Instead of being angry after sensing the Eastern King Duke's provocation, Emperor Jun was somewhat happy.
"It seems I overestimated the Eastern King Duke before. This person has just been appointed as the Head of Male Immortals by the Saint and is already so arrogant. He's nothing more than a clown. If he doesn't provoke our Yao Race later, I can still give Hongjun Saint some Face. But if he does, I don't mind dealing with him along the way."
Although the West Queen Mother was appointed as the Head of Female Immortals by Hongjun, her Face was full of worry at this moment, as she keenly sensed the malice in everyone's eyes.
Moreover, she had no intention of establishing a force to manage the Great Desolation, so she only wanted to minimize her presence at this moment.
The people in Zixiao Palace saw the Eastern King Duke's appearance and became even more displeased, secretly sneering:
"Hmph, Eastern King Duke, you think that just because you are favored by Hongjun Saint and became the Head of Male Immortals, we will listen to you? Dream on!"
However, the Eastern King Duke, who was full of vigor at this time, did not notice the change in attitude of the people present towards him.
Seeing this, Taichu felt a trace of pity in his heart and secretly sighed, "No wonder the Eastern King Duke's final fate was so tragic; I'm afraid these people are also involved. But this Eastern King Duke is truly muddled. He's not being low-key at this moment and is still so arrogant. Does he think his Life Qi is too long?"
Taichu then looked at the West Queen Mother, who was hiding in a corner, and secretly thought, "This West Queen Mother is quite clear-headed."
The West Queen Mother noticed Taichu's gaze and smiled gently at him, her eyes full of goodwill.
After glancing at everyone present, Hongjun continued, "My Dao is complete. My third sermon will be in three Yuanhui, where I will explain the Dao of the Hunyuan Saint. All of you may leave now."
After speaking, Hongjun's figure disappeared into Zixiao Palace.
And even though the people in Zixiao Palace had guessed that Hongjun's third sermon would be about the Dao of the Hunyuan Saint, they were still very excited when they heard Hongjun actually say it.
However, since Hongjun had already disappeared, they could only suppress the excitement in their hearts.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu, I, the Eastern King Duke, offer my greetings. I wonder if I could invite Fellow Daoist to Zifu Continent for a gathering?"
Just as Taichu was about to leave, he was stopped by the Eastern King Duke.
Anyone in Zixiao Palace who wasn't blind could see that Taichu was favored by Hongjun, so the Eastern King Duke's first target for recruitment naturally fell upon Taichu.
Looking at the Eastern King Duke in front of him, Taichu shook his head, "Fellow Daoist Eastern King Duke, I have other important matters to attend to, so I'm afraid I cannot go to Fellow Daoist's Zifu Continent."
Taichu originally had no intention of joining any force in the Great Desolation, and even if he did, he would not choose to join the Eastern King Duke's force.
He knew that the Immortal Court established by the Eastern King Duke would later be annihilated by the Yao Race, and the Eastern King Duke, that unfortunate fellow, would be the first Quasi-Saint to fall in the Great Desolation.
However, there is also a saying that the Eastern King Duke left a wisp of remnant soul and eventually underwent Reincarnation to become Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, and Lü Dongbin's strength was at most that of a Golden Immortal.
From a Quasi-Saint mighty figure to a Golden Immortal.
Thinking of this, Taichu couldn't help but look at the Eastern King Duke with pity.
At this moment, the Eastern King Duke had no idea of Taichu's thoughts.
After hearing Taichu's refusal, his Face instantly darkened. He had originally thought that even if Taichu didn't accept his recruitment, he would at least give him some Face.
But he never expected Taichu to give him no Face at all.
Moreover, the Eastern King Duke could feel that the gazes of the people in Zixiao Palace were full of mockery, which made him realize that if he didn't use Taichu to establish his authority, it would be difficult for him to recruit the others in Zixiao Palace later.
Thinking of this, the Eastern King Duke's gaze towards Taichu became sharp.
"Hongjun Saint has just appointed me as the Head of Male Immortals, and Fellow Daoist is already showing such disrespect?"
As soon as the Eastern King Duke uttered these words, he attracted the attention of everyone in Zixiao Palace.
"Is this Eastern King Duke crazy? Not to mention that Fellow Daoist Taichu is favored by Hongjun, there must be reasons we don't know about. Provoking him like this might even lead to Hongjun Saint taking action."
"Even if Hongjun Saint doesn't act, Fellow Daoist Taichu has the cultivation of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal Late Stage. How dare the Eastern King Duke, a fellow who just had a Breakthrough to the Middle Stage, provoke him like this?"
"Hahaha, good! This Eastern King Duke actually wants to offend Taichu. It seems we won't even need to act for his position as the Head of Male Immortals to become a mere title!" Taiyi's Face lit up when he heard the Eastern King Duke's words.
He had just been planning to discuss with Emperor Jun about ambushing the Eastern King Duke after leaving Zixiao Palace, teaching him a lesson and making him lose all Face, so that his position as the Head of Male Immortals would not be recognized by anyone.
But he never expected that the Eastern King Duke would actually go and provoke Taichu.
Emperor Jun, however, frowned as he looked at the Eastern King Duke's figure.
