The Destruction Demon God took a deep breath, steadied himself, and began to explain what had happened.
"That world was another Primordial World. It had no three thousand Demon Gods. When I arrived, the strongest being I sensed was only at the Heavenly Dao Realm, Second Heaven. He looked exactly like Hongjun, the Immortal Demon God ranked 2,999th, so I paid him little mind and prepared to end it quickly."
"Who knew he had a system inside him? I don't know what it did, but his cultivation instantly climbed to the Chaos Realm, First Heaven. We fought for dozens of Chaos Eras, and I had already gained the upper hand."
"But with the system's help, he kept producing treasures. I shattered dozens of them, but it took a heavy toll on me. One moment of carelessness, and one of his divine abilities struck me, damaging my origin. I had no choice but to retreat to Hundun and heal."
As he spoke, the Destruction Demon God's voice filled with frustration.
The square fell silent for a moment.
Then a towering wave of fury erupted.
"Outrageous! So it was an outsider Hongjun. I'll kill him myself!"
"That damned Hongjun worm! We brothers finally have our chance!"
The three thousand Demon Gods shared the same roots and origin. They were like brothers and sisters! They could scheme against one another and mock one another, but an outsider bullying one of them? Absolutely not.
Without another word, Pangu pulled out the Pangu Axe and turned to charge toward the edge of Hundun. "He's asking for death! I'll split him in two!"
"Pangu, wait." Shichen reached out to stop him.
Pangu froze and looked back at Shichen, his eyes full of confusion. But he trusted Shichen, so he stopped. Veins bulged on the hand gripping the Pangu Axe; he was clearly holding back a storm of anger.
Shichen offered no further explanation. He walked up to the Destruction Demon God, pressed a finger to his own chest, and drew out a slowly floating mass of azure light.
Every Demon God present stared in shock.
Shichen pushed the mass of origin toward the Destruction Demon God and said evenly, "This is the origin of my Great Dao Law. Take it and heal."
The Destruction Demon God jerked his head up and stared at Shichen in disbelief. The other Demon Gods were just as stunned.
The origin of one's Great Dao Law was the very core of a Demon God. Even a tiny loss took ages to replenish, yet Shichen had offered up an entire mass of it.
The Destruction Demon God's voice came out hoarse. "Shichen... you... Aren't you afraid your realm will fall after giving away so much of your Law origin?"
Pangu grew anxious too. He hurriedly pulled out a glowing mass of origin and held it out. "Exactly, Shichen! I still have the origin from the Tianyuan Divine World. You can use this instead!"
Shichen shook his head and pushed Pangu's hand away. "I sent you out without first getting the full picture. This is my compensation."
Silence settled over the square. All three thousand Demon Gods watched Shichen with complicated expressions.
The Shichen they knew sat on the foremost throne and was almost always calm, even indifferent. Yet now he had made a decision none of them had expected.
The Destruction Demon God stayed silent for a long time. At last, he reached out and accepted it.
"I owe you one. I'll repay you someday. I don't like owing anyone."
Shichen chuckled but did not reply.
Instead, he turned and swept his gaze over every Demon God present. A chill entered his voice.
"Notify every Lower Demon God under your command. Once Destruction has recovered, we'll crush that universe."
"If they dare injure one of us Chaos Demon Gods, they'd better be ready to face our wrath."
"Yes!"
The roar of the three thousand Demon Gods shook all of Hundun.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
The World Demon God lingered where she stood. The Creation Demon God and the Order Demon God looked over at her in confusion. Order stepped forward and tugged at her. "What are you thinking about? Come on!"
The World Demon God did not answer. Seeing the Destruction Demon God about to leave, she hurried after him.
She stopped in front of him, took a glowing branch from inside her robe, and held it out.
"Hmph!"
The World Demon God turned her head aside, looking utterly unconcerned.
"You're always scolding me, but you were hurt for the Chaos World. I'm not petty. You're my seventh brother, after all. Take it. This is the World Tree Origin Heart. Hurry up and heal so you don't hold us up."
