Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Inside the main hall, Tongtian's figure had already disappeared outside the door. The remaining few people remained standing in place, each lost in their own thoughts, and none of them rushed to speak.

Lao Tzu remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If Tongtian's journey goes smoothly, there will surely be a reply within three days."

Chen Qing nodded without replying. His thoughts drifted to another path: the fusion of Pangu's Dao Foundation was nearing its limit, like the last layer of thin ice about to melt away completely, just one final step away, but that step was heavier than all the previous accumulations combined.

Yuan Shi glanced at him: "When do you plan to go into seclusion?"

"As soon as possible." Chen Qing withdrew his gaze. "If Uncle Tongtian hasn't sent back any news by tomorrow morning, I will begin my seclusion."

He did not explain why he had to wait for this night, but Yuanshi could hear the unspoken meaning in his tone.

The reason for not rushing to set off on the last night was to wait for news from Tongtian and to sort out the thoughts in his mind that were not yet fully clear.

Nuwa, who had been standing in the corner of the hall, spoke softly: "The will of the Heavenly Dao of the Demon God Realm has offered to submit, but the Demon Lord is secretly issuing warnings. This in itself shows that the world is not a monolithic entity."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that pierced the silence: "Submission is the choice of the will of Heaven, but the Demon Lord clearly doesn't trust that gray-robed old man. If he was forced to do something he didn't want to do—then it's worth asking him a question."

Chen Qing nodded slightly: "That's why I asked Uncle Tongtian to inquire."

A moment of silence fell over the hall. The lingering golden afterglow slowly swirled across the dome of the hall, like a river flowing in the shadows.

After leaving the main hall, Tongtian did not rush on his way.

He first gently tossed the Qiankun Cauldron upwards, and the cauldron hovered above his head, transforming into an extremely faint shadow that merged into his aura, isolating his aura from external perception.

Then he turned and stepped into the chaos. He knew the entrance to the Demon God Realm like the back of his hand.

He then took out the Pure White Lotus that Yuanshi had given him. The white lotus slowly bloomed in his hand, the edges of the petals shimmering with an extremely faint glassy luster. This luster was different from the light of the Qiankun Cauldron; it did not conceal his aura or isolate his senses, but instead formed an extremely soft buffer zone around the white lotus.

He gazed at the white lotus for a moment, then tucked it into his sleeve, not using it immediately. The lotus's fragrance was like a faint lamp lit in the dark night; though gentle, it was strikingly prominent in the chaos.

He planned to activate it only when he was truly close to the entrance to the Demon God Realm. At that time, what he needed was not concealment, but protection to hold out for a little longer in dire straits.

He continued onward. Chaotic energy flowed slowly past him, and the light from the Qiankun Cauldron suppressed his aura to an extremely low level, like a stone slowly sinking in deep water. He flew for an unknown period of time without encountering any obstacles along the way.

When he arrived at the void near the entrance to the Demon God Realm, the entrance was still closed.

He found a spot not too far from the entrance where the chaotic air currents converged, and landed on a relatively stable fragment of void.

The Qiankun Cauldron slowly rotated above his head, firmly suppressing his aura, and he dared not relax for a moment. He did not approach the entrance rashly, but simply squatted there quietly, his gaze fixed on the dark barrier at the entrance, patiently waiting for the right moment to arrive.

The entrance to the Demon God Realm remained silent for the rest of the time.

He waited for a long time, so long that he even began to doubt whether the man in black robes had been completely suppressed inside and could no longer make any contact with the outside world, when suddenly a slight ripple appeared in the barrier of the entrance.

The ripple was extremely shallow, like the surface of water being ruffled by the wind for a moment. Then a voice came from inside the barrier at the entrance, tinged with weariness: "Come in." It was the voice of the man in black robes.

Without hesitation, Tongtian darted through the crack in the barrier before the lingering echo of the wave had completely dissipated.

The light inside the entrance was much dimmer than outside. A hazy, low-hanging sky shrouded the entire space as if enveloped in a thick fog, and the rocks on either side had a dark, bluish-gray hue.

The man in black robes stood not far from the entrance, his back to him. The crack on his chest, cleaved by Chen Qing's Heaven-Opening Axe, was still there. The golden light no longer penetrated, but the edges were still clearly visible, like a gap sewn into thick cloth.

"You came alone?" The man in black robes slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Tongtian, lingering for a moment on the Qiankun Cauldron above his head, before looking away.

Tongtian stood in the shadows of the entrance, not rushing forward: "Chen Qing asked me to ask you, why did you stop the gray-robed elder from proposing conditions for submission? Didn't you want the Primordial World?"

His tone was calm, without the slightest hostility, as if he were asking about something perfectly ordinary.

The man in black robes was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low, hoarse voice: "I do want the Primordial World, but I don't want it to become another Ruins."

Tongtian's gaze sharpened slightly: "Return to the Void?"

