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

Hongjun sneered, and the Jade Disc of Creation shone with golden light.

"The Chaos Pearl? It's definitely a good thing."

"You, a mere peak ninth-level cultivator, think you can trap me with this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and gently pushed.

On the Jade Disc of Creation, three thousand Dao patterns lit up simultaneously, transforming into a gray torrent that collided violently with the Chaos Pearl.

"boom!!!"

The two forces collided, and the void shattered.

The Chaos Pearl flew back and landed in Xuandu's palm, its forty-nine forbidden lights flickering uncertainly.

Xuandu staggered back several steps, his face pale and his blood churning.

Houtu gritted her teeth and raised her hand again.

The illusory image of the Samsara Seal rotated, and a chaotic beam of light crashed down from the Eye of the Underworld.

"Hongjun!"

She growled, and the patterns of reincarnation surged forth like a tide, transforming into chains of chaotic color that filled the sky.

The chains coiled fiercely around Hongjun, trying to drag the gray figure back to the ground.

Hongjun snorted coldly, and the Jade Disc of Creation shone brightly once more.

A gray torrent surged forth, colliding violently with the chaotic-colored chains.

"boom!!!"

The chains crumbled inch by inch, turning into a shower of light.

Houtu retreated several steps, her face deathly pale.

The gray figure continued to slowly rise towards the Eye of Heaven.

Xuandu stood in the void, watching the figure grow ever more distant.

His gaze was calm as still water.

He did not make another move.

Just watching and waiting.

That gray figure was about to merge into the Eye of Heaven.

The Eye of Heaven is about to collapse completely.

The Great Dao is about to witness the primordial chaos.

Everything seemed beyond repair.

Houtu stood beside Xuandu, the light of the Wheel of Reincarnation Seal flickering uncertainly.

She gazed at the disappearing figure, then looked towards Xuandu, her chaotic eyes filled with anxiety.

"Xuan Du! Hongjun is about to succeed! If we join forces, we can still stop him!"

Xuan didn't say a word, or even look at her.

He simply lowered his eyes and looked down at the dilapidated ruins at his feet.

Mount Sumeru.

The Eight Treasures Merit Pond has been destroyed, the lotus flowers have all withered, and the pond water has evaporated.

The aura of Jieyin and Zhunti completely dissipated, leaving not even a trace of their remnant soul.

The foundation of the Western Church's multi-billion dollar syndicate has been completely reduced to dust.

But what lies beneath those dust and deep within those ruins?

Xuan Du's gaze sharpened.

He raised his hand, and the Primordial Chaos Power in his palm condensed wildly, with martial arts laws surging like a tide.

The power, carrying the immense pressure of billions of human merits, condensed into a crimson-gold pillar of light, which blasted straight down at the broken mountain below!

"boom!!!"

As the beam of light fell, the ruins of Mount Sumeru shattered completely under its impact.

The mountainside crumbled, boulders flew everywhere, and dust filled the sky.

The sacred land of Buddha, which once boasted billions of yuan, was completely wiped out from the primordial world at this moment, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Houtu's pupils constricted slightly.

"Um?"

She gazed at the gray figure still rising toward the Eye of Heaven, then looked down at the completely shattered ruins beneath her feet.

"With Jieyin and Zhunti dead, Mount Sumeru is now an unclaimed land."

"Wouldn't it be a waste of your energy to destroy the mountain now?"

Xuan didn't answer, but just stared quietly at the ever-deepening rift valley.

Suddenly, a very faint tremor came from the bottom of the rift.

The tremor was so slight that it would go unnoticed unless perceived by a sage.

Houtu shuddered, and a sudden burst of light shone from her chaotic eyes.

She sensed it.

Deep within the ruins of Mount Sumeru, a long-forgotten aura is slowly awakening.

The aura was initially extremely faint, as faint as a wisp of smoke, but in just a breath it rapidly increased like oil being poured over a raging fire.

