Chen Ran saw that thought.
"When I return, I will surely... burn the Primordial World to ashes!"
Those eight words exploded in the depths of his soul like the most vicious curse.
His body swayed.
Youchao Shi immediately caught him.
"Executor, what's wrong?"
Chen Ran did not answer.
He suddenly raised his head and looked beyond the flagship, at the enormous remains of the Chaos Demon God.
That was not a treasure.
It was a warning.
A bloody warning from Pangu, spanning hundreds of millions of years!
"All personnel, withdraw from that corpse immediately!"
Chen Ran's voice spread through every ship via the Heavenly Network.
"Abandon all collection operations. Exploration teams, return to your ships immediately! Hurry!"
His order allowed no doubt.
Taiyi Zhenren, Ji Meng, and the others, who were still shaken atop the demon god's corpse, did not dare hesitate in the slightest.
They scrambled onto their shuttlecraft and fled the area at top speed.
No one mentioned dividing up the corpse again.
The inner demon whispers that had nearly condemned them to eternal ruin had thoroughly awakened them.
This thing was simply not something they could lay their hands on.
Before long, the United Fleet adjusted its formation and gave the demon god's remains, which radiated an ominous aura, a wide berth.
The atmosphere on the flagship's bridge was oppressive to the extreme.
Everyone had recovered from the inner demon riot just now.
Looking at the wounds on one another and the damage reports from the ships, their faces burned.
Shame.
And lingering fear.
Had Chen Ran not reacted in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Chen Ran."
For the first time, Nuwa's voice carried a trace of emotion.
She looked at Chen Ran and asked,
"What did you see?"
Chen Ran took a deep breath and projected the images the Heavenly Network had deciphered from the demon god's lingering consciousness onto the main screen.
Pangu creating the world.
The fall of three thousand demon gods.
The birth of the Solar Star.
And, deep within that stellar core, the most terrifying Chaos Demon God, eternally suppressed.
When they saw the final scene, the entire bridge fell so silent that a needle could have been heard dropping.
Every great being present, including the Saints remotely watching through their treasures, felt a chill rise from the depths of their souls.
The Solar Furnace plan?
Taking control of the Solar Star?
This was not building a fortress!
This was clearly trying to chisel through the walls of a prison holding the universe's most terrifying existence and steal a little of the energy inside!
This was suicide!
"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!"
Guang Chengzi's face turned pale as paper as he muttered in a daze.
"The Dao Ancestor... Why did the Dao Ancestor never mention this?"
"Mention it?"
Zhao Gongming gave a bitter smile, his face filled with the same despair.
"How could he mention something like this? Was he supposed to tell us that above our heads hung a cage that could explode at any moment and destroy the entire Primordial World?"
This truth was too cruel.
It completely overturned everything they thought they knew.
It also shattered the confidence they had only just built in resisting foreign enemies.
"Retreat."
An aged voice came from the Four Seas Dragon Clan's ship.
It was Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea.
His dragon whiskers hung limply, and his eyes were filled with fear.
"This plan must stop. We cannot touch that taboo. We should return to the Primordial World at once, activate every defensive formation, and pray for the Dao Ancestor's protection."
His words voiced the thoughts of the overwhelming majority.
Provoking an existence that even the great god Pangu had been unable to kill completely?
Only a madman would do that.
"This monk also believes that this matter must be considered carefully."
The representative of the Western Teachings also stated his position.
"The karma involved is too great. We cannot bear it."
For a moment, the alliance that had only just come together showed signs of falling apart once more.
"A pack of cowards!"
Lord of the Heavens' furious roar exploded directly in Guang Chengzi and Zhao Gongming's minds.
"Before you have even seen the enemy, a mere legend has scared you out of your wits! Father God Pangu could suppress it, so why can't we?"
"Junior Brother, do not act rashly."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's voice followed, carrying a hint of gravity.
"This matter has already exceeded the scope of our control. If that demon god escapes, the Primordial World will inevitably return to chaos. This is not a problem that courage and force can solve."
Even the Saints had divided opinions.
The entire alliance had fallen into its greatest crisis since its founding.
Everyone looked to Chen Ran, waiting for his decision.
Would they give up, or continue?
Chen Ran remained silent.
His eyes were fixed on the incomplete Star Chart displayed on the screen, marked with "Star Devourer" and "Gestalt."
Give up?
Retreat to the Primordial World?
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 cage.
But their war, and their weapons, would be enough to shake Pangu's seal.
When that happened, the demon god would escape, and the Primordial World would still be destroyed.
Perhaps even more thoroughly.
Because those two Mechanical Civilizations would not spare the Primordial World either, now that its coordinates had been exposed.
Retreat was a dead end.
Moving forward might still offer a glimmer of hope.
Chen Ran slowly raised his head, and his gaze became resolute once more.
"We have no way back."
His voice was not loud, yet everyone heard it clearly.
"Returning to the Primordial World means death. Not returning to the Primordial World also means death. The only difference is whether we die in our own homes or on the battlefield."
"I choose to die on the battlefield."
He turned to face the representatives of every faction.
"I know what you fear."
"But have you ever considered why Father God Pangu left behind this Chaos Demon God's corpse, only for it to appear directly in our flight path?"
The question stunned everyone.
That was right. Chaos was so vast, so why had they encountered it of all things?
"This is not a warning."
Chen Ran spoke each word distinctly.
"It is a hint."
"Father God is telling us that Chaos Demon Gods are not invincible. They can die too!"
"And he has left us a gift!"
Chen Ran pointed toward the enormous corpse in the distance.
"A key capable of unlocking every mystery!"
"We cannot go to the Solar Star for now, but we can study it first!"
"We will thoroughly study this Chaos Demon God's remains, inside and out!"
"What is the source of its power? Where are its weaknesses? What method did Father God Pangu use to kill it?"
"Only after we figure these things out can we truly understand what our future enemy is!"
"Only then can we formulate a truly effective plan to deal with that imprisoned demon god!"
Chen Ran's plan once again exceeded everyone's expectations.
They would not touch that hot potato.
Instead, they would begin with this relatively "safe" corpse.
The idea was prudent, yet immensely tempting.
The complete corpse of a Chaos Demon God!
The knowledge and power contained within it would be enough to raise the overall strength of the Primordial World by an entire level!
Everyone's breathing became rapid again.
Fear was suppressed by the desire for knowledge.
"Good!"
Lord of the Heavens burst into laughter.
"I like that fire in you! That is how one accomplishes great things!"
"We'll do it this way!"
He looked toward the demon god's remains in the distance, his eyes blazing.
"I will personally act and use the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation to chop this demon god into eight pieces! I want to see just how hard a Chaos Demon God's bones really are!"
Before you continue