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

The chaos was strangely calm, but this calm was more suffocating than any storm.

Ever since that oppressive feeling from beyond the chaos descended, the entire chaos felt as if an invisible hand had gripped its throat. The spheres of influence of the four giants were intertwined, yet none of them dared to make a move—those usually domineering chaos demons were now like frightened birds, cowering in their lairs, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Everyone knows that the calm before the storm often means an even bigger storm is coming.

But no one expected that the first thunderclap of the storm would explode in such a way.

That day, there were no warnings in the chaos.

A peak eighth-level demon god under the command of fate was meditating in his dojo. The laws of fate around him flowed ceaselessly, and everything seemed normal. However, in the next moment—his body suddenly expanded without warning, and the source of the laws within him went berserk like a powder keg that had been ignited, before exploding with a deafening roar!

The self-destruction of a peak eighth-level Heaven cultivator was terrifyingly powerful. The shockwave tore the chaotic void within a radius of billions of miles to shreds, and the three nearby Great Thousand Worlds vanished instantly like bubbles, leaving not a trace. Several branch strongholds of the Destiny Demon God located nearby were also affected, with dozens of demon gods of lower cultivation levels perishing on the spot. Even a demon god at the early stage of the ninth level Heaven was severely injured and coughed up blood, with half of his body disappearing completely.

Fate, enraged, intervened to suppress the aftershocks of the explosion. But before he could even ascertain the cause—

Under Shichen's command, two eighth-level demon gods simultaneously self-destructed.

Within Yang Mei's spatial maze, the three subjugated demon gods exploded one after another, shattering the several layers of spatial nodes that Yang Mei had meticulously arranged.

Within just a few days, dozens of Chaos Demon Gods from the four major Chaos factions self-destructed without warning. These demon gods varied in cultivation level, some at the seventh level, some at the eighth level, and there was even an unlucky fellow at the early stage of the ninth level. When that fellow self-destructed, he directly blew up half of his leader's palace, which angered the mid-stage ninth-level giant to the point that he vomited three liters of blood on the spot.

A cacophony of noise erupted amidst the chaos.

All the demons were speculating: what was going on? Was it some hidden force behind the scenes? Or had the four giants finally broken off relations and started assassinating each other's vassals?

But soon, an even more unsettling speculation began to circulate amidst the chaos—

Those demons that self-destructed all shared a common characteristic.

They were all traitors who had betrayed their original masters and sided with their new ones.

Meanwhile, someone spread the word that these self-destructing Chaos Gods were all spies sent by Xuanbao, and that the self-destruction was all orchestrated by Xuanbao.

This news caused an uproar throughout the entire Chaos Realm. Everyone now knew that the Heavenly Emperor of the Primordial World's favorite tactic was to control the Chaos Gods with restrictions. Over the years, as the Primordial World expanded, it subdued many Chaos Gods who had submitted to it, and most of them were placed under restrictions by Xuanbao to prevent them from turning against it.

Among the demon gods who self-destructed this time, those were the ones for whom Xuanbao had placed restrictions. Others might not know this, but those chaotic demon gods who had not self-destructed and had restrictions placed on them knew it all too well.

The remaining demons controlled by Xuanbao were all panicked. What if they self-destructed one day?

They gathered in a hidden void on the frontier of the primordial wilderness, exchanging bewildered glances, their faces filled with fear and unease. A demon god at the late eighth level of the Heavenly Realm—who had defected from the Demon God of Destiny and been subdued by Xuanbao—was now deathly pale, his voice trembling: "What's going on? Why are we the ones who are self-destructing? Is it...is it that the boss wants to eliminate us?"

"Bullshit!" Another demon god at the mid-stage of the eighth heaven interrupted him sharply, but his voice also carried an undisguised panic. "If Lord Xuanbao wanted to eliminate us, why use such methods? Why not just detonate the restriction directly? Why wait so long?"

"Then how do you explain that those who self-destructed were all those who were under the restriction? There are so many Chaos Gods in the Chaos Realm, why did it have to be us who were affected?"