"He has a bit of cleverness. If he actually succeeds, it would be a small hassle."
Emperor Jun's perspective was more far-reaching.
The Eastern King Duke provoking Taichu like this was partly out of anger that Taichu had rebuffed him, and partly to prove his own strength.
Even if Taichu took action to teach him a lesson, as long as he, a Grand Unity Golden Immortal Middle Stage existence, could hold his own against Taichu, a Grand Unity Golden Immortal Late Stage, then his goal would be achieved.
And the Eastern King Duke's confidence naturally stemmed from the top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Dragon Head Crutch, that Hongjun had bestowed upon him.
And the Eastern King Duke's thoughts at this moment were indeed the same as Emperor Jun's.
"I now have the top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Dragon Head Crutch. As long as Taichu acts, I can definitely stall Taichu for a period of time with this treasure. And when I can no longer contend, I will ask for peace. I am the Head of Male Immortals appointed by Hongjun Saint. Taichu should give Hongjun Saint some Face. If I ask for peace and Taichu doesn't give Face, it might even cause Hongjun Saint to intervene on my behalf. At that time, everyone present will see Hongjun Saint's protection of me, and it will be much easier for me to recruit them later."
Taichu didn't consider so much. At this moment, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the Eastern King Duke.
"Fellow Daoist Eastern King Duke, are you trying to use Hongjun Saint to pressure me?"
"This Eastern King Duke is going to be unlucky. He actually dares to offend Fellow Daoist Taichu." Hongyun looked at the Eastern King Duke with a hint of schadenfreude, seeing Taichu's narrowed eyes.
The Three Pure Ones and others also looked at the Eastern King Duke and Taichu with curiosity.
When they had discussed the Dao with Taichu before, they felt that Taichu's strength was probably very strong.
However, they had not fought at that time and did not know Taichu's actual strength.
Now, the Eastern King Duke provoking Taichu gave them an opportunity.
Zhenyuanzi shook his head as he looked at the Eastern King Duke provoking Taichu, "Fellow Daoist Eastern King Duke is probably going to lose Face this time."
Minghe, however, was more practical. Upon hearing the Eastern King Duke's words, his figure instantly appeared beside Taichu, and at this moment, Minghe's Abi Sword and Yuan Tu Sword also immediately appeared beside him.
Minghe glared at Eastern King Duke with a predatory gaze. "Eastern King Duke, are you trying to provoke us brothers?"
If not for the fact that this was Zixiao Palace, Minghe probably wouldn't have bothered with Eastern King Duke and would have directly attacked him with his two swords.
Seeing Minghe and the Abi Sword and Yuantu Sword beside him, Eastern King Duke's expression changed. "Damn it, Brother Tai Chu and Minghe are on such good terms? Aren't their Dao conflicting? How can their relationship be so good?"
Ever since the Dragon Han Calamity, Brother Tai Chu and Minghe had almost never appeared in the world.
During the first sermon, although Brother Tai Chu and Minghe arrived at Zixiao Palace together, at that time, only the Three Pure Ones were outside Zixiao Palace, and Brother Tai Chu had entered Zixiao Palace early. By the time the sermon ended, Eastern King Duke had already left when Brother Tai Chu and Minghe departed.
Furthermore, when they were vying for the gourd vine, Brother Tai Chu was not by Minghe's side.
And for this sermon, Minghe had arrived at Zixiao Palace early, while Brother Tai Chu arrived very late. Eastern King Duke truly did not know that these two were brothers.
And the people in Zixiao Palace were also very surprised to see Minghe come to Brother Tai Chu's side. Many of them also did not know the relationship between Brother Tai Chu and Minghe.
"It seems Eastern King Duke is going to miscalculate this time." Many people in Zixiao Palace looked at Minghe, who was confronting Eastern King Duke, and couldn't help but show expressions of schadenfreude.
"I didn't expect Brother Tai Chu to be brothers with Minghe. It seems I need to find a way to try and win over these two to my Yao Race later."
Emperor Jun no longer cared about Eastern King Duke at this moment; he was already considering winning over Brother Tai Chu and Minghe.
Houtu was originally uninterested in the conflict between Brother Tai Chu and Eastern King Duke, but from a trace of Qi that Brother Tai Chu revealed, he sensed a similar Qi to their Witch Race.
At this moment, Houtu looked at Brother Tai Chu not far away with confusion.
"Why does Fellow Daoist Tai Chu have a Qi similar to our Witch Race? Is it possible he is related to our Witch Race?"
"Brother, let me handle it." Brother Tai Chu pulled Minghe, who was blocking his way, back.
After hearing Brother Tai Chu's words, Minghe glared fiercely at Eastern King Duke, then put away his Abi Sword and Yuantu Sword, returning to Brother Tai Chu's side.
Eastern King Duke knew he had messed things up this time after seeing Minghe's gaze.
"Damn it, I miscalculated. If the two of them attack together, not only will I be unable to prove my strength, but I might also be in danger of losing my life." Thinking of this, Eastern King Duke quickly began to explain.
"Fellow Daoist Tai Chu, this humble Daoist spoke out of turn just now. I apologize to Fellow Daoist."
