Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Zixiao Palace.

After Kong Xuan left, Hongjun Daozu slowly withdrew his gaze from the chaos.

A faint, almost imperceptible ripple flickered deep within those eyes that seemed to merge with the Dao.

Kong Xuan... has truly stepped into chaos.

With the peak of the ninth level of the Primordial Great Luo realm, he challenged the Great Dao Tribulation, which even the Chaos Demon Gods faced with near-death experiences, and attempted to break through to the ethereal Primordial Boundless Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

"Commendable courage..."

Hongjun murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the empty palace, carrying a hint of something indescribable.

Is it praise? Is it sarcasm? Or is it regret?

He slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the depths of the origin of the Heavenly Dao.

As a being who has merged with the Dao, all things in the primordial world, past and future, are within his single thought.

He had already calculated Kong Xuan's background, cause and effect, and opportunities.

The son of Yuan Feng, the last bloodline of the Phoenix Clan, he bears the immense karma of suppressing the Undying Volcano and the remaining cause and effect of the Dragon-Han Calamity.

By joining the Jie Sect, one can use the sect's fortune to offset some of their karma and receive the protection of Tongtian.

To attain the Primordial Chaos and transcend the Heavenly Dao is nothing more than a desire to break free from shackles, rescue one's mother from her predicament, and end the generations-long entanglement between the Phoenix Clan and the Yin Shang Dynasty, and with the Primordial World.

Hongjun knew all of this.

He even knew that Kong Xuan possessed a strange fluctuation that even the Heavenly Dao could not fully perceive.

The fluctuations were mysterious and unpredictable, seemingly not belonging to this world, yet they truly existed, becoming Kong Xuan's greatest reliance in his defying the heavens and rising to power.

"A stroke of luck..."

Hongjun slowly opened his eyes, purple light swirling within them:

"No matter how great the opportunity, it cannot make up for... the lack of the origin."

His voice was calm, yet carried an indifference that seemed to have seen through eternity.

As a Dao-merger, he knew the truth of the primordial world better than anyone else.

Since Pangu separated heaven and earth and the primordial world was born, it has gone through two great calamities, the Dragon-Han and the Witch-Demon. It seems to be a cleansing of heaven and earth, but in reality... it is the Heavenly Dao secretly absorbing the origin of all living beings in the primordial world!

The three races of dragon, phoenix, and qilin dominated the primordial world, possessing powerful bloodlines and incredibly rich origins.

However, after the Dragon-Han Great Calamity, the three races declined, their bloodlines thinned, and all the strong perished.

Where did those vanished, decaying origins go?

The Lich and Demon races rule over heaven and earth, possessing formidable physical bodies, brilliant primordial spirits, and an origin as vast as the sea.

However, after the Lich War, all the Ancestral Witches perished, the Demon Emperor fell, and both races suffered losses.

Where did those vanished, collapsed origins go?

The answer is self-evident.

The way of Heaven is to draw upon itself.

Under the guise of a great eon, they cleanse the primordial world, but in reality, they harvest the essence of all living beings to replenish themselves and maintain the operation of the primordial world.

Each great calamity is a feast for the Heavenly Dao.

From the moment of their birth, the origins of all living beings in the primordial world were incomplete.

Like livestock raised in captivity, their essence is extracted from birth, making them destined never to reach their true peak.

Kong Xuan was no exception.

He is the son of Yuan Feng, a descendant of the Phoenix Clan, whose very origins were damaged by the Dragon-Han Calamity.

Later, he suppressed the immortal volcano, which caused him to accumulate immeasurable karma, further damaging his original essence.

Even if he obtained a heaven-defying opportunity and attained the Great Luo of Primordial Chaos, the missing origin... could never be made up for.

"The Primordial Chaos Limitless Luo..."

Hongjun slowly shook his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips:

"Without the complete origin of the Great Dao, how can one achieve true primordial chaos?"

"Kong Xuan, you are ultimately... a creature from the primordial era."

Your potential was already predetermined.

After he finished speaking, the Purple Cloud Palace fell into a deathly silence.

Hongjun slowly rose, his purple robes fluttering even without wind.

He looked toward the direction of chaos, his gaze seemingly piercing through endless barriers, and saw Kong Xuan struggling and trying to break through the chaos.

"Chaos and peril, the Great Dao's tribulation, the onslaught of ten thousand demons..."

"Even if you manage to break through and reach the early stage of the Primordial Chaos Realm, so what?"

"Heaven's selfish desires have led to the accumulation of the origins of the Dragon-Han and Witch-Demon Tribulations, and his strength has reached the late stage of the Primordial Chaos."

"What will you use to fight back?"

Hongjun's voice was indifferent, as if he were stating a predetermined ending:

"not to mention......"

