Retreat!

Heavenly Realm, Hundred Graves Mountain.

Inside an ordinary wooden house, Xiao Zhou Yu lay on a wooden couch and slowly opened his eyes.

"Sister?" Little Zhou Yu looked at the pretty face with bright eyes and white teeth that suddenly appeared in front of him, and thought it was his sister Xi Yue.

"Call me sister?" Xiangcao giggled. "I call your father brother, you should call me aunt."

"Auntie?" Little Zhou Yu looked around in confusion.

Unfamiliar environment, unfamiliar people...

Besides the girl who asked her to call her aunt, there was also a strange man dressed in purple with a gentle smile on his face.

Squeak~~~

The door to the wooden house opened from the outside, and as soon as Xiao Zhou Yu saw the person who came in, he immediately smiled and said, "Father."

The man who entered was dressed in a black robe; he was Zhou Hao, or rather, a fragment of Zhou Hao's flesh and blood incarnation.

"Father, did you bring me here?" Little Zhou Yu jumped up from the wooden bed and ran barefoot to Zhou Hao's side.

In his young heart, as long as he was by his father's side, he had nothing to fear; his father was the most powerful person in the world.

"Hmm." Zhou Hao reached out and gently stroked the top of Zhou Yu's head. After checking his body with his spiritual sense and finding nothing wrong, he breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly, "Your mother, aunt, and sister are all cultivating in Jade Pool. Your father was worried that you would be lonely, so he brought you here to meet your aunt, Xiangcao."

"She really is my aunt." Although Xiao Zhou Yu was puzzled and had never heard of his father having a sister, since his father said so, then it must be her. He immediately called out obediently, "Aunt Xiangcao."

"Okay, good girl." Xiangcao had always been the youngest in Hundred Graves Mountain, and she was incredibly excited to suddenly have an even younger little one calling her aunt.

Especially since the little guy is the son of the 'Heavenly Emperor Brother' whom he felt an extraordinary affinity with at first sight.

"Brother Heavenly Emperor, I'll take Zhou Yu to pick some fruit to eat." Xiangcao ran over and took Zhou Yu's little hand.

Zhou Yu looked up at his father, his small eyes filled with earnestness.

He has become much more sensible since being taught by the Northern Land Immortal Elder, and at least he knows to listen to his father when he is out in the world.

"Go ahead," Zhou Hao nodded with a smile, "Listen to Aunt Xiangcao, and don't cause trouble."

"Mmm." Xiao Zhou Yu nodded repeatedly.

The two little figures ran out hand in hand, leaving only Zhou Hao and the purple-clad man, ' Master Hengmu, ' inside the wooden house.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou Hao, please have a seat." The Master Hengmu waved his hand, and two futons and a wooden table appeared out of thin air on the wooden couch.

On the wooden table were a wine jug and two purple wooden cups.

"Since we walk different paths, let's skip the drinking," Zhou Hao said calmly. "This clone of mine will live in a hut in the Hundred Graves Mountain with Yu'er. With your Hengmu realm and strength, you shouldn't worry about me taking Yu'er away, right?"

Zhou Yu was only a few years old and had not yet developed a clear sense of right and wrong. At this time, how could Zhou Hao feel at ease leaving him alone on Hundred Graves Mountain, allowing the powerful figures of the Wujian Gate to get close to him?

To put it bluntly, when parents and children are separated for a long time, especially when the child is young, the debt of giving birth may not outweigh the debt of raising.

He didn't want his son to become close to the Wujian Gate ten years later, and instead turn against Nuwa Faction.

As for the invitation from the Master Hengmu, whether he was sincere or not, since we belong to different camps, we will eventually have to fight to the death, so why bother to build a friendship now?

Watching Zhou Hao turn and leave on his own, the Master Hengmu shook his head helplessly.

"I really want to go back to the past. To study formations with Fuxi, to explore magic and supernatural powers with the Sanqing and Rulai..."

He dislikes fighting.

Even when he was still in the Wujian Chaosworld, he only liked to study things that interested him.

If he had harbored ambitions to conquer the world, the Heart Demon Lord would likely have found it difficult to truly unify the original Wujian Chaosworld.

Even now, who knows the bitterness in his heart?

"What is the source of this catastrophe? Is it inner demons, or yet another ' Lord of All Things '...?"

The Master Hengmu stood there lost in thought for a moment, and only his long sigh echoed in the wooden house.

Inside the Red Dust Immortal Mansion.

A gurgling sound kept coming from the flower bed.

Ao Xiaobao and Ou Huang lay by the flower bed, watching the pool full of spiritual liquid disappear at a visible speed. The two little guys were so anxious that they scratched their heads and cheeks.

Time passed.

