The Primordial World knew no years.
Kunlun Mountain, the home of countless gods, was shrouded in Immortal Qi, unchanged through countless ages.
As the recognized orthodox branch of the Mystic Sect beneath the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the Chan Sect's sacred ground, Jade Void Palace, was even more synonymous with holiness and majesty.
Within the palace, time itself seemed to stand still.
Yet on this day, that eternal tranquility was violently torn apart by a wretched streak of light.
Whoosh!
A dim golden light, as though lashed by an invisible hand, let out a terrified wail and crashed directly through the tightly shut doors of Jade Void Palace. In the center of the vast hall, it revealed its true form.
It was a golden decree, yet it now resembled a crumpled scrap of waste paper. Spiderweb-like cracks covered its surface, and the originally radiant Saintly Dao aura was chaotic and weak, as though it could disperse completely at any moment.
Seated atop the Nine Dragon Agarwood Carriage, surrounded by endless Auspicious Clouds and seemingly fused with the Great Dao itself, Yuanshi Tianzun abruptly opened his eternally placid eyes!
The instant he opened his eyes, the decree that had barely managed to escape back could no longer hold on. With a bang, it exploded into golden ashes before him and was completely annihilated.
An invisible ripple followed their vague connection and struck heavily against Yuanshi Tianzun's Saintly body.
Yuanshi Tianzun's Saintly body, united with the Heavenly Dao and impervious to countless tribulations, suddenly trembled.
For the first time, an uncontrollable emotion called "astonishment" appeared on his face, obscured within the Auspicious Clouds.
Then—
Pfft.
A soft sound rang out.
A drop of golden Saintly blood, dazzling beyond measure and seeming to contain the birth and death of an entire universe, slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth. It struck the white jade floor below, instantly corroding a bottomless hole into the indestructible chaos jade.
He was injured.
Though it was only the tiniest trace, not even enough to count as a minor injury.
But he was injured.
Yuanshi Tianzun, a mighty Heavenly Dao Saint formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and wielder of the Pangu Banner, had actually suffered a hidden loss in a clash of Dao auras across endless spacetime and been shaken into spilling a drop of origin Saintly blood!
Utter humiliation!
Since World Creation, ever since becoming a Saint, he had never suffered such utter humiliation!
Boom—!
An indescribably terrifying fury erupted from Yuanshi Tianzun's Saintly heart!
In an instant, all of Jade Void Palace, even the entire immortal mountain of Kunlun, shook violently.
The formerly peaceful Innate Spiritual Energy instantly became incomparably violent, transforming into visible currents of Chaos Qi that raged madly through the hall.
Outside the hall, all the Chan Sect disciples who had been meditating in quiet cultivation, whether registered disciples or direct disciples, were jolted awake at that moment.
They stared in horror toward Jade Void Palace, feeling their master's boundless rage, so immense that even their Primordial Spirits trembled. Their faces turned deathly pale, and they remained silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Master... was angry?
Who was it?
Who exactly dared to provoke a Saint?
Within Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi Tianzun's chest heaved violently. In his eyes, once as cold and detached as the Heavenly Dao itself, flames of rage now burned fiercely enough to incinerate all heavens.
He could not accept this!
A decree containing his Saintly Dao aura had been sent merely to capture Spirit Pearl's reincarnation, who had offended the Chan Sect. Yet not only had it been publicly humiliated, it had even been roared back by the other party in a domineering, unreasonable manner that he could not comprehend at all!
That word, "Scram," still seemed like an indelible brand deeply carved into his Primordial Spirit.
That was not Magic Power, nor was it a divine ability.
It was a... will!
A supreme will that transcended the Heavenly Dao as he understood it, filled with the aura of chaos and origin!
Before that will, the Saintly Dao aura he had always been so proud of was fragile as a joke.
"Who... exactly is this person?!"
Yuanshi Tianzun forced out the icy words through clenched teeth.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately formed Saintly hand seals. The vast Saintly power within him, as boundless as a sea of smoke, surged wildly as he began to deduce the secrets of heaven.
He wanted to see just who this person was, this being who dared challenge his authority!
Was he some ancient monster hidden deep within the Primordial World? Or a surviving remnant of demon gods returned from chaos?
Yet in the next moment, Yuanshi Tianzun's expression became even uglier than before.
The secrets of heaven... were a complete chaos!
