Hongjun is Dumbfounded, How Did This Chess Piece Start Reinforcing the Chessboard?

In Zixiao Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun sat high on a cloud bed, surrounded by flowing Daoist charm, overlooking the changing eras and the rise and fall of Calamities.

To him, all things were but straw dogs, and all beings were mere chess pieces.

However, today, this player felt the "betrayal" from the chessboard for the first time!

"Buzz--!"

A sudden, extremely abrupt hum shattered the eternal silence of Zixiao Palace. Before Hongjun, the Jade Plate of Creation, which held the mysteries of the Three Thousand Great Daos and whose brilliance was contained within, was now trembling violently!

Light and shadow rapidly flowed across the disc. A core causal thread clearly pointing to "Gonggong Angrily Collides with Buzhou Mountain, the Heavens Tilt Northwest, and the Earth Sinks Southeast" was now so dim it was almost extinguished!

What made Hongjun's eyelids twitch even more was that this core causal thread was being forcefully dragged by several "vajra ropes" that had appeared out of nowhere, entwined with dense golden light of merit and Pangu's aura, pulling it bit by bit away from its destined path!

"Hmm?"

Hongjun's ancient, unfathomable eyes cracked open a sliver of "astonishment."

How many years had it been? Since he became a Saint, how long had it been since he had experienced this feeling of being "out of control"?

He subconsciously raised his hand, attempting to stir the River of Destiny and deduce the origin of this sudden variable.

However, the River of Destiny, which he could usually summon and dismiss at will, was now like a pot of boiling Chaos Porridge, a complete mess!

A vast, boundless, yet gentle force that rendered him powerless, mixed with a massive amount of Heavenly Dao Merit that would make a Saint's eyes bleed red, and Pangu's Legacy, crudely and "politely" ejected his divine sense, the sense of a dignified Saint, back!

"Pfft!"

Even with Hongjun's stable Dao Heart, this incident caused his Blood Essence to churn slightly.

This was definitely not the Heavenly Dao evolving and perfecting itself! This was more like... some audacious, naughty child, who had appeared from who knows where, was using the "Creation GM Authority" left behind by the great Pangu to patch up this Primordial World right under his nose, fixing the essential "loopholes" and "bugs" he had meticulously laid out to push the "plot development" and ensure the "smooth progression of the Calamity"!

The most audacious part was that all of this had bypassed him, the nominal "Heavenly Dao System Administrator" and "Chief Designer"!

Hongjun slowly rose from his cloud bed and, with a single step, arrived at the edge of Zixiao Palace. His gaze pierced through the endless void, overlooking the Primordial World that was "growing wildly" right before his eyes.

The Dao Ancestor's will, carrying a pressure that could shatter the minds of even Quasi-Saints, tore through layers of space, piercing directly towards the source of the "loss of control" that he felt—Buzhou Mountain!

He wanted to see who dared to touch his chessboard!

However, the moment his will was about to descend upon the Buzhou Mountain area, ready to "check the meter"!

Rumble!!

A deafening roar exploded deep within his Primordial Spirit!

A golden barrier, condensed from the purest, most potent Heavenly Dao Merit and Pangu's primordial aura, like a mother hen fiercely protecting her chicks, violently repelled him!

Hongjun's figure, though imperceptibly, trembled violently, and the entire Zixiao Palace shook "three times"!

"Outrageous!"

Hongjun's Daoist robe fluttered without wind. His gaze finally forcefully pierced through the unbelievably thick "Merit Shield."

Then, he saw a scene that made his Dao Heart begin to twitch.

Where was the aura of malevolence and the countless vengeful spirits that should have permeated the Witch Clan Ancestral Land?

Instead, there was a soaring, almost solidified Mysterious Yellow Destiny!

The thickness, purity, and stability of this Destiny were comparable to a Saint's dojo!

What made Hongjun's mouth twitch even more was that the foundation of this monstrously unreasonable Witch Clan Destiny was rooted deeply and inseparably within the fate of Buzhou Mountain, like the gnarled roots of an old tree!

The posture was clearly a rogue's binding: "As the mountain stands, I stand; if the mountain falls, I die; if I prosper, the mountain prospers even more!"

Hongjun's brows finally furrowed into a knot that could crush a Chaos Mosquito.

The Witch Clan!

These brutes who did not cultivate their Primordial Spirits and only had muscles and fighting in their heads were, in his script, destined to perish together with those Feathered Beasts, making way for the historical stage of his carefully chosen Protagonist of the New Era—the Human Race! Consumables! Cannon Fodder! Tool Witches!

This was a predetermined outcome! An open scheme personally planned by him, Hongjun, and approved by the Heavenly Dao!

But now, this piece, which should have followed the script towards self-destruction, not only failed to obediently court death but was actually reinforcing the chessboard itself!

What kind of situation was this?!

If Buzhou Mountain were truly reinforced to be as solid as a fortress, or even stronger than before, by these simpletons using some "Pangu Divine Concrete"...

Then how could the classic drama of "Gonggong Angrily Collides with Buzhou Mountain" that he had planned be staged?

Even if the actor Gonggong consumed ten pounds of Hongmeng Purple Qi and headbutted it, he would probably only break a few teeth and provide Buzhou Mountain with a free "impact test," right?

If the Heavenly Pillar did not fall and the Water of the Heavenly River did not flood the Primordial World, where would his intended disciple Nuwa Mends the Heavens get her sky-high merit? How would the Saint Positions be filled?

If the Witch and Demon Clans did not suffer heavy losses and become severely weakened after a mutual destruction, how could the Human Race benefit and smoothly rise to become the protagonist of heaven and earth?