However, Brother Tai Chu ignored Eastern King Duke's apology and instead smiled as he looked at Eastern King Duke. "Fellow Daoist Eastern King Duke, you still haven't answered my question from just now. Are you trying to use Saint Hongjun to pressure me?"
"No, this humble Daoist has never had such a thought," Eastern King Duke said with a somber expression.
"Good, since Fellow Daoist has no intention of using Saint Hongjun to pressure me, that means it is you, Eastern King Duke, who has an issue with me, Brother Tai Chu. In that case, this humble Daoist will have to settle this matter with Eastern King Duke."
Upon hearing Brother Tai Chu's words, a hint of panic appeared in Eastern King Duke's eyes. He knew that his previous reliance was the Dragon Head Crutch he had just obtained and the protection of Saint Hongjun.
But he had just said that this matter had nothing to do with Saint Hongjun, so even if something happened to him, Saint Hongjun would have no reason to intervene.
And although his Dragon Head Crutch was a High Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, Brother Tai Chu might also have one, and the Abi Sword and Yuantu Sword that Minghe had just summoned clearly had the aura of top-tier Innate Spirit Treasures of the killing type.
Furthermore, both Brother Tai Chu and Minghe were Grand Unity Golden Immortals of the Late Stage, Eastern King Duke truly did not know how he could defeat the two of them.
"Fellow Daoist, this humble Daoist apologizes, this humble Daoist apologizes, this matter is this humble Daoist's fault." At this moment, Eastern King Duke no longer cared about his reputation and quickly begged Brother Tai Chu for mercy.
Upon hearing Eastern King Duke's plea for mercy, everyone in Zixiao Palace looked at Eastern King Duke with contempt.
Eastern King Duke lowered his head after sensing the contempt of the Zixiao Palace crowd. At this moment, Eastern King Duke's eyes were filled with humiliation and hatred. "Damn it, once I unify the Great Desolation, I will definitely wash away today's humiliation."
"Fellow Daoist Eastern King Duke, today's matter was instigated by you, and it cannot simply be overlooked." Brother Tai Chu looked at Eastern King Duke and shook his head.
"Then what does Fellow Daoist want?" Eastern King Duke did not expect that even after he had humbled himself so much and begged for mercy, Brother Tai Chu still did not intend to let him go, and he felt a surge of anger.
Brother Tai Chu ignored Eastern King Duke's anger and continued, "Have a match with me. As long as you can satisfy me, this matter will be settled."
Upon hearing Brother Tai Chu's words, Eastern King Duke looked towards Minghe, clearly worried that Minghe would intervene.
Minghe snorted coldly after sensing Eastern King Duke's gaze.
"Don't worry, this match will only be between Fellow Daoist and this humble Daoist. And I promise to suppress my strength to the Middle Stage of Grand Unity Golden Immortal; I will not take advantage of Fellow Daoist."
Eastern King Duke breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Brother Tai Chu's words. "Good, then I will spar with Fellow Daoist."
After hearing Eastern King Duke's words, Brother Tai Chu's figure moved and he left Zixiao Palace, arriving in the Chaos.
Eastern King Duke followed suit.
Everyone in Zixiao Palace, seeing that the two were about to spar, were also very curious and left Zixiao Palace to arrive in the Chaos.
In the Chaos at this moment, Eastern King Duke held the Dragon Head Crutch in his hand, and above his head was a large bell. This was his Innate Spirit Treasure, the Nine Yang Bell, a High Grade Innate Spirit Treasure that combined offense and defense.
However, Brother Tai Chu, who was opposite Eastern King Duke, had no Spirit Treasure on him at this time.
Eastern King Duke looked at Brother Tai Chu with confusion.
"Fellow Daoist, where is your Spirit Treasure?"
Eastern King Duke did not believe that Brother Tai Chu had no Spirit Treasure to protect himself.
"Come on, I don't need a Spirit Treasure yet."
The spectators looked at Brother Tai Chu in surprise. They had not expected that Brother Tai Chu, who had always been so amiable, could also have such an arrogant side.
In fact, this was intentional on Brother Tai Chu's part. Previously, he rarely appeared in the Great Desolation, but since he had accepted Hongjun's entrustment, he would inevitably have to participate in the affairs of the Great Desolation. Since Eastern King Duke wanted to use him to establish his prestige, then Brother Tai Chu would not be blamed for using him to establish his prestige.
Upon hearing Brother Tai Chu's words, Eastern King Duke instantly became enraged.
"Damn it, how dare he look down on me so much!"
The Nine Yang Bell above Eastern King Duke's head emitted a deafening sound.
The sound was like a materialized sharp blade, forming visible ripples in the Chaos, sweeping towards Brother Tai Chu at an extremely fast speed. Wherever it passed, the Void Realm vibrated violently, emitting a piercing shriek.
"Not bad attack power, and I didn't expect Eastern King Duke's Nine Yang Bell to actually be a rare sound wave-type Spirit Treasure." Brother Tai Chu murmured as he felt a faint pain on his body.
"How is this possible!!!"
It wasn't just Eastern King Duke, who was fighting against Taichu, but also the onlookers, who stared in disbelief at Taichu, who had only sustained a minor injury.
