Primordial Era: Jade Cauldron Forgot to Take on Disciples

Chapter 429 Suppressing Hongjun (The Finale)

"What a selfless act!"

Hongjun was greatly alarmed and stared intently at Yang Jian.

As his mind trembled, Zixiao Palace was instantly enveloped in lightning, and Hongjun was enraged.

Looking at Yang Jian's smug expression, bloodshot eyes, and crazed demeanor, he never imagined that his personal intervention would be so easily fooled by this little guy.

He intentionally indulged Haotian, leaving the Investiture of the Gods to Yang Jian in his control, all in order to cultivate Yang Jian's ambition to become a saint. However, he did not expect that Yang Jian would be able to disregard it.

The old demon that Yang Jian mentioned earlier was the root cause of his loss of composure.

Yang Jian immediately recognized his identity, which naturally alarmed him.

He fought with Pangu before the creation of the universe, and in the end, Pangu swallowed him and tried to refine him.

Ultimately, Pangu could not sustain the effort and failed to completely refine him, allowing him to gradually recover during the Great Tribulation of the Three Thousand Demon Gods.

"Old Demon King, that's an interesting name. What other names do you know?"

"you guess!"

Yang Jian changed his sitting posture and drank the tea in front of him in one gulp, gulping it down like a whale.

After drinking, he smacked his lips, but didn't taste anything.

Hongjun was so angry that he jumped up and down. He had never been so anxious before. His mind was like a turbulent sea, about to overflow its banks.

"If you were a fellow Daoist before the creation of the primordial chaos, why do I have no recollection of you whatsoever?"

Hongjun asked again.

Yang Jian smiled but remained silent.

Hongjun continued, "Since we are both beings from before the existence of the Primordial Chaos, we should work together. If you help me succeed, I am willing to share half of the power of the Primordial Heavenly Dao with you. This is an existence that Pangu created by devouring all of chaos. This Primordial World has accumulated over countless years and is even more powerful than Pangu was in the past. Even if it is only half, if you can control it, it will be enough for you to enjoy endlessly."

Yang Jian shook his head and said, "Since I can identify you, I naturally know your character. How could I possibly collude with you? The reason I joined forces with the other saints to set up this scheme was to prevent you from resorting to desperate measures. If you had risked the destruction of the Primordial World to kill that monkey at the beginning, you might have had a sliver of hope. Now that the monkey has gone through this battle, his fate is sealed. Senior's peaceful days are numbered."

As he spoke, Yang Jian put his two hands together, one hand making a five-finger gesture and the other a two-finger gesture, raising a total of seven fingers.

"Ridiculous! Just wait and see what I've got in store for you. There's a fox demon you seem to care about quite a bit; let's see what happens now~"

Hongjun said with a forced smile.

Yang Jian was taken aback upon hearing this and looked up at the Creation Jade Disc in the sky.

Then a face identical to Yang Jian appeared in the Tushita Palace. Taking advantage of Laozi's absence, it transformed into Laozi's appearance and once again persuaded the two boys to take the magic treasures from Laozi's alchemy room and descend to the mortal realm.

He also took the opportunity to retrieve the Vajra Bracelet, found the green ox tied up in the backyard, and descended to the mortal realm together.

Yang Jian was taken aback when he saw that the woman must be Su Daji.

He hurriedly used the jade talisman to send a message to Su Daji.

[Su Daji, what are you doing?!]

[Master Hongjun has given you too much. You don't care about the opportunity to become a saint, but I really want it.]

Yang Jian's expression changed, and he felt extremely uneasy.

On the Jade Disc of Creation, Su Daji traveled east and west, reaching Mount Ling. Using Yang Jian's face, she moved unimpeded, rescuing the suppressed Kong Xuan. Then, she gathered familiar disciples of the Jie Sect and blocked their path westward.

"This fox's abilities are indeed extraordinary. No one in the primordial world can rival her charm. Only a sage can contend with her. Below the level of a sage, if one is not prepared beforehand, no one can guard against this fox's abilities. Yang Jian, you are truly a lucky star, having such a beauty by your side. No wonder you managed the Investiture of the Gods so smoothly."

Hongjun exclaimed in praise.

