Chapter 229: Shocking the Four Directions

Outside Shouyang City, on Shouyang Mountain.

The Heart-Refining Rainbow Bridge remained suspended there, attracting the gazes of many Great Desolation powerhouses.

Previously, when Lu Yun and Nuwa left the Map of Mountains and Rivers together to head to various parts of the Great Desolation to recruit other powerhouses, many people had also participated in the Rainbow Bridge trial one after another.

Of course, due to Lu Yun's prior arrangements, the treatment these people received was not the same.

Human powerhouses like Dashan would be sent into Lu Yun's Universe World to receive comprehensive assistance. Meanwhile, individuals from other races and factions would receive rewards such as Magic Treasures or Supernatural Powers within the Map of Mountains and Rivers.

As for those still outside the Heart-Refining Rainbow Bridge, they were either unable to pass the Heart-Refining Rainbow Bridge, or they were people who did not yet dare to try stepping onto it; another portion consisted of those who, like Sanxiao, had already obtained benefits within the Map of Mountains and Rivers and had already come out.

Naturally, they had all perceived the commotion just now when the twelve Ancestral Witches opened the Netherworld and created the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Underworld.

Some powerhouses like Great Luo Golden Immortals naturally rushed to the Nether Blood Sea at the first opportunity to watch the spectacle, and later, upon learning that the Earthly Faction and the Heavenly Dao Faction were going to have a decisive battle in Chaos, they all flocked to Chaos.

The people left at the scene were mostly at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level; even if they had the heart to go, they knew they could not catch up with the excitement, so they remained here.

However, even though they could not go to watch the battle, at this moment, they could not help but discuss the matter.

Disciples of the Three Teachings such as Duobao, Guangchengzi, and Xuandu, as well as the many cultivators at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level present, were discussing it heatedly, feeling shocked and curious about the news that a clash was about to erupt between the Earthly and Heavenly Dao factions.

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of thin air in the void passage connected to the Heart-Refining Rainbow Bridge; it was Lu Yun.

His appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

A trace of astonishment flashed in the eyes of Duobao, Xuandu, and others, and they all secretly wondered in their hearts: "Shouldn't Senior Lu Yun be heading to Chaos to participate in the battle? Why has he suddenly returned?"

Just as everyone was puzzled, a dark golden stream of light suddenly tore through the sky, galloping from the direction of the Netherworld, flying straight toward Lu Yun. The stream of light contained majestic energy, as if carrying some kind of mysterious power.

The stream of light landed on Lu Yun, instantly merging into his body and disappearing.

This scene left everyone present dumbfounded; Duobao Daoren and the others were even more shaken in their hearts, as they vaguely felt that the dark golden stream of light was by no means an ordinary object.

Feeling the power of Earthly Dao merit pouring into his body, Lu Yun revealed a satisfied smile on his face. He knew this was the reward he had obtained for assisting the twelve Ancestral Witches in opening up the Netherworld and perfecting the Underworld. However, he did not care.

He simply raised his hand and waved, scattering a purple-golden radiance toward the front.

"Hum!"

Suddenly, a group of imposing human powerhouses appeared before Lu Yun. Each of them had a profound aura, and the pressure radiating from their bodies made the surrounding space tremble.

Seeing this scene, whether it was the disciples of the Three Teachings like Duobao, Guangchengzi, and Xuandu, or other cultivators from various sides, everyone widened their eyes.

"This... are these the humans who were the first to enter the Map of Mountains and Rivers?"

"Hiss! How is this possible? I actually cannot see through their current cultivation!"

"How could this be? Before, they were only Golden Immortals, and only a few had reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal level!"

"No, besides the first batch of humans taken away by Lu Yun, there were some who went in later; their improvement is also very astonishing!"

"Could it be that we all chose wrong before, and only by staying to cultivate in the Map of Mountains and Rivers can one obtain the greatest benefits?!"

There was an uproar outside Shouyang City.

In particular, some who had previously passed the Heart-Refining Rainbow Bridge but ultimately chose only to receive some Spiritual Treasures or Supernatural Powers were unable to accept everything before their eyes at this moment.

After all, if their speculation was correct, it meant they had all missed a tremendous opportunity!...

At the same time, Hongjun in Chaos also noticed the situation here.

After seeing that Dashan had also come out of that strange world, he immediately pinched a secret technique, directly mobilized the Spiritual Treasure on Dashan's body, and learned everything Dashan had seen and heard after entering that world! Thus, he finally had some understanding of the Universe World that he could not investigate before.

He confirmed one thing: behind that passage, there was indeed a world hidden that was completely independent of the Great Desolation, and its scale was not small, and it was developing quite well! Moreover, the flow of time there was somewhat different from the Great Desolation; Dashan felt he had stayed there for many years, while only a few days had passed in the Great Desolation!

