The eye of the Heavenly Dao, a physical manifestation of the divine force which drives the world. It held a myriad of colours denoting extraordinary changes. Power beyond any immortal was ever present and simply looking at it drove lesser beings insane.

The swirling vortexes of three thousand completed Dao paths were visible for all to see. The lesser vortexes of a hundred and eight thousand lesser Daos were also visible for all to see.

It was very different from the infant will found atop Mt Buzhou so many years ago. To invade the current Heavenly Dao would be tantamount to suicide.

The profound eye groaned. Celestial light descended from the heavens and enveloped Qi An and the remaining qilin in the small world.

"Brother, what have you done?" A surge of voices, some angry, some willing, some indifferent bursted out from the small world.

"Peace brothers and sisters, this would've been the only way," he sighed. As the current head of the Primordial Qilin clan, such decisions were up to him now.

The light touched the qilin and instinctively, they knew they were inducted. As a positive, any negative karma they had was washed away, they gained protection and privileges from the Heavenly Dao. As a negative, they've essentially lost all free will.

Qi An turned to look at the mighty figures surrounding him. The two elder godfiends appeared contemplative. Though the Great Sea Heavenly Lord appeared more intrigued by the Heavenly Dao's eye, Hongjun on the other hand focused more on him.

It made the qilin slightly uneasy.

The two sovereigns on the other hand were visibly displeased. The dragon had made his stance clear but the phoenix equally wore an ugly expression.

Qi An knew what he was doing. Putting his clan, a lineage equal to the dragon and phoenixes, into their care was an insult upon them. In the same vein, he also did not wish to be exterminated.

As such, it was very convenient for him that the Heavenly Dao had functions like this. If his father hadn't been so close with Hongjun, he wouldn't have even known.

"We shall be taking our leave," the former prince said saluting the four powers present.

"You have a lot of gall," Zufeng said. Her voice was both chilling yet soothing, an unintended effect of her song. The disparagement produces an aura that chilled Qi An's spine.

The woman might just be an incarnation, something actually very beatable for Qi An, but it wouldn't be an easy fight.

"Apologies your majesty," Qi An said. "Your offer was a most gracious one. But as a comparable lineage, I cannot accept."

"You dare think yourself equal to a phoenix such as I?" Zufeng sneered. Off to the side, Zulong snorted but made no further comment.

"From this moment, the qilin will retreat from the primitive world. We shall make our home in the mountains until such a time where we are needed," Qi An declared.

The Heavenly Dao produced a bridge of light leading into a portal. Qi An walked through without hesitation. Soon, all traces of the qilin was gone from this world.

In an instant, a mighty power had simply vanished.

"Waste, hmph," Zufeng took a deep breath to calm herself. After recomposing herself, she turned towards the remaining powers.

"Why are you still here?" Zulong demanded. "Unconcerned busybodies should leave immediately."

Zufeng snorted. Then in the next instant, her figure and that of the mirror disappeared.

Hongjun's corpse of evil sighed in exasperation. Seeing as there was nothing left here, he spoke one final time. "If that is all, I shall be taking my leave," he promptly turned to walk away.

"Hold it!"

However, Hongjun was called back by Da Hai. The arms he folded on his back loosened back to his side as the godfiend turned to look as Da Hai.

"Do you really wish to escalate things?" he asked. He stretched out his arms.

Two bursts of light flew into them, an ancient chessboard and a scroll made of beast skin. Former treasures that belonged to Zulin.

As Hongjun began growing to an exponential size, a world cloaked in darkness manifested below him. This deity sprouted two extra arms and his limbs grew long and feral.

"Let's get this over with," he said.

"Your master will take of this," Da Hai said to Zulong before leaving. As he walked, his hair elongated until they split into seven branches. Each branch became their own snake head complete with yellow manes.

He held the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword on his right hand and the Ocean Swallowing Jug on his left. Behind him, the 12 Petals White Lotus floated like the suns you see behind a buddha.

Zulong took a step back to regroup with his men whilst the two titans began brawling. He arrived alongside the likes of Calamity Snail, Colossal Shark, Ancestral Dolphin, Mosasaur, and others.

