Chapter 697: The Jade Plate Cracks, the Might of the Immortal Execution

"Who exactly is he?"

Hongjun pondered silently in his heart, even though he had not yet become a Saint.

Yet, possessing the Jade Plate, he could still use its power to glimpse a portion of the future trends of the Honghuang.

And although it was currently the Dao-Demon Struggle, in a practical sense, he could also be considered half a Heavenly Dao Spokesperson.

Compared to the Demon ruling the Honghuang, the Heavenly Dao was more willing to have Hongjun govern this land.

The Demon represented chaos, tyranny, war, as well as death and Karma; it was difficult to control and unfavorable for the nascent Heavenly Dao to take over all things in heaven and earth.

Hongjun, on the other hand, represented the Dao; so-called Dao, to a certain extent, represented conforming to the Heavenly Dao and acting in accordance with Heaven, which was beneficial for the development of the Heavenly Dao.

Hongjun knew what the Heavenly Dao valued, and the Heavenly Dao knew what Hongjun sought, which was why this Jade Plate appeared in Hongjun's hands.

At this moment, Ancestral Witch Houtu and the Sanqing suddenly appeared in the midst of the Dao-Demon Struggle, which seemed to deviate from the established Honghuang trends.

"No, the game of the Dao-Demon Struggle has already begun; I cannot let uncontrollable factors stay by my side. Since it is difficult for me to deduce, I might as well use the power of the Jade Plate to deduce it."

Thinking of this, Hongjun secretly communicated with the Jade Plate to begin the deduction.

Although this was not the complete Jade Plate, the great power contained within it was vast and unfathomable.

Although the Jade Plate was Pangu's magic treasure, its origin was very mysterious; rumor had it that it came from a super ancient force within Chaos and was a supreme treasure.

Pangu had stolen the Jade Plate from that ancient force and escaped, traveling through many Chaos realms to arrive at this spacetime, wishing to use the power of the Jade Plate to open heaven and earth and achieve the Great Dao Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Unfortunately, no matter how far Pangu ran, the emergence of the Jade Plate would inevitably attract the snatching of Demon Gods within Chaos, and Pangu possessed more than one supreme treasure, so many Chaos Demon Gods pursued Pangu one after another.

Hongjun was also among them, though he remained skeptical about the accuracy of the source of information regarding Pangu.

In the end, Pangu failed to open heaven and earth, leaving behind a Honghuang, but it was also coveted by many Demon Gods who entered the Honghuang to reincarnate, seeking Great Luck; even if they could not become Great Dao Saints, it was not difficult to become a Saint with the help of the Heavenly Dao.

Although the Great Dao was superior to the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao was not much weaker; furthermore, with the bonus of the Heavenly Dao's power in the Honghuang, cultivating to the peak was enough to rival the strength of a Great Dao Saint.

This was also the reason for Hongjun's plotting!

As various thoughts flashed by, the Jade Plate began to communicate with Karma, spacetime, destiny, and various powers of Law, intertwining to deduce Xuanzang's past and future.

Scenes began to appear deep in Hongjun's eyes; he focused his mind, wanting to see clearly.

But the images were too blurry, as if covered by a layer of mist; the more he looked, the more chaotic it became, and he could not see any images at all.

Hongjun did not believe it, releasing his Quasi-Saint peak Primordial Spirit power to cover it; the Jade Plate emitted a booming sound, the deduction becoming faster and faster, and one could hear the sound of Thunder coming from the blurry images, extremely loud and terrifying.

Boom!

As if overloaded, the Jade Plate, whose body was like crystal jade, cracked a large opening, and endless golden light overflowed; these golden lights were mostly condensed from Great Dao Law and could not be looked at directly.

"It cracked?"

Hongjun's Primordial Spirit was stunned; Pangu was besieged by many Demon Gods, and the Jade Plate could not withstand the Karma power of the Honghuang's creation, so it was understandable that it split into several pieces.

