Disguising the Dao Ancestor, the Chaos Bell Rings

To the great powers of the Primordial World, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Witch Clan had fought among themselves deep within Buzhou Mountain for ninety years. Zhu Rong and Gonggong, together with four "allied" Ancestral Witches, had fought more than three hundred battles against Dijiang's faction. Both sides suffered grievous casualties. In the end, under the "mediation" of the Dao Ancestor's phantom, they barely reached a ceasefire agreement—but the rift could no longer be repaired.

The Demon Clan's Heavenly Court had not been idle either. Di Jun had poured in every resource and finally forged version 2.0 of the Witch-Slaying Sword. On the day the sword was completed, bloody light pierced the heavens, staining the entire Eastern Sea red and wiping out all life across hundreds of millions of miles of ocean. Yet whenever Di Jun gripped the sword, he felt the violent aura within it growing heavier and heavier, so heavy that even his heart palpitated.

"Brother, is this sword... really all right?" Taiyi asked worriedly.

"It is nothing." Di Jun forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart. "This sword specifically counters the Witch Clan. Even if it has some side effects, it is worth it."

After a pause, he asked, "How is the Great Formation of the Stars optimization coming along?"

"It has been optimized according to the plan provided by that anonymous great power," Taiyi replied. "Its power has increased by thirty percent, but... something still feels wrong."

"What feels wrong?"

"I cannot put my finger on it." Taiyi frowned. "When the formation operates, it occasionally 'stutters.' It lasts only an instant, but..." He shook his head. "Perhaps I am overthinking it."

Di Jun did not pay it much mind. The hundred-year deadline was approaching, and he had no time to dwell on such details.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen was making final preparations at Wuzhuang Temple.

"On the Twelve Yuan Chen side, Chenlong, Chenhu, and Chenbao have disguised themselves as 'Kunlun Mountains independent cultivators' and registered for the first round of the final battle," Hun Yuanzi reported. "They have all suppressed their cultivation to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Peak, but their true combat strength is at the Early Quasi-Saint level. With a simplified version of the Twelve Yuan Chen Formation, taking on three opponents each will not be a problem."

"What about the Kindling Department?"

"Three thousand avengers have infiltrated the outskirts of the Buzhou Mountain battlefield in batches and set up the Demon-Trapping Formation. Once the Demon Clan army enters its range, it can trap at least thirty percent of their forces." Yan Chen took over. "In addition, the personnel placed in the Netherworld are already in position. Once the war breaks out, they will prioritize 'guiding' the dead souls of the Witch and Demon Clans—of course, those with potential, such as Ancestral Witch Essence Blood and Demon Saint souls."

Lu Chen nodded. "What about Changxi?"

"The Moonlight Disturbance Seal at the Lunar Star's core has been activated and can be detonated at any time," Hun Yuanzi said. "Also, she sent word that Di Jun has recently been frequently drawing upon the Lunar Star's origin to empower the Witch-Slaying Sword. The Lunar Star is already becoming unstable."

"Unstable is good." Lu Chen grinned. "The more unstable it is, the more spectacular the explosion will be."

He rose and walked to the center of the cave—there was a sand table there, simulating the terrain of the Buzhou Mountain battlefield.

"Tomorrow is the hundred-year deadline." Lu Chen pointed at the sand table. "According to the rules set by the Dao Ancestor, the final battle will consist of three rounds, held at the northern foot of Buzhou Mountain, in the ruins of the old battlefield."

"But there is a loophole in the rules—the Dao Ancestor only said 'Three Rounds to Determine Victory.' He never said the three rounds had to proceed 'consecutively.' In other words, there can be an intermission between each round."

Yan Chen's eyes lit up. "You mean..."

"After the first round ends, we will create an 'accident' and extend the intermission." A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "Ideally, we will drag it out until nightfall—then all the preparations we have made will have the greatest effect."

"How will we create an accident?"

Lu Chen smiled and pulled something from the Qiankun Diagram—a purple Daoist Robe, a whisk, and a... counterfeit Purple Cloud Palace token.

