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

Within the Dao Realm, everything is steadily progressing towards its peak.

The three ancient beings at the peak of Hunyuan Taiji are approaching their respective thresholds at an extremely slow but irreversible pace.

The boundaries of the Dao Realm are constantly expanding, the laws are constantly being perfected, and those beings who enter the realm to cultivate are transforming at an unprecedented speed.

Everything went too smoothly.

Xuandu sat atop the mountain peak at the very center of heaven and earth, sensing the rising energy, yet a faint unease slowly settled in his heart.

That hint of unease was so faint that he wouldn't have noticed it at all unless his perception, being in a transcendent state, was extremely sharp.

He remained silent for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes, immersing his mind in the underlying order of the Dao Realm.

The vast net woven from martial will and the nine laws is expanding continuously, each line as stable as an unchanging mountain range.

But at the edge of that net, there was an extremely subtle anomaly.

The anomaly was hidden within the underlying order at the junction of due north and due west, extremely concealed and extremely small.

If Xuandu hadn't repeatedly screened it with his transcendent perception, he wouldn't have noticed its existence at all.

Xuan Du's mind lingered on the anomaly, and he remained silent for a moment.

Then he slowly peeled it off.

That withered root was extremely thin.

Yet, within that thread lingered an extremely faint yet extremely familiar scent.

That was the aura of the Great Dao.

Xuan Du's gaze suddenly froze.

He sensed the lingering aura within that thread, and the extremely faint yet undeniable connection between that aura and the underlying order of the Dao Realm.

That old thorn did not take root, did not sprout, and did not even send any signal.

It simply exists.

Like a seed buried with billions of dollars, it is waiting for a specific moment.

Xuandu remained silent for a long time.

He finally understood.

Before the Great Dao transformed into Heaven and Earth, it used the Origin as a guide to lay out the prototype of this world in the deepest part of chaos.

While assisting the Great Dao in stabilizing the core of that world, he used his martial will that transcended realms to completely solidify that world.

But before that, the Great Dao had already planted an extremely fine thread of cause and effect within its own origin.

That thread of cause and effect merged into that world along with the origin of the Great Dao, and then, with Xuandu's perception and the migration of those beings who entered the realm, it was silently brought into the underlying order of the Dao realm.

Xuandu's perception was like a fine net, spreading deeper along that thread.

A moment later, he touched something deeper.

That thread is not just a cause-and-effect line; it is also a channel.

A passage connecting the lower order of the Dao realm with the core of that new world formed by the Great Dao.

Within the passage, an extremely faint trace of the Great Dao's essence was slowly flowing at an almost imperceptible speed, seeping from that new world into the bottom layer of the Dao Realm.

The quantity is extremely small and the speed is extremely slow; unless one's perception transcends a certain level, it will not be noticed at all.

But it is indeed seeping in.

Moreover, as the Dao Realm continues to grow, the passage is becoming wider and wider, and the speed of infiltration is becoming faster and faster.

Xuan Du's mind lingered before that passage, his gaze calm and unfathomable.

The Great Dao asked him for help because the origin was declining and someone needed to stabilize the core of heaven and earth.

But now it seems that the request was never just a request.

That was a hidden plot where they themselves were at stake, a scheme involving hundreds of millions of yuan.

After the Great Dao transformed into Heaven and Earth, that new world truly existed independently of the Chaos.

However, the passage between that world and the Dao Realm allowed the Great Dao to slowly recover its original nature by borrowing the power of the Dao Realm's growth.

If left unattended, once the vines grow thick enough, they may turn the tables and devour the entire giant tree.

Xuan Du slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within those eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well, a chilling light was now surging.

He hadn't expected that Dao would leave such a trick up his sleeve at the last moment.

Even after He had promised to let go, to sever ties of cause and effect, and to cease interfering with chaos, He still secretly laid down this extremely hidden passage.

Xuan Du remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up.

He didn't act immediately; he simply stood there, sensing the slowly expanding passage.

As the Dao Realm grows, the passage will expand accordingly.

Once those three ancient beings break through, the first and second batches of beings grow up, and the Dao Realm truly reaches its peak, the passage will be fully opened.

At that time, the Great Dao will descend again in a way that even Xuandu could not have foreseen.

This time, however, He is no longer a supreme being high above, but rather an undercurrent parasitizing within the Dao Realm itself.

Xuandu withdrew his senses, having already made his judgment.

He needs to completely sever that passage before it is fully opened.

However, that passage connects the lower order of the Dao Realm with the core of the new world formed by the Great Dao. If it is forcibly severed, the lower order of the Dao Realm will be violently shaken.

Xuan Du remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching the ears of the nine chaotic beings from all four directions of the Dao Realm:

"There's something we need to discuss with the nine seniors."

Xu slowly opened his eyes from the due north direction, his grey-white robe billowing slightly within his martial will:

"What is it?"

Xuan Du gazed at the surging pale golden light, his voice calm yet carrying a rare air of caution:

"The new world that the Great Dao asked me to help create left a passage between me and it."

"That passage connects the lower order of the Dao Realm with the core of that new world, and is slowly absorbing the growth power of the Dao Realm."

"If left unchecked, the day the Great Dao returns will be the day the Dao reaches its zenith."

As the voice faded, all nine chaotic beings in the entire Dao Realm trembled simultaneously.

Xu's crimson-gold eyes suddenly froze, and his grey-white robe billowed violently within his martial will.

The Azure Emperor suddenly stood up from the due south direction, his emerald green eyes surging with a solemnity he had never felt before in a billion years.

Dust Star, Ash, Wood, Rock, and the other chaotic beings all turned their gazes toward the figure in blue robes at the center of the world.

Throughout the entire Dao Realm, those figures who were cultivating simultaneously sensed the changes in the nine auras, and they all raised their heads, their eyes filled with unease and doubt.

The gray-scaled behemoth lowered its head and let out a deep, long roar.

The emerald green spiritual root's branches and leaves tucked in slightly, like a tree sensing a storm.

The three ancient beings at the peak of Hunyuan Taiji opened their eyes simultaneously.

A caution that even a billion-dollar meeting could not have shown surged within his murky eyes.

Within the Dao Realm, the surging, ever-growing energy momentarily froze for a split second.