Chapter 351: Achieving Hunyuan? Returning to the Beginning of Creation!

The Xuanhuang Universe.

This strange space-time, briefly opened by the Great Power of Tai Shi and then reversed in time by the Dao Ancestor's divine abilities, finally dissipated slowly like a dream-like bubble following the utterance of Hongjun's words, "What is there to fear?"

The Xuanhuang Ancestral Qi that had shrouded the four Supremes receded like a tide, revealing the original gray, chaotic appearance of Chaos.

Daoist Hongjun looked deeply at Xiang Xuanqing, his gaze complex and difficult to fathom—containing joy, wariness, appreciation, and also a trace of imperceptible... lingering fear?

The smile on Xiang Xuanqing's face did not fade as he nodded and said, "In one hundred thousand years, I, Taiwei, shall await the Dao Ancestor's arrival beneath Mount Buzhou. I only hope that by then, you, Fellow Daoist, will be fully prepared and have exhausted all your means, so that you won't... well, suddenly need to 'Reverse Heaven and Sun' to adjust your state again."

His tone was gentle, as if it were merely a well-intentioned reminder.

But the mockery hidden within those words caused the corner of Hongjun's eye to twitch imperceptibly.

"The Heavenly Emperor's methods are endless, your divine abilities are unfathomable, and your spiritual treasures are unpredictable. This old Daoist will naturally give his all and dare not be the slightest bit negligent," Hongjun retorted.

These were his heartfelt words; Xiang Xuanqing's methods and train of thought truly exceeded his conventional understanding of Great Luo powerhouses.

Beside them, Daoist Yang Mei seemed to have just recovered from his philosophical contemplation of "I was pregnant, yet I wasn't pregnant."

Hearing their conversation, he subconsciously muttered in a low voice, "As long as... as long as you don't take out those strange and bizarre things again..."

Before he could finish, he was swept by Xiang Xuanqing's half-smiling gaze; Yang Mei immediately fell silent and subconsciously took two steps back.

It was evident that the scene just now had dealt him a significant blow.

"Since that is the case, let us part ways!" Hongjun said no more. With a wave of his robe, a space portal shimmering with pure immortal light, which looked extremely normal, opened up.

He stepped in first, with Yang Mei following closely behind.

Before leaving, Yang Mei did not forget to cast a quick, lingering glance at Xiang Xuanqing's sleeve, terrified that some other "surprise" might fly out from within.

He said no more, merely nodding slightly toward Daoist Yang Mei. Their figures flickered, and they escaped into the void, disappearing without a trace. However, the action of Daoist Yang Mei subconsciously touching his lower abdomen and then quickly withdrawing his hand before leaving was captured by the sharp-eyed Luo Hou.

At this moment, the battle on the other side had also ceased.

Nv Wa, Wang Shu, and the others returned behind Xiang Xuanqing.

As for the Immortal Dao powerhouses such as the Three Pure Ones, Yin Yang, and Yao Chi, seeing that Hongjun and Yang Mei had retreated, they each withdrew their divine abilities, though their gazes toward the Taiwei side carried a hint of peculiarity.

【Did the Dao Ancestor win or not?】

They could neither see nor hear anything within the Xuanhuang Universe.

Logically speaking, the Great War of the Three Clans had ended, and all three Primogenitors were gone; the Dao Ancestor should have won.

But why did he leave so hurriedly just now?

Or was this just our illusion?

Yao Chi even specifically looked at the Three Pure Ones, her eyes filled with the resentment of "You fellow daoists didn't even give us a heads-up that you were throwing the match."

The Three Pure Ones, however, kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, maintaining a profound air of "I gave it my all just now."

"Let us go!"

Yao Chi sighed slightly and, together with the Three Pure Ones and Daoist Yin Yang, transformed into streams of light and departed.

"Your Majesty!" Nv Wa and the others stepped forward to pay their respects.

Xiang Xuanqing waved his hand, his gaze crossing the Chaos to look toward the now completely out-of-control Primordial battlefield: "Hongjun has agreed to the one-hundred-thousand-year pact, which can be considered a temporary full stop to the struggle between our two great traditions."

