The Tribulation of the Chaos Gods and Devils

Chapter 21: The Calamity of the Chaos Gods and Devils

Losing the Crystal of Information dealt a massive blow to Pangu's consciousness. The crystal was an extension of that consciousness; while the consciousness itself might not have been annihilated, the damage was undeniably severe.

"Roar!" The agonizing scream shook the heavens and earth. Pangu's violent spiritual body fluctuated unsteadily, its aura weakening significantly. With his consciousness damaged, his control over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth plummeted, causing his strength to crash down to the threshold of the mid-Golden Core stage.

"Perish!" He Yu's demonic energy surged like a tidal wave, slamming toward Pangu's head. This strike was even more terrifying than the last, utilizing eighty percent of his total demonic energy. For the current, confused Pangu—who was momentarily lost and unable to defend himself—this was akin to a kitten facing a tiger. How could he possibly evade or resist?

Rumble!

The immense, overwhelming force surged through, completely submerging Pangu's upper body. His head, caught in the center of the torrent, bore the brunt of the devastation.

How could a mere wisp of Pangu's consciousness withstand such an impact? It was instantly annihilated, reduced to nothingness. Without the control of Pangu's consciousness, the powerful, violent spiritual body dissolved into streams of chaotic energy. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth scattered, and the many Demon Cores he had previously devoured fell to the ground. Though the cores had lost much of their potency without the ambient spiritual energy, He Yu did not let them go to waste; the pure demonic energy contained within them could still significantly boost his cultivation once refined!

Having dealt with Pangu, He Yu immediately retracted his demonic energy and swallowed all the scattered Demon Cores, intending to digest them alongside the Crystal of Information when he had the time.

He Yu paid no mind to the surrounding Demon Kings. The situation was settled; even if they all attacked at once, he had nothing to fear. Having obtained his heart's desire, He Yu was in high spirits. Furthermore, he needed to focus his internal energy on suppressing the Crystal of Information and the various Demon Cores, and he lacked the certainty to wipe out all the Demon Kings in one fell swoop.

Upon receiving He Yu's telepathic command, the Ten Demon Marshals stepped forward to stand behind him. Seeing this, the Demon Kings were shaken, and any lingering thoughts of defiance vanished into thin air. They figured they might have had a slim chance against He Yu alone, but with the Ten Demon Marshals added to the mix, not only would they fail to defeat him, but their very lives would be in jeopardy.

Realizing that the Crystal of Information was now out of reach, the Demon Kings each mounted their demonic clouds and retreated. He Yu still had his hands full, but once he digested the Demon Cores and the crystal, and combined his power with that of the Ten Demon Marshals, he would be capable of killing or subjugating them all. Neither outcome was desirable, so they fled while they still could.

Seeing the Demon Kings retreat, He Yu remained indifferent. Once he recovered and freed up his hands, none of them would be able to escape!

"Wolf Two, this King needs to enter seclusion for a while. You and the other Marshals are to lead the lesser demons and keep a close watch. Everything else will be dealt with after I emerge!" After giving his orders, He Yu ignored the Ten Demon Marshals. He held the source of the eight Marshals' consciousness, so he had no fear of them fleeing. Wolf Two was even less likely to betray him. As for Leopard One, if he dared to run after witnessing He Yu's true strength, he would have to weigh the consequences carefully.

He Yu felt a pang of annoyance as he tucked away the Green Spirit Fruit Tree he had left behind. He sighed, finding it incredibly inconvenient to carry the tree around. If only he had a storage ring! Unfortunately, he knew nothing of the artifact-refining methods used by cultivators.

"Forget it. I won't worry about this acquired spiritual root for now; digesting the Crystal of Information is the priority. It will be good to learn more about this world sooner rather than later!" With that thought, he carried the Green Spirit Fruit Tree into a cave to begin his digestion. The Ten Demon Marshals immediately stood guard at the entrance, while ten thousand lesser demons began patrolling the perimeter.

Inside the dark, damp cave, He Yu's cultivation lit the space as if it were broad daylight. The cave was a natural formation, deep and ventilated to the outside.

He moved to the inner sanctum, planted his eight feet firmly on the ground, and calmed his mind to begin digesting the Crystal of Information within his body, leaving the Demon Cores for later.

Guided by the energy of his consciousness, the Crystal of Information resting in his belly began to emit nine-colored rays of light that merged into his mind. As the light radiated, the crystal gradually shrank.

As the nine-colored light fused with his consciousness, He Yu's mind jolted. Countless fragments of scenes flooded his thoughts—chaotic and disjointed. He saw a giant wielding an axe to battle massive beasts, strange and exotic creatures, and the sun, moon, and stars...

