Preaching in Zixiao Palace, eavesdropping with a surprise attack.

Chapter 13: Purple Heaven Palace Sermon, Eavesdropping with a Cudgel

Luohu!

The name sent Lu Chen's hair on end.

The Demon Ancestor Luohu, the loser of the Dao-Demon conflict, an existence that should have been utterly annihilated, still had a remnant soul lingering?

And... it was entangled with the lingering wills of the Ancestral Dragon and Primordial Phoenix?

"Senior is joking," Lu Chen suppressed his shock and bowed. "This junior merely escaped by chance, I have no future to speak of."

The figure in the black robe slowly approached, demonic energy surging like a tide, but it was blocked by Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book, stopping three zhang away.

"By chance?" Luohu's remnant soul chuckled lightly, a hint of amusement flickering beneath his blurred features. "To see through the Three Clans' trap, toy with four Quasi-Saints, and even use fake purple qi to let Hongyun touch the threshold of a Quasi-Saint—if this is chance, then there are no intelligent people in the Primordial Era."

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

This guy had been observing him from the shadows just now?!

"Senior praises me too highly," he dared not say more.

The Ancestral Dragon's phantom then spoke, its dragon eyes fixed on Lu Chen. "Youngster, you carry... the aura of my Reverse Scale."

The Primordial Phoenix's phantom also let out a clear, cold female voice. "And the fluctuations of my Heart Core."

The gazes of the two clan leaders' lingering wills were like knives, as if they wanted to pierce through Lu Chen.

Cold sweat beaded on Lu Chen's forehead, but his expression remained calm. "This junior picked up some fragments at the edge of the battlefield and was fortunate enough to refine a trace of their aura."

"Is that so?" Luohu's remnant soul said meaningfully. "What about the Kirin Heart Core? And... the finger bone of the Chaos Kirin's remains?"

Lu Chen's pupils contracted sharply.

How did this guy know so much?!

"What exactly do you want to say, Senior?" Hongyun stepped forward, the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd at the ready. "If you intend to trouble my friend Lu Chen, you'll have to get past this humble Daoist first!"

Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book shone brightly. "Indeed."

Luohu's remnant soul waved his hand. "Don't be nervous. I am but a wisp of a remnant soul now and cannot defeat the three of you. However..."

He paused, his voice laced with temptation. "Young friend, you collect the relics of the Three Clans and carry Sky-Opening Merit. Clearly, your ambitions are not small. But the path of the Primordial Era is not easy. Hongjun will preach, Saints will emerge, and all under the Heavenly Dao are but ants. It is difficult for you to jump out of this game."

Lu Chen remained silent.

Luohu continued, "Why not cooperate with me? Although I was defeated, the legacy of the Demonic Dao remains, along with secret techniques left by the Chaos Demon Gods. Assisting you in Proving the Dao through Strength is not impossible."

Proving the Dao through Strength!

These four words struck Lu Chen's heart like lightning.

This was precisely his most hidden goal—not to achieve sainthood through merit, nor by severing the Three Corpses, but to walk Pangu's path!

"Why did Senior choose me?" Lu Chen stared at Luohu.

"Because you are smart enough, and ruthless enough," Luohu's remnant soul chuckled. "Ambushing, snatching treasures, framing others—this style suits me very well. Most importantly, you carry the aura of the 'One That Escaped,' the Heavenly Dao cannot fully calculate your destiny."

The One That Escaped? Lu Chen recalled Hongjun saying something similar.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

"Nothing for now," Luohu's remnant soul tossed out a black token. "This is the Demon Abyss Token. It allows entry into the Demon Abyss once. Come find me again after you break through to Quasi-Saint, and I will give you a great gift."

The token hovered before Lu Chen, entirely black. The front was engraved with the character "Demon", and the back depicted a sacrificial diagram of Chaos Demon Gods.

Lu Chen hesitated.

To accept it meant becoming entangled with the Demon Ancestor's karma.

To refuse... might mean missing a tremendous opportunity.

"Young friend, be cautious," Zhen Yuanzi transmitted. "The karma of the Demonic Dao is difficult to shed once entangled."

Hongyun also shook his head.

Lu Chen took a deep breath and reached out to accept the token.

"If this junior has the chance, I will certainly visit."

"Wise choice," Luohu's remnant soul roared with laughter, his form beginning to fade. "Remember, the Demon Abyss is beneath Mount Sumeru in the west. Also... be wary of Hongjun. The Dao he preaches may not be entirely true."

