"Oi, I need some help here!"

CLANG!

"Seriously Yanluo!"

CLANG!

"Bit busy over here Haotian. Ah shit!"

The ground exploded into flying debris. A white robed Haotian leapt back, parrying further strikes from a ferocious devil expert. His cultivation base was pushed even further as he continued to battle for the sake of those under his protection.

"ROAR!"

The devils he was fighting was filled with hatred. He was one of those who'd taken advantage of the advantage Mara's control over the resurrection process gave. As a living devil, he broke out of the anti-devil alliance's barricade in order to decimate the East Continent.

This devil's heart was filled with righteous vengeance. His attacks sent shockwaves throughout the mountain range they were fighting. Aside from Haotian, his spiritual treasure also attacked numerous smaller figures fighting against this devil.

Haotian continued to move as he fought. He knew his own fleshy body best, a single hit would do catastrophic damage to him despite his tremendously high Dao mastery. The comrade he was working with was much the same.

The devil leading the offensive against him wasn't the only one other all. Despite no ghost devils appearing here, the living devils present had all formed their Dao fruit. Half a dozen devils at the Chaos Immortal realms showcased their moves, all of whom emanated the presence of the Devilish Dao.

Haotian gritted his teeth, he could visibly see the impact these devil's Dao fruits had in defining their attacks' properties. Although somewhat different, they all held a strong basis in the same source. It was to the extent that Haotian could refer to them all as extensions of the same person.

With the Vast Heaven Sword in hand, Haotian created streams of sword light to fend off these devils. "Yanluo now!"

A dozen individuals wearing full black clothing that showcased no skin, a round top hat, and talismans stuck to their faces jumped out from gaps in reality. Their gangly hands stretched outwards as they slipped out of the void, releasing large amounts of power.

THROOM!

Haotian made a quick retreat as the six Chaos Immortal devils changed targets. This allowed him to point his sword at one with their back turned. He quickly unleashed a stab. Brilliant heavenly light streaked across the sky revealing two images, a dragon and a phoenix flying alonside each other.

The devil targeted was grappling with the individual with a talisman stuck on its face when he was struck. He screamed when the explosion engulfed both him and the thing he was fighting. Both were erased from existence.

"NO! Do you have any idea how long it took to make that?"

Haotian showed a guilty expression as a red skinned man flew to his side. This red skinned man was also dressed in black and to Haotian, resembled a human around the age of twenty five. He didn't appear as healthy as Haotian, sporting several injuries where golden light trickled out of.

"You're leaking essence," Haotian pointed out.

"I know, I'm not as good as you in close combat," Yanluo said. His right hand was holding onto a spell while his left was hanging free.

Unlike Haotian whose Dao essence condensed into flesh, and liquid blood within his body. Yanluo's body was little more then an unpolished mass of energy. This was the difference between mortal beings who became immortals through cultivation or those who at least had rudimentary training in cultivating the flesh, and those who never bothered to try.

"Let's finish this before more of my babies get destroyed," Yanluo impatiently said.

Haotian took one look at a gathering of mortals at a mountain top, protected by a barrier made of his own spell. He nodded and quickly went to reinforce Yanluo's puppets.

'Jiangshi, oh jiangshi, not as creepy as I'd thought.'

Haotian took advantage of the distraction Yanluo's jiangshis made to assassinate each living devil Chaos Immortal quickly. Each time he struck, he gave it his all to leave no chances of escape. After managing to kill all but one, he made for the last one.

The last devil was the one who'd led the charge against Haotian. Seeing his comrades being killed one after the other, he grew even more enraged. He managed to destroy two of Yanluo's jiangshi and reassessed his situation.

'Shit,' the Chaos Immortal devil turned tail and ran. His body transformed into a gigantic butterfly whose's limbs resembled tree branches.

Haotian waved his arms, condensing white clouds around several mountain peaks into a snarling old face. Clasping his palms together, he activated his spell.

"Heaven's Call!"

A technique based on a Celestial Dragon's roar. None of the mental manipulation for dragon blooded beings, but held the ability to change the universe to his will.

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Reality began distorting as Haotian's stress levels reached critical levels. This devil was both fast and strong, he had to trap it before going in for the kill.

"Don't expect me to go in, neither I nor my babies have the necessary firepower," Yanluo explained. Even so, he called his jiangshi to start boxing the devil in.

"Alright, once I establish a strong cage I'll…huh?"

