Chapter 227: Houtu Attains the Dao, Treasures of Ominous Malice

Tian Yuan stood at the summit of Mount Buzhou, gazing toward the Western World.

He had originally thought that only the Earth Veins were troubling him, but he had not expected it to be far more troublesome than he had imagined.

From this series of discoveries today, it seemed as if the West existed apart from the Great Primordial land.

At this very moment, Tian Yuan also understood somewhat why the Witch-Demon Calamity and the Fengshen Calamity had nothing to do with the West.

Even though the West was so barren, Jieyin and Zhunti had never left.

West of Mount Buzhou, it could indeed be called the "Western World," a world independent of the Great Primordial.

Withdrawing his gaze, Tian Yuan murmured softly, "It seems I can only take things one step at a time regarding the Earth Veins!"

On the other three sides of Mount Buzhou—whether it be the East, where the Earth Veins had been fully cleared, or the North and South—the will of Mount Buzhou drifted through the air. Only on this western side, even if he probed with his will now, it could not linger for long.

Tian Yuan should have thought of this as early as when his will could not clearly discern those Demon Qi.

But even with this body of Mount Buzhou, Tian Yuan had not expected such a situation.

The West was actually independent of the Great Primordial land; it was truly far beyond his expectations.

If that were truly the case, then the Western Earth Veins were somewhat troublesome.

With Xuanming currently hiding in the West, Tian Yuan guessed that the missing Dijiang might also be in the West.

Only here could one perfectly avoid the perception of others; even he could not easily investigate it.

Xuanming had inexplicably become involved with the World-Destroying Mill, and Dijiang, having disappeared for so long, had likely also obtained some great fortune.

The Wu Clan were the protagonists of heaven and earth by nature, and furthermore, as the leader of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Dijiang, strictly speaking, they were also the darlings of heaven and earth.

Standing in the field, thoughts flashed through Tian Yuan's mind, and finally, his gaze rested in the direction of the Sea of Blood.

The West was cut off by the abyss before him; if he wanted to connect the Western World with the Great Primordial, it seemed he could only rely on the Nether Blood Sea.

Fortunately, Houtu had already refined the Earthly Dao Will that shrouded the Sea of Blood, incorporating it into the Underworld.

Whether it was the matter of the Western Earth Veins or other schemes, he could only wait until Houtu made a breakthrough.

Withdrawing his gaze, Tian Yuan's figure slowly faded into the air.

Since he was temporarily powerless regarding the affairs of the West, he could only improve his own Dao cultivation as quickly as possible.

In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and plots would have nowhere to hide.

Being powerless against those Demon Qi also reflected, from another perspective, the insufficiency of Tian Yuan's current cultivation.

Yet, the matter of the Starry Sky was imminent, and Tian Yuan had no time to calm his mind and cultivate.

Although the Great Primordial lacked nothing more than time, Tian Yuan still felt that time was far from enough, because there were simply too many things he had to do.

The main reason was that he had attained the Dao too late; if he were like the Innate Sacred beings such as the Three Pure Ones, he would not have to go to such great lengths.

Tian Yuan's figure returned once again to the depths of the Zhou Tian Star Formation; the matter of the Earth Veins had been delegated, and he had to focus on refining more stars.

"Clear these flames of the Southern Land?" Wangshu looked into the distance, her eyes filled with surprise.

From the mouths of Baize and the others, Wangshu already had a simple understanding of this space, and she was equally clear about Tian Yuan's purpose in capturing Baize and the others.

To clear these rolling flames and restore the Earth Veins of the Southern Land.

Ahead was a boundless expanse of red; apart from the Fusang Wood standing in the air absorbing the flames, a towering mountain could be vaguely seen.

The flames surging from all around from time to time made Wangshu vaguely guess that the source of the fire must be that mountain.

In this direction, at that location, that mountain must be the holy land of the Phoenix Clan—the Undying Volcano.

Having calculated this in her heart, Wangshu looked at the worried crowd behind her and spoke softly, "You are all fine, and the Demon Emperor is certainly without worry. It would be best for you all to focus on quiet cultivation and improve your realms."

Through their brief exchange, Wangshu had roughly guessed the situation of Di Jun; he was undoubtedly suppressed by Tian Yuan.

Being adjacent to the Sun Star, Wangshu was naturally very clear about the personalities of the two Demon Emperors.

Having captured this space and yet remaining nowhere to be seen, there was only this one possibility.

It was just that the Eastern Emperor Taiyi had inexplicably disappeared into the depths of the Starry Sky, and she did not know where he had gone.

However, Wangshu was now even more curious about the distant Undying Volcano, and of course, she also wanted to lend Tian Yuan a helping hand to clear the flames of the Southern Land.

After speaking, Wangshu did not pay any more attention to the crowd; she took a step forward, entered the rolling flames, and vanished from their sight in the blink of an eye.

"Mother!"

"Since Father has made a breakthrough, why does he not come to save us, and furthermore, this..."

