Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

"Buzz".

The void rippled silently.

A gray figure slowly emerged from the ripples.

His white hair fell to his shoulders, his face was ancient, and his eyes were indifferent.

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.

He stood before the Samsara Seal, hands behind his back, his aura contained as deep as an abyss, with not a trace of oppressive power emanating from him.

But that invisible sense of oppression, like a mountain, weighed heavily on Zhen Yuanzi's heart.

Zhen Yuanzi swayed slightly and almost knelt down.

He gritted his teeth, forcibly steadied himself, and bowed deeply.

"Zhen Yuanzi pays respects to the Dao Ancestor."

Hongjun did not look at him.

He simply raised his eyes and looked at the pale yellow figure imprinted on the Wheel of Reincarnation.

Houtu was also looking at him.

Two gazes met in the void.

One was indifferent, the other was calm.

One is as deep as the starry sea, the other as vast as the earth.

"Fellow Daoist Houtu."

Hongjun spoke slowly, his voice calm and even:

"Congratulations."

The two words fell without sorrow or joy, without anger or power.

Houtu smiled slightly.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a sense of relief and ease.

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor."

She spoke, her voice calm:

"Finally out."

Hongjun's eyes flickered slightly.

He naturally understood the meaning behind Houtu's words.

Trapped in the netherworld, unable to take even half a step out.

Now the shackles are broken, and I am finally free.

But this freedom comes at a high price.

It is so great that it can shake the very foundation of the primordial world and change the course of the heavens.

"The Earth Book has returned to its rightful place, and the Earthly Way is complete."

Hongjun slowly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, excellent skills."

Houtu shook her head:

"Not by my means."

"It was a matter of chance."

"It's cause and effect."

"It is...fate."

Upon hearing this, Hongjun's gaze narrowed slightly.

God willing?

He is the Dao Ancestor, whose body is in harmony with the Dao of Heaven, and who governs the order of the primordial world.

How could he not know the will of Heaven?

However, he could not deduce even the slightest thing about the return of the Earth Book to its rightful place.

Is this fate?

Or was it man-made?

Hongjun remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Zhen Yuanzi.

Zhen Yuanzi felt that gaze was like ancient ice, falling on him as if it wanted to see through him, understand him, and see everything.

His body trembled slightly, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Zhen Yuanzi".

Hongjun spoke, his voice calm and even:

Where is the Earth Book?

Zhen Yuanzi took a deep breath, suppressing his fear, and slowly raised his head:

"The Earth Book... has returned to the underground passage."

"The disciple offers up the Book of Earth to complete the Earthly Path."

Hongjun's gaze deepened slightly:

Why?

Zhen Yuanzi was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"To prove the truth."

"For Hongyun."

"An obsession with the billion-dollar club."

Hongjun gazed at him, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

He saw it.

Seeing the unfathomable weariness in Zhen Yuanzi's eyes, seeing the waiting of the billion-dollar meeting, seeing the grief of the passing of his closest friend.

I saw the relief that came after finally getting what they wanted.

He saw it.

But he also saw something else.

I saw the fleeting hint of guilt in Zhen Yuanzi's eyes.

The guilt was so faint, almost imperceptible.

But Hongjun sensed it.

His gaze narrowed slightly.

Zhen Yuanzi is hiding something from him.

About the Earth Book, about completing the tunnels, about the truth behind it.

Hongjun did not ask any further questions.

Because he knew he wouldn't get an answer from them.

Since Zhen Yuanzi dared to stand here and face his gaze directly, he was already prepared.

Asking is pointless.

He slowly withdrew his gaze and looked towards Houtu.

"Fellow Daoist Houtu."

He spoke, his voice still calm:

"After the completion of the Earthly Dao, what will become of the primordial world?"

Houtu smiled slightly upon hearing this.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a profound understanding that saw through everything.

"Rest assured, Dao Ancestor."

She spoke, her voice calm:

"The earth is perfectly round, solely for the sake of perfection."

"Though I have broken free of my shackles, the cycle of reincarnation still requires my presence."

"Although the Earthly Dao is powerful, the Heavenly Dao still governs the order of the primordial world."

"I will not interfere with the workings of Heaven, nor will I meddle in the disputes among sages, nor will I disrupt the primordial order."

"Dao Ancestor, you can rest assured."

Hongjun gazed at her, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

He knew that Houtu was telling the truth.

At least, this is the truth at this moment.

But what about the future?

After the completion of the Earthly Path, the nine saintly positions were born.