Haotian felt his soul vibrating. It wasn't like the way Hongjun would contact him, or like the rare times when the Heavenly Dao would look at him. It was a feeling that brought the innate god no comfort despite knowing all would be well. As such Haotian stopped his spell and straightened up.

"What are you doing?" Yanluo gasped. Had Haotian lost his mind? Were they not here to purge the evils that threatened all things?

But the red skinned innate god did not have to inquire any further, as a missing sound echoed throughout the cloudy sky. The fleeing devil was suddenly frozen as he felt a pair of eyes gazing down at him.

Elongated spikes descended from the heavens, two spikes forty thousand kilometres apart running parallel. Another mass of scales and flesh came eighty thousand kilometres away, accompanying the spikes in a depression.

"Those are fangs!" The Chaos Immortal devil could not believe what he was sensing. He had never felt this way aside from that one time when he met…

"Limitless Supreme, the impossible realm!"

CHOMP!

Haotian and Yanluo descended into the dome containing numerous thankful mortals. They came from varying clans fleeing after their homes were ripped apart. Miraculously, they'd managed to survive several weeks in the wilderness before Haotian encountered them.

Now free from the attack, Haotian used a new spell to shrink the mountain peak down into a tiny orb. This he stored in a secure pouch, protected by thousands of barriers. The pouch was more secure than his own pocket dimension because of of this.

"Praise be benevolent Haotian, praise be benevolent Yujing, praise be benevolent Hongjun!" These people chanted as they disappeared.

"You taking those corpses?" Haotian asked Yanluo. Corpses being a few mangled remains that weren't disintegrated by him.

"I'd rather you left an intact cadaver, but I'll take those," Yanluo complained. "Who is that anyway?"

'That' being a descending Da Hai who did not appear pleased to see Haotian. Da Hai was going to return to the West Continent after he lent Gui Daiyu support. Cleaning up devils along the way was just a side hustle. But who would've guessed he'd run into his own clone this far out.

"What are you doing here?" Da Hai asked in an impatient manner. He was itching to send Haotian hurling back to Mt Yujing if he didn't know Hongjun attached monitoring spells on him. 'No doubt because the old coot would suspect us.'

Haotian sighed, he was aware of Da Hai's thoughts the moment he had them. The connection they shared was one cloaked by their shared Dao. Every word they would speak from here on out would be laced by it.

"Who is that?" Da Hai asked at the exact same moment as the earlier questions.

"Defending my home as you are./Which do you want me to answer first?" Haotian replied using the same technique. In truth, he highly doubted his master was listening in. Hongjun had better things to do then being nosy about his beloved disciple.

Yanluo looked curiously but Haotian shook his head. Haotian said to Da Hai, "By his appearance I'm sure you'd have guessed. And I mean what I said as well, I'm going to fight."

"Fengdu? Yama? Enma?" Da Hai had understood what the innate god meant. But he couldn't be sure with so many contradicting continuities.

"Two thirds of those aren't even chinese, and Fengdu's a city. Yeah Yanluo did call himself Fengdu master when we met," Haotian answered. A funny look crossed his face as he remembered.

…

Haotian was already well on his way to save everyone he could find. Chaos was everywhere as swarms of ghost devils plagued the once beautiful East Continent. Though he had overwhelming power on his side, Haotian was just one man.

"Hm?"

In the middle of his battle, after he'd just finished off another living devil who'd made its way to the east. Haotian sensed another powerful devil heading his way. The aura it gave off was so similar to ghost devils too, laced in the incorporeal deathly yin qi.

Haotian blitzed there immediately hoping to neutralize the threat. The enemy was not tall nor short. It was definitely a devil, practically oozing unrestrained desires. But Haotian noticed an oddity with it.

It wore a talisman on its face, so similar an aspect of chinese culture Haotian recalled. He didn't give it thought was he engaged.

"More yang based beings? Good, good! Answer for this Fengdu Master, why are you infecting my domain?" A red skinned man jumped out of a forest on the ground. Surrounding him were dozens more talisman wearing living devils.

But the red skinned man, while he exuded yin qi as well, his body also had yang. He was still alive. In addition, he had none of the qi devils would exude. It made Haotian stop his assault.

"Attacking your domain? Its the devils that…wait, how clued in are you with world events?"

…

"Turns out, the Netherworld doesn't get news from the rest of the Great Wilderness. Not surprised given its total population of two," Haotian's summary lacked alot of detail but was enough for Da Hai. Hence the latter no longer payed attention to Yanluo. None of the curiosity that the remnants of the human could distract the godfiend.