Time passed, and eventually, He Yu finished digesting the Crystal of Information. His consciousness, which had been glowing with nine-colored light, gradually dimmed until it returned to its original state.

He slowly opened his eyes, his mood complex and turbulent. Having digested the crystal, he now understood a great deal—not everything about this world, but certainly many of the most critical facts.

The Primordial World!

This was indeed the Primordial World, and it had been only one yuanhui since Pangu opened the heavens. There was only half a year left until the end of this yuanhui!

In the chaos, the Great Dao evolved, and three thousand Chaos Gods and Devils appeared. Pangu was the leader among them, and his vital mission was to open the heavens and create the Primordial World. This was his only chance to attain the status of a Great Dao Saint, but creating the Primordial World required immense magical power and divine ability—something even a Heavenly Dao Saint could not achieve.

To open the heavens and attain the Dao, Pangu had no choice but to devour the origins of the other Chaos Gods and Devils. Only by combining the power of three thousand gods and devils could he possess enough strength to create the world. However, the other gods and devils were no fools; they united against Pangu.

As the leader of the gods and devils, Pangu's strength far surpassed the others, but even he struggled to overcome their combined might, resulting in a stalemate. They fought for countless yuanhui without a clear victor. Pangu was frustrated but helpless, until he chanced upon the two Heavenly Dao artifacts: the Pangu Axe and the Jade of Creation. With his strength surging, he killed the gods and devils in one stroke and devoured their origins to open the Primordial World.

The act of creation consumed so much energy that even Pangu was exhausted. The Pangu Axe itself split into three, becoming the three great innate treasures: the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Banner, and the Chaos Bell!

During the battle in the chaos, the consciousness and souls of over a dozen gods and devils remained, their demonic spirits not yet annihilated. Among them were the future innate deities such as Hongjun, Luo Hou, Yang Mei, Yin Yang, Qiankun, and Cangqiong. These gods and devils, filled with resentment toward Pangu, resolved to take revenge. They exerted all their power to manipulate the chaotic energy to suppress the Primordial World, causing the pressure on Pangu to skyrocket. In the end, his efforts failed; he died, entered nirvana, and his body transformed into all things.

His Primordial Spirit combined with the origin of clear qi to become the Three Pure Ones, while his heart blood condensed with the origin of turbid qi to form the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Others, such as the Ancestral Dragon, Ancestral Phoenix, Ancestral Qilin, Kunpeng, Dijun, and Taiyi, were also formed from Pangu, though they were less significant than the Three Pure Ones and the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Even after Pangu's death, the resentment of the gods and devils did not fade. With the Primordial World now formed, their own path to the Dao was hopeless. Their only remaining goal was to return the Primordial World to chaos. Thus, they used their own corpses to seal the sun, moon, and stars, preventing the Primordial World from becoming complete and stopping the Heavenly Dao from manifesting. They then descended into the Primordial World, taking form through innate spiritual objects, intending to destroy the world and return it to chaos before the Heavenly Dao could emerge.

The information was only a general overview, but He Yu realized something terrifying: when the yuanhui ended, the aura from the corpses of the gods and devils sealing the sun, moon, and stars would disperse into the Primordial World. The sealing power would weaken, allowing some energy from the celestial bodies to enter, but the horrific consequence was that any living being who absorbed the aura of the gods and devils would transform into a giant beast.

Once transformed into a giant beast, one would lose all chance at the Great Dao. Although these beasts possessed terrifying strength—reaching the level of Earth Immortals or Heaven Immortals (He Yu had learned the hierarchy of cultivation: Qi Refining, Golden Core, Primordial Spirit, Void Fusion, Loose Immortal, Earth Immortal, Heaven Immortal, and Profound Immortal, though he was unclear on what lay beyond)—they could never improve, and their intelligence would be severely diminished.

The Calamity of the Chaos Gods and Devils!

There was only half a year left before the aura of the gods and devils permeated the Primordial World. Only the descendants of Pangu and the innate deities transformed from the gods and devils could resist it. For all other beings, only those who had reached the Primordial Spirit stage could survive.

"The Primordial Spirit stage? Without the power of the sun, moon, and stars, the Golden Core can never be perfected. How can one form a Primordial Spirit? This is a death trap!" He Yu cursed inwardly. Only after the era of giant beasts began could one utilize the power of the celestial bodies to perfect the Golden Core!

In half a year, the entire Primordial World would be shrouded in the aura of the gods and devils. If nothing changed, he would be unable to escape his fate.

Thinking of himself turning into a giant beast, He Yu felt a wave of intense unwillingness. He had finally transmigrated into the Primordial World—was he really going to end up in such a miserable state?