I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

He looked up at the familiar mountain gate plaque, and his eyes even turned slightly red.

“Zhen Yuanzi… old friend, I’m back.”

Inside the Wuzhuang Temple, a middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in a Taoist robe suddenly pushed open the door of the main hall and appeared in front of the mountain gate in a flash. He was none other than Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of the Earth Immortals.

He stared at the person before him, stunned at first, then his eyes burst with wild joy: "Hongyun! You, you really..."

Hongyun smiled, but the smile was somewhat bitter: "Thanks to the Great Ancestor, I was spared from death."

Zhen Yuanzi grabbed his arm, afraid he would turn into a cloud and drift away again: "Come in quickly! Come in quickly!"

Inside the main hall, under the ginseng fruit tree, two old friends sat facing each other, with a pot of tea between them.

Zhen Yuanzi drank three cups in a row before suppressing his excitement and said in a deep voice, "When you self-destructed and died back then, I was heartbroken and did not concern myself with worldly affairs for three thousand years."

How exactly did you... come back to life?

Hongyun put down his teacup and slowly said, "Back then, when I obtained the Primordial Purple Qi, I knew that a calamity was inevitable. I originally intended to give the Purple Qi to Kunpeng to settle the karmic debt, but unexpectedly, I was betrayed by him..."

His voice was deep as he recounted the shocking massacre of that year, describing how he was chased to the Blood Sea by the Styx Ancestor, and then secretly rescued by the Hongjun Dao Ancestor. After being resurrected, his cultivation level dropped to Golden Immortal, and his purple energy was taken back by the Dao Ancestor.

Zhen Yuanzi's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened, until finally, he slammed his teacup down with a "bang."

With a snap, it was crushed in his hand, the killing intent in his eyes almost solidifying: "What a Kunpeng! What a Styx! And that old man..."

He suddenly stood up, waved his sleeve, and the earth membrane within his sleeve trembled, with a faint aura of the Earth Book flowing through it. "Old friend, you should rest and recuperate at Wuzhuang Temple. I will go to the Outer Heavens to seek justice for you!"

Hongyun was startled and quickly stood up to stop him: "Zhen Yuanzi, you mustn't! The situation in the prehistoric world is currently..."

Zhen Yuanzi, however, had already transformed into a streak of earthen-yellow light, soaring through the clouds and heading straight for the Outer Heavens. His voice echoed from afar: "Don't worry! With the Earth Book in hand, that old demon can't possibly harm me!"

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun sat cross-legged on a cloud bed, with three thousand purple bamboos swaying gently before him.

He opened his eyes, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Zhen Yuanzi... has taken the bait."

He raised his hand, and the void split open, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman with a flowing updo, a snake's tail, and a human body—none other than the goddess Nuwa.

Her aura was as vast as the sea, and she had actually broken through to the level of a saint, faintly showing the characteristics of the mid-stage of the Primordial Chaos realm.

"Go."

Hongjun's voice was indifferent, "Once the Earth Book is in hand, the Primordial Barrier will open on its own."

Then Jiang Wang... has no chance of turning things around.

Nuwa bowed slightly, flicked her snake tail, and her figure disappeared into the Zixiao Palace.

Beyond the heavens, chaotic currents surged.

Zhen Yuanzi held the Universe in his sleeve, with the Earth Book hanging above his head, which transformed into an earthen yellow barrier. He was locked in a fierce battle with a gray, demonic shadow.

The demonic figure was incredibly fast, and its shrill laughter was ear-piercing; it was none other than the demon master Kunpeng.

"Zhen Yuanzi, your Wuzhuang Temple and my demon race have always kept to ourselves and never interfered with each other. Why are you pressing me so hard today!"

While dodging the towering mountains pressing down from the Earth Book, Kunpeng shouted a sharp question.

Zhen Yuanzi's eyes flashed with murderous intent: "Regarding Hongyun's matter, you still dare to say that we keep to ourselves? Today, I will not be satisfied until I have torn you to pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Kunpeng's eyes flashed with fear, then he burst into a shrill laugh: "So it was all because of that old red cloud! He wasn't completely dead after all? Hahaha, no wonder, no wonder!"