At that time, the Earthly Saints will emerge in unison, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Saints.

The primordial order will inevitably be reshaped.

The era of absolute supremacy of Heaven's Way is gone forever.

This is what Houtu wanted.

That's what the person behind it all wanted.

Hongjun slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a deep, unfathomable calm in the depths of those indifferent eyes.

"good."

He spoke slowly, his voice calm and even:

"In that case, I am relieved."

He turned around and took a step forward.

"Buzz".

The void rippled slightly.

The gray figure vanished into the underworld in an instant.

Only Houtu and Zhen Yuanzi remained, standing before the Reincarnation Seal.

a long time.

Zhen Yuanzi let out a long breath, his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

"They're gone..."

He murmured softly, a hint of relief in his voice, as if he had survived a close call:

"Finally gone..."

Houtu gazed at the disappearing figure, her eyes deep and thoughtful.

gone?

No.

He didn't leave.

He simply went somewhere else.

Houtu slowly raised her eyes and looked towards the direction of Longevity Mountain.

Will Hongjun go?

......

Wuzhuang Temple.

The void rippled silently, and a gray figure slowly materialized.

His white hair fell to his shoulders, his face was ancient, and his eyes were indifferent.

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.

He stood with his hands behind his back under the ginseng fruit tree, his aura contained as deep as an abyss, with no trace of oppressive power emanating from him.

But those eyes, which had been indifferent for countless years, were carefully scanning this world.

Every blade of grass and every tree.

Every brick and tile.

Every stone and every speck of dust.

All of this was within his perception.

The ginseng fruit tree still stands tall, with thirty fruits hanging from its branches, swaying in the wind and emitting a refreshing fragrance.

The stone table and benches under the tree were covered in dust.

Zhen Yuanzi is not here.

The Earth Book is not present.

But is this really all there is?

Hongjun slowly closed his eyes.

Divine consciousness surged forth like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire Longevity Mountain, the Wuzhuang Temple, and every inch of this world.

He sensed it carefully.

Inch by inch.

Foot by foot.

One zhang at a time.

at last.

"Buzz".

Hongjun suddenly opened his eyes.

A very faint ripple flickered deep within those indifferent eyes.

He sensed it.

Deep within the void, a faint trace of aura lingered.

The aura was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, so faint that it could not be detected unless one searched for it deliberately.

But Hongjun discovered it.

The aura was chaotic in color, formless and intangible, yet it contained the most primordial and purest source of laws from before the creation of heaven and earth.

A chaotic aura.

Only those who follow the path of Hunyuan can leave behind the aura of chaos.

Hongjun's gaze narrowed slightly.

The Path of Primordial Chaos is so vast that only a handful of people in the primordial world could follow it.

Xuandu is one of them.

But Xuandu was only at the second level of the Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal realm.

Such cultivation is as insignificant as an ant before him, a half-step Heavenly Dao cultivator.

Even if Xuandu tried his best, he could not hide such a secret from him.

Moreover, the return of the Earth Book to its original location is a momentous event that requires refining a supreme treasure, communicating with the underground passages, and deceiving the heavens and the seas.

Xuandu?

He can't.

Absolutely not.

That leaves only one person.

Yang Mei.

Hollow Willow attained enlightenment; he was born a Chaos Demon God and was an old friend of his generation.

During the battle between the Dao and the Demonic Path, the four of them joined forces to break the Rahu Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation.

The Yin-Yang Ancestor has fallen.

The Ancestor of Heaven and Earth has perished.

Yang Mei is seriously injured.

Hongjun originally intended to wait until Yang Mei perished before making his move, reaping the rewards, and thus gaining the approval of the Heavenly Dao.

After being severely injured, Yang Mei directly disappeared into the chaos.

From then on, there was no trace of them.

From then on, there was no more cause and effect.

There has been no further news since.

A meeting worth hundreds of millions of yuan.

A total of hundreds of millions of yuan.

Hongjun believed that Yang Mei had already perished in the chaos.

After all, chaos is dangerous; even a Chaos God might not be able to return alive.

But now it seems that Yang Mei is not only alive, but living very well.

So good that it could silently infiltrate the primordial world, so good that it could refine the Book of Earth right under his nose, so good that it could help Houtu break free of her shackles.

And after doing all this, they can still walk away unscathed, without leaving a trace.

If he hadn't personally come to Wuzhuang Temple to search carefully, he wouldn't have even been able to find this wisp of residual chaotic energy.

Such methods, such skill, such cunning...