Chapter 177: Fisherman? Yellow Sparrow? Joint Military Exercise!

This is a change that no one expected.

The deathly foes, who wished nothing more than to eternally suppress the opposing Xihuang and Houtu, this supreme offensive—each and every one of them—went awry at the most critical moment.

A demon sovereign.

An ancestor witch.

The two of them seemed to have a tacit understanding beyond anyone's imagination.

——Just when they could have killed each other, the aim went awry, and in unison they said, "My hand shook"……

Who would believe that?

Um, can't say that.

Should say—who dares not to believe?

One held the supreme strike authority of the Dou Tian Grand Formation, the other was the mainstay responsible for the perfect operation of the Zhou Tian Grand Formation……

If anyone dared openly question their unspeakable tacit understanding with the enemy, when these two demon sovereigns and ancestor witch, in their excitement to prove their innocence, twitched their little hand again, manifesting the Heaven‑Opening Axe Light and Stellar Divine Finger, they might accidentally kill the questioner.

If this got out, how bad would that be?

To avoid the tragic event of accidentally killing a god.

So, every Daluo firmly believes— the occurrence of attack deviation is purely coincidental, definitely coincidental!

Having such coincidences…… what if they became even more coincidental, two Absolute Kill offensives perfectly merging into one, causing a qualitative change in power?

That's perfectly normal!

No problem at all!

Just like the profound mastery of the Grand Dao of Creation behind Pangu's true body being reborn from blood, the creation of humanity, and the unavoidable relationship with the Wu Clan— Nüwa the Sage appears hard to clear of suspicion, but in fact?

The Empress Wa is completely innocent!

All the Daluo heavenly wills watching the collision of the Wu‑Demon Clan‑Sealing Grand Formation share the same view, without much desire to investigate further.

After all, their gazes at this moment have all been captured by that third coincidence.

An invisible, hidden figure that had evaded the perception of many mighty beings was just struck by the simultaneously deviated and mysteriously fused killing technique, forced to be flung out……

Look!

What a coincidence!

Of course, for the person struck by the sudden shift, caught off guard and almost only able to block the killing blow with their face——

Such a coincidence made him unable to accept it from the heart, and he cursed bitterly in his mind.

"This scene feels so familiar…… indeed it is…… again like this…… I hate it!"

Just because he cursed doesn't mean he can skimp on the needed defense.

Otherwise, he might lose his lifelong reputation.

A venerable Dao Ancestor, actually struck down and injured…… what face does he have left to operate the Heavenly Dao and rule the universe?

"How grand the Honghuang, vast and uniform!"

In the obscurity, a supreme Dao chant resounds; facing the locked‑on lethal Absolute Kill, a palm rises, a cluster of purple qi swells in its center, evolving Hongmeng, evolution of opening‑closing, evolution of ending, evolution of the Three Thousand Great Daos……

Endless variations manifest, resonating with Honghuang, breathing together with infinite spacetime, communicating with the most vast and magnificent essential existence across all spacetime dimensions—some call it the Heavenly Dao, some call it Gaia, some call it…… different names, same essence.

"A Daluo is eternal freedom within infinite spacetime, the everlasting Dao…… I am the same; all are world consciousness."

"What then?"

"There are always some worlds that need to jump out a few supreme Heavenly Emperors to throw their weight around, right?"

A faint, almost‑inaudible whisper turned the purple qi into thunder, meeting the starlight, meeting the axe‑blade.

The ultimate destruction unfolds now!

A stretch of spacetime was erased, returning to the nameless, imageless ultimate void, the nothingness of Taiji!

No rules exist, not even material essence.

The mighty expert targeted by the "coincidence" lies within this nothingness…… it looks as if he were buried there.

But!

In the turning of Honghuang's time, the next moment arrived!

From that absolute nothing, being arose.

First came a pure, ethereal Dao light; then the boundless primordial qi of Taichi; next took form the Taiji shape, evolving through the Taiji substance and Taiji Dao body…… the vast, boundless chaos was evolved into being!

Within the chaos stood a divine figure wrapped in hazy clear light…… He stepped forth from the chaos, and the chaos naturally collapsed and transformed, earth, water, fire, wind surged, clear and turbid separated, essence gathered, and myriad things were evolved.

What a magnificent scene of heaven and earth being opened!

Witnessing this, the covertly observing Daluo heavenly wills all changed color—every gesture seemed to revive the demeanor of Pangu when he first opened heaven and earth!

Invincible!

The Wu Clan's ancestor witches and great witches, many wore grim faces.

Even the demon race's sovereigns and marshals…… if ambitious, their hearts were hardly pleased.

Only Xihuang and Houtu flashed a glance, curled their lips in a cold smile, and kept their hands moving.

One wielded Pangu's true body to chop again with the Overlord's Axe Light; the other brandished the vast Honghuang to strike a heaven‑toppling blow, both rushing forward to attack together!

"Which petty chaos demon dares invade my eternal Honghuang world?" Houtu roared at the top of his lungs, "To preserve world peace and protect Pangu the Ancestor God's opened Honghuang from destruction…… you will die for me!"

She instantly activated the maximum output of Pangu's true body—an attack power so great it wished to destroy even infinite spacetime altogether.

Xihuang, by contrast, appeared much gentler, no shouting, bearing the refined grace of a gentleman…… yet when he struck, he held nothing back.

Endless starlight threads reappeared, linking billions of worlds, weaving a true map of mountains and rivers; stellar radiance poured down like water, brilliant and gorgeous, aimed at the hazy clear‑light figure it became a scroll!

One focused on killing, the other on binding, neither hindering the other in the slightest—this coordination perfected to the utmost……

Coincidence!

Or is it coincidence!

It was a miracle that appeared to deal with the Chaos demon god, fighting side by side!

And the one targeted by such an attack nearly spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood.

Previously, after being suddenly attacked and forced to serve as a target, he hard‑blocked a killing move; despite his transcendent realm, far surpassing many present‑day experts, he still paid a heavy price and suffered internal injuries.

He displayed thunderous methods, showing unmatched prowess, all to intimidate the gods, yet……

Houtu and Xihuang, bearing the peak power of the Wu Clan, joined forces in a strong‑strong strike, completely ignoring!

Moreover, they slapped the label of Chaos demon god on him, adopting a go‑all‑out posture, and were about to slay the sneaky lurker here on the spot!

Things have come to this.

He finally could no longer restrain himself and let out a soft shout.

"I am Hongjun!"

"I am not some Chaos demon god!"

"You had better see clearly!"

As the pure light faded, his figure was revealed—indeed, the supreme being who resides in Purple Azure Palace and is revered by all beings as the Dao Ancestor!

"Deceiving the gods! It must be a disguise!" Houtu, controlling Pangu's true form, shouted loudly, "What kind of person do you think the Dao Ancestor Hongjun is?"

"Operating the Heavenly Dao, protecting Honghuang…… how could there be such sneaky behavior, lurking at the edge of the Wu Clan battlefield?"

"When the snipe and clam contend, the fisherman benefits…… I know the Dao Ancestor Hongjun would never do such a thing!"

"Therefore, you must be the Chaos demon god in disguise…… using his appearance to commit such vile deeds!"

As soon as Houtu opened his mouth, the rhythm surged, he waved his arm and shouted, "To protect our Honghuang homeland, everyone, shoulder to shoulder!"

"Yes!"

Nüwa loudly echoed, "Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who operates the Heavenly Dao, ought to have a nature as unfeeling and sexless as the Dao itself, governing through non‑action, letting Honghuang be self‑ruled by its beings!"

"There will certainly be no mantis stalks cicada, with the oriole waiting behind!"

"This must be a false Hongjun!"

Nüwa shouted, and at the same time she stood beside Xihuang, reaching out to push from behind.

Fuxi the Great Sage twitched the corner of his mouth, responding in silence.

Yet the movement of the Mountains and Rivers Map in his hand became even more fierce and terrifying.

"Enough!"

The Dao Ancestor's face darkened, and a round, crystal‑clear jade disc flew out from his sleeve.

As soon as the jade disc appeared, it burst forth with astonishing power.

"Hum!"

The Mountains and Rivers Map trembled; at this moment all its threads blurred, growing faint.

Even though hundreds of demon gods suppressed the formation's eye within it, straining to maintain it, the effect was still slight.

For it seemed to be crushed by a higher authority, a dominion over Honghuang!

The Heavenly Dao!

The Heavenly Dao is the vast, profound consciousness of heaven and earth, equivalent to the soul and body…… how could such a bond be easily shaken or broken?

The stars of the firmament burned, bursting forth with even more piercing light, boundless divine powers, limitless magical energy.

Alas, divine powers cannot defy fate.

"Kill!"

On the other side, Pangu's true form dropped its axe‑light, ferocious and boundless.

But a flash of pure misty immortal light from the jade disc made the axe‑light dissipate, and Pangu's true form staggered backward.

"Creation Jade Disc!"

A complex light flashed deep in Xihuang's eyes as he softly spoke the jade disc's full name.

Creation Jade Disc!

The primordial great artifact of the Honghuang world!

Holding it, one can unite with the Heavenly Dao and possess the highest authority in the Honghuang cosmos!

"Being able to operate this supreme treasure, you are indeed the Dao Ancestor Hongjun."

Xihuang's expression was solemn, "I just don't know what the Dao Ancestor has come here to do."

"Not enjoying blessings in the Purple Azure Palace, you rashly charged into our battlefield…… if we hadn't held back and accidentally injured a fellow Daoist, that would be terrible."

"After all, there are so many tasks in the Honghuang cosmos that still require fellow Daoists to labor and take responsibility."

Listening to Xihuang's words, Dao Ancestor Hongjun felt a heavier oppression in his chest, as if blood wanted to surge up his throat.