Zhen Yuanzi did not answer again. He made a hand seal, and the Earth Book suddenly unfolded, transforming into a phantom image of a vast landmass that pressed down fiercely.

Kunpeng was shocked and transformed into a beam of light to escape, but suddenly felt a soft yet vast power appear out of thin air behind him. A five-colored divine light swept over and actually fixed his escape light on the spot.

"Nuwa? You!"

Kunpeng was filled with shock and anger.

Nuwa appeared, her snake tail swaying, a cold smile in her eyes: "Kunpeng, lend me the Book of Earth."

She spread her five fingers, and the Mountain and River Map unfolded, with countless illusory images of mountains and rivers appearing, enveloping Zhen Yuanzi and Kunpeng together.

Zhen Yuanzi exclaimed in shock: "Nuwa, you've gone mad!"

Nuwa did not answer. With a flick of her hand, a bronze ancient bell appeared, which was the result of a fragment of the Chaos Bell.

She sighed softly, "Zhen Yuanzi, I'm sorry to offend you."

As the bell rang, Zhen Yuanzi felt the world turn upside down, and the Earth Book involuntarily broke free from his control, transforming into a beam of earthy yellow light that flew straight into Nuwa's hand.

"No!"

Zhen Yuanzi roared, but it was too late.

Nuwa caught the Earth Book and combined it with the Map of Mountains and Rivers. In an instant, the primordial earth trembled violently, and ancient golden pillars of light shot up from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, connecting with each other to form a huge celestial net covering the entire primordial world.

Within the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Jiang Wang pointed out with one finger, and the sword energy, like a dragon, fiercely slashed at the golden chains.

The forty-nine Heavenly Dao runes on the chains lit up simultaneously, emitting a cracking sound as they shattered under the strain, on the verge of breaking completely.

Just then, the entire cycle of reincarnation trembled violently, and an immense sealing force surged from all directions, locking him and the entire Six Paths of Reincarnation tightly together.

Jiang Wang looked up and, through the Wheel of Reincarnation, saw the Primordial Barrier activated by the Book of Earth slowly closing in on the Primordial Sky, turning the entire world into a giant cage.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured, "Hongjun... you finally couldn't hold back anymore."

Houtu's voice rang out from outside the Wheel of Reincarnation, trembling slightly: "Jiang Wang... this is... the Primordial Barrier?!"

Jiang Wang smiled, but his voice penetrated the barrier and clearly reached every corner of the primordial world:
"late."

His sword energy suddenly surged a billion times, transforming into a long, dark rainbow that pierced through time, and slashed fiercely at the golden chains.

"Crackling"

Forty-nine Heavenly Dao runes shattered simultaneously, and the golden chains broke inch by inch.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation Disc emitted a deafening roar, and six-colored light shot into the sky, colliding fiercely with the primordial barrier.

boom!
The primordial chaos trembled and turmoil surged.

At this moment, all the saints looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Because they saw that the seemingly unbreakable primordial barrier had developed a clearly visible crack under the dark sword light.

The cracks were extremely fine, yet they were slowly expanding at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Outside Zixiao Palace, three thousand chaotic energies surged like angry dragons. The palace gates were tightly closed, but they could not conceal the murderous intent within.

Nuwa was surrounded by a dazzling array of light, and her snake tail transformed into countless streams of crimson-gold light, forcefully tearing through the void and probing the chaotic rift that Zhen Yuanzi had protected with the Book of Earth.

With a flick of her wrist, five-colored divine light swept down, causing the Earth Book to hum and be forcibly pulled out a corner.

Zhen Yuanzi's expression changed drastically. Thousands of earth-yellow rays of light flew out from his sleeve, transforming into towering trees that tried to block the way. However, they were all shattered by a gentle tremor from the Mountain and River Map that appeared behind Nuwa.

