The Truth of the Cage, The Saint's Fear

Chen Ran saw the thought.

"When I return, I will surely... burn down the Primordial Era!"

These eight words, like the most venomous curse, exploded in the depths of his soul.

His body swayed.

Youchao Shi, standing beside him, immediately steadied him.

"Executor, what's wrong?"

Chen Ran did not answer.

He suddenly looked up, past the flagship, at the colossal remains of the Chaos Demon God.

It wasn't treasure.

It was a warning.

A bloody warning from Pangu, spanning billions of years!

"All personnel, evacuate that corpse immediately!"

Chen Ran's voice, transmitted through SkyNet, reached all the ships.

"Abandon all collection operations, exploration teams return immediately! Hurry!"

His orders were unquestionable.

Taiyi Zhenren, Ji Meng, and the others, who were still shaken on the demon god's corpse, did not dare to hesitate.

They scrambled onto their shuttlecraft and fled the area at top speed.

No one mentioned dividing the corpse anymore.

The demonic whisper that had nearly doomed them had thoroughly awakened them.

This was not something they could meddle with.

Soon, the joint fleet adjusted its formation, giving the ominous demon god's remains a wide berth.

Inside the flagship's bridge, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Everyone had recovered from the recent mental chaos.

They looked at each other's wounds and the damage reports on the ships, their faces burning with shame.

Shame.

And lingering fear.

If Chen Ran hadn't reacted in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Chen Ran."

Nuwa's voice, for the first time, carried a hint of emotion.

She looked at Chen Ran and asked.

"What... did you see?"

Chen Ran took a deep breath. He projected the images that SkyNet had deciphered from the demon god's residual consciousness onto the main screen.

Pangu's creation of the heavens.

The fall of the three thousand demon gods.

The birth of the Solar Star.

And, deep within the core of that star, the most terrifying Chaos Demon God, eternally suppressed.

As the last scene was revealed, the entire bridge fell silent.

All the powerful beings, including the Saints watching remotely through their magic treasures, felt a chill from the depths of their souls.

The Solar Furnace Project?

To control the Solar Star?

This was hardly building a fortress!

It was like trying to chip away at the wall of a prison holding the universe's most terrifying entity and stealing a little of its energy!

This was courting death!

"Impossible... this is absolutely impossible!"

Guang Chengzi's face was ashen, and he muttered in a daze.

"Dao Ancestor... why did the Dao Ancestor never mention this?"

"Mention it?"

Zhao Gongming gave a bitter smile, his face mirroring the same despair.

"How could such a thing be mentioned? Are we supposed to be told that a cage, capable of destroying the entire Primordial Era at any moment, hangs over our heads?"

This truth was too cruel.

It completely overturned everyone's understanding.

It also utterly shattered the confidence they had just mustered to fight the foreign enemy.

"Let's retreat."

An ancient voice came from the ships of the Four Seas Dragon Clan.

It was Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea.

His dragon whiskers hung limply, his eyes filled with fear.

"This plan must be stopped. We cannot touch that taboo. We should immediately return to the Primordial Era, activate all defensive formations, and beg the Dao Ancestor for protection."

His words echoed the sentiments of the vast majority present.

To provoke an existence that even the Great God Pangu couldn't completely kill?

Only a madman would do such a thing.

"This humble monk also believes this matter should be discussed at length."

The representative of the Western Teachings also stated their position.

"The karma is too great; we cannot bear it."

In an instant, the alliance that had just come together showed signs of falling apart once more.

"Cowards!"

Lord of the Heavens' furious roar exploded directly in the minds of Guang Chengzi and Zhao Gongming.

"You're scared by a legend before even seeing the enemy! If Father God Pangu could suppress it, why can't we!"

"Junior Brother, do not be rash."

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's voice also sounded, carrying a hint of solemnity.

"This matter has already surpassed our control. If that Demon God breaks free, the Primordial Era will surely return to Chaos. This is not a problem that can be solved with bravery."

Even the Saints had their disagreements.

The entire alliance had fallen into the greatest crisis since its inception.

Everyone looked at Chen Ran, waiting for him to make a decision.

Should they give up or continue?

Chen Ran remained silent.

His gaze was fixed on the incomplete star map on the light screen, labeled "Star Devourer" and "Gestalt."

Give up?

Retreat back to the Primordial Era?

And then what?

Wait for those two hungry Mechanical Civilizations to find the Solar Star and fight over this "high-energy reaction source"?

They might not know that the Solar Star was a prison.

But their war, their weapons, were enough to shake Pangu's seal.

At that time, if the Demon God broke free, the Primordial Era would still be destroyed.

Even worse, perhaps.

Because those two Mechanical Civilizations would not let the Primordial Era, whose coordinates were already exposed, go either.

Retreat was a dead end.

Moving forward might offer a glimmer of hope.

Chen Ran slowly raised his head, his eyes regaining their determination.

"We have no way back."

His voice was not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.

"Returning to the Primordial Era or not, it's still death. The only difference is whether we die in our homes or on the battlefield."

"I choose to die on the battlefield."

He turned and faced the representatives of all the factions.

"I know what you are afraid of."

"But have you ever considered why Father God Pangu left the corpse of this Chaos Demon God exactly on our route?"

This question stunned everyone.

Yes, Chaos was so vast, why did they encounter it specifically?

"This is not a warning,"

Chen Ran said word by word.

"It's a hint."

"Father God is telling us that the Chaos Demon Gods are not invincible. They, too, can die!"

"He has also left us a gift!"

Chen Ran's hand pointed to the massive corpse in the distance.

"A key, sufficient to unlock all mysteries!"

"We cannot go to the Solar Star for now, but we can study it first!"

"Thoroughly, study this Chaos Demon God's remains from the inside out, completely!"

"What is the source of its power? Where are its weaknesses? What method did Father God Pangu use to kill it?"

"Only by clarifying these things can we truly understand what our future enemies are!"

"Only then can we formulate a truly effective plan to counter that imprisoned demon god!"

Chen Ran's plan, once again, exceeded everyone's expectations.

Instead of touching that hot potato.

He would first start with this relatively "safe" corpse.

This approach was steady and filled with immense temptation.

A complete corpse of a Chaos Demon God!

The knowledge and power contained within were enough to elevate the overall strength of the Primordial Era by a level!

Everyone's breathing quickened again.

Fear was suppressed by the desire for knowledge.

"Good!"

Lord of the Heavens burst into laughter.

"I like this spirit of yours! This is how great things are done!"

"Let's do it!"

He looked at the remains of the demon god in the distance, his eyes burning with fervor.

"I will personally take action and use the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation to dismember this demon god! I want to see just how hard the bones of this Chaos Demon God are!"