"Dao Lord, is he really alright?" Qing Li asked in a low voice.
Hundun squatted in front of a roadside stall, haggling with the old man selling candied hawthorns. "It's nothing, at worst I'll just explode and die... Hey, put extra sugar on this one!"
Suddenly, Ye Chen pressed his forehead, purple blood seeping from between his fingers. "Dao Lord... I saw that Bronze Hall again..."
Upon hearing this, Hundun dropped the candied hawthorn and grabbed his wrist.
The Dao patterns within his golden-purple pupils swirled, allowing him to glimpse a scene deep within Ye Chen's sea of consciousness—
Nine Bronze Pillars are arranged in a circle, with a headless and armless skeleton floating in the center.
On the seventh pillar, the spine was emitting an eerie blue light.
"Tsk tsk tsk... That old bastard Void... He's using my spine as bait."
After saying this, Hundun slowly lowered his hand.
Following the purple aura, the three arrived in the heart of the East Victory Divine Continent, where they saw sword energy soaring into the sky amidst the mountains.
On a majestic sword-shaped peak, the four characters "Azure Sky Sword Sect" shine brightly.
"Strange." Qing Li unfolded the River Diagram. "After the last great calamity, there shouldn't be any cultivation sects left in the East Victory Divine Continent."
In front of the mountain gate, several disciples carrying long swords were practicing sword techniques.
Their sword energy was interspersed with subtle Purple Light, and their moves were exactly the same as the "Azure Firmament Sword Classic" from the Primordial Chaos World back then!
Hundun conjured a bamboo hat and put it on his head. "There's a hint of a courier here. Be careful."
Just as they were about to sneak in, a clear and melodious bell suddenly rang out from the mountaintop.
A white-robed swordsman descended from the clouds, with something prominently displayed at his waist—
"A counterfeit of the Heaven Measuring Ruler?" Qing Li's pupils shrank suddenly.
The sword cultivator cupped his hands and smiled, "Three fellow Daoists have come from afar, is it to admire our sect's most prized treasure?"
Behind the Sword Sect, a hundred-foot-tall bronze sword stele stands in the center of the altar.
The monument was covered with sword incantations, but Hundun recognized it at a glance—
This is clearly formed from his spine!
"This stele was obtained by our patriarch a thousand years ago," the white-robed swordsman said proudly. "Those who comprehend its meaning can attain unparalleled swordsmanship..."
Ye Chen suddenly groaned, and the Taiji Diagram on his forehead trembled violently.
Purple energy instantly seeped from the base of the monument, resonating with him!
Hundun suddenly pressed down on his shoulder and transmitted a voice, "Hold on! The Remnant Will of the 'Famine' envoy is inside the monument!"
Qing Li secretly observed the disciples of the Sword Sect and discovered that they all had very faint purple markings hidden in their eyes.
The eldest elder's cuffs were embroidered with patterns of a miniature Calamity Measuring Device...
"Dao Lord," she transmitted through her sword intent, "The entire sect is a puppet!"
As night fell, the Sword Sect hosted a banquet in celebration.
"This is a celestial brew recorded in the 'Azure Firmament Sword Classic'," the elder said with a smile, raising his cup. "Drinking it will allow one to comprehend the true essence of the sword path."
Under the moonlight, the wine shimmered with an eerie purple hue.
Hundun chuckled and downed the drink in one gulp, but secretly forced the wine into the recipe's seal under the table.
Qing Li pretended to touch her lips, while Ye Chen declined, citing feeling unwell.
Halfway through the banquet, the elder suddenly clapped his hands. "Please bring the Sword Stele!"
The ground cracked open, and the bronze sword stele rose into the air. The inscriptions on the stele wriggled like living creatures, transforming into thousands of sword lights that pierced towards the three!
"This is the moment we've been waiting for!" Hundun slammed the table, the recipes clattering as they flipped through the pages. "Serve the dish—Stir-fried Sword Intent!"
Amidst the aroma of fried sword energy, Hundun flashed to the sword monument, his right arm's Dao patterns glowing brightly.
"Old friend, it's time to wake up."
With a single slap, the bronze on the monument peeled away, revealing a crystalline, jade-like spine.
Suddenly, a blue light burst forth from the joints of his fingers, illuminating the entire sword sect!
"No—!" The elder's face contorted, amethyst bulging and writhing beneath his skin, "Lord Famine will not let you go..."
His body suddenly swelled and burst, transforming into the form of a fat child—the true form of the Fourth Calamity Envoy, "Famine"!
"Hundun!" roared the giant mouth on the boy's belly, "How dare you..."
Hundun snapped off his third vertebra and swung it like a stick, yelling, "Shut up, you idiot!"
The moment the joints struck, a burst of blue and Purple Light intertwined.