He added, "If I had discovered this fox earlier and bestowed upon it the Primordial Purple Qi, the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World would have long been mine. But it's not too late now!"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the blue-and-white porcelain plate in front of him, and a wisp of primordial purple energy was released and poured into the Jade Disc of Creation.

Yang Jian knew without guessing that Hongjun had bestowed the Primordial Purple Qi upon Su Daji, intending to elevate her to sainthood and use her bewitching powers to disrupt the primordial world.

Yang Jian asked in confusion, "I've kept Su Daji extremely well hidden. How did you discover her existence?"

"This is all thanks to you!"

"Me? What does that mean?"

Yang Jian asked in surprise.

"When the monkey was struggling to fight against the Heavenly Court, a demon named Bull Demon King behaved very strangely. He seemed to be an inside agent of the Heavenly Court, so I paid attention to him and secretly observed his actions. You, Yang Jian, have the Taiji Diagram to protect you and can block my detection, but that fox demon does not. When I saw him transform into your appearance, I was a little worried that you sitting here was an incarnation. So I secretly tested him and only then did I realize that he was not the same person as you."

Hongjun explained with a self-satisfied air.

As soon as the words were spoken, the primordial world outside Zixiao Palace changed color, and heaven and earth trembled.

In the vast and primordial world, melodious and ethereal music resounded, and flowers bloomed instantly across the mountains and fields, whether it was the snow-capped West Kunlun Mountains or the lava-flowing land of the immortal volcano.

The root cause of this extraordinary phenomenon was that Su Daji completed the arrangements made by Hongjun. After the matter was accomplished, she obtained the Primordial Purple Qi and, with Hongjun's full support, was granted sainthood in one fell swoop.

"Well? There is only one strand of Primordial Purple Qi left. This is your last chance. Be loyal to me, and the next Sainthood will be left to you."

Yang Jian chuckled: "What use is such a saintly position? Isn't it just like the two Western Saints, becoming your puppets, earning countless infamy as saints? It's a disgrace among saints."

The commotion caused by Su Daji's conferment of sainthood was immense, and all the other saints could sense that the saintly positions in the world had been filled by someone else.

In Nuwa's Palace, a slight smile played on Nuwa's lips as she gazed in the direction of Zixiao Palace, muttering to herself, "Well done, Yang Jian! You really let that Caixia fellow achieve enlightenment!"

Soon, divine thoughts came from Jade Void Palace and Golden Turtle Island. Nuwa responded to the other two saints, telling them not to panic. The newly-become-saint junior was part of the plan, which was to trick Hongjun into giving away the two strands of Primordial Purple Qi, so as to weaken his power.

Nuwa pondered for a moment, then stood up from the Nuwa Palace and wandered out.

After Su Daji attained sainthood, her bewitching powers advanced even further. All living beings who saw her were involuntarily captivated, turning into her loyal hounds in a daze.

Wherever Su Daji went, countless followers emerged, and all the immortals of the Heavenly Court gathered at the foot of her skirt, their expressions frenzied and indescribable.

Four days have passed at Zixiao Palace.

Yang Jian retracted four of his seven outstretched fingers, leaving only three fingers on his right hand.

"How ridiculous! How can you be so arrogant at a time like this?"

Hongjun was amused by Yang Jian's actions.

He noticed Nuwa's movement and his expression hardened. He had originally thought Nuwa wanted to kill the newly sainted fox demon, but he was wrong. She went straight to the Undying Volcano and did not go to Xiniu Hezhou.

"Nuwa is going to awaken Yuanfeng? That's just a desperate act. Even if Yuanfeng awakens, he'll only have the strength of a half-saint at most, and he won't be able to resist Su Daji's bewitching powers."

Hongjun said, neither confirming nor denying.

In the mortal realm, Su Daji summoned a host of immortals, gods, demons, and monsters under her control, and they gathered at Xikunlun.

Hongjun then bestowed another wisp of primordial purple energy upon Maitreya, who seized the opportunity to ascend to sainthood, taking control of Mount Ling from Tathagata. He dispatched his disciple Huangmei to join forces with Su Daji and other immortals, gods, demons, and monsters, and set up the Lesser Thunderclap Temple in an attempt to trap and kill the four travelers on their westward journey there.

Two more days passed in Zixiao Palace, while two years passed in the mortal realm.

