Countless people wandered through the Chaos like headless flies, searching for the so-called Purple Heaven Palace.
Though they had been told there would be opportunities within, once they entered the Chaos, they were all equally lost, unable to find the way.
Nuwa, too, crashed about aimlessly, feeling somewhat irritated.
It was already uncomfortable enough to remain in the Chaos, and now she had to search within it for the Purple Heaven Palace.
Thinking of the supposed three thousand years allotted for the journey, Nuwa seemed to understand why.
So they were meant to spend thousands of years looking for the place before attending the lecture?
Yet a saying surfaced in her mind: the Dao could not be lightly imparted.
This search for the Purple Heaven Palace within the Chaos was probably something Hongjun had arranged.
Its purpose was likely to weed out those whose resolve was not firm enough.
While everyone searched for the Purple Heaven Palace, Hongjun, having established it, headed into the Chaos.
He sensed that there seemed to be something he needed to do within the Chaos.
"By proving the Dao this time, I stole a portion of the Heavenly Dao's authority. It was a fortune won through danger, and well worth it!"
Though Hongjun said so, whenever he recalled that streak of white light flying toward him, making both his Primordial Spirit and True Spirit tremble, the sense of death remained etched into his bones.
What if that happened again?
At the thought alone, Hongjun could not help but shudder all over.
As he wandered through the Chaos, his divine sense seemed to have a destination of its own.
"There is karmic destiny for me within this Chaos. I wonder what sort of karmic destiny it is?"
Only moments later, space began to distort, and a ripple appeared out of thin air.
Hongjun stopped in his tracks.
Looking at the spatial fluctuation before him, he found it somewhat familiar.
Someone he had once known could seemingly do such a thing, but if that was truly the case, then this would not be easy to resolve.
"Which fellow Daoist is here? Please show yourself!"
As his words fell, a figure stepped out of space.
Upon seeing Hongjun before him, the Daoist froze for a moment, then understood the karmic ties involved.
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, it has been a long time. I trust you have been well?"
Hongjun could not help feeling somewhat helpless. It truly was someone he knew.
"Fellow Daoist Yangmei, I never expected you to survive."
Yangmei waved his sleeve and stood there, his aura so profound that even Hongjun had to regard him differently.
"Fellow Daoist, have you proven the Dao and reached Hunyuan?"
Yangmei nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face as he spoke.
"I was merely a little luckier. Fellow Daoist, have you come to settle our karmic ties?"
Hongjun nodded, a trace of bitterness at the corner of his mouth.
He had originally thought that he was the first Sage.
Well, that was not entirely wrong. He was indeed the first Sage, but no one had said he was the first Primordial Unity Grand Unity.
He could not gauge Cheng Yue's strength, but Cheng Yue was certainly far stronger than he was now.
And now, Yangmei had appeared, having reached this realm even earlier than him.
Moreover, Yangmei had clearly used the method of Prove the Dao by Force.
Such immense determination made even Hongjun feel a hint of envy.
He had plotted the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation and plotted the Dao-Demon Conflict.
Yet even now, he could only rely on the Heavenly Dao to attain the realm of Primordial Unity Grand Unity.
Why could so many others reach this realm merely by Prove the Dao by Force?
"Fellow Daoist, how about we have a battle and erase all the karmic ties between us?"
Hongjun nodded at those words and looked at Yangmei before him.
His aura erupted as well, and one Divine Treasure after another appeared in his hands.
As for Yangmei, he held only a willow branch in his hand.
Yangmei could not help saying, "Fellow Daoist, you are quite wealthy to possess so many Divine Treasures. I assume Fellow Daoist Qiankun's Universe Cauldron is also in your hands?"
Hongjun was greatly alarmed. Back when he had plotted against several people, one reason had been to obtain the merit of ruling over the Dao-Demon Conflict, while another had been his desire for the Divine Treasures in their possession.
After all, the Divine Treasures wielded by Chaos Demon Gods were rare treasures even if they were not Chaos Divine Treasures.
Qiankun's Universe Cauldron possessed the ability to return the acquired to the innate. Even across the entire Primordial World, such an ability was unique.
"It is indeed in my possession. Could it be that Fellow Daoist wishes to seize such a treasure?"
Yangmei shook his head and looked at Hongjun.
"Though I am angered, I would not go so far as to seize this treasure. Since you have taken it, then keep it."
Hongjun could not help but laugh softly.
"If someone else said that, I might not expose it. But Fellow Daoist, your True Body is a hollow willow tree. Where did you get a heart?"
Yangmei's mouth twitched slightly at those words. This fellow...
Unable to bear it any longer, he retorted.
"My True Body is a hollow willow, which is still passable. But if the beings of the Primordial World learned that their first Heavenly Dao Saint was actually an earthworm, I imagine Fellow Daoist would find it even harder to save face if that news spread."
Hongjun's face twitched as well. He had originally been a Chaos Demon God, but after reincarnating into the Primordial World, he had become a Primordial Earthworm.
Earthworms had exceedingly poor origins. Among the myriad beings of the Primordial World, many creatures had become Great Powers, but among earthworms, there had never been a single existence above the Golden Immortal realm.
There was not even one as weak as a Heavenly Immortal.
This was also his secret. The beings of the Primordial World all believed he was a reincarnated Chaos Demon God.
But no one knew that his origins were merely those of an earthworm.
"Fellow Daoist, enough with sharp tongues. Let us have our battle, and I will show you the power of a Heavenly Dao Saint."
With that, the Divine Treasures in his hand shone brilliantly, and wave after wave of fierce attacks shot straight toward Yangmei's face.
Yangmei watched calmly and gave the willow branch in his hand a light flick.
A force of space blossomed, dissolving the attacks. Then Hongjun discovered that he had lost contact with every Divine Treasure he had brought out.
When he turned around, the many Divine Treasures behind him had already vanished.
His expression changed drastically. Looking again at his hands, he found that all those Divine Treasures had already been taken away.
Though somewhat helpless, he continued bringing out Divine Treasures to fight.
Yet the instant each Divine Treasure appeared, it was swept away by that slender willow branch.
A smile rested on Yangmei's lips.
"Fellow Daoist, relying on the sharpness of Divine Treasures against me is truly beneath you. I am the Space Demon God, and the Divine Treasure manifested from my True Body, the Hollow Willow Branch, sweeps away all things and specifically restrains Divine Treasures."
Hongjun's face reddened. At this point, he had no Divine Treasures left to use, except...
As he considered whether to bring out that strange treasure, he saw Yangmei's smug smile and felt rage surge in his heart.
After gritting his teeth, four Long Swords flew out from behind him.
As they revolved, killing intent slowly seeped forth.
Yangmei glanced at them, a smile in his eyes.
"So this strange treasure truly is in Fellow Daoist's hands."
"Neither gold nor iron nor steel, once hidden beneath Mount Sumeru. Though not tempered by Yin Yang in reversal, how could Water and Fire fail to hone their edges? Immortal-Slaying brings sharpness, Immortal-Trapping brings death. Immortal-Exterminating holds endless transformations; Grand Unity Golden Immortals stain their robes with blood."
"However, Fellow Daoist, this treasure is useless against me!"
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