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

"The Shadow Demon God..." Xuanbao murmured the name, tapping his knee lightly with his fingers. "Are you sure it's him you sensed?"

Although the skeleton was bound tightly, his tone carried a hint of certainty: "I have cultivated the laws of the dead for countless eons, and my perception of soul fluctuations ranks among the top ten even in the Chaos Realm. Although that aura was extremely subtle, that cold, lingering quality, like a maggot clinging to a bone, is absolutely certain—it is the Shadow Demon God's unique 'Shadow Escape Law'."

"Interesting." He stopped and turned to look at Hai. "You said the Shadow Demon God doesn't fight for territory or seize resources, but only does shady things. So what's his purpose in coming to the Primordial World? It can't be just to kill a few people, can it?"

Hai was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "I don't know about that. The Shadow Demon God has always acted in secrecy, and no one knows what his true purpose is."

The news of Hai's suppression was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the upper echelons of the prehistoric world, but it quickly subsided.

To ordinary cultivators, all they knew was that the Heavenly Emperor and the Three Pure Ones had joined forces to defeat the mastermind behind the scenes, and the army of the undead had lost control, collapsing into piles of lifeless bones. The allied forces of all races cheered and celebrated this hard-won victory. Emperor Ji Heng delivered a passionate speech at the victory banquet, praising those who had rendered meritorious service and offering condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers. Everything seemed so perfect.

But Xuanbao knew that things were far from over.

Although Hai was imprisoned, Xuanbao neither killed him nor refined him—not out of mercy, but because the old fellow was still useful. Hai had roamed the Chaos for countless eons, possessing an intimate knowledge of the various forces among the Chaos Demons, especially those ranked high. This intelligence was crucial for the strategic planning of the future of the Primordial World.

Moreover, Mukuro provided an important clue—the Shadow Demon God.

That ghostly presence vanished completely after Mukuro's capture. The bizarre assassinations also came to an abrupt end. It was as if the Shadow Demon had never existed, leaving no trace whatsoever.

But Xuanbao knew that he was still there.

This was an intuition. Xuanbao's intuition was always very accurate. That faint malice, though gone, hadn't disappeared; it had simply become more deeply hidden.

"A venomous snake lurking in the shadows is more difficult to deal with than a tiger in the open." Xuanbao stood on the Star Gazing Platform at the highest point of the Heavenly Court, gazing at the primordial land shrouded in auspicious clouds below, and murmured to himself.

Behind him, Bai Lu stood quietly, without saying a word. She knew that Xuan Bao didn't like to be disturbed when he was thinking.

After a long silence, Xuanbao turned around and looked at Bailu: "Tell me, what exactly does that Shadow Demon God want to do?"

Bai Lu remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "When I was in the Chaos, I heard of the name of the Shadow Demon God."

"Oh?" Xuanbao raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

"The Shadow Demon God is an anomaly among the Chaos Demon Gods." Bai Lu's gaze became somewhat distant, as if recalling something from a long time ago. "He doesn't fight for territory, doesn't seize resources, and doesn't participate in any power struggles. His only interest is 'secrets'."

"A secret?" Xuanbao was taken aback.

"Hmm." Bai Lu nodded. "It is said that the Shadow Demon God is keen on collecting all kinds of secrets—the secrets of the Chaos Demon God, the secrets of the Great Thousand Worlds, the secrets of ancient ruins... He is like an insatiable voyeur, wandering in the shadows of chaos, digging out those unknown secrets one by one, and then sealing them away."

Xuanbao nodded thoughtfully: "So, he came to the Primordial World also for some secret?"

"Very likely," Bai Lu said. "The primordial world is the world created by Pangu, containing Pangu's legacy and secrets. For those chaotic demons who are keen to explore hidden secrets, the primordial world itself is a huge treasure trove."

"So what is the secret he's looking for?" Xuanbao stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Pangu created the world and created all things, leaving behind countless secrets. There are the legacies of Pangu, the origins of the three thousand laws, clues to the treasures of chaos, and even information about what lies beyond chaos. The leakage of any one of these secrets would be enough to ignite a frenzied struggle among the chaotic gods.