These days, the monkey was indeed trapped in the Little Thunderclap Temple. Under the majesty of the gods and Buddhas, he truly believed that he had arrived in the Western Paradise, obtained the true scriptures, and gone to the Heavenly Court. The immortals of the Heavenly Court had become vassals of Su Daji and also congratulated the four of them on obtaining the true scriptures.

Seeing that victory was within his grasp and the advantage was entirely in his hands, Hongjun had already begun to plan how to deal with these disobedient fellows after he succeeded in obtaining the Heavenly Dao.

Suddenly, a phoenix cry rang out from the immortal volcano.

This phoenix cry resounded throughout the primordial world, causing Hongjun's heart to skip a beat for no apparent reason.

Then, the Heavenly Court, bewitched by Su Daji, suddenly began to attack the Buddhist sect led by Maitreya.

Countless Buddhas were instantly bewitched by Su Daji the moment they saw her, becoming her devoted followers. In the end, only Maitreya stood against all the immortals and Buddhas in the heavens, but he was ultimately defeated and retreated, and Mount Sumeru returned to the hands of the Tathagata.

After the four travelers escaped their predicament, they spent three or four months in the mortal realm before successfully entering Mount Sumeru, ascending the Great Thunder Temple, meeting the Buddha, and receiving the true scriptures.

Everything happened extremely quickly. In the Zixiao Palace, Hongjun didn't even have time to react. His originally favorable situation was instantly reversed. One second he was thinking about how to deal with the beings who had disrespected him after he took control of the Primordial Heavenly Dao, and the next second he had lost completely.

After undergoing a period of mental and physical refinement, the monkey successfully planted the seed of Mahayana Buddhism.

As long as Yang Jian releases the avatars that are shielding him from the heavens, countless Sun Wukongs will awaken in the heavens and take up the banner of fighting against the Chaos Demon.

Seeing that his chances of winning the bet were slim, Hongjun pretended to be incredulous and muttered to himself, "Why is this happening! Why!"

He couldn't understand why the fox demon had instantly broken free of his control after Yuan Feng woke up, and even turned against him.

"Do you know who this fox demon you speak of really is?"

Yang Jian asked with a smile.

"Who is she? Tell me quickly, who is she!"

Hongjun asked.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"You sent me to the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, making the lotus seed I carried become Rahu, replacing your title of Demon Ancestor, thus creating an opportunity for you to attain enlightenment. You cultivated the Heavenly Demon Pool on Mount Sumeru, intending to let the wills of the various heavenly demons within it occupy your lotus incarnation and compete with you for the Dao. Why aren't you curious whether the Rahu who once fought against you is truly the Rahu you imagine?"

As Yang Jian spoke, he took out the Pangu Banner from his waist and simultaneously controlled the Taiji Diagram to appear above his head, forming a protective barrier.

"At that time, I was protected by Nuwa's evil corpse and traveled through the river of time and space in order to find the traces of the Queen Mother of the West. I accidentally stumbled into the outer heaven where the Dao Ancestor was located. The will in Rahu was naturally Nuwa's evil corpse. After the other Dao Ancestors failed in the battle, they did not die completely. Instead, under the protection of Yuanfeng, they re-entered the cycle of reincarnation, all for the sake of being with the Dao Ancestor at this time."

Hongjun's expression changed: "What a brilliant scheme! I thought everything was under my control, but I never expected there to be a variable like you. You know so much, you must also come from Chaos City. I've been so careful all this time, yet I didn't notice you. That's truly unacceptable, unless this world is actively protecting you. When Chaos City was destroyed, only I and Pangu survived temporarily. I survived, so how could Pangu, who was stronger than me, have died? There's only one possibility! You are Pangu! Yes, besides Pangu, who else could be the greatest variable in this primordial world! No wonder you don't care about the Saintly position!"

Hongjun's expression suddenly turned ferocious: "The battle in the chaos that has yet to be decided will be decided today. Even if you have the upper hand now, so what? I have already integrated my primordial spirit into half of the Heavenly Dao. Even if I reforge the earth, fire, water, and wind, I will not suffer the slightest loss! I will still be immortal and indestructible! Besides, do you think that monkey is still the original monkey? I have already sent a Heavenly Demon to possess it. That monkey is already one of my Heavenly Demon offspring. Its stubborn stone incarnations in the heavens will all become my Chaos Heavenly Demons. This Heavenly Dao will ultimately belong to me, and everything you, Pangu, possess will eventually belong to me as well."