"The more important answer. Why are you not on Mt Yujing?"

Haotian's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. Then he sighed helplessly. "My originator, what do you hope to accomplish keeping me there?"

"I need to know what Hongjun is planning, it's bad enough Luohu put so much at stake but…"

"Yeah but whatever Hongjun does, would it not be helpful in the end?"

Da Hai's nostrils flared up, his gaze hardened something fierce. Haotian was unfazed as he faced the superior being.

"What's even your plan with me permanently staying on Yujing? Hongjun tells me nothing unless it's to help my cultivation, you already know this. Do you even have a plan for me? I am more useful here fighting then hiding in that place. Don't think I'm ignorant, the war has spiraled out of Zulong's, Zufeng's, and your own control.

Inside the recess of his own mind, while Da Hai payed so much attention to one part(near) of his mind, another(far) part of his mind allowed a thought to spawn in. 'Though you both failed, Hongjun is better at this scheming stuff then you ever were.'

"Hey," Yanluo finally lost his patience and interjected. "Haotian, I want to clue me in on who this is? Hello there senior living being, I see you and my Dao brother are acquainted."

"In a manner of speaking," Da Hai said. "You are interrupting."

"Well I don't particularly like the way you walk to my friend. Might be different for you surface folk but…"

"Yanluo."

"Oh right." Yanluo clasped his hands and leaned back wile maintaining eye contact with a rather confused Da Hai.

"That's not what I…Yanluo you're supposed to bow forward for a formal greeting," Haotian corrected exasperatingly.

"Huh? You surface customs are strange."

Da Hai sighed at the exchange. Yanluo hadn't heard their conversation, what he'd actually heard was Da Hai speaking in an extremely hostile manner towards the disciple of his hated enemy. Yet seeing Haotian was adamant on him not interfering, Yanluo started muttering to himself.

"So much easier in my Netherworld. Souls are so much easier then you people. At least before…"

Meanwhile, Haotian continued his conversation with Da Hai. "Bottom line is, we are going to kill devils…"

"Don't do that, just leave them with grievous injuries. That'll stop another from ascending to their place," Da Hai instinctually reminded. "Do not question me on this. If you die that'll be an enormous detriment to my investment. Court the Heavenly Dao and turn it against Hongjun, but do NOT risk yourself out here! Not for a few irrelevant mortals," Da Hai said simultaneously.

Haotian tightened his hands into fists.

"Anyway, Mt Yujing is quite a distance if I remember correctly. Fly back immediately," Da Hai made to leave. However, he stopped before taking off. It was because of something Yanluo was muttering about.

"Wait backtrack, what did you say?" Da Hai pointed at the red skinned innate god.

"I have a name you know."

"What was that about circles in the sky?" Da Hai interrogated. Alongside his voice, it seemed the sky overhead began darkening into a thunderstorm that looked as if it was superimposed upon the image of the prior blue sky.

"Ah…that weird spirit constructs started barreling into and out of a ring?"

"Covering the lightless sky of your home and making disturbances." Da Hai gazed at Haotian out of the corner of his eye, a bit peeved at him not including that detail when introducing Yanluo. "The Netherworld is affected by the Devil's formation?"

"Formation? Is that like the spells…"

"Of course, of course!" Da Hai ignored Yanluo. He was panting heavily at his sudden realization and felt like kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. Without consulting anyone, he immediately grabbed Yanluo by the scruff of his clothing.

"Direct me to the Netherworld," Da Hai demanded. He had never had an interest in that place before so never tried to reach it. Even when viewing the Primitive World from the Chaos Sea, the Netherworld wasn't visible.

From what he did know of it, the Netherworld was a completely barren land. Unlike the Great Wilderness which was full of life, the Netherworld was quite literally empty.

At his cultivation, Da Hai already understood reincarnation was a natural process. When someone below the Golden Immortal realm dies, unless any strangeness occurs, the deceased soul will be reabsorbed by the Chaos World. After a period of time, the soul will naturally be reborn without any direction. This period was automated and entirely random stretching anywhere between a year or a thousand years.

Knowing this, Da Hai began assuming the stories of Houtu becoming the reincarnation cycle and the Ten Courts of Hell were just wrong. As such the Netherworld fell even further down his list of interests.

Hence, Haotian was left alone to continue his mission. He silently gazed at Da Hai's fleeing form and scoffed. "Some things are just more important."