Mount Buzhou and Golden Ao Island

Inside the little inn, chaos and silence existed side by side.

Yuanshi Tianzun withdrew his gaze, which seemed capable of seeing through all eternity, from the direction of the rental apartment and turned it back to the amnesiac old man. The man leaned against a crumbling wall, his aura feeble, yet still stubbornly guarding the three damaged relics. The lingering Dao rhythm of order and the scorched sensation left behind by the annihilation of the filthy demonic energy had yet to fade from the air, adding to the atmosphere of slaughter.

"Do you know where that thing came from?" Yuanshi Tianzun asked again. His voice was steady and carried no hint of interrogation, yet it possessed an authority that could not be resisted.

The amnesiac old man coughed violently several times. Dark golden blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, staining the cotton jacket across his chest. He raised his cloudy eyes, still filled with lingering fear and resolve, and looked at Yuanshi. His voice was as hoarse as a broken gong. "The evil thing... came for the 'key'... They've been... searching... all along..."

His words came in fits and starts, their logic unclear, but the keywords "key" and "they" made Yuanshi's gaze narrow slightly.

"The key? You mean this?" Yuanshi looked at the wooden tablet floating in front of the old man. It seemed to have developed even more cracks. The faint spatial patterns flowing across it did seem to point toward the notion of some kind of "gateway" or "coordinates."

The old man nodded with difficulty, then shook his head. That deep confusion returned to his eyes. "Yes... and no... There's more than one 'key'... They are 'doors'... and 'locks'... Protect them... Must protect them..."

His words were jumbled and full of riddles. But Yuanshi did not grow impatient. He could sense that important information was sealed deep within the old man's confused memories. Forcing a soul search might backfire, perhaps even trigger some kind of restriction and cause his true spirit to collapse.

"Who are you? What does the name 'gravekeeper' mean?" Yuanshi changed the subject, using the title the demonic creature had mentioned earlier.

"Gravekeeper..." The old man repeated the three words. A glimmer appeared in his cloudy eyes—the sense of duty and honor branded deep in his soul, which he had never forgotten, even with his memories blurred. "Guard the grave... of the Primordial Era... Guard... the seed of hope..."

The grave of the Primordial Era? The seed of hope?

Yuanshi Tianzun's thoughts stirred. The Primordial Era had shattered, scattering countless fragments across the endless void. Could this world be one of its larger "graves"? And did the so-called "seed of hope" mean the Primordial Era's living beings who had drifted here, such as the three of them, or something else? Was the old man part of a native lineage entrusted with this duty of protection? Or was he... like them, a remnant from the Primordial Era?

There was too little information to judge.

"That evil thing called you people fools dreaming of restoring the Primordial Era. What did it mean?" Yuanshi continued to guide him.

"Restoring... the Primordial Era?" A deeply complicated expression crossed the old man's face, a mix of longing, pain, and profound helplessness. "No... Not restoring it... Continuing it... The flame... must not go out... But 'they'... won't allow it... 'They' want to devour everything... and return it all to nothingness..."

The old man grew agitated, and the aura around him grew unstable again. The three damaged relics hummed and trembled with it.

Seeing this, Yuanshi knew that asking more would probably yield little, and might only worsen the old man's injuries. He raised a hand and pressed it down gently. A calm yet irresistible force of order enveloped the old man—not to suppress him, but to soothe his agitated aura and steady his mind, which was on the verge of collapse.

"Calm yourself." Yuanshi's voice carried the power to settle the soul. "We cannot stay here long. Though that demonic creature was banished, it may have accomplices behind it. They could return at any moment."

Under his calming influence, the old man's aura steadied somewhat, but the wariness in his eyes did not entirely disappear. He clutched the three damaged relics tightly, as if they were his last lifeline.

Yuanshi pondered for a moment. The old man's identity was mysterious and entangled with matters of great importance. He also possessed a "key" that might be closely connected to the Primordial Era. He could not let that evil thing get its hands on him, nor could he leave him to fend for himself. Taking him back to the rental apartment was the only option for now, even though it was already crowded, and Tong Tian was liable to explode at the slightest provocation.

"Come with me." Yuanshi said no more. With a sweep of his sleeve, he lifted the old man and his three damaged relics with an invisible force. He used that method of merging with the rules once more, his figure gradually fading as he disappeared from the chaotic battlefield with the old man.

