The bronze chains in the void were covered in bluish-green rust, but dark gold Dao patterns flowed across their surface.
Nine chains, like swimming dragons, coiled around the demonic shadow, with the ends of the chains disappearing into its ancestral aperture between its eyebrows.
"Old man! You're still alive!" The demonic figure suddenly struggled violently, its dark red blood evaporating continuously under the restraint of the chains.
As the rust crumbled away, it revealed dense Sanskrit, each one containing the immense power to suppress the heavens.
Taichu, supporting the Primordial Chaos Heaven Suppressing Cauldron, was panting heavily when he suddenly noticed that Six-Eared Macaque's golden pupil on his forehead was absorbing the Dao patterns of the bronze chains.
A faint golden light emanated from Six-Eared Macaque's body, and the black patterns that had been corrupted by Demonic Qi began to fade away.
"This is... the Primal Chaos Dao Body repairing itself?" Taichu's pupils contracted slightly.
He suddenly recalled the scene he had seen at the end of the River of Fate when he was deducing the secrets of heaven— Six-Eared Macaque stood at the peak of Hundun, with twelve illusory figures of the Heavenly Emperor faintly behind him.
Ripples appeared in the void at the end of the chains, and a Hemp-Clothed Old Daoist stepped out.
The old man walked barefoot on the star remains, his wine gourd at his waist swaying with each step, his cloudy eyes reflecting the birth and death of the three thousand worlds.
"Back then, the Heavenly Emperor severed your nine fundamental sources and sealed the last demonic seed in the Guixu Sea Eye."
The old Daoist priest raised his hand and made a grasping motion, causing the bronze chain to tighten by a third.
"You're quite clever, escaping during the Chaos Tide of the new universe's creation."
The demonic shadow let out a painful roar, and the blood tide around it transformed into billions of demonic insects that gnawed at the chains.
The moment those insects tainted with Demonic Qi touched the Sanskrit, they were instantly burned into Qing Yan.
A muffled tremor, like thunder, came from the depths of the starry sea, and even more bronze chains emerged from the void.
Suddenly, Six-Eared Macaque covered his forehead and knelt down, his golden eyes shooting out a dazzling divine light.
He saw twelve golden-armored generals fighting against a sky-covering demonic shadow in the vast starry sky.
The leading divine general wielded a giant bronze sword, and when the sword fell, it cleaved the entire star field in two.
"Master, I think I... saw the First Generation Heavenly Emperor..." Six-Eared Macaque's voice trembled, and the Daoist aura around his body flowed uncontrollably.
Suddenly, the Primordial Chaos Heaven Suppressing Cauldron emitted a clear and melodious sound, and the purple energy inside the cauldron transformed into nine Little Dragons that entered its meridians.
The Hemp-Clothed Old Daoist suddenly turned his head, his cloudy eyes flashing with a sharp light. "Innate Dao Embryo, Primal Chaos Golden Eyes... So that's how it is!"
He suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly. The wine gourd at his waist flew up automatically, and the fine wine transformed into a silver river that circled around his Six-Eared Macaque. "Boy, drink this cup of 'Drunk for a Thousand Years,' and I will help you awaken your bloodline!"
Just as Taichu was about to stop him, he saw the demonic shadow take the opportunity to break free of the three chains.
The crimson tide solidified, forming an inverted Blood-colored Altar in the sea of stars.
A demonic eye appeared in the center of the altar, and as its pupils moved, stars thousands of miles away exploded one after another.
"Be careful! This is Chaos Sacrifice!" Taichu urged the Town Heaven Sword to strike the altar, but the sword light was swallowed up by the surging Demonic Qi.
The shattered star fragments transformed into a black, viscous liquid, coalescing into a giant demonic claw above the altar.
The old Daoist priest in Hemp-Clothed Old Daoist robes flicked his sleeve, shattering the attacking demonic claws, and his fingers traced Daoist marks in the void.
"Taichu Boy, take that child to the birthplace of the Universe Heart! The newly born laws can suppress the origin of the ancient demons!"
Six-Eared Macaque had already drunk the celestial wine, and a golden mark appeared on his forehead.
He vaguely saw himself standing on the bank of a golden river, with a man on the opposite bank who looked seven parts like the demonic shadow fishing.
The fishing rod's line pierced through the void, and at its end were nine burning suns.
"Wake up!" the old Daoist suddenly shouted, his voice shattering the illusions in Six-Eared Macaque's mind.
Six-Eared Macaque trembled violently, his golden eyes transformed into a dazzling galaxy, and the sounds of dragon roars and phoenix cries emanated from his body.
The halo emanating from the Primordial Chaos Heaven Suppressing Cauldron automatically decomposed and recombined, transforming into a purple-gold battle armor on his body.