"Fellow Daoists, follow me down to take a look first, and then we shall return to the Taiwei Enclosure."

"After this series of twists and turns, we also need to properly 'summarize' things."

He deliberately emphasized the word "summarize," which caused Luo Hou's heart to skip a beat again.

He had just abandoned the Taiwei Heavenly Emperor and run away himself!

Would the Heavenly Emperor settle scores after the autumn harvest?

【No, no, the Heavenly Emperor is magnanimous; he would absolutely never do such a thing.】

【Besides, time has already been reversed; the act of abandoning the Heavenly Emperor never even happened!】 Luo Hou steadied himself, comforting himself in this way.

In the chaotic void, the symphony of blood and fire was entering its climax.

The aftermath of Yuan Huang's self-detonation was still raging, and the fall of the Ancestral Dragon and the Metal Qilin had completely ignited this chaos that was sweeping across the heavens and the earth.

"Quick! Run! That group of crazy birds behind us is catching up!"

【Yunlu Shenjun】 Fu Xi currently had no image left; several strands of his elegant long hair were scorched, and there were several holes in his dharma robe.

He carried the mountain-like remains of the Metal Qilin on his shoulder, the Eight Trigrams runes flickering beneath his feet, his speed pushed to the limit.

He not only had to dodge the indiscriminate attacks of the Phoenix Clan but also had to watch out for other Primordial Sages who were trying to fish in troubled waters and seize the Qilin Clan's destiny.

He even had to divide his attention to calculate whether he might step into a pit dug by some "angler," lest he step into thin air.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you must hold on!"

In the Dragon Clan camp, the Gui Gui Chengxiang was moving with "vigorous" steps completely inconsistent with his physique, hugging the massive corpse of the Ancestral Dragon and retreating at high speed.

He enlarged his turtle shell to the limit to desperately protect the dragon corpse; the shell had already been scorched with several large, charred pits by the Southern Brightness Departure Fire, causing him to weep with old tears.

Yet he still roared, commanding the various Dragon Clan powerhouses to form a formation and break through.

"Prime Minister, you go first!" The Azure Dragon and the Responding Dragon led the Dragon Gods to hold off the counterattacks of the other two clans.

The various Hall Masters of the Main God Palace protected the younger generation of the Dragon Clan, forming a mobile "Seafood Great Wall," struggling to retreat toward the East Sea direction.

"Kill! Avenge His Majesty Yuan Huang!!"

The Phoenix Clan's offensive became increasingly frenzied.

Elder Zhu Que was bathed in fire, her eyes blood-red.

Wherever she passed, whether it was the Dragon Clan or the Qilin Clan, or even some unlucky bystander Sages, all were drawn into the flames of war.

"Amitabha... Ptooey! This item has an affinity with me!"

In a corner of the battlefield, 【Taiwei Yuan Tian Jun】 Daoist Zhunti was nimbly tucking a Phoenix True Feather shimmering with five-colored brilliance into his sleeve, his face overflowing with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Beside him, 【Mu Yao Sui Xing】 Zhen Yuanzi saw this, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "This is a relic left behind after Yuan Huang's death, right? I'm afraid it's inappropriate for us to pick it up."

"Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know; what is there to fear!"

Zhunti looked left and right, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he laughed: "When we retreat back to Taiwei, we can ask the Heavenly Emperor to help refine it into a spiritual treasure. Even if Yuan Huang were resurrected, what could she do to us?"

Zhen Yuanzi opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Hey, forget it!"

Zhen Yuanzi thought for a moment and decided not to dwell on these things.

He shook his body and transformed into a Daoist boy.

What did this Daoist boy look like?

His bones were clear, his spirit refreshed, and his face beautiful; his hair was tied in a bun with short, fluffy strands. His Daoist robes were naturally wrapped in mist, and his feathered garment had sleeves that fluttered in the wind. His belt was tightly bound in a dragon-head knot, and his straw sandals were lightly wrapped in silkworm-mouth velvet.

"Ahem, ahem, I am not the Star Sovereign now, just a Daoist boy picking mushrooms."

The Daoist boy cleared his throat and wandered all over the battlefield.

Before long, a nursery rhyme came from the void.