And this group of human powerhouses were exactly the elites Lu Yun had cultivated in the Qiankun World; at this moment, under the blessing of ten-thousand-fold time acceleration, their strength had already been greatly improved.

Now, Lu Yun brought them out again precisely to let them pass the Great Luo Immortal Tribulation and achieve the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!

Having learned so much information all at once, Hongjun found it somewhat difficult to digest for a moment, and he had not yet decided how to act.

So much so that the Ancestral Witches like Houtu, who had originally prepared to take action, were suddenly somewhat puzzled when they saw him suddenly in this state.

"What is this Hongjun up to again? Why has he suddenly started dazing?" Zhurong could not help but mutter.

"Never mind what he is up to, let's fight first!" Gonggong transmitted his voice to everyone.

"Good idea!"

Jumang said quickly: "Little sister, don't move yet, let us have a good contest with those Heavenly Dao Saints!"

The Ancestral Witches agreed with Jumang's proposal one after another, and Houtu naturally had no objections.

Thus, the next moment, Dijiang and the others moved, launching an attack toward the Heavenly Dao Faction like eleven thunderbolts.

"Boom—"

Having achieved the Earthly Dao Sub-Saint realm, their strength was no longer comparable to the past, and their respective means of attack were even more astonishing in momentum.

Ancestral Witch Dijiang flashed and disappeared from where he was; when he appeared again, he was already in front of Taiqing Laozi. He gripped a giant sword, a Top-grade Post-celestial Merit Spirit Treasure, with both hands, and the power of spatial laws surged wildly, instantly forming a huge Black Hole in an attempt to swallow Laozi into it.

Ancestral Witch Zhurong let out an angry shout, flames burning fiercely around his body, turning into a fire dragon that pounced toward Yuanshi; wherever the fire dragon passed, the space seemed to be burned and distorted.

Ancestral Witch Gonggong sacrificed a Water God Spear, and with a point of the spear tip, surging river water poured out, turning into a huge water curtain that swept toward Tongtian; the water curtain contained the power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

The other Ancestral Witches also each displayed their Supernatural Powers, either invoking the power of heaven and earth or condensing the might of laws; some launched attacks toward the Western Two Sages, and some even attacked Hongjun directly.

For a time, the entire Chaos was filled with astonishing energy fluctuations. The many Great Desolation powerhouses watching from afar were all startled and hurriedly retreated a distance further, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

They also did not expect that the strength of the twelve Ancestral Witches today would be terrifying to this extent.

Especially the Demon Race members like Di Jun; at this moment, their faces were all green! Besides being shocked, they also had lingering fears! Fortunately, after these Ancestral Witches proved the Dao, they first had a conflict with Hongjun! If these Ancestral Witches had come directly to trouble the Demon Race, how could their Demon Race have resisted?

Now Di Jun and the others hoped even more that the Heavenly Dao Faction could completely annihilate these Ancestral Witches! Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao Faction was indeed not weak.

The Three Pure Ones each sacrificed their Dharma treasures; Yuanshi Tianzun held the Jade Ruyi, Laozi sacrificed the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda, and Tongtian Jiaozhu brandished the Qingping Sword. The three people's Dharma treasures bloomed with dazzling light, barely blocking the attacks of the Ancestral Witches.

The Western Two Sages were also not to be outdone; Zhunti Daoren held the Seven Treasures Tree, and Jieyin Daoren sacrificed the Twelfth-Grade Merit Golden Lotus. The two people's Dharma treasures also radiated powerful might, contending with the attacks of the Ancestral Witches.

Although Nuwa was not attacked, after hesitating slightly, she also took a little action, but mainly to drive her Spiritual Treasure for defense.

Thus, the attacks of the Ancestral Witches were eventually all blocked.

Hongjun stood behind everyone, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield coldly. He was expressionless, but his heart was surging with Surging Waves.

It was not that he was surprised by the strength displayed by the Ancestral Witches, but that he did not expect Lu Yun to be able to possess such a world and even be able to activate time acceleration, to the point of cultivating so many human Great Luo Golden Immortal powerhouses in a short period! He knew even more that before Lu Yun brought Dashan and the others out, he had taught them the "Zhou Tian Star Formation"! Next, Lu Yun would inevitably take advantage of the time he, Hongjun, was entangled with these Ancestral Witches to let this group of humans pass the Great Luo Immortal Tribulation! By then, the Human Race would truly have obtained the strength to contend with the Demon Race, and coupled with Lu Yun, this anomaly, it might really be that the Demon Race would not be the Human Race's match!

This was not at all the situation he had originally expected to see! He absolutely could not let this group of Human Race Great Luo Golden Immortals succeed in their Tribulation Transcendence! Hongjun could not help but want to take advantage of the chaos of the battle between the two sides to strike at Lu Yun and that group of Human Race powerhouses, so as to prevent them from passing the Great Luo Immortal Tribulation and strengthening the Human Race's power. However, Houtu seemed to have sensed his intention and actually attacked him regardless of everything else.

