The Checklist Is Ready, Audacious To The Extreme

Lu Chen secluded himself in Wuzhuang Temple for three days.

Over those three days, he refined the plans in his little notebook into three lists.

The first: Personal Strength Enhancement List

1. Refine the final missing "Blood Sea Baleful Qi" of the God-Slaying Spear—must infiltrate the core of the Sea of Blood, estimated time: ten years.

2. Comprehend the ninth level of the Strength Demon God Inheritance, the "Sky-Opening Imprint"—must draw upon the earth veins of Buzhou Mountain, estimated time: thirty years.

3. Break through to the late Quasi-Saint stage—requires a massive stockpile of innate spiritual treasures, estimated time: fifty years.

"Damn, time's a little tight." Lu Chen scratched his head. "I'll have to cheat."

He pulled out the drop of "Chaos Source Liquid" from the Qiankun Diagram—it had been stolen from the core area of Treasure Distribution Cliff back then, and he had never been willing to use it.

"To hell with it." Gritting his teeth, he swallowed the source liquid.

"Boom—!"

The Law of Strength within his body began circulating frantically. The Chaos Source Liquid transformed into pure origin power and began washing over his flesh, soul, and even his True Spirit. This was the essence of a Chaos Demon God's origin; for someone cultivating the Law of Strength, it was more effective than any pill.

Lu Chen hurriedly entered seclusion and focused all his effort on digesting it.

One year outside equaled a hundred years inside the cultivation chamber, thanks to the Qiankun Diagram's time acceleration.

A hundred years later, when he emerged, his aura had changed completely.

Late Quasi-Saint!

The ninth level of the Law of Strength had reached great completion!

The three supreme treasures—the Chaos Brick, God-Slaying Spear, and Morning Bell—had also risen another level in quality through the residual effects of the Chaos Source Liquid. The Chaos Brick showed faint signs of advancing into a Chaos Supreme Treasure, the God-Slaying Spear's vicious baleful aura had become utterly restrained, and the Morning Bell's spacetime power had grown even stronger.

"Feels great." Lu Chen stretched his limbs, feeling as though one punch could blow apart his former self.

Next, he took out the second list: Faction Deployment List

1. Twelve Yuan Chen—within a hundred years, all would break through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal and cultivate the combined formation known as the "Twelve Yuan Chen Formation." (Completed)

2. Three thousand avengers of the Kindling Department—within a hundred years, all would break through to Golden Immortal and cultivate the "Demon-Slaying Battle Formation." (Completed)

3. Place personnel in the Netherworld—through Lady Houtu's connections, place thirty "our people" in the Netherworld, with posts ranging from ghost officers to judges. (Completed)

4. Infiltrate the Demon Clan—through Changxi's channels, develop twelve "sleeper agents" among the Demon Clan's middle-ranking commanders. (Completed)

5. Turn the Witch Clan from within—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 reach an agreement for "limited cooperation." (Completed)

"Not bad. Things are progressing smoothly." Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction.

Finally came the third list, and the most important one: 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 both leaned over to look. After one glance, the two of them sucked in a cold breath.

"Main body... are you trying to punch a hole through the heavens?" Yan Chen's voice trembled.

"Not quite. I'm just adding a few 'surprises' to the final battle." Lu Chen grinned.

The list read as follows:

[Target One: Great Formation of the Stars]

· Bury "Yin-Yang Reversal Talismans" in the core of the Solar Star. (Completed)

· Bury "Moonlight Disturbance Seals" in the core of the Lunar Star. (Completed)

· Among the formation nodes of the three hundred and sixty-five primary stars, select one hundred and eight secondary nodes and implant "delayed response" backdoors. (Seventy-two completed; the remaining thirty-six must be completed within a hundred years.)

[Expected Effect]: When the formation operates at full power, yin and yang will become imbalanced, moonlight will run wild, and some formation nodes will respond 0.3 breaths late. It will not affect the overall power, but at critical moments, it may "freeze up."

[Target Two: Great Heavenly God-Demon Array]

· Through Gonggong and Zhu Rong, implant "Law Interference Seeds" in the remaining Ancestral Witches. (Completed)

· Beneath Pangu Hall, the foundation of the Great Heavenly God-Demon Array, install "Sha Qi Drainage Pipes" capable of diverting part of the formation's power into the earth veins. (Completed)

[Expected Effect]: When the Pangu True Body forms, law coordination will decrease by 15%, and its duration will be shortened by 20%. Part of the formation's power will be diverted, weakening its might.

[Target Three: Top-Level Combatants on Both Sides]

· Di Jun: Version 2.0 of the Witch-Slaying Sword has been infused with "Chaos Demon God Grudge Blood 2.0," an enhanced version. The day the sword is completed, it will inevitably backlash against him. (Completed)

· Dijiang: Through Gonggong and Zhu Rong, mix a strand of "Heart Demon Origin" into his healing pills. It will flare up within a hundred years. (Completed)

· Taiyi: Implant a "self-destruction program" into the Chaos Bell Replica. It can be remotely detonated at a crucial moment. (Completed)

· Other Ancestral Witches and Demon Saints: Each has received a "small gift," ranging from malfunctioning treasures to cultivation technique backlash. (Mostly completed)

[Target Four: Battlefield Environment]

· Bury three hundred and sixty "Earth Vein Bombs" beneath the Buzhou Mountain battlefield. They can be detonated at any time to create chaos. (Completed)

· Set up a "Mist Formation" above the battlefield to interfere with divine-sense scouting. (Completed)

· Set "Teleportation Traps" around the battlefield's edge, randomly sending those who stumble into them to locations throughout the Primordial World, including dangerous places such as the Sea of Blood and Return Ruins. (Completed)

[Target Five: Third-Party Forces (Backup)]

· If the situation gets out of control, summon the Kindling Department to enter and harvest the aftermath.