The sky lit up in a clash of divine light as he greeted them.

Though he was their sovereign ruler and they too held loyalty to him. These supposedly mighty fuigures couldn't help but be captivated by the battle between Da Hai and Hongjun's corpse of evil. Both deities vastly exceeded them in power and status.

"Hm, terrifying aren't they," Zulong murmured.

"Your majesty?" They were surprised he'd admit to being afraid.

"Do not worry too much. If you continue on the path of the Dao, one day you too will reach their level. As will I and all those who strive for it," he encouraged.

The losses this time around had been harsh. Around a dozen Chaos Immortals had perished on their side. So many talents who'd lived for hundreds of thousands of years and painstakingly cultivated. These were also some of the oldest kings and chieftains of the four seas. A pained loss that would be heavily felt.

The void lit up with more and more clashes. These Chaos Immortals were reduced to a peanut gallery as the battle waged on. In their minds, this was less a battle between fighters and more two universes clashing against one another.

"I am sorry your majesty," Calamity Snail suddenly said. "This minister was incompetent. I couldn't finish them in time."

"Hai," Zulong sighed. "The losses this time was harsh and while we eliminated a dangerous foe who threatened our borders. We've also failed to completely annihilate any chances of revenge."

"But do not disparage too much. Just as we cannot touch them, they too cannot touch us. We too are favoured by the heavens," Zulong said.

"Karma has been sowed," one of Zulong's Chaos Immortal subordinates said.

"And karma has been settled," Qinglong chimed in. "Cause and effect dictated as such and we fulfilled the effect. The Heavenly Dao is above such stations, from now on, we are just strangers."

"Hm," Zulong rubbed his chin taking his younger brother's words to mind. In terms of enlightenment, even he had to concede defeat to Qinglong. Perhaps it was his connection to the Jupiter star, or just raw talent, but the azure dragon held a higher Dao realm compared to him.

"Say brother, what can you infer the qilin now that their empire is gone?" Zulong asked out of idle curiosity.

"No, they're now servants of the Heavenly Dao. Using divination on them is like using divination on the Heavenly Dao itself," Qinglong shook his head. "The difficulty and risks doesn't outright the rewards."

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As they discussed, the battle through the void raged on. Unlike the earlier exchange of moves, this time, Hongjun held nothing back.

This current body of his was not his original, otherwise Da Hai would've had to run. This was an avatar, a second body created from the shaved off corpse of evil.

Because of this, Da Hai was fully assured of his capabilities. A high level avatar he may be, but he was too much inferior than the original.

The three corpses were fundamental elements of Hongjun's Dao path. Three distinct manifestations within a person's body that represented their good intentions, evil intentions, and obsessions. He predicted that the shaving off of all three will open one up to true enlightenment.

All of Hongjun's negative thoughts, all evil intentions he had held were thrusted into this body. It manifested as a demonic old man with brutal powers for him to pilot.

But Da Hai wasn't simple either. Without any extraordinary means, the sea god was untouchable. His offensive power was also incredibly high and the though he may not be the most competent swordsman, he was able to display the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword's might.

The void was once again shattered into a stormy chaos. Waves of chaotic energy flowed chaotically in all directions. They became like a complex maze of airwaves.

RUMBLE!

After an exchange that lasted for twenty six million clashes and forty million moves total, an event that took another month to settle, the battle drew to a close.

The clash between them was like a Dao discussion. Both fighters could infer each others techniques and may even invent new ones on the spot. But the end result was all the same.

Hongjun's world disintegrated, his black suns broke apart and his myriad manifestations faded from existence.

Da Hai's sword cleaved through Hongjun's body from head to groin. The cut was so clean that both pieces could still seamlessly fit together.

"Your victory fellow daoist," Hongjun congratulated. He fell backwards amidst the chaos. The treasures in his hands fell out as well, into the chaotic waves.

Da Hai remained silent watching the avatar slowly die. He watched with a mix of glee and concern as the corpse of evil broke apart.