"This, this is..." Hun Yuanzi's eyes widened.

"The Dao Ancestor's matching skin." Lu Chen chuckled. "Once the first round ends tomorrow, I will disguise myself as the Dao Ancestor's incarnation and announce that the 'intermission will be extended by three hours.' I have even thought of the reason—'Heavenly Secrets have changed, and the fortunes and misfortunes must be calculated.'"

Yan Chen sucked in a breath. "Your courage is far too outrageous! Impersonating the Dao Ancestor—what if you are exposed...?"

"I will not be exposed." Lu Chen picked up the Daoist Robe. "I wove this robe from Chaos clouds at the outskirts of Purple Cloud Palace. It contains a trace of the Dao Ancestor's aura. The whisk is an 'imitation' I swiped from Treasure Distribution Cliff, but it looks identical. As for the token..."

He shook the counterfeit token. "I spent a hundred years studying this thing. Simulated jointly with the Chaos Brick and Morning Bell, it is convincing enough to pass for the real thing—as long as the Dao Ancestor himself does not appear, no one will notice."

Hun Yuanzi and Yan Chen exchanged a look, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

Their master had turned courting death into an art form.

"All right, make your preparations." Lu Chen put away the props. "Tomorrow, the final battle begins."

The next day, at the northern foot of Buzhou Mountain.

The ruins of the old battlefield had been cleared into an enormous flat expanse. Three arenas floated above it, corresponding to the three rounds of combat.

Around the arenas, the armies of the Witch and Demon Clans stood opposed, their murderous aura shooting into the heavens.

Above the Nine Heavens, the incarnations of the Six Saints hid among the clouds, quietly watching events unfold.

The Dao Ancestor's phantom sat high in the center and spoke indifferently:

"The hundred-year deadline has arrived. The final battle begins."

"For the first round, a three-way melee. Each side shall send three participants. The winner shall receive thirty percent of the providence. Begin."

The moment his words fell, three figures flew from the Demon Clan camp—Demon Master Bai Ze, Demon Saint Fei Lian, one of the only four remaining great Demon Saints, and a newly advanced Demon Clan Quasi-Saint, Golden Peng.

On the Witch Clan's side, Xuanming, Gou Mang, and Ru Shou took the field—the staunch supporters of Dijiang's faction.

And the third side...

Three streaks of light flew in from afar and landed on the arena, revealing three cultivators in Daoist Robes with indistinct faces. All three radiated the aura of Grand Unity Golden Immortal Peak.

"Independent cultivators Chenlong, Chenhu, and Chenbao are willing to contribute to the Human Clan." The leader cupped his hands, his voice hoarse.

They were three of the Twelve Yuan Chen, their disguises flawless.

"Granted." The Dao Ancestor's phantom nodded.

The battle began.

It was fiercer than expected, but it ended faster than expected as well.

Chenlong and the other two gave neither the Witch nor Demon Clan time to react. The instant the battle started, they formed a triangular battle formation and erupted with Quasi-Saint-level combat power! Although Bai Ze, Xuanming, and the others were also Quasi-Saints, they had been caught off guard and harbored their own agendas, leaving them suppressed from the start!

Thirty breaths later, Fei Lian was the first to be blasted out of the arena.

Fifty breaths later, Golden Peng withdrew with grievous injuries.

Seventy breaths later, Bai Ze saw that the situation was unfavorable and voluntarily conceded.

On the Witch Clan's side, Ru Shou tried to ambush Chenhu, only for Chenbao to knock him unconscious with a backhanded strike from a brick—an imitation—and throw him off the arena. Xuanming and Gou Mang struggled on until the hundredth breath, but in the end, the three joined forces and knocked them back, sending them tumbling from the arena.

The first round went to the third-party independent cultivators!

The entire venue erupted in an uproar!

"Where did these three come from?!"

"Grand Unity Peak cultivators fighting Quasi-Saints, and taking on six at once?!"

