The Council of Gods

The Hundun, silent for so long, grew lively once again.

Aside from Hongjun, who had already returned to the Primordial World to lay his plans, the three thousand Demon Gods of Hundun all hurried toward the Hall of Gods.

The palace complex, spanning quadrillions of light-years, stretched out like a sea of stars. Three thousand palaces stood in orderly formation, finally welcoming their respective masters this day.

Beside a stone tablet outside the hall, the World Demon God stood on tiptoe to peek at her palace, her eyes shining with excitement.

She nudged the Karma Demon God beside her and whispered a complaint:

"Shichen is too mean. The Hall of Gods was built ages ago, yet he kept it under wraps until now. I've wanted to move in for so long!"

The Karma Demon God crossed his arms and cast a sidelong glance at her with a cryptic smile:

"Aren't you afraid of getting a beating later for badmouthing him behind his back?"

"Afraid of him?" The World Demon God puffed out her chest, feigning absolute confidence. "I'd say it to his face!"

Though her words were bold, her eyes darted around subconsciously.

The Karma Demon God saw this and merely chuckled.

The Destruction Demon God walked past them with a dark expression. He was already in a foul mood; his contingency plan in the Primordial World had been wiped out, and he was bursting with suppressed rage.

Hearing the World Demon God chattering away only made him more irritable:

"Little brat, keep yapping and see if I don't destroy your World Tree!"

The World Demon God was instantly displeased:

"Who are you calling a little brat? You poker-faced grump, you act like everyone owes you their Dao origin all day long!"

The Destruction Demon God was about to lash out, but his gaze suddenly caught a figure in black, and his eyes turned bloodshot in an instant.

"Luo Hou!!!"

With a thunderous roar, he raised his hand and unleashed a beam of Destruction Divine Light, blasting it straight at Luo Hou!

Luo Hou had been pondering his plans for the Primordial World when he suddenly felt a terrifying aura of destruction bearing down on him. Startled, he hurriedly raised his spear to block.

BOOM!!!

Luo Hou was sent flying, crashing heavily into the massive tablet engraved with the words "Hall of Gods."

The giant tablet shattered upon impact, splitting open a massive fissure.

Luo Hou slid down from the tablet and knelt on one knee, a trickle of golden blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at the Destruction Demon God, his eyes filled with fury and confusion:

"Destruction, have you lost your mind?!"

"Lost my mind?"

The Destruction Demon God strode forward, the laws of destruction surging violently around him.

"My contingency in the Primordial World was the first to be wiped out by you! And now you dare to play the innocent in front of me?"

Luo Hou wiped the blood from his mouth and sneered:

"Hmph, the Primordial World belongs to those capable of taking it. Your own contingency was incompetent; what does its destruction have to do with me?"

"You!"

The Destruction Demon God was incensed and prepared to strike again.

Suddenly, a terrifying law of time crashed down.

The Destruction Demon God felt his body grow heavy. The laws of destruction within him churned frantically, attempting to break free from the restraint, only to find he couldn't even move a single finger.

"Enough."

Shichen's voice echoed from the void as he and Pangu appeared before the Hall of Gods.

"Matters of the Primordial World are settled by one's own means. Do not drag the rest of us Demon Gods into it."

His gaze flashed with cold light.

"Or are you saying that you feel the degradation of Hundun isn't enough, and you wish to return to the Dao to replenish its origin?"

Seeing this, the World Demon God hurried over, feigning righteous indignation:

"Shichen, you're finally here! I was just trying to persuade Destruction not to be impulsive! He wouldn't listen to me, and he even insulted you! You should give him a good beating!"

Shichen glanced at her and said indifferently, "Have you forgotten that I am the Dao of Time?"

The World Demon God froze, suddenly remembering that Shichen could view events at any point in time.

She shrank her neck, let out an awkward laugh, and scurried away.

Ignoring her, Shichen looked at the shattered tablet and said to the Destruction Demon God:

"You broke the tablet, so you will repair it."

The Destruction Demon God snorted, but ultimately did not argue. He turned his head away, a silent concession.

"Enter the hall for the council."

Shichen left those words behind and stepped into the main hall first. As Pangu passed by Luo Hou with his axe on his shoulder, he shook his head with pity, leaving Luo Hou utterly bewildered.

