Chapter 131: The Death of Tongtian

The Zixiao Palace beyond the heavens was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

"Hahaha, Hongjun! I am finally about to rule the Primordial World! Rejoice for me!" The Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel rolled through the void, amidst swirling celestial energy.

"Heavenly Dao, do you not know that the tide of history is shaped by the hearts of men, not something you can manipulate at will!" Patriarch Hongjun rebuked.

"You are already my puppet. Once my decree is issued, hehe, won't the Primordial World be entirely within my grasp?" The Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel continued to churn silently, radiating celestial power.

"Is that so? Then let us show you how we shall shatter your grand art!" A voice like a thunderclap resonated through the Zixiao Palace.

"Who goes there?" the Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel demanded in a fury.

"I, Daoist Yang Liu." The Great Immortal Yang Liu appeared in the great hall.

"And I." The magnificent, towering figure of Gu Pan finally manifested before the Heavenly Dao.

"So, you are that 'glimmer of hope.' And as for you?" The voice of the Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel deepened, then roared, "Could it be Pangu?"

"Indeed, I am the incarnation of Pangu!" A fierce and murderous look flashed across Gu Pan's grim face. Pangu harbored a deep-seated hatred for this Heavenly Dao; if not for its machinations, he would never have perished by transforming his body into the Primordial World. "Karma is a cycle; there will always be a day of reckoning." Gu Pan’s hoarse voice betrayed the depth of his hatred.

"Hehe, then let me see how much you have progressed all this time! Hongjun, let us dispatch these enemies quickly." The Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel was cunning; striking first, it launched an assault on Gu Pan.

"Fellow Daoist, take care." Patriarch Hongjun wielded his dragon-headed staff and struck at Daoist Yang Liu.

"Old man Hongjun, after all these years, you have not changed at all!" the Great Immortal Yang Liu laughed wildly. He brandished a verdant, hollow willow branch, which seemed to possess infinite suction, acting like a black hole that devoured everything surrounding Patriarch Hongjun.

"Is that all you have? After all this time, you have not changed a bit," Patriarch Hongjun said dismissively.

*Bang!* The dragon-headed staff traversed space, nearly striking the Great Immortal Yang Liu!

"To think it could pierce through space!" the Great Immortal Yang Liu thought to himself. Yet, the staff passed harmlessly through his body. How was this possible? Patriarch Hongjun squinted, baffled by the strength of such a technique.

Meanwhile, Gu Pan and the Heavenly Dao were engaged in a life-and-death struggle. Gu Pan unleashed the Chaos Bead and the Chaos Clock, using martial arts so potent that he kept the Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel at bay.

"Merge!" At this sight, the Great Immortal Yang Liu issued the command. Yang Liu, Gu Pan, the Chaos Clock, and the Chaos Bead merged into a single, massive sphere, crashing down upon the Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel. The Heavenly Dao, undaunted, ignored Patriarch Hongjun and attacked alone.

Unexpectedly, a shift occurred. The massive sphere slipped directly into the core of the Heavenly Dao Dharma Wheel. The Wheel was formed from the fusion of forty-nine strands of Primordial Violet Qi, augmented by the fortune granted by the Great Dao and the Primordial World itself, giving it the highest cultivation level in existence. Because the Chaos Clock and the Chaos Bead contained their own Primordial Violet Qi, they could enter the interior of the Heavenly Dao with ease.

"Since you have come, do not leave. Leave behind that 'glimmer of hope'!" The voice of the Heavenly Dao shook the entire space. It turned out the Heavenly Dao had formed a world within itself, and at the center floated the forty-nine strands of Primordial Violet Qi!

Gu Pan released his own violet energy—the three strands he and Yang Liu had collected, his own essence, the essence of the Great Immortal Yang Liu, and the violet energy from the Chaos Clock and the Chaos Bead—a total of seven strands! If the saints of the Primordial World knew of this, they would fight to the death to claim it, provided they had the strength.

"To think you are so generous as to offer me such a gift. I shall not refuse; I will reluctantly accept!" The voice of the Heavenly Dao echoed. The seven strands of Primordial Violet Qi, having merged with the Chaos Bead, launched a fierce assault. These strands were not under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dao, forcing the forty-nine strands of the Heavenly Dao to struggle just to fend them off. The forty-nine strands, though subservient, possessed their own rudimentary consciousness and "flinched" during the confrontation, putting the Heavenly Dao on the defensive.

"Hongjun, come and assist me!" The Heavenly Dao’s voice trembled. It was clear it could not withstand the attack! With Yang Liu, the master of space, and Gu Pan, who broke the heavens with strength, working together with the artifacts, the Heavenly Dao was pushed into a passive state.

"Hongjun, I know you are a man of reason. If we do not severely wound the Heavenly Dao today, the Primordial World will forever be a puppet in its hands! I hope you reflect upon this!" roared Daoist Yang Liu. Patriarch Hongjun hesitated, but because he was fused with the Heavenly Dao, the decision was no longer his. His eyes burned with blood, and his face twisted as he hissed, "Since you are so obstinate, you shall vanish from this world!" He transformed into a beam of light and entered the space created by the Heavenly Dao.

