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

Hongjun remained silent for a long time.

The emerald green light within the void slowly circulated for a full cycle.

When the time came, he stood not far away, a faint silver light flickering in his cloudy eyes.

After a long while, Yang Mei stood at the very back, her bright eyes gazing at the withered figure, her gaze as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

Then Hongjun spoke.

His voice was hoarse, but much calmer than before.

"Human hearts".

"I see."

"I did miscalculate."

"I thought that with the Investiture of the Gods in my hand and the true spirit in my grasp, even saints would have to bow down."

"I thought that the collapse of the Heavenly Way and the reversal of destiny meant that the tide had turned and all was lost."

"But I never expected that you could not only reverse fate, but also win people's hearts."

"In this respect, I am indeed inferior to you."

Xuan Du looked at him without saying a word.

He simply stood there, waiting for Hongjun to finish speaking.

Hongjun slowly raised his head, and the oppressive aura of the Billion Yuan Society completely dissipated from his gray eyes at that moment.

All that remained was a sense of relief and calm.

"I will not blame you for coming to kill me today."

"The victor is king, the loser is villain; this principle has remained unchanged throughout history."

"Back then, I orchestrated the Investiture of the Gods to annihilate all the immortals of the Intercepting Sect. You won, but I lost."

"This life should have been yours to begin with."

"There's just one thing I want to ask of you."

Xuandu looked at him, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Beg me?"

Hongjun nodded, and the withered figure leaned forward slightly, as if making a final struggle.

"Deep within the ancestral temple of all trees, there is a root vein that is the origin of all trees."

"That vein is the last branch formed from the remaining essence after the fall of the ancestor of all trees."

"If one can refine that vein, one can complete one's foundation and stabilize one's realm."

"I have been healing here for so long, all thanks to the support of that meridian."

"If I die, that lineage will become ownerless."

"I don't want you to leave it for me."

"I want you to take it."

"Don't let it fall into the hands of others."

"Especially those ancient beings that lie dormant within the Ancestral Court of Ten Thousand Trees."

"If they get that vein, they will be the next me."

"Even worse."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Du's gaze narrowed slightly.

He never expected that Hongjun, on his deathbed, would be worried about the safety of the Wanmu Ancestral Court.

This Dao Ancestor, who once schemed everything and laid out the grand plan of the Investiture of the Gods, is now actually considering the future of this secret realm.

"The Dao Ancestor is beyond my expectations."

Xuan Du spoke, his voice carrying a hint of complexity.

"Even on your deathbed, you still had your heart set on this place."

Hongjun slowly shook his head.

"I'm not worried."

"I just don't want anyone to repeat my mistakes."

"I cultivated for billions of yuan, merged with the Dao of Heaven, and wielded the Jade Disc of Creation, thinking I stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth."

"But in the end, I realized that the so-called Way of Heaven is nothing more than a prison."

"I've been trapped inside for so long that I've forgotten there's a wider world out there."

"You are stronger than me; you were never bound by the laws of Heaven from the very beginning."

"So I beg you, take that vein away, lest it trap the next unfortunate soul."

Xuandu gazed at Hongjun and remained silent for a long time.

Then he nodded slowly.

"it is good."

I promise you.

"I will take that vein."

Upon hearing this, Hongjun's faint smile deepened.

He didn't speak again, but slowly closed his eyes.

The withered figure relaxed slightly in the emerald light, as if a string stretched taut for billions of dollars had finally snapped at this moment.

Xuan Du stood still, not in a hurry to make a move.

He gazed at Hongjun, sensing the changes in that aura.

One breath.

Three breaths.

Five breaths.

Hongjun's aura was rapidly fading.

His very essence was disintegrating on its own; without Xuandu's intervention, he had already given up his last breath.

Yang Mei stood at the very back, sensing Hongjun's aura dissipate, a faint light flickering in her bright eyes.

He didn't speak, he just watched quietly.

