Xiruan glared furiously at the enormous hand, opened her mouth wide, and let out a roar:
"Roar—!"
The sound stirred Tongtian's soul to its very depths.
It was like the final wail of the Three Thousand Demons as they fell, and even more like the first furious shout Great God Pangu had made when he cleaved the Chaos apart.
Such an overbearing sound had come from his own little girl's mouth!
Zixiao Palace fell utterly silent. It was as if time itself had stopped.
Tongtian stiffly raised his head. Looking past his daughter, he saw an unexpected phantom, its spine rising from the void.
It was Pangu!
That name was carved into the blood and bones of every living being in the Primeval World—the Father God before whom even the Three Pure Ones had to bow in worship!
Tongtian's scalp prickled. Every pore on his body seemed to contract in terror.
It wasn't a Dharma form! Nor was it a projection! It was Father God's will!
"Get down!"
Xiruan cried in her babyish voice, swinging her little arm in a circle and slamming it hard toward Hongjun.
Behind her, the phantom of Pangu, vast enough to break through the Chaos, made the same motion.
The Great Dao was simple; this was Ultimate Strength.
Wherever the fist passed, the earth, water, fire, and wind reappeared in an instant. The once-stable Chaos beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens silently crumbled.
In the face of this utterly ordinary-looking punch, Hongjun's enormous hand, which blotted out the sky, seemed ridiculous.
"Pfft—"
A soft sound.
Hongjun's hand, which represented the majesty of the Heavenly Dao and was powerful enough to suppress a Saint, was pierced straight through by Pangu's phantom!
Purple Qi scattered, and golden lotuses withered.
"This is... the Great Dao of Power?!"
High above, the eyes that had looked down on all living things rippled violently for the first time.
Hongjun panicked.
If it had been nothing more than immense strength, he could still have called on the Heavenly Dao to suppress it.
But this will... was the source of the Primordial World!
The little girl hadn't thrown a punch. She had thrown the entire Primordial World!
If this continued, even the Heavenly Dao would retaliate against him, its Dao Integration!
"Tongtian! Good... You hid this well!"
Hongjun's voice was no longer indifferent. It even carried a note of exasperation.
His true body turned into a vast expanse of purple Qi and fled, shrinking back into the depths of the Heavenly Dao's void.
With a loud clang, the door slammed shut again.
[ Ding! Pangu's True Body (Trial Version) has ended. ]
[ Ding! The host successfully beat up the Dao Ancestor. Reward: Premium Innate Spiritual Root—Huangzhong Li (three fruits)! ]
[ Ding! In recognition of the host's outstanding performance, an additional reward: Chaos Concealment Talisman (one)! ]
As the system's notifications faded, the terrifying phantom of Pangu vanished without a trace.
"Phew..."
Xiruan plopped down on the ground, her little face pale as she panted heavily.
"I'm so tired."
She rubbed her flat little belly. That punch had drained all the strength she'd saved up over the past few days.
She reached out and groped at the air a couple of times.
Three golden fruits, covered in flowing Great Dao inscriptions, appeared out of thin air.
Their fragrance filled the air.
Just one sniff made Tongtian feel the Saint Meridian within him, on the verge of shattering, give a faint throb.
"Dad, eat."
Xiruan struggled to her feet and shoved a fruit bigger than her fist into Tongtian's hand.
Tongtian was still in a daze.
He looked at the Huangzhong Li in his hand, a fruit that had only ever existed in legends, then at his daughter, who was stuffing another one into her mouth.
"Crunch—"
The fruit was crisp, and juice splattered everywhere.
"Th-this is Huangzhong Li?!"
Tongtian's voice trembled, and the hand holding the fruit shook violently.
A supreme treasure that could grant a mortal thirty-six thousand years of life with a sniff, and make someone a Da Luo Golden Immortal on the spot with a single bite...
And the girl was eating it as a snack?
