Primordial Era: I am a treasure trove, full of magical treasures.

The advancement of humanity has shaken the three realms.

However, not everyone is happy at this moment.

Deep within the chaos lies the Purple Cloud Palace.

This Taoist temple, established by Hongjun, is currently shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

Outside the palace, the once calm and flowing chaotic air was now churning violently like boiling water, with dark cracks appearing and disappearing in the void every now and then. Low, hissing sounds emanated from those cracks, as if something was trying to break free from them.

Inside the Purple Cloud Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun sat cross-legged on a futon, his eyes closed and his face as pale as paper. Dense chaotic energy swirled around him, sometimes transforming into peaceful auspicious light, and sometimes becoming violent and ferocious, as if two completely different wills were fiercely clashing within him.

Between his brows, a dark crack was faintly visible. Within the crack, a scarlet eyeball could be vaguely seen, spinning wildly and emanating an ancient and evil aura.

That was the lingering remnant of the Chaos Demon God.

The reason why Hongjun has not shown himself all these years is because he has to maintain a balance with the lingering resentment of the demon god. If he is not careful, he could be possessed.

But today, things are different.

The moment humanity ascended, the balance between the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity was disrupted. Although the Heavenly Path remained the foremost of the three, the rise of the Human and Earthly Paths caused a subtle loosening of the Heavenly Path's control over the primordial world. The remnants of the Chaos Demon Gods, lurking deep within Hongjun's sea of ​​consciousness, seized upon this loosening and launched an unprecedentedly fierce counterattack.

"Hongjun...give up..."

A hoarse and ancient voice echoed in Hongjun's sea of ​​consciousness. The voice seemed to come from the beginning of chaos, carrying a bewitching power that made one's heart tremble.

"You were originally one of the Chaos Gods... Why struggle to maintain this world created by Pangu?"

"Open your mind... let us become one... then you will gain power beyond what you have now... even the future Heavenly Dao will submit to you..."

Hongjun clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat trickling down his cheeks. His body trembled slightly, clearly enduring immense pain.

"Shut up..." he spat out the two words through gritted teeth, his voice weak yet carrying an undeniable firmness, "I... am Hongjun... how could I be possessed by you!"

"Hehehe..." The voice let out a low laugh, full of mockery and disdain. "Hongjun? He's nothing but an earthworm at the very bottom of the chaos. You think you're protecting the primordial world? No, you're just protecting your own position."

"Hongjun, ask yourself honestly—did you truly unite with the Heavenly Dao for the sake of all living beings in the primordial world? Or are you merely greedy for the power to control the world?"

Hongjun: ……

The lingering remnant of the demon god continued, "You know very well that once you are devoured by us, the primordial world will lose the protection of the Heavenly Dao and fall into unprecedented chaos. But you know even more clearly—even if you are not devoured by us, your days are numbered. The human path has risen, and the tripartite balance of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity has been established. The Heavenly Dao's control over the primordial world is gradually weakening. One day, the Heavenly Dao will completely lose its restraint over the primordial world, and at that time, you, Hongjun, will also become a dispensable existence."

"Instead of waiting until that day, let's leave everything to us now. We'll make this world a more 'wonderful' place..."

"Shut up!!" Hongjun suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp golden light flashing within them. He formed hand seals, and the chaotic energy around him suddenly erupted, temporarily suppressing the dark cracks.

But he knew it was only temporary.

The impact of his advancement in humanity was far greater than he had imagined. The remnants of those chaotic demon gods seized the opportunity to launch an attack, already eroding nearly thirty percent of his consciousness. If he couldn't find help soon, he feared he truly wouldn't be able to hold on.

Hongjun took a deep breath, his gaze piercing through the ceiling of Zixiao Palace, looking into the depths of chaos. His voice was somewhat hoarse, yet carried a hint of urgency:

"Xuanbao... if you don't come to help me soon, I'm afraid I really won't be able to hold on..."

A moment of silence: ...

Hongjun: ...

"Okay, okay, how do you want to play? Xuanbao, if you don't come out soon, and I get possessed, you won't get away with it either."

As soon as the words were spoken, ripples spread through the space inside the Purple Cloud Palace.

A figure in cyan robes appeared silently in the center of the hall, as if emerging from the water. The man wore a cyan Taoist robe, had a handsome face, and a signature lazy smile on his lips. Who else could it be but Xuan Bao?

However, what appeared here was not Xuanbao's true form, but rather one of his Heavenly Dao clones.