"Hum!"

Houtu's figure appeared exceptionally tall within the Chaos, her aura as vast as the sea, as if connected to the entire Netherworld. The Twelve-Rank Reincarnation Purple Lotus beneath her feet bloomed with dazzling light, and the Human Book Life and Death Ledger and Spring and Autumn Judge Pen in her hands drew out surges of Earthly Dao power that surged forth, condensing into a terrifying attack that went straight for Hongjun.

Hongjun frowned; he had not expected that Houtu, having only just Proved the Dao, would possess such formidable strength.

However, based on the information brought back by that Spiritual Treasure he had specifically gifted to Dashan, he deduced that Houtu had already attempted to open the Six Paths of Reincarnation in that world, and he felt relieved.

It was all that damned Lu Yun's fault! As this thought flashed through his mind, Hongjun also suddenly steadied his focus.

The power Houtu was displaying at this moment was something even he had to treat seriously.

He took a deep breath, mobilized the Heavenly Dao power within his body, and formed seals with his hands; a brilliant light of the Heavenly Dao shot out from his palms, meeting Houtu's attack.

"Boom!"

The two forces collided in the Chaos, erupting with an earth-shattering roar. The Chaos Qi was stirred into violent turbulence by this power, as if it wanted to swallow everything around it.

Even Heavenly Dao Saints like Laozi, and Earthly Dao Sub-Saints like Dijiang, had to retreat a distance under such a collision.

The crowd watching from afar was even more stunned by this scene, unable to speak.

Even Minghe and Fuxi, who had witnessed Houtu becoming a Saint with their own eyes, never expected that Houtu's current strength could actually contend with Hongjun; this was simply beyond their imagination!

Above the Primordial Land.

At this moment, Lu Yun stood at the peak of Shouyang Mountain, his gaze like a torch, scanning the entire Primordial Land.

He suddenly spoke, his voice loud and firm, spreading throughout the entire Primordial Land: "Today, my Human Race powerhouses are here to invoke the power of the Zhou Tian Star Formation to pass the Great Luo Immortal Tribulation; I ask you all to bear witness together!"

Once these words were spoken, everyone present felt somewhat bewildered, not quite understanding Lu Yun's meaning.

But Lu Yun did not explain anything to them; he waved his hand directly at the Three Ancestors of the Human Race and the many Human Race powerhouses before him, saying: "You may begin!"

"We obey!"

Consequently, a group of Human Race Great Luo Golden Immortals suddenly flew into the high sky.

At the same time, those Taiyi Golden Immortals scattered in all directions.

Seeing such a formation, Duobao and the others could not help but become nervous.

Guangchengzi: "What does this mean? What is Lu Yun trying to make them do?"

Duobao: "Listening to the meaning of his words just now, it seems he wants this group of Human Race powerhouses to pass the Great Luo Golden Immortal Tribulation together?"

Xuandu: "So, does that mean they have all indeed achieved the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm?"

Zhao Gongming: "No, what Lu Yun said just now was to have them invoke the power of the Zhou Tian Star Formation to pass the tribulation? Could it be that he is referring to the 'Zhou Tian Star Formation'?"

Yunxiao: "This doesn't seem very strange, does it? Didn't he obtain the 'Zhou Tian Star Formation' from the Demon Race before?"

Antarctic Immortal: "Hiss! Such a thing—the Demon Race couldn't possibly just sit by and watch, right?"

Jinling Shengmu: "How could they stop it? Senior Lu Yun himself forcibly borrowed the 'Zhou Tian Star Formation' to pass his tribulation before, and the Demon Race couldn't stop him then either!"

Just as the disciples of the Three Teachings were discussing this, they were shocked to discover that a terrifying pressure was coming from the firmament.

Everyone looked up at the high sky one after another, and sure enough, they saw a massive Tribulation Cloud brewing.

And just as they had expected, what the Human Race was invoking at this moment was indeed the Great Luo Golden Immortal Tribulation! Three hundred and sixty-five humans were passing the Great Luo Golden Immortal Tribulation together!

Such a spectacle had been unprecedented since the opening of the Great Desolation.

Furthermore, just as Duobao and the others had guessed, whether it was the three hundred and sixty-five Human Race Great Luo Golden Immortals preparing to pass the tribulation in the high sky, or the ten-plus thousand Human Race Taiyi Golden Immortals scattered below to coordinate, they were all arranged according to the formation of the Zhou Tian stars, and even in their hands, a Star Array Flag had appeared!

Inside Bajing Palace on Shouyang Mountain, Laozi's Good Corpse, Taishang Laojun, could not help but be dumbfounded when he saw this scene.

His expression suddenly changed: "No, this... this is not just a matter of the Human Race passing a tribulation; this is... Humanity is about to collide head-on with the Heavenly Dao!"

(End of chapter)