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

Xue Yuan let out a cold snort. His voice was not loud, but it was like ice falling to the ground, stirring up layers of echoes in the gray-white depths of the Ruins of Return.

"The law of the jungle prevails; it has never changed."

As the eight words fell, the dark red light in Jin Qi's empty eye sockets suddenly solidified.

His withered, dark green eyes churned with uncertainty, and his emaciated fingers clenched slightly.

The gray-brown mist surrounding Wuyin trembled slightly, and his crimson eyes flickered within the mist.

The three decaying beings fell silent for a moment.

But after that moment of silence, what surged forth was not relief, but a deeper hatred.

Jin Qi's massive dark gold body suddenly leaned forward, and wisps of dark red death energy seeped out from the gaps in his decaying scales, condensing into twisted patterns in the void.

His voice was extremely hoarse, filled with the rage of someone who had spent billions:

"Survival of the fittest?"

"Back then, you led us into the ancient land of chaos, making the three of us pave the way for you, exhausting our foundation and shattering our very essence."

"Now you think you can erase the cause and effect of what happened back then with just a simple 'survival of the fittest' mentality?"

"Blood Abyss, you've cultivated for billions of yuan, have you ever heard of the word 'retribution'?"

Mu Ku stepped forward, his eerie green eyes darting through the gray-white mist.

His withered figure leaned slightly forward, his voice chillingly cold:

"You took the core of that opportunity back then and broke through to the late stage of Hunyuan Taiji."

"You live a comfortable and carefree life."

"The three of us are trapped in the Ruins of Return, clinging to life by this decaying death energy."

"And now you're here, rebuilding your foundation, hoping to be reborn?"

"Do you think we'll grant your wish?"

As the sound faded, the gray-white mist deep within the Ruins of Return suddenly surged.

Wu Yin stood at the very back, his crimson eyes slowly moving from Xue Yuan to Xuan Du, and then to the gray figure a hundred feet away.

He remained silent for a long time before speaking, his voice extremely soft, as if it were drifting from a great distance:

"Blood Abyss, it's time for you to pay your debts."

Three decaying auras simultaneously locked onto the Dao Platform.

The dark red light in Jin Qi's empty eye sockets suddenly surged.

Dark blue lines appeared between the withered fingers of the dried-up tree.

The gray-brown mist surrounding Wu Yin slowly condensed, and something was slowly wriggling within the mist.

These three decaying beings, at the mid-stage of the Hunyuan Taiji realm, though their cultivation was no longer at its peak, still possessed an aura as deep and profound as an abyss.

That was the oppressive aura of three mid-stage Hunyuan Taiji masters. Even though they were just broken bodies, their power level was still far beyond that of ordinary half-step Hunyuan Taiji masters.

Taixu stood a hundred feet away, his gray sword intent flowing endlessly around him.

Those sharp eyes narrowed slightly as they sensed the three auras that were simultaneously locking onto them, but they didn't rush to move.

Because he sensed that his master's aura remained as calm as ever.

Xuandu stood at the edge of the platform, his blue robes fluttering slightly, his black hair flowing over his shoulders.

There was no sign of tension on his face, and even the faint smile at the corner of his mouth had not disappeared.

He gazed at the three decaying figures, his voice not loud, but clear as metal striking the ground:

"Fellow Daoists, Xue Yuan is my disciple."

"The karma he owed you back then is the karma of the Jie Sect."

"If you want to settle scores, come at me."

Jin Qi's empty eye sockets moved, and a dark red light fell on the figure in green.

He let out a very soft chuckle, his decaying scales trembling slightly:

"Coming for you?"

"You, a cultivator who has just entered the early stage of Hunyuan Taiji, dare to take on this debt for Xueyuan?"

"Do you know that although the three of us are decaying and our cultivation is not as good as it used to be, when the three of us join forces, we can fight against even a mid-stage Hunyuan Taiji expert?"

"What makes you think you can compete with someone only at the early stage of Hunyuan Taiji?"

Mu Ku stood beside him, his eerie green eyes also fixed on Xuan Du, his voice cold and menacing:

"Moreover, behind you lies a Blood Abyss that has reshaped your Dao foundation."

