Primordial Era: I am a treasure trove, full of magical treasures.

The prosperity of the primordial world was like a grand fireworks display, dazzling and spectacular.

The concentration of spiritual energy increased fivefold, the number of Quasi-Saints also increased dramatically, the world's barrier became as solid as iron, and the origin of the Heavenly Dao steadily advanced—everything was developing in the best possible direction. Quasi-Saints hunted freely in the chaos, cultivators cultivated peacefully in the primordial wilderness, and even mortals could feel the vibrant life force between heaven and earth.

However, beneath the shadow of prosperity, there are always undercurrents.

The underworld was the first to discover the problem.

Houtu, who resides in the Netherworld and governs the Six Paths, has the most direct perception of the cycle of life and death in the primordial world. That day, she was inspecting the reincarnation passage as usual when she suddenly discovered that several powerful souls that should have entered reincarnation had suddenly disappeared.

At first, she didn't pay much attention. The primordial world was vast, and hundreds of millions of lives died every day. It was common for a few souls to fail to enter reincarnation for various reasons. Perhaps they were captured and refined by someone with great supernatural powers, or perhaps... their souls were scattered to the winds.

But when this happened thousands of times in a row, and all the missing souls were those of powerful beings at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level or above, Houtu finally realized that something was wrong.

She immediately dispatched underworld messengers to secretly investigate the matter. However, the messengers investigated for several years but found nothing—the missing souls seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace.

Houtu frowned.

She had a gut feeling that things weren't that simple.

At the same time, strange phenomena began to appear in various parts of the prehistoric world.

First, there was a rogue cultivator at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in the eastern part of the prehistoric world. One day, while in seclusion, his breath suddenly ceased. His cultivation ground was protected by layers of restrictions, making it impossible for outsiders to sneak in silently. But when his disciples broke through the restrictions and rushed into the secret chamber, they only found a withered corpse—his primordial spirit had dissipated, his soul had vanished without a trace, and even the magical power within his body had been completely drained, as if some entity had sucked away all his essence.

Next was a veteran Quasi-Saint from the south. This Quasi-Saint had set up layers of restrictions in his cave, believing it to be impregnable. However, overnight, the great formation was intact, the cave's doors were tightly shut, and he never reappeared. His disciples searched the surrounding area for tens of thousands of miles, but couldn't find even a scrap of clothing, only discovering an extremely faint, almost imperceptible aura of death within the cave.

Then there was a medium-sized sect. Overnight, all three hundred disciples, from top to bottom, perished. Their deaths were identical to those of the rogue cultivator from the Eastern Wilderness—their primordial spirits dissipated, their souls vanished, and their magical power drained. The sect's protective array remained intact, showing no signs of damage from any external force.

The news spread, shaking the entire world.

At first, people thought it was a Chaos Demon God who had infiltrated the prehistoric world to commit the crime. After all, the prehistoric world had been hunting extensively in the chaos over the years, capturing countless small worlds, and it was inevitable that some Chaos Demon Gods would slip through the net to retaliate. But this guess was quickly rejected—because the aura of the Chaos Demon God was completely different from that of the native cultivators of the prehistoric world. If a Chaos Demon God had infiltrated, it would have been impossible for him to escape the perception of sages like the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Houtu.

So, is there a traitor within the Primordial World?

This speculation is even more unsettling. To be able to silently kill a Grand Luo Golden Immortal or even a Quasi-Saint amidst layers of restrictions, and to evade the senses of a Saint—such an existence, if hidden within the primordial world, is even more terrifying than a Chaos Demon God.

For a time, panic gripped the primordial world. Quasi-Saints dared not cultivate alone any longer, Great Luo Golden Immortals banded together for mutual support, major sects strengthened their defenses, and even the Heavenly Court increased its patrols. But even so, assassinations continued; every so often, a powerful figure would mysteriously disappear or die, their deaths always strikingly similar.

Xuanbao naturally received the news as well.

He sat in the Lingxiao Palace, listening to Haotian's report, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his face calm and expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Your Majesty, this matter has caused great panic." Haotian bowed and said, "Now all the major powers in the prehistoric world are suspicious of each other, and there are even rumors that... there is a problem within the Heavenly Court."

Xuanbao's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the Nine Dragons Throne, the rhythm neither too fast nor too slow. Haotian, who was below, stood with his hands at his sides, not making a sound, as if afraid of interrupting Xuanbao's thoughts.

After a long while, Xuanbao stopped tapping and stood up.

"Haotian, you're right. It's not surprising that the Heavenly Court is being suspected." He slowly walked down the steps, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "The Heavenly Court now holds a vast amount of resources in the primordial world, controls the power of rewards and punishments in the Hall of Merit, and even has the authority to recommend candidates for sainthood. To put it bluntly, the Heavenly Court is the biggest 'dictator' in the primordial world. It's perfectly normal for someone to want to take this opportunity to smear us."

