Primordial Era: A man at the mouth of the Guanjiang River marries the Third Holy Mother.

Kong Xuan.

"exist."

"You must immediately return to Penglai Immortal Island and send a message to the Heavenly Court in the name of the Law Enforcement Heavenly God Temple. Tell the Jade Emperor that something has happened at Fire Cloud Cave, the three emperors of the human race have gone missing, and the force sealing Fire Cloud Cave is not the work of the Chan Sect and the Western Sect, but an ancient seal of unknown origin."

"Yuan Hong".

"Please give your orders, Master."

"Take the Seven Heroes of Meishan and set up a perimeter around the Fire Cloud Cave. No one is allowed to approach within a million miles. Six Ears, continue to use your keen hearing to listen to everything happening inside the Fire Cloud Cave. Report any unusual activity to me immediately."

Everyone answered in unison.

After arranging everything, Chen Changsheng turned around and looked towards Jin'ao Island.

He was going to see the Tongtian Sect Leader.

This matter is beyond his ability to handle on his own. But before that, he must figure out one thing.

Who was that voice inside the Fire Cloud Cave, laughing and saying, "Finally sealed off"?

With a stomp of his foot, Chen Changsheng transformed into a streak of purple-gold light, soaring into the sky towards Jin'ao Island.

Less than half an incense stick's time after he left, the gray halo around the Fire Cloud Cave suddenly flashed.

It was just a fleeting moment.

It happened so fast that no one present noticed.

Deep within the halo, among those ancient sealing runes, an invisible crack quietly closed.

It was as if something had just slipped out of the crack.

Jin'ao Island, Biyou Palace.

When Chen Changsheng arrived, the Tongtian Sect Leader was already waiting for him.

On the prayer mat in the main hall of Biyou Palace, the Tongtian Sect Leader sat cross-legged at the head of the table. Behind him, the four Zhuxian Swords had been sheathed, but there was still a faint trace of killing intent on the sword boxes, indicating that the anger from before had not completely dissipated.

Zhao Gongming stood to the left of Tongtian Jiaozhu, arms crossed, his face ashen.

Our Lady of Wudang and Our Lady of Tortoise stand on the right, their faces solemn.

The moment Chen Changsheng stepped into Biyou Palace, the Tongtian Sect Leader opened his eyes.

"They're here."

"Grandmaster." Chen Changsheng bowed and, without wasting words, spoke directly, "I used the Eastern Emperor Bell to smash the sealing formation of Fire Cloud Cave with all my might, but I couldn't break it."

Biyou Palace fell silent for a moment.

Zhao Gongming's brows furrowed into a tight knot.

The Tongtian Sect Leader's expression didn't change much, but he tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, a small gesture indicating that he was thinking seriously.

"The Eastern Emperor Bell can't be broken?" The Tongtian Sect Leader's voice was very calm.

"It can't be broken." Chen Changsheng nodded. "The restrictions set up by Dipankara Buddha and the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta of the Western Sect were shattered by the Eastern Emperor Bell, but there is an even more ancient seal underneath. That seal does not belong to the Chan Sect, nor does it belong to the Western Sect. When I used the Eye of Heavenly Punishment to look at it, it was bounced back."

"The Six-Eared Macaque used his all-hearing ears to hear a voice inside the Fire Cloud Cave saying, 'It's finally sealed off,' but it wasn't the voice of the Three Sovereigns."

The Tongtian Sect Leader stopped pointing.

The atmosphere in Biyou Palace suddenly turned somber.

Zhao Gongming was the first to speak: "Master, did you discern anything from it?"

The Tongtian Sect Leader did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes, his divine sense spreading out and covering the entire primordial world. After a moment, he reopened his eyes, a complex light flashing in them.

"I have some recollection of the sealing technique used."

Chen Changsheng's heart skipped a beat.

"It takes the laws of Heaven as its framework and the origin of chaos as its filling. Once it takes shape, it operates on its own and does not require external force to maintain it."