The demonic shadow let out a deafening roar, unleashing a surge of powerful Demonic Qi, and forcibly broke through its cultivation level.
At the same time, the remaining six chains broke simultaneously.
The Blood-colored Altar unleashed a torrent of Demon Flame, turning the Hundun starry sea stretching for tens of thousands of miles into pitch black.
The corroded star slime twisted and wriggled, transforming into countless demonic soldiers that attacked.
"Take him away!" The Hemp-Clothed Old Daoist formed hand seals, and a Bagua diagram appeared behind him. "Even if I burn this clone, it can only trap this wicked creature for half an incense stick's time!"
Taichu grabbed Six-Eared Macaque's wrist, and purple energy gushed from the Jade Purification Bottle, enveloping the two of them.
The Universe Heart suddenly pounded violently, tearing a crack in the void.
At the end of the crack stands a Tongtian Jianmu, its branches adorned with countless newly born stars.
"Trying to leave?" The demonic figure raised its hand and grabbed at the crack, causing the spacetime of the entire star field to begin to collapse.
The Daoist robe of the Taichu shattered instantly, and the golden light protecting the Quasi-Emperor Realm was torn apart like thin paper.
Suddenly, Six-Eared Macaque grasped Taichu with his other hand, his golden eyes gleaming with a light that did not belong to this era.
With a fingertip touching the void, the branches and leaves of the Jianmu tree moved swiftly without wind, cascading down thousands of streams of Chaos Azure Qi.
When these azure wisps encountered the Demon Flame, they produced a sound like metal striking stone, freezing the collapsing spacetime.
Upon seeing this, the Hemp-Clothed Old Daoist suddenly bit his tongue and spat out a jet of blood.
Blood essence merged into the Bagua formation, transforming into a crimson Tai Chi symbol that enveloped the demonic shadow. "Quick! The Jianmu tree connects to the origin of the nascent universe!"
Taichu moment Tai Chu rushed into the crevice with Six-Eared Macaque, he heard a deafening explosion behind him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Hemp-Clothed Old Daoist dissipate, and the bronze chains disappeared back into the void.
The demonic shadow roared, shaking the starry sea. "Once I devour this universe, I will surely march on the Primordial Origin World!"
The branches and leaves of the Jianmu tree swayed gently, and the drooping Chaos Azure Qi carried the two to the top of the tree canopy.
Here floats a crystal-like core, within which a galaxy slowly rotates.
The Universe Heart automatically flew out of the Jade Purification Bottle and resonated with the core.
Six-Eared Macaque suddenly let out a muffled groan, and golden blood seeped from the gaps in his armor.
The blood that dripped onto the Jianmu tree caused fruits imbued with Daoist principles to grow among its branches and leaves.
Taichu hurriedly checked and found that an astonishing transformation was taking place within his disciple's body— Chaos Azure Qi and Demonic Qi formed a Tai Chi symbol in his dantian, and the phantom of Twelfth Grade Lotus Platform appeared deep within his golden eyes.
"Master..." Six-Eared Macaque began with difficulty, "I think... I can hear the heartbeat of this universe..."
Just as Taichu was about to speak, Jianmu suddenly trembled violently.
A crack appeared in the void at the tree roots, and a dark red tide of blood burrowed in like venomous snakes.
The demonic figure's cold laughter echoed in all directions, "I told you, you can't escape, and you can't escape."
Taichu's eyes sharpened, and he changed his hand Mystic Arts, sending a series of restrictions flying toward the cracks in the tree roots.
However, the dark red blood tide seemed to possess intelligence, easily bypassing the restrictions and rushing towards them.
Six-Eared Macaque suddenly opened his eyes, his golden pupils shining brightly, and he chanted Ancient Incantation.
The illusory image of the Twelfth Grade Lotus Platform flew out from the golden eyes, blocking their way. The blood tide crashed against it, splashing up flowers of blood.
"Master, this demonic shadow is too powerful. We need to borrow the power of the Universe Heart," said Six-Eared Macaque.
Taichu nodded slightly, and the two of them worked together to guide the Universe Heart to release a pure power, which resonated with the Tai Chi power in Six-Eared Macaque's dantian.
Just then, the demonic figure emerged from the tide of blood, but instead of attacking directly, it sneered, "You think you can stop me with these little tricks? This Universe Heart will be corrupted by my Demonic Power sooner or later."
But Six-Eared Macaque showed no fear. He clasped his hands together, and the light on his armor intensified. The illusory image of the Twelfth Grade Lotus Platform gradually solidified, releasing a dazzling holy light.
The holy light merged with the power of the Universe Heart, sweeping towards the demonic shadow.