He had heard of the name and knew it was a place deep within the chaos related to a seal, but he didn't know it was actually related to the Demon Lord's decision.

The man in black robes raised his hand and pointed to the not-yet-fully-healed crack on his chest: "The moment Chen Qing obtained the Pangu Axe, he saw the scene deep within the Ruins of Return—that monster called 'Devouring,' which was sleeping in the seal, but it was constantly infiltrating, influencing that purple chaos, and also influencing the Demon God Realm."

The gray-robed elder said he wanted to submit, but he never mentioned 'Devouring'. He only wanted to turn the Primordial World into a second Ruins, and then use the resources of that world to feed 'Devouring'.

"Whom to feed?"

"The gray-robed old man." The black-robed man smiled, a smile that carried a weariness that came from seeing through everything. "He is not the will of the Heavenly Dao of the Demon God Realm, he is the tentacle of 'Devouring'."

The gray-robed elder had existed in the Void for a long time, waiting for the right opportunity—waiting for the power of a certain world to be strong enough to break the seal. He paused, looking into Tongtian's eyes, "The Primordial World is that world."

Tongtian remained silent for a long time. He looked at the man in black robes, trying to discern the truthfulness of his words from his expression and eyes.

"I'll go back and tell Chen Qing about this first," Tongtian said slowly. "You stay here and hold on for a while longer, and don't do anything unnecessary."

The man in black robes neither nodded nor shook his head, but merely glanced at him: "If he decides to fight, then don't hesitate, the sooner the better."

His voice was soft, "The seal won't hold for much longer."

Tongtian asked no further questions. He turned and passed through the crack in the barrier, returning to the chaos. The Qiankun Cauldron slowly rotated above his head, suppressing his aura back to an extremely low level.

He didn't look back or stop, and sped off towards the primordial wilderness.

When he arrived at Penglai Island, it was already dark. The hall was still brightly lit, and Chen Qing was sitting on a futon, waiting.

After listening, Chen Qing remained silent for a long time before finally uttering only two words: "Prepare for war."

Tongtian nodded without asking any further questions. He walked to the wall, stood before the array diagram, his gaze lingering for a moment on the entrance to the Demon God Realm, then following the dotted line extending from where the gray-robed elder had appeared, looking towards the unmarked blank area deep within the chaos.

He stood there for a long time, then spoke up: "There's one more thing; he mentioned the Ruins of Return."

Chen Qing raised his eyelids, his gaze meeting Tongtian's silently in the lamplight. The secret of heaven, which had been torn open, was slowly revealing a clearer outline in their silence.

……

Ten days is as short as a moment in the long life of a cultivator, but during these ten days, the entire prehistoric world was shrouded in a silent tension, as if the earth was brewing a great tremor that had not been seen for a long time.

Inside the main hall of Penglai Island, Chen Qing sat cross-legged on an open space surrounded by spiritual mist. His aura was calm and still, and the last layer of ice in his body, as thin as a cicada's wing, was silently melting away.

The fusion of Pangu's Dao Foundation has been completely completed at this moment.

He slowly opened his eyes. The fine golden lines were gone from his gaze; now his eyes were unfathomable, like a calm night sky.

He looked down at his palm; the lines on his palm were still as clear as ever, but he knew that the Dao Foundation within him, which carried the memories of Pangu, had completely merged with him.

He didn't rush to get up, but closed his eyes, immersed his consciousness into his inner world, completed the final check in a very short time, and then stood up and walked towards the main hall.

Inside the hall, the gazes of the seven saints—Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—simultaneously fell upon him.

Chen Qing stood in the center of the hall, looked around, and then spoke: "The gray-robed elder is not the will of the Heavenly Dao of the Demon God Realm; he is an extension of 'Devouring.' The submission of the Demon God Realm is a trap. Once the passage is opened, it will infiltrate through that passage."

Lao Tzu was silent for a moment: "How do you plan to fight?"

"Fight head-on, there's no other choice," Chen Qing said slowly. "The seal of Guixu has held out for too long. If we continue to delay, the gray-robed elder will gradually seep into more cracks and spread to a large enough area. At that time, even if we are prepared, we will only be able to deal with it on the defensive line that has already spread."

"If we fight now, we can keep the battlefield on the outskirts of Guixu and prevent it from truly infiltrating the Primordial World."

Yuanshi slowly spoke, his voice steady and clear: "Guixu is deep in the chaos, outside the scope of the Heavenly Dao, so we have no way to borrow the power of the Heavenly Dao."

Defensive methods used in the primordial world are less effective there; the only reliable methods are one's own cultivation level and spiritual treasures.

Chen Qing nodded: "I know. So this time, we won't rely on the will of Heaven, but only on our own path."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Those who are willing to go, come with me. Those who are not willing to go, stay in the wilderness and guard the rear. Both sides are important."

None of the seven sages retreated a step; they all made their choices at the same instant.

Chen Qing didn't say anything more, turned around and walked out of the gate of Bajing Palace.