Demonic energy, an overwhelming surge of demonic energy, erupted like magma from the earth, breaking through layers of rubble and remnants of Buddhist light, and soaring straight into the sky.

The demonic energy was as black as ink and as deep as an abyss, carrying an ancient and ferocious quality accumulated over millions of years, forming a stark contrast with the Heavenly Dao power surrounding Hongjun.

Houtu's breath hitched slightly.

She recognized the aura.

"Rahu?"

Houtu was speechless, her voice filled with barely suppressed astonishment.

"How could he be here? Wasn't he already dead?"

Xuan Du gazed at the soaring black demonic energy, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a sense of relieved understanding.

"Fallen? Who said Rahu fell?"

"When I secretly came to Mount Sumeru before, I had already awakened him."

"But the time wasn't right then."

Houtu turned to look at him, her chaotic eyes filled with shock.

"You mean, you already settled him at the foot of Mount Sumeru?"

Xuan Du nodded.

"He himself was sleeping here. Mount Sumeru is the foundation of the Western religion, where the Buddha's light shines brightest and the demonic energy is most obscured."

"The darkness under the lamp is something even a sage might not notice."

"Jieyin and Zhunti have been cultivating here for hundreds of millions of years, yet they have never sensed what lies beneath their feet."

He paused, looked up at the gray figure in the sky, and spoke in a calm voice.

"Moreover, the righteous path declines while the demonic path flourishes. The stronger the righteous path becomes, the less likely Rahu will ever rise again. But what about now?"

"Yuanshi died, Laozi died, Nuwa died, and Jieyin and Zhunti also died."

"All five Heavenly Saints have perished, and they all belonged to Hongjun's Xuanmen."

When the Tao diminishes to its extreme, the demons grow to their zenith.

"Rahu naturally became stronger."

As the sound faded, the pitch-black demonic energy erupted like a volcano, breaking through the last layer of confinement.

Within the rift valley, a figure slowly rose, standing at the center of the surging demonic energy.

The figure was entirely black, with a cold and stern face, and long hair that flew wildly in the night sky without any wind.

His body was filled with demonic energy, each strand containing terrifying power capable of destroying the world.

Those blood-red eyes were slightly closed, but beneath those closed eyes, light was slowly gathering.

A Primordial Golden Immortal, at the peak of the Ninth Heaven.

Houtu was stunned.

She gazed at the dark figure, at those blood-red eyes that were slowly opening, and felt an indescribable surge of emotions within her.

Peak of the Nine Heavens.

Rahu was actually at the peak of the Ninth Heaven.

She's a step above her, but only half a step behind Xuandu.

If he were willing to take action, the chances of successfully besieging and killing Hongjun today would increase even further.

Those blood-red eyes were fully open.

His gaze fell upon the sky, upon the gray figure that was about to merge into the Eye of Heaven, and then slowly turned back to Xuandu.

Luo Hou bowed slightly, his dark figure bending over amidst the surging demonic energy.

"Master."

As soon as the two words were uttered, Houtu trembled all over.

Master?

Luo Hou cried out to Master Xuandu!

She turned to look at the figure in green, and as she gazed at that young yet composed face, the shock in her heart deepened even further.

"Fellow Daoist Xuandu, when did you take on your disciple?"

Xuan Du looked at her and smiled slightly.

Not long ago.

"When I found him, he was just a remnant of his soul."

"However, the time was not right at the time."

Houtu remained silent, but a complex expression appeared deep within her chaotic eyes.

Xuan Du, how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?

The beam of light from the Eye of Heaven shone ever brighter.

Hongjun's figure was about to touch the core of the giant eye, the gray figure as faint as smoke.

He sensed the disturbance below, and his indifferent eyes lowered to see the dark figure.

"Rahu?"

Hongjun spoke, his voice indifferent, yet carrying a hint of solemnity that even he himself might not have noticed.

"You actually woke up."