Kun Peng and Jin Yun

Watching the chaotic demon gods acting as if possessed, an old man with a kindly face let out a long sigh. "Ah, such ignorance! Before even finding the Chosen One, they've fallen into chaos among themselves. And as for that destined one who must face the tribulation, do they truly believe he would be so easily killed by the likes of them? I only wonder, after this great calamity passes, how many of us Three Thousand Demon Gods will remain... Alas!"

"Haha, does Great Immortal Yang Mei not wish to become the master of the Great Dao?"

"This poor Daoist has never been fond of conflict. I only seek to peacefully comprehend the Great Dao within this chaos. As for killing that Chaos Demon God, I do not believe I possess such ability. What of you, Dao Lord?" Yang Mei spoke calmly, gazing at a middle-aged man who exuded an aura like that of an emperor.

"Of course not. I, Lu Ya, would rather discuss the Dao with you, Great Immortal. As long as the Dao does not destroy me, why should I involve myself in that turbulent world?" A faint bitter smile tugged at Lu Ya's lips as he murmured, "Perhaps this is the will of the Dao. We Chaos Demon Gods may be too powerful—any one of us could aspire to the Great Dao, which must surely be taboo in the eyes of the Dao. Alas! I fear that after this tribulation, not one in ten of us Three Thousand Demon Gods will remain."

Lu Ya and Yang Mei stared blankly into the depths of chaos. Would the Dao let the two of them go? Even if one did not wish to participate, escape was not guaranteed. As long as one was within this calamity, the Dao would push them forward regardless.

The entire chaos was filled with a murderous aura, and even Xuanhuang, usually calm and steady, felt a hint of panic.

"Pangu is the Chosen One destined to face the tribulation. Is this the source of the chaos slaughter? I have no desire to be the controller, nor do I wish to see living beings suffer. Where should I go?" Xuanhuang stood in a daze. "If I stay by Pangu's side, will he think I have ulterior motives? Forget it, I should leave."

"Dao friend, our bond likely ends here. After years of discussing the Dao, I have benefited greatly. I wish you well." Xuanhuang bowed to Pangu.

Pangu had grown even more robust. His taut muscles, with the slightest tremor, exuded a burst of strength. After years of discussing and sparring with Xuanhuang, he had long mastered the Law of Strength. Every swing of the Sky-Opening Axe carried the power of the Dao. He had long since crossed the threshold of a Heavenly Dao Saint, now at the late-stage Primordial Saint realm, nearing perfection.

The Nine Revolutions Chaos Golden Body Art had also been cultivated to the ninth revolution. His body's toughness could even withstand a strike from the Sky-Opening Axe without leaving a mark—though, of course, that was without the power of the Dao infused.

Pangu's aura grew even more ancient and desolate. He sighed and said, "I already know your intentions, Dao friend. May we meet again if fate allows."

Watching Xuanhuang slowly depart, Pangu roared to vent his pent-up frustration: "I, Pangu, am here! Come forth if you dare!"

This thunderous voice, accompanied by Pangu's Spiritual Sense and a majesty no less than that of the Dao, instantly enveloped the chaos.

Two Daoists racing through the chaos were abruptly halted by this pressure. The one in front said, "Brother Netherworld, this destined one is indeed no simple matter. He has already reached the perfected Primordial Saint realm. Not easy to deal with."

The man in black robes replied confidently, "Brother Yellow Springs, we too have reached the Mid-stage Hunyuan realm. With my Law of Annihilation and your Law of Death, who can survive our combined assault? Haha!"

Yellow Springs felt a surge of joy but cautioned, "Brother, do not be careless. That destined one surely possesses formidable divine abilities."

"Brother, don't undermine our own morale. With your Nine Bends Yellow Springs Great Formation, who can stand against it? I believe once that man enters, he'll turn into Corpse Water in no time."

Yellow Springs was pleased by Netherworld's flattery and said smugly, "Indeed. Heaven has placed death and annihilation in our hands. If we want someone dead, they die. This still relies on your Netherworld Heavenly Book, brother."

As the two sped closer to Pangu, the pressure they felt grew stronger. Netherworld and Yellow Springs, being masters of death, were more sensitive to it than others.

"Brother, I feel a strong aura of death ahead. Could it be..."

Yellow Springs cut him off. "Brother, you worry too much. I think this death aura means that man's end is near. Haha!"

In the chaos, heaven and earth were indistinct, and Heavenly Secrets were unclear. Finding someone was no easy task. Even with Pangu's pressure as a guide, they still had to travel. The two were still approaching Pangu from the primordial wilderness.

Before them, some lucky ones had already found Pangu.

Three Chaos Demon Gods surrounded Pangu, whether intimidated by his might or seeking an opening to strike. Among them was Kun Peng, who had once fought Jin Yun. Kun Peng was originally a speed-type god demon, and after refining Hong Hu, he had turned it into a flying-type artifact. On his way here, he had used his glib tongue to trick two other god demons into coming with him, carrying them along.

