The Beginning of the Dao-Demon Conflict

The Star Dao and the essence of formation arrays explained by Fairy Wang Shu were like a beacon lit within Li Cha's heart. In particular, the dozens of Star Crystals containing pure Stellar Power provided him with a tangible reference. His original, vague ideas on how to transform this cage-like valley gradually began to crystallize.

"Although this place is only a hundred miles in radius and isolated by a great formation, making it difficult to draw in spiritual energy, there is a saying: misfortune is where fortune lies..." Li Cha stood in the center of the valley, his gaze sweeping over the invisible barriers of the formation as he deduced in his mind, "The Qiankun Seal and Sever Formation connects to Buzhou Mountain. If I can cleverly guide it to borrow a sliver of the boundless, majestic Pangu divine power from Buzhou Mountain to nourish this land, and supplement it with a Star Formation to absorb and reflect the Stellar Power of the heavens... by gathering the divine power of Buzhou Mountain and the essence of the stars in this tiny space, why worry about failing to turn it into a supreme Grotto-Heaven?"

Once this thought took root, it could no longer be suppressed. It wasn't that Li Cha hadn't considered seeking another dojo. The Primordial World was vast, with countless famous mountains and great rivers; places like Kunlun, Shouyang, or Penglai (if he could find it) were all excellent Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands. But those places had predetermined fates, entangled in karma with future Sages and great powers. Forcibly occupying them would lead to endless trouble. Conversely, while this place was a cage, it was also the location most deeply connected to his karma, as "certified" by the Heavenly Dao. Furthermore, it possessed the Qiankun Seal and Sever Formation—a natural barrier that even a Sage might not be able to break through by force. If he could successfully renovate it, its safety would far exceed any immortal mountain or blessed land in the outside world.

"This place shall be the foundation of my Yun Hua Dojo!" Li Cha made up his mind and hesitated no longer.

From that day on, he immersed his entire heart and soul into the deep study and modification of the Qiankun Seal and Sever Formation. This was no easy task. An array laid down by the Heavenly Dao was exquisite and peerless; moving one part affected the whole. He needed to act like the most brilliant surgeon performing a heart bypass, "grafting" the "vessels" and "meridians" to draw in the divine power of Buzhou Mountain and the power of the stars, all without damaging the core sealing and defensive functions of the original array.

At times, he measured the Earth Veins and carved runes throughout the valley; at other times, he flew into the sky to observe the movement of the stars and calculate the landing points of Stellar Power; or he would sit silently at his Sacred Spirit Table, using tea to calm his mind while deducing the changes in the formation patterns. Shi Qing, Mo Ran, and the Dragon Eel were responsible for tending to the increasingly lush vegetation and clearing the Spiritual Springs. Beside her, they would observe Li Cha setting up the formation, and occasionally, they would gain scattered insights, benefiting greatly.

Time flew like an arrow. Before he knew it, a thousand years had passed while Li Cha was absorbed in his research. Under his initial adjustments, the spiritual energy in the valley had become several times denser, and the vegetation grew increasingly lush. However, the true transformation still required the injection of those two most critical forces.

Just as Li Cha was quietly toiling at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, attempting to turn his cage into a fairyland, a guest arrived uninvited in the North Sea, far away in the northern part of the Primordial World.

A shadow, black as ink and seemingly capable of swallowing all light, silently merged into the bone-chilling, boundless Nether Sea. The seawater did not stir at its intrusion; instead, it became even deeper and more deathly silent. Even the cold-resistant sea monsters of the North Sea instinctively fled from this area.

This shadow was none other than Demon Ancestor Luohu.

Nearly three thousand years had passed since he left his lair at Mount Sumeru in the West. During these three thousand years, his demonic shadow had traversed many regions of the Primordial World. He did not directly incite large-scale massacres; instead, like the most cunning viper, he slithered between the remnants of the tribes that survived the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity and the newly rising ones.

He used power to tempt, secret arts to incite, and Demonic Thoughts to corrupt... he stopped at nothing. Under his secret instigation, the myriad beings of the Primordial World, who had finally caught their breath after the calamity, fell into renewed strife and war. The reason the Shark Clan of the East Sea had become increasingly bloodthirsty was due to the influence of his Demonic Thoughts. In these three thousand years, he had developed nearly a hundred such clans that were either secretly controlled or lured into depravity! These clans were scattered throughout the Primordial World, constantly committing slaughters. The resulting Blood Fiend Energy and Resentment Power flowed like a trickle toward the West, nourishing the Four Swords of Zhu Xian and causing the momentum of the Demonic Path to grow increasingly arrogant, with Devilish Qi beginning to permeate certain regions.

His target for this personal visit to the North Sea was the Kun Clan residing in the Nether Sea!

The Kun Clan had few members, but each individual possessed immense strength. Even in their youth, they could swallow rivers and seas, and the adult Giant Kun possessed the terrifying potential to devour an entire world. If he could subdue or corrupt them into demonic beasts under his command, it would be an immeasurable asset for his insane plan to refine all living beings of the Primordial World in the future.

