The Fall of Shen Ni

Shen Ni stood in the void, staring fixedly at Hongjun. His pupils contracted violently; that aura was as vast as an abyss, making him tremble from the depths of his soul.

"You... are you above the Primordial Golden Immortal?"

Shen Ni's voice carried a trace of tremor, an emotion he had never experienced before.

"Impossible... this is impossible! How could such a realm exist in the Primordial World?"

He roared, as if trying to convince himself:

"I do not believe it!"

Hongjun did not answer, merely watching him quietly. His gaze was indifferent, as if he were looking at a child who refused to see reason.

Shen Ni bit the tip of his tongue hard. The sharp pain pulled him back from his shock, and madness surged into his eyes once more.

"So what if you truly are above the Primordial Golden Immortal!"

Shen Ni shrieked,

"Under the World-Extinguishing Millstone, all things perish! I want to see if you can block this strike!"

He slammed his hands together to form seals, and the laws of his entire body surged frantically into the World-Extinguishing Millstone. The millstone began to tremble violently.

The upper and lower discs began to spin crazily, one clockwise and one counter-clockwise, accelerating rapidly. The space around the millstone began to collapse over a vast area.

The sky over the entire Far West Lands suddenly turned dark.

A terrifying suction force erupted from the millstone, beginning to devour everything in its vicinity.

Those Fierce Beasts and soldiers of the Three Clans who could not flee in time had their bodies pulled uncontrollably toward the millstone, being sucked in and ground to powder amidst their screams.

Above the millstone, a massive, pitch-black red beam of light shot into the sky.

The entire Primordial World felt that aura of annihilation.

Hongjun looked at the frantically spinning World-Extinguishing Millstone and finally put away his light, airy expression, knitting his brows slightly.

"Deserving of being a derivative of the Destruction Demon God's innate treasure... even if it is only a replica, it possesses such might."

He took a deep breath, and the Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk hovered above his head. Three thousand Great Dao laws lit up one by one, casting down ten thousand rays of white light.

Hongjun raised his hand, gesturing toward the direction of the World-Extinguishing Millstone, and gave a void grasp.

"Three thousand Great Dao... bind."

As the words fell, the Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk shook violently.

Three thousand rays of law light shot out from the jade disk, weaving into a massive net of laws in the air, shrouding the World-Extinguishing Millstone.

The World-Extinguishing Millstone seemed to sense the threat, spinning even more crazily and constantly battering the net of laws, attempting to tear it apart.

The net of laws slowly contracted, suppressing the struggle of the World-Extinguishing Millstone bit by bit.

Shen Ni's face began to turn pale.

He could feel the connection between himself and the World-Extinguishing Millstone being severed by that net of laws, little by little.

He frantically urged his laws, attempting to break free from the restraint, but his cultivation was only that of a Primordial Golden Immortal; he simply could not unleash the full power of the World-Extinguishing Millstone.

"No... impossible..."

Blood began to spill from the corners of Shen Ni's mouth.

The rotation of the World-Extinguishing Millstone grew slower and slower. Finally, under the complete tightening of the net of laws, it stopped spinning entirely.

"Pfft!"

Shen Ni spat out a mouthful of blood, his body falling from the high altitude like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily into the ground and creating a massive crater.

He lay at the bottom of the pit, breathing his last, his eyes—once filled with tyranny—now holding nothing but confusion and unwillingness.

In the distance, Taotie, who had been hiding in the shadows secretly watching the battle, felt his heart leap wildly at the sight.

An opportunity!

Just as he was about to ponder how to take advantage of the situation to seize the World-Extinguishing Millstone, the system's voice rang in his mind:

[Ding! Detected that Shen Ni is heavily wounded and dying. Host, this is the best time to complete the mission.]

Taotie was invigorated: "System, I'm only a Great Luo Golden Immortal right now, how am I supposed to steal the kill under the nose of Luo Hou?"

[The system can provide an advance reward—one Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal experience card, valid for a quarter-hour. Will you claim it?]