· If the Saints interfere too heavily, release the Compendium of Six Saints' Scandals and create conflict among the Saints.

· If the Dao Ancestor personally enters the field... well, this one is pending.

After reading the list, Hun Yuanzi remained silent for the time it took half an incense stick to burn.

"Main body," he finally said, his voice dry, "have you considered how many living beings will die if all these arrangements go off at once?"

"I have." Lu Chen's voice was calm. "But even if I do nothing, the Witch-Demon Final Battle will still kill this many living beings, perhaps even more. And it will be a one-sided slaughter."

"I'm doing this to make the war a little more 'fair,' to make both sides' trump cards go wrong, and to keep the outcome uncertain until the very end." He paused. "More importantly—only then can I pick up the most 'trash' after the battle."

Hun Yuanzi: "..."

That last sentence was what he really meant, wasn't it?

"Enough, don't overthink it." Lu Chen put away the list. "We still have one final thing to do during these hundred years."

"What is it?"

"Go find the Dao Ancestor and test the waters." A sharp gleam flashed through Lu Chen's eyes. "I'm guessing the Dao Ancestor has already decided the specific rules for the final battle, even if he hasn't announced them yet. We need to know in advance so we can make targeted arrangements."

"Will the Dao Ancestor tell us?"

"If he doesn't, we can guess." Lu Chen smiled. "For example, I can squat outside Purple Cloud Palace and observe who comes and goes, what expressions they wear, and what they say... I'll eventually piece together some information."

Hun Yuanzi was impressed.

His main body's intelligence-gathering ability would be wasted if he did not become a spy.

Three days later, Lu Chen carried his brick and squatted within the Chaos clouds outside Purple Cloud Palace.

He did not dare get too close—the Dao Ancestor's territory was not a place even Saints dared act recklessly.

But observing from afar was still possible.

Over the following year, he saw this:

Lao Tzu entered and left three times. Each time he emerged expressionless, but there was more contemplation in his eyes.

Yuanshi entered and left twice. When he emerged the second time, his brow was tightly furrowed, as though dissatisfied with something.

Tongtian entered and left once. He came out cursing under his breath, seemingly having argued with someone.

Nuwa entered and left twice. The first time she came out, concern colored her expression. The second time, her gaze was resolute.

Jieyin and Zhunti came and went most frequently, a full seven times. Every time they went in wearing ingratiating smiles, and every time they came out smiling even more broadly.

"Looks like the rules have already been decided, and... the six Saints aren't in complete agreement." Lu Chen stroked his chin as he analyzed. "Lao Tzu is weighing his options, Yuanshi is dissatisfied, Tongtian is opposed, Nuwa is worried, and Jieyin and Zhunti... they probably got some benefits."

He continued squatting there for another half year before the key figures finally arrived—

Di Jun and Dijiang were summoned into Purple Cloud Palace at the same time.

Their expressions were grave when they went in, and when they came out... they were even graver.

"Looks like the rules are unfavorable to both of them." Lu Chen's eyes lit up. "Interesting."

Using Brick Escape, he followed Dijiang and eavesdropped on the Witch Clan leader's conversation with Zhu Jiuyin.

"The Dao Ancestor has decided on 'Three Rounds to Determine Victory.'" Dijiang's voice was low. "In the first round, each side sends three people into a free-for-all. The winners gain thirty percent of the providence. In the second round, the leaders of both sides duel, and the winner gains forty percent of the providence. In the third round... the full armies engage in decisive battle, and the winner gains the remaining thirty percent."

"Win all three rounds and gain all the providence. Lose one round, and you lose part of it."

Zhu Jiuyin frowned. "That's unfavorable to us. The Demon Clan has the advantage in numbers. In the first free-for-all, they can wear us down through repeated battles."

"That's not all." Dijiang gritted his teeth. "The Dao Ancestor also decreed that participants must 'volunteer'; forced conscription is forbidden. Our Witch Clan is divided internally right now. There aren't many Ancestral Witches willing to fight..."

Lu Chen's heart stirred at those words.

Volunteer?

Didn't that mean he could insert a "third party" to stir things up?

"The rules are set. They will be carried out in a hundred years." Dijiang sighed. "Over these hundred years, we have to solve our internal problems."

"What about Zhu Rong and Gonggong...?"

"Fight!" Ruthlessness flashed through Dijiang's eyes. "Beat them until they submit!"

The two departed.

Lu Chen squatted in the clouds, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Three Rounds to Determine Victory... voluntary participation...

These rules were practically tailor-made for him!

"I need to revise the list." He pulled out his little notebook and began rapidly writing supplementary plans.

[New Target: Three Rounds of the Final Battle]

· First-round free-for-all: Insert three members of the Twelve Yuan Chen, disguised as independent cultivators "lending a hand."

· Second-round leader duel: Make final adjustments to Di Jun and Dijiang's weapons and cultivation techniques, ensuring that both are seriously injured.

· Third-round full-army decisive battle: Detonate every hidden move, create the greatest possible chaos, then... pick up trash!

After writing it down, he closed the notebook with satisfaction.

"One hundred years. The final period of preparation."

"Primordial World final battle, here I come!"

Brick Escape activated, and his figure vanished into Chaos.

Inside Purple Cloud Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun watched Lu Chen's departing back through a water mirror and shook his head with a smile.

"This kid really is audacious beyond measure."

"So be it. This game of chess will only be lively enough with him in it."

With a gentle sweep of his whisk, the Heavenly Secrets became chaotic once more.

The hundred-year countdown began.