“Zhen Yuanzi, the Earth Book is destined for me, so don’t be attached to it.”

Nuwa's voice was clear and cold, yet carried an undeniable majesty. Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, who sat high on his cloud bed, had been resting with his eyes closed, but suddenly opened them. That single glance was like the beginning of chaos, with billions of thunderbolts exploding.

He raised his hand and pointed, and the Jade Disc of Creation floated up, with billions of golden lights falling down, as if to forcibly pull Nuwa back, but it stopped abruptly halfway.

"Jiang Wang...it's Jiang Wang again!"

The old Taoist patriarch's voice was deep and resonant, yet it shook the thirty-three layers of the precious lotus platform in the Purple Cloud Palace.

He calculated with his fingers, his eyes flashing with purple lightning, his killing intent almost tangible.

Meanwhile, deep within the earth, lies the Netherworld Blood Sea.

The blood-red waves surged and churned, obscuring the sky and the sun. Hundreds of millions of souls howled, and the Wheel of Reincarnation roared in the sky, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Countless underworld officials were terrified, and even the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, holding chains, could not even stand still.

In the middle of the sea of ​​blood, a dilapidated Bridge of Helplessness teeters on the brink of collapse, with countless wronged souls reaching out and clawing beneath it, emitting screams like the cries of infants.

Meng Po stood at the bridgehead, her long gray hair fluttering in the wind, the soup in the broken bowl in her hand boiling as if it were alive.

She parted her lips slightly, and her voice echoed throughout the entire underworld.

"quiet."

A single word uttered carries the weight of law.

The sea of ​​blood suddenly stopped, its waves solidifying into crimson crystal; the roar of reincarnation ceased, and the six radiant wheels slowly returned to their positions; the wails of the dead turned into silent sighs, retreating into the depths of the sea of ​​blood.

The entire underworld fell silent once more under the influence of this one word.

Meng Po raised her eyes and looked at the ever-expanding dark cocoon of light in the deepest part of reincarnation. For the first time, a look of almost loving kindness appeared in her turbid old eyes.

"My child...you're finally coming back."

The cocoon of light split open.

First, a pale, almost transparent hand reached out, its fingertips stained with the ashes of countless reincarnations; then came a face so handsome it was almost otherworldly, a single crimson cinnabar dot burning fiercely between its brows. Jiang Wang stepped out barefoot, and with each step, the Wheel of Reincarnation automatically cracked open a straight passage leading directly to the highest level of the Netherworld.

He was not surrounded by any yin energy; instead, he was enveloped in billions of purple-gold merit lights, as if a celestial emperor had descended to the underworld.

The invisible shackles that Heaven had placed upon Earth shattered with a crisp cracking sound the moment he raised his hand.

boom!
It felt as if something had completely snapped.

A voice of unimaginable grandeur resounded throughout the heavens and earth, devoid of emotion, yet causing all living beings to tremble instinctively.

"The tunnel... is now open."

In the next instant, from the depths of the primordial land, billions of earth vein dragon energies roared and soared into the sky, transforming into twenty thick golden pillars of light that blotted out the heavens, all of which entered Jiang Wang's body.

At the same time, the cinnabar dot between his eyebrows suddenly exploded, and a wisp of primordial purple energy emerged from nothingness, carrying the ancient and boundless vastness of the pre-heaven and earth era, and slowly entered his sea of ​​consciousness.

Jiang Wang closed his eyes, and countless images of reincarnation flashed back, shattered, and were reshaped in his mind.

In just a few breaths, he comprehended a full 30% of the Law of Reincarnation.

When I opened my eyes, six halos of light were slowly rotating deep within my pupils, the cycle of life and death unfolding before my eyes.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully lifting the Heavenly Dao's suppression of the Earthly Dao. Rewards include 20 Earthly Dao Luck, 1 Primordial Purple Qi, +30% Comprehension of the Law of Reincarnation, and a chance to draw a large experience point prize!"

The system's voice rang in his mind, filled with barely concealed elation.

