Lu Chen had spent three days in seclusion at Wuzhuang Temple.
Over those three days, he had expanded the plans in his little notebook into three detailed lists.
The first was the Personal Strength Improvement List.
1. Refine the last missing component of the God-Slaying Spear: Blood Sea Baleful Qi. This would require sneaking into the heart of the Sea of Blood and was expected to take ten years.
2. Comprehend the ninth level of the Strength Demon God Inheritance, the Sky-Opening Imprint. This would require drawing on the ley lines of Buzhou Mountain and was expected to take thirty years.
3. Break through to the late Quasi-Saint stage. This would require an enormous stockpile of innate spiritual treasures and was expected to take fifty years.
"Tsk, I'm a little short on time." Lu Chen scratched his head. "I'll have to use a cheat."
He pulled the drop of Chaos Source Liquid from the Qiankun Diagram. He had stolen it from the inner region of Treasure Distribution Cliff years ago and had never been willing to use it.
"To hell with it." He gritted his teeth and swallowed the liquid.
"Boom—!"
The Law of Strength surged through his body. The Chaos Source Liquid transformed into pure source energy and began cleansing his flesh, soul, and even his True Spirit. It was the source essence of a Chaos Demon God, and for someone like him who cultivated the Law of Strength, its effects surpassed any pill.
Lu Chen quickly entered seclusion and focused on absorbing it.
One year in the outside world, one hundred years in the chamber (time accelerated inside the Qiankun Diagram).
A hundred years later, when he emerged from seclusion, his aura had changed completely.
Late Quasi-Saint!
The ninth level of the Law of Strength, perfected!
The Chaos Brick, God-Slaying Spear, and Morning Bell had all advanced in quality thanks to the lingering effects of the Chaos Source Liquid. The Chaos Brick showed faint signs of becoming a Chaos Supreme Treasure, the God-Slaying Spear's vicious baleful aura had been drawn in to the utmost, and the Morning Bell's command over space and time had grown even stronger.
"Feels great." Lu Chen stretched his limbs, feeling as though he could punch his former self to pieces.
Next, he took out the second list: the Faction Development List.
1. The Twelve Yuan Chen—all to break through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal within a hundred years and cultivate the joint attack formation, the Twelve Yuan Chen Formation. (Completed)
2. The three thousand avengers of the Kindling Department—all to break through to Golden Immortal within a hundred years and cultivate the Demon-Slaying Battle Formation. (Completed)
3. Place people in the Netherworld—through Lady Houtu's connections, plant thirty of "our own" in the Netherworld, in positions ranging from ghost officials to judges. (Completed)
4. Infiltrate the Demon Clan—through Changxi's connections, recruit twelve "sleeper agents" among the Demon Clan's mid-level officers. (Completed)
5. Turn the Witch Clan against itself—through the Heart Demon influence on Gonggong and Zhu Rong, win over four Ancestral Witches dissatisfied with Dijiang (Zhu Jiuyin, She Bishi, Yan Zi, and Zhu Long) and secure their agreement to "limited cooperation." (Completed)
"Not bad. Things are going smoothly." Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction.
Finally came the third list, the most important one: the Final Battle Sabotage List.
This list was long, filling three whole pages of beast hide.
Lu Chen spread it out. Hun Yuanzi and Yan Chen leaned over to look, but after just one glance, they both sucked in a sharp breath.
"Master... are you trying to tear the heavens apart?" Yan Chen's voice trembled.
"Not quite. I'm just adding a few 'surprises' to the final battle." Lu Chen grinned.
The list read:
[Target One: Great Formation of the Stars]
· Bury a Yin-Yang Reversal Talisman in the core of the Solar Star. (Completed)
· Bury a Moonlight Disturbance Seal in the core of the Lunar Star. (Completed)
· Choose 108 secondary formation nodes among the 365 main stars and implant a "delayed response" backdoor in them. (Completed in 72; the remaining 36 to be finished within a hundred years.)
[Expected Effect]: When the formation operates at full power, the balance of yin and yang will be thrown off, and the moonlight will run wild. Some nodes will respond 0.3 breaths late. This won't affect the formation's overall power, but it may "jam" at a crucial moment.
[Target Two: Great Heavenly God-Demon Array]
· Through Gonggong and Zhu Rong, implant Law Interference Seeds in the remaining Ancestral Witches. (Completed)
· Bury a Sha Qi Drainage Pipe beneath Pangu Hall, the foundation of the Great Heavenly God-Demon Array, to divert some of its power into the ley lines. (Completed)
[Expected Effect]: When the Pangu True Body takes form, its coordination of laws will drop by 15%, and its duration will be shortened by 20%. Some of its power will be diverted, reducing its strength.
[Target Three: The Top Fighters on Both Sides]
· Di Jun: The Witch-Slaying Sword 2.0 has been implanted with Chaos Demon God Grudge Blood 2.0 (enhanced version). The day the sword is completed, it will inevitably backfire. (Completed)
· Dijiang: Through Gonggong and Zhu Rong, mix a wisp of Heart Demon Origin into his healing pills. It will surely take effect within a hundred years. (Completed)
· Taiyi: Implant a "self-destruct program" in the Chaos Bell Replica, which can be remotely detonated at a crucial moment. (Completed)
· Other Ancestral Witches and Demon Saints: Each has received a "little gift," ranging from malfunctioning magic treasures to techniques backfiring on their users. (Mostly completed)
[Target Four: The Battlefield]
· Bury 360 Earth Vein Bombs beneath the battlefield at Buzhou Mountain. They can be detonated at any time to sow chaos. (Completed)
· Set up a Mist Formation above the battlefield to disrupt spiritual-sense detection. (Completed)
· Place Teleportation Traps around the battlefield's perimeter to randomly send anyone who stumbles into them to places across the Primordial World—including dangerous places like the Sea of Blood and the Return Ruins. (Completed)
[Target Five: Third-Party Forces (Backup)]
· If the situation spirals out of control, summon the Kindling Department to mop up the battlefield.
