Three days later, on the shore of the Eastern Sea.
Lu Chen found a deserted island, set up a formation, then took out an object.
The God-Slaying Spear Fragment!
The fragment was only the size of his palm, but its baleful aura was astonishing. Lu Chen repeatedly tempered it with Golden Light of Merit and Three Lights Divine Water, completely erasing Luohu's imprint from it. Then—
"Fuse!"
He fused the fragment into the Black Brick.
The Black Brick trembled violently. Fine, dark-red patterns appeared across its surface, perfectly combining the spear tip's sharpness with the brick's heaviness.
The new Black Brick was ready: pitch-black all over, with blood-red demonic patterns among its dark-gold markings. Its weight had tripled, and each strike now carried three effects: "defense penetration + Primordial Spirit erosion + baleful aura contamination"!
"I should call it the God-Slaying Brick now." Lu Chen was satisfied.
Next, he took out the formation diagram of the Great Formation of the Stars and studied it.
Although the core was restricted, the outer formations were more than enough for him to set up a simplified Minor Formation of the Stars. It could trap enemies, provide defense, and gather spiritual energy.
"With these two trump cards, I'll have at least some confidence going to the Demon Abyss."
Once he was ready, Lu Chen flew toward Mount Sumeru in the west.
Ten days later, at the foot of Mount Sumeru.
This was already western territory. Spiritual energy was scarce, and bare rock covered the land, a stark contrast to the beautiful, spiritually rich eastern lands.
Following the Demon Abyss Token's guidance, Lu Chen found an inconspicuous cave.
A formation concealed the entrance, making it difficult even for an ordinary Great Luo to notice. But the Demon Abyss Token grew hot and automatically broke through the illusion.
Lu Chen took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The cave was dark and deep. The farther down he went, the thicker the demonic energy became.
After walking about a hundred miles, the path ahead suddenly opened up—there was an entire underground world!
The ceiling overhead was dark red rock, and black demonic rivers flowed across the ground. A demonic city rose in the distance, its buildings filled with shadowy figures. Countless Demonic Creatures were moving about inside.
"So this is the Demon Abyss..." Lu Chen was shaken.
Even after Luohu's death, the Devil Dao still had such a vast domain?
"You're here?"
A figure appeared soundlessly in front of Lu Chen. It was none other than Luohu's remnant soul.
"This junior came as promised." Lu Chen cupped his hands.
Luohu studied him, his gaze settling on the God-Slaying Brick. "You fused the God-Slaying Spear Fragment? Interesting... Weren't you afraid I'd be angry?"
"If you cared, Senior, you wouldn't have let me obtain the fragment," Lu Chen replied calmly.
"Clever." Luohu smiled. "Come with me."
He led Lu Chen toward the palace at the center of the demonic city.
On the way, Lu Chen saw countless Demonic Creatures practicing formations. Among them were familiar figures—the remnants of Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Shi Qilin were training demonic soldiers who resembled the Three Clans!
"This is..."
"After the calamity, the remnants of the Three Clans fell into the Demon Abyss, and I took them in," Luohu said indifferently. "They resent the Heavenly Dao for its injustice and Hongjun for his schemes. They're willing to follow me in reclaiming the Primordial World."
Lu Chen fell silent.
The Three Clans' downfall had indeed been helped along by Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao. But joining the Devil Dao... was that really a wise choice?
Once they entered the palace, Luohu dismissed everyone else.
"I promised to give you a great gift." He raised a hand, and a black crystal floated into the air. "This is the Demon Dao Origin Crystal. It contains all my insights into the Devil Dao, and, more importantly... the secret of the Primordial Violet Qi."
Lu Chen's pupils contracted.
"No need to be surprised." Luohu spoke leisurely. "The Primordial Violet Qi is the foundation for becoming a Saint, but who says there can only be seven strands? When Chaos first formed, there were forty-nine strands of Primordial Violet Qi. Pangu used more than half of them when he opened the heavens, and the rest scattered across various places. The seven strands in Hongjun's possession are only a portion of them."
"What happened to the others..."