One must know that the attack just now was not a casual strike from Eastern King Duke; it was a full-power attack he unleashed in a fit of rage, using a High Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. He feared that even the Three Pure Ones would not dare to withstand it without any defense.
"This Fellow Daoist Taichu's Physical Body is actually no less than ours, the Ancestral Witches?" Houtu's eyes were filled with surprise as she looked at Taichu.
Others might not be clear about the strength of Taichu's Physical Body, but Houtu, as an Ancestral Witch renowned for her Physical Body strength in the Great Desolation, certainly knew how outrageous Taichu's Physical Body was at this moment.
"Damn it! I refuse to believe your Physical Body can withstand the attack of a top-tier Innate Spirit Treasure." Seeing that his Nine Yang Bell had no effect, Eastern King Duke summoned the Dragon Head Crutch from his hand.
Eastern King Duke's face was ashen, and Spiritual Qi surged wildly around his body. With a flick of his wrist, the Dragon Head on the Dragon Head Crutch suddenly came alive. Its crimson vertical pupils flashed with a fierce light, and it opened its gaping maw to let out an earth-shattering roar.
In an instant, heaven and earth changed color. Countless dark purple lightning bolts struck down from the Chaos, and the entire space began to violently twist. Ancient and mysterious runes appeared on the surface of the cane, flickering, and a vast pressure spread out like a tide.
Eastern King Duke roared, "Go!", and forcefully swung the Dragon Head Crutch.
The cane instantly transformed into a thousand-zhang-long golden Dragon, its body entwined with raging Chaos flames. Every Dragon scale shimmered with a metallic luster, exuding a heart-palpitating aura.
The giant Dragon roared to the sky, its sound waves spreading like a tangible entity, shattering space wherever they passed.
At the same time, the giant Dragon exhaled a Dragon's breath containing endless destructive power from its mouth. Wherever it went, all matter was decomposed into its most primitive particles.
"A bit troublesome. My Physical Body really can't resist the attack of a top-tier Innate Spirit Treasure." Taichu frowned as he felt the oppressive force coming at him.
After Taichu spoke, his figure flashed and disappeared from his original spot, and Eastern King Duke's attack completely missed.
Taichu's figure instantly appeared beside Eastern King Duke.
"Fellow Daoist has made two moves already. It's time for this humble Daoist to retaliate, isn't it?" Taichu said, clenching his right fist, which was entwined with strands of the power of the Great Dao, and fiercely met Eastern King Duke.
The two instantly collided, and powerful Qi waves spread in all directions. The Chaos space vibrated violently, and countless tiny spatial cracks appeared and disappeared.
"Damn it, why is this guy's fighting style like those madmen, the Ancestral Witches?" Although Eastern King Duke took the punch head-on, he felt as if his internal organs were about to shift.
He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Taichu ignored Eastern King Duke's condition, his eyes utterly cold as he looked at Eastern King Duke.
"Again."
After speaking, Taichu continued to attack Eastern King Duke. Eastern King Duke, seeing Taichu charging at him again, immediately enveloped himself with the Nine Yang Bell, while countless sharp blades emerged from the Dragon Head Crutch in his hand to block Taichu.
Taichu sensed Eastern King Duke's actions and remained completely unconcerned.
The two fought back and forth in the Chaos, but anyone could tell that Taichu was completely suppressing Eastern King Duke in a one-sided beating.
"This Fellow Daoist Taichu's Physical Body is too terrifying, and even now, I still haven't figured out what Great Dao he Cultivates."
Moreover, it should be noted that Taichu at this moment had not violated his previous promise and had been using only the strength of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal Middle Stage to deal with Eastern King Duke, and Taichu had not even used a Spirit Treasure.
Eastern King Duke was thus subjected to Taichu's one-sided beating for nearly a hundred years. If Eastern King Duke hadn't been continuously using Spiritual Qi to repair himself, he would have been unrecognizable by now.
"Ah, this feels great! So this is what it's like to land a punch with every strike. But this guy is probably going to surrender if I keep hitting him. I can't let go of this human sandbag."
At this moment, Taichu's dissatisfaction with Eastern King Duke had completely vanished. After all, Eastern King Duke had served as her human sandbag for nearly a hundred years, and no one would feel dissatisfied.
To make Eastern King Duke abandon the idea of surrendering, Taichu instead began to use Spiritual Qi to attack Eastern King Duke.
"Hmph, my Physical Body can't compare to yours, but I don't believe your other abilities are this strong as well."
Indeed, after Eastern King Duke felt the change in Taichu's attack method, the thought of surrendering that had just arisen was put aside.
Taichu nodded in satisfaction as he sensed the change in Eastern King Duke's mindset.
Taichu's various attacks contained different Great Daos, but this time, Taichu did so to prevent Eastern King Duke from surrendering too quickly.
The power of the Great Dao in each of his attacks was within Eastern King Duke's tolerance range.
However, even so, the onlookers watched Taichu in surprise.
"How many Great Daos has this Fellow Daoist Taichu Cultivated?"
"It seems it's time to increase the intensity for Eastern King Duke." Taichu thought to himself after sensing that Eastern King Duke had already adapted to his attacks.
Subsequently, Taichu's every attack contained multiple Great Daos.