Haotian's heart tightened: "Your Majesty, what do you mean...?"

"But this matter is definitely not as simple as just throwing dirty water on someone." Xuanbao interrupted him, his gaze sharpening. "Think about it, what were the cultivation levels of those who were killed?"

Haotian was taken aback, and recalled for a moment: "The lowest level is Taiyi Golden Immortal, and the highest level... is a rogue cultivator who is a Quasi-Saint."

"From Taiyi Golden Immortal to Quasi-Saint, the gap is so vast, yet they can all be killed in one blow without leaving a trace." Xuanbao turned around and looked at the sky outside the hall. "In the primordial world, there are only a handful of beings who can achieve this. My three masters, Houtu, Nuwa, myself, and those two from the West—at most, no more than ten people."

Haotian gasped, "Does Your Majesty mean the murderer is among these ten people?"

"Not necessarily." Xuanbao shook his head. "There's another possibility—the killer wasn't a creature from the primordial world at all."

Haotian was stunned: "Not a being from the primordial world? Then could it be a Chaos Demon God? But didn't you say that the aura of a Chaos Demon God couldn't escape the perception of a Sage?"

"Under normal circumstances, it's impossible to hide it." Xuanbao's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "But what if that Chaos Demon God has mastered some kind of special law?"

Haotian was stunned, and it took him a long time to come to his senses: "Special laws? Your Majesty, you mean...?"

"The chaos is vast and full of wonders." Xuanbao walked slowly to the entrance of the main hall, looking at the auspicious clouds swirling in the sky outside the Heavenly Court. "The Chaos Gods we know are just the tip of the iceberg."

We know nothing about the laws that those true demons and gods who stand at the pinnacle of chaos wield.

He paused, then turned around: "If someone could master special laws such as the 'Law of Concealment,' the 'Law of Cause and Effect,' or the 'Law of Dreams,' it would be entirely possible to infiltrate the primordial world without alerting anyone and kill silently."

Haotian was terrified: "Then... what should we do now?"

"What's the panic?" Xuanbao waved his hand, his tone as relaxed as if he were comforting a frightened child. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Since he dared to come to the prehistoric world to kill people, it means he has something to do with it. People with something to do will always leave a trace."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Issue the order—from today onwards, all cultivators above the Taiyi Golden Immortal level are prohibited from traveling alone. If anything is found to be amiss, report it immediately."

"As you command!" Haotian accepted the order and left.

Xuanbao stood alone in the main hall, his eyes gleaming.

He had a gut feeling—there was more to this than met the eye. Those killed were of varying cultivation levels, ranging from Taiyi Golden Immortals to Daluo Golden Immortals and even Quasi-Saints. If it was a Chaos Demon God infiltrating to seek revenge, why didn't it directly assassinate saints like the Three Pure Ones or Nuwa? Why target those "neither here nor there" cultivators?

Unless—the killer's goal wasn't killing itself at all.

Instead, they are creating panic.

Xuanbao narrowed his eyes, a bold guess forming in his mind: "Is someone using this method to weaken the destiny of the primordial world?"

The primordial destiny is formed by the combined will, beliefs, and vitality of countless beings. The fall of every powerful individual depletes this destiny. If such assassinations continue, the primordial destiny will continuously leak away, ultimately affecting the world's advancement process.

"A clever scheme." Xuanbao sneered. "But I'd like to see how long you can keep hiding."

In the days that followed, the Heavenly Court launched a large-scale investigation. Haotian personally led a team to conduct a thorough search of all the major forces in the prehistoric world. The Underworld also increased its patrols, and Houtu even personally oversaw the passage of reincarnation, closely monitoring the flow of every soul.

However, the murderer seemed to have vanished into thin air and never reappeared.

One month, two months, six months...

Just when everyone thought the murderer had escaped the prehistoric world, another assassination attempt occurred.

Fortunately, the assassination attempt failed this time.

……

The Taoist priest thought he probably hadn't checked the almanac before going out today.

He was originally a reclusive quasi-saint in the eastern part of the prehistoric world, always keeping a low profile. He never participated in the Heavenly Court's hunting expeditions, nor did he meddle in the conflicts between the various forces. He spent his days either meditating and comprehending the Dao in his cave or tending to his medicinal herb fields, living like a peaceful and unassuming farmer.

But today, on a whim, he decided to visit an old friend to discuss a law he had recently comprehended.

As soon as he stepped out of the cave, less than a thousand miles away, he felt a chilling killing intent seeping out from the void.