But now, merely deducing the past and future Karma of one person, it was actually unable to bear the burden?

What kind of existence could actually compare to three thousand Innate Demon Gods and the Honghuang creation Karma?

Before he could react, because Hongjun's Primordial Spirit was connected to the Jade Plate, the backlash followed.

Outside!

It was only a fleeting moment; the composed Hongjun suddenly sprayed blood from his eyes, and his nostrils did the same. Blood flowed out continuously, and the whole person looked as if he had met the saying of a "bloody disaster."

Hongjun's sudden change caught Yin Yang Dao Ren, Wuxing Laozu, and Lun Hui Tian Jun off guard.

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, what is wrong with you?" Wuxing Laozu asked hurriedly, looking worried, but in reality, the corners of his mouth were almost reaching the sky, as if he were gloating.

Hongjun waved his hand hurriedly and said, "It is nothing, I am fine."

"It is just that I seemed to have an epiphany just now, but then it suddenly vanished, so I suffered a backlash?"

"Everyone knows how rare an epiphany is at our level, right?"

The faces of Lun Hui Tian Jun, Yin Yang Dao Ren, and Qian Kun Lao Zu showed signs of thought; clearly, they did not believe it.

"Epiphany? Could it be an epiphany of the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal? Fellow Daoist Hongjun, we are about the same age, don't tease me." Wuxing Laozu said solemnly.

"..."

Hongjun was too lazy to explain, looked at Xuanzang with lingering fear, and continued:

"Perhaps it is because this place is close to Mount Xumi, where the heaven and earth baleful energy and Karma are thick, and the Demon is rising while the Dao is waning."

"That seems to make some sense," Wuxing Laozu said.

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, are you really okay? I have some Pills here that can help you recover."

Seeing this, Xuanzang took out the Ten Complete Great Tonic Pill he had obtained from drawing a Blind Box from his space.

He had never used this thing himself, and quite a few group members had drawn it too.

"Many thanks, many thanks. I have some Pills here for strengthening the foundation and cultivating the primordial essence."

Hongjun did not dare to accept it; the main thing was that even the Jade Plate could not withstand the Karma and cracked?

If he accepted it, he was afraid he could not afford this Karma.

Hongjun hurriedly summoned his own Pills, grabbed a handful, and swallowed them; immediately, his body glowed with golden light, full of immortal energy.

On the side, Anlan looked on with envy; in his eyes, these Pills were supreme divine pills, and if he could eat a few, he might have become an Immortal Emperor long ago.

Although his foundation was sufficient now and he could break through to Immortal Emperor, because the Honghuang Law was strong, once he broke through to Immortal Emperor, he would likely be assimilated by the Honghuang Law instantly; was this the reason why that Diliu, Xiao Shi, wanted to create a method in advance?

After a while, Hongjun recovered as before, at least it seemed so, but there were still some tiny cracks in the Dao platform within his body, which was not a big problem.

"Hongjun, seeing that you are better, I am relieved. If you had a problem at this time, our chances of defeating the Demon Ancestor would decrease. We might even retreat directly and look for another opportunity for a decisive battle," Wuxing Laozu said.

"No, there is not much time left for us. If we avoid the battle this time, given the Demon Ancestor's talent and realm, perhaps in another ten thousand years, he could directly advance to the Saint realm; you must know that he has gathered the Qi Luck of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Tribes as well as the resentment of the dead of the three tribes, and this power is too strong. It might make the Heavenly Dao trends default to the Demon Dao side," Hongjun said with a grave expression.

The overall situation of the Dao-Demon Struggle had already begun; avoiding the battle and changing the time was impossible.

They could wait, but the Demon Ancestor would not wait for them.

"Indeed."

Yin Yang Tian Jun, Qian Kun Lao Zu, and Lun Hui Dao Ren nodded. They agreed with Hongjun's idea; there was no retreat from this battle.

"Then how much certainty do you have?" Houtu asked.