"Damn it, it seems this guy has been toying with me all along!!" Eastern King Duke's expression became incredibly grim after sensing Taichu's attack change again.
After the two fought for several more decades above, Taichu clearly felt Eastern King Duke was struggling.
"It seems this guy can't hold on much longer. What a pity for such a good sandbag." Taichu could clearly sense the change in Eastern King Duke's mindset during their fight.
Indeed, after resisting one of Taichu's attacks, Eastern King Duke turned and left the battlefield.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu, this humble Daoist surrenders. The previous matters were also this humble Daoist's fault."
Taichu nodded regretfully after hearing Eastern King Duke's words.
However, he knew that Eastern King Duke was the leader of the male Immortals recommended by Hongjun, and their conflict was not enough to take Eastern King Duke's life.
Taichu turned and returned to Minghe's side.
At this moment, the eyes of everyone present were filled with awe as they looked at Taichu. Even they, only a few could pressure Eastern King Duke to such an extent.
Everyone in Zixiao Palace at this time moved closer to Taichu's side.
As for Eastern King Duke, he had no face to remain there at this moment and had already left to return to the Great Desolation.
And at this moment, the one who looked at Taichu with the most fervor was not Emperor Jun, the two Demon Emperors, but Houtu, the Ancestral Witch.
However, the reason for Houtu's fervent attitude was not that she had fallen in love with Taichu, or rather, after the Great Desolation, matters of emotion were never considered by these beings of the Great Desolation.
Houtu's attitude was because she was interested in Taichu's Physical Body. She felt that Taichu's Physical Body was very similar to their Witch Clan.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu, this humble Daoist is Houtu. I wonder if Fellow Daoist has time to visit my Witch Clan?"
Taichu was stunned as he looked at Houtu, who had suddenly appeared before him.
"I haven't had any interaction with Houtu. Why is she suddenly inviting me to the Witch Clan?"
As if seeing Taichu's confusion, Houtu continued.
"This humble Daoist, do not misunderstand. My invitation for Fellow Daoist to visit the Witch Clan has no ill intent. It's just that Fellow Daoist's Physical Body is very similar to our Witch Clan, so I wanted to have a discussion with Fellow Daoist. If Fellow Daoist doesn't have time, then never mind."
"The Witch Clan's Physical Body is similar to mine?"
"But it's possible. My Physical Body was Cultivated based on the Xuan Qi Body Tempering Scripture, which I created from the patterns of Mount Buzhou."
"And Mount Buzhou has an intricate connection with Pangu. It makes sense if it's related to the Ancestral Witches."
"However, my Xuan Qi Body Tempering Scripture has now reached a Bottleneck. I can sense that if this Cultivation Technique is to continue, I might need to visit the Pangu Hall of the Witch Clan."
The Xuan Qi Body Tempering Scripture created by Taichu had only been deduced by him to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm. Taichu had no clue how to continue deducing it further.
However, Taichu knew that the Ancestral Witches' Physical Bodies were not limited by the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm. Later, the Twelve Ancestral Witches would even reach the Quasi-Saint Realm with their Physical Bodies.
Moreover, Taichu felt that the hope for his Xuan Qi Body Tempering Scripture to advance further lay within the Pangu Hall of the Witch Clan.
Therefore, after hearing Houtu's invitation, Taichu was somewhat tempted.
"Go if you want to." Minghe said, looking at Taichu.
"Then what about you, elder brother?"
Taichu looked at Minghe.
Minghe shook his head after hearing Taichu's question.
"I won't go. I want to go with Fellow Daoist Tongtian. I'm very interested in his Sword Dao."
"Alright, then elder brother, I'll go to the Witch Clan first."
After speaking, Taichu looked at Houtu, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, then this humble Daoist will trouble you."
Houtu's face also showed a hint of a smile after hearing Taichu agree to return to the Witch Clan with her.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu, then let's go."
Taichu nodded, and then the two disappeared together.
"Brother, that Fellow Daoist Taichu wouldn't join the Witch Race, would she? If she joins the Witch Race, it would be a huge problem for us."
Taiyi looked at the worried Emperor Jun and asked.
Before Emperor Jun could speak, Bai Ze, who was beside them, shook his head.
"Eastern King, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Taichu will not choose to join the Witch Race."
Hearing Bai Ze's words, Taiyi looked at Bai Ze curiously.
But Bai Ze didn't explain, he just smiled.
"Alright, whether Taichu joins the Witch Race or not, we must prepare early."
"Moreover, after this, when Eastern King Duke returns, he will likely try to win over the Purple Cloud Guests. Then we will have one more opponent, so we should also return early and prepare."
After Emperor Jun finished speaking, he led the Yao Race members away from Zixiao Palace.
As all the Purple Cloud Guests left, Hongjun's figure reappeared in Zixiao Palace. Or rather, Hongjun had never actually left Zixiao Palace; it was just that after his sermon ended, he concealed his figure, and others couldn't sense him.
At this moment, Haotian and Yaochi stood beside Hongjun.
"Haotian, Yaochi, go and fetch some spiritual fruits for me. A distinguished guest will be arriving soon."
Hongjun's clear voice rang in Haotian's ears.