Taotie was overjoyed: "Claim! Claim it immediately!"

The system fell silent for a moment.

In that silence, there seemed to be an imperceptible heartache.

[Ding! Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal experience card has been issued, valid for a quarter-hour. Please use it as soon as possible, Host.]

A vast power surged into Taotie's body.

Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal!

He had only a quarter-hour.

Taotie did not hesitate; his figure flashed, and he appeared above the crater where Shen Ni had fallen.

Shen Ni saw Taotie's figure, and a glimmer of hope rose in his eyes.

"Taotie... quick... quickly take me away..."

Shen Ni reached out with difficulty, wanting to grab Taotie.

Taotie looked down at him, expressionless, and then raised his right claw.

"Pfft!"

The sharp claw pierced through Shen Ni's chest.

Shen Ni's body stiffened violently. He slowly looked down at the claw passing through his chest, then slowly looked back up at Taotie, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Taotie... you..."

His voice was intermittent, carrying confusion and anger:

"Why... betray... me..."

Taotie did not answer, merely withdrawing his claw coldly.

Shen Ni looked at the gray sky, a flash of extremely complex emotion crossing his eyes.

He used his final strength to roar at the heavens:

"Luo Hou... Taotie... I am... not reconciled..."

His gaze began to scatter, his voice growing lower and lower:

"Father God... forgive me... for not completing... your task..."

As the words fell, he completely lost his life.

The emperor of the Fierce Beast Clan, Shen Ni, had fallen.

[Ding! Mission completed. Reward issued—Innate Supreme Treasure, Chaos Bell.]

Taotie felt a weight in his hand as a primitive little bell appeared in his palm. The bell was mysterious yellow all over, its surface carved with the sun, moon, and stars, as well as patterns of mountains, rivers, plants, and trees, exuding a heavy and vast aura.

The Chaos Bell! It really is the Chaos Bell!

Taotie was ecstatic, but he did not forget his true target.

The World-Extinguishing Millstone.

He looked up at the stone mill bound by the three thousand law chains, a flash of greed in his eyes.

As long as he obtained the World-Extinguishing Millstone, plus the Chaos Bell, he could walk sideways through this Primordial World!

His figure flashed, and he lunged toward the World-Extinguishing Millstone.

However, the moment his hand was about to touch the World-Extinguishing Millstone,

A white light flashed.

Taotie felt his body stiffen, and he was frozen in mid-air, unable to move.

He was horrified, desperately urging the power within his body, only to find that the power at the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal level was like a clay ox entering the sea, unable to be mobilized in the slightest.

"Interesting."

A calm voice rang out behind him.

Hongjun walked over slowly, holding a whisk in his hand, his gaze landing on Taotie with a trace of curiosity.

"To be able to raise one's cultivation from a Great Luo Golden Immortal to the first heaven of the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal in an instant... such a method is truly interesting."

He walked in front of Taotie, looking him up and down as if viewing a rare object:

"Let this old Daoist see what secrets you have hidden in your body."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and slowly lowered it toward the top of Taotie's head.

Taotie's soul was scared out of his wits, frantically calling out to the system in his mind:

"System! System! Save me! Quickly save me!"

But at this moment, the system said nothing.

"I am the son of destiny! You cannot watch me die! System! System!"

The system remained silent.

An unprecedented despair welled up in Taotie's heart. He watched the hand getting closer and closer, a flash of madness in his eyes.

No! I cannot just admit defeat like this!

He violently reversed the magic power in his body, allowing his fingers to move slightly, and then summoned the Chaos Bell he had just acquired.

"Clang—!!!"

A melodious bell toll resounded through heaven and earth.

The Chaos Bell hovered above Taotie's head, casting down a mysterious yellow light screen that shrouded him within.

The immobilization spell Hongjun had placed upon him was actually shaken loose by a fraction the moment the bell tolled.

Taotie seized that sliver of an opening, his body suddenly regaining the ability to move.

He swung his hand back, still intent on grabbing the World-Extinguishing Millstone before fleeing!

