At the edge of Hundun, a white-haired figure stood in the void. The old man's hair was bound in a Daoist crown. His face was lean, three long wisps of beard hung over his chest, and his Daoist robe was neat and unadorned.
His eyes, however, were exceptionally bright. A shrewdness flickered in his gaze, as though weighing benefits and losses came naturally to him.
The old man was Hongjun.
Hongjun looked around, sensed the still-faint Law of Immortality within him, and gave a slight nod.
He had emerged late, and his cultivation was only at the second level of the Primordial Unity Realm—near the bottom among the demon gods. His first priority was to claim a Domain of Dao where he could cultivate in peace.
He had just raised his fingers to form a seal when a faint presence appeared above him.
Hongjun's heart tightened. He snapped his head up.
A figure in blue robes stood in the void with his hands behind his back. Shifting traces of time flickered around him as he looked down at Hongjun. Hongjun had never seen that face, yet it was utterly familiar. Before he emerged, the Great Dao had imprinted information about every demon god in his mind.
The oldest demon god, master of the Dao of Time: Shichen.
Hongjun did not dare slight him. He immediately bowed low.
"Hongjun greets Dao Venerable Shichen."
Shichen watched him in silence. In the original course of events, Hongjun's true form was a nine-segment earthworm. Though gravely wounded in the Heaven-Opening Calamity, he had escaped by sheer luck. With his cultivation diminished, he would cultivate anew in the Primordial World, spread the path of immortality, scheme against all living beings, and become the Dao Ancestor.
After a long while, Shichen chuckled.
"Dao Venerable? That's the first time anyone has called me that. Why?"
Hongjun kept his head lowered, his tone respectful. "Your Excellency is the first demon god of Hundun, standing at the pinnacle of the Dao of Time and the oldest among all demon gods. Calling you Dao Venerable is only right."
His words were neither servile nor defiant. He flattered Shichen while showing that he knew when to yield.
Shichen laughed inwardly. As expected of the future Dao Ancestor who would scheme against the entire Primordial World, Hongjun thought fast.
"May I ask what brings you here, Dao Venerable?" Hongjun asked cautiously, looking up.
"Nothing important." A mischievous smile tugged at Shichen's lips. "I just came to tell you about a tradition in Hundun."
"A tradition?" Hongjun paused. "What tradition?"
Before he could finish speaking, time around him suddenly froze.
He lost control of his body in an instant. It was as though he had been nailed to the void; he could not move a finger. Hongjun's pupils contracted. Just as he tried to invoke the Law of Immortality, Shichen raised a hand and brought it down with effortless ease.
"Ah—!"
A scream rang out at the edge of Hundun.
A moment later, Shichen withdrew his hand.
Hongjun stood there clutching his face. One cheek was swollen, and the corner of his mouth was split. He was furious but dared not say a word. He could only lower his head and commit this welcome tradition to memory.
Just wait. When another demon god emerges after me, I'm going to make sure this tradition lives on.
"Know what the tradition is now?" Shichen asked calmly, standing with his hands behind his back.
Hongjun nodded at once, his voice muffled. "I do, I do. Thank you for your... guidance, Dao Venerable."
So beating someone up counts as guidance? Hundun's traditions are far too savage.
Just then, the void above them rippled.
A figure appeared from nowhere, faint, illusory musical notes drifting around him. He had a rather refined air.
He looked down and caught sight of Hongjun's battered face. After a moment of surprise, he noticed Shichen beside him and immediately understood.
"Shichen, I didn't expect you to come tell the newcomer about the tradition yourself."
The newcomer cupped his hands toward Shichen, sounding a little awkward.
"Then I won't disturb you."
With that, he vanished in a flash.
From start to finish, he never even got around to introducing himself.
Hongjun stood there, the corners of his mouth twitching.
He recognized the newcomer: the Sound Demon God, ranked two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seventh, exactly one place above him.
From the look of it, the Sound Demon God had heard of his emergence and come all this way to teach him a lesson, only for Shichen to beat him to it.
