Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Chen Qing walked closer to the water mirror and examined it carefully for a moment: "The entrance is much thicker than before. Is the Demon God Realm reinforcing its defenses?"

Lao Tzu shook his head and pointed to a specific area of ​​the entrance in the water mirror: "Look closely at that spot."

Chen Qing looked in the direction Laozi was pointing and then noticed a very small crack at the bottom of the entrance.

The crack was very shallow, almost blending into the texture of the barrier itself. If Laozi hadn't pointed it out, ordinary cultivators would hardly have noticed it even if they stared at it for a long time.

But Chen Qing's perception was extremely sharp. After Laozi pointed out the crack, he clearly sensed that an extremely faint aura was slowly seeping out from the crack. The aura was different from the chaotic aura of the Demon God Realm itself, and it faintly carried a similar flavor to the depths of the Ruins of Return.

Chen Qing frowned slightly: "This is very similar to the aura from the Ruins of Return... although the concentrations are very different, they share the same origin."

Lao Tzu nodded slightly: "The Guixu seal is located deep within the chaos, while the entrance to the Demon God Realm is on the outskirts of the primordial world. The two are separated by an extremely vast distance."

But chaos is not discrete, but continuous. The aura of the rift cannot appear out of thin air in another completely unrelated location; there must be some kind of passage between them.

Chen Qing was silent for a moment: "The Dao Ancestor said that there is no direct connection between the loosening of the Guixu Seal and the Demon God Realm, but Chaos is a whole, and a crack in one place will affect other places."

If things change on the Ruins of Return, the pressure on the Demon God Realm will also change... Could this rift be a result of the aura seeping from the Ruins of Return reaching here through some means?

Lao Tzu did not answer immediately. He looked away from the water mirror and pondered, "I have also made similar speculations, but I have been unable to confirm them."

The defense at the entrance did not come from the power of the Demon God Realm itself, but rather seemed to be some kind of restriction imposed by an external force, and the aura was not a method commonly used by the demons.

The source of this aura is in the Void, separated by a vast expanse of chaos, making its path impossible to trace directly.

Chen Qing suddenly thought of something: "The century-long agreement... how much time is left on the deadline that person set?"

Lao Tzu held up three fingers: "Three years."

A moment of silence fell over the Eight Views Palace. Three years is a negligible amount of time in the long lifespan of a cultivator, but in the current situation, this number carries a heavy weight.

The Hundred-Year Agreement was a ceasefire agreement between Chen Qing and that person from the Demon God Realm. It is about to expire, and if no new agreement is made to continue it, the army of the Demon God Realm may once again march on the border of the Primordial World.

Chen Qing stood up, walked to the platform outside the Eight Views Palace, and looked through the layers of spiritual mist towards the distant horizon.

The seal on the Ruins of Return needs to be repaired in a shorter time, and the rift that appeared at the entrance to the Demon God Realm suggests that he may be facing problems in more than just the same direction.

He pondered for a moment, then turned and returned to the hall: "Master, I wish to go to the entrance of the Demon God Realm again to personally inspect that crack."

Laozi nodded slightly: "That's what I thought too. Going alone is more flexible than bringing more people, and it will be easier to deal with any unusual situations. However..."

He glanced at Chen Qing and said, "If you find any direct or indirect connection between that crack and the Ruins of Return in your perception, you should not go any further."

Chen Qing nodded in agreement and left Shouyang Mountain without lingering for long, flying towards the entrance of the Demon God Realm.

When he arrived at that area, the entrance was still quietly suspended at the edge of the chaotic airflow, like a door that had been closed for a long time.

He carefully examined the location that Lao Tzu had marked in the water mirror and finally found the extremely small crack at the very bottom. The dark purple light at the edge of the crack was more intense than that seen in the water mirror. Although the difference was small, the change was real.

Chen Qing hovered his palm above the crack without touching it. His divine sense probed inward along the edge of the crack, initially encountering the same dark and heavy aura as usual, typical of the Demon God Realm.

But when his divine sense penetrated the outermost barrier, a faint, unusual aura quietly emerged. That aura was very similar to the scent of the Void, yet not exactly the same.

He withdrew his hand and stood in the chaotic airflow for a while. That aura was indeed there, and it was clearly connected to the Void in some way.

The communication was extremely well-hidden, like a river that had been meandering deep underground for a long time, revealing an extremely narrow opening somewhere on the surface.

If he hadn't specifically looked in that direction, it would have been almost impossible to distinguish it from the chaotic aura of the Demon God Realm itself amidst the pervasive, ordinary atmosphere.