Jiang Wang raised his hand, and a familiar pale blue light screen appeared in front of him.

宿主：姜妄修为：准圣极巅（距离大道仅一步之遥）肉身：不灭魔身（圆满）神魂：不朽真灵（圆满）掌握法则：时间法则（99.99%）、空间法则（99.99%）、因果法则（99.9%）、生死法则（99%）、轮回法则（30%）……天赋：多重施法（十六重·满级）、吞天魔功（圆满）、不死不灭……法宝：诅咒之书（升级中，倒计时72：11：59）、吞天葫芦（本尊携三具分身吞噬三十三离恨天）、山河社稷图（女娲处）、番天印（后土处）……气运：642份抽奖：普通抽奖×2，超级抽奖×3
Jiang Wang looked at the panel, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.

He flicked his finger, and the three super lottery chances transformed into three streaks of purple-gold light, crashing into the ultimate lottery icon at the bottom of the panel that had never been opened before.

"Ding! Host has been detected to have three Super Lottery chances. Would you like to redeem one Ultimate Lottery chance?"

"Yes."

"Ding! Exchange successful! Drawing..."

The light curtain trembled violently, and billions of divine lights exploded. Jiang Wang's vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a boundless chaos. Beneath his feet were the undifferentiated blue and yellow energies from before the creation of the world, and above his head were chains formed from billions of laws of the Great Dao.

A loud sound resounded through the chaos.

"Ultimate Lottery - Unique Reward: Forty-Eight Yuan of Great Dao Merit!"

boom!
Forty-eight pure, golden beams of light shot out from the depths of chaos, carrying the supreme power of the beginning of heaven and earth, and poured into Jiang Wang's body.

He shuddered, and golden runes lit up between his brows, palms, chest, and dantian, eventually condensing into forty-eight ancient Dao patterns, imprinted on every inch of his flesh and bones.

"Multiple spellcasting, sixteen layers, has reached the current world's limit and cannot be improved further."

The system notification sounded regretful, but couldn't hide its excitement.

Jiang Wang withdrew from his sea of ​​consciousness, raised his eyes to look at the gradually dissipating afterimage of the Heavenly Dao Shackles above the Netherworld Blood Sea, and smiled gently.

"Three days later, the Book of Curses will be upgraded... Hongjun, it's your turn."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At the deepest part of the Netherworld Blood Sea, atop a black mountain built from the bones of countless dead souls, Jiang Wang sat cross-legged, with an ancient book, entirely black with a cover embroidered with blood-red spider lilies, floating before him.

The pages turned automatically, emitting a high-pitched laugh like a baby crying.

"Upgrade completed."

Jiang Wang extended three fingers and gently drew a line in the air. Blood gushed from his fingertips, meandering as if it had come to life, and finally condensed into two large scarlet characters in the very center of the Book of Curses.

"Hongjun."

In an instant.

Inside the Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun Daozu, who was discussing with Nuwa, Zhunti, and Jieyin how to completely annihilate Jiang Wang, suddenly changed his expression drastically. His aged face instantly lost its color, and he spat out a mouthful of purple-gold blood, which splashed onto the Creation Jade Disc, staining the treasure with a strange purple pattern.

The Dao Ancestor staggered back a step, his hair and beard bristling, his voice hoarse: "Jiang Wang!!!"

He raised his hand and summoned the Jade Disc of Creation, which transformed into countless points of light to protect his body, barely managing to block the terrifying power that seemed to pierce through the chaos from billions of miles away and directly curse the origin of the Great Dao.

Nuwa and the others were shocked and stood up.

"teacher!"

Hongjun waved his hand, but his voice was weaker than ever before: "It's nothing...just a minor injury."

But only he knew that just now, in that instant, a corner of his Great Dao foundation was almost shaved off. If it weren't for the protection of the Jade Disc of Creation, he would have been severely injured by now.

"He... has become this strong?"

The old Daoist ancestor gazed into the depths of chaos, a genuine sense of apprehension appearing in his eyes for the first time. (End of Chapter)