The Demon Gods Convene Again

Beyond the barrier of the Chaos World, two figures stepped through.

The instant they entered, the long-dormant Dao of Time and Dao of Strength suddenly stirred to life.

Countless Demon Gods opened their eyes amid cultivation and looked toward the barrier.

"Shichen and Pangu are back."

After Shichen and Pangu returned to the Time Temple, Shichen waved a hand and summoned the origin they had obtained from the Tianyuan Divine World. He separated half of it and merged it into the Chaos World.

He divided the remaining half into three portions and tossed the largest directly to Pangu.

"Absorb this."

Pangu caught the origin and froze. "You don't want it?"

Shichen sat down on a Prayer Mat and said casually,

"Yang Mei was injured because of me. One portion is for him. I promised Fate a portion, and I won't break my word. As for you, you're about to break through to the Chaos Realm's Fourth Heaven. The sooner you do, the better you can protect the Chaos World, right?"

Pangu scratched his head, hesitant. "Aren't you close to breaking through to the Chaos Realm, Fifth Heaven? You seem to need this origin more than I do."

Shichen glanced at him. "When did you become such a nag? If you consider me a friend, take it."

Pangu broke into a grin and stopped refusing. He put away the origin. "Once I break through, I'm going to have a proper spar with you."

Shichen smiled and shook his head without answering. Then he raised his head and sent his voice throughout the Chaos World.

"All three thousand Demon Gods, including the Lower Demon Gods, are to gather in the Hall of Gods' Council Hall within ten Chaos Eras."

As his Dao-infused voice faded, the Chaos World erupted into activity.

The light of countless Laws flared across the realm. Rifts tore open in space as Demon Gods converged on the Hall of Gods from every direction.

In the Karma Temple, the Karma Demon God sat cross-legged, healing his wounds. At Shichen's summons, he shuddered so hard he nearly disrupted his breathing. "Shichen isn't going to settle accounts with me now, is he?"

He paced back and forth, his expression shifting. "But I swore a Great Dao Oath and even gave up half the origin of my Karmic Dao... He shouldn't come after me now, should he?"

At the thought, anger surged through him again. "That little brat, the World Demon God, stole a sliver of my Karmic Dao Mark while I was injured! Once I've fully recovered, I'll tear apart her World Tree!"

He could curse all he liked, but he still had to attend the meeting.

He rose and patted down his robes, muttering, "Fine, I'll go! There's only one word written above the Karma Demon God's head... courage!"

Inside the Hall of Gods' Council Hall, a few Demon Gods who lived nearby had arrived early and gathered in small groups, talking quietly.

A ripple of Law suddenly stirred at the entrance. A figure in a long pink dress walked in, drawing glances from the surrounding Demon Gods.

"Order is back!"

"She was gone quite a while. Looks like she gained a lot!"

"Didn't Destruction go out too? He only had one world to deal with, but he still hasn't returned. Don't tell me he's having too much fun!"

Shichen and Pangu happened to arrive just then. Seeing Order, Shichen walked over. "You're back? Judging by your aura, your Dao has advanced quite a bit. What took so long?"

"Shichen, thank you." The Order Demon God stepped forward and bowed, gratitude in her eyes.

"The world I visited is called the Supergod Universe. An angelic race rules it, and the path they follow aligns perfectly with order. It helped me greatly, and my Dao advanced another step."

"But that universe's foundations are still shallow. I nearly burst it open just by reaching its edge.

"I had no choice but to descend as a projection and spread my teachings with great care. That delayed me. As for that universe... should we open an ascension passage and connect it to the regions around the Primordial World?"

"It's too weak. Not for now." Shichen shook his head slightly. "Connecting it rashly would only harm them. We can plan for it once we find a world of a higher level."

As they spoke, a clear female voice rang out from outside the hall.

"Ah! Sister Order, you're back! I missed you so much!"

The World Demon God bounded in and threw her arms around Order.

Order sounded helpless in her embrace. "You're as unruly as ever."