He forced a laugh twice, "This humble one has come for the safety of Honghuang!"

"The Wu Clan's ancestral witches, recklessly waging war, unleashing Pangu's true form, wantonly slaughtering across the Honghuang cosmos…… how many lives will perish?"

"It might even reenact the greatest demonic calamity of the previous era!"

"Considering the beings of Honghuang, this humble one had no choice but to leave the Purple Azure Palace to handle this."

"However, there were a few small oversights here, which actually caused you all to misunderstand……"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun stated——

"What fisherman, what oriole…… have nothing to do with him!"

He never intended, after the Wu Clan suffered mutual defeat, to conveniently wipe out the remnants of both sides.

As for why his movements appeared mysterious?

That was purely a misunderstanding born of coincidence!

Just like the Wu Clan's ceasefire, after which it coincidentally revealed the Dao Ancestor's whereabouts!

"Ah, that's how it is!"

Xihuang nodded slightly, indicating understanding.

"The ancestral witches of the Wu Clan do not cultivate virtue, do not know the heavenly numbers, and recklessly engage in slaughter... I believe their conduct brings shame upon the pure reputation and glory of Pangu's bloodline."

Hongjun's eyes shifted, "In order to prevent similar behavior in the future and to keep Pangu the Great God's merit from being defiled... I feel it is necessary for them to go to Zixiao Palace, where I will give them a closed-door education, striving to cultivate them into good divine beings with correct worldviews, who love heaven and earth, and contribute to Honghuang."

"This... is my sincere effort as the operator of the Heavenly Dao, acting as Pangu's steward managing Honghuang, and I believe the ancestral witches will surely understand."

Hongjun raised the Pangu banner high, effortlessly seizing the right to speak, lecturing the ancestral witches, and intending to capture them all in one net.

Houtu flew into a rage.

What kind of behavior is this?

"A mere steward, waving the slogan of considering the late master's descendants, wants to imprison them... Next, will they be made to die accidentally, while the steward, tears in eyes, tends to the master's estate and thoroughly writes his own name upon it?"

This is a wicked slave bullying the master!

Especially, which side provoked this dispute and first activated the great formation to attack?

It is the Demon Race!

Without the brilliance of the Zhou Tian stars, how could one drop of blood be reborn to create Pangu?

"This Hongjun, his malicious intentions are now blatant... Let's fight him to the death!"

Houtu spoke to the eleven ancestral witches, while exerting herself to activate Pangu's true form, and a terrifying ripple spread outward.

Hongjun's face instantly turned solemn.

He dared not be the slightest bit careless.

After all, if he were to be struck face‑to‑face by this heaven‑splitting, supreme divine body and subjected to a self‑detonation strike, the outcome…

The atmosphere grew tense.

The spectator Great Luos, all feeling moved, immediately sprang into action——

Run!

Run far away!

Don't get killed by the aftermath…… that would be too unjust!

The weak Great Luos fled without a trace.

Demon Gods and Great Witches, at the critical moment, dragged their clans' core members into the endless void, vanishing from sight.

Only a divine sense remained, watching from afar.

Not to mention them.

Even those mighty great beings wanted to run.

However, the Demon Emperor, Yao Marshal, and Demon God who were presiding over the Zhou Tian Grand Formation found themselves somewhat embarrassed…… trapped by the formation's pull, since Xihuang did not order its dispersal, how could they flee?

Báizé the Yao Marshal frantically signaled with his eyes, his eyeballs staring so hard they seemed about to pop out.

Yet Xihuang paid no heed, completely ignoring the retreat signals.

Moreover, he not only did not retreat, but even moved forward.

"Hongjun the Dao Ancestor, your words are mistaken."

Fuxi the Great Sage spoke while rummaging in his sleeve, "The situation between my Demon Race and the Wu Clan is not as you daoists imagine; for the sake of hegemony over heaven and earth, they disregard the lives and deaths of all beings……"

"The Wu Clan's Twelve Ancestral Witches, represented by Houtu, activating Pangu's true form is not meant to destroy Honghuang…… we are merely sparring!"

"Do you take this humble daoist for blind?" the Dao Ancestor retorted.

"No……" Xihuang coughed lightly twice, "Look, how many have died and how many have been injured between heaven and earth?"

"Not many at all!"

"This shows everything is controllable…… this is the result of our prior communication."

Xihuang smiled faintly, produced a document, and presented it to Hongjun, "This is merely a military exercise…… Hongjun Daoist, you are overreacting."

Hongjun's face twitched.

He looked at the document's title—"Wu-Yao Joint Military Exercise"—and for a moment didn't know what to say.

What rendered him even more speechless was.

Beside Pangu's true form, an ancestral witch—Goumang Ancestral Witch—took out a copy of this document, bearing the Demon Emperor's signature and also an ancestral witch's signature.

The signing Demon Emperor was naturally Xihuang.

And the signing ancestral witch was Goumang Ancestral Witch!

(End of Chapter)