Haotian and Yaochi were stunned when they heard Hongjun's voice.
"Who would come here at this time? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Taichu from last time?"
Over the years, Hongjun's emotional fluctuations had become fewer and fewer. Even Haotian and Yaochi, who had always stayed by Hongjun's side, had rarely communicated with Hongjun in recent years.
So, even though they had doubts, neither of them spoke to ask.
As Haotian left, Hongjun's gaze fell into the Chaos within Zixiao Palace.
"My old friends are becoming fewer and fewer. Now, this last old friend is also about to leave."
Thinking of this, even Hongjun's face couldn't help but show a trace of emotional fluctuation.
However, this slight fluctuation quickly disappeared, and Hongjun returned to his calm expression.
"Daoist Hongjun, I, Yang Mei, have come to settle a Karma with you. I hope Daoist Hongjun will come out to meet me."
Hearing Yang Mei's voice from outside Zixiao Palace, Hongjun waved his hand and opened the Zixiao Palace gate.
"Fellow Daoist Yang Mei, please come in and talk."
After hearing Hongjun's words, Haotian suddenly realized.
"So it's Senior Yang Mei. No wonder Master values him so much."
Yang Mei looked at the open Zixiao Palace gate with hesitation, but in the end, his figure flickered and he entered Zixiao Palace.
At this moment, in Zixiao Palace, a table appeared in front of Hongjun, on which many spiritual fruits were placed. The most precious among them was naturally the flat peaches from the top-grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Innate Renshui Peach Tree.
Of course, even the flat peaches from the top-grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Innate Renshui Peach Tree, were of little use to Hongjun and Yang Mei; they were merely for satisfying their cravings.
Seeing Yang Mei enter, Hongjun waved his hand, and a futon appeared opposite him.
"Fellow Daoist Yang Mei, please sit."
Yang Mei nodded, and then his figure appeared on the futon.
"Daoist Hongjun, long time no see."
After Yang Mei finished speaking, he looked at Haotian and Yaochi on both sides of Hongjun.
"Haotian, Yaochi, long time no see. These two little ones of yours have been diligent over the years; now they are both Grand Unity Golden Immortals."
"These two Spirit Treasures are my farewell gifts."
Two High Grade Spirit Treasures appeared in Yang Mei's hand. As soon as they appeared, Yang Mei sent them to Haotian.
"This…"
Haotian and Yaochi looked at the two Spirit Treasures in front of them with hesitation, then looked at Hongjun.
"Take them. This is Fellow Daoist Yang Mei's kind intention."
After receiving Hongjun's permission, Haotian and Yaochi joyfully accepted the two Spirit Treasures.
After they accepted them, they looked at Yang Mei curiously.
"Senior Yang Mei, are you planning to leave the Great Desolation?"
"Daoist Hongjun, you should know why I came to visit this time, right?"
After Yang Mei and Hongjun conversed for a while, Yang Mei finally brought up the main reason for his visit.
Hongjun sighed in his heart when he heard Yang Mei's words, but he still nodded calmly.
"Fellow Daoist, I apologize for this matter. It is I who have wronged you."
Upon hearing Hongjun's words, Yang Mei shook his head.
"This matter is not your problem, Fellow Daoist. The Great Desolation was never suitable for me. Choosing to leave is not just because of that one."
"But what about you, Fellow Daoist? Is it really worth being so restricted by this Great Desolation?"
When he said this, Yang Mei looked at Hongjun with a bit of regret.
Others might not know, but Yang Mei was very clear that it would have been no difficulty at all for Hongjun to become a Chaotic Primeval Great Luo Golden Immortal, but in the end, he chose to sacrifice himself for the Great Desolation.
Hearing Yang Mei's words, Hongjun shook his head.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu also asked me this question once before, and my answer is the same as before."
"There's no such thing as whether it's worth it or not. It can only be said that everyone has their own aspirations."
"I am different from you, Fellow Daoist. I was born in the Great Desolation, grew up in the Great Desolation, and my Dao is within this Great Desolation, within the multitude of beings in this Great Desolation."
"Alright, Fellow Daoist has his own considerations, so I won't ask too many questions."
"However, now that one cannot tolerate me, I must have a match with you, no matter what."
Hongjun nodded when he heard Yang Mei's words, and then their figures disappeared from Zixiao Palace and arrived in the Chaos.
At this moment, Hongjun was clad in a profound robe, with mysterious Dao rhyme swirling around him. His three thousand strands of hair moved without wind, each seeming to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth.
He stepped on the Void Realm, and above his head, the Creation Jade Plate floated, emitting myriad rays of light.
Behind him, countless Spirit Treasures appeared.
Evidently, for this battle, Hongjun had armed himself to the teeth.
In contrast, Yang Mei on the opposite side held only a staff in his hand.
The two stood opposite each other, and Hongjun attacked first. The Pangu Banner in his hand erupted with ten thousand feet of light, and streaks of runes containing the ultimate truth of heaven and earth flew out from the Pangu Banner, instantly transforming into a sky full of sword shadows, sweeping towards Yang Mei like a raging storm.
Each of these sword shadows contained the power to destroy heaven and earth, and if they struck, they would be enough to reduce a world to dust.