Shichen smiled at the sight and left them to catch up. He and Pangu moved farther away and began discussing the Dao.

The World Demon God tugged at Order's sleeve, looking innocent. "Sister Order, could you lend me a little of your Order Dao Mark?"

Order frowned slightly.

A Law Dao Mark was no ordinary thing. It lay at the very foundation of a Demon God's own Dao.

"What do you need it for?" Order asked.

The World Demon God blinked earnestly.

"Haven't you always said I have no rules, Sister Order? I want to establish order in the worlds on my World Tree and learn some rules myself, so people won't keep saying that about me. Just lend me a sliver."

Order gazed into her clear eyes and fell silent for a moment.

A mere sliver of her Order Dao Mark should not cause any trouble.

She nodded. "Very well. Since you've set your mind to it, I'll lend you some. But you mustn't use it recklessly."

Order raised a hand, condensed a silver-white strand of her Dao Mark, and gently sent it toward the World Demon God.

The World Demon God accepted it, her face lighting up with delight.

No one saw the faint glint that flashed through her lowered eyes.

The Karmic Dao Mark and the Order Dao Mark... both were hers now.

Once she found a chance to merge those two Dao Marks into her World Dao for deduction and analysis, then use the three thousand great worlds on her World Tree to stabilize their fusion, her World Dao would rise another level. Its rank would enter at least the top tier, perhaps even the top five.

The World Demon God looked toward the head of the hall. Shichen and Pangu stood in the distance, quietly discussing the Dao, seemingly oblivious to her.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly before she quickly resumed her innocent, carefree expression.

To the Chaos Demon Gods, ten Chaos Eras passed in the snap of a finger. (As mentioned before, the flow of time in the Primordial World and the Chaos World was adjusted during the Creation of Heaven, in case anyone has forgotten and is still hung up on the timing.)

In the Hall of Gods' Council Hall, all three thousand Demon Gods had arrived and taken their seats. The Lower Demon Gods stood along both sides of the hall.

The Fate Demon God sat in his place and glanced at Shichen in the seat of honor. "Shichen, what exactly is this about? You summoned every Demon God the moment you returned. You're making it awfully formal."

Shichen did not answer. His gaze swept slowly across the hall. Only after confirming that every Demon God had arrived did he speak.

"I called this meeting because I believe our current method—each of us going out to search for worlds and obtain their origins—is too inefficient and wastes too much time."

"Besides, anomalies are growing more numerous in the Primordial World. We Demon Gods need to remain in the Chaos World to keep a better grasp on the situation as a whole."

The Demon Gods nodded.

Shichen raised his voice. "So I propose that we reveal the Primordial World's coordinates and actively draw in other worlds and more systems."

Low discussion immediately filled the hall.

Shichen raised a hand for silence and continued, "That would spare us the trouble of traveling far and wide and give us more time to cultivate. It would also make it easier to find clues about the God of Systems behind those systems."

Pangu was the first to raise his hand. "I agree!"

The other Demon Gods kept their faces carefully blank, though inwardly they grumbled: You and Shichen are practically wearing the same pair of pants. We'd know you agreed even if you said nothing.

The Karma Demon God sat stroking his chin. After a moment's thought, he said, "I agree. But..."

A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. "If we're going to reveal the Primordial World, why not make it appear to be the Chaos World instead?"

The discussion in the hall stopped dead.

Every Demon God turned to look at him.

The Karma Demon God continued.

"Nothing could resist the allure of the Chaos World. The Laws of countless Daos fill this place, and its origin is abundant. Even its downgraded Chaos Spiritual Qi would be a treasure among treasures in other worlds.

"If those systems and the wills of other worlds learned that the Chaos World existed, they'd come swarming in."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Then the Demon Gods' eyes lit up, one after another.

Even Shichen stared at Karma in surprise.

Of course!

Why didn't I think of that?

Revealing the Primordial World would, at most, attract worlds and systems interested in it.