She did not care about the success or failure of the Dao-Demon Struggle. Perhaps if Demon Ancestor Luohou won and the demons ruled Honghuang, that kind of environment would be more suitable for the survival of the Ancestral Witch lineage.

Although the Ancestral Witches were incarnations of Pangu Essence Blood, they were born from the negative aspects of the world's baleful Qi and Pangu's killing intent.

Their main philosophy was to treat life and death with indifference and to fight if they disagreed.

"Uh... it was fifty percent before, but now that I've sustained a slight injury, it's perhaps forty-nine percent," Hongjun admitted frankly.

"Forty-nine percent? If you round that off, isn't it just zero? How is that any different from throwing your life away?" Wang Wu, who hadn't said much until now, retorted.

After all, everyone present was a big shot; although Wang Wu usually liked to joke around, she was very politically conscious on serious occasions.

Hearing Wang Wu's words, Hongjun, Wuxing Laozu, Lun Hui Tian Jun, and Yin Yang Dao Ren looked at each other in dismay.

"Little friend, that is not correct. We cultivators exist precisely to fight for that sliver of survival, not to mention a forty-nine percent chance," Wuxing Laozu said.

"The senior is right, but this girl does not fight battles without preparation. If there isn't a ninety-nine point nine percent chance, you couldn't pay me to do it," Wang Wu said.

"Little friend, the Dao-Demon Calamity is no child's play. Even if it means death, we must see this calamity through," Hongjun said, looking as if he were ready to sacrifice his life.

"Xuanzang, seeing Hongjun's determination, it seems as if he is truly doing this for Honghuang. What do you think?"

Houtu did not have a good impression of Hongjun; after all, this guy had schemed against too many of the Witch Clan in the Honghuang timeline, treating them all as his pawns until they all ended up ruined in the end.

"I don't know either. For an existence at Hongjun's level, it is hard to define what is true and what is false," Xuanzang replied via voice transmission.

"Then tell me, will the Demon Ancestor win, or will Hongjun be able to win?" Houtu asked via voice transmission.

"The Heavenly Dao is with Hongjun. Unless a variable appears that is sufficient to sway the great trend of the world, it is very difficult to change the great trend of the world," Xuanzang said.

No matter which version of Honghuang it is, in over ninety percent of them, although Demon Ancestor Luohou is powerful, he is actually just a background character, an existence meant to drop top-tier loot.

His appearance is merely to allow Hongjun to take the final step toward becoming a Sage and to perfect the great trend of the Heavenly Dao.

It is very rare for Luohou to turn the tables, unless there is interference from a system-like existence.

"I see."

Houtu's eyes flickered, and she said:

"Xuanzang, actually, letting Luohou rule Honghuang wouldn't be a bad thing. The Demon Dao is also a form of Taoism, and I feel the Demon Dao is more suitable for the development of the Ancestral Witches."

Hearing this, Xuanzang couldn't help but smile, and said:

"Your idea is not bad, and the Demon Dao is indeed suitable for the development of the Ancestral Witches. However, it is not suitable for the development trend of Honghuang. If the Demon were truly allowed to rule Honghuang, then the future of Honghuang might be in total chaos, and the Human Race might not even emerge."

"The Human Race is crucial to the development of the Honghuang world. Although they are weak, their importance exceeds that of the Demon Race and the Witch Clan, and many major events in later generations are inseparable from the Human Race."

"Indeed, I wanted to eat melons and watch the show, but I didn't expect to get myself wrapped up in it," Houtu said with some distress.

If Luohou were allowed to grow powerful, then there would be no place for the Heavenly Dao Six Sages.

If she were to become a Sage by incarnating into the cycle of reincarnation, without the Human Race, she would lose much Qi Luck and Merit, and perhaps she wouldn't even be able to incarnate into the cycle of reincarnation.

This is a case of pulling one hair and moving the whole body; the entire thing would be a mess.

"Take it one step at a time, why think so much, Houtu?" Xuanzang said.

