Honghuang: The Golden Crow Emperor, starts by robbing the Three Pure Ones

Chapter 978 The mastermind behind the scenes
In the chaotic void, three enormous and hazy figures stood solemnly, surrounded by an indescribable aura of law.

They are none other than the three chaotic demon gods of destiny, fate, and cause and effect.

At this moment, they had just completed a solemn yet dangerous oath of the Great Dao with the celestial lord who called himself "Karma".

The oath was not complicated, but it contained a binding force strong enough to tear through time and space: never to reveal the matter of this meeting, never to fight each other, and never to pry into each other's secrets.

Those who disobey will suffer the backlash of the Great Dao, and their soul and spirit will be destroyed.

For beings who have already stood at the pinnacle of all realms, swearing an oath in the name of the Great Dao is the most severe and the most difficult contract to break.

Even they were unwilling to easily endure such a backlash.

Therefore, as the brilliance of the oath gradually dimmed and merged into nothingness, the three demon gods relaxed slightly in unison.

The Demon God of Fate's eyes, which shimmered like nebulae, flickered slightly. His voice, deep and ethereal, echoed in this deliberately isolated space-time: "The Great Dao bears witness, the vow has been fulfilled. Fate, you should understand: if you harbor ulterior motives and intend to fight to the death, the first to perish, body and soul, will be yourself!"

As fate would have it, this seemingly aged celestial ruler, whose eyes were as deep as an abyss, merely smiled faintly upon hearing this, his wrinkles seemingly smoothing out, revealing a strange radiance! "I naturally know. The backlash of the Great Dao cannot be resisted by anyone but those who have reached the realm of the Great Dao. I have not yet stepped into that realm, how could I seek my own death?"

The God of Cause and Effect nodded silently and said no more.

He raised his hand and lightly touched the void, instantly triggering the invisible and intangible network of cause and effect. Streams of information containing all the events that had just occurred sped away along countless lines of cause and effect at a speed that transcended the limitations of time and space.

Almost simultaneously, the powerful beings scattered throughout the Nine Heavens, the Nine Demon Realms, and even the vast and boundless human realm, all in the primordial chaos, were shaken to their core as they received this message from the origin of cause and effect.

Deep within the Lingxiao Heaven, inside a divine palace suspended in endless celestial light.

Lingxiao Daozun suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, and the scene of billions of stars being born and dying flashed by in his eyes.

"What a coincidence... The Lord of the Heavenly Realm has actually come to us of his own accord?" He muttered to himself, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Judging from his tone, it seems he has something to ask of us?"

However, the moment his thought crossed his mind, a violent and icy voice boomed in the invisible causal link space... It was Shen Ni!
"The risk is too great!" Shen Ni's voice was filled with undeniable vigilance. "Who knows if this strange, chaotic world has any bizarre methods specifically designed to target cause and effect and probe thoughts? One wrong step and you're doomed! In my opinion, the safest method is to immediately sever this causal connection and completely disappear according to the backup plan we laid out earlier!"

The Eternal Demon God's seemingly unchanging voice then rang out, cold and rational: "That makes sense. When invading another world, concealment is paramount. Making rash contact with the peak-level native experts of this world carries too many variables. On this matter, I support Shen Ni!"

"Ha, Eternity, you're always so cautious!" A voice, laced with mockery and murderous intent, broke through—it was the Demon God of Slaughter. "Risk often comes with opportunity. A powerful native cultivator at the Dao Integration Realm has taken the initiative to seek cooperation; perhaps there lies the 'unexpected joy' we've been searching for. Why not give it a try?"

"An unexpected surprise? More like an unexpected shock!" The Ice Demon God's voice was like ancient ice, piercing and harsh. "Don't forget, our true forms haven't fully descended; our strength is suppressed by the laws of this realm. With the cultivation we can currently exert in this realm, even if we all join forces, we are no match for a fifth-level Dao Integration Realm expert. What if there's a trap?"

For a time, within the causal link space, the divine thoughts of the various chaotic demon gods and top-level powerful beings from the primordial world intertwined, and they argued endlessly.

Those in favor argued that the opportunity was too good to pass up, while those against stressed that safety came first. If this were in their original primordial chaotic world, even a powerful Dao Integration Realm cultivator wouldn't cause so many chaotic demons to be so conflicted and indecisive.

However, this place is a completely unfamiliar and chaotic realm, where all rules, foundations, and powerful figures behind the scenes are unclear, so they have no choice but to be extremely cautious.

Just as the debate was escalating and almost turning into a conflict of Daoist thoughts, the divine thoughts of all the powerful beings suddenly stopped, as if they were being gently suppressed by an invisible yet incomparably vast force, and could no longer "speak".

Immediately afterwards, the calm yet undeniable voice of the God of Fate resounded throughout the space: "It was too noisy just now, fellow Daoists, please be quiet and don't be agitated!"

The voice of the God of Cause and Effect also rang out, tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Since everyone has their own opinions, why don't we follow the old practice and let us vote together to decide? Under the oath of the Great Dao, it is absolutely impossible for fate to trace the location of the space of cause and effect through this contact. I can guarantee that!"

Ling Xiao's consciousness withdrew from that chaotic causal space, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

These old guys from the prehistoric era are quick learners. Not only have they created this "causal communication platform," but they've also become quite adept at using "banning" and "voting."

As the two demon gods of fate and karma spoke, the invisible suppression dissipated, but none of the powerful figures objected to the proposed vote.

After all, if something goes wrong, it's a collective decision with shared responsibility, which is better than having one person take the blame alone.

In a short while, within that mysterious causal space, the will of each powerful individual condensed into a small sphere emitting a faint light.

As the light flashed, it was projected onto three areas representing "agree," "reject," and "abstain."

The voting process was swift and silent, and the results were quickly revealed... those who agreed to reach out to those with affinity constituted the majority.

However, even the demons who voted in favor all attached numerous conditions and restrictions, layer upon layer, with extreme caution.

In the real world, the three demon gods of destiny, fate, and karma opened their eyes almost simultaneously, their gazes once again focusing on the patiently waiting fate before them.

The Demon God of Fate, acting as their representative, spoke slowly, his voice both majestic and indifferent: "Destiny, the voting results are in. We can cooperate with you!"

Suddenly, an amazing radiance appeared on that old face, as if a withered tree had come back to life, and even his figure seemed to straighten up a bit.

For beings of their caliber, the saying "appearance reflects the heart" is no exaggeration; changes in their state of mind are directly reflected in their outward appearance! "Good! Good! Good! What are your preconditions? Speak freely!"

"First," the God of Cause and Effect interjected, "we need to know how you so-called 'true gods' and 'true demons' were born, and what the fundamental structure of this chaotic world is."

(End of this chapter)