As his voice fell, the remnant soul and the two clan leaders' phantoms dissipated together.

Chaos returned to its dead silence.

After a long while, Zhen Yuanzi sighed. "Young friend, you are too adventurous."

Lu Chen fiddled with the token, a wry smile on his face. "This junior knows. But the path of the Primordial Era is one of fighting for life against the heavens. Whether it's the Demonic Dao or the Xuanmen, one should use whatever is useful."

Hongyun mused, "Luohu's last words... the Dao Ancestor's preached Dao may not be entirely true?"

"Perhaps," Lu Chen put away the token. "But for now, we should return to the Primordial Era. The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity has ended, and Sky-Opening Merit will descend. This is a great opportunity."

The three wasted no more time and returned at full speed.

Ten days later, at the border of the Primordial Era.

From afar, the heavens and earth were shrouded in bloody calamity qi, but it was beginning to dissipate. In the direction of Buzhou Mountain, golden light could be seen soaring into the sky—that was the Heavenly Dao Merit condensing!

"The karma of the Three Clans has been cleared, and the Golden Light of Merit is about to descend," Zhen Yuanzi said.

Lu Chen suddenly stopped. "Sirs, please go ahead. This junior still has some personal matters."

"What do you plan to do, little friend?" Hongyun asked.

"Pick up some things," Lu Chen grinned. "The battlefield of the Three Clans should be unattended now."

Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun exchanged glances, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes—this kid never leaves empty-handed.

"Be careful," they cautioned before returning to Wuzhuang Temple.

Lu Chen, however, changed direction and flew towards the Buzhou Mountain battlefield.

The closer he got, the denser the killing aura became.

The once vast battlefield was now piled high with corpses and rivers of blood. Dragon corpses, phoenix remains, and Kirin bones were everywhere, many still radiating powerful auras.

"I'm rich..."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up. He unfolded the Qiankun Diagram and began to collect frantically.

Dragon pearls, phoenix feathers, Kirin horns—these were top-tier materials for refining artifacts and elixirs.

Dragon sinews, phoenix down, Kirin hide—these could be used to craft robes and armor.

More importantly, there were fragments of broken Innate Spiritual Treasures!

Even though they were broken, the materials remained, and they could be reforged into new spiritual treasures.

Lu Chen picked out the high-quality ones. In just half a day, a mountain of treasures piled up inside the Qiankun Diagram.

"That's enough, time to leave... Hmm?"

He suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation from the depths of the battlefield.

It was a leveled valley with a hundred-zhang deep pit in the center. At the bottom of the pit stood a broken black spear—the shaft was snapped, leaving only half, but the aura it emitted actually made the axe handle fragment inside Lu Chen tremble!

"Is this... a fragment of the God-Slaying Spear?!" Lu Chen's heart pounded.

The God-Slaying Spear, Luohu's companion supreme treasure, a ferocious artifact of the Heavenly Dao, capable of harming a Saint's primordial spirit! It had shattered during the conflict between the Dao and the Demon paths, and a piece had fallen here?

He rushed down into the pit, about to pull out the spear.

"Buzz—"

The spear shaft suddenly erupted with black light, and a fierce aura shot straight towards his primordial spirit!

"Not good!" Lu Chen quickly activated his Golden Light of Merit to protect himself.

But the fierce aura was too overbearing; it pierced through the golden light and invaded his sea of consciousness.

Just as his primordial spirit was about to be corrupted, the Demon Abyss Token in his embrace suddenly grew warm and emitted a gentle demonic energy, absorbing the fierce aura.

"The Demon Abyss Token has this function?" Lu Chen was surprised.

He took the opportunity to pull out the spearhead fragment—it was only palm-sized but felt as heavy as a star. Faint dark red bloodstains remained on the tip, belonging to some unknown mighty figure.

"Got it!"

As soon as he put away the fragment, the sky suddenly blazed with golden light.

"Rumble—"

The Heavenly Dao's merit had arrived!

Golden rain poured down from the sky, most of it flying to various parts of the Primordial Era—these were rewards for cultivators who had protected living beings and maintained the world during the Calamity.

The largest portion split into three streams, flying in different directions:

One stream landed towards Mount Sumeru in the west (the future dojo of Jieyin and Zhunti).

One stream landed towards Kunlun Mountain (the Three Pure Ones).

One stream landed towards Buzhou Mountain (the Witch Clan).