Not long after they left, the shrill wail of sirens drew closer. The strange commotion at the inn had finally attracted the authorities' attention. But all they would find was a trashed room with no one inside and no reasonable explanation.

Inside the rental apartment.

The atmosphere remained so heavy it felt as if water could drip from it.

Tong Tian had forcibly suppressed the uncontrolled sword intent spilling from his body, but the chill in his eyes and the roiling crimson deep within them were even more pronounced than before. He sat cross-legged on a yoga mat, like a volcano suppressing endless molten rock: silent, yet dangerous.

Goddess Nüwa looked at him with concern, then glanced out the window and said softly, "Since Senior Brother Yuanshi has gone to intervene, it should be all right. I just wonder about that old man..."

Before she could finish, the space in the room rippled almost imperceptibly, like waves on water. The next moment, Yuanshi Tianzun's figure solidified out of thin air, appearing without a sound. He was not supporting the old man with his hands, yet the amnesiac man and the three floating damaged relics seemed to be borne by an invisible force, accompanying him into the cramped room.

The old man's arrival, especially the three relics, which still emanated a unique, ancient Dao rhythm despite their dim light, immediately drew everyone's attention.

Lin Fan's eyes widened as he looked at Yuanshi, who had returned, and the old man he had brought back, who seemed to be in even worse shape. He felt relieved, but then tensed up again. There were now four "abnormal" beings in this apartment! And judging by Senior Tong Tian's expression...

Goddess Nüwa stepped forward. Her gaze swept over the old man, and pity flickered in her eyes. She raised a hand and sent a gentle stream of Creation Qi into his body like nourishing rain, revitalizing the life force that had nearly run dry. The old man groaned. His complexion improved a little, but his eyes remained bewildered and wary. He clutched the damaged relics tightly and huddled in a corner like a frightened beast.

Tong Tian merely shot the old man and Yuanshi a cold glance, gave an ambiguous snort, then closed his eyes again. Yet everyone could feel the icy aura around him, keeping the whole world at arm's length.

Yuanshi seemed accustomed to Tong Tian's attitude and paid it no mind. He settled the old man in another empty corner of the room—there really wasn't anywhere better—then looked at Nüwa and gave a slight nod. "Thank you for looking after him, Junior Sister. This old man's identity is suspicious, and he is tied to matters of great importance. We'll keep him here for now."

Nüwa nodded and spoke gently to the old man. "Please rest easy, sir. You're safe here for the time being." Her voice possessed a natural warmth that eased the tension in his nerves a little, but he still clutched the damaged relics and refused to let go.

Only then did Yuanshi turn his attention to Tong Tian. His voice was flat and emotionless, as if nothing had happened earlier. "That demonic creature's aura was filthy, filled with a desire to devour and destroy. It was neither native to this world nor an ordinary Extraterrestrial Demon. It had a clear target: the 'key.'" He pointed to the Cracked Wooden Tablet in the old man's arms.

Tong Tian did not even raise his eyelids. "What does that have to do with me?"

Yuanshi did not grow angry. He continued, "That creature was able to find this place so precisely and track it through spatial ripples. There must be something behind it, or someone skilled in exploiting the flaws in this world's rules. It also mentioned 'gravekeepers,' 'restoring the Primordial Era,' and the 'seed of hope.' All of these point to old matters from the Primordial Era. I suspect that the secret behind the Primordial Era's shattering may be connected to this kind of abomination."

Those words finally made Tong Tian open his eyes. A crimson sword-shadow flashed and vanished in his gaze. He could ignore Yuanshi, but he could not ignore a clue that might be connected to the shattering of the Primordial Era and the destruction of the Interception Sect.

"Go on," Tong Tian said, his voice still cold.

"The old man's memories are sealed, and his words are unclear. But the 'key' he guards contains spatial patterns. It may be connected to the coordinates of the Primordial Era's fragments, or even... a way back." Yuanshi voiced his theory. "And that creature wants to seize this 'key.' It certainly doesn't have good intentions."

A way back!

Those four words rang like thunder in the hearts of Tong Tian, Nüwa, and even Lin Fan, who had been listening with his ears pricked up nearby!

They had drifted into this world with no magic power, like duckweed without roots. If they could find a way back to the Primordial Era—even to one of its shattered fragments—it would be the greatest glimmer of hope in the darkness!