Shi Chen stood beside Xuan Du, also remaining silent.

Within the void, the emerald green light continued to flow slowly.

Hongjun's withered figure grew fainter and fainter, like ashes scattered by the wind.

Then it disappeared completely.

In the void, only an empty emptiness remained.

The emerald green light returned and filled the empty area.

Deep within the ancestral temple of Wanmu, the gray-white figure that had slept for hundreds of millions of years finally vanished completely.

Xuandu stood still, gazing at the empty void, remaining motionless for a long time.

A moment later, he turned around and looked deeper into the Wanmu Ancestral Court.

"Hongjun said that the root is deep inside, go and retrieve it."

Shichen nodded, and the gray-white figure took the lead in heading towards the direction where the emerald green light surged.

Yang Mei followed closely behind.

Three figures slowly moved through the depths of the Wanmu Ancestral Court.

The deeper you go, the more intense the emerald green light becomes, and the richer the essence of wood becomes.

A moment later, the chaotic energy in front of them suddenly cleared up.

A vibrant green root appeared before the three of them.

The vein was about the thickness of an arm, like a green river suspended in the void, with fine innate Dao patterns flowing on its surface, exuding an extremely rich vitality.

The roots and veins of the tree's origin.

After the fall of the Ancestor of All Trees, it was the last branch formed from the condensation of its remaining essence.

Xuan Du sensed the power contained within that vein, his eyes flickering slightly.

That was indeed a treasure, enough to allow any half-step Hunyuan Taiji being to break through the bottleneck, and enough to allow those in the early stages of Hunyuan Taiji to stabilize their realm.

Xuandu sensed the aura of that vein, but did not rush to retrieve it.

He looked at the time.

What do you think?

After a moment of sensing time, a faint silver light flickered deep within those turbid eyes.

"It is indeed pure, without the contamination of residual will, nor the entanglement of causal threads."

"Hongjun was indeed not lying."

Xuan Du nodded.

He raised his hand, and the Chaos Pearl rose from his palm.

Forty-nine chaotic restrictions lit up simultaneously, and a chaotic beam of light surged out, enveloping the emerald green root vein.

The vein trembled slightly, twisting for a moment as if it were alive.

But the power of the Chaos Pearl locked it firmly like a net.

A moment later, the root veins disappeared into the Chaos Pearl, sinking deep into the world within the pearl.

Deep within the ancestral temple of Wanmu, the emerald green light dimmed slightly.

As if losing its most crucial support, the entire secret realm dimmed in luster.

Xuan Du stood still, sensing the aura of the root vein within the Chaos Pearl, and slowly withdrew his gaze.

"Hongjun's karma ends here."

"Walk."

After uttering the word, he turned around and walked back the way he came.

Shichen and Yangmei followed closely behind.

......

Three figures emerged from the emerald light of the Wanmu Ancestral Court and landed at the edge of the dark gray current.

Xuan Du stopped walking and then stood still.

Shi Chen and Yang Mei, who were behind them, were slightly taken aback. Just as they were about to ask a question, they both fell silent when they looked up.

Outside the ancestral temple of Wanmu, at the edge of that dark gray current, dozens of figures hung in the void, lined up in a row.

The grayish-white chaotic energy flowed slowly among the figures, but it retreated on its own in the face of those heavy auras, as if even heaven and earth dared not approach that area.

Xuan Du's gaze swept over the dozens of figures, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Seven Grandmasters at the peak of the Ninth Heaven of the Primordial Chaos Realm.

Twelve Primordial Great Luo Nine Heavens.

More than twenty Grandmasters of the Eighth Heaven of Primordial Chaos.

The auras intertwined, forming an invisible giant net that enveloped the entire void, completely surrounding the exit of the Wanmu Ancestral Court.

Every gaze fell upon him.

In those gazes, there was scrutiny, inquiry, vigilance, and even a faint hint of expectation.