· If the Saints interfere too much, release the Compendium of Six Saints' Scandals to sow discord among them.
· If Dao Ancestor Hongjun personally intervenes... well, that one is still undecided.
Hun Yuanzi fell silent for a full half-incense stick after reading the list.
"Master," he finally said, his voice hoarse, "have you ever thought about how many living beings might die if all these arrangements go off at once?"
"I have." Lu Chen's voice was calm. "But if I do nothing, just as many will die in the Witch-Demon Final Battle. Maybe more. And it'll be a one-sided slaughter."
"I'm doing this to make the war a little 'fairer,' to throw a wrench into both sides' trump cards and keep the outcome in doubt until the end." He paused. "More importantly, only then can I pick up the most 'scraps' after the battle."
Hun Yuanzi: "..."
That last part was the real reason, wasn't it?
"All right, don't overthink it." Lu Chen put away the list. "We've still got one last thing to do in the next hundred years."
"What?"
"Go find Dao Ancestor Hongjun and sound him out." A glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "I bet he's already decided the specific rules for the final battle. He just hasn't announced them yet. We need to find out in advance so we can prepare accordingly."
"Would Dao Ancestor Hongjun tell us?"
"If he doesn't, we can make an educated guess." Lu Chen smiled. "For example, I could camp outside Purple Heavens Palace and watch who goes in and out, what expressions they wear, what they say... I'm sure I can piece together some information."
Hun Yuanzi was impressed.
His master was so good at gathering intelligence. It would be a waste if he didn't become a spy.
Three days later, Lu Chen, carrying his brick, crouched in the Chaos clouds around Purple Heavens Palace.
He didn't dare get too close. This was Dao Ancestor Hongjun's territory; even the Saints wouldn't dare act recklessly here.
But watching from afar was fine.
Over the next year, he saw the following:
Lao Tzu went in and out three times. Each time, he came out expressionless, but with a little more thought in his eyes.
Yuanshi went in and out twice. When he came out the second time, his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were unhappy about something.
Tongtian went in once. When he came out, he was cursing and muttering, as though he'd argued with someone.
Nuwa went in and out twice. The first time she came out, worry showed on her face. The second time, her expression was resolute.
Jieyin and Zhunti went in and out most often—seven times in all. Each time, they went in with fawning smiles and came out smiling even more broadly.
"Looks like the rules have been decided, and... the Six Saints don't quite agree." Lu Chen stroked his chin as he analyzed the situation. "Lao Tzu is weighing his options, Yuanshi is unhappy, Tongtian is opposed, Nuwa is worried, and Jieyin and Zhunti... probably got something out of it."
He kept watch for another six months. At last, the key figures showed up—
Di Jun and Dijiang were summoned to Purple Heavens Palace at the same time.
Both looked solemn when they went in. When they came out... they looked even more solemn.
"Looks like the rules are bad for both of them." Lu Chen's eyes lit up. "Interesting."
He used Brick Escape to follow Dijiang and overheard the Witch Clan leader speaking with Zhu Jiuyin:
"Dao Ancestor Hongjun has decided on 'Three Rounds to Determine Victory.'" Dijiang's voice was low. "In the first round, each side sends out three fighters for a melee. The winner gets thirty percent of the fortune. In the second round, the leaders of both sides duel. The winner gets forty percent. In the third round... both armies fight to the death. The winner gets the remaining thirty percent of the fortune."
"Win all three rounds, and you get all the fortune. Lose one round, and you lose a portion."
Zhu Jiuyin frowned. "This is bad for us. The Demon Clan has the advantage in numbers. In the first round, they can wear us down by sending fighters one after another."
"That's not all." Dijiang gritted his teeth. "Dao Ancestor Hongjun also ruled that participants must 'volunteer.' No one can be forced to fight. The Witch Clan is divided internally right now. There aren't many Ancestral Witches willing to fight."
Lu Chen's heart stirred.
Volunteers?
Didn't that mean he could plant "third-party" fighters to stir things up?
"The rules are set. They'll take effect in a hundred years." Dijiang sighed. "We have to resolve our internal problems during that time."
"What about Zhu Rong and Gonggong..."
"Fight!" A fierce glint flashed in Dijiang's eyes. "We'll fight until they submit!"
The two left.
Crouched in the clouds, Lu Chen's eyes shone with excitement.
Three rounds to determine victory... volunteers...
These rules might as well have been designed just for him!
"I'll have to revise the list." He pulled out his notebook and began scribbling an addendum.
[New Target: The Three Rounds of the Final Battle]
· First-round melee: Send three of the Twelve Yuan Chen to pose as rogue cultivators offering their help.
· Second-round duel between leaders: Make some final adjustments to Di Jun's and Dijiang's weapons and techniques to ensure they both suffer serious injuries.
· Third-round battle between armies: Trigger every contingency and create maximum chaos, then... pick up the scraps!
When he was done, he closed the notebook with satisfaction.
"A hundred years. The last stretch of preparation."
"The final battle of the Primordial World, here I come!"
Brick Escape activated, and his figure vanished into Chaos.
Inside Purple Heavens Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun watched Lu Chen's departing figure in the water mirror and shook his head with an amused smile.
"That boy really is audacious."
"Oh, well. This game of chess will be lively with him in it."
He swept his horsetail whisk, and the Heavenly Secrets fell into disorder once more.
The hundred-year countdown had begun.
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