And a wisp drifted towards Lu Chen—only as thick as a strand of hair, but it was indeed merit!

"Because I picked up corpses... no, cleaned up the killing aura on the battlefield, I also contributed to maintaining the world?" Lu Chen chuckled.

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat; he quickly absorbed it.

As the merit entered his body, his cultivation instantly broke through—Mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

"Awesome!"

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed over a dozen thicker beams of merit within the golden rain, flying in different directions.

"Are those... future famous mighty figures?" Lu Chen narrowed his eyes.

One of them flew towards the East Sea.

"East Sea? At this point in time, the famous mighty figures in the East Sea... Dong Wang Gong? Queen Mother of the West?"

His mind began to race.

Dong Wang Gong would later be crowned the head of male immortals, but he was eventually killed by Di Jun and Taiyi. The Queen Mother of the West was the head of female immortals, living in seclusion on Kunlun.

"Should I... intercept some of it?"

Lu Chen licked his lips, but quickly shook his head.

Merit was bestowed by the Heavenly Dao; forcibly taking it would incur backlash. However... what if he "picked up" something no one wanted?

His gaze swept around, and he indeed saw some tiny points of merit light, ownerless and slowly dissipating.

"These should be rewards for fallen cultivators. Since they're dead, the merit is unclaimed."

Lu Chen quietly approached and used the Qiankun Diagram to collect them—he didn't dare take too much, only picking up a dozen or so.

Even so, it doubled his total merit!

"Cut my losses while I'm ahead." He decisively withdrew.

After flying ten thousand miles away from the battlefield, Lu Chen found a cave, set up a restriction, and began to sort through his spoils.

Materials were piled high, along with hundreds of spiritual treasure fragments. The most precious were naturally the God-Slaying Spear fragments and that merit.

"I'll sort them properly when I get back to Wuzhuang Temple."

He meditated for three days, his condition recovering to its peak, then headed for Wuzhuang Temple.

Longevity Mountain, Wuzhuang Temple.

Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi had already returned and were discussing the Dao beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Seeing Lu Chen arrive, Hongyun smiled, "How were your gains, little friend?"

"Not bad," Lu Chen replied vaguely, changing the subject. "Seniors, what are your plans next?"

Zhen Yuanzi said, "This humble one needs to enter seclusion to comprehend the Way of the Earth Immortal. Hongyun needs to consolidate his Quasi-Saint insights."

Hongyun nodded, "This misfortune turned into a blessing, allowing me to touch the threshold of Quasi-Saint, but I still need diligent cultivation to truly break through."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then took out the three Kirin Eggs (the last embers of hope).

"Seniors, these are the last bloodlines of the Kirin Clan. This junior is unable to raise them. May I leave them at Wuzhuang Temple for safekeeping?"

Zhen Yuanzi was moved, "The bloodline of Chaos Kirin? Where did you obtain them, little friend?"

"I found them at the bottom of Kirin Cliff," Lu Chen said, half-truthfully. "Shi Qilin entrusted them to me as he was dying, hoping to leave a sliver of hope for the clan."

Hongyun sighed, "Although the Three Clans were wicked, the extermination of a race is ultimately tragic."

Zhen Yuanzi solemnly accepted them, "This humble one will care for them diligently. Once they hatch, they can be taken in as spirit beasts to guard the mountain."

Lu Chen then took out some rare materials from the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan and gifted them to the two.

"I am greatly indebted to your assistance this time. These are just small tokens of my appreciation."

Zhen Yuanzi could not refuse and accepted them.

The three discussed the Dao for several more months, and Lu Chen benefited greatly.

Before leaving, Hongyun suddenly said, "Little friend, the Purple Firmament Palace's second sermon is in three thousand years. Will you attend?"

"Yes," Lu Chen nodded. "Although my cultivation is low, listening can't hurt."

"Then we shall travel together," Hongyun smiled. "With you around, the journey won't be boring."

Lu Chen cupped his hands in farewell.

After leaving Wuzhuang Temple, he didn't return to the Qiankun Diagram to cultivate in seclusion. Instead, he flew towards the western side of Buzhou Mountain—there was a innate grand formation there, a [Safe Cultivation Spot] marked on a Jade Slip.

Upon entering the formation, the interior was a world of its own, with dense spiritual energy and a pool of innate spiritual spring.

"It's time to break through."

Lu Chen took out all his spoils and began his secluded cultivation.