"After all, I am in this plane. If such a thing happened in your world, Xuanzang, I'd like to see if you could stay so calm," Houtu said irritably.

"That might be impossible to stay calm about," Xuanzang said.

Just as Xuanzang and Houtu were chatting via divine sense, Hongjun spoke again.

"The current forty-nine percent chance is indeed not high. But we have met all of you here; isn't this the sliver of survival provided by the world?

Fellow Daoist Houtu, Fellow Daoist Xuanzang, Fellow Daoist Sanqing, I would like to invite you all to join in the crusade against the demons.

With your participation, our win rate will increase by at least twenty percent, approaching seventy percent."

"I believe that meeting you all here is a choice of destiny."

Hongjun looked at Xuanzang and his group with full expectation, his sincere appearance making it hard to refuse.

Among the Sanqing, Taiqing was relatively clear-headed, and Yuanshi was still steady, also weighing the pros and cons.

Only Tongtian, with his blood boiling, said loudly:

"There is no need for Fellow Daoist Hongjun to invite me; I, Tongtian, will also crusade against the demons. This is the world of the Great God Pangu, the world of our Father God. As the orthodox descendants of Pangu, we Sanqing do not allow such evil demons as the Demon Ancestor to exist."

"Big Brother, Second Brother, don't you agree?"

"Ancestral Witch Houtu, you are also a descendant of Father God; you think so too, right?"

"I do not," Houtu said decisively.

"Tongtian, do you know how many Great Luo Golden Immortals Luohou has under his command? If you go up there, are you even enough for them to eat?" Yuanshi retorted.

"Heh, Second Brother. If I can't beat them, don't I still have my two brothers? Besides, the Sanqing are of one mind; if we join forces, what can stop us?" Tongtian said.

"The logic is sound, but one must distinguish the actual situation," Yuanshi said.

As the Sanqing, the orthodox descendants of Pangu, he naturally did not want to fall behind others.

He naturally couldn't refute Tongtian's words.

"Actual situation? What, is it fine to join outsiders to bully your own brothers in the future?" Tongtian said irritably.

"..." Yuanshi.

It seems Tongtian is still quite vengeful; it's all because Fellow Daoist Xuanzang mentioned some things about the future.

There is definitely an awkward period between the brothers now, and it is somewhat uncomfortable.

"Big Brother, what do you say we should do?" Yuanshi threw the problem to Taiqing.

Taiqing was involved in the future events after all, so he couldn't let him be the only one to take the blame.

Taiqing pondered, looked at Xuanzang, and said:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanzang, what do you think? Are you willing to help Fellow Daoist Hongjun?"

"Why look at me? I am so weak, I can't help with much," Xuanzang said.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanzang is being too self-deprecating. I feel that you have infinite potential within you," Hongjun said earnestly.

"Is that so? I don't feel that way."

"Besides, if I help, wouldn't I be making an enemy of the Demon Ancestor? That is not a good thing," Xuanzang said.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanzang, do not worry. As long as we join forces to strike down the Demon Ancestor, we will have no further concerns," said Wuxing Laozu.

"That is a good idea," praised Fellow Daoist Yinyang.

"What if we cannot strike him down? Won't it be a fight to the death?" said Xuanzang.

"Indeed, that is also possible," Wuxing Laozu nodded.

Seeing this, Hongjun did not know what to say.

How could Wuxing Laozu look like such a fence-sitter at a time like this, swaying left and right? Could he not give a definitive answer?

"Ding! Private Task triggered: Help Hongjun deal with the Demon Ancestor. Upon task completion, receive 100,000 points and a wisp of Hongmeng Purple Qi."

At this moment, the sound of the Chat Group rang out simultaneously in the ears of Xuanzang and Houtu.

Wang Wu, Demon Lord Chonglou, and Anlan looked confused; it seemed they had not triggered the task.

"Xuanzang, shall we accept this task?" Houtu felt somewhat tempted upon seeing the task.

