In the valley, time flows silently and profoundly.
The lake surface, like a giant piece of glass, perfectly reflects the sky and clouds, revealing every detail.
The valley is filled with a misty, ever-flowing spiritual energy, as if the collapse of the world and the raging laws of the outside world have nothing to do with this pure land carefully protected by supreme power, forming a world of its own, isolated from the world.
Yu Xin sat cross-legged on a blue stone by the lake, her graceful figure blending seamlessly with the surrounding nature.
Her body was filled with Daoist energy, her aura grew increasingly pure and profound, and her spiritual power surged like a river, yet remained gentle like a stream.
Under Li Qingshan's seemingly casual yet profoundly insightful guidance, her cultivation increased day by day, and her understanding of the laws of heaven and earth became increasingly keen and agile. Between the opening and closing of her eyes, a hidden radiance of wisdom flowed.
However, on this day, the mysterious Stone Gate, which had long been dormant deep within Li Qingshan's body, trembled slightly without warning.
It was not a physical tremor, but a clear ripple originating from the soul bond and the level of rules; silent, yet stirring up a storm deep within his Dao heart.
A cold, objective, and emotionless stream of information was directly imprinted on the core of his divine sense, clear and unquestionable.
[The return journey is now sealed, with a one-year cycle. The spacetime anchor point is locked, and the passage will open after 365 days and nights in this world to guide the returnees.]
The message was brief, yet every word carried immense weight, striking his heart like a thunderbolt.
Li Qingshan's hand, which was preparing tea, paused almost imperceptibly.
The spiritual spring water, guided by pure spiritual energy and pouring from the spout, seemed to freeze in mid-air for a moment, as if time itself had been frozen by this sudden message.
It then continued to fall into the warm cup, creating a subtle yet lasting ripple.
A faint ripple crossed his deep, star-like eyes, before he returned to his usual calm, as if that momentary lapse in composure had never occurred.
One year.
He only has one year left in this realm.
Although he knew this day would eventually come after the Stone Gate fell silent, he had even rehearsed it countless times in his mind.
But when the return date is so clearly and coldly marked, an invisible sense of urgency still creeps into my heart like a cold spider web, lingering endlessly.
He was not without attachments in this world.
This world was once the battlefield where he transformed into Great Demon, his demonic power overwhelming the world and causing Immortal God to tremble; it was also the key to his turning point in his cultivation path and his rebirth.
This past has already left an indelible mark on his life.
More importantly, the whereabouts of the demonic body that was born from his very essence but ultimately escaped his control and unleashed boundless calamity remains a mystery to this day.
The other treasures are insignificant; the Kirin Immortal Medicine Seed and the humanoid remains of the Immortal Medicine must be retrieved.
The message from the Stone Gate was like a final reminder, and also like a clarion call that could not be ignored.
He put down the antique teapot in his hand, his gaze calmly sweeping across the shimmering lake surface, looking out at the gray and oppressive sky beyond the valley, caused by the disordered laws.
For several years, he has lived a secluded life, immersing himself in nature and teaching Yu Xin.
However, thanks to its unparalleled divine sense that could almost cover the entire universe, as well as its subtle perception of the flow of the Qi of heaven and earth, and the fragments of memory "contributed" by those who either had ulterior motives or strayed into this place by mistake.
He was not entirely unaware of the dramatic changes happening in the outside world.
Previously, he had mostly acted as a detached observer, watching the changes unfold as if observing the clouds drifting by.
Now, however, we need to take the initiative and piece together the mystery of the sealed body of the Primordial Great Demon from the chaotic past and the bloody present.
"It's time."
Li Qingshan silently pondered, a sharp glint of cold light flashing deep within his eyes.
Even if I return after this matter is left unresolved, I will still have lingering concerns in my heart.
In the days that followed, Li Qingshan continued to sit in the valley, his aura becoming increasingly deep and solid like a mountain. He seemed no different from usual, and his guidance of Yu Xin's cultivation never ceased. His voice, as he explained the profound principles of the Great Dao, remained peaceful and composed.
However, if a powerful person with keen senses were present, they would be able to vaguely perceive that an invisible and intangible divine thought, as vast as the starry sea, was emanating from this ordinary valley.
Like an ever-expanding, intricately woven net, it silently spreads, scans, and infiltrates outwards.
This divine thought swept across mountains and rivers, through broken boundaries, past the settlements of creatures struggling to survive in turmoil, and even touched some hidden caves and ancient ruins.
He no longer passively waited for intruders, but began to actively and consciously search for and filter information.
The target is those immortals and gods who once lingered on the outskirts of the " Heartless Realm " or were active in more distant regions, and who may know the Immortal God of the ultimate war that swept Three Realms, or even stronger God King, God Emperor, or beings who have touched the threshold of the Lesser Heaven Rank.
The first "prey" appeared quickly.