However, Yang Mei looked at the sky full of sword shadows with a calm expression, unhurriedly pointing the staff in his hand forward.
In an instant, the space in front of him underwent a strange change, forming countless layers of intertwined spatial cracks.
When the sword shadows unleashed by Hongjun rushed into these spatial cracks, they seemed to fall into an endless abyss, constantly being eroded by layers of space, eventually dissipating into nothingness.
However, Hongjun was not surprised that Yang Mei could achieve such a feat.
Yang Mei's Dao was the Great Dao of Space, so ordinary attacks could not get close to him.
And the Pangu Banner itself contained the Great Dao of Space, so it was somewhat countered by Yang Mei.
Seeing that the Pangu Banner had no effect, Hongjun then activated the Taiji Diagram. Countless Yin and Yang Qi surged from the Taiji Diagram, and as soon as these Yin and Yang Qi appeared, they arrived beside Yang Mei.
He frowned as he looked at the Yin and Yang Qi that he could no longer avoid.
He waved the staff in his hand, and countless spatial barriers protected him. Those Yin and Yang Qi disappeared upon encountering these barriers.
However, Yang Mei had no reason to only defend and not retaliate. Countless spatial blades appeared in the Chaos Void Realm, and as these blades appeared, the Chaos space trembled.
Countless spatial blades flew towards Hongjun.
Hongjun knew the power of these spatial blades. He waved his hand, and the Spirit Treasures beside him, under Hongjun's control, blocked those spatial blades.
The two fought back and forth in the Chaos.
As the two fought, the Void Realm between them showed signs of collapse.
In the end, Yang Mei used the Great Dao of Space to banish all of Hongjun's Spirit Treasures. However, banishing so many Spirit Treasures at once was a bit much even for Yang Mei, a Chaotic Primeval Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Hongjun sighed as he watched his Spirit Treasures disappear.
"I lost."
Upon hearing Hongjun admit defeat, Yang Mei also stopped and waved his hand, making Hongjun's Spirit Treasures reappear in the Void Realm.
In fact, Yang Mei knew that Hongjun's defeat was not due to his strength, but because the place where they were currently fighting was the Chaos, and Hongjun had fought him purely with his own strength this time, without borrowing the power of the Heavenly Dao.
"Daoist Hongjun, the Karma is settled. It's time for me to leave. I hope we two can meet again."
After Yang Mei finished speaking, he didn't wait for Hongjun's reply and turned to disappear into the Chaos.
"Fellow Daoist Yang Mei…"
Hongjun looked at Yang Mei's disappearing figure, a little dazed, then he also returned to Zixiao Palace.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu, this is our Witch Race."
At this time, Taichu and Houtu had returned to the Great Desolation.
Over the years, Taichu and Houtu had a pleasant conversation, and Taichu had been probing and understanding Houtu's disposition all along the way.
After all, once Houtu transforms into Reincarnation and becomes Empress Pingxin, she will be their neighbor, so he naturally wanted to know her personality in advance to plan for the future.
However, over these years, Taichu felt that Houtu's personality was quite dignified and magnanimous, and her words and actions were very gentle. It could be said that Taichu did not feel the same way about Houtu as he did about the other Ancestral Witches.
In front of the two of them was a simple tribe, where countless members of the Witch Race were shouting.
The reason for their shouting was that two Great Witches were wrestling in the center of the tribe.
For the Witch Race, sparring anytime, anywhere was a very normal thing.
Houtu looked at the two wrestling below and said to Taichu beside her,
"The two wrestling below are Kuafu and Houyi, two Great Witches of my tribe."
After hearing Houtu's explanation, Taichu's gaze also involuntarily looked at the two Witches below.
"These two are Kuafu, who ultimately died of exhaustion while chasing Emperor Jun's ten sons, and Houyi, who shot down nine suns."
The strength displayed by Kuafu and Houyi below had already reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, but their strength at this time should have just had a Breakthrough not long ago.
In fact, there was a reason why the Witch Race was said to be the number one race in the Great Desolation. The Yao Race had to integrate almost all the races of the Great Desolation to barely contend with the Witch Race.
The Witch Race did not have the Opportunity of Hongjun's sermon, but the Witch Race's strength suppressed all the races of the Great Desolation. If Emperor Jun had not integrated all the races of the Great Desolation, and if Hongjun had not interfered, perhaps the Witch Race could have unified the Great Desolation.
Unfortunately, there was no such 'if'. The Witch Race did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit and only had physical bodies, which led to an extreme demand for flesh and blood, and the flesh and blood in their eyes were the myriad races of the Great Desolation.
This was the fundamental contradiction between the myriad races of the Great Desolation and the Witch Race. No living being could be friends with a race that regarded its own kind as food.
Even the later appearance of the Human Race and the Witch Race befriending each other, leading to the Witch-Human Race, was actually a deformed existence. The Witch Race never fully regarded the Human Race as their friends; it was merely that the Human Race's Innate Dao Body was similar in appearance to their Witch Race, coupled with the rising strength of the Yao Race at the time, which already showed a trend of surpassing the Witch Race.