The seven saints followed closely behind, like an undercurrent flowing against the current, passing through the spiritual mist and the edge of the chaotic airflow, advancing towards the direction of the deep Ruins.

When they reached the outer edge of that purple chaos, Chen Qing slowed his pace slightly.

This purple chaos was a few shades darker than when I last visited, and the air currents were rotating much faster.

As they continued deeper, the purple currents that had been flowing slowly along the way were now like swirling eddies, turning faster and faster toward the Ruins of Return, as if the entire area was being pulled and gathered together by some force.

The massive, dark gold gate still stood in the center of that area. Chen Qing did not stop as he passed the gate; the ancient patterns on the gateposts had completely darkened, like extinguished lamps.

He glanced at it only once before turning his gaze away and continuing to advance towards the Ruins of Return, passing through the increasingly dark purple chaos, and finally reaching the edge of the Ruins of Return.

The darkness of the Ruins was deeper than he remembered. The viscous darkness, like thick ink being stirred, was slowly churning. The bright light of the newly sealed area at the edges had dimmed considerably, and a small section had already been swallowed by the churning darkness, revealing an even deeper void below.

The gray-robed old man stood above the swallowed void, his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering slightly in the darkness, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.

He saw Chen Qing and the seven saints emerge from the purple chaos, showing no surprise, but simply nodding slightly and saying in a calm tone, "You've come."

Chen Qing landed about a hundred feet away from the gray-robed elder, with the seven saints following closely behind, each taking their own place.

"You are not the will of Heaven," Chen Qing said, enunciating each word clearly.

The old man in the gray robe was silent for a moment, then he smiled.

A smile slowly bloomed on his withered face, like a crack suddenly appearing in a long-dried riverbed: "Heh, so you finally found out."

His figure subtly changed with those words; the edges of his originally gray robe began to slowly seep out a dark black luster, rapidly merging with the darkness of the void behind him, as if he and that darkness were one.

Chen Qing gripped the purple lightning hammer tightly.

The gray-robed elder looked calmly at the purple lightning hammer in Chen Qing's hand: "You have indeed achieved remarkable success by merging with the Way of Pangu. But I have waited far too long, long enough that the seals left by Pangu have begun to loosen."

He raised his hand and gently clenched it. The surging darkness behind him suddenly expanded outward, swallowing up a large portion of the seal light that was still clinging to the edge.

Tongtian took a step forward, and the Four Swords of Zhuxian swirled around him endlessly. The sword intent spread outwards like a tide, temporarily forcing back the approaching darkness.

Yuanshi and Nuwa also each offered up their spiritual treasures, and Jieyin and Zhunti joined forces to form a golden light barrier, protecting the seven saints' formation behind them.

Chen Qing loosened his grip on the hammer.

The purple lightning hammer hovered beside him, and he formed a hand seal in front of him. The seal was not complicated, but it made the darkness of the entire Guixu freeze for a moment.

The aura of Pangu's Dao Foundation surged out of his body like a tide, transforming into a golden pillar of light that shot straight into the sky. The golden light was thick and warm, like the first ray of light emitted by a jade stone that had been deposited deep underground for millions of years when it saw the light of day again.

After reaching its highest point, the beam of light began to slowly unfold to both sides, like a scroll being slowly unfurled, with countless fine golden lines appearing on it. These lines extended in all directions along the edge of the beam of light, as if the Dao left by Pangu was awakening from its slumber.

The gray-robed elder stared at the slowly unfolding golden light curtain, his expression finally changing slightly: "Pangu's seal... you've carved it completely?"

Chen Qing did not answer. He remained in the hand seal position, the power of the world within him was being output outward at the maximum extent he could bear, and the golden patterns, guided by his divine sense, moved slowly along the surface of the light screen, like light snakes slowly swimming in the darkness, spreading towards the edge of the Ruins of Return.

The darkness of the Ruins began to surge violently as the golden patterns approached, like a massive, enraged creature trying to break free of its restraints.

The gray-robed old man's figure began to change. His robes completely blended into the darkness behind him, and his face began to blur, like a painting being soaked in water. Only his eyes remained bright, but they no longer resembled those of the gray-robed old man. Instead, they seemed to be those of some ancient being looking at the world through those eyes.

The sealed golden light and the darkness of the void collided silently in the air, like two continents eroding each other at their boundary.

The collision process was extremely slow, yet each step pushed the boundary between light and darkness, which was slowly advancing towards the darkness.

The gray-robed old man's voice came from the darkness, yet it seemed to resound from all directions at once: "The seal left by Pangu is indeed very strong, but it has been guarding this place for too long, and its power is almost exhausted."

Chen Qing neither spoke nor stopped outputting the power of the world.

He could sense that darkness was trying to penetrate the inner part of the golden light curtain, but the speed at which the patterns were extending was gradually catching up with the speed at which the darkness was writhing.

The seven sages also each took action, injecting their spiritual power into the seal that was taking shape.