That was a Mid-level God King who had narrowly escaped a battle between God King several years ago. His injuries were far from fully healed, and he was hiding in a ley line node about a thousand miles away from the valley, struggling to heal himself with the help of a faint earth-evil aura.
The first "prey" appeared quickly.
That was a Mid-level God King who had narrowly escaped a battle between God King several years ago. His injuries were far from fully healed, and he was hiding in a ley line node about a thousand miles away from the valley, struggling to heal himself with the help of a faint earth-evil aura.
He concealed his extraordinary abilities, believing he could deceive everyone and survive the chaos of the world.
However, just as he relaxed his mind slightly and tried to absorb the earth's energy, an irresistible, icy divine thought, like the most precise chain, instantly locked onto his soul.
He didn't even see the face of the person who made the move. He only felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if his soul had been thrown into an invisible furnace, where countless fragments of his memory were forcibly extracted and examined by a brute yet precise force.
The rise and fall of his faction, the fierce battles he participated in, and the various legends and rumors he heard.
Information related to keywords such as " Primordial Great Demon," "War of Annihilation," "Fall of the God King," and "Seal" was particularly extracted, analyzed, and archived.
Li Qingshan's divine sense manipulation was exquisite. After the soul search was completed, the God King was only injured in spirit, and his consciousness had fallen into a deep coma.
Like a discarded, worn-out doll, carelessly tossed into the wilderness, whether it can awaken in a perilous environment depends entirely on its own Fortune.
Li Qingshan, on the other hand, obtained the first batch of relatively clear memory fragments.
It mainly concerns the reactions of various forces when the Three Realms Allied Forces initially assembled before the outbreak of the final battle, as well as the circulating versions of the names of several renowned Lesser Heaven Rank experts who led the battle.
Following them was a team of cultivators who had been ordered to investigate the true nature of the " Heartless Realm ".
They came from a newly emerging power amidst turmoil, and acted with extreme caution. From a distance of thousands of miles away, they used an ancient treasure Heaven-Peering Mirror to try to observe the fortune of the valley.
As a result, the moment the light of the treasure touched the invisible barrier surrounding the valley, it triggered a counterattack from a wisp of Li Qingshan's will attached to it.
Across thousands of miles, the Heaven-Peering Mirror shattered silently, turning into dust. Several cultivators who held the mirror were annihilated before they could even utter a scream.
Only the leader, whose cultivation was slightly higher, was captured remotely by a force that transcended space.
Li Qingshan ruthlessly obtained his memories of the various speculations and fears the God Emperor behind him had about the " Heartless Realm," as well as the God Emperor's fragmented memories of participating in the outer guard work of a place suspected to be a sealed place of demonic remains.
This information, like jigsaw puzzle pieces scattered throughout the river of time, was initially chaotic, even contradictory, and filled with rumors and fallacies.
But as Li Qingshan's frequency of action quietly increased, more and more fragments were gathered together.
He is like a detached fisherman standing on the bank of the long river of time, casting out the boundless net of divine thoughts to retrieve the historical remnants that float and sink in the memories of all living beings, the obsessions of lingering souls, and even the imprints of ancient artifacts.
Gradually, a tragic, grand war scene involving the survival of the Three Realms became clearer and more coherent in his mind's sea:
Back then, the Second Demonic Embryo completely spiraled out of control, transforming into the true " Primordial Great Demon."
This demon inherited his ultimate characteristics of destruction and battle, but was even more violent and chaotic, filled with hatred and a desire to devour all living beings, lacking the absolute rationality and control that the original had gained through countless tribulations.
Its birth triggered a cataclysmic event, its demonic power swept across the universe, devouring all living beings to strengthen itself. Wherever it passed, stars dimmed, realms collapsed, lives were ravaged, and resentment soared to the heavens.
In its early stages, the Primordial Great Demon was almost invincible. With its unparalleled demonic body and terrifying devouring ability, countless Immortal God, and even some well-established and profound ancient God King, fell at its hands, becoming resources for the growth and evolution of its demonic body.
Its ferocity and the intensity of its demonic flames plunged the Three Realms into endless panic, as if the end of the world had truly arrived.
However, things tend to reverse when they reach an extreme.
The rampant and unrestrained destruction of the Primordial Great Demon finally stirred the true powerhouses who had slumbered for millennia, remained hidden behind the scenes, or transcended worldly affairs.
Not only are there ancient God Emperor who wield the laws of light and order, but also giants in the demonic path who are unwilling to see their foundations completely destroyed, and even some reclusive cultivators who have long since withdrawn from worldly affairs and pursue transcendence.
The line between good and evil becomes blurred in the face of a shared existential crisis.
To stop this world-destroying Great Demon that could utterly destroy everything, including themselves, these beings, who are usually bitter enemies with vastly different ideologies and even mortal enemies, have unusually set aside their prejudices and grudges and joined forces.