Not to mention the points, the Hongmeng Purple Qi alone was enough to move her; it was far more substantial than any Innate Spirit Treasure.

"Uh... actually, it doesn't matter whether we accept it or not," said Xuanzang.

Although he already possessed a wisp of Hongmeng Purple Qi, who would complain about having more?

"However, being enemies with the Demon Ancestor is a bit of a headache," said Houtu.

"The task only says to help Hongjun deal with the Demon Ancestor; as for how we help, that is up to us," said Xuanzang.

Houtu was lost in thought; perhaps she could adopt a different identity to carry out this task.

She possessed the Chaos Bell and the Original Law of Time.

What if she directly replaced that Eastern Emperor Taiyi to step forward and divert the disaster elsewhere?

In this timeline, the Eastern Emperor and Dijun were both dormant on the Sun Star and had not yet emerged.

"Accepted."

"As a descendant of Pangu, for the sake of Honghuang, as an Ancestral Witch, it is my bounden duty to protect this land."

Houtu spoke with righteous indignation, as if she had become a different person.

"Great virtue," Hongjun's face revealed joy.

Wuxing Laozu, Qian Kun Lao Zu, the Yinyang Monarch, and the Daoist of Reincarnation were the same.

Ancestor Hongjun looked at Xuanzang again; although Xuanzang's realm was lower than his, he did not know why his heart felt that if Xuanzang joined, their odds of victory would greatly increase.

Perhaps because the Jade Butterfly had shattered, Hongjun could guess that the great variable was Xuanzang.

The variable was on their side; perhaps this was their chance.

"Since Houtu has agreed, I shall also agree. Consider it my contribution to this heaven and earth," said Xuanzang.

Hearing this, Hongjun breathed a sigh of relief, and the heavy stone in his heart fell.

Although the battle had not yet begun, why did he have the illusion that this wave was stable?

Hopefully, it was not just an illusion.

The group prepared themselves and continued to advance toward Mount Xumi.

The closer they got to Mount Xumi, the more they could feel the suppression of the Demon Dao within the heaven and earth.

Under the influence of the Demon Ancestor, this Western land had almost become a paradise for demons, to the point where even the Heavenly Dao found it difficult to influence this region.

If this continued, with the demons rising and the Dao fading, perhaps with Mount Xumi as the center, the Demon Dao would constantly expand outward, and the entire Honghuang would eventually become a Demon Realm, while the original Heavenly Dao would be completely replaced and devoured by the new Demon Dao.

"That is!"

At the edge of the Western land, before even getting close, one could see sky-covering Sword Qi tearing through the firmament, black clouds permeating the infinite sky—a world of black swords!

Under the dome of heaven, four baleful Divine Swords of different colors stood upright, each one piercing the clouds; a single strand of their Sword Qi was enough to make even a Great Luo Golden Immortal shudder.

Beneath the four Divine Swords, the infinite land was covered by a massive red array diagram; within that diagram, one could even hear the wailing of countless wronged souls, and the diagram constantly seized the vitality of heaven and earth to transform it into the killing intent of heaven, merging it with the Demon Dao.

"This is the Four Swords of Immortal Execution and the Immortal Execution Array diagram!"

"Indeed, hearing of it is not as good as seeing it; even if we enter, it will be more ominous than auspicious."

Wuxing Laozu sighed, a look of gravity appearing on his face.

"Indeed, such a supreme treasure of slaughter, falling into the hands of Luo Hou, is like a tiger gaining wings," said Hongjun.

"I feel that I could not even withstand a single strand of Sword Qi from this Immortal Execution Sword."

Anlan said, truly looking weak, pitiful, and helpless, hiding behind Xuanzang and Houtu.

"A fine sword array!"

Qing'er's eyes revealed a look of wonder; she had attained the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm through the sword, and now, looking at the Four Swords of Immortal Execution, her beautiful eyes were filled with fervor.

She wanted the Four Swords of Immortal Execution immensely, even though she already possessed one Zhu Xian Sword.