From his Saintly perspective, the river of heavenly secrets, which should have been utterly clear with past and future entirely under his grasp, was now shrouded in dense gray mist that could not be dispersed.
He had never seen that mist before.
It seemed not to belong to this Primordial World, carrying an ancient, desolate aura that even transcended the Heavenly Dao.
The moment his Saintly Spiritual Sense entered it, it was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, swallowed clean in an instant. Not only did he fail to uncover any useful information, he was instead struck by the backlash of that strange power, leaving him deeply unsettled.
It could not be deduced!
It could not be controlled!
This feeling made Yuanshi Tianzun feel even more alarmed and furious than being slapped across the face in public.
He was a Saint, one of the Heavenly Dao's representatives in the Primordial World.
On his chessboard, all things should have moved according to the trajectory he had laid down.
The Investiture of the Gods Calamity was the earth-shattering scheme he had painstakingly arranged over countless years, intended to weaken the Interception Sect, elevate the Chan Sect, and purge the Mystic Sect of its impurities.
But now, a chess piece had suddenly appeared on the board—one he did not recognize and could not control.
Not only was this chess piece unfathomably powerful, it acted without restraint, daring even to trample upon a Saint's dignity at will.
Such a terrifying variable was enough to throw all his plans into chaos, even... overturn them completely!
A threat!
An unprecedented sense of danger rose from Yuanshi Tianzun's heart, instantly overwhelming all his humiliation and fury.
This child absolutely could not be spared!
Whether to preserve a Saint's dignity or ensure the smooth progression of the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, this mysterious "variable" had to be completely erased from this world!
The fury in Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes gradually faded, replaced by endless coldness and killing intent sufficient to freeze time and space.
He slowly sat upright. For the first time, his voice, so cold that it contained not the slightest trace of emotion, echoed through the empty Jade Void Palace, piercing through its doors and clearly reaching the ears of every Chan Sect disciple on Kunlun Mountain.
"Deliver my decree!"
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an absolute will that brooked no doubt.
Outside the hall, Nanji Xianweng, Guang Chengzi, Chi Jingzi, Yu Ding Zhenren, and the other direct disciples shuddered upon hearing this. They immediately bowed toward Jade Void Palace.
"This disciple awaits your command!"
"Summon Guang Chengzi, Chi Jingzi, Taiyi, Yu Ding, Huang Long..."
In his icy voice, Yuanshi Tianzun named more than half of the Twelve Golden Immortals in succession.
"At Chentang Pass, a Heavenly Dao variable named Qin Feng has descended. He disrupts the fortune of the Mystic Sect and obstructs the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. He shall be deemed a public enemy of the Primordial World!"
"From this day onward, you need concern yourselves with nothing else. Devote all your strength to tracking this person's whereabouts!"
"Whoever encounters him need not speak, nor show mercy. Use all your magical treasures and every method at your disposal. You must... obliterate both his soul and spirit, leaving no future trouble behind!"
"If you cannot defeat him, form an array, call for reinforcements, or even... wield the Pangu Banner!"
Yuanshi Tianzun spoke the final words almost one syllable at a time.
The instant the words "Pangu Banner" rang out, the temperature across all of Kunlun Mountain seemed to plunge to freezing!
Guang Chengzi and the others looked up in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The Pangu Banner!
It was a supreme treasure of World Creation, the Chan Sect's treasure that suppressed its fortunes, and their master's Dao-attaining artifact!
To deal with an obscure nobody like Qin Feng, their master had actually granted permission to use the Pangu Banner?
Just what was Qin Feng's background, that he made their master wary to such an extent?!
Yet a Saint's decree could not be questioned.
They had no time to think further. They could only bury their shock deep in their hearts, then bow in unison, their voices brimming with frigid killing intent.
"This disciple respectfully obeys Master's decree!"
As their voices fell, several golden streaks of light containing Yuanshi Tianzun's absolute killing intent shot out from Jade Void Palace, each entering the brows of Guang Chengzi and the others.
They were strands of Saintly Dao aura bestowed by Yuanshi Tianzun—both proof and guidance, as well as their final trump card.
A secret Saintly order to kill had now been issued.
The entire Chan Sect, that terrifying war machine, began to rumble into motion at that moment for the sake of one person!
A massive storm that would sweep across the entire Primordial World was quietly brewing.
Before you continue