"Whatever he's looking for, we can't let him succeed." Xuanbao's gaze hardened. "However, since he's chosen to lie low, it means he hasn't gotten what he wants yet. We still have time."

He paused, then changed the subject: "But we can't just wait around. We have to find a way to lure him out."

"Lure them out?" Bai Lu frowned slightly. "How?"

Xuanbao grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Doesn't he like secrets? Then I'll create a 'secret' for him."

Meanwhile, deep within chaos.

The riots have been doing quite well lately.

Since he was ordered by Xuanbao to sow discord throughout the Chaos, the situation there has been like a wild horse, spiraling further and further off course. The war between the War God and the Space God has been raging for hundreds of years, with both sides fighting with all their might, involving more and more gods and affecting an ever-widening range.

Meanwhile, Riot, along with his ever-growing "troublemaking squad," roamed the chaos like ghosts, their presence felt wherever there was turmoil. Sometimes they disguised themselves as subordinates of the War Demon God, raiding the Space Demon God's strongholds; other times they impersonated the Space Demon God's elite troops, intercepting and killing the War Demon God's scouts. Occasionally, they would even impersonate a third party, creating misunderstandings between the two sides and further inflaming the already tense situation.

In just a few hundred years, the rebel force had grown to over forty members. Among them were some fallen demon gods who couldn't survive in the chaos and voluntarily surrendered, as well as some prisoners who had been subdued by the rebels and forced to join. Although their composition was diverse, they didn't cause any major trouble under the constraints of the restrictions.

"Boss, where do we go next?" The Plundering Demon God approached Riot with a fawning smile on his face.

Riot lay on a recliner made of Chaos Beast hide, legs crossed, a root of Chaos Spirit Grass dangling from his mouth, swinging his legs leisurely: "What's the rush? Let them fight first. What we need to do now is wait."

"Wait?" The Plundering Demon God was taken aback. "Wait for what?"

"Wait until they're both badly injured, until they're exhausted, until they lower their guard." Riot spat out the grass root in his mouth, sat up, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes. "Then we'll go and pick up the pieces."

The Plundering Demon suddenly understood and gave a thumbs up: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Riot snorted smugly, about to boast a few more words, when suddenly his brows furrowed and his gaze turned to a direction deep within the chaos.

"What's wrong?" The Plundering Demon noticed the abnormality of the riot and looked in the direction of his gaze, but saw nothing.

"Someone's coming." The riotous voices turned serious. "And it's someone we know."

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the chaos. The figure was shrouded in a thin layer of black mist, within which a faint phantom of a twelfth-grade world-destroying black lotus could be seen slowly rotating, emanating a chilling aura of destruction.

His raging pupils suddenly contracted: "Rahu?!"

Luo Hou stopped a hundred feet away from Bao Luan and the others. The black mist slowly dissipated, revealing a pale but handsome face. A faint smile played on his lips as he glanced at Bao Luan, then nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Bao Luan, how have you been?"

Riot stood up, his face turning somewhat grim. Although he had no real connection with Rahu, he had heard of this former Demon Ancestor. Rahu's feat of wielding the Great Millstone of Annihilation and slaughtering seventeen Chaos Demon Gods was still a legend circulating in the Chaos Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Luo Hou, why aren't you staying in the Primordial World? What are you doing in the Chaos?" Riot asked warily.

Luo Hou smiled slightly and slowly stepped forward: "Fellow Daoist Riot, there's no need to be nervous. I've come to find you simply to have a chat."

"Chatting?" Riot frowned. "What's there for us to talk about?"

"Of course there is." Luo Hou sat down on a chaotic boulder not far from the riot, his posture as composed as if he were in his own backyard. "For example, let's talk about the person behind you."

Riot's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal: "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so?" Rahu chuckled, his gaze deepening. "Fellow Daoist Riot, do you really think you can hide what you've done from everyone? Sowing discord between the God of War and the God of Space, fabricating evidence to frame the former subordinates of the God of Destruction, spreading rumors to make the God of Devouring and the God of Void suspicious of each other... Although you've done these things discreetly, if you don't want people to know, then don't do them in the first place."