"A little girl picking mushrooms, carrying a large bamboo basket, barefoot in the early morning, walking through forests and hills; she picks the most mushrooms, so many that they are like the countless stars..."

Wherever the Daoist boy went, "mushrooms" were picked.

Zhunti watched Zhen Yuanzi's operation, completely dumbfounded, with the word "admire" written in capital letters on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Zhenxing is deeply versed in the 'unserious' spirit of our Taiwei Enclosure!"

"Who are you?"

At this moment, a small group of panicked Qilin Clan stragglers who had lost their leader bumped into Zhunti.

After Zhunti was blown away, he had actually changed his image.

Just now, the word "admire" was written on his face, and no one could recognize that this was a Taiwei deity.

"Me? I am the 'Ancestor of Submission'!"

Zhunti pointed at his face and looked at these little Qilins with a chuckle: "Fellow Daoists, the world is a bitter sea of endless strife. Since your Primogenitor has already fallen, why not seek another path..."

"Who are you? Get lost!" A roar came, and the injured Ink Jade Qilin raised its hoof to kick.

Daoist Zhunti's figure flickered, easily avoiding it, and he continued to mutter: "This fellow daoist has too much resentment, which is not conducive to cultivation."

"Why not follow me, the 'Ancestor of Submission,' back to the mountain, and we can have a good chat..."

He was quick-eyed and fast-handed, and taking advantage of the Ink Jade Qilin's distraction, he picked up a pair of Qilin horns from the ground.

The Ink Jade Qilin's eyes turned red: "Give them back!"

"Fellow Daoist, do not be anxious; I am merely keeping these 'ownerless items' on your behalf."

"I'll keep your grandmother!" The Ink Jade Qilin transformed into its divine body and swung two golden whips to strike.

"You are formidable; the Ancestor submits!" Zhunti turned and ran.

On this chaotic battlefield, Zhunti and Zhen Yuanzi were having a great time.

Just at this moment, several tyrannical auras descended upon the battlefield.

The Taiwei gods had arrived.

"By the decree of the Heavenly Emperor! The three clans shall cease hostilities immediately!!"

Nv Wa stepped out first, her voice cold and carrying unquestionable majesty.

However, the Sages of the three clans, whose eyes were red with killing, how could they listen to advice at this moment?

"Get lost! Who dares to stop us from avenging our clan leader!"

Responding to Nv Wa were several tyrannical divine abilities.

Nv Wa raised her willow eyebrows, just about to flare up, when she was stopped by Ming He beside her.

"Oh my, Prime Minister, calm your anger, calm your anger!"

【Xu Yao Shang Zun】 Ming He's face was piled with smiles, and he said: "There are techniques to mediating a fight; look at me."

Having said that, he said loudly to the Sages of the three clans who were rushing over, "Fellow Daoists! Fighting and killing is so harmful to harmony! When will the cycle of vengeance end!"

"In my opinion, why don't we all sit down, drink some tea, chat, talk about life, talk about ideals, and discuss the great harmony of life..."

He spoke eloquently, his tongue blooming with lotus flowers, attempting to influence the Sages of the three clans through "reasoning with emotion."

As a result, what he got in return were even more violent attacks.

"Alas, there is no other way; I can only turn up the intensity for you."

Ming He looked helpless.

He looked at the chaotic scene, a flash of blood light in his eyes, and the invisible power of the 【Unscrupulous Heavenly Dao】 quietly spread out.

Consequently, a more bizarre scene appeared on the battlefield:

A Qilin God Sovereign who was about to unleash a divine ability suddenly slipped, fell flat on his face, and his magic power was instantly interrupted;

A True Dragon that was spewing dragon breath suddenly sneezed, its dragon breath veering off by a hundred and eight thousand miles, blasting onto its own ally;

A frenzied Phoenix powerhouse, while chasing a Turtle Clan cultivator, suddenly fell into a space crack nearby...

All kinds of "accidents" occurred frequently; although they did not cause fatal damage, they greatly disrupted the rhythm of the battlefield, making the originally frenzied attacks stumble and stutter.

Ming He looked at his masterpiece with a smile on his face.

