The Bloody Reckoning

The colossal armies of immortals and demons from both sides surged toward each other like two crashing tidal waves! Naturally, those who charged forward to engage in close combat were the experts of melee, while the ancient grand formations in the rear began to unleash large-scale spells. For a moment, the skies were blotted out, and the void itself shattered time and time again.

Xuanhuang the Yellow Emperor directed the battle with grave, meticulous precision.

Buddha Tathagata, Daoist Three Purities, Suiren, Divine Farmer, Fuxi, Ji Ning, Houyi, and the stooped, gray-robed figure watched the battle from the sidelines. At the same time, they kept a sharp eye on the movements of the Seamless Gate's major powers, ready to counter any surprise attack.

The war over Karmic Merit had already begun. The Seamless Gate's Grand Powers could launch their final decisive battle at any moment.

"We currently hold the advantage," Daoist Three Purities said in a cold, clear voice. "We are in no rush to force a final battle. But the Seamless Gate is different… They are already at a slight disadvantage. If they truly see no hope of victory, they will make their move. Suiren, Ji Ning. You are the two fastest among us. In a critical moment, it will be your responsibility to prevent any sneak attacks from the Seamless Gate."

"Understood." Suiren nodded.

"Agreed." Ji Ning also nodded.

Both of them possessed the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation technique. Even if the Seamless Gate moved first, they could react after the fact and still intercept them.

"We are beginning to see casualties," said Buddha Tathagata softly.

"Casualties are unavoidable." Suiren's eyes blazed with divine light, his battle-intent surging to the heavens. In a low, rumbling voice, he said, "Sometimes, victory must be forged with blood." In ages past, the rise of the human race from obscurity had been led by Suiren himself. Countless rivers of blood and mountains of white bones had paved the way for humanity's current glory.

Ji Ning watched in silence.

"Senior apprentice-brother Slacker," Ji Ning murmured to himself. He spotted a slovenly Daoist, inconspicuous within a distant 'Nuwa Mends the Heavens Formation.' It was his own senior apprentice-brother from the Black-White College.

"So he's become a Pure Yang True Immortal as well," Ji Ning sighed inwardly. "If he hadn't broken through, he might have been able to avoid this war."

The disciples or close ones of Grand Powers…

If their strength was not great, merely at the Celestial Immortal level, they were generally exempt from battle. For example, Ji Ning's own daughter, Brightmoon, and Daoist Muchuan, a disciple of Daofather Crimsonbright, were both at the Celestial Immortal level. Their participation would have been meaningless. Regardless, the Nuwa camp wanted to leave some embers for the future; these geniuses need not fight. As for Autumn Leaf, Qingya Xiaoyu, and the others, who were not even Celestial Immortals, they were even more exempt.

But reaching the level of an Empyrean God or True Immortal changed everything. Figures like Senior Apprentice-brother Slacker and Bodhisattva Dongji were also considered geniuses, but they were forced to participate.

The only exceptions were if a Grand Power of extremely high status within the Nuwa camp insisted on protecting them. Someone at the level of Daoist Three Purities, Buddha Tathagata, Suiren, or Ji Ning himself… could, in theory, shield a specific Empyrean God or True Immortal. If, say, Ji Ning's daughter became a Pure Yang True Immortal and he didn't want her to take risks, the Nuwa camp would fully accommodate his personal feelings.

But even Grand Powers rarely did such things. Even if they did, they would only protect one or two people, such as their own close family.

As for Patriarch Subhuti… he did not protect a single one of his disciples! They all went to the battlefield!

"The dazzling geniuses of yesteryear have now become but insignificant pawns on the battlefield." Ji Ning felt the sheer powerlessness of an individual in a war of such vast, sweeping scale. Even ordinary True Gods and Daofathers were helpless before this struggle for Karmic Merit.

Because some of the massive formations on both sides could unleash attacks in a single blow that surpassed the power of an ordinary True God or Daofather, approaching that of a top-tier Daofather.

The first clash of the two armies lasted for half an hour before both sides ceased their assault and withdrew. Battles of this intensity consumed an enormous amount of magic power and divine power. Since virtually every immortal and demon in the entire Three Realms was participating… neither the Nuwa camp nor the Seamless Gate could supply a limitless amount of immortal pills. Thus, the war would be fought in many separate engagements.

In every battle, both sides were cautious, trying to tear a piece of flesh from the other while seeking their opponent's vulnerabilities.

On the first day of the war, the Nuwa camp lost 612 Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, over 3.2 million Celestial Immortals, and an uncountable number of ordinary Loose Immortals and Fiendgods… The Seamless Gate lost 122 Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, over 1.89 million Celestial Immortals, and an uncountable number of ordinary Loose Immortals and Fiendgods…

On the sixth day of battle, the total number of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals lost by the Nuwa camp rose to 925, with Celestial Immortal deaths rising to over 5.62 million, and Loose Immortals and Fiendgods beyond count… The total number of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals lost by the Seamless Gate reached 531, while Celestial Immortals numbered over 5.3 million, with Loose Immortals and Fiendgods beyond measure…!