However, Luohu did not expect that his every move had long been monitored by his old rival residing beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Just as Luohu snuck into the depths of the North Sea, found the habitat of the Kun Clan, and was preparing to unleash supreme magic to bewitch or even forcibly control the patriarch of the Kun Clan—

"Hum!"

A clear, resonant sound of the Dao rang out. A brilliant purple light tore through the darkness of the Nether Sea, transforming into a Fly Whisk. Carrying the supreme Dao charm capable of purifying all demons and stabilizing Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, it struck straight at Luohu's back!

"Old Man Hongjun! How dare you ruin my plans!" Luohu was both shocked and furious. He struck out with his palm, and the monstrous Devilish Qi condensed into a giant claw that covered the sky, clashing head-on with the Fly Whisk!

"BOOM!!!!"

Indescribable, terrifying energy erupted in the depths of the Nether Sea! Billions of tons of seawater were instantly evaporated or pushed away, forming a massive vacuum. Underwater mountain ranges collapsed, and space shattered in large swathes! The entire North Sea trembled as if the end of the world had arrived!

Two figures clashed frantically at the center of the destructive energy. Above Hongjun's head hovered a Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation, and he held the Pangu Sail. Purple energy surged for thirty thousand miles; his Dao techniques were natural, evolving the marvelous laws of the heavens. Luohu's demonic power was peerless, surrounded by the phantoms of the Four Swords of Zhu Xian. The aura of slaughter and destruction filled every inch of space, his demonic arts strange and overbearing.

The intensity of this Dao-Demon struggle at the edge of the North Sea far exceeded imagination. Both were peerless experts at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, and every gesture they made resonated with the laws of the Primordial World.

The battle lasted for an unknown duration. Finally, with a muffled thud, Hongjun's Daoist robe was stained with blood, and he staggered backward, clearly having suffered a significant injury. He gave a deep glance at Luohu, whose Devilish Qi was growing ever more intense, and at the Giant Kun below, whose minds had been partially eroded by the Devilish Qi and whose eyes were gradually becoming violent and chaotic. Knowing the situation was beyond saving, he immediately transformed into a purple rainbow, tore through the void, and fled.

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky to have run fast!" Luohu did not pursue. His goal for this trip was the Kun Clan. Although he had been interrupted by Hongjun and failed to achieve perfect control, the overflowing, monstrous Devilish Qi had already polluted the minds of most of the Kun Clan.

The Giant Kun that had originally roamed the Northern Sea with vast and peaceful auras now had blood-red eyes. Emitting frantic, violent screeches, they began to attack everything around them indiscriminately, even tearing into and devouring one another. They had completely devolved into Devilish Creatures that knew only destruction and slaughter!

Luohu watched this scene with satisfaction. Although he had not achieved total success, obtaining a group of powerful, devil-corrupted Kun beasts meant this trip had not been in vain. He did not notice that at the edge of the chaotic battlefield, a small, weak Young Kun had escaped the erosion of the Devilish Qi. Terrified, it dove into a bottomless seafloor rift, narrowly escaping the catastrophe.

Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, in the Purple Heaven Palace.

Daoist Hongjun sat cross-legged on a cloud bed. His face was pale, and his aura fluctuated unsteadily; it was clear that the battle in the Northern Sea had left him severely injured. The Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation suspended before him also appeared slightly dim.

"Luohu... his devilish might grows by the day, and the Four Swords of Zhu Xian are exceptionally ferocious. With my strength alone, it is already difficult to contain him..." Wisdom and worry flickered in the eyes of Hongjun. "I must unite with three other fellow Daoists to have any chance of victory."

His divine sense spanned across the endless void, reaching out to several Innate God-Demons who were either on good terms with him or possessed great strength, such as Ancestor Qiankun, Ancestor Yin Yang, and Great Immortal Yang Mei. He stated the danger posed by Luohu and requested their help to slay the devil.

However, there were few who responded. Many powerful beings had not personally felt the threat of Luohu, or they harbored wishful thinking, or simply sought to protect themselves, unwilling to be dragged into a conflict that seemed unrelated to them.

In the end, only Ancestor Qiankun, who had a long-standing grudge against Luohu and a righteous nature, and Ancestor Yin Yang, who possessed a pure and kind temperament, clearly expressed their willingness to help.

But Hongjun knew deep down that Luohu possessed the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, which could not be broken without four sages. Even with the addition of Qiankun and Yin Yang, they were still missing one key person capable of contending with a corner of the sword formation. He pinned his hopes on Great Immortal Yang Mei.

Yang Mei's response remained the same: "Fellow Daoist Hongjun, I have no intention of interfering too much in the affairs of the Primordial World. Although Luohu is evil, he has his own destiny. Forgive me, but I cannot help you with this matter. You had best look for someone else."

Having received a clear refusal from Yang Mei, Hongjun furrowed his brows. Looking at the surging Chaos Qi outside the palace, a shadow of gloom rose in his heart. The path to slaying the devil seemed far more difficult than he had imagined. Where should he go to find that final person to break the formation? His gaze involuntarily swept across the Primordial land once more, and in the end, it lingered for a brief moment in the direction of the towering Buzhou Mountain.