"Since when did the Human Clan have such powerful independent cultivators?!"

Di Jun and Dijiang both looked terrible—they had never expected the third-party force to be so strong.

But what shocked them even more was...

Just as the Dao Ancestor's phantom was about to announce the result, another purple figure suddenly descended from above the Nine Heavens!

This figure wore a Daoist Robe and held a whisk. Its features were indistinct, while an aura sharing the same origin as the Dao Ancestor radiated from its body!

"Wait."

The "fake Dao Ancestor" spoke, his voice ninety percent similar to the Dao Ancestor's. "The Heavenly Secrets have changed, and the murderous aura has gathered abnormally. The intermission shall be extended by three hours. Once I have calculated the fortunes and misfortunes, the second round shall proceed."

With that, he swept his whisk, and purple energy shrouded the three arenas, sealing them temporarily.

The Dao Ancestor's phantom—the real one—seemed to pause in surprise, but said nothing and slowly dissipated.

The incarnations of the Six Saints also looked puzzled, but the Dao Ancestor's aura emitted by the purple figure was too authentic. They did not dare question it.

Though Di Jun and Dijiang were unwilling, they could only obey.

Three hours... were enough to accomplish many things.

After doing all this, the "fake Dao Ancestor" dissolved into purple energy—when in reality, Lu Chen had slipped away using Brick Escape.

The moment he returned to his hiding place, Hun Yuanzi and Yan Chen rushed over.

"Master, it worked!"

"Both the Witch and Demon Clans are using every moment to adjust their tactics. The Demon Clan is urgently inspecting the Great Formation of the Stars, while the Witch Clan is reallocating Ancestral Witch combat power... None of them suspect a thing!"

Lu Chen grinned. "Good. Next..."

He looked toward Buzhou Mountain, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Detonate the first backup plan—the Lunar Star Disturbance Seal."

"Have Changxi make a 'mistake' and drain thirty percent of the Lunar Star's origin into the Great Formation of the Stars."

"I want to see how a formation with unbalanced yin and yang can still be used tomorrow."

Hun Yuanzi accepted the order and departed.

Three hours later, the sky gradually darkened.

Above Buzhou Mountain, the Great Formation of the Stars lit up ahead of schedule—the Demon Clan intended to drill the formation under cover of night in preparation for tomorrow's second round.

But the moment the formation reached thirty percent power...

BZZZZ—!!!

The Lunar Star suddenly shook violently! A massive pillar of moonlight poured down uncontrollably, injecting itself into the formation's core!

Immediately afterward, an anomaly came from the Solar Star—the Star Shifting Talisman around the little Golden Crow's neck activated, teleporting it to the Lunar Star, while a small fragment of the Solar Star's origin... vanished.

Though it was only an insignificant fragment, within the yin-yang-balanced Great Formation of the Stars, that tiny imbalance was magnified a thousandfold!

BOOM—!!!

The formation lost control! Hundreds of millions of stars ran rampant, and seventy-two of the three hundred sixty-five main star formation nodes exploded at once! The Demon Clan camp fell into chaos, suffering catastrophic casualties!

"What happened?!" Di Jun roared furiously. "Who is behind this?!"

"It... it is a problem with the formation!" Taiyi reported, coughing blood. "The yin and yang are unbalanced, and the formation nodes self-destructed!"

The Demon Clan descended into complete disorder.

On the Witch Clan's side, Dijiang watched the scene, delight flashing in his eyes—the Demon Clan had run into trouble. This was a heaven-sent opportunity!

But he did not know that...

Within Gonggong and Zhu Rong's caves, the Heavenly Demon Heart Bell was trembling violently.

Their inner demons were about to erupt completely.

Lu Chen crouched on the mountaintop, watching the chaos below with satisfaction as he nodded.

"The curtain has risen. It is time for the real show."

He took out a pocket watch—a timing artifact swiped from Treasure Distribution Cliff—and checked the time.

"Six more hours until the second round begins."

"Enough time for me to bury a few more mines."