But if they made it appear to be the Chaos World, higher-level worlds and systems would likely seek it out on their own. Not only would the Chaos Origin receive a better replenishment, but higher-level systems would probably know more about the God of Systems.

The Fate Demon God looked at the Karma Demon God with a complicated expression.

"Well done, Yin the Fifth. I knew no one was more devious than you. When it comes to underhanded schemes, you have my respect above everyone else! Once you transform into the Dao, why don't you become the Demon God of Deception?"

Among the crowd, the Demon God of Deception sat looking embarrassed, the corner of his mouth twitching.

How did I get caught in the crossfire when I wasn't even involved?

If Karma becomes Deception... what does that make me? Karma?

Hm... that might not be so bad.

The Karma Demon God glared at the Fate Demon God. "Fate the Fourth, spare me the sarcasm. The next time you sleep, you'd better keep one eye open."

"Enough. Stop arguing." Shichen cut off their bickering. He looked at the Karma Demon God with approval in his eyes.

"Karma's proposal is sound. We'll do as he suggested. Let's vote."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

Unsurprisingly, the vote was unanimous.

Shichen nodded and added, "From now on, if you three thousand Demon Gods can spare the time, teach the Lower Demon Gods under your command and offer them some guidance. Help them advance their cultivation as quickly as possible. If too many invaders arrive, they'll be able to help."

His gaze swept over the Lower Demon Gods. "And helping them grow will benefit your own Daos as well."

At his words, the Lower Demon Gods' hearts surged with excitement. They looked at Shichen with gratitude.

The three thousand Demon Gods were usually so proud that, apart from their fellow three thousand Demon Gods, they regarded nothing else as worthy of notice. They rarely even gave the Lower Demon Gods a proper look, much less guided them.

Now that Dao Venerable Shichen had personally spoken up for them, they might receive guidance. It felt like a dream.

The Chaos Demon Ape sat in his place and scratched his head, looking troubled. "Huh? I have to teach the Dao too? I only know how to beat someone up..."

The faces of the Lower Demon Gods who followed the Dao of War fell at once.

We're doomed.

Others would cultivate by listening to the Dao. They would cultivate by taking a beating.

The days ahead would likely be far more miserable than they had imagined.

The meeting ended, and the Demon Gods began leaving one after another. Shichen stopped Fate and Yang Mei and handed them their portions of the Tianyuan Divine World's origin.

Yang Mei weighed the ball of light in his hand. After putting it away, he said nothing, only smiling and nodding at Shichen before turning to leave. Exchanging for the Great Dao Prohibition Decree had cost him too much origin. He needed to recover quickly.

The Fate Demon God looked somewhat surprised. He turned and waved at Shichen. "I thought you were fooling me. Demon Gods aren't exactly known for their morals. But I still won't concede to you."

The moment the Karma Demon God stepped out of the hall, he spotted the enormous mass of origin in the Fate Demon God's hand. His eyes went wide.

"Shichen gave you that much origin? Fate the Fourth... no, Brother Fate, my dear fourth brother, could you spare me a little? Look how badly my origin is damaged. I need to recover."

Fate glanced at Karma's shameless expression and smiled.

"Well, if it isn't my little brother Yin the Fifth! Why are you suddenly calling me 'brother'? That's much too distant and polite. 'Fate the Fourth' sounded so much better.

"Ah, I was going to give you some, but since you're being so distant, I won't. This origin should be enough for me to break through!"

With a look of regret, Fate shook his head and walked away.

Karma collapsed to the ground, clutched his head with both hands, and cried out in anguish, "Nooo! How can you be about to break through? Throw it away! Throw it away!"

Inside the hall, Shichen could only look at those two fools in resignation. One was too proud to be honest, and the other had no shame.

"Hongjun and Luo Hou's battle in the Primordial World is about to begin. After that, Hongjun will preach the Dao. We need to reveal the coordinates faster."

As though something had occurred to him, Shichen suddenly smiled.

"An iconic event like Hongjun preaching the Dao will probably draw out even more of those systems!"