Hongjun's corpse of evil and Da Hai abruptly felt their surroundings change. One minute they were at a standoff in the void and suddenly an explosion had shaken the void between realms.

In the time both individuals got their bearings together, a massive hole was punctured in the great wilderness. A pit leading to the void. Reality was broken and all the damage sustained was visible from the eye of these two deities.

Hongjun sighed and walked forwards. The destination he was aiming for was the core of the pit. The location where Zulong and Zulin were located at.

Zulong was the first to catch Hongjun's movement. Faster than he can properly react, something he'd never experienced before, Hongjun already stood before him.

"Dragon Sovereign," Hongjun began. "Too much death has occurred already. The world has already suffered so much tragedy. Why don't we just let things go. Qilin Sovereign has sinned greatly with his actions, I'll personally make sure he makes up for."

This demonic looking man resembling an oni from Japanese myths spoke in a calm yet dominating tone. He demanded attention and gave off the aura of the supreme deity under heaven.

He reached out to grab towards Zulin with full intention of pulling the qilin away.

Zulong struggled to move. He couldn't process his thoughts properly and for the first time in a very long time, he realised this man was no simple opponent. In fact, he recognised him.

Zulin sighed in relief. It seemed fortune was still on his side, he wasn't out of luck yet. He wondered why his old benefactor hadn't acted until now but placed that train of thought away, hope was still on his side.

SWISH!

Hongjun leaned back retracting his hand. A few white hairs were lopped off by the Heavenly Cloud Gathering sword held firmly in Da Hai's hand.

The sea god had only been a step behind Hongjun. He did not hesitate to swing again forcing the senior immortal to take a few steps back.

'That sword is dangerous,' Hongjun's corpse of evil realised.

"Step away from my disciple," Da Hai commanded swinging a third time followed by a fourth.

With each swing swaths of mysterious sword Qi cut into the abyss. They weren't Chaotic Sword Qi but simply gusts of winds. Yet each swing obliterated the void, distorting the fragments of reality and throwing everything into chaos.

Hongjun's corpse of evil stomped his foot. In an instant, everything had returned to normal in an orderly fashion. The distortions ended and the pieces of reality stilled.

A pseudo balance was achieved in which the destruction wrought by Zulin continued to be chaotic while pieces of reality reached a level of stability. An equilibrium between both sides was achieved.

"Yin-Yang harmony, the change from being to unbeing, restore this world," Hongjun commended.

In a miraculous twist of events, the chaotic debris that littered the gapping pit disappeared. They were replaced by a calm flow of void energies that had little turbulence behind slight movement.

The immortals present gasped in awe at the casual display of a miraculous spell.

"Neat trick," Da Hai complimented. He did not stop his aggressive stance nor did he retreat.

Hongjun frowned. If his true body was here, things would be simpler. But he was just an avatar formed from the corpse of evil. He wouldn't be a match for Da Hai if he chose to interfere now.

"Fellow daoist," Hongjun grumbled unhappily. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Speak for yourself," Da Hai retorted with a sneer.

Hongjun flushed with both embarrassment and anger. Meanwhile Da Hai appeared more amused than anything, underneath that however lay simmering rage.

"Be reasonable, would it not be better for his majesty to serve his penance? He should repay the damages he caused, the qilin are gifted creatures and children of the Heavenly Dao. Let the Heavenly Dao decide his fate," Hongjun urged.

Da Hai's lips curled. Then he chuckled. Then he broke into an outright laughing fit full of mockery. A rare sight for the Heavenly Lord but one that genuinely disturbed the immortals of the east sea.

The look Da Hai sent Hongjun wordlessly converted how ridiculous the elder deity sounded. Both parties knew it.

Hongjun had hoped for a sign, or some form of divine intervention. Despite all that has happened, technically speaking, Zulin hadn't incurred the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, likely due to his immense good luck and his exalted status. However, he saw no such intervention on his behalf.

"It's not the right time for him to die," Hongjun admitted. "Destiny has set a course, to kill him now is to go against the trend of heavens."

Da Hai smirked. What trend of heavens? What course of destiny? Such words were mere bullshit. There was no plan in the Heavenly Dao's design, there was barely a design at all. Things happen, opportunities for good fortune and disaster can both occur, as long as the world profits, that's all the Heavenly Dao cares about.

"Oi," Zulong's call out caught the attention of both godfiends. They'd been ignoring him for the few seconds they've taken to conversing but the dragon's voice had snapped their attention back to him.

"You seem to be forgetting something," Zulong spat. "This mongrel may or may not have offended the heavens. But he certainly offended me."

Hongjun sighed while Da Hai chuckled.

