Life and Death Illusionary Realm

The Grand Xuan Daoist felt a power within the great formation that opposed him, making it increasingly difficult to control. A sense of powerlessness grew clearer. However, he could only rely on himself if he controlled the formation; the opponent's strength was not something he could easily contend with.

Though anxious, the Grand Xuan Daoist hadn't used his divine abilities yet – those were his true reliance.

"Illusion - Illusion of Death"

Pangu saw the Grand Xuan Daoist transform into a vast expanse of black mist, lunging towards him. The black mist blurred his vision, and he found himself in a completely black space.

A black sky, a black earth, and black currents flowed everywhere within this black space.

Suddenly, the ground changed. A volcano rapidly formed beside him and erupted. The rumbling sound exploded in his ears as black lava surged towards him, and boundless heat seared his skin.

As the volcano erupted, the earth quickly cracked open, spewing black smoke mixed with countless poisonous gases straight into the sky.

Pangu swiftly dodged the black mist and lava flows, but with every step he took on the ground, he felt a toxic heat emanating from beneath his feet, along with a burning sensation on his skin.

"Thirsty, so thirsty." A feeling of thirst arose in his heart. The moisture within his body was rapidly depleting, his skin began to crack, and blood spurted from the fissures, drying and flaking off instantly.

His entire body felt as if it were burning. A flame ignited within his heart, a desire to burn himself. This flame was uncontrollable, growing larger and larger. External heat and internal heat, the heat flowed through his meridians, taking away his vitality and life force every second.

He felt exhausted, his body bent over, panting heavily. Every breath was difficult, the hot air irritating his throat and scorching his internal organs.

His steps grew slower, his eyelids heavier. The lava began to melt his feet; he was powerless, unable to lift his feet, no longer feeling pain.

But I want to live, I cannot die. Struggling, he straightened up and roared at the sky, "I will die standing, even if I have to die!" A will to live surged, like a cool sensation injecting into his parched body, and his vitality suddenly reappeared. The Chaos Golden Body Art circulated rapidly within him, healing his scorched skin and quickly dispelling the pain.

"You have been abandoned by the Great Dao. The Great Dao wishes to destroy you. Heavenly punishment." Pangu, now much clearer-headed, heard a voice in his mind.

The black mist drifting in the air quickly condensed, forming ropes that bound the sky. With a rattling sound, they lunged towards Pangu. Instantly, Pangu's limbs, head, and body were ensnared by these ropes. Mysterious patterns appeared on the chains, and the more Pangu struggled, the tighter they became, especially the one around his head, which felt like it would crush his skull.

"This is the Sky-Trapping Rope. It can bind the sky, seal the earth, and restrict gods. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets."

Pangu mobilized his Primordial Spirit, only to find it blocked by a large net. His Primordial Spirit writhed within the net, and he couldn't extract even a sliver of his magical power.

"Since I have been abandoned by the Great Dao, then let me perish along with this space."

As the voice faded, a rift tearing through heaven and earth appeared out of nowhere. The ground rapidly collapsed. After the volcanoes erupted, the land crumbled, disappearing bit by bit.

The sky was the same, collapsing and vanishing, leaving him with less and less space. When the rift that had split heaven and earth reached him, he would turn to nothingness, just like this time and space.

He struggled. Was he just going to wait for death? Could his divine abilities not even repair this collapsing sky?

What should I do? I shouldn't die here, and I can't. I haven't even comprehended my own Dao yet. And there's so much information about the Dao within the Chaos Green Lotus that I haven't had time to study. Right, my Chaos Green Lotus.

At that moment, a green energy shot towards his brow. His brow felt a coolness, and the net blocking his Primordial Spirit vanished. This was just a space; if he could break it, he could escape. What did this collapse have to do with him? If it's a sky, then I will open the sky.

"Sky Opening!"

Pangu used his Primordial Spirit to control the Sky-Opening Axe. With one swing, he cleaved across the entire sky, even splitting the encroaching rift in two.

He opened his eyes to see a sight filled with red Killing Qi.

Xuanhuang's concerned voice echoed in his mind: "Fellow Daoist Pangu, wake up quickly. You've fallen into that person's illusion."

Pangu looked at Xuanhuang, still fighting nearby, and felt a surge of emotion. With a friend like this, what more could he ask for?

He recalled scenes of cultivating with Xuanhuang.

"The Dao is in the heart. Perceive with your heart, and the truth will reveal itself."

"The Dao follows nature. Go with the flow. If there is Dao in your heart, the Dao will manifest itself."

Pangu listened intently to Xuanhuang's thoughts on comprehending the Dao. He knew he had a mission from birth, connected to the Three Thousand Demon Gods born in Chaos.

What was his connection to the Three Thousand Demon Gods? Why did the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods come into being? Why were we demon gods born, each with world-shattering abilities?

He calmed his mind and listened.