Just as Wangshu left, the ten Little Golden Crows gathered around, each with doubt in their eyes.

From Wangshu, they knew that their father and uncle had both made breakthroughs; with so many Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals, could they really not defeat the Stone Man of Buzhou Mountain? They found it truly hard to understand, and the appearance of Wangshu here was also somewhat strange.

Many Demon Gods and Demon Saints behind them also cast their gazes toward Baize, Changxi, and the third person.

Wangshu's actions left them very confused.

Before Changxi and Xihe could speak, Baize spoke first: "Cultivate hard, only then will we have a chance to get out. The Demon Emperor must have more important things to do."

Wangshu's appearance gave Baize hope of persuading the Demon Emperor.

Having been here for quite some time, Baize had already deeply understood Tian Yuan's power.

Powerful fluctuations frequently rose from the towering Mount Buzhou behind them, which meant that Tian Yuan's strength was still constantly increasing.

Moreover, from Wangshu's words, Baize could clearly feel Tian Yuan's self-confidence.

Although they were all Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals, he seemed not to hold the others in his eyes; clearly, the suppression of Di Jun was the best proof.

Baize understood in his heart that Di Jun was actually aware of this too, but because of that layer of status, he could not lower his head.

Now that even Wangshu from the Lunar Star had chosen Tian Yuan, presumably the Demon Emperor should give it some serious thought.

After speaking, Baize did not say anything more and went to quietly absorb the flames.

Watching Baize turn and leave, the ten Little Golden Crows opened their mouths, not knowing how to respond.

"Cultivate well, do not disgrace the name of the Golden Crow!" Changxi replied lightly, and she did not delve further into this topic.

A long time ago, she had vaguely felt that Baize knew something.

Given the other's current expression, combined with Wangshu's words at the very beginning, it was very clear that Di Jun was in this space, being suppressed somewhere.

Thinking this, Changxi's peripheral vision drifted unconsciously toward Mount Buzhou behind her.

When she had first sensed Di Jun's aura, that Heavenly Pillar had flickered and vanished in the air; there was a high probability that the Demon Emperor was suppressed beneath Mount Buzhou.

Di Jun was the Demon Emperor of the Demon Court and the father of the ten Little Golden Crows; such matters naturally could not be let known to them.

Xihe also said nothing, following behind Changxi as she swept toward the many flames.

To completely clear the flames of the Southern Land, they still had to rely on the two Demon Emperors, but they did not know how long they would have to wait.

Calming her heart to think about it, although the days here were dull, they lacked the killing and fighting of the Primordial World, which was actually not bad.

Seeing this, the ten Little Golden Crows each clearly had things on their minds, but they were no longer young and vaguely understood some things.

With their heads hanging low, they dove into the rolling flames without a word.

Strength, strength was the foundation of everything; they had to cultivate diligently. In the direction of the Undying Volcano, Wangshu swept a glance at the dense Fire Snakes behind her, her brows slightly furrowed.

She waved her hand to extinguish a large patch of Fire Snakes, but more figures immediately emerged, one after another, endless.

Logically speaking, she was a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal, and the strength of these Fire Snakes was far below hers; it was impossible for them to discover her tracks.

It was true that the surging Fire Snakes could not catch up to her, but they could discover her at the very first moment; this was truly too strange.

Wangshu, slightly raising her head, cast her gaze toward the distant Undying Volcano.

The root of the Fire Snakes lay within that mountain, and their changes might also be related to the Undying Volcano.

Filled with doubt and a trace of curiosity, Wangshu hurriedly quickened her pace.

As she drew closer, more and more Fire Snakes surged out from all sides, almost filling the space on both sides, but the gap in strength meant they could not touch her at all.

Only the flames on both sides began to shimmer with a ghostly light, unlike the bright red from the beginning.

Within the pale black flames, thunder flickered from time to time.

Before long, a towering mountain mass floated before her.

Wangshu's brows were tightly knit, her eyes filled with astonishment.

The Undying Volcano was the habitat of the Phoenix Clan and was also a famous immortal mountain in the Southern Land.

Just looking from afar, there were towering fires burning, which looked truly extraordinary.

Now observing it at close range, it was pitch black, and the flames that ignited all shimmered with a ghostly light, looking somewhat eerie.

And within those many flames, there was actually dense thunder flickering.

Examining it carefully, the entire mountain mass was not only shrouded in flames but also covered in thunder.

And in this pitch-black mountain mass, Wangshu vaguely sensed a powerful fluctuation, a fluctuation no weaker than a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal.

It was just that the aura was powerful and scorching, yet mixed with chaos and madness, making Wangshu somewhat confused.

"Energy radiating across the entire Southern Land, this is quite interesting!" Now that she had Proved the Dao to Hunyuan, Wangshu was naturally fearless.

Wangshu, filled with immense curiosity, had just taken a step when she suddenly turned her head to look behind her.

With a continuous rumbling sound and familiar fluctuations, she sensed a powerful aura in the distance.