"Some were obtained by Chaos Demon Gods, some were lost in the depths of Chaos, and others... were sealed away in certain places." Luohu looked at Lu Chen. "For instance, a strand is sealed in the deepest part of the Demon Abyss."
Lu Chen's heart beat faster.
"Why are you telling me this, Senior?"
"Because I can't retrieve it." Luohu was frank. "That strand of violet qi was sealed by Pangu's Law of Strength. Only a successor of Pangu can touch it. You bear Sky-Opening Merit and possess a fragment of the Law of Strength. You're the best candidate."
"And the terms?"
"Once you retrieve it, we'll each get half," Luohu said. "Your half will be enough to complete your foundation when you Prove the Dao through Strength. Mine will help me rebuild my demonic body."
Lu Chen pondered.
The risk was immense, but so was the reward.
Half a strand of Primordial Violet Qi would be enough to advance his Law of Strength to great mastery and lay a solid foundation for Proving the Dao through Strength.
"Is the sealed place dangerous?"
"There's a trial left behind by Pangu. I don't know what it involves," Luohu said. "But with your intelligence and luck, you should be able to pass."
Should...
Lu Chen grumbled inwardly, but showed nothing on his face. "This junior can give it a try. But before that, I'd like to know—what's going on with Jieyin and Zhunti?"
Luohu smiled. "I knew you'd ask. They... were 'converted' by me."
It turned out that Jieyin and Zhunti had accidentally entered the outer reaches of the Demon Abyss while traveling through the west in their early years. Luohu's remnant soul planted Demonic Seeds in them. The seeds didn't control their minds; they only subtly influenced them, making them feel an affinity for the Devil Dao while amplifying their resentment toward the Daoist Tradition.
"So they didn't join willingly. They were manipulated?" Lu Chen realized.
"You could say that," Luohu replied. "I need them to keep an eye on things inside the Daoist Tradition. I also secretly pushed them to 'attack' Kunpeng this time. The Demon Clan is too powerful, which doesn't help the Devil Dao's revival."
What a deep scheme!
Lu Chen found Luohu increasingly dangerous.
"Senior, if I retrieve the violet qi, will you really let me leave?" he asked.
"I swear by the origin of the Devil Dao: if you succeed, I won't stop you. I'll also give you permanent use of the Demon Abyss Token, so you can come here to trade whenever you like." Luohu spoke solemnly.
An oath sworn by the Devil Dao was more binding than one sworn by the Heavenly Dao. Anyone who broke it would suffer a collapse of their Dao heart.
Lu Chen nodded. "All right. I'll go."
"A wise choice." Luohu raised his hand. The palace floor split open, revealing a staircase leading down. "Go straight for three thousand miles, and you'll reach the Sealed Land. I'll wait here... for three days."
Lu Chen didn't hesitate. He stepped onto the stairs.
The staircase stretched on and on. The farther down he went, the heavier Pangu's Pressure became.
Lu Chen had no choice but to activate the fragment of the axe handle to resist it.
After an unknown length of time, a stone chamber appeared ahead.
In the center of the chamber floated a strand of violet qi. Unlike the counterfeit he'd seen in the Chaos fragment, this one was more substantial. Dao runes swirled within it like stars, and it radiated an eternal, indestructible aura.
The real Primordial Violet Qi!
Three trials surrounded the violet qi.
The first was a stone tablet inscribed with the words: [At the ultimate limit of strength, all laws can be broken. Show me your strength.]
Lu Chen thought for a moment. Instead of using the Black Brick, he channeled the Law of Strength to its fullest and punched the tablet.
"Boom!"
The tablet didn't budge, but a line of text appeared on its surface: [Strength is not brute force, but the power of the Dao. You pass.]
The second trial was a mirror. It showed Lu Chen his deepest fear—he saw himself failing to Prove the Dao through Strength in the future, dying with his Dao destroyed, all his plans amounting to nothing.
But Lu Chen laughed. "If I feared failure, why would I cultivate?"
The mirror shattered.
The third trial was a Pangu Phantom holding the Sky-Opening Axe.