In the council hall of the Hall of Gods, three thousand seats were arranged along the steps, corresponding to the rankings of the Demon Gods.

The Demon Gods took their seats in order, and the hall fell silent, all eyes fixed on Shichen at the front.

Shichen scanned the room and spoke slowly, briefly recounting the matter of the system and the discovery of those world coordinates.

"...That is the situation."

As his voice faded, the hall fell into a brief silence.

The Fate Demon God was the first to speak, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against the armrest:

"There exists such a miraculous object? It can actually generate Hundun origin and create supreme treasures out of thin air?"

"If this object is truly as miraculous as you say, does that not mean the problem of the Hundun origin might finally be solved?"

At these words, a low murmur of discussion erupted throughout the hall.

The eyes of the Demon Gods lit up one by one.

If Shichen's words were true, then the Hundun origin would no longer be a scarce resource, and their path of the Dao could extend much further.

"Indeed," Shichen nodded slightly.

"Furthermore, I fear the Primordial World will not be the only place where a system appears. Perhaps more systems will descend in the future."

He paused, his gaze turning profound:

"If we can find the God of Systems behind them... the origin of the Hundun world will never be scarce again."

The murmurs in the hall grew louder.

Glints of calculation began to flicker in the eyes of the Demon Gods.

The importance of the Primordial World was clearly far greater than they had initially anticipated.

The Destruction Demon God sat in the corner, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water.

His contingency had been destroyed, and the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World had already begun to take shape. It was now impossible to insert another contingency.

Although the Primordial World was a world opened by Pangu and the three thousand Demon Gods together, Pangu held absolute authority.

When the world was first formed, the Demon Gods had secretly placed their contingencies while the Heavenly Dao was not yet established, and Pangu had turned a blind eye.

But now that the living beings of the Primordial World had been born and the Heavenly Dao was taking shape, Pangu would be the first to object if they tried to force another contingency in, as the power of the Demon Gods was too great and would cause the operation of the Heavenly Dao to become abnormal.

As for why Hongjun could enter and exit the Primordial World at will, it was because Shichen had imprinted the Dao of Immortality during the creation of the world, and later, Hongjun had gained the recognition of the Heavenly Dao through the merit he earned during the Ferocious Beast Calamity.

The more the Destruction Demon God thought about it, the angrier he became, yet he was helpless and could only glare at Luo Hou.

Shichen continued: "Only one system has appeared in the Primordial World so far. The main content of today's council is regarding the coordinates of these other worlds."

Shichen shot a stream of light toward the Order Demon God: "Order, this world is assigned to you. You may exercise your Dao of Order there."

Upon hearing this, a look of incredulous surprise flashed in the Order Demon God's eyes.

She opened her mouth to say something, but found she could not utter a word. In the end, she simply nodded solemnly.

Shichen then shot a stream of light toward the Destruction Demon God: "Destruction, since the Primordial World no longer concerns you, you shall take this other world."

The Destruction Demon God's eyelid twitched, his mouth spasming, but he could only let out a cold snort in agreement.

Shichen said: "Remember, our primary goal is to obtain the origin of those worlds to nourish the Hundun. If you encounter a world worth preserving, settle them around the Primordial World and establish an ascension channel."

Pangu asked in confusion: "What is an ascension?"

Shichen looked at him and explained:

"It gives the beings of that world hope. When they reach a certain threshold of cultivation, they can ascend to the Primordial World to continue their practice. This will not only promote the vitality of that world's origin but also bring new life force to the Primordial World."

Pangu stroked his chin and nodded: "Oh, that sounds interesting."

"That is the general arrangement," Shichen surveyed the room. "Those with objections may speak now. If there are no objections, we shall put it to a vote."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

Voices rang out one after another throughout the hall.

In the end, it passed unanimously.

After the council concluded, the Demon Gods did not return to their respective Domains of Dao as they usually did. Instead, they scattered in groups of three or five throughout the Hall of Gods, beginning to search for their own palaces.

The World Demon God stood at the entrance of her palace, watching the departing figure of the Order Demon God. The playful expression on her face slowly faded, replaced by a depth that had never been there before.

"Sister Order... I am sorry, but Order, Reincarnation... will eventually belong to the World!"

"The Primordial World... I want it too. You may not care about rankings, but I never said I didn't!"