He paused, his gaze lowered slightly:

"The Great Dao Tribulation of Primordial Chaos is the most terrifying."

"Even if one can break through to the Primordial Chaos, the most important thing is whether one can survive the Great Dao Tribulation."

Hongjun slowly sat back on the cloud platform, his voice calm and undisturbed:

"The outcome was already decided."

He stopped thinking about it.

Kong Xuan's fate was sealed the moment he stepped into chaos.

Either they perish in the lightning tribulation, their bodies and souls extinguished.

Either they manage to break through by chance, only to be suppressed by the selfish desires of Heaven upon their return, and their true spirit is annihilated.

Neither of them will affect the overall situation of the prehistoric world.

"But those four..."

Hongjun turned his gaze and looked into the depths of Zixiao Palace.

There, four faint, almost vanished true spirit imprints were slowly reviving under the nurturing of the Heavenly Dao's origin.

Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti.

Although the four saints were obliterated by Kong Xuan with the divine light of the Great Dao, their primordial spirits and true souls were not completely extinguished.

A sage of the Heavenly Way is connected to the Heavenly Way; his holy position is indestructible, and his true spirit is immortal.

This is an ironclad rule.

If Hongjun so desires, he can revive him at any time using the power of the Heavenly Dao.

"It's time to bring them back..."

Hongjun raised his hand and gently swept it towards the void.

hum!

Deep within the Purple Cloud Palace, the origin of the Heavenly Dao surged forth!

Boundless purple-gold light descended from the void, converging into four dazzling pillars of light that enveloped the true spirit mark.

Within the pillar of light, Heavenly Dao runes flowed, the sounds of the Great Dao roared, and endless vitality and Daoist essence were poured in wildly.

Those four originally weak and feeble true spirit imprints began to solidify, grow stronger, and revive at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"凝".

Hongjun uttered a single word calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the four True Spirit Marks suddenly burst forth with boundless radiance!

Amidst the radiance, four illusory figures slowly coalesced and materialized.

First the outline, then the details, and finally... completely solidified!

Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti.

The Four Saints, resurrected!

They slowly opened their eyes, their gaze first filled with confusion, then with horror, and finally with overwhelming hatred and humiliation.

"I...I'm not dead?"

Zhunti lowered his head, looking at his intact holy body, and then touched his brow, where the chaotic sword light had once pierced, but now it was as smooth as ever.

"Was it the teacher... who saved us?"

Jieyin's face was filled with sorrow as he looked at Hongjun on the cloud platform. A trace of gratitude flashed in his eyes, but more than that, there was... resentment.

He could not forget the despair he felt when the divine light of the Great Dao shattered his golden lotus and obliterated his sacred body.

I can't forget Kong Xuan's cold, indifferent gaze, which regarded saints as ants.

I can't forget... the tragic scene of the Western Religion's foundation collapsing and its disciples dying!

hatred!

A hatred etched deep into one's bones!

"Kong Xuan!!!"

The Primordial Celestial Venerable suddenly raised his head, his eyes blazing with blood-red light, and his holy might erupted uncontrollably, causing the Purple Cloud Palace to tremble slightly.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, yet he seemed oblivious.

All twelve Golden Immortals are on the list!

The foundation of the Chan sect has collapsed!

Jade Void Palace has been reduced to ruins!

All of this is thanks to Kong Xuan!

This is an irreconcilable feud!

Laozi's face was gloomy. Although he did not lose his composure like Yuanshi, his deep eyes contained a terrifying killing intent.

The Three Pure Ones' incarnations were destroyed, the Taiji Diagram was stolen, and the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda collapsed...

The fortunes of the People's Education Movement have been severely damaged, and Xuandu almost made the list...

All of this was done by Kong Xuan!

"teacher!"

Zhunti was the first to react, and he knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face:

"Teacher! You must stand up for us!"

His voice was harsh, filled with endless grievances and resentment:

"Kong Xuan defied the heavens and attempted to attain the Primordial Chaos Realm, which is already intolerable to the Heavenly Dao!"

"Now they've become even more ruthless, slaughtering saints, destroying the Xuanmen sect, and turning the primordial world upside down!"

"He's showing no respect for you, and no respect for the laws of Heaven!"

The guide also bowed and knelt down, saying in a sorrowful voice:

"Teacher, this boy Kong Xuan is too bloodthirsty and has already fallen into the demonic path."

"If this is not suppressed, the primordial world will surely descend into chaos, and what will become of the majesty of Heaven?"

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose:

"Please, Master, intervene and kill Kong Xuan to uphold the justice of Heaven!"

These words sound grand and righteous, but between the lines they are full of provocation and instigation.

He wanted to use Hongjun's hand to avenge his blood feud!