"He is at his weakest right now, his foundation is not yet complete, and his remnant spirit is unstable."

"Can you protect him?"

Wuyin didn't speak, but his crimson eyes flickered slightly in the mist; his silence itself was a statement.

Xuan Du gazed at the three decaying figures, sensing their profound and abyssal auras, but did not rush to answer.

He merely glanced sideways at the gray-white figure in the center of the platform behind him.

Xue Yuan remained seated cross-legged, the process of rebuilding his Dao foundation having completely stalled.

His lingering resentment surged slightly, and his blurry eyes gazed at his three former fellow Daoists, remaining silent without uttering a word.

Xuan Du withdrew his gaze and focused it back on the three figures.

He spoke, his voice calm, yet carrying an undeniable certainty:

"Do you think I got to where I am today just by talking?"

Jin Qi's dark red eyes suddenly narrowed.

The withered, dark green eyes flickered slightly.

Wuyin's crimson eyes stopped moving within the mist.

The three decaying figures fell silent for a moment.

Immediately, Jin Qi let out a low laugh, a laugh filled with a mockery that even the Billion Yuan Club had never shown before:

"What a smooth talker!"

"Blood Abyss, you've certainly found an interesting master."

"But today, it's too late for anything you say."

He took a step forward, and his massive dark gold body pressed down fiercely towards the Dao Platform.

Dark red death energy surged like a tide between the decaying scales, and the entire void of Guixu trembled slightly at that step.

Mu Ku followed closely behind, his withered figure appearing and disappearing in the gray-white mist, his eerie green eyes fixed on Xuan Du.

Wuyin didn't move; he remained standing at the very back.

But his crimson eyes had already turned to the gray-white figure in the center of the platform.

Jin Qi's voice rang out again, carrying an undeniable resolve:

"Mu Ku, you come with me to hold off this arrogant junior."

"Mist Shadow, go and make Blood Abyss pay back what he owed us back then, with interest."

Mu Ku nodded, and a gleam appeared in his dark green eyes.

Wuyin didn't speak, but her crimson eyes flickered slightly as a response.

The three decaying beings set off simultaneously.

Jin Qi's massive dark gold body crushed down on Xuan Du like a mountain. Dark red death energy condensed on his decaying giant claws, forming a huge claw print that fell straight down.

Mu Ku's figure approached from the flank like a ghost, and the dark blue lines on his withered fingers suddenly lit up, transforming into a grayish-blue chain that coiled around Xuan Du.

Wuyin did not attack Xuandu.

His gray-brown misty figure suddenly accelerated, like a gray-white lightning bolt, bypassing Xuandu and rushing straight towards the gray-white figure in the center of the platform!

Crimson eyes shone like will-o'-the-wisps in the mist, and a withered hand emerged from the mist, a ball of grayish-white death energy gathering in its palm, about to strike down at the still unstable remnant body of Blood Abyss.

Taixu stood a hundred feet away, his gray sword intent surging around him.

A glint flashed in his sharp eyes, and he was about to draw his sword.

But before he could move, he had already heard Xuan Du's voice.

The voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the surging gray-white mist deep within the Ruins of Return, reaching Taixu's ears as well as the ears of the three decaying figures.

"Fellow Daoists, it seems you've misunderstood something."

"I never said I came alone."

As the sound faded, the gray-white mist deep within the Ruins of Return suddenly surged.

Three beams of chaotic light simultaneously shone from behind Xuandu, like a great sun rising from the abyss, instantly illuminating the entire gray-white void.

Within that light, three figures stepped out simultaneously.

Three Tao bodies.

A figure stood beside Xuandu, dressed in flowing blue robes, with a face identical to Xuandu's, and eyes as calm as an ancient well.

A figure landed in front of Jin Qi, standing with hands behind his back, his aura vast and unfathomable.

One figure stood in front of the mist-hidden figure, raised its hand and pressed down lightly, and the gray-white death aura palm print disappeared silently like ice and snow meeting the sun.

Three figures, three auras, three early stages of Hunyuan Taiji.

His cultivation level was identical to that of the original Xuandu, and his sense of oppression was identical to that of the original Xuandu.

These are the three Dao bodies that transform from one Qi into three Pure Ones.