On the nineteenth day of the war…

On the twenty-sixth day…

Both sides meticulously probed for the other's weaknesses. Each engagement was carried out with extreme caution, and casualties were relatively light, considering that almost all the immortals and demons of the Three Realms were participating.

On the sixty-ninth day of the war, the clashes became noticeably more violent and frenzied. The number of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals who fell on this single day surpassed the total of all previous days combined. This was because both the Seamless Gate and the Nuwa camp had, one after the other, revealed their secretly cultivated insect-beast armies. The insect-beast legions, with their overwhelming momentum, immediately upset the balance of the battlefield, leading to a massive slaughter.

"Retreat." The Yellow Emperor gave the order.

Both the Nuwa camp and the Seamless Gate began to withdraw their troops. The atmosphere on the battlefield had become incredibly grim. Countless immortals and demons wore expressions of savage madness in their eyes. They had all trained to reach their level… they understood there was no retreat. Every single one of them was prepared to die as they slaughtered their foes.

"They have even more insect-beasts than we do," Fuxi remarked with a frown.

"It's nothing surprising that they obtained the Lord of All Demons' puppet techniques and methods for cultivating insect-beasts," Daoist Three Purities said coldly. "Although their insect-beasts outnumber ours slightly, everything is still within our control."

"Evergreen Sword Immortal…" Ji Ning shook his head.

That traitor, Evergreen. Ji Ning had been thinking about killing him.

But what he hadn't expected was that, in the chaos of the most recent battle, with the sudden appearance of the vast insect-beast armies on both sides disrupting the balance, Evergreen Sword Immortal had found himself in a life-or-death crisis and had actually broken through! In that instant, the Heavenly Dao responded, and he comprehended a complete Heavenly Dao. Evergreen immediately swallowed a Grand Rejuvenation Pill to rapidly ascend to the Golden Immortal (Daofather) level. The moment he broke through, however, he became the focus of the Nuwa camp’s frenzied attacks. Surrounded and besieged by over a dozen grand formations just a few breaths after his breakthrough… Evergreen Sword Immortal died faster than he had ever lived!

Having become a Daofather for only a few seconds, Evergreen Sword Immortal was killed on the spot, besieged by over a dozen grand formations and annihilated.

In a war where nearly every immortal and demon in the Three Realms was gathered, whoever shone the brightest attracted the most 'firepower.' Unless one possessed near-leader-level strength, death was truly not far away.

"So many have died in this single battle," Divine Farmer said with a soft sigh.

"There is no other way." Suiren gritted his teeth, forcing down the pain in his heart.

Ji Ning, too, felt a pang of agony in his heart.

The battle just fought was the most brutal and tragic of the entire Karmic Merit war so far. The total number of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals lost by the Nuwa camp had soared to over 8,600. The number of Celestial Immortals had exceeded 100 million! As for Loose Immortals and Fiendgods, there was no point in even discussing them… The Seamless Gate was not having an easy time of it either. Although they had a large number of puppet assistants, they were at a slight disadvantage. The total number of their Empyrean Gods and True Immortals killed had reached over 7,900, while Celestial Immortals numbered over 110 million, and Loose Immortals and Fiendgods were also beyond count…

These seemingly ordinary strings of numbers represented the lives of countless immortals and demons!

Because so many had died in this battle…

Many of the friends Ji Ning had known had perished within it.

"Brother Feiyou… Xiuke…" Ji Ning sighed in his heart. Among the Empyrean Gods he had once rescued, over ten had been killed in that very battle. Among them were Feiyou the Empyrean God and Xiuke the Empyrean God, with whom he had shared a close bond.

"And Dongji."

Ji Ning sighed even more deeply.

Prince Dongji, that arrogant and dissipated prince of old, had shed his frivolous nature and revealed astonishing talent. He had been making rapid progress within the Buddhist faith, even attracting the attention of Buddha Tathagata himself. For this war, Bodhisattva Dongji had even been put in command of a grand formation on his own… Yet in that very battle, this dazzlingly talented Bodhisattva Dongji had also perished, his soul and body extinguished.

If he had been given enough time, perhaps the Buddhist faith would have gained another Buddha.

Such was fate.

No matter how extraordinary one's talent or how monstrous one's aptitude… without enough time to grow, one would never become a true powerhouse. In a massive war as vast and sweeping as this one, to die was merely to raise a small ripple on the water's surface, followed by silence and the disappearance of all trace.

Even Buddha Tathagata had no time to be sad. Too many had died. Every single Grand Power had lost disciples whom they knew well, even those they had high hopes for… Almost all Empyrean Gods and True Immortals had studied under a Grand Power.

(Second chapter around one o'clock. To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to Qidian to read.)