Volume One: The Lich's Calamity Chapter 220: The Crimson Clouds Descend, The Celestial Court's Conspiracy

“Danger, he’s about to self-destruct!”

But by the time they realized it, it was already too late.

Several explosions rang out as the three copies of Hong Yun detonated themselves, taking many powerful quasi-Saint cultivators with them in a mutual annihilation.

With a series of heavy bangs, countless blood splattered across the battlefield.

Just when many thought it was over, Hong Yun resolutely chose to self-destruct his true body once more.

A blood-red cloud rapidly burst open, and even Di Jun and the others were caught in the blast, suffering minor injuries.

Those with weaker cultivation levels perished entirely in the explosion.

In the end, only a faint thread of Hong Yun’s primordial spirit slipped into the Dispersed Soul Gourd and fled swiftly.

At that moment, Di Jun and the others still alive had no time to attend to Hong Yun or his magical treasures.

Because as Hong Yun self-destructed, a wisp of purple Qi of primordial chaos suddenly appeared before them.

“The Hongmeng Purple Qi! Grab it!”

Instantly, the remaining powerful beings scrambled to seize the Hongmeng Purple Qi.

Just then, Zhen Yuanzi returned but found he was still too late—Hong Yun was dead, with only a trace of his primordial spirit having escaped.

Seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi reached out and summoned the Dispersed Soul Gourd into his hand, then captured the other three remaining magical treasures.

“Hong Yun, my friend!”

Looking at the gourd in his hand, Zhen Yuanzi’s emotions surfaced, tears streaming down his face.

Then, casting a glance at Di Jun and the others, his imposing aura pressed them down, forcing them to sink into the earth.

Cold sweat broke out on the brows of Di Jun and the rest in an instant.

“No wonder Nuwa let me leave so easily—it turns out he had long been aware of this!”

Just as Zhen Yuanzi was about to take further action, he noticed the presence of a heavenly mandate on Di Jun and the others. With a cold snort, he swiftly headed toward Buzhou Mountain.

Watching Zhen Yuanzi depart, Di Jun and the rest breathed a slight sigh of relief.

They then resumed their scramble for the Hongmeng Purple Qi.

Once again, a fierce battle erupted.

As the fighting wore on, many quasi-Saint and Da Luo experts perished.

Yet what Di Jun and the others never expected was that when only a few remained at the scene, just as they were about to seize the Hongmeng Purple Qi, they saw it tear through the void and vanish before their eyes.

For a moment, countless powerful beings were dumbfounded.

They had fought so hard and shed so much blood for this Hongmeng Purple Qi, only to see it disappear right before them.

What, then, had they truly gained?

Di Jun and the others wore grim expressions and could only return to the Heavenly Court in silence.

***

Buzhou Mountain.

After leaving, Zhen Yuanzi arrived at Buzhou Mountain.

“Master, please intervene and save our friend Hong Yun!”

“Ah, foolish child, this is his destined calamity! Even if I were to resurrect him, what would it avail?”

Qing Xuan sighed as he replied upon seeing Zhen Yuanzi’s earnest plea.

“But…”

Zhen Yuanzi was quickly cut off.

“No more buts. If I were to act, I could help him restore his essence, but do you think this is truly what he desires?”

Qing Xuan pointed at the gourd in Zhen Yuanzi’s hand, and a wisp of primordial spirit flew out from it.

“Brother Zhen Yuanzi!”

Hong Yun’s spirit appeared and greeted the familiar figure, then looked toward Qing Xuan.

“Senior!”

“Enough now. Your tribulation has passed. Do you wish for me to help you reconstruct your origin and revive your Hong Yun form? Or...?”

Qing Xuan fixed his gaze seriously on Hong Yun after speaking.

Hong Yun first looked at Zhen Yuanzi and said, “Brother Zhen Yuanzi, it has been my blessing to meet you in this life. Though my fate has come to such an end, I have no regrets! Since this is the result, I will not live again under the name Hong Yun or as my original self.”

“Friend Hong Yun, why must you be so? To live anew—”

“Brother Zhen Yuanzi, no need to persuade me. My will is firm. I leave it to you, Dao Lord.”

With unwavering resolve, Hong Yun finished speaking to Zhen Yuanzi and then looked to Qing Xuan.

Qing Xuan waved his hand, and Hong Yun’s primordial spirit dissolved on the spot, leaving only a single phrase etched deeply in Zhen Yuanzi’s heart:

“Hong Yun leaves this life without regret, only wishing to meet Brother Dao again in the next.”

Zhen Yuanzi was deeply shaken, tears streaming down his face.

With Hong Yun’s death, the primordial world lost countless top-tier forces.

“Your Majesty, having just endured this great battle, our Heavenly Court failed to obtain the Hongmeng Purple Qi and has instead weakened considerably. When the Wu clan invades, how shall we respond?”

Many looked to Di Jun and asked anxiously.

“What difficulty is there? The Dragon Clan’s prohibition has been lifted. Recently, many dragons have appeared across the primordial lands. If we offer generous rewards, I do not believe they would refuse to come.”

After much investigation since the Eastern Sea incident, Di Jun discovered that with the lifting of the Dragon Clan’s ban, many dragons, tempted by the outside world, had already ventured into the primordial realm.

Now, as the妖族 finds itself short of manpower, Di Jun can only resort to cunning strategies.

“But what of Ao Qing?”

“Fear not. We are not forcing them to join. No matter how formidable Ao Qing is, would he not consider what is best for his Dragon Clan?”

Dangerous glints flashed in Di Jun’s eyes as he spoke sharply.

Thus, a conspiracy to win over the Dragon Clan began to unfold.

With the Dragon Clan joining the妖族, many powerful aquatic beings from the Four Seas also began to come ashore, subsequently joining the妖族 alongside the dragons.

Moreover, with the妖族 now boasting the esteemed Nuwa, the圣人 known as the Empress Nuwa, many quasi-Saint cultivators were drawn to join.

Though they originally sought Nuwa’s guidance, it was undeniable that, over time, they gradually integrated into the妖族.

In a short span, the妖族’s strength not only recovered but increased significantly beyond before.

After Nuwa’s first discourse, countless experts gained greatly within the Empress Nuwa Palace, inspiring many to believe in the possibility of further advancement and thus flock to the妖族.

In their eyes, since Nuwa remained the妖族’s圣人 and did not publicly sever ties, that meant the妖族 was their best current refuge—and perhaps they might receive Nuwa’s guidance and soar in strength.

Recalling Nuwa’s lecture:

“Junior sister Nuwa, congratulations! Among us, it seems you were the first to reach the圣人 realm.”

“Yes, Sister Nuwa, could you tell us how to break through to the圣人?”

Zhun Ti eagerly looked at Nuwa, seeking answers.

But to Zhun Ti’s disappointment, Nuwa only shook her head without offering a precise method.

“Sister Nuwa, now that you alone among us have become a圣人, you ought to share your method with us. We will never forget your great kindness!”

Nuwa’s silence only made Zhun Ti more insistent.

“Hss, do you truly want Junior Sister Nuwa to tell you?”

At this, Yuan Shi looked at Zhun Ti with a mischievous expression.

“Senior brother, does Yuan Shi mean they already know how to advance to圣人?”

Hearing Yuan Shi’s words, Zhun Ti quietly asked Jie Yin via spiritual transmission.

Jie Yin glanced at the Three Pure Ones and then shook his head at Zhun Ti.

Finally, Nuwa began her discourse, and they listened intently. Tens of thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye.