Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

The Soul Devouring Saint's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his killing intent surged like a tide. Although Chen Qing's words aroused some of his apprehension, if he were to be frightened away by a few words from a Mixed Origin Golden Immortal, how could he maintain his foothold in the Tianyuan Realm in the future?

"You little brat, you're quick-witted. Since you're courting death, I'll grant your wish!" The Soul Devouring Saint's voice was hoarse like the grinding of metal, and his withered finger pointed at Chen Qing from afar.

A grayish-white light shot out from his fingertips, transforming into a long dragon made of white bones, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced towards Chen Qing.

Wherever the bone dragon passed, the void twisted, and even the air was tinged with a deathly gray, as if all life had been drained away.

Chen Qing's expression hardened; he dared not be careless. After all, his opponent was a Saint-level expert, and even if his strength was not comparable to the Six Saints of the Primordial Era, he was by no means comparable to a Quasi-Saint.

With a thought, the Qiankun Cauldron rose from above his head, and the light of creation cascaded down like a waterfall, completely protecting his body.

At the same time, the Purple Lightning Hammer appeared in Chen Qing's hand, crackling with lightning and coiling with electric snakes, emitting a series of popping sounds.

He took a deep breath, and the power of the world surged into the hammer. The purple lightning hammer swelled in the wind, turning into a size of several meters, and smashed fiercely towards the bone dragon.

"boom--"

The lightning collided with the bone dragon, unleashing a deafening roar.

The bone dragon was struck by the purple lightning hammer, its body covered in cracks, and its grayish-white light suddenly diminished, but it did not dissipate. Instead, it opened its mouth and bit at Chen Qing.

Chen Qing frowned and retreated rapidly. At the same time, the light of creation from the Qiankun Cauldron suddenly expanded, blocking the bone dragon outside.

The bone dragon crashed into the light barrier, producing a piercing friction sound. The grayish-white death aura and the light of creation eroded each other, stirring up bursts of smoke.

"Interesting." The Soul Devouring Saint's lips curled into a cold smile. "Your cauldron is quite impressive; it actually managed to block my attack. But how many times can it withstand it?"

With a wave of his hands, dozens of bone dragons appeared out of thin air in the sky, each one larger and more intensely exuding death energy than the previous one.

They circled in the air like a pack of wolves, pouncing towards Chen Qing.

Chen Qing's heart tightened; he knew he couldn't just stand there and take the beating. He flashed forward, charging into the horde of bone dragons instead of retreating.

The purple lightning hammer transformed into a bolt of purple lightning in his hand, slashing left and right, each strike shattering a bone dragon to pieces.

The light of creation emanating from the Qiankun Cauldron protected his entire body, making it impossible for the deathly aura to corrode him in the slightest.

However, there were simply too many bone dragons. As soon as one was destroyed, another would pounce on it, seemingly endless.

Chen Qing gradually felt his mana being consumed more and more. Although he had 840 million micro-particle worlds as his backing and his mana was far more abundant than others of the same level, this kind of consumption was not a solution.

"Transform!"

Chen Qing let out a low shout, and countless points of light flew out from his body, transforming into countless white-clad avatars filling the sky.

Eight hundred and forty million microparticles appeared together, completely obscuring the sky above the entire underworld.

The avatars attacked in unison, some throwing punches at the bone dragon, some unleashing spells, and some directly colliding with it.

Under the onslaught of the transformed army, the bone dragons shattered one after another, dissipating into countless gray-white specks of light. In a short while, dozens of bone dragons were completely wiped out.

A flicker of surprise crossed the Soul-Devouring Saint's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "The art of incarnation, huh? That's quite something. Unfortunately, no matter how many incarnations you have, they can't bridge the gap in cultivation levels. Let me teach you what it means to be an ant below a saint!"

He vanished in a flash. The next instant, a massive hand made of bones descended from the sky, blotting out the sun, and slammed down on Chen Qing's avatar army.

On that massive hand, every finger bone was engraved with eerie Daoist patterns, emanating a suffocating aura of death.

Chen Qing's pupils contracted sharply. He could sense that if this palm strike landed, his army of avatars would suffer at least half of its losses.

He didn't have time to think much; with a thought, he activated the Myriad Immortals Formation at full power.

The 840 million avatars simultaneously activated the power of the world, flowing into his main body like rivers flowing into the sea.

With the blessing of the Myriad Immortals Formation, the power of the world surged wildly, and Chen Qing's aura increased at an astonishing speed, climbing until it was almost at the level of a saint before slowly stopping.

He raised his hand, and the Qiankun Cauldron fell into his palm. The light of creation and the power of the world intertwined, flowing endlessly across the cauldron, radiating a terrifying aura capable of shaking heaven and earth.

Chen Qing took a step forward, facing the giant skeletal hand, and smashed out the Qiankun Cauldron.

This strike had no fancy moves, no complicated spells, only the purest power—the power of 840 million worlds gathered together, amplified by the Ten Thousand Immortals Array and the Qiankun Cauldron, transforming into a world-destroying attack.

"boom--"

The Qiankun Cauldron and the skeletal hand collided violently. The deafening roar was like a thunderclap, shaking the entire underworld.

The giant skeletal hand shattered inch by inch under the impact of the Qiankun Cauldron, turning into countless bone fragments flying everywhere.

Forced back several steps by the recoil, the Soul-Devouring Saint finally showed a look of horror on his gaunt face.

"This...how is this possible?" He stared at Chen Qing in disbelief, exclaiming, "How can you, a Primordial Golden Immortal, possess such immense power?"

Chen Qing did not answer. He stood in the void, holding the Qiankun Cauldron, surrounded by the world power of 840 million avatars, his aura as imposing as a mountain.

At this moment, his aura was so powerful that it was in no way inferior to that of the Soul Devouring Saint.

"Are all people below the level of a sage just ants?" Chen Qing's lips curled into a slight sneer. "Today I'll show you that even ants can kill."

Meanwhile, on the battlefield of the underworld, the battle between the black-robed man and the great shaman of the witch clan continued.

The two quasi-saints in black robes joined forces to attack Xing Tian, ​​their attacks ruthless and filled with deathly aura. Although Xing Tian's true form as a great witch was powerful, he was ultimately restrained by the resentment and could only barely hold on, already bearing several wounds.

"Xingtian, I'm here to help you!"

With a clear shout, Jiufeng charged out from the flank, her spear flashing like a venomous snake, aiming at one of the men in black robes.

The man in black robes had to be distracted, which relieved Xing Tian's pressure. He seized the opportunity to counterattack and cleaved another man in black robes back with a single axe blow.

However, the three black-robed figures at the Quasi-Saint level were not weak either. They fought fiercely with the great witches brought by Jiu Feng, and for a time, the great witches of the witch clan were in a dangerous situation.

Just then, a beam of icy blue light shot out, heading straight for one of the quasi-saints in black robes.

Sensing the danger, the man in black changed his expression and hurriedly dodged. But the beam of light was as fast as lightning, reaching him in an instant. He only had time to raise his arm to block.

"Click—"

With a crisp sound, the black-robed man's arm and half of his shoulder were frozen solid, turning into a block of ice.

Immediately afterwards, a slender figure flew out and landed in the center of the battlefield.

It was Xuanming.

Although she had just reconstructed her physical body, which was reshaped by Pangu's essence blood and freed from the hidden dangers of turbid evil energy, and further enhanced by Chen Qing's Daoist aura, her strength was actually greater than before.

"A person from beyond the realm dares to run wild in the primordial world?" Xuanming said coldly, his white hair fluttering in the wind, his icy blue eyes filled with killing intent.

"You are... the Ancestral Witch Xuanming?" the black-robed man with his frozen arm exclaimed in horror. "Weren't you dead?"

Xuanming did not answer. She raised her hand and waved it, and a spear formed from the law of ice appeared in her hand, which she threw at the man in black robes.

Despite the excruciating pain, the man in black robes used his other hand to conjure a small, jet-black shield in front of him.

The ice spear struck the small shield, producing a harsh scraping sound, and fine cracks appeared on the shield.

Upon seeing this, another quasi-saint in black robes immediately abandoned Xing Tian and rushed to his rescue. He formed a hand seal, and a black beam of light shot towards Xuan Ming.

Xuanming neither dodged nor evaded. He raised his left hand, and space was torn apart. The black beam of light blasted directly into the crack without even glancing at Xuanming.

"Is that all you've got?" Xuanming's lips curled up slightly, his eyes full of disdain.

She flashed and charged towards the five quasi-saints in black robes.

Xing Tian and Jiu Feng exchanged a glance and joined the battle.

In an instant, the five extraterrestrial quasi-saints, under the siege of Xuanming, Xingtian, and Jiufeng, were completely overpowered.

Xuanming single-handedly crushed four quasi-saints with explosive force, unleashing a series of laws. His fists, comparable to top-grade innate spiritual treasures, slammed into the protective spiritual treasures of the four individuals.

The remaining black-robed man was also tightly bound by the high shamans of the witch clan. His own strength was only comparable to that of the high shamans; he only dared to fight them because he used his resentment to restrain the witch clan. Surrounded by so many high shamans, even with his restraint, he couldn't withstand the onslaught. For a time, he was forced into a retreat, facing imminent danger.

The Soul-Devouring Saint glanced at his subordinates as they retreated in disarray, which fueled his growing anxiety.

He originally wanted to finish the job quickly and take down Chen Qing, but he didn't expect this young man to be so difficult to deal with.

What surprised him even more was that there was actually a powerful Ancestral Witch on the Witch Clan's side—wasn't Xuanming supposed to have perished in the Witch-Demon War? How could she be here? Moreover, there was no turbid evil energy in her body, so resentment was useless against her.

With so many variables piling up, he began to consider quitting.

"Junior, I'll remember you," the Soul Devouring Saint said coldly. "I'll spare you for now, but when we meet again, I'll take your life!"

With that, he waved his hand, swept up his black-robed subordinates, and transformed them into a streak of gray-white light, disappearing into the depths of the underworld.

Chen Qing did not pursue. He dispersed the Myriad Immortals Formation, transforming into a vast army of countless points of light that disappeared into his body, and his aura also subsided.

He knew that although he could temporarily possess the power to contend with a saint with the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, it was almost impossible for him to kill the other party.

Moreover, the Underworld needs him to oversee things; if the Soul Devouring Saint were to launch a surprise attack, Pingxin and the Witch Clan would be in danger.

Xuanming snorted coldly, withdrew his power of law, and landed beside Chen Qing: "You ran fast, didn't you?"

Chen Qing glanced at her and smiled, "How does your new body feel?"

Xuanming shook his head: "Very good! If I familiarize myself with the situation a little more, I can handle them all by myself."

Chen Qing nodded without saying anything more. He knew that Xuan Ming was telling the truth.

At its peak, the Ancestral Witch was already a top-tier fighter among Quasi-Saints. Now, Xuanming is even more terrifying. Once he becomes familiar with the new laws, dealing with these men in black will be a piece of cake. Moreover, if he merges with the Dao, he will be roughly equivalent to a Saint, since he can summon the power of heaven and earth.

Seeing the outsiders retreat, Pingxin breathed a long sigh of relief, his body swaying slightly, almost losing his balance.

Chen Qing quickly stepped forward to support her, frowning as he said, "You're so badly injured, why did you insist on coming out?"

Chen Qing sighed and helped her back to the Pangu Palace. Inside, the wounded Wu Clan warriors were bandaging their wounds; the lightly wounded helped each other, while the seriously wounded lay on the ground groaning. Although no one had fallen in battle, everyone was injured, and morale was low.

Xing Tian dragged his weary body over, clasped his hands in thanks to Chen Qing, and said, "Thank you for saving my life."

Chen Qing waved his hand: "No need to be so polite. You guys focus on recovering, I'll go for a walk."

Xuanming remained in the hall. She walked to Pingxin's side and whispered, "Sister, you are badly injured."

Pingxin gave a wry smile: "It's alright, I'll be fine after some time. But you... how do you feel to be back to life?"

A complex look flashed in Xuanming's eyes: "I feel... not good. The Witch Clan has come to this point, and we, the Ancestral Witches, are largely to blame."

Pingxin shook his head: "It's fate, and no human power can change it. You're already incredibly lucky to be alive."

The two former ancestral witches exchanged a glance, both seeing deep weariness and helplessness in each other's eyes. The former glory of the witch clan was like fleeting clouds, never to be recaptured.

Chen Qing walked out of the Pangu Hall and came to the place where wandering souls gathered.

After the Soul-Devouring Saint retreated, the manipulated wandering souls lost control and stood there blankly, like puppets.

Chen Qing scanned the area with his divine sense and discovered that the intelligence of these wandering souls had been completely obliterated by evil magic, leaving only empty shells with no possibility of reincarnation.

He frowned, raised his hand, and a golden light swept across, sending all the wandering souls to the afterlife. The souls turned into specks of light and dust, dissipating into the world.

"What a ruthless method," Chen Qing murmured. These wandering souls were originally the dead waiting for reincarnation, but they were turned into mindless puppets, losing even the chance to be reborn.

The actions of the Soul-Devouring Saint are not merely a simple invasion, but a trampling of the order of reincarnation.

He returned to the Pangu Palace, where Pingxin was already seated on the throne, recovering her strength. Chen Qing sat down beside her and asked, "What exactly happened? How did they manage to infiltrate the Underworld?"

Pingxin opened his eyes and slowly said, "I don't know either. That day, I was cultivating in the Pangu Palace when I suddenly felt an unfamiliar aura of a sage appear in the underworld."

I went out to inspect, and was ambushed by two extraterrestrial saints. One of them was the Soul Eater from earlier, and the other should be the Void you mentioned.

They seem to have some means to shield the senses of the primordial sages; when I fought them, the outside world couldn't detect anything unusual about the underworld.

Chen Qing pondered, "No wonder Master and the others didn't notice. These two extraterrestrial saints are up to no good."

Pingxin nodded: "Their goal seems to be the underworld and reincarnation. If they can control reincarnation, they can control the life and death of all living beings in the primordial world, which is a more fundamental power than any fortune."

Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat. Ping Xin was right; reincarnation was one of the foundations of the primordial world. Whoever controlled reincarnation controlled the fate of all living beings. If those from beyond the realms were to control reincarnation, the primordial world would never know peace.

"We must strengthen the defenses of the Underworld," Chen Qing said. "I will inform my master and uncles and ask them to reinforce the seal of the Underworld. At the same time, I will send disciples to garrison the Underworld to prevent any further attacks from outsiders."

Pingxin gave him a grateful look and said, "Thank you."

Chen Qing smiled and said, "There's no need for such formalities between us."

He sat in the Pangu Hall for a while, and after Pingxin's injuries had stabilized, he instructed Xingtian and the others to strengthen their defenses before taking his leave.

Xuanming remained in Youming to prevent the alien realm from attacking Youming.