The Thoughts of the Demon Gods

The Demon Gods dispersed one after another, and the Hall of Gods gradually grew quiet.

Pangu shouldered his axe, stretched his back with a loud groan, and turned to look at Shichen:

"Shichen, what shall we do next? We can't just go back and meditate again, can we?"

Shichen flicked his fingertips, and a point of light representing world coordinates bobbed in his palm.

"Let's go. We have stayed in the Hundun world for too long; let's go see what other worlds are like."

Pangu's eyes lit up, and his spirits were instantly lifted:

"That suits me perfectly! Let's go, let's go! I've been wanting to see what lies outside of Hundun for a long time!"

The two walked side by side out of the Council Hall, their figures soon vanishing from sight.

Not long after they left, a telepathic message silently traversed layers of the void and reached the ears of Yang Mei, who was busy relocating his Space Domain to the Hall of Gods:

"Pangu and I are heading out. Please look after the Primordial World for us."

Yang Mei's movements paused slightly upon receiving the message, then he shook his head helplessly and gave a wry smile:

"You two really aren't afraid of me stabbing you in the back, are you..."

He gazed in the direction of the Primordial World, his expression complex:

"Still, with you two leaving, you've saddled me with a tiresome chore. The other Demon Gods are likely about to make their moves."

As it turned out, his guess was correct.

The moment the figures of Shichen and Pangu crossed the boundary of the Hundun world, the Dao of Time and the Dao of Strength throughout the entire Hundun world suddenly slowed.

The three thousand Demon Gods felt it almost simultaneously; they stopped in their tracks and looked toward the direction of the Hundun boundary.

In their eyes, various emotions surged.

The First Demon God was gone, and Pangu had left as well.

The two great mountains that had weighed upon the heads of all the Demon Gods had been moved away at the same time.

Inside the Temple of Fate, the Fate Demon God sat alone, his eyes closed, his fingertips gently plucking at an invisible thread of fate.

After a long while, he spoke to the empty hall, his voice flat:

"Yin the Fifth, I know you are here."

No sooner had the words fallen than a figure appeared from the void with a cheeky grin and plopped down right across from him.

"Fate the Fourth, do you have to be so familiar with me?"

The Fate Demon God did not bicker with him as usual, but merely raised his eyes to look at him: "Why have you come to find me?"

The Karma Demon God put away some of his mirth and leaned forward slightly: "Shichen and Pangu have left the Hundun world."

"And so?"

"This is our chance—the Primordial World!"

"Yin the Fifth." The Fate Demon God interrupted him, pointing to his own face with an expressionless look. "Look at my face."

The Karma Demon God was taken aback and instinctively scrutinized him: "What's wrong with your face? It's still as ugly as ever."

The Fate Demon God took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to beat him: "I am asking you to look and see if I look like a fool to you?"

Karma stroked his chin and shook his head with a straight face: "Hmm... no. You already are one."

The Fate Demon God clenched his fists, then released them, repeating the action twice before he managed to suppress his anger:

"Shichen and Pangu would not leave the Hundun world so easily unless they had left behind contingencies. Furthermore, even if we were to make a grand move against the Primordial World, the Great Dao has only rarely appeared, not died."

Upon hearing this, the Karma Demon God did not retreat; instead, he laughed: "Do you mean to give up such an opportunity?"

The Karma Demon God stood up, walked to the window, and looked toward the Primordial World:

"We don't need to attack the Primordial World; we only need to replace the imprint of the Primordial World's Great Dao laws with our own."

The Fate Demon God frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Fate and Karma—two supreme Daos." The Karma Demon God turned around, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "If the Dao imprint of the Primordial World belongs to the two of us, wouldn't the Primordial World be effectively in our grasp?"

The Fate Demon God was silent for a moment, then said slowly:

"The current Primordial World is imprinted with the Dao of Immortality. The Immortal Dao is very suitable for the cultivation of the creatures in the Primordial World; you and I both know this.

As for our two Daos, they are too profound and likely unsuitable for those creatures. Forcing a change would only cause their cultivation progress to be measured in thousands of Hundun epochs."

"Is doing this... not too immoral toward the Primordial World?"

The Karma Demon God was stunned for several seconds upon hearing this, then let out an exaggerated laugh:

"Hahahaha! Fate the Fourth, when did you become so moral?"

Suddenly, he reined in his smile and stared directly at the Fate Demon God: "Do we Demon Gods have morals?"

The Fate Demon God opened his mouth but said nothing.

"The Great Dao is the only thing that matters."

"Besides, we are only modifying the Primordial World's Dao imprint; we aren't causing it any harm. Fate and Karma are both supreme Daos. Those creatures should be thanking us for being able to cultivate our Dao."

The Fate Demon God remained hesitant, his brows locked in a tight frown.

The Karma Demon God walked up to him, his tone becoming coaxing:

"What are you still hesitating for? This opportunity is once in a lifetime. Once the next tribulation of the Primordial World passes and the Heavenly Dao is completely formed, the law-based Dao imprint will be impossible to change."

"And once we control the Primordial World, we will control that thing called the System. The Hundun origin will no longer be lacking, and we will have the chance to strike at that supreme realm. Don't you want to sit on that throne of the First?"

At this point, the Karma Demon God revealed a mocking smirk and added: "Or is it that... you are afraid of Shichen?"

The Fate Demon God looked up sharply: "Hmph, how could I be afraid of Shichen!"

He was silent for a few breaths, then finally gritted his teeth: "Fine, let's do it!"

The Karma Demon God's face instantly returned to that cheeky, grinning expression:

"That's more like it! Fate holds the trajectory, and Karma determines the beginning and the end. With the two of us working together, the Primordial World will be ours for the taking. You wait here; I'll go contact a few more helpers. Things are easier to get done with more people."

With that, his figure vanished into the void.

The Fate Demon God stood alone in the hall, watching the direction where the Karma Demon God had disappeared, the hesitant look on his face gradually fading.

In its place was a calmness he had never shown before.

"Yin the Fifth... even the Demon God of Deception is not as wicked as you."

He walked to the window and gazed into the depths of Hundun, his eyes profound.

"The throne of the First... do you really think I have no designs on it?"

He raised his right hand, and the River of Fate surged forth. He then reached into the river and stirred it a few times.

Watching the ripples splashing in the River of Fate, he remained silent for a long time before finally turning, flicking his sleeves, and stepping into the depths of the hall.

"Since you have schemed against me, let us see who is the more cunning schemer."