Riot's expression turned completely grim. He stared at Rahu, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is—you've done very well." Rahu's smile became meaningful. "Very good. The situation is more chaotic than you imagined. And that's exactly what I wanted."

The rioters were stunned, momentarily unable to grasp Rahu's meaning.

Luo Hou stood up, walked to the figure of the rioter, and looked him directly in the eye: "Fellow Daoist Riot, have you ever considered this question—you're working so hard here to sow discord and buy time for the Primordial World. But when those Chaos Giants come to their senses and discover that the Primordial World is behind all this, what do you think they'll do?"

The riots fell silent.

Luo Hou continued, "They will unite and face a common enemy. At that time, the Primordial World will face an enemy ten or even a hundred times stronger than it is now. Do you think the Primordial World, with its current strength, can withstand that?"

Riot's face paled. He had to admit that Luo Hou was right. Xuan Bao's plan, though ingenious, was ultimately just a stopgap measure. Once those chaotic giants realized what was happening, the primordial world would face annihilation.

"So, what do you want to do?" Riot asked in a deep voice.

Luo Hou smiled slightly and held up one finger: "It's simple—continue what you're doing now, but be even more ruthless and decisive. Not only should you make them distrust each other, but you should also make them mortal enemies, never to be able to reconcile."

"Only in this way will they be unable to unite when the truth comes out. Because the hatred between them is far deeper than their covetousness of our primordial world."

Riot stared at Rahu for a long time, then finally nodded slowly: "Then let's cooperate!"

Rahu nodded in satisfaction, then transformed into a wisp of black mist and vanished into the chaos.

Riot stood rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction where Rahu had disappeared, remaining silent for a long time. Then he turned around, looked at his bewildered subordinates behind him, and grinned: "You all heard that? The job's here! Let's get to work!"

Meanwhile, in the primordial wilderness.

Xuanbao is in a secret chamber in Heaven, discussing with the Three Pure Ones how to lure out the Shadow Demon God.

"I plan to spread the word that we've discovered a secret realm left behind by Pangu," Xuanbao explained his plan in detail. "Doesn't the Shadow Demon God like secrets? Then I'll give him a secret he can't refuse."

The Grand Master of Heaven frowned: "Your plan is too risky. What if the Shadow Demon God doesn't fall for it?"

"He will definitely come," Xuanbao said confidently. "Because the secret realm of Pangu is fatally attractive to any Chaos Demon God. Moreover, the Shadow Demon God himself is keen on exploring secrets. He won't let this opportunity pass him by."

Lao Tzu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "This plan is feasible. But we need to be fully prepared. If the Shadow Demon God really appears, we must be confident that we can defeat him."

"Don't worry, Master, I've made all the arrangements." Xuanbao grinned, a sly glint in his eyes. "If he dares to come, I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive."

However, just as Xuanbao and the others were busily setting up the trap, an unexpected message came from the chaos—

The news of the riot caused Xuanbao to frown, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. Luo Hou had actually slipped out of the prehistoric world without a trace, and even proactively sought "cooperation" with the riot?

Others might not know that Riot was one of his henchmen, but Luo Hou certainly knew that Riot was the one who attacked the Primordial World; in other words, he definitely knew that he was behind Riot.

"Interesting." Xuanbao stood up, paced a few steps in the Lingxiao Palace, his eyes gleaming. "That old fox Luo Hou is quite cunning. Trying to be the one who stalks the cicada is not so easy."

Tongtian snorted coldly: "That fellow has always been cunning. He probably wants to take advantage of the chaos in the Chaos to fish in troubled waters and restore his strength."

"Master is right." Xuanbao stopped, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes. "That old fox Luo Hou never does anything that doesn't benefit him. He took the initiative to approach the rioters and said he wanted to cooperate. On the surface, he was helping us stir up chaos, but in reality, he was probably paving the way for himself. He wants to use this chaos to secretly accumulate power, and then jump out to reap the rewards when the time is right."

Lao Tzu slowly spoke: "So, how do you plan to deal with this?"

Xuanbao grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "He wants to take advantage of our situation, so we can take advantage of his. Since he's offering himself up to help us stir up trouble, let him stir things up. Maybe if we're exposed later, we'll have a scapegoat, right?"

Hehehe.