As soon as Xuanbao's Heavenly Dao avatar appeared, he sensed the extremely oppressive aura within Zixiao Palace. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling on Hongjun, where he saw the dark crack between Hongjun's brows and the frantically spinning scarlet eyeball within it.

"Hehe, Grandmaster, are you... cosplaying?" Xuanbao's tone remained relaxed, but his eyes became serious.

Hongjun: ...

Although he didn't understand, Hongjun still gave a wry smile: "You still have the mind to joke... those remnants of the Chaos Demon Gods, taking advantage of the opportunity of humanity's advancement, have launched a counterattack... I alone am about to be unable to suppress them..."

Xuanbao stepped forward and carefully examined the crack between Hongjun's brows. He could sense an extremely evil aura contained within the crack, an aura so powerful that it seemed to surpass even the strength of a Saint at the ninth level of the Heavenly Realm!

Xuanbao nodded thoughtfully: "So the current situation is—you can't defeat them all by yourself, and you need my help?"

"Indeed." Hongjun didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "You possess three thousand laws and control a layer of Heavenly Dao authority. If we join forces, we should be able to suppress them temporarily."

Xuanbao's Heavenly Dao avatar stood in Zixiao Palace, arms crossed, tilting his head to look at the dark crack between Hongjun's eyebrows, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he laughed.

That smile, with a hint of amusement and a touch of eagerness, was beyond words.

"Grandmaster, you're being too polite." Xuanbao slowly walked up to Hongjun, squatted down, and looked him in the eye. "You are my grandmaster, and I am your grand-disciple. We're family, no need for formalities. How could I stand idly by when you're in trouble?"

Hongjun looked at Xuanbao's grinning face and his lips twitched slightly: "Then why don't you make your move?"

"Don't rush, don't rush, let me check the situation first." Xuanbao waved his hand, then extended a finger, and a wisp of chaotic light condensed at the fingertip, gently touching the crack between Hongjun's eyebrows.

The instant his fingertips touched the crack, Xuanbao felt a chilling, bone-chilling malice surge into his consciousness. That malice was so pure and intense, it seemed to have gathered all the negative emotions since the beginning of time—greed, violence, jealousy, resentment, madness…

For an ordinary cultivator, this single blow would be enough to shatter their Dao heart and cause their soul to go mad.

But Xuanbao merely raised an eyebrow slightly, and then—

"Oh, you're pretty arrogant."

The chaotic light at his fingertips suddenly surged, and the three thousand laws, like three thousand dazzling chains, drilled into the depths of Hongjun's sea of ​​consciousness along the cracks, colliding head-on with the remnants of the chaotic demon gods entrenched there!

"boom--!!!"

A silent roar erupted from the depths of Hongjun's sea of ​​consciousness.

The remnants of those chaotic demon gods clearly hadn't expected Xuanbao to be so ferocious, and immediately went head-to-head with it. They let out angry roars, transforming into countless pitch-black tentacles that surged wildly towards Xuanbao's Three Thousand Law Chains, attempting to tear these intruders to shreds.

However, Xuanbao's three thousand law chains are not so easy to deal with.

Each chain of laws contained the power of a complete law. The three thousand chains of laws intertwined to form an impenetrable giant net, firmly trapping the remnants of those chaotic demon gods within. The tentacles of those remnants struck the chains of laws as if hitting an invisible wall, shattering, disintegrating, and dissipating one by one.

"That's it?" Xuanbao curled his lip, a hint of disdain in his tone. "I thought you were something special, but is this all you've got?"

Hongjun: "..."

He wanted to remind Xuanbao that these remnants of chaotic demon gods were no pushovers. They were formed from the resentment of countless chaotic demon gods after their deaths, containing fragments of the will and laws of a single chaotic demon god in life. Even at his peak, he could only barely suppress them, not completely eliminate them.

But in front of Xuanbao, these lingering thoughts were like lambs to the slaughter, crushed by the chains of the three thousand laws, without even the strength to resist, or rather, without any resistance at all.

"Hmm! How did your cultivation level improve so quickly?" Hongjun couldn't help but ask.

"Ahem! With some opportunities, I've improved a bit faster, Xuanbao, stay here." Xuanbao replied casually while manipulating the Law Chains.

Hongjun: "..."

He suddenly felt as if he had taken the wrong path. Merging with the Heavenly Dao had greatly increased his strength, but it also seemed that he had lost himself.