Having stepped into the Tai Su Realm, he could already skillfully control his 【Unscrupulous Heavenly Dao】!

"Meng Zhang, how about you and I have our two clans cease fighting?" The White Tiger God Sovereign felt relieved seeing Fu Xi snatch away the Metal Qilin.

"Good!" On the Dragon Clan side, the Gui Gui Chengxiang exhausted his life force, finally broke through the siege, and left with the Ancestral Dragon's corpse.

The Azure Dragon looked at the frenzied Phoenix Clan, then bowed to the sky: "Since the Taiwei Heavenly Emperor has mediated, we are willing to give the Heavenly Emperor face."

"But the fellow daoists of the Phoenix Clan do not seem rational; I hope Taiwei can persuade them."

"We will leave first."

Subsequently, he led the Dragon Clan gods to retreat continuously.

The Qilin Clan side also took the opportunity to slip away.

The Primordial Sages who were fishing in troubled waters saw the Taiwei gods arrive and also began to lose heart.

"Dragon Clan, Qilin Clan, we are not finished!" These Sages transformed into the Phoenix Clan, shouting slogans, and chased in the direction where the Dragon Clan and Qilin Clan were retreating.

【Are these our people?】 The Phoenix Clan side was also somewhat puzzled.

How could their clansmen be getting more numerous the more they fought?

【Never mind, let's catch up first and give them a hard blow, otherwise wouldn't our clan leader have died in vain?】

【No!】

Zhu Que stopped the further frenzied actions of the clansmen.

She looked with considerable wariness at the Taiwei gods above the nine heavens, especially the two figures standing side by side at the highest point.

"We will also retreat!"

Zhu Que was very rational.

The Phoenix Clan's leader was gone.

But they didn't have only one leader.

"Clan Leader Yuan Feng, it is time for you to shoulder the heavy burden!"

Zhu Que's eyes flashed, and then she led the clansmen to retreat.

Ming He watched the three clans retreat.

He was quite surprised: "Are they giving us so much face?"

"It's not giving us face; it's just that they are more realistic." Zhen Yuanzi and Zhunti returned, the expressions on their faces somewhat regretful, as if they hadn't had enough fun.

At the highest point of the firmament.

Xiang Xuanqing and Luo Hou stood side by side.

He said: "The one-hundred-thousand-year pact seems to give us a breathing space, but it is actually fraught with danger. This person Hongjun is definitely not someone to be trifled with; he will certainly use this time to layout the Primordial and accumulate strength."

"Indeed." Luo Hou nodded, his expression solemn, "Although the method of Slaying the Three Corpses was temporarily broken by you, he may not be without backup plans. Furthermore, if he were to advance to Hunyuan..."

"Hunyuan?"

A flash of brilliance crossed Xiang Xuanqing's eyes, and he laughed: "I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

"In these one hundred thousand years, I also have some plans."

Xiang Xuanqing changed the subject, not continuing to delve into this topic, but turning to himself.

"The Tai Shi Realm, although it can reverse 'Body' and 'Quality' and has stepped into the stage of 'Form,' ultimately still remains in the category of 'Existence.' I wish to go a step further and peek into the mystery of that 'Non-Existence.'"

His eyes shimmered with unfathomable light: "Additionally, I still need to prepare a few things."

"Oh? What are they?" Luo Hou became interested.

"The first is the 'Heart of the Chaotic Stubborn Stone.' This item is the most original and solid 'Quality' from before the Chaos opened, and it may help me deduce the limit of 'Existence.'"

"There is such a thing?" Luo Hou was curious; why hadn't he heard of it?

"Of course there is!"

Xiang Xuanqing laughed: "You have even seen it, Fellow Daoist."

"I have seen it?" Luo Hou thought back and forth, unable to think of what the Heart of the Chaotic Stubborn Stone was.

Until Xiang Xuanqing said: "Shen Ni!"

Luo Hou suddenly realized: "You mean his coffin?"

He looked at Xiang Xuanqing with a somewhat peculiar expression; Shen Ni was already dead, and he was still being targeted?

"The peace of the Primordial cannot be without the help of Fellow Daoist Shen Ni!" Xiang Xuanqing laughed.

