Demonic Pangu

Suddenly, an anomaly occurred. The dark shadow, originally hidden beside Pangu and formed from malevolent qi, rapidly solidified. The black soul escaped from Pangu's grasp and burrowed into the shadow, forming a being identical in appearance to Pangu but emanating evil qi, with a bloodthirsty and murderous expression.

Demonic Pangu sneered, "You are me, and what you refuse to do, I will do. Haha." He then laughed and departed.

"How dare you, you brat!" Pangu roared, gathering his energy and striding swiftly in pursuit.

"Brother Pangu, you should rest and recover. If your injuries aren't treated promptly, the consequences will be severe. Besides, although we each possess half of the Primordial Spirit, your current power is no match for mine. It's best you don't come. If you get hurt, I won't be able to pursue the Great Dao."

Xuanhuang sighed, sensing the will of the Great Dao in the depths of his being. This was his destiny. Of the Three Thousand Demon Gods, only he and Pangu remained. He would bestow this fortune upon Pangu. He had no regrets having Pangu, his closest friend, by his side for countless eons. Perhaps it was time for him to fulfill this for Pangu. However, a monstrous wave of malevolent qi shook his mind. An aura completely opposite to Pangu's surged forth. Xuanhuang exclaimed in alarm, "Two Pangus? How is this possible!"

Gazing at the Pangu before him, filled with negative energy, he calmly asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you believe you can defeat me?"

Demonic Pangu replied, "Although my Primordial Spirit is incomplete, my understanding of the Rule of Strength is entirely intact." As he spoke, he produced the Bloodthirsty Battle Halberd, radiating boundless killing intent.

With the tip of the halberd pointed at Xuanhuang, he arrogantly declared, "You are the world's foremost defensive law, and I am the foremost offensive law. No matter how strong your defense, I will erode it bit by bit. You cannot win."

Xuanhuang stated calmly, "We will only know after a fight."

The battle between the two was largely devoid of enjoyment, akin to a tiger trying to eat a turtle. One had sharp teeth, the other a hard shell. Although the tiger couldn't devour the turtle outright, it could grind it down slowly, putting the turtle at a disadvantage.

Pangu watched as Xuanhuang gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. He didn't rush forward but pondered, feeling that something was amiss. What was it?

Pangu gripped his Sky-Opening Axe. An aura of profound rules began to form around him. He suddenly swung it towards the relentlessly descending Bloodthirsty Battle Halberd. With a resounding crash, the two forces collided. They shared the same origin, but Pangu lacked a bit of strength.

Demonic Pangu glanced at him and said, "How many more blows can you block? I am the embodiment of all malevolent qi, resentment, and evil qi. After killing Xuanhuang, I will grow stronger. Then, I will devour you, and I will become the Great Dao, controlling everything in the world."

With that, he unleashed boundless bloody light, and the Bloodthirsty Battle Halberd struck down again with speed.

Pangu spat out a mouthful of blood and roared, blocking the murderous strike once more, spitting blood again.

Demonic Pangu chuckled, "It's no use. You are merely hastening your own demise."

Pangu raised his right hand, holding the Sky-Opening Axe aloft, and said, "No, I am saving you, and saving myself. You were originally me, and I am you."

Demonic Pangu watched Pangu with amusement. "Do you think saying this will make me spare you? You are too naive."

Pangu countered, "No. You have been fighting Xuanhuang for so long. Have you noticed anything different about him?"

Demonic Pangu tapped his chin, then said in surprise, "There's nothing different. Xuanhuang is just Xuanhuang."

Pangu shook his head. "You have been fighting for so long, yet you haven't noticed how his power level is consistent with ours, even though we split into two. Have you seen him use his laws? How can he still be holding back his abilities at this critical juncture?"

Demonic Pangu asked, "Why?"

Pangu mused, "If my guess is correct, we are currently within someone else's illusion. You are me, Xuanhuang is also me, and everything here is just myself."

Demonic Pangu cackled, "What does that have to do with me? I will devour you both, and then break this illusion. This is a great opportunity for me. Otherwise, how could I have appeared in this world? Haha."

"Evil arises from the heart, existing in a single thought. You are but a wisp of my Spiritual Sense. If I do not exist, how can you?"

"Pangu, you don't need to try and scare me. I am an independent entity, and you cannot deceive me. I will devour you first, haha."

Pangu looked at the murderous attack and murmured, "Evil arises from the heart, existing in a single thought."

The surging killing intent, like a tangible force, mixed with the Rule of Strength, rushed towards him. Demonic Pangu's long halberd seemed illusory, as if passing through Pangu's body. In reality, it dissipated, followed by the arm wielding the halberd, and then the body. Finally, a roar of disbelief from Demonic Pangu echoed in his Spiritual Sense: "Impossible!"

Pangu bowed to Xuanhuang, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please!" Xuanhuang then, with a look of surprise, dissipated.

Pangu thought to himself: Truly worthy of the Illusion Law. Everything was real and visible. Fortunately, it could only simulate my memories. Otherwise, how could I have discerned the true Xuanhuang? But there were also significant gains. My mission, and the information from the Great Dao, are real.