No one can answer this question.

Fear spread like a plague among these controlled demons. Some began trying to break the seals within their bodies, but how could they possibly break the seals set up by Xuanbao? Some attempted to escape the primordial realm, but as soon as they moved, they felt the seals within their bodies slightly heating up, as if warning them not to act rashly. Others began to suspect that all of this was a play orchestrated by Xuanbao himself—first using self-destruction to eliminate a group of disobedient ones, then using the opportunity to intimidate the rest and make them even more subservient.

Once such suspicion takes root, it grows like weeds. Although the controlled demons dare not say anything on the surface, their private discussions and suspicions are almost impossible to suppress.

Deep within the Heavenly Court, Xuanbao's expression was far from pleasant.

He sat in the main hall, a mirror of light formed from the laws of nature floating before him, displaying in real time the movements and discussions of the controlled demon gods. Bai Lu stood beside him, her brows furrowed.

"Have you found the cause?" Bai Lu asked.

Xuanbao did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the fragments of laws left behind by the self-destructing demon god. Although the self-destruction had erased most of the traces, with his perfected cultivation at the Ninth Heaven, he could still catch some clues from those extremely subtle residual fluctuations.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, his face becoming even more somber.

"It wasn't my doing." Xuanbao spoke slowly, his voice carrying a rare hint of solemnity. "Although the restrictions I set up are domineering, they have one characteristic—they only take effect when I actively trigger them. If someone wants to detonate my restrictions through external force, it's theoretically impossible, because the core of the restrictions is bound to my primordial spirit, and external forces simply cannot intervene."

"But this time, my restrictions were indeed triggered inside those self-destructing demons." Xuanbao paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Moreover, they bypassed my primordial spirit and were detonated directly from within the restrictions."

Bai Lu's pupils contracted slightly: "Bypass your primordial spirit? How is that possible? Your primordial spirit is completely bound to the restriction, unless—"

"Unless someone's restrictions on me are unrestrained," Xuanbao continued, his tone icy, "or rather, someone has somehow copied the structure of my restrictions and then deduced the method to detonate it."

Bai Lu fell silent. She knew all too well what this meant—Xuan Bao's restriction was a secret technique he had created based on the Three Thousand Laws and the Law of Power; no one else in the entire Chaos could possibly possess the same principles. If someone could break or even replicate his restriction, there was only one possibility:

That person's understanding of the Three Thousand Laws is no less than that of Xuanbao.

Even above him.

"There are people like this in the chaos?" Bai Lu's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"It didn't exist before." Xuanbao stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, his gaze piercing through layers of void, looking into the eternal darkness deep within the chaos. "But now, it might exist."

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned—but that smile lacked his usual laziness and teasing, only a cold sharpness: "Interesting. I always thought that the only opponents in this chaotic world who could make me take them seriously were those few established giants. I didn't expect there to be someone hiding so deeply."

"What do you plan to do?" Bai Lu asked.

"What should we do?" Xuanbao turned around, his gaze sweeping over the floating mirrors of law in the main hall—in the mirrors, the controlled demons were still discussing in fear and unease, some even starting to coordinate, trying to collectively pressure Xuanbao to lift the restrictions. "First, appease those terrified guys. Tell them this has nothing to do with me, I will find out the truth and give them an explanation."

He paused, a dangerous glint in his eyes: "As for that rat lurking in the shadows—I'll drag him out and let him know that anyone who messes with me will pay the price."

When Xuanbao's figure appeared in that hidden void on the frontier of the primordial world, the controlled demon gods who were discussing amongst themselves instantly fell silent.

They looked at Xuanbao with fear, unease, doubt, and a faint glimmer of expectation in their eyes. No one dared to speak; everyone waited for Xuanbao to offer an explanation.

Xuanbao's gaze slowly swept over the crowd before he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every demon god, carrying an undeniable certainty: "I know what you're thinking. You suspect that I was behind those self-destructing demon gods, in order to eliminate you unstable elements."

No one answered, but the eyes of many demons flickered.