Xuanbao, however, was completely unaware of how shocking his words were, and continued to increase the output of the Law Chains. Under his control, the three thousand Law Chains moved flexibly like living things, peeling away, dividing, and suppressing the remnants of those chaotic demon gods one by one.

Hongjun took a deep breath, and the chaotic energy around him surged violently. Combined with the three thousand law chains of Xuanbao, it transformed into a huge law millstone, completely sealing the remnant of the demon god, which had been compressed to its limit, into the deepest part of his sea of ​​consciousness.

The moment the seal was completed, the entire Zixiao Palace trembled slightly before returning to calm.

The dark crack between Hongjun's brows slowly closed and eventually disappeared, leaving only a faint golden mark, as if reminding him of the extremely dangerous confrontation he had just experienced.

He exhaled a long breath, his face still pale, but his eyes had regained their clarity.

"Alright." Xuanbao withdrew his finger and clapped his hands, as if he had only done a trivial matter. "It's temporarily stabilized. However, Grandmaster, this thing is still a hidden danger. The weaker you are, the stronger it becomes. Before long, it will probably make a comeback."

Hongjun nodded, his expression grave: "I know. We were able to suppress them this time entirely thanks to our combined efforts. But next time…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.

Next time, he might not be able to handle it alone.

Xuanbao naturally understood this as well. He sat cross-legged on the futon opposite Hongjun, stroking his chin, and a rare serious expression appeared on his face: "Grandmaster, to be honest, your current condition is worse than I expected. Those remnants of the Chaos Demon Gods have become too deeply entangled with your primordial spirit. Unless you have a way to completely refine them, sooner or later, there will be serious problems."

Hongjun remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Refining them... is easier said than done. These lingering resentments are the collection of the grievances of countless chaotic demon gods after their deaths, containing fragments of their laws and imprints of their will from their previous lives. Even in my prime, I could not completely refine them—because, in essence, they share the same origin as my own."

Xuanbao raised an eyebrow: "From the same source?"

"Indeed." Hongjun's gaze became somewhat distant. "I was originally a Chaos Demon God, and only by chance did I reach where I am today. And those Chaos Demon Gods, like me, are beings born from chaos. Our origins are the same, merely manifestations of various laws, or rather, vessels."

Xuanbao nodded thoughtfully: "So, in other words, if you can refine them, your cultivation level will also increase dramatically?"

"Theoretically, that's how it is," Hongjun said with a wry smile. "But the problem is, I don't have that ability. These lingering thoughts are too complex, and the fragments of laws they contain conflict with each other, and the imprints of their wills repel each other. Forcibly refining them will only cause my primordial spirit to collapse, and even if I did refine them, I might not even be myself anymore."

Xuanbao stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over Hongjun's pale face twice, before he suddenly grinned.

"Grandmaster, what you said is true, but not entirely true."

Hongjun raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is—just because you can't refine it now doesn't mean you can't refine it in the future." Xuanbao stood up, patted off non-existent dust from his backside, and said slowly, "The reason these remnants are so troublesome is because they are too mixed, too chaotic, and conflicting with each other. But if someone can help you sort them out, grind them down, and turn them into pure primordial energy, wouldn't refining them be much easier?"

A glint of light flashed in Hongjun's eyes: "You have a way?"

"Not now," Xuanbao said frankly, then changed the subject, "but there might be in the future."

Hongjun: "..."

He realized that this kid was just making empty promises to him.

Xuanbao, completely oblivious to how infuriating his words were, continued, "Grandmaster, rest assured, you are my greatest support right now. If you were to fall and something were to happen in the prehistoric world, I wouldn't be able to handle it in my current state."

He paused, a signature sly smile appearing on his face: "It's not the right time yet. You just hang in there. Once I break through a few more realms, not only will I help you refine your remnant spirit, but it wouldn't be impossible for me to drag the true spirits of those Chaos Demons out of the depths of Chaos and beat them up."

Hongjun was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Alright, I'll wait for you."

He didn't say anything more. He knew that although Xuanbao was usually carefree and irresponsible, he never let him down when it mattered. Since he said he had a way, then he must have a way.

Xuanbao stretched, turned and walked out of Zixiao Palace, waving his hand without looking back: "Alright, Grandmaster, you should rest well. I have other things to do."

Before he finished speaking, his avatar transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the chaos outside Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun sat alone in the empty hall, gazing in the direction where Xuanbao had disappeared. He remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.

"This kid... I'm getting more and more unpredictable. Indeed, the mind is the most terrifying thing!"