And how should I deal with and avoid that Demonic Pangu?

If I weren't within someone else's law, I would truly want to continue. Perhaps then I could fully comprehend my own Dao.

This world is also an illusion. I shall shatter this world.

Sky Opening, Earth Splitting, Sky Rend!

Pangu was startled. These three axes had changed. They had already deviated slightly from the moves of the Rule of Strength, becoming something more akin to mastery. Yes, mastery! Each axe felt as if he were wielding the Rule of Strength himself. Had they already developed their own rules?

How is this possible!

The moment he split the Chaos, a golden light, like a beacon in the hazy sky, pierced the firmament. A sense of sudden enlightenment dawned in his mind.

Is this my mission? Is this how I am meant to shatter this Chaos?

Seeing Pangu break through Tai Xuan's Illusion Law, Tai Xuan, who was still lost in thought, suddenly clutched his head in agony. Blood flowed from all seven of his orifices. Could breaking an illusion array inflict such a severe backlash?

Not entirely. Tai Xuan was currently enduring the backlash of the Heavens Divine Fiend Great Formation. This formation placed extremely high demands on the physical strength of gods and demons. Furthermore, the Twelve Heavens Divine Fiend Great Formation originally required a considerable number of participants. Now, Tai Xuan was alone. Although its power had significantly diminished, and he hadn't gained the abilities of the Great Dao Incarnation, the backlash was still severe. Especially after being struck by Pangu's near-perfect Three Sky-Opening Axes, he was already injured, which led to the intense backlash from the Twelve Heavens Divine Fiend Great Formation.

The formation collapsed with a roar from Tai Xuan. Outside the formation, the onlookers watched the four figures fighting with grim expressions. Tai Xuan was gasping for air in the void, blood still flowing from his seven orifices, on the verge of death.

Xuanhuang remained unhurried. The Time Law was indeed powerful, but it wasn't without its weaknesses. His own Law of Non-Action could restrain it to some extent. Compared to the Great Dao Incarnation, who knew a little of every law within the Twelve Heavens Divine Fiend Great Formation, Xuanhuang's Law of Non-Action could restrain almost any law, primarily focusing on defense.

Time requires a point of motion for its existence. If Chaos were static, the chaotic energy would not expand and contract, and there would be no physical or chemical reactions. The movement of chaotic matter constructs spacetime. Therefore, the Time Law within Chaos could be considered one of the foremost.

Xuanhuang's true form was the pure energy that constituted the primordial heaven and earth. As long as heaven and earth existed, this pure energy would not disappear. If heaven and earth were destroyed, spacetime would cease to exist. Candle Dragon's Time Law, when pitted against Xuanhuang, was merely waiting for an opening.

Candle Dragon saw that the situation was unfavorable to his side. Pangu seemed to have fallen into a state of enlightenment. While still entangled with Xuanhuang, he shouted to the onlookers outside the formation, "Lei Ze, seize this opportunity and quickly destroy Pangu!"

A deity emerged, resembling a strongman, with a bare chest, two wings on his back, three eyes on his forehead, a face as red as a monkey, a long and sharp chin, feet like an eagle's, and even sharper talons. His left hand held a wedge, and his right hand held a mallet, poised to strike. Five connected drums hung around his head and sides, with one drum beneath his feet. (Excerpt from -- Ji Shuo Quan Zhen)

Lei Ze remained silent. He raised the wedge and mallet in his hands and struck them together. A distorted bolt of purple lightning, carrying a terrifying aura, descended from high above, striking directly at Pangu.

The entire Chaos seemed to be torn apart by this Divine Lightning. A vast aura of destruction descended from the heavens. The sound of impact continued, and lightning snakes writhed within the Chaos.

Pangu seemed unresponsive. The purple current coursed over Pangu's body, as solid as rock, with continuous crackling sounds, intertwining with the golden light emanating from Pangu, creating a dazzling spectacle.

One bolt struck Pangu directly on the head, instantly scorching his black hair, nearly burning it all off.

Lei Ze scratched his head, finding it incredible. He thought to himself, Is this guy an idiot, using his head to tank my lightning power? He's quite tough.

Lei Ze stopped his attack and roared at Pangu, "Hey, rock guy, how about we become friends!"

Pangu felt a pure power attacking him. His heart stirred, and he noticed the malevolent energy surrounding his body significantly decrease. This lightning power was actually a great way to counter the malevolent energy. Seeing the still-dissipating malevolent energy beside him, Pangu couldn't help but think of that Demonic Pangu. His thought of using the Green Lotus to defend himself was immediately abandoned. But then, the other party actually stopped. And he was even greeting him like this, which made Pangu want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Facing such a fellow, Pangu couldn't help but ask gently, "Why?"

Lei Ze happily replied, "You must be a good person, otherwise my Divine Lightning would have destroyed you long ago."

Even Xuanhuang, who was fighting Candle Dragon, relaxed. Was this guy too stupid or too naive? Anyone who could withstand his Divine Lightning was a good person.

Pangu stared blankly, re-examining the other party. He was revealing his true form, without any disguise. This was definitely an honest guy, completely without guile, and also a strange fellow.