Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Within the void, the purple-gold Heavenly Dao essence flowed slowly from that dim giant eye like a trickle.

Gone was its previous cold and imposing demeanor; instead, it exuded a long-lost vitality and a sense of justice.

Kong Xuan withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the Heavenly Dao's selfish desires, which were being refined by the Great Dao's cage and whose wailing was gradually subsiding.

He turned around, his black robe fluttering lightly in the remaining storm of nothingness, his gaze calmly sweeping across the area below.

On the ruins of Zixiao Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun sat slumped on the ground, his purple robe torn, his white hair disheveled, and his face as pale as paper.

Those eyes, once connected to the Dao of Heaven, were now completely dim, devoid of any purple light, only a deathly grayness remained.

With his personal desires stripped away from the Heavenly Dao, his Dao-integrated body was the first to suffer, his Dao foundation collapsed by more than half, his Saintly position was on the verge of collapse, and his cultivation was reduced to less than one-tenth.

Not far away, the four saints Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti still lay sprawled, their auras weak and feeble, lacking even the strength to get up.

They gazed at the gradually purifying origin of the Heavenly Dao in the sky, and at the fading purplish-black aura struggling within the cage. Their eyes were no longer filled with hatred, but only with endless confusion and fear.

The world has changed.

It changed so quickly, so thoroughly.

Kong Xuan's gaze lingered on them for a moment before he indifferently looked away.

He looked at the Taoist priest with the bamboo staff beside him, whose expression was solemn.

"Fellow Daoist Yangmei."

Kong Xuan spoke, his voice calm:

"This place is now in your hands."

Upon hearing this, Master Yangmei's aged face became slightly solemn, and he bowed respectfully.

"Fellow Daoist, please proceed with confidence."

"With this humble Taoist priest here, no one can disturb the purification of the Heavenly Dao's origin, nor can anyone... escape."

He spoke the last three words very softly, yet they carried a chilling, murderous intent.

With a gentle tap of the bamboo staff, invisible spatial patterns spread out, completely sealing off the entire void.

Hongjun and the Four Sages were all trapped within this spatial cage.

Kong Xuan nodded slightly and said no more.

He took a step forward.

With a flash of light from the chaotic lotus platform beneath his feet, his figure vanished from the rift in the stripped space-time.

Hell.

On the shores of the Netherworld Blood Sea, in the land of reincarnation.

The gray sky never sees the sun or moon, only the blood-red River Styx flows ceaselessly, churning up towering, turbid waves.

The wailing of the dead echoed like a tide, forming a long line at the Bridge of Helplessness, dazed and confused, waiting for the Meng Po soup to wash away their past lives and enter the cycle of reincarnation.

A cold wind howled, and a ghostly atmosphere filled the air.

This place is the darkest and most yin place in the primordial world, and it is also the place where the underground passage manifests.

Pingxin Hall is located at the core of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

The palace is ancient and simple, built entirely of mysterious stones from the underworld. There are no carved beams or painted rafters, only the weight of time and the desolate atmosphere unique to the cycle of reincarnation.

The temple doors were tightly shut, with a single green lamp burning eternally in front of them, its dim flame illuminating the three ancient Taoist characters on the lintel.

Pingxin Hall.

Kong Xuan's figure appeared silently in front of the hall.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his black robes remaining perfectly still in the eerie winds of the underworld. His aura, that of a late-stage Primordial Chaos Realm expert, was naturally contained and not revealed in the slightest.

But even so.

The entire underworld remained deathly silent at that moment.

The surging sea of ​​blood froze for a moment.

The wailing souls fell silent, trembling with fear.

Even the howling wind seemed to hold its breath.

From the depths of the Wheel of Reincarnation, a faint sigh drifted out...

"Squeak!"

The black stone door of Pingxin Hall, which had been sealed for countless eons, opened slowly inwards without any wind.

The scene inside the gate was not a magnificent palace, but rather... an endless starry sky.

The stars are dazzling, and the Milky Way hangs upside down. Unlike the chaotic starry sky of Zixiao Palace, the stars here all have a faint yellowish-brown halo, which is heavy, steady, and carries the pulse of the earth.

In the center of the starry sky, a figure in pure white sat upright on a futon.

Dressed in simple linen clothes, with flowing black hair, her face was serene and beautiful. Her eyes were closed, and she exuded no aura of power, yet she seemed to be one with the entire underworld and the cycle of reincarnation.

She was transformed from the true spirit of Houtu, the ancestral witch, and her body is reincarnated, representing the way of the earth.

Empress Pingxin.

She slowly opened her eyes.

His eyes held no stars, no things, only a clear, mirror-like tranquility, reflecting the figure in black robes before the palace.

"Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan."

He spoke calmly, his voice ethereal and melodious, yet carrying a hint of weariness and understanding:

"You've arrived."

Kong Xuan stepped into the hall, and the black stone door closed silently behind him.

He walked to the center of the starry sky and sat opposite Pingxin, a chaotic futon naturally appearing beneath them.

"Fellow Daoist Pingxin."

Kong Xuan nodded slightly:

"It seems that you are already aware of what is happening outside."

Pingxin nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over Kong Xuan, a faint hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Late stage of Hunyuan Wuji Luo...

Moreover, the foundation of the Dao is perfected, and the origin is undamaged.

Even at the height of her power, when she held sway over the land, she could not have reached such a level.

"When the Heavenly Dao's selfish desires were stripped away, the primordial world trembled, the Earthly Dao sensed it, and I, the humble Daoist, naturally knew it."

Calm and composed:

"I just didn't expect you to arrive so quickly, fellow Daoist."

Time waits for no one.