The Witch Race intermarried with the Human Race to win them over, but the relationship between the two races was actually not equal, otherwise, the Witch Race would not have chosen to stand by when the Yao Race was wantonly slaughtering the Human Race.
One reason for the Witch Race's inaction was that they had not fully emotionally recognized the Human Race, and the hostility between the Yao Race and the Human Race was beneficial to the Witch Race. Another reason was that they did not know the Yao Race was slaughtering the Human Race to refine the Witch-Slaying Sword.
Ultimately, this led to the Yao Race almost pushing the Human Race to desperation. If it weren't for the Saints intervening at the last moment and the Yao Race's Witch-Slaying Sword already being successfully refined, the Human Race would have been annihilated.
However, the Witch Race also paid the price for their actions. Emperor Jun, wielding the Witch-Slaying Sword, could easily break open the bodies of the Ancestral Witches, leading to their demise and triggering the Witch-Demon Calamity.
In fact, the Witch Race was doomed to fail from the very beginning.
The Heavenly Dao, being the will of all living beings in the Great Desolation, would not allow the Witch Race to slaughter all the myriad races of the Great Desolation, so every time the Witch Race was about to annihilate the Yao Race, Hongjun, the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, would intervene to stop them.
"Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist!!!"
Houtu's voice pulled Taichu out of his thoughts.
"My apologies, I was just thinking about something. What did Fellow Daoist just say?"
"No matter, Fellow Daoist, our Witch Race has arrived. Come with me."
Upon hearing Houtu's words, Taichu nodded.
The two did not disturb the Witch Race below but came to a great hall. At this time, the hall was empty, indicating that the other eleven Ancestral Witches were not present.
In the very center of the hall was a majestic giant statue standing with an axe, and the first thing Taichu saw was that it was Pangu, the Father God of the Witch Race.
Moreover, Taichu could also sense a trace of the Great Dao of Force Qi from behind this statue.
Pangu transformed into the Great Desolation; everything in the Great Desolation was actually related to Pangu.
However, to say who was most devout to Pangu in the Great Desolation, it was naturally the Witch Race.
Pangu was above all else in the hearts of the Ancestral Witches.
It was just that such a Witch Race ultimately almost disappeared from the Great Desolation. After the Witch-Demon Calamity, only a very small number of Witch Race members survived.
Some of the surviving Witch Race retreated to the vicinity of Pangu Hall, while others entered the Underworld.
"Fellow Daoist, my brothers will be back soon. Please wait here for a moment."
As soon as Houtu finished speaking, a hearty voice came from outside the hall.
"Hahaha, Little Sister, look what I, your brother, brought back for you this time."
Zhurong walked into the great hall, dragging a giant beast similar to a Phoenix behind him. Taichu could sense the Qi of a Taiyi Golden Immortal on this giant beast.
At this time, the giant beast was covered in wounds, clearly having received Zhurong's warm hospitality before its death.
"This giant beast wouldn't be a Yao Race Demon General, would it?"
Taichu speculated, looking at the giant beast behind Zhurong.
And Zhurong's next words confirmed Taichu's thought.
"Little Sister, I brought this fellow back from deep within the Yao Race. If Emperor Jun and those two feathered birds hadn't left with most of the Yao Race's high-ranking members, we wouldn't have had the chance to bring this fellow back."
"Good heavens, I'm afraid when Emperor Jun and the others return to the Yao Race, they'll be furious, won't they?"
After Zhurong entered, he noticed Taichu beside Houtu. His eyes were full of vigilance as he looked at Taichu.
"Little Sister, is this fellow the Taichu you told us about before?"
Although the Ancestral Witches had been to Hongjun's first sermon, their minds were not entirely in Zixiao Palace at that time, and they had no impression of Taichu at all.
"Indeed, even Ancestral Witches are no exception. No matter what kind of living being, as long as he is a brother, he will be wary of any male approaching his sister."
Looking at the wary Zhurong, he instantly thought of the siblings Fuxi and Nuwa. At that time, Fuxi also showed hostility towards Taichu after seeing Nuwa's closeness to him, but Fuxi's hostility was more deeply hidden.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhurong."
Taichu didn't mind Zhurong's wariness and greeted him with a smile.
"Brother Zhurong, this is Fellow Daoist Taichu."
After hearing Houtu's confirmation, Zhurong curiously sized up Taichu.
"Little Sister, are you sure his body is really similar to our Witch Race? Looking at his small arms and legs, he doesn't look like it at all, does he?"
"Fellow Daoist Zhurong, since you say so, why don't we have a competition?"
Taichu's visit this time was to enter Pangu Hall.
Pangu Hall was the most important place for the Witch Race, and it was impossible to enter without the Ancestral Witches' approval.
The simplest way to gain the Ancestral Witches' approval was to speak with fists.
"Fellow Daoist Taichu!"
Upon hearing Taichu's words, Houtu wanted to stop him, but was halted by Taichu's gaze.
And Zhurong's eyes lit up when he heard Taichu's words.
"Good, good, good, I like your temper, kid."
"Let's go out and try now. I want to see if your physical body can really compare with ours."
As Zhurong spoke, he threw down the giant beast in his hand and dragged Taichu out.
Houtu shook her head at this situation, then also came outside the hall.