Planning

After that battle, chaos remained quiet for a long time.

Of course, "quiet" was relative—if one ignored the Chaos Demon Ape.

Ever since Pangu had shattered his Dao body with a single axe strike, that fellow seemed to have had the door to a new world thrown open. Every few days, he would carry his staff to Pangu's Domain of Dao.

"Pangu! Come out and fight!"

"No."

"Just one fight! I'll give you one hand!"

"I said no."

"Are you scared?"

"Get lost."

Such exchanges echoed through chaos every so often. The Chaos Demon Ape would come looking to spar with Pangu every few days.

Pangu was driven mad by his pestering and even moved several times.

Pangu himself, meanwhile, often came to discuss the Dao with Shichen after that battle. As time passed, the two grew closer and closer. They truly had come to know each other through battle.

Sometimes, after tiring of their discussions, Pangu would drag Shichen to Yang Mei's Domain of Dao to mooch wine. The wine Yang Mei brewed from Chaos Spirit Liquid was unrivaled throughout chaos; even Shichen praised it without reserve.

Yang Mei's Domain of Dao, beneath the Willow Tree.

"Come, come, Shichen, have another cup!"

Holding up an enormous wine cup, Pangu insisted on clinking cups with Shichen. Shichen smiled helplessly and raised his own cup to tap it against Pangu's.

Yang Mei leaned beneath the Willow Tree, watching these two uninvited guests with a face as black as the bottom of a pot.

"You two... are treating my Domain of Dao like a tavern again?"

"Ah, Brother Yang Mei, don't be so stingy!" Pangu waved carelessly. "Your place has beautiful scenery and such good wine. If I don't come here, where should I go?"

Yang Mei's mouth twitched. "That is wine I brewed myself."

"That's exactly why it tastes so good!" Pangu declared righteously. "Your wine is one of a kind in all of chaos!"

Yang Mei drew a deep breath and suppressed the urge to throw the two of them out.

Such days continued for a long time.

Long enough for Yang Mei to go from initial resistance, to helpless resignation, and finally to numb acceptance. He had even grown accustomed to those two showing up uninvited every so often, drinking and boasting beneath his Willow Tree.

Time flowed on, and tens of thousands of chaos epochs quietly drifted past.

At last, all the lesser demon gods in chaos had been born.

Their number exceeded a hundred million.

For a time, the once empty and deathly silent world of chaos became exceptionally lively. All manner of laws intertwined and collided, Domains of Dao rose from the ground, and newly born demon gods traveled back and forth through chaos, brimming with vitality.

After cultivating through those tens of thousands of epochs, Shichen's realm had reached the third layer of the Chaos Realm.

The Time Dao-Mark Pearl suspended high in the sky of chaos shone ever more brilliantly, like an eternal, undying star illuminating all of chaos and proclaiming the supreme status of the Dao of Time.

On this day, Shichen, Pangu, and Yang Mei gathered beneath the Willow Tree as usual to drink.

Suddenly—

BOOM!!!

The entire world of chaos shuddered violently without warning!

All three set down their wine cups at once.

Yang Mei's expression instantly turned grave. He closed his eyes as the laws of space spread outward, probing into the depths of chaos.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and said in a heavy voice,

"The Chaos Origin... has been downgraded."

"Downgraded?" Pangu frowned. "What does that mean?"

"The Chaos Origin has been downgraded into chaos spiritual energy." Yang Mei's voice was somewhat heavy. "From now on, no new Origin will be born in chaos."

Shichen set down his wine cup, gazed into the depths of chaos, and slowly spoke.

"The lesser demon gods have all been born. The Chaos Origin can no longer bear the burden. Its downgrade is inevitable."

Yang Mei fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Pangu.

"The next calamity is coming."

Pangu was baffled by the look. "Why are you looking at me?"

Yang Mei did not answer, merely watching him with profound meaning in his eyes.

Pangu was initially stunned, but then he understood, and his expression immediately darkened.

Over this long period, he had gradually learned the truth of the calamities from Shichen. According to the Great Dao's arrangements, the core of the next calamity would still be Pangu.

He would slaughter all demon gods, split chaos with the Dao of Strength, transform his body into all things, and create heaven and earth.

The more Pangu thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed the table, shot to his feet, and roared,

"I'm not opening any damned heaven! If the Great Dao really makes me do it, I'll charge into the place of the Origin of the Great Dao and split It to death with one axe!"

Yang Mei was startled by his words and hurriedly said, "Keep your voice down! The Great Dao can hear you!"

"So what if It hears me! I want It to hear me!"

Pangu held his neck stiffly, looking as though he feared neither heaven nor earth.

Shichen shook his head helplessly, stood up, and patted Pangu on the shoulder, signaling for him to sit down.

"Calm down first."

Pangu sat back down with an angry huff, though his face remained full of defiance.

Shichen looked at him, fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The opening of heaven cannot be stopped."

Pangu abruptly raised his head and was just about to speak when Shichen raised a hand to stop him.

"If heaven is not opened, the world of chaos will move toward a reset. When that time comes, all demon gods will return to nothingness, and everything will begin anew."

Pangu opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but no words came out. He knew Shichen was telling the truth.

"But..." Pangu's voice was muffled. "I don't want to kill you."

As though suddenly recalling something, he gritted his teeth and added,

"Except that damned monkey."

Shichen looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Who said that opening heaven means every demon god must be slain?"

Pangu froze. "What do you mean?"

Shichen did not answer immediately. Instead, he lifted his wine cup, slowly took a sip, and gradually laid out the plan he had been preparing for so long.

Condense Dao bodies, use those Dao bodies to bear the laws, and join forces to open heaven. In this way, the demon gods' true bodies could be preserved while the opening of heaven could still be completed smoothly—a win-win solution.

After hearing this, Pangu's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He slapped his thigh and leapt to his feet.

"Good! This is a good method! We'll do it this way! Whoever dares disagree, I'll carry the Pangu Axe over for a visit!"

Yang Mei did not state his position at once. He frowned and pondered for a long time before slowly speaking. "Will the Great Dao... agree?"

"If It dares not agree!" Pangu immediately replied,

"I'll go to the place of Origin and find It!"

Yang Mei rolled his eyes. Too lazy to argue with this reckless brute, he turned directly toward Shichen.

Shichen raised his wine cup, took a small sip, and said calmly,

"What the Great Dao wants is merely the continuation of chaos. It will not care how that continuation is achieved. I will go communicate with It."

Yang Mei was silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"If that is the case, then summon all the demon gods and discuss the matter."

Shichen set down his wine cup and rose to his feet, gazing into the depths of chaos.

"Good."

The three figures vanished from beneath the Willow Tree at the same time.