The entire Sword Peak was razed to the ground, and ancient memories emerged from the smoke and dust—
The spine originally suppressed the "creation" authority of the Primordial Chaos World.
The Void forged it into a sword monument, precisely to use the life force of the sword cultivators to nurture the Tribulation Envoy!
"I see." Hundun caught the returning spine. "Using the power of creation to feed back into the power of destruction, you're truly insidious."
Taking advantage of the moment, the famine-stricken child lunged at Ye Chen: "The container! Give it to me!"
At the critical moment, the golden bead on Ye Chen's forehead lit up, and the phantom of the Six-Eared Macaque Demon appeared. He cleaved the boy back with a single blow. "Get lost—!"
The severely wounded famine huddled on the ground, its gaping maw chuckling sinisterly. "You... have no idea what Lord Void's plans are all about..."
His body suddenly collapsed, turning into a writhing purple mist.
A chilling chewing sound came from the fog, as if something was devouring the source of the calamity!
"Oh no!" Hundun grabbed everyone and retreated violently. "It's the 'Taotie'! The Void has used famine to raise something even more disgusting!"
The purple mist instantly condensed into a gigantic maw that blotted out the sky, swallowing the entire ruins of the sword sect whole.
After swallowing the sword, he immediately turned around and rushed towards "Brocade City," the most densely populated city in the East Victory Divine Continent.
Meanwhile, in the East Victory Divine Continent, there is Brocade City with millions of living beings!
"We must stop it!" The Qing Li Heaven Measuring Ruler made its move, but it was corroded when it touched the purple mist.
Ye Chen suddenly calmed down. "Dao Lord, I have a plan."
He pointed to the Taiji Diagram on his forehead. "Since I am the vessel, why not..."
"Bullshit!" Hundun slapped him on the back of the head. "Laozi hate sacrifice dramas the most!"
Suddenly, he broke off two vertebrae, shoving one into Ye Chen's hands and tossing the other to Qing Li: "Here you go! This is the 'Creation' principle, specifically designed to counter gluttons like this!"
Hundun himself carried the remaining spine and charged towards the purple mist. "Grandson! Grandpa's treating you to a good meal!"
The moment the Hundun rushed into the giant maw, the spine burst forth with a dazzling blue light.
Inside the purple mist, countless small Taotie were tearing at his body.
But every piece of flesh that was torn off was reborn as a miniature Hundun under the power of creation, and bit back!
"How does it taste?" The true form of Hundun laughed loudly from within the mist. "Laozi of cured meat that's been pickled for thirty thousand years!"
Outside, Ye Chen and Qing Li inserted two vertebrae into the ground.
The Dao patterns spread, forming a golden barrier to protect the Brocade City.
Suddenly, Ye Chen trembled violently—the barrier was absorbing the purple runes within his body!
"Hold on!" Qing Li transferred her Profound Yellow Qi to him. "This is an opportunity for purification!"
As the last wisp of purple mist was torn apart by Hundun, a rain of azure light fell upon the East Victory Divine Continent.
The power of creation nourished the land devoured by the Taotie, causing withered vegetation to revive and crystallized rivers to flow anew.
Hundun staggered to the ground, holding only half a spine in his hand.
"Dao Lord!" Qing Li rushed over, only to see that the Dao patterns on his right arm were dim and the newly reattached spine was covered with cracks.
"It's nothing." Hundun spat out a mouthful of blood. "It's just that this kid..."
Ye Chen lay unconscious on the ground, most of the purple mark on his forehead had faded, and in its place was a blue Dao mark—the mark of the power of creation!
Six-Eared Macaque's voice suddenly came from the golden bead. "The third pillar... is located in the ley lines of Brocade City..."
Hundun gazed at the bustling capital in the distance, his lips twitching. "Void, you son of a bitch... you actually buried Laozi bones under the latrine!"
Brocade City is the most prosperous mortal city in the East Victory Divine Continent.
The streets were bustling with noise, and the shouts of vendors rose and fell.
Hundun squatted in front of the roadside wonton stall, staring blankly at the scallions floating in the bowl.
"Dao Lord, are you sure..." Qing Li lowered her voice, "The third bronze pillar is beneath the city?"
"That Six-Eared Macaque Monkey never lies," Hundun stirred the wontons. "Although I really hope he's just drunk this time."
Ye Chen sat silently to the side, a faint blue mark appearing on his forehead.
Since the battle in the East Victory Divine Continent, the purple markings and the Dao traces of creation within his body have reached a delicate balance, but he still occasionally dreams of that Bronze Hall.
"Make way! The drain needs clearing!"
Several shirtless men pushed a manure cart past, and a stench hit them.
Hundun suddenly had a flash of inspiration, took out a copper coin and flicked it into the manure cart.
"Bite--"
The copper coin made a strange metallic sound in the sewage.
"Found it, found it..." Hundun pinched his nose. "Under the latrine in the west of the city."