When only a little emerald green spiritual liquid remained at the bottom of the flower bed, all twelve of Zhou Hao's clones opened their eyes simultaneously.

"It's done." All twelve of Zhou Hao's clones looked at their palms at the same time, and the Divine Pattern of the Great Chaos Hole Palm appeared on their hands.

Not only that.

The pure Yang golden cores, divine souls, and divine power within the twelve Zhou Hao bodies were all exactly the same as the original body before cultivating the <Twelve Dutian Gods and Devils>. The only difference was that the yellow-robed clone had Blue Flower Blue Flower inside, while the other white-robed clones did not.

"Unless there is a life-or-death crisis in the future, it would be safer for Blue Flower's clone to remain hidden in the Immortal Mansion."

Even if the other clones perish, they can be restored by consuming some chaotic treasures such as the Returning Void Coldwater and the Seven-Colored Flowing Light Stone. Even if there are not enough treasures to prepare the spiritual liquid, they can still cultivate back the lost clones by slowly cultivating.

But if the clone that possesses the Blue Flower were to perish, causing one to lose the Blue Flower forever, the loss would be enormous.

As Zhou Hao's strength increased, his awe of Blue Flower porcelain grew stronger.

It's important to know that when he was weak, Blue Flower could help him fight across ranks.

Now that his strength has reached the level of a top-tier True God Dao Ancestor, Blue Flower can also help him cross levels and directly confront powerful beings at the leader level.

How could he not feel awe for such a wondrous object?

"I wonder if this Blue Flower was formed naturally, or created by some ancient and powerful being?"

"Is the powerful being capable of creating Blue Flower Pangu a god like Pangu, the Lady Nuwa, or a being of an even higher realm?"

"Why would such a wondrous thing created by such a great being appear within me...?"

Zhou Hao pondered silently.

"Who cares. The Blue Flower is inside me, so it's mine now." Zhou Hao stopped thinking about it and gave the Cosmos Diagram, the Darklight Swords, and all the magical treasures and miscellaneous items that his yellow-robed clone carried, as well as the original body's original magical treasures, to one of his white-robed clones.

"From now on, I will use this clone to hone my skills and make my way in the world." With a thought, Zhou Hao's new yellow-robed clone emerged from the Red Dust Immortal Mansion.

He left the remaining eleven clones to continue their secluded cultivation within the Immortal Mansion.

In any case, all the clones share the same thoughts and memories. While one clone ventures out into the world, the others either study secret techniques, delve into supernatural powers, comprehend the Heavenly Dao, or continue to refine and research the chaotic restrictions within the Apricot Yellow Banner.

Although he was still alone, it was as if he could simultaneously focus on studying and researching more than a dozen different directions.

Even without considering factors such as comprehension, Zhou Hao's cultivation speed would be more than ten times that of an ordinary cultivator without a clone.

Brush!

Zhou Hao reappeared in a side hall of the Daoist temple, looking exactly the same as before.

But apart from the Sanqing Ones, no one knew that eleven more beings with the strength of top-tier True God Dao Ancestor had quietly appeared in this world.

After Zhou Hao left the side hall, the Three Pure Ones, seeing this, knew that his method had been perfected and immediately put away their alchemy furnaces as well.

"Here you go." The Three Pure Ones tossed Zhou Hao a purple-gold gourd. "Inside are fifty Great Luo Spirit Pills. Even if you exhaust all your magic power, it's enough to instantly restore you fifty times. That should be enough for you."

As he spoke, the Three Pure Ones took out another jade slip, imprinting countless messages into it with their minds. "This jade slip contains all the information related to the Ancient Ruins that our Nuwa Faction possesses, as well as some records from my previous adventures in the Ancient Ruins. Take this and browse through it carefully, and do not be careless. After leaving Shennong-shi's place, go directly to the Ancient Ruins and do not return to the Three Realms."

"Yes." Zhou Hao took the jade slip and carefully put it away.

"Furthermore," the Three Pure Ones Venerable instructed, "In our Three Realms, there are often True Immortals, Heavenly Gods, and even True God Dao Ancestor who venture and hone themselves in the Ancient Ruins, or search for wondrous objects of chaos. You possess the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, which allows you to change your appearance. Remember not to venture out in your original form, lest you reveal your presence and be targeted by the Wujian Gate."

"Although the Chaos Alien in the Ancient Ruins are divided into many worlds by various alien forces, they were all originally subordinates of the Lord of All Things. They are interconnected and share intelligence. When you are adventuring there, remember to change your identity often to avoid being targeted and killed by a group of alien races."

"Ordinary True God Dao Ancestor among the alien races are naturally no match for you, but back then, four alien races with the strength of top-tier Dao Ancestors still survived, and even called themselves the 'Four Great Sovereigns.' These years have passed, and it's hard to guarantee they haven't improved; you must be careful then..."