From those fragmented memories, Li Qingshan "saw" several blurry yet magnificent and breathtaking scenes:
A divine figure, bathed in endless holy light and wielding a scepter seemingly capable of judging good and evil, chanted an ancient and grand oracle of purification, as a rain of light fell, attempting to cleanse the demonic energy;
There is a peerless swordsman whose sword energy can traverse thirty thousand miles and whose sword light chills nineteen provinces; he becomes one with his sword, transforming into a stunning swan that cuts through the Void.
A woman with blurred features and an ethereal, mysterious aura laid out a vast chessboard covering the starry sky with a wave of her hand, using heaven and earth as the chessboard and the laws of nature as the pieces, imprisoning the demons;
A peerless demon revealed its true form, its scales and armor stretching across the sky, its sharp claws tearing stars apart, and it savagely crashing into everything;
The battle did not take place in one fixed location, but rather crossed the barrier Three Realms as the Primordial Great Demon rampaged and the allied forces pursued and intercepted it.
They fought their way from the Eastern Heaven Realm to the Western Heaven Realm, crossed the Heavenly Gate to the vast Human World, and even affected some subordinate Mystic Realms, completely reducing them to nothingness.
The final battle takes place in the unfathomable depths of the Seventeenth Layer of Hell in the Human World, a place said to perish even for gods.
The images in the fragmented memories became particularly broken and chaotic, filled with the explosion of destructive energy and the lamentation of the laws.
In the end, the allied forces paid an unimaginable price; several Lesser Heaven Rank cultivators suffered damage to their Dao Foundation and were critically injured and on the verge of death.
The God King level powerhouses who participated in the siege fell like rain, their blood staining the starry sky and their souls being buried in the Demon Abyss. Finally, in the core of the Seventeenth Layer of Hell, with the help of the special environment there and some ancient forbidden formation, the raging Primordial Great Demon was successfully suppressed and its actions were temporarily restricted.
Just as the allied forces were about to pay an even greater price in their attempt to completely annihilate it, another unexpected event occurred!
An existence of unimaginable power seemed to have broken through the Void from the end of time and space to arrive on the battlefield.
Its overwhelming power silenced even the chaotic battlefield.
That being engaged in one of the most intense battles since the beginning of Heaven-Opening with the Primordial Great Demon, resulting in the collapse of laws and the near disintegration of the structure of Hell.
In the end, the mysterious powerhouse used its supreme divine power to shatter the almost immortal and powerful demonic body of the Primordial Great Demon!
However, even that powerful figure seemed unable to completely eradicate or kill the root of its demonic nature.
That heaven-defying battle spirit, along with the demonic body forged by Li Qingshan's own essence and the killing energy of heaven and earth drawn by Li Qingshan, contained an indestructible characteristic that even that suspected Heaven Rank expert found troublesome.
Since they could not be completely eliminated, the remaining few powerful figures made a decisive final decision: to divide and suppress them!
There are many different accounts of whereabouts of the various parts of the demon's body, a mixture of truth and mystery:
Rumors say that the most core part of the trunk, which contains the essence of demonic power, was banished to the depths of an unknown spacetime rift, where even they themselves could not locate it, by a combination of the most severely injured top beings using an unparalleled spatial secret technique, to drift forever.
There are also cryptic theories suggesting that the main trunk was secretly taken over by a mysterious entity that had been hiding deeper within, never directly intervening, with unknown intentions.
Its ferocious head was considered to be the most demonic and contained the most residual consciousness. Several God Emperor joined forces with their primordial divine power to throw it into the deepest part of the Seventeenth Layer of Hell, the " Avici Demon Abyss," a place where even the remnants of ancient demon gods were said to be obliterated. It was then sealed with multiple divine incantations.
The left arm was taken away by an ancient, forbidden being from the East, renowned for his weapon crafting and array formations, who had lived for countless years. It is said that he intended to use the demonic body material, which is extremely rare throughout the ages, combined with supreme Immortal Gold and divine materials, to forge a terrifying and forbidden weapon.
His right arm, in the midst of the fierce battle, fell into the deepest part of that boundless, filthy, bloody sea of blood, capable of corroding everything. It was enveloped and eroded by the primal will of the sea of blood, sinking into it and disappearing without a trace. Perhaps it has been assimilated, or perhaps it is giving birth to a new terror.
Information regarding the whereabouts of the legs is even more conflicting.
One theory suggests that they were suppressed under the foundations of heaven and earth at the north and south poles of the Human World, and their demonic nature was suppressed and eradicated by the Yin-Yang power of the entire broken world.
Another theory is more specific, pointing out that the legs were suppressed in the core of the " Ancient Ravine of Fallen Gods," a famous ancient battlefield in the Eastern Heaven Realm that has existed since the Mythological Era and has witnessed the fall of countless gods and Mighty Figure.
They used the eternal, undying fighting spirit and the earth's dragon energy to suppress it.
There are many conflicting opinions, no consensus, and it's difficult to distinguish the truth from the falsehood.
Thus, the calamity of the " Primordial Great Demon," which ravaged the Three Realms and nearly brought about the end of all things, finally came to a temporary end.