The killing intent was so concealed that if it weren't for the fact that the laws he cultivated were related to defense, he probably would have been directly cut off. The Daoist Shouzhuo immediately felt his scalp tingle and, without saying a word, summoned his trump card defensive spiritual treasure—a completely black tortoise shell shield. It was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure that he had obtained from the Heavenly Court with great difficulty. It was said to be the shell left behind by a certain chaotic divine beast, and its defensive power was quite formidable.

As soon as the tortoise shell shield was summoned, a pale hand emerged from the void, its five fingers forming claws, and gently pressed down on the tortoise shell shield.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no deafening roar.

The hand pressed against the tortoise shell shield as if it were pressing against a piece of tofu, silently penetrating the shield's defense and grabbing towards the Taoist Shouzhuo's chest!

The Taoist Shouzhuo's pupils suddenly contracted!

His tortoise-shell shield had withstood the full force of three quasi-saints without a scratch! But now, in front of this pale palm, it was as fragile as paper!

"Damn it, I'm probably doomed this time." Shouzhuo Daoist was, after all, a veteran Quasi-Saint who had lived for countless eons. Although he was shocked, his reaction was swift. He retreated rapidly, while his hands moved repeatedly, and strands of law patterns wove into a net in front of him, trying to block the palm's pursuit.

However, the hand seemed to disregard all laws, passing through layers of defense and grabbing straight at him.

Shouzhuo Daoren's heart was filled with alarm bells. He could feel an extremely strange power attached to that palm—a power that seemed capable of devouring all life force, causing even his primordial spirit to tremble. If he were to be grabbed by that palm, he probably wouldn't even be able to save his soul!

"Let's give it our all!"

Shouzhuo Daoist gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes. He knew he was no match for this mysterious killer. The opponent's strength was at least at the Saint level, perhaps even higher. There was only one way to survive—

He took a deep breath, and his internal magical power suddenly reversed. Two top-grade innate spiritual treasures flew out of his dantian and hovered in front of him.

These two spiritual treasures, a whisk and an ancient lamp, were his natal magic weapons, refined over countless eons, and also the innate spiritual treasures he used to sever his good and evil corpses. They were already in harmony with his will, and could even be said to be extensions of his Dao fruit. If he were to self-destruct, it would be tantamount to severing his own Dao cultivation, and his cultivation level would drop by at least one major realm.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about anything else.

"burst!"

With a low shout, the Taoist Shouzhuo caused the whisk and the ancient lamp to burst into a blinding light, and then—exploded!

The power of the two top-grade innate spiritual treasures exploding was comparable to the full-force attack of a Saint of the first level! The violent energy spread outwards from the center of Shouzhuo Daoist, shattering the void within a radius of ten thousand miles, and the chaotic currents of laws rushed around like out-of-control beasts!

The pale hand paused for a moment under the impact of the explosion.

At that very moment, Shouzhuo Daoist seized the opportunity, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he fled desperately toward the Heavenly Court!

"Help! Heavenly Emperor, save me!!"

Without hesitation, the Taoist Shouzhuo unleashed his ultimate technique. The sound was as shrill as a pig being slaughtered, echoing through the sky.

The pale hand paused in the void for a moment, seemingly hesitating whether to give chase. But in the end, it slowly retracted into the void, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a faint sigh echoing in the shattered void.

Shouzhuo Daoist ran wildly until he rushed into the South Heavenly Gate, where he was stopped by the heavenly soldiers on duty. He finally stopped, collapsed on the ground, and gasped for breath.

His face was as pale as paper, his breathing was extremely disordered, and the magical power within his body surged like boiling water. The self-destruction of two natal spiritual treasures had caused him enormous damage—his cultivation level plummeted from the late Quasi-Saint stage to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage, and he almost lost his realm.

"Your Majesty... I need to see Your Majesty..." The Taoist Shouzhuo grabbed a celestial soldier's collar, his voice hoarse and urgent, "I have important information..."

The news quickly reached Xuanbao's ears.

"Let's go take a look."

With a swift movement, he appeared in the square outside the South Heavenly Gate.

Shouzhuo Daoist was being supported by several heavenly soldiers, sitting on a makeshift chair. His face was still pale, but his emotions had stabilized considerably. Upon seeing Xuanbao arrive, he struggled to rise and pay his respects, but Xuanbao pressed his shoulder down.

"No need for formalities." Xuanbao waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Shouzhuo Daoist, his brows furrowing slightly. "Your cultivation has dropped by a major realm? You're quite badly injured."

Shouzhuo Daoist gave a bitter smile: "Your Majesty, it is already a stroke of luck that this old Daoist was able to save his life."

Xuanbao nodded, squatted down, and looked directly into Shouzhuo Daoist's eyes: "Tell me, what did you encounter?"

Shouzhuo Daoist took a deep breath and recounted the entire assassination attempt in detail. From the pale hand to the tortoise-shell shield being easily pierced, to his self-destruction of two natal spiritual treasures to escape, he described everything in great detail.