A flash of surprise crossed Hongjun's eyes.

"The Chaos Bell?"

He looked at the mysterious yellow bell hovering above Taotie's head and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Is the Chaos Bell not still on the Sun Star, beside that Little Golden Crow?"

"Interesting... the old Daoist is becoming increasingly intrigued by you. To think you could conjure an Innate Supreme Treasure out of thin air."

Taotie felt a chill run through his heart upon hearing this, but he could no longer afford to care. His hand drew closer and closer to the World-Extinguishing Millstone.

Just then, Hongjun raised his hand. The Pseudo-Creation Jade Disk radiated a brilliant light, and a white beam, even more dazzling than before, shot out and engulfed Taotie's entire body.

Taotie felt his body sink, as if ten thousand mountains were pressing down upon him.

He struggled with all his might, only to find that this time, even the mysterious yellow light screen of the Chaos Bell could not help him break free from the binding.

Hongjun walked slowly toward him and gave a light flick of his Whisk.

"Clang—!"

The Chaos Bell let out a mournful cry and was sent flying through the air.

Taotie watched helplessly as the Chaos Bell was knocked away, his last shred of hope shattered.

Hongjun stood before him, his gaze calm as he looked down at him.

"The old Daoist said that I am very interested in that thing within your body."

He raised his hand and let it fall slowly toward the top of Taotie's head once more.

"So, until the old Daoist figures it out, you had best behave yourself."

Taotie finally fell into total despair. He watched that hand drawing ever closer and collapsed, his voice choked with sobs.

"Senior Luo Hou! Spare me! I am willing to surrender! I am willing to serve you! Please, let me go!"

Hongjun's hand stopped in mid-air.

He looked at Taotie, a look of amused detachment appearing on his face.

"I am Hongjun. The one you are begging for mercy is Luo Hou, which has nothing to do with me."

Taotie's pupils dilated sharply.

Hongjun.

Hongjun?

The person before him was not Luo Hou, but Hongjun!

The supreme Dao Ancestor Hongjun from the myths of the Primordial World! He had been played all along!

Taotie felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his crown, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word could escape his throat.

Hongjun ignored him further, raised his hand, and flicked his sleeve. The World-Extinguishing Millstone transformed into a streak of light and vanished into his robes.

Only after doing this did he look back at Taotie.

"As for you... the old Daoist does not wish to kill you just yet. Dao Venerable Shichen said that the thing inside you might be useful to the Chaos World."

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Chaos, an angry roar erupted, echoing throughout the entire void:

"Luo Hou! You dare to destroy my contingency! You are courting death!"

Countless Demon Gods in deep meditation were startled awake by this roar, opening their eyes one after another with expressions of shock and suspicion.

Within the Domain of Slaughter, Luo Hou frowned deeply upon hearing the roar.

"What is the Destruction Demon God raving about?"

He looked puzzled. "When did I ever destroy his contingency?"

He then let out a cold snort.

"Besides, in the Primordial World, it goes to whoever is capable enough. If his own chess piece was plucked by another, what does that have to do with me?"

In the Domain of Karma, the Karma Demon God was idly twiddling the threads of karma in his hands.

Upon hearing the roar, he curiously traced the threads of karma to investigate, and his expression immediately turned strange.

"A fine Immortal Demon God, this Hongjun..."

He clicked his tongue, looking at the tangled mess of karma threads in his hand, one of which was vaguely connected to Shichen.

"The threads of karma on you are far too messy."

The Karma Demon God muttered to himself, then unhesitatingly raised his hand and severed the thread connecting him to Shichen.

That fellow Shichen was as cunning as a ghost; if he happened to misunderstand and think he was the one pulling strings behind the scenes, and came knocking to have a chat, he would not be able to handle it.

After severing it, he looked at the remaining tangled knot and chuckled.

"Interesting, it is getting more and more interesting. My contingency seems to have just taken shape in the Far West Lands. Zhun Ti, Jie Yin, do not disappoint me!"