Tong Tian's expression finally changed. His gaze was no longer purely cold and hateful; now it held a sharp curiosity. He looked at the old man curled in the corner and the three battered magical artifacts in his arms, his expression growing somber.

"A way back..." Nüwa murmured. An unprecedented light flared in her eyes, only to dim again as she gently shook her head. "Easier said than done... Even with coordinates, what kind of power would it take to travel through the endless void? And besides, we don't even know whether any intact fragments of the Primordial Era still exist."

Yuanshi nodded. "It will certainly not be easy. Still, this 'key' is a glimmer of hope. We must find a way to unseal the old man's memories or fully decipher the secrets of these three damaged relics."

Vision One: The Fall of Mount Buzhou

The cramped rental apartment vanished. In the minds of everyone present, a terrifying scene appeared: a shattered world turned upside down!

It was the far northwest of the Primordial Era. Mount Buzhou, which had once stood like a pillar supporting the heavens and connecting them to the earth, radiating an ancient, vast aura, had now broken in half! The mountain's upper half was slowly collapsing and falling, its momentum unstoppable! Countless enormous boulders rained down upon the land like blazing meteorites, triggering endless explosions and earthquakes!

A colossal hole had opened in the sky! The turbid, raging waters of the Heavenly River poured through it like a silver dragon breaking free of its banks, devouring everything in their path! Floodwaters engulfed the land, rivers flowed backward, and countless living beings struggled and wailed in the deluge, only to be swallowed up in an instant, their true spirits extinguished!

At the ruins of the shattered Mount Buzhou stood an immense giant covered in blue scales, with a human torso and a serpent's tail—the phantom image of Gong Gong's true form. It threw its head back and roared, its cry filled with unwillingness, fury, and endless regret! Its head was shattered, blue divine blood streaming down like a waterfall. The laws of the myriad waters coiled around it had run wild, mingling with the cascading waters of the Heavenly River and worsening the catastrophe.

Around it stood the incomplete, enormous figures of the other Ancestral Shamans, some grief-stricken, others already lifeless—mere phantoms... Zhurong's flames had gone out, and Dijiang's spatial power had fallen into chaos and shattered... The Witch Clan's fortune flickered like a candle in the wind. As Mount Buzhou collapsed, it too shattered with a thunderous crash!

Vision Two: Lament on Golden Ao Island

The scene changed abruptly.

This was no longer a world-ending disaster on a vast scale, but an overseas immortal island filled with celestial energy, now shrouded in endless baleful energy and murderous calamity—Golden Ao Island, Biyou Palace!

This was Master Tongtian's home, where the myriad immortals of the Interception Sect had once gathered! But now, the palaces had crumbled, the spiritual veins had snapped, and the island that had once been filled with auspicious signs had become a scorched inferno!

Countless disciples of the Interception Sect fought in pools of blood, clashing with disciples of the Expounding Sect and followers of the Western Sect. The light of magical treasures mingled with the thunder of divine abilities. At every moment, figures fell, their true spirits forcibly sent to the Investiture of the Gods.

The phantom image of Master Tongtian stood atop the ruins of Biyou Palace, Qingping Sword in hand, watching it all with eyes bloodshot from fury. He saw Zhao Gongming ambushed by the Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead and meet a wretched end; he saw the Three Xiao Goddesses set up the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation, only for two to die and one to be crushed beneath the mountain; he saw the Seven Immortal Attendants captured or slaughtered; he saw countless named and outer disciples cut down like weeds!

The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation had been broken! Four swords had been taken from the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation!

He saw the phantom image of Yuanshi Tianzun holding the Pangu Banner, joining forces with Lao Tzu, Jie Yin, and Zhun Ti to suppress all resistance with expressionless faces. He saw Guang Chengzi, Chi Jingzi, and the other Golden Immortals of the Expounding Sect mercilessly slaughtering the Interception Sect's disciples. He saw the two Western Saints' conversion and plunder, which seemed compassionate, but was in truth greedy!

"You've gone too far!!!" The phantom image of Master Tongtian let out a heart-rending roar. The hatred and despair in his voice resonated faintly across the boundaries between clans with Gong Gong's anguished wail.