Luo Hou also laughed.

"I hope his coffin is truly useful to you."

Shen Ni's Chaotic Coffin was indeed resistant to dismantling.

He had dismantled it I don't know how many times, but every time he encountered Shen Ni, the other party's coffin would appear intact.

"The second thing I need to prepare is to refine a spiritual treasure like an hourglass. This item is needed to solidify or even reverse space-time in a small area; perhaps it can restrain Hongjun's 'Reverse Heaven and Sun' method."

"That is true."

Luo Hou nodded.

Hongjun's divine ability was not much worse than 【Friend Yinghuo Shang Zun】's.

It's just that one is serious, and the other is more unserious.

"The third..." Xiang Xuanqing paused, a strange brilliance flashing in his eyes, "I must go to the beginning of the creation of the world again, hoping to glimpse a trace of the mystery of 'Tai Wu' from it."

Luo Hou felt his heart tremble.

"You still want to go to the beginning of the creation of the world?"

"Exploring the Great Dao, one must take some risks."

Xiang Xuanqing laughed: "Don't you want to know what wonderful things will happen when a Tai Tai Shi Da Luo meets Great Pangu?"

"... I don't!" Luo Hou answered hypocritically.

If not necessary, he really didn't want to see Pangu again.

After all, he hadn't experienced what it was like for a Third Realm Great Luo to meet Pangu.

"However, having said that."

Luo Hou looked at Xiang Xuanqing and asked curiously: "You are going to the beginning of the creation of the world, just to explore the principle of Tai Wu?"

Xiang Xuanqing blinked and said sincerely: "Of course!"

"Otherwise, why would I go to the beginning of the creation of the world? To seek abuse?"

"Who knows..." Luo Hou muttered in a low voice.

Some gods are serious on the surface; who knows what they are thinking in their hearts?

"Let's go, let's go back to have a meeting first; these preparations will have to wait until later."

Xiang Xuanqing summoned everyone back.

He also thoughtfully sent messages to the deceased 【Friend Yinghuo Shang Zun】 Yuan Huang and 【Chen Xing Shang Zun】 Ancestral Dragon.

Mount Bai Yu Jing, clouds and mists were ethereal, and immortal energy was abundant.

Hongjun and Yang Mei sat opposite each other, but the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Daoist Yang Mei closed his eyes to rest, the laws of space around him constantly being born and dying, but his brows were tightly locked, as if that unbearable memory deep in his soul was like the most stubborn stain, impossible to wipe away no matter how he tried.

He even secretly made up his mind that in the future, when he went out, he must wear an "anti-stain inner armor" of the level of a supreme spiritual treasure inside his Daoist robe, and add nine hundred and ninety-nine Heart-Clearing Spells and space isolation arrays!

【One must guard against it even if it's impossible to guard against!】 Yang Mei was truly afraid of Xiang Xuanqing.

Facing such a talented player, he definitely couldn't out-abstract him, so he could only strengthen his own defense.

Hopefully, it would be of some use.

Hongjun, on the other hand, repeatedly deduced every detail of the battle with Xiang Xuanqing.

【Tai Tai Shi Da Luo... reversing the essence...】 His eyes shimmered.

【This path is too bizarre; it can actually act directly on the essence of the Great Dao, ignoring ordinary defenses! The method of Slaying the Three Corpses was actually broken so easily... and those strange and bizarre spiritual treasures of his, seemingly absurd, yet always able to exert miraculous effects at critical moments.】

He took a deep breath, suppressing the irritability in his heart.

Hongjun and Yang Mei were empty around them.

The Three Pure Ones, Yao Chi, Yin Yang, Qian Kun, Dian Dao, and other immortals had all gone to busy themselves with the affairs of the Dao Alliance.

The collective offline status of the three clan Primogenitors had greatly boosted the spirits of the Immortal Dao side.

They needed to seize this lull period to continue promoting the spirit of the Dao Alliance and expand this "victory"!

It didn't matter if they didn't beat Taiwei; at least they didn't lose.

Not losing is victory.

Next, the Immortal Dao must unite all forces that can be united and then focus on dealing with Taiwei.