After confirming that everything was correct, he turned around and returned to Shouyang Mountain, whereupon he told Laozi about the situation in detail.

After listening, Lao Tzu did not respond immediately. Instead, he took out a yellowed array diagram, spread it on the table, picked up a brush, and made a dot of ink at the location of the crack. He then drew a thin line around the dot, connecting it to the direction of Guixu.

After putting pen to paper, he stared at the thin line in silence.

Chen Qing also looked at the array diagram. The thin line connecting the Ruins of Return to the entrance of the Demon God Realm, although it was just a hypothetical path drawn out of thin air by Lao Tzu based on his description, made Chen Qing feel that the direction it took on the array diagram was not impossible.

"Master, I have an idea," Chen Qing said.

Lao Tzu looked up at him.

"If that rift is indeed connected to the Ruins of Return, then it is not just a weak point in the Demon God Realm; it may be the end of a path through which the Ruins of Return seep outwards."

If that path can be blocked, the influence of the Ruins on the Demon God Realm will be weakened, and the pressure on the Demon God Realm will be reduced accordingly.

Lao Tzu remained silent for a moment, then spoke: "That path passes through chaos and cannot be seen directly with the naked eye. But if your inner world has been deeply integrated with the Way of Pangu's Creation, you may be able to try to use the Way of Pangu as a reference for perception to sense the direction of that path."

Chen Qing pondered for a moment, then nodded: "This disciple can give it a try."

He walked to the outside of the Eight Views Palace, sat cross-legged in the spiritual mist, closed his eyes, and slowly merged his inner world with his understanding of Pangu's creation of the world.

A moment later, guided by the fused power of the world, his divine sense followed the aura of the crack and perceived an extremely subtle path.

It started from the crack at the bottom of the entrance to the Demon God Realm, traversed the chaos, like an ancient riverbed buried underground, one end connected to the crack, and the other end leading to the direction of the Ruins.

He opened his eyes, his gaze filled with confirmation.

"It's open; that path definitely exists."

Lao Tzu nodded slightly: "Then seal it off."

Chen Qing said, "This disciple alone can complete it."

He took out several new Chaos Stones from his sleeve, infused them with the power of the world, and buried them one by one into the chaotic energy flow along the path.

The moment the raw stone settled, golden light shone, forming an arc that pierced through the chaos, cutting off the aura extending from the direction of Guixu. The dark purple light at the crack also dimmed.

He withdrew his hand and stepped back, watching the golden arc merge with the barrier at the edge of the crack, and felt slightly relieved.

He turned and returned to the Eight Views Palace, where Laozi had already put away the array diagram: "This matter is temporarily stabilized. Next, we need to deal with the matter on the Demon God Realm side."

He paused for a moment, then said calmly, "If the Demon God Realm attacks again after the hundred-year agreement expires, it won't just be the same forces as last time."

Chen Qing nodded: "This disciple understands."

He looked up at the sky shrouded in spiritual mist outside the Eight Views Palace, his gaze calm, like a deep, still lake. Three years later, no matter how they appear on the border, he will be at the forefront.

Three years is but a fleeting moment in the long lifespan of a cultivator. But for the entire prehistoric world, each day of these three years passed extremely slowly, as if the very breath of heaven and earth had become exceptionally heavy.

On Penglai Immortal Island, Chen Qing sat cross-legged under the Enlightenment Tea Tree, the golden light surrounding him having mostly subsided.

The fusion of that Pangu Dao Foundation is 95% complete; the rest is like the last layer of thin ice, which needs time to melt naturally.

At that moment, he stood there, seemingly one with the heavens and earth.

On this morning, a thin layer of pale golden mist rose from the sea. There was no wind, no sound of tide. The extremely distant and faint gray line on the horizon silently moved a fraction closer to the direction of the primordial world.

In the central hall of Penglai Immortal Island, a communication talisman suddenly lit up, and a familiar voice exploded within the hall.

Hongjun Daozu's voice was calm and even, yet carried a heavy weight: "A hundred years have passed, the seal of Guixu is still stable, and the army of the Demon God Realm has already set out."

Chen Qing stood up and looked at the gray line on the horizon, which was steadily approaching, not fast, but unwavering. He didn't look any longer and turned to walk out of the main hall.

At the edge of the primordial wilderness, all seven sages had arrived. Laozi was in the center, Yuanshi was on the left, Tongtian was on the right, Nuwa stood on a cloud, and Jieyin and Zhunti each stood on one side.

The seven figures stood like seven majestic mountains, firmly blocking the edge of the primordial world.