They were all losers! All remnants of an old age! One had broken the pillar of heaven, causing a physical catastrophe that transformed the Primordial Era; the other had nearly wiped out his sect when his brothers joined forces with outsiders, completely overturning the balance of power!

Mount Buzhou and Golden Ao Island, the Witch Clan and the Interception Sect, Gong Gong and Tong Tian: in that moment, the same bitter defeat and destruction caused their spiritual imprints to fall into a strange synchronization and resonance!

End of visions

The violent shock to their minds made everyone groan, especially Lin Fan. His head felt as if it were about to explode. Countless chaotic, tragic, despairing fragments of images clashed inside his mind, nearly making him faint. Fortunately, Nüwa promptly sent a stream of pure Creation Qi to protect his mind.

The visions faded, and silence returned to the room. Only Gong Gong's suppressed whimpers, like those of a wounded beast, continued to sound in broken intervals.

Master Tongtian stood in place, his body trembling slightly. The vision of Golden Ao Island's destruction had been like the sharpest knife, reopening the wound in his heart and leaving it raw and bleeding. As he looked at Gong Gong, who was also immersed in endless pain, his towering anger and hatred strangely ebbed, replaced by a cold sorrow born of shared suffering.

Yuanshi Tianzun remained silent. His coldly combative appearance in the vision contrasted with his grave expression in the present. The old affair of the Investiture of the Gods was, in his heart, an act of "following Heaven's will and answering the needs of the people." But now that he had witnessed the brutal scene again, especially through Tong Tian's despairing perspective, was his Dao heart truly unmoved? No one knew.

Tears filled Goddess Nüwa's eyes. Whether it was the world's collapse in Gong Gong's memories or the destruction of Tong Tian's sect, both were tragedies she never wanted to see. She was the master of creation and the mother of all living beings. Seeing so many lives perish filled her with endless sorrow.

"Mount Buzhou... Golden Ao Island..." Lin Fan panted, supporting himself against the wall as he murmured to himself. As someone who had come later, an observer, only now did he truly feel what the words "Primordial Era" contained. It was not merely boundless divine powers and eternal life, but also endless calamities, brutal conflicts, and bone-deep grief. The grudges of history were so heavy they made it hard to breathe.

After a long while, Tong Tian slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. His surging sword intent finally subsided completely, but his gaze grew deeper, like an ancient, frigid pool. He no longer looked at Gong Gong. Instead, he turned and walked back to his yoga mat, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes, as if nothing had happened.

But his tightly clenched fist, its knuckles white, revealed that he was far from as calm as he appeared.

Yuanshi looked at Tong Tian's back, then at the gravekeeper, who had gradually stopped whimpering under Nüwa's soothing care and fallen back into a confused, vacant state. He spoke gravely. "The gravekeeper drifted here with his memories sealed and in a strange condition. He also possesses the 'key,' which connects him to the secret behind the Primordial Era's shattering and that evil demonic creature. His safety is of vital importance."

He was speaking to Nüwa, but also to Tong Tian. Whatever their past grudges, they had to keep the gravekeeper safe now.

Nüwa nodded. Her gaze filled with complicated pity as she looked at the gravekeeper. She began softly humming an ancient lullaby, one that seemed to hold the earliest peace and warmth of life. Like a mother's murmur, it gently soothed the gravekeeper's battered soul.

As the lullaby continued, the gravekeeper's tense body gradually relaxed. Clutching the damaged relics, he curled up in the corner and fell into a deep sleep, his brow still tightly furrowed, as if even in his dreams he was still battling the nightmare of the broken mountain and the flood.

Yuanshi turned his gaze toward the window. Night had fallen deep, and the city lights gleamed like stars. "We need to speed up the search for a new base. This place is becoming less and less safe." He paused, then added, "Not only because of the authorities' surveillance. Now we also have to deal with that mysterious demonic creature and the force behind it."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, forcing down his shock and lingering fear, then nodded. "I understand. I'll take care of it as soon as possible."

He knew that from the moment the gravekeeper's identity had been revealed, their situation had become more complicated—and more dangerous. The grudges of history and the dangers of the present were intertwined, pushing all of them toward an even more unpredictable future.

The distant echoes of Mount Buzhou and Golden Ao Island seemed to foretell that beneath this apparently ordinary modern city, a storm sweeping through past and present was quietly brewing. And they were at its very center.