The Destruction Demon God looked at the branch in surprise. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
The World Demon God waited, but when he gave no answer, she stole a glance at him. Seeing him standing there stunned, she could not help grinning smugly.
"Heh, moved, are you? If you really want to thank me, just give me a few of your Great Dao Law Dao Marks."
The Destruction Demon God's face darkened at once. He snatched the branch and walked around her. "Little brat, go play somewhere else! Want a smack?"
"You stone-faced jerk! You ungrateful wretch! I can't stand you!" The World Demon God stamped her feet in fury.
The Destruction Demon God had already gone some distance. With his back to her, he raised the branch and gave it a gentle wave.
"Thanks, little brat."
The World Demon God paused, then huffed and ran toward Creation and Order.
During that time, the Chaos World grew exceptionally busy. Streams of light from all manner of Laws streaked across the void.
At Pangu's insistence, Shichen let him help restore his origin.
Pangu's reasoning was simple: if Shichen refused his help, then he did not consider Pangu a brother. And if that was the case, Pangu would chop him. His choice.
Shichen had no answer to that and could only agree.
The two sat facing each other in the Time Temple. Time and strength, two supreme Great Daos, flowed and resonated between them.
They remained seated for dozens of Chaos Eras.
One day, the Chaos World suddenly shook violently.
Two pillars of Law-light shot into the sky, one azure and one gold. They pierced the vault of Hundun, and immense pressure swept across the entire Chaos World.
The Demon Gods emerged from their temples and looked toward the Time Temple, their eyes full of envy.
Shichen slowly opened his eyes. His aura had grown deeper than before, and more detached.
"Chaos Realm, Fifth Heaven."
Shichen looked down at his hands and felt the new power within him, but little joy stirred in his heart.
He could clearly feel his emotions being covered, bit by bit, by Divinity as his realm rose.
When I reach the Great Dao Realm, will Divinity have covered them completely? Will I become like the Great Dao then, free of desire and emotion?
Shichen fell silent for a moment, until a burst of laughter broke through his thoughts.
"Hahaha! Wonderful!" Pangu leaped to his feet, golden light blazing around him. He was as excited as a child. "I've reached the Chaos Realm, Fourth Heaven! I never thought we'd break through together!"
He turned to Shichen, beaming. "Shichen, come on! Let's spar!"
Shichen shook his head helplessly. Pangu truly lived up to his reputation as a brute.
"Not yet."
"We're setting out to avenge Destruction."
Pangu slapped his forehead. "Right, right! I nearly forgot the important part!"
Shichen raised a hand and pointed toward the sky.
The coordinates of a world slowly unfolded across the vault of Hundun. Then his voice, carrying the resonance of the Great Dao, rang throughout the Chaos World.
"All Demon Gods... march!"
The Chaos World shook in an instant. The Demon Gods drove their Great Dao Laws with all their might, venting the fury they had held back for so long. Great waves surged through the Chaos Spiritual Qi across the entire Chaos World.
Inside the Purple Heaven Palace, Hongjun's eyes flew open. He had successfully entered the Heavenly Dao Realm.
He sensed the turmoil of Great Dao Laws in Hundun stirring the Laws of the Primordial World as well. His expression turned grave.
"Only a hundred yuanhui remain before my sermon. What happened in Hundun? Is it another battle like before? But the Dao Venerables are all in the Chaos World. That shouldn't be possible!"
At that thought, his expression turned bitter.
"Why am I left out every time something big happens in Hundun? If the Dao Venerables hadn't ordered me to govern the fortune of the Primordial World, I'd want to join them. I'm ranked 2,999th, after all. Even the Star Demon God ranks below me. Why does he get to take part?"
Meanwhile, in the Tianyuan Divine World, the Star Demon God was gleefully beating the world's Heavenly Dao senseless. "Are you calling me Senior now or not?"
At that very moment, the systems belonging to every transmigrator in the Primordial World began blaring alarms: "Warning! Warning! Great Dao Laws are in turmoil beyond the Primordial World. Unable to investigate. Danger level: certain death. Hosts, beware!!!"
Before you continue