Memory Torrent (Part 1)

Eastern Emperor Taiyi could walk the route from the Sun Palace to Lingxiao Palace with his eyes closed—no exaggeration there. This body had walked it tens of thousands of times; it was carved into his bones. A corridor every three steps, a turn every seven; which cloud-brick to step on, which pillar concealed the gap between patrol shifts—he knew it all inside out.

But today, Taiyi walked with exceptional care.

It was not that he did not know the way. His mind was simply too noisy. The memory fragments that had just been stuffed into the Chaos Bell were only now seeming to sober up, churning all at once. He had to steady his steps while splitting off part of his consciousness to deal with the chaos in his head.

First, steady his breathing. Inhale, sink into the dantian... no, the Great Wilderness did not have that concept. He needed to sink into the Purple Mansion. Let the True Sun Fire flow through his meridians; do not let it run wild. Damn it, controlling this power was like driving a supercar. One press on the accelerator and he could shoot into the heavens.

He deliberately slowed his pace by half a beat so he could draw his focus back in.

Memories surged up without any order. The first thing that surfaced was a scorching sensation—not pain, but the cozy warmth of soaking in a hot spring. Before his eyes flashed an endless sea of golden flames. He floated within it, beside an even brighter blaze. They were close, drawn to each other. That was Di Jun before he had taken form. The feeling was strange, like twins pressed together in the womb, knowing of each other's existence without needing words.

Born from the Sun Star—now that was a hardcore origin. The birthplace was just a little too hot. No wonder his temper had been so explosive later on.

The scene suddenly shifted. The sea of fire contracted, forming two naked human figures standing atop still-boiling lava. They looked at each other, then burst into laughter. It was wild, carefree laughter, carrying the innocence of newborns and a fearless defiance of heaven and earth. That was him and Di Jun. They named themselves and decided who would be the elder brother and who would be the younger. What followed was a chaotic stretch of days—beating every unruly Fire Spirit and Flame Demon on the Sun Star into submission, taking them in as underlings, and looting all sorts of glittering fire-element treasures. Those memories carried the joy of untamed growth: fighting, treasure hunting, exploring their own backyard. Simple and direct.

Then the flow of memories sped up with a whoosh.

They left the Sun Star and entered the true Great Wilderness. The world suddenly became so vast it made his head spin, and for the first time, he witnessed what danger truly meant. Ferocious Beast Remnants with bizarre forms, Innate Absolute Formations that could trap you without warning, and Innate Deities who, like them, had emerged from chaos but possessed increasingly eccentric tempers. He had fought countless battles and made a few friends. Gradually, the name "the two brothers of the Sun Star" spread across the Great Wilderness. Especially the younger brother—ruthless in battle, hot-tempered, and with an uncanny bell in his hand.

Later came gathering forces, founding the Demon Race, and establishing the Heavenly Court. That part of the memory was vast and noisy, like a documentary on fast-forward. Countless Demon Race faces flashed past—young demon generals who looked at him with fanatical eyes, old foxes who appeared respectful while hiding schemes in their gaze, and figures like Kunpeng, forever smiling yet chilling your spine. How Lingxiao Palace had been built brick by brick, how Di Jun and Fuxi had painstakingly pieced together the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars Formation, and all those endless disputes: which tribe should receive how many resources, which territories had clashed again... A torrent of information rushed by. Taiyi only grasped the rough outline, but he truly felt the weight of sitting at the peak of power day after day, with endless matters pressing down upon him.

Of course, most of the memories were about fighting.

Fighting the Witch Race.

Those hulking brutes had bodies unbelievably powerful. They did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit or believe in heavenly fate. They recognized only the power in their bloodlines and the earth beneath their feet. He could not remember how the first fight had started. He only remembered that fighting them had been exhilarating—and brutal. The Witch Race's twelve Ancestral Witches, especially their leader Di Jiang, were elusive and absurdly fast. He was a tough opponent. The first time the Chaos Bell had been struck with its full force in a life-and-death battle, its soundwaves shattered mountains and rivers for hundreds of miles and nearly made him cough blood as well. The scene remained crystal clear. After the battle, as he looked at the corpses of the Demon Race and Witch Race strewn across the ground, something else arose in his heart for the first time—not fear, but a heavy thing called "responsibility." Because behind him stood hundreds of millions of demons.

Every one of these memories bore the steel stamp of "Eastern Emperor Taiyi": pride, confidence, belief that fists were the ultimate truth, unconditional protection and trust toward his elder brother, and the burden of the Demon Race that he never spoke of but truly carried on his shoulders. The emotions were as potent as strong liquor, burning his throat.

Lin Yuan's little bundle of modern memories was like dust before this torrent. Yet that speck of dust stubbornly lodged itself there.

It coldly reminded Taiyi that all these glorious experiences, all this world-destroying power, all the responsibility on his shoulders, ultimately pointed toward a predetermined ending—ruin.

The Witch-Demon Calamity. Those four words were not very clear in the memories. They were more like a shadow hanging over the hearts of all the Demon Race's upper echelons: Di Jun's increasingly furrowed brow as he watched the stars, Bai Ze's habit of trailing off halfway through his words, and the killing intent in the workings of fate becoming harder and harder to conceal.

But "Lin Yuan" knew the script. Ten Suns Across the Sky, scorching the earth black. Kuafu Chases the Sun, dying of exhaustion. Houyi Shoots the Suns, and nine Golden Crows fall. Gonggong goes mad and crashes into Buzhou Mountain, causing the heavens to collapse. In the end, the Witch-Demon Final Battle leaves both sides dead, Di Jun and Taiyi perish, the Chaos Bell flies away, and the Demon Race's Heavenly Court falls apart.

He, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, would be driven into a corner in that final battle and detonate himself together with the Chaos Bell, hoping to drag a few Ancestral Witches down with him—only to have his soul scattered and destroyed.

His steps swayed almost imperceptibly.

Behind him, Shang Yang's aura remained steady. She followed three paces away without making a sound.

Taiyi steadied himself and continued walking. But the hand hidden in his sleeve had clenched into a fist, his nails digging into his palm as he used that pain to stop himself from thinking too wildly.

No wonder... the system had said it wanted him to "take revenge against the established order." This was a damn slaughterhouse assembly line! No matter what kind of Innate Deity you were, you were all sacrifices prepared by the Heavenly Dao to push forward some so-called "plot"! The Witch Race and Demon Race had to die to make room for the Human Race. And what about the Human Race afterward? Would they also have a day when they were offered up as sacrifices?

A vicious fire flared in his chest, making it hard to breathe. This was not Eastern Emperor Taiyi's wild fury against heaven and earth. It was more like the rage of Lin Yuan, an ordinary person who had discovered that his entire life had been written as a tragedy from the moment of his birth—the suffocating anger that made him want to flip the table.

To hell with the Heavenly Dao! To hell with fate!

After cursing in his heart, he inexplicably calmed down a little. What good was anger? He needed to find a way. The system was the only variable, and that "Forbidden Sign-in" sounded like precisely the kind of path that exploited loopholes.

As he pondered, another recent and clearer piece of information surfaced from his memories—

Zixiao Palace. Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Three sermons.

The memories of the first two sermons were hazy. Perhaps the original owner had been too focused then on raising his strength and seizing territory, only half-understanding those abstruse explanations of the Great Dao and merely feeling that the old man was formidable—though his lectures were rather sleep-inducing. Still, the weight carried by the name "Hongjun" and the status of "Dao Ancestor" had been branded deeply into his mind. That was a figure standing at the peak of the pyramid, looking at all living beings as though they were ants.

The important thing was that the third sermon was approaching.

In the memories, just these past few days, the Heavenly Court had received some mysterious sense—not a specific date, but a notice carried in Dao rhythm: "The time is near. Those with affinity may come hear the teachings once more." That was why Di Jun had specifically sent someone to ask during today's court assembly. His elder brother would definitely go. Fuxi and Nuwa likely could not stay away either. The Demon Race needed as many people as possible to hear this final sermon. Even if they understood one more sentence, it might mean one more chance of survival in the future.

Zixiao Palace...

Taiyi's heart stirred. This was a top-tier dungeon of the Great Wilderness. Would the system issue a mission there? The danger level would definitely be off the charts, but the rewards...

He did not dare think any further. At the same time, a chill crawled up his spine. Pulling little tricks in that place, right under the Dao Ancestor's nose? If it went wrong, there might not even be ashes left behind.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived."

Shang Yang's cool voice came from ahead and to the side, interrupting the thoughts racing through his mind.

Taiyi looked up and realized that he had unknowingly finished the last Cloud Corridor. Before him opened a boundless plaza, its ground paved with what looked like fragments of stars that gleamed with a cold, dim light. At the far end of the plaza stood a palace so immense words failed him, rising amid towering rays of rosy light. Its eaves nearly hooked the stars, and its gates stood open as if they could swallow an entire world. Endless Dao rhythm, spiritual energy, and the blended pressure of powerful Demon Race cultivators wafted from within, weighing heavily upon his chest.

Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

The heart of the Demon Race, and the place where he had signed in for the first time.

Outside the hall stood two rows of Golden-Armored Demon Generals, rigid as nails. Their auras were condensed, their gazes fixed forward. Upon seeing him, they dropped to one knee in perfect unison. Their armor scraped together with a crisp clatter, yet no one spoke. Only a killing chill remained in the air.

Taiyi took a deep breath and pressed every churning memory, every tangled emotion, every worry for the future, and that trace of ruthlessness into the deepest part of his heart. Eastern Emperor Taiyi should not have such stray thoughts. He only needed madness, pride, and faith that the power in his hands could smash through everything.

He slightly raised his chin. The caution and calculation that belonged to Lin Yuan completely faded from those molten-gold eyes, replaced by an icy contempt for all beneath heaven. His lips habitually curved downward, revealing a trace of impatient ferocity.

"Mm."

He gave a sound through his nose as a greeting. Without stopping, he walked straight toward the towering open gates, like the maw of some enormous beast.

The hem of his robe brushed across the cold floor with a soft rustle.

In his mind, the system prompt sounded on cue, still carrying that ancient, cold tone:

[Detected that the host has arrived at the sign-in location: Heavenly Court Lingxiao Treasure Hall.]

[Sign-in mission activated: During the court assembly, publicly make arrogant and defiant remarks befitting Eastern Emperor Taiyi's identity, causing at least one-third of the Demon Race higher-ups present to display intense emotional feedback such as shock or alarm.]

[Mission completion reward: one wisp of Chaos Demon God's Blood of Ferocity.]

[Good luck, host.]

Good luck?

Taiyi curled his lip inwardly. This step carried him over the excessively high threshold of Lingxiao Palace, as if crossing an invisible line.

Inside the hall, dazzling brilliance rushed toward him, along with countless gazes—some open, some hidden; some reverent, some probing.

His stage was set.

The lights came on.

It was time for the lead to take the stage.