Behind them, in the void, disciples of the three religions, heavenly soldiers of the Heavenly Court, and various independent cultivators were layered upon each other, almost stretching as far as the eye could see.

Chen Qing's figure flew in from behind and landed in front of the seven people.

His robes fluttered in the chaotic airflow, and the almost completely fused Pangu Dao Foundation aura around him steadily spread outward like a tide, calming the chaotic airflow within a radius of a thousand miles.

Chen Qing nodded to the seven sages, then turned around and looked at the approaching gray line.

The army of the Demon God Realm arrived shortly afterward. The extraterrestrial cultivators had already formed a neat formation, each column more imposing than the last, and the aura emanating from them was clearly more thoroughly prepared.

At the very front of the army, the man in black robes still stood in his familiar spot, his gaze fixed on Chen Qing, his eyes filled with a calm scrutiny.

"Chen Qing, the hundred-year agreement has come to an end," the man in black robes said slowly.

Chen Qing said, "I remember."

The man in black robes remained silent for a moment, then spoke: "I can give you one last chance. Take the Pangu Dao from your inner world and join the Demon God Realm. I can promise you that your status in this realm will be second only to mine. All living beings in the primordial world will be protected."

Chen Qing asked calmly, "What are the conditions?"

The black-robed man's gaze fell upon the primordial world behind Chen Qing, his eyes carrying a calm, almost ruthless, weighing of options: "Hand over control of the primordial world; I will take over. You and your fellow disciples may continue your cultivation in this realm, as long as you do not interfere with the decisions of the Demon God Realm."

After a moment of silence, a golden beam of light rose from Chen Qing's position and shot straight into the sky.

The golden light contained a rich essence of Pangu's Dao, carrying a gentle yet profound power. Chen Qing gripped the Purple Lightning Hammer, his expression calm.

The man in black robes stared at the golden light for a moment, then said in silence, "Is that your answer?"

Chen Qing gripped the purple lightning hammer tightly: "Let's do it."

The man in black robes said nothing more. He raised his hand and swung it down fiercely at the army of demons behind him, a slash that seemed to cut a rope that had been stretched taut for a long time.

"attack."

The two torrents collided violently at the edge of chaos, producing a dull and enormous sound, like the collision of earth and sky.

The disciples of the three religions and the heavenly soldiers of the Heavenly Court formed a formation and advanced forward, blocking the surging tide of demon god cultivators outside the first line of defense.

The Tongtian Sect Leader did not stay behind to observe; he was the first to charge into the depths of the enemy formation, the Four Swords of Zhuxian swirling endlessly in his hands.

Chen Qing and the man in black stood facing off for a moment before they moved simultaneously.

The purple lightning hammer, imbued with the profound mysteries of the Great Dao, slammed towards the black-robed man's face. The black-robed man's palm, also carrying profound mysteries, precisely blocked the hammer at the very moment it was about to touch the man's face, producing a muffled thud.

The first strike between the two annihilated all the chaotic energy within a radius of hundreds of millions of miles, leaving the nearby areas instantly empty, without a trace of energy remaining.

On the battlefield, Lao Tzu took a step forward, and the Tai Chi diagram transformed into a golden bridge that blotted out the sky. The abundant power of the Heavenly Dao was drawn in and suppressed a saint in the Demon God Realm.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable then waved the Pangu Banner, unleashing beams of divine light that seemed to cleave the heavens and earth, which struck another sage in the Demon God Realm. That sage dared not meet the attack head-on, and was forced to flee in disarray from the immense power of this heaven-opening treasure.

The Tongtian Sect Leader held the Qingping Sword and the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler in each hand, surrounded by the Zhuxian World, and activated the Zhuxian Sword Formation. The power of the six top-tier treasures was fully unleashed, and their killing power was unparalleled, causing a saint from the Demon God Realm to flee in terror.

Nuwa did not directly participate in the battle on the front lines, but she remained suspended in mid-air, releasing streams of creative power to heal the wounds of all living beings in the chaotic world.

Jieyin and Zhunti stood side by side, working together to firmly block a long-range attack from the demon army.

Deep within the battlefield, Chen Qing's battle with the man in black robes had been going on for an unknown period of time.

The purple lightning hammer, imbued with profound power, slammed towards the black-robed man's shoulder. However, the black-robed man's figure slid to the side like flowing water, avoiding the attack while simultaneously striking Chen Qing in the back with a palm strike.

Chen Qing dodged to the side, his hammer strikes shifting as he pursued again, the two figures intertwining and shifting in the void.