"I must implore you Dragon Sovereign," Hongjun warned. "You're making a mistake."

Zulong smirked, "Here's what I think of my mistake."

Zulin's eye widened in abject fear. Then they narrowed in resignation, he had very little strength to spare anyway. Neither did he have anything he wanted to say.

Thousands of years of hard work gone down the drain. The Qilin Sovereign had been terribly wrong. He wasn't as invincible as he'd assumed.

In hindsight, perhaps his first loss against the dragon on Ao should've been a warning. But at the time, he'd chalked things up to him not reaching his full potential.

Zulong's maw widened and descended like a guillotine. No hesitation, no reluctance, no second thoughts, no guilt.

CRUNCH!

"Hai," Zulin's severed head sighed. "You win, Dragon Sovereign," the light faded from his eye as Zulong's claw gripped his antlers.

The dragon raised the head of his spiritual brother and lifted it for Hongjun to see. The godfiend wore a deep frown. His look was one of disapproval.

Zulong glared defiantly back. "The only authority I respect in this heaven and earth is my master. You have no RIGHT to command me, ancient godfiend or not."

Around the dragon, mystical changes erupted in a frenzy of soft colourful lights. They flew, giving off an eerie chilling feeling that flowed into the primitive world.

Over on that side, the sky above the north continent had descended into a thunderstorm. Not the aggressive ones the dragons summoned but a natural storm that covered the land.

Rivers dried up and healthy trees faded to withered aged snags. Living beings around the world felt a certain wrongness in the wind like something had gone missing. Strange natural phenomenons that signalled the fall of a supremely powerful Chaos Immortal. One who's destiny could shape the course of the entire universe.

Within the void, Hongjun appeared a little helpless. His awkwardness was caught on by Da Hai who shot him a mocking look, one which found joy in his position. Hongjun levelled Da Hai with a glare of his own, he met the Heavenly Lord's challenging gaze with one of his own.

"Don't needlessly antagonise me fellow daoist," Hongjun snorted towards the sea god. "You win this round. Are you satisfied?"

"This was never about me," Da Hai shook his head and pointed at Hongjun's corpse of evil. "My grievances with you are not something a war of juniors will resolve. Without your true body here to save you corpse, how could I skip this chance?"

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"I have only ever met you twice," Hongjun said flatly. "I do not wish to be your enemy nor do I have reason to. Why must you keep antagonizing me?"

Zulong glanced towards his master with a questioning look. Objectively speaking, he knew his forces were depleted. However, he was prepared to support Da Hai at a moment's notice, all that was needed was the signal.

The tension was broken when the human form of the strongest mollusc of the seas flew up to Zulong. He'd since retracted his true form and held within his hands a man, no a boy.

"Your majesty," Calamity Snail greeted.

"What's this?" Zulong looked down at the child. His bone age was easily identifiable as just shy of ten thousand years. His strength was a Great Unity Golden Immortal but the most damning aspect was the familiar blood of…

"Qilin!" Zulong growled with bloodlusted eyes.

"This minister reports, I found this one roaming the outskirts just a short while ago. This minister is dull and is unsure how to deal with him," Calamity Snail said subserviently.

He had indeed found Qi An trying to flee. The senses of the Da Luo Golden Immortal had detected him shortly after the explosion. His position had been exposed and his cloaking destroyed. Capturing him was but a matter of time. Though in truth, Calamity Snail just wanted to win some browny points with Zulong.

"Qilin," Zulong stared at Qi An who glared back at him. "You are the son of Zulin. That is a small world on you, carrying the other qilins are you not?"

"Gloating will do you no good. You won't dare exterminate all of us. There are many innocents among our numbers," Qi An spat half-heartedly. He looked towards Hongjun's and Da Hai's direction.

Hongjun's eyes flashed with what appeared to be joy. He made to step forwards only for Da Hai to step in his way. "Let the juniors handle this," he threatened.

"Qilin's are dangerous, their ability to manipulate karmic luck is too much," Zulong looked towards the other immortals who'd followed him. They seemed to all nod in agreement.

"Who knew the dragons were such despicable beings? Slaughtering the innocent for the crimes of their father? What ridiculous amoral beings," Qi An spat.

"Kill them," Zulong commanded Calamity Snail who nodded.

Purple miasma began emanating from Hongjun. Each step he took caused the void to shake and distort on a scale normal Great Principle Chaos Immortals simply weren't able to. He pulled his right fist back and took a stance, the symbol of taijitu appeared behind him, glowing like a radiant sun.

It turned and churned and spun. The inky black took hold of the white and transformed into a dark disc. The white merged back to being a minute aspect while the black portrayed horrifying might.