Hongjun's eyes met Da Hai's gaze. His body split into two perfect halves as his life finally faded.

"Fellow daoist Da Hai, there is no turning back now. I had thought you ignorant and naive, an annoyance at best. But time and again you've proven yourself otherwise. Do not think the protection of the heavens can save you," Hongjun's voice called out before fading.

"I look forward to that day," Da Hai responded. "I do not regret this path, let us clash when the time comes."

Da Hai looked towards the corpse of Hongjun. The airwaves was still very turbulent. It was only due to their strength that he and the rest could remain stable.

He stretched out his hand and invoked divine fire. Heavenly flames shot out from Da Hai's hands burning the body of Hongjun. Within several hours, Da Hai completed the process of cremating the body.

With another action, he held out his other hand trying to draw the former treasures of Hongjun forwards. Though nothing ever came.

'What? No satchels and no xiantian spiritual treasures?' He wondered. The airwaves were still very turbulent to his divine senses were pretty scrambled. But upon concentrating, Da Hai sensed something.

"Ah, Shen Feng," he murmured. He concluded the little scavenger must've hidden within the void's airwaves and snuck in during the chaos of his battle. If that fiend was good anything, it was running away, his speed was something other stronger beings admired.

"No loot?" Zulong called out.

Da Hai descended towards Zulong. "No, a certain scavenger got them while I wasn't looking…You're all still here?" He asked.

"How can we leave when master was still here?" Zulong, Yinglong, and Qinglong said.

"Magnificently done your excellency," the other immortals bowed.

"Hm, now that this is all over with. We can finally all rest," Da Hai sagged his shoulders. "How are your injuries Zulong?"

The dragon shrunk back into an antlered man. He wiped the blood off his lips and fixed up his robes. "I am fine master," he said whilst taking hold of and shrinking Zulin's head. The qilin's body had long been crushed to bits by Zulong.

"I cannot say we fully achieved victory here," Zulong sighed. His urge to crush Zulin's head to smithereens like the rest of his body, but he wanted to present it to his wife first.

His hatred for the qilin had returned in full force. Yet he held himself back, devolving back into a feral animal frothing at the mouth would be unbecoming of him.

Da Hai nodded, "You should be careful in how you handle your luck. The Heavenly Dao is as forgiving as it is vengeful, it is best to have it hold you at high regards."

"Understood master," Zulong reached out his hand and called forth. Zulin had detonated much of his stored luck Qi in a massive explosion that wiped out a large chunk of the land. But there were still some bits remaining.

Soon, golden luck Qi rejoined Zulong's outstretched hand. They connected into a small flood dragon that purred and nuzzled the elder dragon.

Zulong looked at the creature in disappointment. This was a mere consolation prize compared to what he had lost. Sure, the Heavenly Sea Suppression Needle had recovered much of his luck, but that portion now must battle with the Sea Eye.

What Zulong actually could use, was much lesser in comparison. He calculated that his current Qi Dragon of Luck would only be 35% the size of what he had originally held. This was adding what he recovered into what the Heavens and Da Hai provided.

If Da Hai was a more selfish man, Zulong's Qi Dragon would've been even smaller. Now, his empire's destiny, while still superior to the avians, wasn't impossible for them to catch up it.

As both had protection from the heavens, directly provoking each other would be difficult. 'Doesn't matter,' he shook his head. After all, he was confident in their ability in continuing to develop over time.

"It has been a trying day, let's return," Zulong said. He felt bad for those who died. After the fire, there weren't even bodies left to bury.

Da Hai nodded and worked to create another door. Zulong had been gone too long and the four seas were still in shambles.

With this business concluded, Zulong sent the other Chaos Immortals home. He commanded them and the bulk of his ministers into repairing duties and preparing funerals for the deceased. The oceans needed much healing and they've earned their rest.

The Dragon Sovereign himself retreated to the East Sea Dragon Palace. After presenting Zulin's head to Gui Daiyu, he mounted it upon his palace walls. A warning to any future enemies.

As for Da Hai, he remained in the east sea's skies. Since his role in this event had concluded, it was time to execute his next plan.