After a calm period lasting one yuan association—with one yuan association consisting of one hundred and twenty-eight thousand years—a whole eon passed.
On this very day, the voices of Shengxia and Dao Ancestor Hongjun rang throughout Honghuang, summoning all who had reached the Quasi-Sage Realm to gather at the Zixiao Palace.
Ever since the two Dao-Embodiment Sages had imparted the Dao an eon ago, countless Quasi-Sages had emerged across Honghuang, along with a staggering number of Chaos Daluo Golden Immortals. At the Penglai Sacred Island alone, over a hundred individuals had broken through to the Chaos Daluo Realm at that time, let alone today.
These Chaos Daluo beings had been waiting precisely for this day, for they formed the vanguard set to march into the Chaos Heavens to slaughter the extraterritorial fiends.
Present-day Honghuang was truly an era where Quasi-Sages walked everywhere and Daluo beings were as numerous as dogs.
Tongtian led his first-generation disciples, second-generation disciples, third-generation disciples, fourth-generation disciples, and so on! The Jie Sect truly lived up to its name of ten thousand immortals surging forth, numbering several thousand Quasi-Sages alone.
Yuanshi Tianzun was not to be outdone, leading Guangchengzi and others, with over a hundred Quasi-Sages in tow. Taishang's disciples were the fewest, numbering only a few dozen, but every single one of them had reached the Peak Quasi-Sage Realm. As for the other clans—the Demon Clan, the Witch Clan, the Dragon Clan, including survivors from the suppressed fierce beast calamity and the Dragon-Han calamity—although they did not boast many Sages, their count of Quasi-Sages was terrifyingly high, already topping ten thousand.
Leading the charge were over a thousand Chaos Daluo Golden Immortals, spearheaded by Shengxia.
During this yuan association, Shengxia had refined three strands of grand primeval origin, already elevating himself to the tenth level of the Great Dao Sage realm. To put it simply, he was essentially invincible within the Chaos.
Moreover, in the fifty-thousandth year after Shengxia refined Hongjun's origin, he scanned the Chaos Heavens with his divine sense and discovered that the fiends within the Chaos were actively mobilizing troops and deploying generals. Consequently, he used his Great Dao divine powers to seal off the Honghuang universe, buying the cultivators of Honghuang more time to cultivate.
Though Shengxia now held the lofty status of a Great Dao Sage and could single-handedly wipe out the fiends in the Chaos, that would leave the cultivators of Honghuang without any grounds for tempering themselves.
The immortals discussed animatedly within the Zixiao Palace, speculating on the purpose of this summons. Soon, Shengxia and Dao Ancestor Hongjun appeared before the crowd.
Shengxia glanced around and spoke in a ringing voice, "Fellow cultivators, you have been summoned here today because the fiends in the Chaos are mobilizing forces, attempting to invade Honghuang. Although I have already sealed the Honghuang universe, this is not a long-term solution. We need greater strength to protect Honghuang."
Dao Ancestor Hongjun continued, "This expedition into the Chaos Heavens is meant to eradicate the fiends and defend Honghuang. It is my hope that all you fellow daoists can join forces and resist the external enemy as one."
Upon hearing this, the immortals all expressed their willingness to follow Shengxia and Dao Ancestor Hongjun to the Chaos Heavens. For a moment, morale soared high throughout the Zixiao Palace.
Under Shengxia's leadership, the numerous Quasi-Sages and Chaos Daluo Golden Immortals embarked on their expedition. They would face unknown challenges, fighting for the peace of Honghuang.
Next came the assignment of tasks. Shengxia looked out over the crowd and began, "This campaign is fraught with peril. Dao Ancestor Hongjun and I will each lead an army deep into the Chaos. Everyone else shall be divided into several squads, each responsible for the defense and offense of different regions."
Complying with the orders, the immortals quickly swung into action. Yuanshi Tianzun led the members of the Chan Sect to garrison one sector, while Master Tongtian led the disciples of the Jie Sect to guard another flank. Goddess Nuwa formed an alliance with the Witch Clan to jointly fend off the fiends, and the Demon Clan's Emperor Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi led the Demon Clan heading north.
The various divisions coordinated and cooperated, forming an airtight defensive line. However, the fiends within the Chaos possessed formidable strength, and the war proved exceptionally brutal. Amid the fierce battles, quite a few immortals were wounded and fell, yet not a single one retreated.
Under the arrangement of the Three Sovereigns, the Demon Clan formed the stellar array, charging straight into the fiendish army. Instantly, the blood of the fiendish army poured down into the Chaos like a torrential rain.
Everyone knew the Demon Clan; within Honghuang, they were an absolute hegemony. Whenever the Demon Clan faced trouble back in Honghuang, the entire clan would mobilize en masse. Yet under the pressure exerted by Shengxia and Hongjun, they managed not to cause any major catastrophes, though minor squabbles were ceaseless. The Witch Clan was much the same—they simply loved to fight. Eventually, with no other options, a Myriad-Clan Patrol Squad had to be established for law enforcement, and only then did things quiet down.
Nuwa had not yet created humanity at this time. Unless the influence of the extraterritorial fiends on Honghuang was eliminated, creating humans was out of the question; otherwise, any creation would be entirely in vain.
Houtu had not yet transformed into the six paths of reincarnation either, instead throwing herself frantically into cultivation, her realm rapidly catching up with the eldest Ancestor Witch, Dijiang.
The Demon Clan and the fiends were locked in a fierce battle. Afraid that well over a hundred million demon soldiers had been dispatched, the battlefield was littered with nothing but the corpses of fiends and demons alike. Blood stained the Chaos crimson, and the Demon Clan suffered heavy losses this time.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches of the Witch Clan manifested the true form of Pangu, towering a hundred billion zhang high, killing everything wherever they strode. They slaughtered until the heavens and earth turned dark and murky. Behind them, the witch soldiers arrayed themselves in formation, butchering until the Chaos was reduced to black holes, though they too suffered no small number of casualties.
Nuwa's current realm was at the first level of the Chaos Wuji Daluo, and her strength was beyond question, but she was entangled by a foe of the exact same realm, and the two fought to a standstill with neither gaining the upper hand.
For everyone knew that when it came to top-tier battle power, if any single faction lost, disaster would befall that faction's territory.
Led by Daoist Tongtian, the disciples of the Jie Sect formed the Myriad Immortals Array and went completely berserk in battle. They slaughtered the extraterritorial fiends until their hearts bled and bone fragments flew everywhere. Deploying arrays like the Nine-Bend Yellow River Array and the Thirty-Six Tiangang Array, they killed every fiend they saw and captured every fiend they encountered.
The Qingping Sword in Daoist Tongtian's hand displayed divine might, with countless fiends perishing with every swing of his blade. However, the number of fiends was simply too vast, surging forth in an endless stream. The Jie Sect disciples gradually began to feel the strain, and their casualties steadily mounted.
At this critical juncture, Yuanshi Tianzun arrived with the disciples of the Chan Sect, joining forces with the Jie Sect disciples to resist the enemy. The disciples of both sects unleashed their ultimate techniques, engaging the fiends in a soul-stirring battle.
Across the battlefield, sword Qi crisscrossed, magical treasures fluttered through the air, and the battle cries were deafening. Both sides gave as good as they got, neither willing to yield an inch.