Kong Xuan spoke frankly:

"Although I have suppressed and refined the selfish desires of the Heavenly Dao, the primordial world has been out of balance for a long time. The Earthly Dao has been suppressed and the Human Dao is asleep. If we do not restore order as soon as possible, there may be unforeseen changes."

After a moment of silence, he slowly said:

"What does this fellow Daoist wish to do?"

"It's very simple."

Kong Xuan raised his eyes and looked directly at Ping Xin:

"Fellow Daoist, please... take complete control of the Earthly Dao, manifest the authority of reincarnation, stand alongside the purified Heavenly Dao, and together maintain the balance of the primordial world."

As the words fell, the starry sky grew quiet.

Pingxin's eyes flickered slightly, and her delicate hand gently stroked the empty space in front of her.

A miniature illusory image of the Six Paths of Reincarnation disc appeared, slowly rotating, within which countless true souls entered, reincarnating and being reborn.

However, the wheel of reincarnation was wrapped with countless fine purple-gold chains, and heavenly runes flickered on the chains, which tightly restricted the operation of the wheel of reincarnation within a certain range.

"The Earthly Path has been suppressed by the Heavenly Path for a long time, and its authority over reincarnation is incomplete."

Pingxin's voice remained calm, yet a barely perceptible ripple appeared:

"These shackles of the Heavenly Dao were laid out by Hongjun after he merged with the Dao, and they are connected to the origin of the primordial world."

"Even though you have now suppressed the selfish desires of the Heavenly Dao, these shackles... still exist."

"To truly master the tunnels, one must first...sever these shackles."

She paused, then looked at Kong Xuan:

"But breaking the shackles will inevitably lead to a backlash from the Heavenly Dao. Even though the Heavenly Dao is pure in its origin today, its instincts remain and it will not sit idly by and watch the Earthly Dao escape its control."

"At that time, there may be further complications."

Kong Xuan smiled upon hearing this.

His smile was calm, yet it carried an air of unparalleled confidence.

"A backlash from Heaven?"

"If it dares to come, I will kill it again."

He slowly rose, gazing at the purple-gold chains on the illusory image of the cyclical disc, his eyes swirling with chaotic light:

"As for these shackles..."

Kong Xuan raised his hand, his five fingers loosely clenched.

hum!

In the palm of his hand, the divine light of the Great Dao condensed into a three-inch sword, its blade flowing with the essence of the Five Elements, its sharpness unmatched.

"Today, I will sever the shackles of the tunnel!"

Before the words were even finished, the sword had already been drawn!

It wasn't aimed at the illusory image of the Wheel of Reincarnation.

Instead... it slashed towards the real and authentic Six Paths Reincarnation Disc outside the Pingxin Hall!

"laugh!"

The sword light pierced the air, ignoring the obstruction of palaces and the dark, yin energy, and instantly disappeared into the depths of the Wheel of Reincarnation!

"Buzz!!!"

The Wheel of Reincarnation in the Six Realms... trembled violently!

The entire underworld trembled!

The sea of ​​blood churned, the River of Oblivion surged backward, the Bridge of Helplessness shook, and countless souls screamed in terror!

On the Wheel of Reincarnation, the purple-gold shackles of the Heavenly Dao, which had bound them for countless millennia, vanished the moment the sword light touched them...

They broke off all at once!

"Snap! Snap! Snap!..."

The sound of shattering continued endlessly, echoing in every corner of the underworld!

With each shackle broken, the Wheel of Reincarnation becomes brighter, operates more smoothly, and exudes a more powerful aura!

Meanwhile, in the sky, the pure source of the Heavenly Dao seemed to sense something and rippled slightly.

An invisible force of repulsion and suppression descended from the darkness, attempting to prevent the shackles from breaking and reforming.

"snort."

Kong Xuan snorted coldly, and a chaotic halo silently appeared behind his head.

The halo rotated, exuding the aura of the Great Dao, forcefully resisting the suppressive force of the Heavenly Dao!

"Break!"

Kong Xuan shouted in a low voice, and the power of the sword light increased again!

"Bang bang bang bang!!!"

All remaining shackles shattered!

The moment the last purple-gold chain shattered.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation... erupted with a roar!

Boundless, earth-yellow light shot into the sky, piercing through the netherworld and reaching the primordial earth!

The Wheel of Reincarnation itself expands, solidifies, and evolves at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The six gates that were originally blurry are now crystal clear.

The Heavenly Realm, the Human Realm, the Asura Realm, the Animal Realm, the Hungry Ghost Realm, and the Hell Realm.

The six realms resounded together, the sound of reincarnation echoing throughout heaven and earth!

Furthermore, a vast, profound, compassionate, and all-encompassing aura awakened from the depths of the Wheel of Reincarnation, permeating the entire underworld and even spreading towards the primordial land!

The tunnel... has been completely restored!

Inside the Pingxin Hall.

Empress Pingxin's delicate body trembled slightly, and a faint blush appeared on her fair face.

Behind her, a towering, earth-yellow phantom slowly materialized.

It has a human body and a snake's tail, seven hands on its back, two hands in front of its chest, and holds a flying snake in its hands.

It is the true form of the Ancestral Witch Houtu!

At this moment, however, there was no trace of malevolence in that Dharma form, only the compassion of reincarnation and the weight of the earth.

"The tunnel...returns to its place."

She spoke softly to herself, her ethereal voice carrying for the first time a sense of relief...joy.

She slowly rose and bowed respectfully to Kong Xuan:

"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for helping me break free from my shackles."

Kong Xuan sheathed his sword and nodded slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need for such formalities."

"The restoration of the tunnels is only the first step."

He raised his eyes, gazing at the radiant Wheel of Reincarnation outside the hall, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

"Next... it's time to awaken... humanity."