"Mm... It's a little sour. Not as tasty as meat."
Xiruan wrinkled her little nose in distaste, but kept munching to fill her belly.
"Dad, hurry up and eat. Once we're full, we can make our escape."
Looking at his lively little daughter, Tongtian suddenly felt his eyes grow hot.
He had thought he'd reached a dead end.
The Interception Sect had fallen, his disciples had died tragic deaths, and he'd been imprisoned in Zixiao Palace with no hope of ever turning things around.
But now...
It seemed his daughter had forcefully pulled him out of the darkness.
"All right. Dad will eat."
Tongtian no longer hesitated. He took a big bite.
Surging life essence exploded inside him. His withered Saint Meridian was like parched land receiving rain, greedily absorbing the power.
Although he couldn't fully recover his Saint Position, the Heavenly Restraint had actually eased!
A short while later.
Father and daughter had each finished a fruit.
Xiruan wiped the juice from the corner of her mouth, patted her little bottom, and stood up. She hoisted the enormous Chaos Baby Bottle onto her shoulder again.
"Dad, that bad old man will definitely call for backup. We can't stay here."
She hurried to the door on her little legs.
The hole blasted open by Pangu's phantom was still there. The terrifying aura of destruction left behind kept the Heavenly Dao's laws from repairing it.
This was... the escape in the number one!
Tongtian's pupils contracted sharply.
The Great Dao had fifty, the Heavenly Dao derived forty-nine, and one escaped.
This child had punched open a sliver of hope for the Interception Sect!
"Sweetheart, outside is the Chaotic Currents. Where are we going?" Tongtian asked nervously.
Xiruan turned around, showing a row of pearly little teeth, and smiled brightly.
"There's some guy called Haotian who owes us money."
"Haotian?" Tongtian was taken aback.
"Yeah! I think his full name is... Haotian Golden Palace Supreme... Ah, it's too long. I can't remember!"
Xiruan waved her hand, looking annoyed.
"Anyway, he's a village bully! I heard his place is made entirely of gold, and he has lots of delicious peaches!"
"Let's go pick all his peaches as payment!"
Tongtian's vision went black. His legs turned weak.
Haotian?
The Jade Emperor?
The current ruler of the Three Realms?
And you're calling him a village bully?!
You're going to steal his Peaches of Immortality?!
"Ruanruan, you can't! That's the Heavenly Court. It's full of experts..."
Before Tongtian could finish speaking, Xiruan had already slipped through the hole.
"Dad, hurry up! The monkeys will steal all the peaches if we're late!"
The little girl's excited shout came from outside the hole.
"If you're bold enough, even the Jade Emperor takes parental leave!"
Tongtian stood before the hole and watched the tiny figure disappear into the Chaos. His expression was a sight to behold.
At last, he gritted his teeth, his eyes growing fierce.
"Enough! Enough! Enough!"
"If the Heavenly Dao is unjust, then what's wrong with tearing this sky apart?"
"Sweetheart, wait for Dad! I'll keep watch for you!"
The ninth heaven, Lingxiao Treasure Hall.
Immortal music drifted through the air, and auspicious clouds filled the hall.
The Jade Emperor, Haotian, sat high on his dragon throne, eyes half closed as he basked in the glory of being the supreme ruler of the Three Realms.
Suddenly—
"Roar—!"
The Qi Luck Golden Dragon coiled around a dragon pillar let out a piercing cry without warning.
Its voice brimmed with terror, as though it had sensed the arrival of some natural enemy.
Crack.
One of the legs of the Nine Dragons Supreme Chair beneath Haotian broke for no apparent reason.
The mighty Jade Emperor lurched sideways, nearly falling flat on his face in front of all the civil and military officials.
"What's going on?!"
Haotian steadied himself, his face ashen.
He made a quick calculation.
The secrets of Heaven... were in chaos.
An inexplicable chill shot up his spine and straight to the crown of his head.
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