throughout the Primordial World. Nothing short of the combined strength of four Sages can break it!"

Li Yi nodded. After a brief pause, he laid out his terms.

"Cultivators like us ought to destroy such a monster together. But I am ashamed to say my background cannot compare with yours, Daoist brother. My Spirit Treasures are rather weak. I fear I may be unable to help you defeat that demon when the time comes..."

Li Yi had no intention of missing the Dao-Devil War. There was a great deal of Merit to be earned from it.

But Hongjun had come to him for help with a struggle that would decide his future attainment of the Dao. Li Yi would not be himself if he failed to squeeze something out of him.

Hongjun's expression froze. Recalling everything he had seen on his way into the island, he cursed inwardly.

What a shameless Heaven-Earth Daoist!

He lived alone with only a few maids, yet he had claimed this vast Immortal Island for himself. It held countless innate spiritual roots and Spiritual Veins—wealth beyond anything in my Purple Cloud Palace above the Thirty-Three Heavens!

And during the Beast Calamity Tribulation, he revealed a Supreme-grade Innate Spirit Treasure Lotus Platform and a Dao cauldron that might even be an Innate Supreme Treasure! His resources are no less impressive than Yin Yang's or Yang Mei's!

And he has the nerve to plead poverty to my face?

Hongjun cursed him a few more times inwardly. But he needed Li Yi's help, so he could hardly make an issue of it. He forced a smile.

"Since you wish to vanquish demons and defend the Dao, fellow Daoist, I can hardly be stingy!"

As he spoke, Hongjun summoned a Dao Diagram. It floated in the air, depicting mountains and rivers. Dao Resonance flowed naturally through it, and an entire world existed within!

"This is the Shanhe Sheji Diagram, a Supreme-grade Innate Spirit Treasure. It can trap enemies and provide protection. If you are outmatched, you can hide inside the Array Diagram. Nothing short of an Innate Supreme Treasure made for slaughter can break through it!"

Li Yi's eyes lit up. Without a trace of hesitation, he swept his power across the sky and took the Shanhe Sheji Diagram from the air.

"Thank you, Daoist brother!"

"Ahem. I have one more request, though. I hope you will agree to it!"

Hongjun seethed. In his mind, he had already cursed Li Yi to his face a thousand times. But his future attainment of the Dao was at stake, so he could not afford to fall out with him. He managed another smile, uglier than a grimace.

"What else do you ask, fellow Daoist? If it is within my power, I certainly will not disappoint you!"

Li Yi did not stand on ceremony. He got straight to the point.

"You said Luohou used the power of the Calamity Cycle to forge a Devil Dao Spirit Treasure!"

"Once we have destroyed him, I would like to keep that Devil Dao Spirit Treasure myself. As you know, Daoist brother, I, Qiankun, stand alone, without ambition. The Dao I cultivate is peaceful as well. I would never unleash slaughter upon the Primordial World!"

"That makes me the ideal person to safeguard it for all living beings!"

Hongjun stared at Li Yi in a moment of stunned silence.

He had known the Heaven-Earth Daoist was shameless, but he had never imagined he could be this shameless! That treasure was even more terrifying than the Innate Supreme Treasure God-Slaying Spear. How could Li Yi bring himself to ask for it?

Moreover, according to his divinations, that Spirit Treasure would be bound to him by Karma in the future. If he agreed now, heaven's secrets might be thrown into disarray...

As Hongjun silently cursed Li Yi again, a thought struck him, and a cold smile rose in his heart.

Wait. According to my earlier divination, two Sages will fall after we break the array!

Yang Mei's power surpasses even mine at present. Clearly, he and I will be the survivors. The Heaven-Earth Daoist and Yin-Yang Daoist will fall!

If he is a dead man anyway, what harm is there in agreeing for now?

His mind made up, Hongjun stopped hesitating. He nodded and swore an oath.

"I swear here and now: if we succeed in destroying the demon, all of the Demon Ancestor's Dharma Treasures shall belong to you, fellow Daoist!"

Since he expected Li Yi to die, Hongjun promised him all of Luohou's Dharma Treasures outright, lest he raise his price again!

He could not bear to stay there another moment. If he did, he feared he would lose control and teach the Daoist before him a lesson.

Seeing Hongjun agree, Li Yi smiled and nodded without hesitation.

"With such sincerity from you, Daoist brother, I agree to help destroy the demon!"

Hongjun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had no desire to linger. After they agreed on a time, he rose and left Penglai Island.

Once he had left Penglai Island and vanished into the void, Hongjun dropped the kindly manner he had worn there. Recalling Li Yi's "greedy" face, he gave a cold laugh.

What a scoundrel of a Daoist! Greed will do him no good if he lacks the power to survive. Let's see how the Heaven-Earth Daoist lives through Luohou's Immortal-Slaying Killing Array!