The entire script of the Hongmeng Calamity was being reshaped beyond recognition from its very foundation by a force like a mudslide!

"Variable... A fine variable!"

Hongjun muttered in a low voice, his eyes chilling to the bone. He was a Saint, no doubt, and he controlled the general trend of the Heavenly Dao, but he was not omniscient or omnipotent.

The Great Dao had fifty principles, and Heavenly Evolution had forty-nine, always leaving a thread of life, hidden and elusive, to create new tricks for him.

In the past, variables were, at most, minor disturbances that he could extinguish with a flick of his finger.

But this current variable... was too damn big! So big that even if he wanted to directly erase it, he had to weigh the consequences!

Could he just descend the Zixiao Divine Lightning and blast the source of trouble into dregs?

No!

For the first time, Hongjun felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Everything the other party had done was under the banner of "making up for the deficiencies of the Primordial World," "stabilizing heaven and earth," and "fulfilling Father God Pangu's wish."

Every action was accompanied by a massive amount of Heavenly Dao Merit that made even his eyelids twitch.

If he forcefully intervened, it would be equivalent to a system administrator attacking an official "optimization program" that was patching the system with the highest priority security patches and had received the highest authorization from the system's founder!

The result would inevitably be a furious backlash from the entire Heavenly Dao Rules!

He was like a rat that couldn't be thrown for fear of breaking the vessel.

Hongjun slowly closed his eyes, and the clenched fist slowly loosened.

His Dao Heart, which had long been as still as a ancient well, was now stirred by monstrous waves that refused to subside.

He decided to temporarily... wait and see.

He wanted to see where this unpredictable piece on the board would lead this game, which he had been managing for countless eons, to a truly damn situation!

His gaze finally penetrated the heavy obstacles, locking onto the core light spot on the Buzhou Mountain construction site, the one casually crossing its legs, appearing harmless, but in reality, more cunning than anyone else.

At the same time, on the highest temporary lookout platform of the Buzhou Mountain Super Construction Site.

Xuanzheng was comfortably lounging on a deck chair made of unknown fierce beast fur, holding a blade of grass, swaying it back and forth while "supervising" Zhunti, who was being surrounded by over a dozen Great Witches, mournfully shoveling bricks and mining. He was calculating whether today's "KPI" had been met.

Yes, not bad. Daoist Zhunti's enthusiasm for labor was still high, and he was one step closer to the goal of "Hundred Thousand Year Contract Laborer."

Suddenly!

Xuanzheng shot up from the deck chair, his "honest and innocent" smile freezing instantly, replaced by shock and... a trace of imperceptible ecstasy!

Because the Primordial World Bug Fixing Manual in his mind was flashing with dazzling crimson warnings, its interface effects in full swing, livelier than fireworks on New Year's!

[Alarm! Alarm!]

[The Heavenly Dao Chief Engineer (Verified ID: Old Thief Hongjun... no, Dao Ancestor) has marked your 'Buzhou Mountain Reinforcement Project' as 'High Attention, Pending Review, Recommended for Special Care'!]

[Warning! Warning! Detected the gaze of the strongest backend will, scanning and locking onto you from all angles! The other party's intentions are unclear, possibly including options such as 'Invite for Tea,' 'Check the Meter,' and 'Physical Deterrence'!]

An invisible yet majestic supreme pressure, capable of making even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal kneel and sing for mercy, descended like the sky collapsing and the earth shattering.

Xuanzheng felt like a star at the center of the universe, illuminated by countless spotlights!

However, strangely, when this terrifying pressure touched the area within three feet of him, it was gently yet firmly... dissolved by a faint golden light woven from Pangu's Legacy and Heavenly Dao Merit, like a gentle spring breeze and cleansing rain?

Huh? Is that all? Much ado about nothing!

Xuanzheng instinctively shivered, and then, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curved into a smile of ecstasy that looked worse than crying!

Hongjun?!

The legendary final boss who controlled the Heavenly Dao, schemed against the entire Primordial World, and toyed with all the Saints, the ultimate director, was personally coming to keep an eye on him?

Excellent! This is too damn good!

He was already worried that his "Primordial World Infrastructure Grand Play" didn't have enough high-profile audience members and wasn't publicized enough to attract the highest level of "Angel Investment"!

Now, with the Director General's personal endorsement, he had top-tier traffic!

Xuanzheng raised his head and looked at the sky, which was clear and cloudless but clearly shrouded by an invisible will. He seemed to see a vaster, more exciting stage where he could freely unleash his "tricks"!

"Elder Brother Dijiang!" Xuanzheng said without looking back, his voice carrying an uncontrollable excitement that echoed throughout the lookout platform, "Relay my latest instructions!"

"Tell that kid Bai Ze's advance reconnaissance unit... you know, that 'Honor Guard' that patrols the Primordial World, proclaiming the majesty of our Heavenly Court – to move closer, make bigger movements, and speak louder!"

"Make sure! Make sure they 'accidentally' see the 'tip of the iceberg' of our project, and ideally, let them 'mistakenly believe' that there's a world-shaking treasure about to emerge here!"

Xuanzheng's face once again wore that signature "innocent and harmless" smile, but deep within that smile, a cunning glint, a hundred times sharper than a fox's, flickered.

"After all, His Majesty the Demon Emperor sent people from afar to 'send warmth,' we can't let them return empty-handed, can we?"

"We need to show enough sincerity so that they willingly... deliver the 'investment funds' and 'high-grade building materials' to our doorstep!"