Grey clouds began gathering around Da Hai. The sound of the sea churning could be heard and the Heavenly Lord of the great sea readied himself. The Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword glowed with a waterline texture resembling water.

The image of a single headed serpent appeared around Da Hai's body. It was like a river and a living creature at the same time. Its fangs were long and sharp, bathed in the power to rend all things apart.

The sudden surge of colliding energies rippled throughout the pi causing Calamity Snail to hold off from attacking in order to right himself.

Da Hai stepped forwards and swung his sword at Hongjun. In response, the godfiend punched with his fist.

"Extremity in destruction, balance in unity. Harmonious fist!"

"The wave of calamity Heavenly Clouds Gathers, single kill!"

CLANG!

SPLATTER!

The explosion of purple and grey rocked the void and the north continent beyond. The ever expanding residue of power uprooted entire landmasses and kicked up tsunamis, created thunderstorms and destabilised the void currents.

Hongjun recoiled back holding the split form of his right hand. From the knuckle to the elbow, his arm had been cleaning split in two. Blood like Dao essence oozed out of his wound.

He eyed the sword in Da Hai's hand in shock. "Chaotic Sword Qi," he murmured. He vomited some more blood while Da Hai took a deep breath to recollect himself.

At this moment, an elegant mirror appeared in open space. A woman appeared in the void. Her colourful feather robes complimented her crown making her one of the world's most beautiful women. The Phoenix Sovereign Zufeng.

She took a look around her immediate surroundings and noticed the clashing godfiends. Then she took note of the corpse of the Qilin Sovereign.

"Wow, so that was all he amounted to in the end," Zufeng's arrogant feminine voice flowed through the calm void. Her elegant figure manifested as a third party neither near nor far from the rest.

"Zufeng," Zulong was startled to see the phoenix again after so many years. Hearsay could only inform you so much but from a single glance, he could the bird had changed.

She shared his acknowledgement but otherwise paid no more attention to the dragon, something which irked his pride.

"Your majesty," Hongjun greeted politely, his injuries ignored.

"Phoenix Sovereign," Da Hai saluted with politeness.

"Seniors," Zufeng returned.

"What are you doing here Phoenix Sovereign," Zulong craned his long neck to look the avian in the eye. The woman appeared tiny next to the gargantuan dragon but her presence was no less formidable.

After his bout with Zulin, Zulong appeared a little withered. His lips had red streaks of blood flowing down them and his majestic body sported injuries. Though he made no show of weakness nor and signs he was even injured aside from visuals.

Yet a second look will tell you that the gentlest breeze from Zulong will obliterate the Zufeng who stood before him. After all, this woman was only a hastily formed incarnation.

"I didn't know you could cross three continents worth of space with your incarnation arts," Zulong quipped.

"I can't," Zufeng admitted with full clarity. "I must thank senior Hongjun for allowing this sovereign to borrow his Vast Sky Mirror. Or do you prefer Elder Immortal Vulture?"

"Either works," Hongjun's corpse of evil said.

"Why are you really here Zufeng?" Zulong questioned.

The Phoenix Sovereign turned her gaze towards Qi An. During the confusion, he'd managed to get out of Calamity Snail's hold but it was impossible to get away. Zufeng smiled.

"Although you are not an avian, this sovereign is willing to take you in and offer you protection as long as you vow to the Heavenly Dao to serve me as my vassal," She said to Qi An who widened his eyes.

Swear by the Heavenly Dao, an unbreakable vow that will cause divine retribution if broken. If Zulin had been alive he'd have never agreed. Why should he of a royal sovereign clan serve another?

But Qi An was not Zulin.

"YES, I Qi An am willing to swear," the young qilin prince said almost immediately much to Zulong's utter shock.

He then roared out "We qilin swear to uphold the Heavenly Dao's order and justice. To serve the magnificent force of the heavens in the name of the Heavenly Dao for eternity. We shall become servants of the heavens to right all wrongs we've caused."

Now it was Zufeng who widened her eyes in shock. 'This shrewd little shit,' she swore in her mind.

Above them, a gargantuan eye made of Qi manifested. The world quieted down as a mysterious pact was formed. It seemed to be smiling joyfully at the result.

All of a sudden, it became sin to touch the qilin. Yet at the same time, the qilin realised they could never touch the individuals present. Beneath the gaze of the Heavenly Dao, they could not take revenge nor argue against them.

'It's fine,' Qi An told himself. 'At least we have a secured future this way.'

Looking upwards, Da Hai sighed. "Throwing away your freedom for survival. Well, I can't fault you, at least now you won't be in danger ever again."