"When the Great Dao was first established, heaven and earth were incomplete, all things did not exist, and there was only silence. What meaning did that hold? I evolved you from myself, perfected myself, and then sought you to evolve yourselves and perfect the Great Dao."

"There are myriad things in heaven and earth, but where did heaven and earth come from? What are the laws? How do the laws operate?"

"To evolve all things, the problem of the Chaos Demon Gods must be resolved. I am not some Chosen One, but a person destined for this tribulation. It's not that the Great Dao fears us Chaos Demon Gods, but rather that it seeks to find the Chosen One among us to help evolve the Great Dao and perfect it."

"Since that is the case, I will help you. Let's see who comprehends the Dao first, you or me."

Pangu opened his eyes and glanced at Xuanhuang, who was still meditating with his eyes closed. He sighed in his heart, "Perhaps the person before me is the Chosen One."

He woke Xuanhuang and told him his thoughts.

Xuanhuang was startled and suddenly seemed to comprehend. "Alright, my Dao is to follow nature. Then I will pursue the Great Dao with you, fellow Daoist."

Pangu and Xuanhuang fought their way through, one attacking, the other defending, their coordination seamless. With one axe strike, few demon gods could remain whole.

However, they also accumulated much Killing Qi. As the slaughter intensified, the Killing Qi began to take form. Furthermore, the resentments of the innocent demon gods who perished constantly swirled around Pangu, gradually merging with the Killing Qi.

In Chaos, demon gods gradually perished, and the Killing Qi grew into a tangible form, but it remained hidden around Pangu, influencing him from time to time.

Xuanhuang was fortunate, protected by his Xuanhuang Qi, and was not corrupted. Seeing the gradually changing Pangu, he felt a sense of foreboding and a great threat.

"Fellow Daoist Pangu, I feel something strange about this. Those demon gods are too weak. We seem to have fallen into someone's scheme."

Pangu frowned. "What's so unusual about this? They are merely small fries. Who could scheme against me? There are only one or two more demon gods left. Once we finish them, we will attain the Great Dao."

He strode forward, leaving Xuanhuang, who was still contemplating, far behind.

This was a strange space, unlike the boundless black and white of Chaos. It had light and color. White clouds drifted, green landscapes reflected the sky; there were flowers and grass, verdant pine trees, and vibrant red blossoms; there were mountains and water, serene green mountains, and sparkling water; there were cute, unseen creatures, deer calling, cranes dancing, tigers roaring, and apes hooting; there were even extremely ugly creatures, venomous insects rustling, fierce beasts hissing.

Pangu was stunned. What place was this? How could it be so beautiful? He even felt a sense of disgust towards his home, Chaos, which was monotonous, dull, and utterly uninteresting.

"No, how can I let such a beautiful scene exist? I will destroy it." His originally peaceful face suddenly became ferocious, and he shouted madly, "Yang Mei, I will destroy your dojo."

Yang Mei's space laws were extraordinary; he could transform into a space and his true form was the Hollow Willow Tree, capable of collecting all treasures in the world. Unfortunately, the power law of the Sky-Opening Axe was his nemesis. Facing Pangu's Three Sky-Opening Axes, his true form was shattered, and his Grand Unity Immortal realm was no match, leading to his immediate demise.

At this moment, earth-shattering thunder roared in the Chaos. Pangu, who had calmed down, received a piece of information in his mind. His consciousness struggled violently, Why? Why would they do this to me?

Pangu glared into the depths of the Chaos, a monstrous hatred erupting from him.

It turned out that the Great Dao had given Pangu a message: he must eliminate Xuanhuang to prove the Great Dao and become the supreme controller.

Xuanhuang and I have known each other for countless eons. How can I possibly lay a hand on him?

At this moment, Pangu felt an unbearable splitting headache. A voice echoed in his mind, "To achieve great things, how can you be indecisive? If he doesn't die, he's nothing but an ant in this Chaos."

"No, no, I refuse."

"You have cultivated for eons, what was it all for? Why did you fight the three thousand God Demons? Do you know what your mission is? You can't lie to yourself. You must destroy the other Chaos God Demons, break open the Chaos, and evolve a perfect world with immortals and spirits, with all things and all beings. You cannot escape."

"No, no, I cannot agree!" Pangu roared, clutching his head. "Who are you? Come out!"

Pangu pounded his head forcefully. His iron fists, capable of fighting the heavens, struck his skull again and again. Compared to the pain in his heart, the physical pain was negligible.

"I can help you. You don't need to resist. Just give up. It will be easy once you let go."

Suddenly, a pair of giant hands appeared in Pangu's mind, grabbing half of his Primordial Spirit and violently pulling it out of his body. He spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at the struggling black spiritual body in his hand, chuckling foolishly, "I'd rather be incomplete than let you control me. Go!" With that, he used his laws to destroy it.