Through the rising flames, Wangshu clearly saw the dense Mysterious Yellow Qi gushing forth; it was Mount Buzhou, the might of Mount Buzhou had risen again.

Accompanied by the powerful fluctuations of the Heavenly Pillar, Wangshu clearly felt an inexplicable rhythm between heaven and earth.

"We have only just parted, I did not expect Brother Tian Yuan to have another breakthrough." With a sigh, Wangshu did not turn back but strode onto the Undying Volcano before her.

In an instant, the mountain mass shook slightly, and from the dense pits, pitch-black snakes emerged, carrying lightning as they rushed toward her.

Looking from afar, it was as if a layer of black ripples was undulating and surging over the entire mountain.

Wangshu's overbearing aura swept out, and the layers of surging snakes were all swept away; she quickly fled toward the mountain peak.

And at this moment, in the depths of the Netherworld, on the floating Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

The Qi of Reincarnation intertwined, a dense will shrouded the area, and many laws wandered out.

Looking from afar, one could vaguely see a delicate figure sitting quietly, and suddenly a powerful momentum surged up.

A humming sound was heard from heaven and earth, and the milky white halo shrouding the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk began to fade, revealing the figure of Houtu.

And beneath the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, dense ghostly light bloomed; taking the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk as the center, they quickly swept toward the surroundings.

In almost an instant, the ghostly light shrouded a large area of space.

Houtu, sitting quietly on the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, also opened her eyes faintly at this moment.

A pair of eyes with surging Chaos also held a faint joy. She opened her right hand, and dense will gathered, circling her body.

The Lord of the Earthly Dao had returned, the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk was repaired, the Eighteen Levels of Hell were derived, and the Earthly Dao Will had surged greatly; Houtu could clearly feel the joy of the Reincarnation Disk beneath her.

"Finally took this step!" Feeling this dense Earthly Dao Will, Houtu was filled with emotion.

She was the first Innate Sacred to follow Tian Yuan in, and she had long ago realized her own Dao. But because of the incompleteness of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, Nuwa and Hongyun had both walked ahead of her, and now she had finally taken this step.

A Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal, and also an Earthly Dao Saint of the Primordial World.

Sitting in the Consciousness Space at this moment, she could clearly feel the Netherworld of the Primordial World.

This meant that Houtu, as the Lord of the Earthly Dao, no longer needed Tian Yuan and could freely enter and exit the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space.

And under the shroud of the Earthly Dao Will, her Divine Sense almost covered the entire Netherworld.

But in the next second, Houtu stood up abruptly, her gaze looking beneath her.

Without the slightest hesitation, her figure fled toward the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

Heaven had the Thirty-Three Heavens, and the Netherworld had the Eighteen Levels of Hell; each level was a vast space.

Dense death Qi swept out, and each level of hell had a simple appearance.

However, because they had just been derived, they were all empty, without any ghostly shadows.

Houtu did not linger; she swept toward the deepest part.

Within a few breaths, Houtu arrived at the bottom-most Eighteenth Level of Hell.

In the deep, dark hell, a pitch-black coffin floated, shrouded in dense Malevolent Qi and death Qi.

"How could there be a coffin here?" Houtu muttered softly, her eyes filled with confusion.

The Eighteen Levels of Hell were derived from the restoration of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk; those hells above had nothing at all.

As the words fell, Houtu was even more startled in her eyes.

It moved; the quietly floating coffin seemed to have heard her words, actually trembling slightly.

Greatly alarmed in her heart, Houtu walked forward with a steady face and wide strides.

She was the Lord of the Earthly Dao, and this was her territory; could there be something beyond the scope of her abilities? Little did she know, just as Houtu set off, the coffin sank slightly in the air and actually fled straight into the void.

As the coffin moved, Houtu's gaze narrowed, her eyes filled with astonishment.

A Ferocious Evil Exotic Treasure; the coffin before her was actually a Ferocious Evil Exotic Treasure equivalent to an Innate Supreme Treasure.

The moment the thought flashed through, Houtu understood the origin of this coffin in her heart.

The Heaven-Refining Coffin, an exotic treasure derived from the Primordial Spirit and Essence Blood of three thousand Chaos Demon Gods.

However, what truly shocked Houtu was not the origin of this exotic treasure, but the wisps of aura escaping from it.

Dijiang; the moment the Heaven-Refining Coffin moved, she actually sensed the aura of her Big Brother Dijiang.

Could it be her Big Brother Dijiang lying inside the Heaven-Refining Coffin? Since they last parted, Dijiang had completely disappeared without a trace; Houtu had not expected to encounter her Big Brother here.

Houtu, who had rushed forward in a panic, hurriedly called out loudly: "Big Brother, is that you!"

But the fleeing Heaven-Refining Coffin did not pause in the slightest, breaking through the Eighteen Levels of Hell and vanishing from sight.

In the silent void, only a faint Earthly Dao Will remained.

(End of this chapter)