Listening to his master's rambling, Zhou Hao could only obediently nod in agreement.

This is what a master is like, like a parent. Even though he knows that his disciple's strength is almost at the pinnacle of this world, he still can't help but worry about him when his disciple goes out to explore and hone his skills.

"Also, remember to leave a few clones in the Chaos Stars near Golden Turtle Island. If you encounter any danger you can't handle, ask Golden Turtle Island for help. Your Senior Sister Lishan and Turtle Spirit both have the strength of top-tier True God Dao Ancestor, and they are extremely knowledgeable about the Ancient Ruins..."

At this point, the Three Pure Ones shook their heads.

"If you can't solve this with your own strength, asking your senior sister for help won't be of much use. However, it's still best to leave at least one clone outside, so that even if something unexpected happens, you can still cultivate back to your original form."

"Understood," Zhou Hao said solemnly. "Master, rest assured, your disciple will definitely return safely."

The Three Pure Ones, having said all the necessary instructions, nodded and said, "Let's go."

He immediately took Zhou Hao and left the Daoist temple.

After meeting Shennong-shi, the two chatted for a while before taking their leave.

The master and disciple then parted ways in the chaos. The Sanqing returned to the Three Realms, while Zhou Hao took out a magical flying boat and flew alone into the depths of the chaos.

A streamlined, shuttle-shaped flying boat soared through the boundless chaos.

Zhou Hao sat cross-legged inside the flying boat, looking at the endless gray mist outside. He could sense that this gray mist contained an incomparably magical power.

After all, even the Chaos Great World and all the Chaos Gods and Demons were born from this Chaos Mist, which shows just how wondrous and incredible it is.

"It's a pity I can see it, but I can't absorb it," Zhou Hao sighed inwardly.

Although his upgraded Golden Core was comparable to that of a Dao Ancestor, in the end, he was still just a Pure Yang True Immortal, not Ancestor Immortal.

To draw upon the 'power of chaos' from this chaotic mist, the prerequisite is to comprehend and master a Heavenly Dao, thereby beginning to understand the ' Chaos Heavenly Dao '.

Only by comprehending even a trace of the mystery of the ' Chaos Heavenly Dao ' can one draw 'Chaotic Power' from these chaotic mists, thus ensuring that even when far from the Three Realms and deep within the chaos, one can still receive external replenishment.

Instead of being like him, who can only replenish his magical power by consuming elixirs.

"Fortunately, this flying boat is of good quality; at least it excels at conserving mana."

The spirit treasure flying boat he was currently riding, although not comparable to those ancient and famous spirit treasures, was still considered top-grade among the first level of mid-grade spirit treasures. In particular, it only required half the mana consumption of other mid-grade spirit treasures to control, which was especially valuable when it could not be replenished by external forces.

"So many stars."

As the flying boat moved further away from Shennong-shi's medicinal fields, Zhou Hao often spotted stars.

These stars range in size from a few million miles to much larger than a great world.

Of course, the most dazzling of them are the Lunar Star and the Solar Star.

It was the light and heat released by these two Supreme Star that nurtured the entire Three Realms, and even the Ancient Ruins World.

"Call."

The long shuttle-shaped flying boat broke through the chaos and arrived at a desolate void.

The originally endless chaotic mist was reduced to faint wisps drifting in this void, and the further one went in, the less chaotic mist could be seen around.

In its place lay a vast, endless continent of ruins in the far distance.

"I came from Shennong-shi's medicinal fields. The Three Realms should be in that direction." Zhou Hao stood on the flying boat, using the positions of the Lunar Star and the Solar Star to first confirm his own position and that of the Three Realms.

At the same time, it was also to find the location of Golden Turtle Island.

Golden Turtle Island, as Dao Sect for the Shangqing lineage of Daoism to guard the Ancient Ruins and prevent the Chaos Alien from infiltrating the Three Realms, is located on the chaotic edge between the Three Realms and the Ancient Ruins.

After confirming the exact direction, Zhou Hao immediately steered the long shuttle flying boat towards Golden Turtle Island, while he carefully browsed the intelligence jade slip given to him by his master to learn about everything within the Ancient Ruins.

"As Master said, the Ancient Ruins were divided up into many worlds by various alien forces. The closer you get to the core of the ruins, the more suitable the living environment becomes, and the stronger the alien forces that occupy them are." Candlelight burned in Zhou Hao's eyes, and the vast land in the distance suddenly became clear.

Even sitting inside the flying boat, he could see that some areas on land were a world of continuous High Mountain, some areas were like a world of water where oceans converged and rivers surged, and some areas seemed to be shrouded in a gray mist, so even with his supernatural power ' Eye of the Candle Dragon ', he couldn't see into the scene inside.