"The Primordial landscape is about to change; this is the opportunity for our Immortal Dao to follow Heaven and respond to the people, and to take charge of education! One hundred thousand years is enough!" Hongjun thought about the beautiful future and swept away the depression in his heart.

"What arrangements do you have?" Yang Mei asked.

Hongjun said: "You and I need to cultivate diligently to make up for our shortcomings. I want to combine the method of Slaying the Three Corpses with the Creation Jade Disk to deduce a more perfect method that is harder to reverse, and at the same time, start preparing for 'Merging with the Dao'!"

"Merging with the Dao?!" Yang Mei was startled.

"Indeed!"

A flash of determination crossed Hongjun's eyes, "Only by merging with the Heavenly Dao can one mobilize the power of the Primordial origin and completely suppress all anomalies!"

"This is the grand and righteous path, the trend of the times!"

"Likewise, this is also a shortcut for me to deduce the path to achieving Hunyuan."

Yang Mei was extremely surprised: "Merging with the Dao is a shortcut to achieving Hunyuan?"

"Correct!"

Hongjun explained: "Before the Primordial Heavenly Dao appeared, I repeatedly deduced and sought the principle of Hunyuan Wuji, but every time I failed to grasp the essence."

"It wasn't until the Primordial Heavenly Dao was born that the path to the heavens in my heart tended to mature!"

"Pangu transformed into all things and thus there is the Primordial; if we master the Heaven of the Primordial, we can act on behalf of Pangu's will."

"If I merge with Heaven, I am merging with Pangu's will."

Hongjun said with a serious face: "Pangu connects the two eras of Chaos and the Primordial; he is the 'Non-Existence' of the previous era, and also the 'Existence' of this era!"

"Merging with Pangu's will, whether it is achieving the ultimate 'Existence' or reversing to the ultimate void of 'Non-Existence,' I can seek and realize it!"

As he spoke, Hongjun drew a circle in the void.

"Without above, without below, without before, without after, silent and desolate, independent and unchanging, circulating without end, encompassing both existence and non-existence—only then can one be called 'Dao Achieving Hunyuan'."

Yang Mei stared at this circle, deep in thought for a long time.

"'Non-Existence' and 'Existence' can both be sought; is this what it means to achieve Hunyuan?"

"Indeed!"

Hongjun said: "Slaying the corpse to achieve the Dao, the process of 'Slaying the Three Corpses' is approaching 'Non-Existence,' so my previous idea was to seek the ultimate void."

"Previously, the Gambling Stone Immortal (Jie Yin) mentioned the method of 'Abandoning Name and Discarding Vessel' to achieve Hunyuan, which I think is very good and can perfectly explain why I intended to pass the position of Dao Ancestor to the Three Pure Ones at that time."

"Wait!" Yang Mei suddenly interrupted Hongjun.

He asked: "You didn't think so before?"

At that time, in order to keep the Three Pure Ones, Hongjun had spent a lot of capital and once wanted to yield the position of Dao Ancestor.

At that time, everyone was in the dark.

It was only Jie Yin who had a flash of inspiration and pointed out the deep meaning—it might be related to Hongjun's method of achieving the Dao.

Everyone deeply agreed.

Now that Hongjun meant this, were they all overthinking it at the time?

"You were indeed overthinking it."

Hongjun laughed: "Although I was seeking the Pangu Great Dao at that time, I hadn't found a reliable direction."

"But the Gambling Stone Immortal's train of thought gave me some inspiration."

"'Abandoning Name and Discarding Vessel,' casting aside everything and throwing oneself into non-existence, this can also be considered my initial conception of 'Hunyuan'."

After explaining, Hongjun added: "But later I discovered that the ultimate goal of Hunyuan shouldn't actually fall on 'the non-existence of the ultimate void'."

"Everything is void, then what? The result would probably be—I will have no self, and the Dao will have no Dao."

Hongjun laughed: "The Pangu without self and without Dao is not what my Immortal Dao pursues."

"Pangu, Pangu, manipulating the principles of ancient and modern times; Hunyuan, Hunyuan, mixing the origin of existence and non-existence."

"In this way, the Great Dao can be achieved!"

——

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(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 352 =====