Seeing Hongyun's ruthless attack, Dijun was even more enraged. He, along with Taiyi and Kunpeng, attacked Hongyun. Compared to Hongyun, the three were all experts who had severed two corpses, and their cultivation was all a level higher than Hongyun's. In particular, Donghuang Taiyi had the innate treasure, the Chaos Bell. How could Hongyun withstand it? He was severely injured in just a few rounds. Dijun was about to kill Hongyun when suddenly a yellow light rose from the ground. It turned out that Zhenyuanzi had arrived. Zhenyuanzi possessed the Earth Book and was the ancestor of later earth immortals. He had severed one corpse with the ginseng fruit and another with the Earth Book, making him a master among quasi-saints. The Earth Book was also a defensive treasure that could form a great array, gathering the power of the earth. Dijun and Taiyi were unable to subdue him for the time being. Dijun was determined to seize the opportunity to become a saint, so he ordered the demons to set up the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array to surround Zhenyuanzi, intending to exhaust his magical power. Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book was formed from the membrane of heaven and earth, and the array he set up was also the innate earth elemental array. As long as it came into contact with the earth, it could absorb endless earth power to power the array. Di Jun and the others naturally knew this principle, so they used the Zhou Tian Star Array to attack Zhen Yuanzi continuously, increasing the speed at which he consumed his magic power.

Sixteen rescued Hongyun, Zhenyuan intervened, and they fought the Styx.

Zhen Yuanzi is also a remarkable figure. He possesses the Earth Book and has not yet produced the Heaven Book. He governs all the immortals in the Earth Immortal Realm. He also has the innate spiritual root ginseng fruit tree and the Primordial Dao Fruit, which is no less than that of a sage. He rules over the Earth Immortals and his blessings are extremely profound.

Although Di Jun used the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Formation to surround Zhen Yuanzi and deplete his magical power, Zhen Yuanzi also had ginseng fruits to replenish his power. However, the ginseng fruits would eventually run out, so he waited for Hong Yun to finish healing and take over. The two took turns fighting, and they managed to withstand the attack for nearly two hundred years thanks to the tortoise-shell-like Earth Book. But in the end, Hong Yun could not escape his fate. He had been seriously injured before, and after several battles, his injuries had relapsed, leaving him unable to take over for Zhen Yuanzi.

"Brother Zhenyuan, we've known each other for over a hundred years, listening to the Dao together, comprehending the Dao together. It's my blessing to know you in this life, but I cannot burden you. Please take care, Brother." Hongyun, his face filled with weariness, looked at Zhenyuanzi's retreating figure. Suddenly, he pulled out the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, preparing to trap Zhenyuanzi inside while he was off guard. Zhenyuanzi was circulating his magic power to support the array's consumption when he suddenly felt a powerful suction force behind him. Terrified, he turned around and saw it was Hongyun. He immediately understood what Hongyun was about to do and cried out, "Hongyun, no!" but he was still sucked in.

Hongyun then removed the Earth Book, wrapped it around the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, and threw it towards the ground of Wuzhuang Temple. The Earth Book then burrowed into the ground and disappeared towards Wuzhuang Temple.

Outside, Di Jun and his men had been besieging Yuanzi of Hongyun Town for nearly two hundred years. Today, seeing the formation disappear, they were already overjoyed, but they only thought that the two had exhausted their magic power and were unable to support the formation's operation. They hurriedly ordered their men to rush up and capture Yuanzi of Hongyun Town, especially Kunpeng, who was the fastest.

Unexpectedly, Hongyun was already waiting for him. When Kunpeng rushed towards Hongyun, he saw that Hongyun had a ruthless expression, his Taoist robe billowed, and spiritual energy surged towards him rapidly. Kunpeng immediately understood Hongyun's intentions and was sent flying back. Meanwhile, Dijun and Taiyi, seeing Kunpeng rush forward, knew that Kunpeng had ill intentions. Just as they were about to give chase, they saw Kunpeng retreating hastily. Before they could ask what was going on, a loud "boom" resounded from where Hongyun had been, and a mushroom cloud rose up. The power was so great that it instantly turned the nearby demons into ashes. Dijun and Taiyi quickly deployed their spiritual treasures to protect themselves. Kunpeng, having no treasures, was violently knocked away. After standing up, he instantly transformed into his true form as a Great Roc and flew towards the North Sea.

After the devastation caused by Hongyun's self-destruction, Dijun and Taiyi, witnessing the tragic scene, were filled with genuine remorse. Less than half of the demon soldiers they had brought remained, and the chance for them to achieve sainthood was nowhere to be found. They deeply resented Kunpeng for not warning them when Hongyun self-destructed. Finally, with grim expressions, the two gathered their remaining troops and flew back to the Heavenly Court.

Meanwhile, Zhen Yuanzi was ambushed by Hongyun and sucked into the gourd. He was then wrapped in the Earth Book and thrown towards Wuzhuang Temple. Zhen Yuanzi's cultivation was slightly higher than Hongyun's, and Hongyun hadn't intended to trap him. How could he hold Zhen Yuanzi for long? After Hongyun's self-destruction, the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd became ownerless due to his death, unable to hold Zhen Yuanzi. Once Zhen Yuanzi emerged from the gourd, he knew what had happened. His hair stood on end in fury, his eyes bloodshot, staring in the direction of the Heavenly Court. Just then, a figure suddenly appeared beside him, swiftly passing by Zhen Yuanzi. Taking advantage of his distraction, the figure snatched Hongyun's gourd and flew towards the Blood Sea. Zhen Yuanzi, a Quasi-Saint level expert, couldn't be kept in the dark. He too flew towards the Blood Sea, but upon reaching its surface, he saw the River Styx emerge.

"What brings Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi to my Blood Sea?" The figure was none other than the Blood God Child, formed from the Blood Sea by Styx. Styx had once been a disciple of the Dao at Zixiao Palace, but he was a low-key and unassuming man, usually keeping to himself, and few knew of him. He was a cunning and shrewd individual. This time, upon learning that Hongyun was surrounded, he sent the Blood God Child to investigate the surrounding area. Later, seeing the Earth Book carrying Hongyun's gourd fly out, he realized something was amiss and followed the Earth Book. Only then did he learn that Hongyun had self-destructed his primordial spirit, and he guessed that the key to sainthood might be inside the gourd. Thus, taking advantage of Zhen Yuanzi's inattention, he stole it and rushed towards the Blood Sea.

This Blood Sea was formed from a clump of foul blood from Pangu's navel after the creation of the world. Styx was conceived within it, born with the innate spiritual treasures, the Abi Yuantu Sword and the 12th-grade Blood Lotus for protection—truly a person of great fortune. Styx usually kept a low profile in the primordial world, his reputation unnoticed, but he was a master who had severed two corpses. He was even slightly superior to Zhen Yuanzi at this time (Zhen Yuanzi had not yet used the Earth Book to sever his corpses). However, Styx did not want to provoke Zhen Yuanzi, as his Blood Sea was inherently countered by Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book. If Zhen Yuanzi set up an array on his Blood Sea, he wouldn't even be able to escape. But this opportunity to become a saint was crucial, and Styx could not remain unmoved.

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