Of course, if he used his consciousness or mental strength, with Zhou Hao's divine soul strength that could cover the Three Realms with a single thought, he could 'see' those areas whose vision was obscured. However, that would be too high-profile. Once it attracted the attention of the True God Dao Ancestor among the alien races, it would not be a place to hone his skills, but rather a place to cause trouble.

Although both sides aim to fight.

Whew~~~

The Spirit Treasure Flying Boat flew through the desolate void for three days before finally encountering the first surging void wave.

"We've finally arrived at the Nirvana Domain." Zhou Hao's eyes lit up immediately.

The Nirvana Domain is the border between the Three Realms and the Ancient Ruins World.

In the chaos, a Chaos Great World is like an island. At the boundaries between islands, due to the gravitational pull and other forces, void storms are formed. Those areas with void storms are called the ' Nirvana Domain '.

Like the great worlds within the Three Realms, these Nirvana Domain also form between each other. However, because the great worlds are too small, the resulting void storms are very weak. Therefore, even Earth Immortal and Heavenly Immortals can pass through safely, and for Zhou Hao, it is almost imperceptible.

The Ancient Ruins World is said to be similar in size to the ancient Pangu World, and its boundary with the Three Realms is subject to much stronger natural storms.

At least ordinary true immortals and gods dare not easily venture into the void waves here; they all immediately hide when they see them from afar, for fear of being swept away.

However, Zhou Hao steered the flying boat directly towards the void waves.

"Bang!"

The long shuttle-shaped flying boat pierced into the surging void waves that swept across tens of thousands of miles like a needle. Apart from the huge noise caused by the impact when it first entered, once Zhou Hao adjusted the angle, it was like surfing in the sea, flying tens of millions of miles with the void waves in a short time, which was many times faster than when he used his magic power to propel it.

After surfing several times, Zhou Hao suddenly sensed something faintly ahead and immediately strained his eyes to look into the distance.

At the end of countless surging void waves, a huge Floating Island shaped like a giant tortoise, filled with a hazy golden light in the desolate void, appeared in Zhou Hao's sight.

"That's Golden Turtle Island." Zhou Hao smiled slightly, but instead of approaching, he controlled the flying boat to break free from the void waves and plunged into the chaos.

He wanted to choose a suitable star in the surrounding chaos and leave his clone there.

Within the Nirvana Domain, due to the existence of void waves, there are no stars or land. Golden Turtle Island is more like a giant magical treasure than a Floating Island.

Otherwise, even if Golden Turtle Island wasn't torn apart by the void waves, it would have been swept away by the storm long ago.

"Let's choose this star."

Swoosh.

The magical flying boat landed on a star full of pits and rocks.

In terms of size, this star, composed entirely of solid rock, is probably comparable to the Great Xia World.

On the surface of the stars, besides the craters that look like giant pits formed by meteorite impacts, there are also huge ravines and cracks, resembling canyons.

With a thought, Zhou Hao's magical flying boat appeared above a huge canyon. He then casually tossed it down, leaving behind a yellowish-brown cave-heaven magic Immortal Mansion that was almost identical to the rocks on this star. It was the transformed Red Dust Immortal Mansion.

Soon, the Red Dust Immortal Mansion fell into the deepest part of the canyon, mixing with the ordinary star fragments and rocks there.

"The Immortal Abode of the Red Dust Immortal Mansion is hidden here. Even if some powerful figure happened to come here, they wouldn't be so bored as to examine every single Shitou," Zhou Hao thought to himself.

"Even if I were to be discovered, my four clones left in the Immortal Mansion, once they form the Four Symbols Formation, would be enough to save my life even if I encountered a powerful leader."

This will be his escape route. Even if all the other clones perish, at least these four clones will be able to cultivate again and recover all of them.

Having only Blue Flower's strongest clone, Zhou Hao pondered for a moment before ultimately deciding to take it with him to the Ancient Ruins World for further training.

"With the power unleashed by my strongest clone using the power of the Blue Flower, and combined with the other seven clones to form the 'Eight Immortals Formation,' we can even face a true leader head-on. If I were to remain hesitant and timid, would I be keeping my strongest clone hidden forever?" Zhou Hao thought to himself.

"A true strongman never seeks only peace and stability. He has already arranged an escape route, averting the danger of his own complete demise. If he still loses his edge after all this, then what's the point of honing his skills? He might as well just stay hidden in the Three Realms."

Swoosh.

Zhou Hao piloted the magical flying boat away from this star, and after wandering around some nearby stars, he rushed out of the chaos and returned to the Nirvana Domain.

This time, his destination was that vast and endless Ancient Ruins Continent.