"Third Brother, we have reached Zixiao Palace," Yuanshi Tianzun said with a faint smile. Along the way, he had reflected on his past folly. Were those benefits truly worth it? If his convictions could not even protect his own brother, what of the Great Dao? He had let go of his obsessions; he would simply accompany his brother on this final journey.

"Third Brother, why have you brought us to Zixiao Palace?" asked Taishang Laojun.

"This is where the three of us once sought the path of immortality. It is only fitting we return. But there is one important thing to do!" A long-lost smile appeared on Tongtian’s pale face.

"Tongtian, come and help us! We cannot hold on much longer!" The voice of the Great Immortal Yang Liu echoed in Tongtian’s mind.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I have something to discuss with our teacher. Please wait outside for a moment; I will return shortly!" Tongtian’s sincere gaze convinced them to agree. He turned and stepped into Zixiao Palace.

"Hahaha, you cannot hold on, can you? This Creation Jade Disc is truly useful! It is, after all, Pangu’s brain—truly overbearing. Die now!" The Heavenly Dao and Patriarch Hongjun had merged, launching a fierce assault on Yang Liu and Gu Pan.

"If we are to die, we shall make you suffer for it!" The Great Immortal Yang Liu revealed his true form: a ten-thousand-foot-tall willow tree. Gu Pan unleashed his ultimate technique, the "Nine Transformations of Pangu."

"Do not forget me—Tongtian!" Tongtian unleashed his full aura, returning to his essence, and a vast expanse of pure energy filled the space. Their combined attack struck Patriarch Hongjun, freezing him for a split second. That moment changed everything.

*Boom!* Yang Liu, Tongtian, and Gu Pan collided with Patriarch Hongjun. Their reckless expenditure of their own essence to oppose the Heavenly Dao dealt it a grievous blow. The previously incomplete Heavenly Dao was now unified, yet it became a new entity, purged of its ambition to dominate. It assimilated Tongtian and the others, forming a new existence.

Soon, the Heavenly Dao withdrew from Hongjun’s body. Patriarch Hongjun let out a deep sigh. "Henceforth, no saint shall leave their seclusion for three kalpas, or they shall be cast beneath Mount Buzhou to suffer the erosion of their spirits for eternity!" the new Heavenly Dao declared.

"I obey the decree!" Patriarch Hongjun replied respectfully.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I can no longer remain by your side. In this life, I have been blessed to have you both!" Tongtian’s final consciousness reached them. Upon hearing this, Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun rushed into the palace.

"Tongtian! Tongtian! Where are you? Come back!" Yuanshi Tianzun wailed, prostrating himself on the ground.

"Teacher, Teacher! Where is Tongtian?" Taishang Laojun crawled forward, shaking Patriarch Hongjun’s body.

"Tongtian left a message for you," Hongjun said with a sorrowful expression. Yuanshi Tianzun leaned in, his eyes fixed on him.

"What did he say?" Taishang Laojun asked, his brow furrowed.

"He said: 'When I traversed into the Primordial World, I did not steal the soul of the Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun.'" Tears welled up in Hongjun’s eyes.

"What does that mean?" Yuanshi Tianzun looked at Taishang Laojun, baffled.

"Tongtian, we wronged you! We wronged you!" Taishang Laojun burst into tears. Yuanshi Tianzun finally understood, shedding tears of bitter regret. When Tongtian had "transmigrated," he had not usurped the soul of Lingbao Tianzun; he simply *was* Lingbao Tianzun. Tongtian *was* the Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun!

"Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun used his spirit to create the new Heavenly Dao. For this, the Great Dao has granted him a glimmer of hope, allowing him to reincarnate. Furthermore, for three kalpas, no saint shall violate the three prohibitions, or be cast beneath Mount Buzhou!" Hongjun’s voice echoed throughout the Primordial World.

With the saints broken by grief, they had no interest in conspiracies. The Western Sect’s Jieyin and Zhunti, realizing their ambitions were hollow and feeling deep remorse toward Tongtian, decided never to leave their mountain again. Nuwa, knowing she had owed Tongtian from the start, felt her karma deepen.

"Why? Why did you do this?" Houtu wondered why she felt such affection for Tongtian. Long ago, when Tongtian’s soul was first forming, it had been caught by the hand of Pangu, and that hand had happened to be where Houtu was located. Pangu, knowing the truth, had infused Tongtian with power. Houtu had touched that soul, creating a bond between them.

"Go, find the one you love." To meet him again, Houtu cast the jade pendant Tongtian had once given her into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

"Teacher, I will always wait for you!" Duobao Daoist sat at the entrance of the Six Paths, then plunged into the human realm.

"Teacher, no matter where or when, we shall always be your disciples!" were the silent thoughts of those within the Fengshen Platform.

"Where is this place?" Tongtian opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at the electric light above. Had he returned?