Hongjun had mixed feelings. So even if Shichen hadn't come, I still wouldn't have escaped a beating today? This tradition is far too deeply ingrained in Hundun...
"All right, that's the trivial matter done. Now for the real business."
Shichen's expression turned serious, and the playfulness around him faded.
Hongjun set aside his thoughts and listened closely. A demon god of the Chaos Realm like Shichen would never have made this trip just to beat him up.
Shichen did not beat around the bush. He briefly explained that the Qi of the Tribulation was spreading, the Chaos Origin was declining, and the Great Dao intended to carry out Creation of Heaven and refine the world anew. All three thousand demon gods would perish as their Daos dissolved.
The more Hongjun heard, the deeper his frown grew.
He had only just emerged. Was he supposed to face death and the dissolution of his Dao before he had even enjoyed life in Hundun? No one could accept that.
He lowered his eyes in thought, absently stroking his beard. For a long while, he said nothing.
Shichen did not press him. He simply watched.
He wanted to see what solution the future Dao Ancestor, famed for his schemes, could devise.
At last, Hongjun raised his head, conviction in his eyes.
"Dao Venerable, if the decline of the origin is inevitable, then Creation of Heaven and refinement anew are the Great Dao's inevitable choice. But if Creation of Heaven cannot be avoided, why... can't we do it another way?"
"Oh? Let's hear it." Shichen's interest was piqued.
"What the Great Dao wants is for the origin to return after Creation of Heaven and for a new world to evolve. It does not necessarily need every demon god to perish." Hongjun spoke slowly, but his reasoning was remarkably clear. "We could contact all the demon gods and have each refine a Dao body to carry their laws. Together, those bodies could help Pangu carry out Creation of Heaven."
"The backlash from Creation of Heaven would fall only on the Dao bodies. They would shatter, and their laws would merge into the new world. That would aid the Primordial World's evolution without harming the demon gods themselves.
"Creation of Heaven would succeed, and the demon gods would survive. We would achieve both goals at once."
Shichen praised him inwardly.
It matched the approach he had envisioned. For Hongjun to find that way forward so quickly—he truly deserved his reputation as a master strategist.
"It's a good plan." Shichen nodded. "What are the difficulties?"
"Two." Hongjun raised two fingers. "First, we must persuade every demon god to refine a Dao body. They are proud and may not be willing to part with their origin and weaken themselves for this.
"Second, and most important, will the Great Dao accept it? If the Great Dao insists that the demon gods dissolve into their Daos, all our planning will be in vain."
"Well said."
Shichen regarded him with growing appreciation.
Hongjun was not only quick-witted; he saw the situation clearly. Both problems struck at the heart of it.
After a moment's silence, Shichen spoke slowly.
"I intend to unite Hundun and fight for a new future for the Chaos Demon Gods. Will you join me?"
Hongjun froze.
He thought he had misheard.
He was ambitious, but he knew his place. Ranked two thousand nine hundred and ninety-eighth, he was among the lowest of the three thousand demon gods.
Ordinarily, someone of Shichen's stature would not even spare him a glance.
Yet now Shichen wanted him at his side to plan something that would shake the world.
Hongjun came to his senses and bowed at once, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
"I, Hongjun, the Immortal Demon God, am willing to follow Dao Venerable Shichen and seek a path forward together. Even if I must die ten thousand times, I will not shrink from it!"
Traveling alongside the oldest demon god would bring him protection and expose him to higher levels of the Dao. For a demon god ranked near the bottom, it was an opportunity he would never have dared dream of.
Shichen nodded, a smile appearing on his lips.
He had gained a capable assistant.
And that assistant would one day become the Dao Ancestor of the Primordial World, scheming across the heavens and presiding over the Investiture of the Gods.
With Hongjun's help, his plan to unite Hundun would go much more smoothly.
"Come. Return with me to the Time Domain first."
"Some matters require careful planning."
Hongjun hurried after him, his heart full of anticipation.
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