At this point, the Tongtian Sect Leader's tone changed.

"But the thing above the Fire Cloud Cave wasn't the work of the Three Pure Ones. I know exactly what kind of seal I set up; I can recognize it at a glance. The one above the Fire Cloud Cave isn't mine, nor is it my elder brother, Laozi's."

"As for my second brother, Yuanshi—" Tongtian Jiaozhu snorted coldly, "His avatar was just shattered by Changsheng's spear, and his main body suffered a backlash. He simply doesn't have the resources to set up such a large seal right now. Besides, I'm familiar with his methods, and that's not his style."

Zhao Gongming's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Does Master mean that, besides the Three Pure Ones, there are others capable of setting up seals of this level?"

"Not just the Three Pure Ones." The Tongtian Sect Leader's gaze darkened. "To be able to set up a seal that even innate treasures cannot break, this person's cultivation is at least at the Saint level."

"In the primordial world, there were only a handful of sages: the Three Pure Ones, Zhunti and Jieyin, and Nuwa. Aside from these six, who else possessed this ability?"

Silence fell once again in Biyou Palace.

Chen Changsheng's mind was racing.

The Three Pure Ones are out of the question. Zhunti and Jieyin just sent Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva to set up the outer layer of restrictions. If the lower layer was their doing, why bother adding another layer?

Nuwa, the sage and Yang Chan's master, should have had a very deep relationship with the human race, so it's unlikely that she would have sealed off the Fire Cloud Cave.

That leaves only one possibility.

A power that does not belong to any known saint has secretly attacked Fire Cloud Cave.

"Grandmaster," Chen Changsheng began, "Liu Er said that voice was laughing, saying, 'Finally sealed off.' The tone of those words didn't sound like someone outside had sealed off the Fire Cloud Cave; it sounded more like—"

He paused for a moment.

"It's as if something inside is imprisoned, and now, through this seal, the Three Emperors are trapped as well."

The Tongtian Sect Leader's eyelid twitched.

Zhao Gongming's breathing suddenly became heavier.

"You mean... there was something originally locked inside the Fire Cloud Cave? The Three Sovereigns were stationed in the Fire Cloud Cave to suppress this thing? Now that an additional seal has been added outside, sealing off the power of the Three Sovereigns as well, the thing that was suppressed has taken the opportunity to rise up?" Zhao Gongming said in one breath, feeling his scalp tingle.

Chen Changsheng did not deny it.

"I'm not sure, but this is the most reasonable guess at the moment."

The Master of Heaven stood up from the prayer mat.

He paced a few steps in the main hall of Biyou Palace, the Zhuxian Sword Box buzzing behind him, sensing the fluctuations in its master's emotions.

"Chang Sheng, you're saying that seal is so strong that even the Eye of Heavenly Punishment can't see through it?"

"I can't see through it. I only saw three layers before I was ejected. I don't know how many layers are inside."

The Tongtian Sect Leader stopped and turned around, staring at Chen Changsheng.

"I'll go take a look."

The moment those four words were uttered, everyone in Biyou Palace felt a surge of energy.

The Grand Master of the Heavens personally intervened, employing a divine sense probing technique at the Saint level. Regardless of who placed that seal, he could at least glean more information.

"Grandmaster, I'll go with you," Chen Changsheng said.

The Tongtian Sect Leader waved his hand: "No need, I can go myself. You stay in Biyou Palace and rest. You just fought that useless avatar of Yuanshi Tianzun and used all your strength to activate the Donghuang Bell to smash the formation. Your magic power has been greatly depleted. You need to recover first."

Chen Changsheng wanted to say something, but was silenced by a glance from the Tongtian Sect Leader.

"Listen to your master's words."

With a wave of his sleeve, the Tongtian Sect Leader transformed into a streak of azure sword light, bursting through the dome of Biyou Palace and hurtling towards the direction of Huoyun Cave.

A sage can traverse the primordial world in the blink of an eye.