"nailed it!"

Yang Jian took out the Investiture of the Gods, examined it for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"What?"

Caught off guard, Hongjun asked instinctively.

"That monkey has already communicated with all the incarnations of the heavens and corrupted them. You should have already devoured the entire Heavenly Dao. So now, as long as we kill you, this old demon, the prehistoric world will be at peace."

Yang Jian said casually.

"Slay me?"

Hongjun seemed to hear some ridiculous words: "Do you perhaps think that my act of merging with the Dao was a futile effort?"

The thunder outside Zixiao Palace gradually faded away.

It was as if they were isolated from the primordial world.

Yang Jian raised the Pangu Banner in his hand: "Do you know how this primordial world came into being?"

Hongjun's expression changed, and he looked at Yang Jian warily, his heart filled with extreme vigilance.

"Actually, you guessed wrong. I'm probably not Pangu."

Yang Jian said.

A cruel look appeared on Hongjun's face: "Then you can only die today."

Yang Jian: "But I created the heavens; Pangu died to create the heavens."

Hongjun panicked again.

Soon, he realized that he was being manipulated by Yang Jian, and he became furious.

"There is only one way to create the world, and that is to first contain the Dao of Heaven."

After Yang Jian finished speaking, he threw the Pangu Banner, then grasped it with both hands, and a blinding light appeared in his hands.

Upon seeing this, Hongjun felt a sense of crisis, realizing that if he were to unleash this strike, Yang Jian would truly cleave him apart like a new heaven, turning him into the unconscious Heavenly Dao.

He immediately used the Jade Tablet of Creation to escape from the Purple Cloud Palace.

The moment he escaped, a terrifying sword aura slashed towards him.

"The Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation!"

Hongjun was shocked and looked around, only to find that the three sages had surrounded Zixiao Palace at some point.

The Tongtian Sect Leader even set up the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation.

He used the Jade Disc of Creation to manipulate the Sighing Dao to dissipate the sword energy, then controlled the surroundings and struck the Tongtian Sect Master out of the primordial world, sealing him into chaos.

Then, the Primordial Celestial Venerable's auspicious clouds crashed down, containing the myriad worlds that had expanded from the primordial chaos, possessing boundless power.

Hongjun laughed, "I am the Heavenly Dao. To think you can use my things against me is wishful thinking!"

With a casual gesture, he took the Heavenly Auspicious Clouds into his hand.

"Really? What about me?"

A voice rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a fair and delicate fist pierced through the clouds and smashed straight towards Hongjun.

With a single movement of his hand, Hongjun manipulated the Jade Disc of Creation to stabilize the heavens and earth, freezing Nuwa's fist in mid-air.

He relaxed, and then heard a series of "snap" sounds as his face was ripped open.

Nuwa suddenly broke free from the control of the Heavenly Dao with tremendous force. The merciless chains around her body turned into golden light and dissipated. Then, her huge snake tail slammed down.

Caught off guard, Hongjun was struck directly down.

Below, Yang Jian's mind stirred, and a brilliant light of creation condensed between his hands.

Hongjun could not avoid it and could only use the Creation Jade Disc, which carried the Heavenly Dao, to block it in front of him.

After the attacks clashed, the primordial wilderness suddenly fell silent.

Then, a dense, cracking sound echoed throughout the heavens.

Hongjun's eyes widened as he watched cracks appear on the Creation Jade Disc before him, then peel off and disappear into the air.

He reached out to grab it, but only grasped at empty air.

"My Heavenly Way~ My Heavenly Way!"

Hongjun was unwilling to accept that after scheming for so long, his dream of attaining enlightenment had vanished in an instant, turning into nothing but empty talk.

He turned back, intending to put up a last-ditch resistance.

A Tai Chi diagram came towards him, trapping him within it.

Yang Jian slowly beckoned, and the Tai Chi diagram landed in his hand.

A pitch-black crack suddenly appeared, and the Tongtian Sect Leader jumped out, only to witness Yang Jian suppressing Hongjun. His expression was complex: "Should I call you elder brother, or grand-disciple?"

[The End]

(End of this chapter)