Kun Peng stared at Pangu, his heart trembling, but the temptation of becoming the master of the Great Dao gave him the courage to destroy his opponent. He shouted, "Brothers, let's attack together! Kill this man, and we can control the Great Dao!"

The two god demons, as if bewitched, raised their companion spirit treasures and used their own laws to strike at Pangu. In an instant, winds surged and clouds rolled, chaos churned. Starlight appeared from nowhere, and light manifested.

"The Law of Light is not enough. Break!" Pangu looked at the starlight power rushing toward him. The Sky-Opening Axe swept through. "Sky Rend!" This divine ability was a simple, unadorned axe strike, but it carried a profound, mysterious trajectory and force.

The chaos instantly twisted wildly. The boundless starlight shattered, the power of light dissipated. The two god demons, their realms far inferior to Pangu's, could not withstand this single strike. Their Dao vanished, their bodies perished. Two strands of Primordial Violet Qi were absorbed by the Green Lotus.

Kun Peng stared at the Green Lotus with excitement. So this treasure had such a use! What a treasure! It seemed the Primordial Violet Qi of the fallen demon gods in this chaos was all gathering within that Green Lotus.

Pangu looked at Kun Peng calmly and said, "Dao friend, you are quite calculating." Kun Peng had shouted for a joint attack but hadn't moved himself, even subtly retreating, using the two as sacrificial pawns to test Pangu's strength.

Kun Peng, thick-skinned as ever, replied, "They chose their own path. No one else is to blame. I ask you, Dao friend, you prove the Dao through strength, breaking all things in the world. Can you break my formless wind? Besides, the Dao has set you as the destined one, simply because it fears us Chaos God Demons are too powerful to control and wants us to slaughter each other. Why should we fall for it? I suggest you bring out the Primordial Violet Qi, and we'll comprehend it together, proving the Dao side by side. As for the other demon gods, we'll deal with them together."

Pangu swept his gaze over Kun Peng. "I understand your intentions, Dao friend. But let us still settle this with a fight."

Kun Peng said, "Fine! Then let me discuss the Dao with you, Dao friend, and see if I am worthy." In his heart, he thought: As long as I can obtain those foundations of the Great Dao, comprehend them, and then join forces with others to destroy you, won't I become the strongest?

Kun Peng bowed and said, "I wield the Law of Wind. The power of the Xun Wind lies in rotation, in motion, in formlessness. Be careful, Dao friend."

A fierce gale, like a tornado carrying countless razor-sharp Wind Blades and an overwhelming momentum, surged toward Pangu. But at that moment, a strange change occurred. A red light shot out from the Chaos Green Lotus and suddenly vanished into Hong Hu, which had already been refined into an artifact.

A flash of red light, and Hong Hu turned to ashes. At the same time, an aura that made Kun Peng's heart tremble emerged from the depths of chaos, yet he felt danger was right beside him.

Another red light flashed. Kun Peng felt a searing pain, his mind splitting apart. Turning his head, he saw he was gravely wounded. Shock filled him: What... what divine ability is this? Injuring someone without a trace?

A voice echoed in his Primordial Spirit: "Kun Peng, you little brat! Look at you now! It was I who wounded you! Hahaha!"

Kun Peng could hardly believe it. Stuttering, he said, "Jin Yun... Jin Yun, aren't you dead?"

Jin Yun revealed himself, now in the form of Hong Hu. He stared at Kun Peng, his eyes shooting a predatory light. Gnashing his teeth, he said, "Thanks to Dao friend Hong Hu's rebirth technique—Nirvana Rebirth! Haha!"

Kun Peng's heart turned cold. It seemed he wouldn't escape death this time. The reason Kun Peng had ambushed Hong Hu wasn't just for his Primordial Violet Qi and transformation divine ability, but because his own true form was the Fish Peng body—ultimately still a fish body—while Hong Hu was a bird body, naturally countering him. And now, gravely wounded, he had no chance. In the past, he might have put up a fight.

Hong Hu let out a piercing cry, charged at Kun Peng, and swallowed him whole. Then, with a mournful shriek, Hong Hu self-destructed.

It was actually Kun Peng's doing. As soon as he was swallowed, he sensed something was wrong. This Hong Hu contained the power of Jin Yun's clouds and the property of dissolving all things. He chose to self-destruct as well, and Hong Hu naturally could not escape.

A strand of Primordial Violet Qi drifted gently into the Chaos Green Lotus. From the chaos came Kun Peng's final divine thought: Is this karma?

Pangu stared blankly at everything that had happened. He didn't understand why the Chaos Green Lotus had produced a red light that turned into a Hong Hu and devoured Kun Peng. He extended his Spiritual Sense into the Chaos Green Lotus, only to feel an endless darkness within, dotted with many purple lights like stars. He found nothing else. Those purple stars contained many laws and cultivation methods for divine abilities, but Pangu knew they were Primordial Violet Qi.