"I'm telling you now—I didn't do it." Xuanbao's tone was calm and composed. "Although I, Xuanbao, am not a good person, I have always acted with integrity. If I want to kill someone, I always do it face to face, I would never use such despicable means."

He paused, his gaze sharpening further: "More importantly—you still hold considerable value for me. I won't lay a finger on you until your value is completely exploited."

These words were so blunt, almost naked, that they actually made the demons breathe a slight sigh of relief. They knew Xuanbao—though cunning and treacherous, he never lied about such things. If he said he didn't do it, then he truly didn't.

"Then...who did it?" A demon god at the late stage of the eighth heaven asked, mustering his courage.

"That's what I want to know too." Xuanbao's gaze turned into the depths of chaos, his voice carrying a hint of coldness. "However, I can't figure out who this person is either, but I'm certain he can easily kill you all, so..."

Xuanbao withdrew his gaze and swept it over the crowd: "From now on, all of you will retreat to the core area of ​​the Primordial World in batches. I will set up protective arrays around you, so even if someone wants to detonate your restrictions, they will have to get past me first."

Upon hearing this, the demons felt as if they had been granted a pardon. After all, regardless of whether Xuanbao was the one who did it, now that Xuanbao had spoken, they were likely to be safe. They all knelt down in gratitude. Xuanbao waved his hand, signaling them to leave, then turned and looked into the depths of chaos, a profound light flashing in his eyes.

"A rat lurking in the shadows... I'll see who you really are."

Whether these chaotic demons live or die is of no concern to me now. After all, the highest realm I have is only the eighth level of the Saint Realm. You must know that there is a difference between the eighth and ninth levels of the Saint Realm and the difference between a lake and an ocean.

But no matter what, you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. If someone beats your dog to death before you've even given the order, is that really beating a dog? Isn't that a slap in my face?

Xuanbao's figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.

In the days that followed, Xuanbao began to investigate the mastermind behind the self-destruction incidents with all his might.

He retrieved all the records of law fluctuations from the final moments of the self-destructing demons, comparing and analyzing them one by one using the three thousand laws. He interviewed the eyewitnesses who survived the self-destruction, piecing together every detail of the event from their accounts. He even risked infiltrating the spheres of influence of several Ninth Heaven giants to investigate the traces of laws left behind at the self-destruction sites.

But all the clues pointed in a direction he didn't want to believe—

Those self-destructions were indeed triggered from within the restriction. Moreover, the method of triggering them was extremely sophisticated, so sophisticated that even he almost couldn't detect it. That method carried an aura that he felt he had seen before…

The aura of Pangu!

What's going on? Pangu has been resurrected?

Xuanbao stood atop a chaotic boulder at the edge of chaos, his brow furrowed. In his hand lay a fragment of law collected from the site of the self-destruction. Within the fragment lingered an extremely faint yet incredibly persistent aura—an aura that shared the same origin as the Pangu runes, yet was not entirely identical. Pangu's aura was vast, majestic, and full of life; this aura, however, was colder, more mechanical, and seemingly devoid of any emotion.

"Could it be that Pangu isn't completely dead? Then what about my Three Pure Ones master?" Xuanbao muttered to himself, but then shook his head. "No. I've confirmed that Pangu's remnant soul has indeed completely dissipated. Besides, given Pangu's character, he wouldn't use such despicable methods."

Xuanbao closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness into that wisp of aura, trying to trace its source. But that wisp of aura was like a cunning eel; just as his consciousness was about to capture it, it quietly dissipated without leaving a trace.

Xuanbao opened his eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing in them: "Interesting. To be able to erase a trace right under my nose means that the other party's cultivation is at least no less than mine. Perhaps even—higher than mine."

He was silent for a moment, as if he had thought of something, then suddenly grinned: "But that's what makes it interesting. How boring would it be if the opponent was too weak?"

He put away the fragment of law, turned around, and flew towards the direction of the primordial world.

Behind him, deep within the chaos, a pair of cold eyes slowly opened and then slowly closed.