[Take one strike from me. If you survive, the violet qi is yours.]
The phantom swung its axe. Though it wielded only a fraction of a fraction of Pangu's power, it was still enough to kill a Quasi-Saint!
Lu Chen gritted his teeth and brought out every trump card he had.
The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner shielded him!
The Qiankun Diagram unfolded a small world to absorb the impact!
The God-Slaying Brick rose to meet the blow!
"Clang—!!!"
Axe and brick collided. Lu Chen was sent flying, blood spilling from his seven orifices, but he survived.
The Pangu Phantom vanished.
He had passed all three trials!
The violet qi floated before Lu Chen.
He reached out to touch it. The violet qi split in two. One half merged into his body, while the other flew toward the exit of the staircase—that was Luohu's half.
"I did it..."
Lu Chen collapsed onto the ground, feeling the vast power of the half-strand of violet qi within him.
His Law of Strength surged. His cultivation climbed from the late stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm all the way to its peak, leaving him only one step away from Great Luo!
More importantly, the path of Proving the Dao through Strength had become much clearer to him.
"I should head back..."
He got to his feet and was about to leave when he noticed something else in the corner of the stone chamber.
It was an inconspicuous, ashen bone fragment.
But the violet qi inside Lu Chen resonated with it!
He picked up the bone fragment and sent his Divine Sense inside—
[Pangu's Spine Fragment · Records the Three Sky-Opening Forms]
[First Form: Sky-Opening and Earth-Splitting (requires Saint-level magical power)]
[Second Form: Chaos Returns to Origin (requires peak Quasi-Saint)]
[Third Form: Strength Pierces the Primordial Era (Great Luo can learn)]
The third form was one Lu Chen could learn right now!
"An unexpected bonus?!" He was overjoyed.
Lu Chen placed the fragment in the Qiankun Diagram and hurried back.
At the top of the stairs, Luohu had already received the other half of the violet qi and was refining it.
"Congratulations," Luohu said, opening his eyes. "You didn't disappoint me."
"You're too kind, Senior." Lu Chen cupped his hands. "If there's nothing else, this junior will take his leave."
"Wait." Luohu tossed him a black ring. "This is the Demon Abyss Ring. With it, you can come and go from the Demon Abyss freely, and you can contact me as well. If you ever need anything, come trade with me."
Lu Chen caught it. "Thank you, Senior."
He turned and left the Demon Abyss.
When he returned to the surface, the sunlight was dazzling.
Lu Chen let out a long breath. The trip to the Demon Abyss had been dangerous, but the rewards were immense.
Half a strand of Primordial Violet Qi, a Pangu's Spine Fragment, the Demon Abyss Ring... and a better understanding of the Devil Dao's plans.
"Now it's time to see how the show with Jieyin, Zhunti, and Kunpeng plays out."
Just as he was about to fly back east, a communication jade slip in his robes suddenly vibrated.
It was a message from Hong Yun:
[Young friend, come back at once! Something terrible has happened—Jieyin and Zhunti really are fighting Kunpeng! Minghe got involved too, Taiyi has appeared, and five Saints are battling! Also... the Demon Clan is searching for the thief who stole their treasures. They suspect you!]
Lu Chen: "..."
Great, he was being blamed again.
But this time, he wasn't worried.
Because he had another card to play.
"If they want to make this a big deal, then let's make it even bigger."
He changed direction. He wasn't going back to Wuzhuang Temple; he was heading for Buzhou Mountain.
It was time for the Witch Clan to emerge.
Lu Chen traveled to a Witch Clan settlement on Buzhou Mountain. With the help of Zhurong Essence Blood and half a strand of Primordial Violet Qi, he earned the Ancestral Witches' trust.
Meanwhile, the battle between the five Saints had spread across the west. Spirit Mountain was shattered, and Jieyin and Zhunti were gravely wounded. Before fleeing, Kunpeng roared, "Lu Chen stole the treasures from Treasure Distribution Cliff! I have proof!"
Proof? What proof?!
Before you continue