Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

Inside the Chaos Spring, Lu Chen was surrounded by purple energy, and he had already refined most of the Primordial Purple Energy.

A century of arduous cultivation has passed, while only a year has gone by in the outside world.

His cultivation level soared from the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal to the early stage of Daluo Golden Immortal, and his foundation was terrifyingly solid—the five qi in his chest converged at the origin, and the three flowers on his head gathered, each flower as solid as cast gold, with faint Dao sounds resonating.

"The Law of Power has taken shape..."

Lu Chen opened his eyes, a fleeting, illusory image of creation flashing before his eyes. He raised his hand and made a grasping motion, and the space in his palm twisted and deformed like mud—a manifestation of pure power reaching its peak.

Just then—

"Buzz!"

The entire Demon Abyss trembled violently, the rocky roof collapsed, the Demon River surged backward, and countless demons fled in panic.

The remnant soul of Rahu transmitted a message with unprecedented urgency: "Boy, come out of seclusion! That bastard Jieyin has gone mad!"

Lu Chen flashed and arrived at the Demon Abyss Palace.

The remnant soul of Rahu stood before the hall, gazing towards the entrance of the Demon Abyss, his face ashen. Behind him, the three illusory remnants of the Ancestral Dragon, the Primordial Phoenix, and the First Qilin stood ready.

"Senior, what's going on?" Lu Chen asked.

"Look." Rahu raised his hand and waved it, and demonic energy condensed into a mirror.

The mirror reflects the scene outside the entrance to the Demon Abyss—

Four towering sword pillars stood amidst the chaos, each embodying one of the four destructive sword intents: Slaughter, Slaughter, Traps, and Annihilation, forming an unparalleled killing array covering tens of thousands of miles. At the center of the array, Jieyin, Zhunti, Minghe, and Kunpeng each guarded a region, their auras merging into one, all clearly early-stage Quasi-Saints!

"The Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation? Or a replica?" Lu Chen's pupils shrank.

"It's a replica, but its power is still thirty percent of the original." Luo Hou sneered. "Jieyin obtained the crafting blueprints for the Four Swords of Zhuxian from the Treasure Dividing Cliff, and together with Zhunti, Styx, and Kunpeng, it took them a hundred years to complete this formation. They thought I still had half a wisp of purple energy in my possession, and they came to forcibly seize it."

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

The half-wisp of purple energy in his hand was obtained from the Demon Abyss. If the Guide and the others discovered it, it would be a huge problem.

"It's not just them." Luo Hou suddenly pointed outside the sword formation. "Look over there."

The mirror rotated, reflecting the chaos at the edge of the sword formation.

A faint purple aura hovered there. Although it was inconspicuous, Lu Chen was all too familiar with its vast and heaven-like holy might—it belonged to the Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

"The Dao Ancestor is also watching the battle?!" Lu Chen's voice was dry.

"It's not spectating, it's tacit approval." A mocking glint flashed in Rahu's eyes. "After all, Jieyin and Zhunti are disciples of the Xuanmen sect. The Dao Ancestor needs to use them to test how many trump cards I still have. As for Styx and Kunpeng... they are nothing more than pawns."

Lu Chen remained silent.

Is this the game of sages? All living beings are merely pawns.

"What does the senior want the junior to do?" he asked.

"Enter the formation, break the formation." Luo Hou said slowly and deliberately, "The Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation requires the arrival of all four sages to be broken, but the imitation has a flaw—the four swords cannot fully communicate their intentions. You are an outsider, and you are only at the Great Luo level, so they won't be too wary. You just need to sneak into the formation, find the core node connecting the four swords, and smash it with your Chaos Brick, and the formation will break on its own."

"Then?"

"Then, take something while the chaos is at hand." Rahu pointed to the River Styx in the mirror. "Do you see that twelve-petaled karmic fire red lotus? This lotus is transformed from the seeds of the Chaos Green Lotus, and it shares the same origin as the twelve-petaled merit golden lotus of the Guide and my twelve-petaled world-destroying black lotus. I need it to complete the world-destroying black lotus and reshape my demonic body."

Lu Chen's heart raced.

The Twelfth Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus, a spiritual treasure born in the Styx River, possesses unparalleled defense and can even burn away karmic power. It is one of the top innate spiritual treasures of the primordial world!

"Senior, that's the lifeblood of the Styx River! What if he fights desperately?"

"He won't fight to the death," Luo Hou said confidently. "Minghe is selfish by nature. He won't die until the Blood Sea dries up, so he cherishes his life the most. Once the great formation breaks, his first thought will be to escape, not to protect the lotus platform. You just need to take the red lotus before he can react and escape into the Demon Abyss."

"Then guide them..."

"I will stop them myself." Demonic energy surged around Luo Hou. "Rest assured, since the Dao Ancestor is watching from the sidelines, he won't let Jieyin and Zhunti die at the entrance of the Demon Abyss—otherwise, what face would he have left? So this battle may seem dangerous, but it is actually safe. If you seize the Red Lotus, the Dao Ancestor will secretly help you escape, because he needs me to continue to restrain certain people within the Xuanmen."

Lu Chen suddenly realized.

What a deep scheme!

Luo Hou wants to use him to break the formation and seize the treasure, Dao Zu wants to use Jieyin and others to test the strength of the Demon Abyss, and he, Lu Chen, is the most crucial piece in the game between the two sides—dangerous, but also the safest.

"This junior... will drink it!"

"Wise." Rahu tossed over a black talisman. "This is a 'Demonic Escape Talisman,' capable of instantly teleporting you back to the Demon Abyss. Use it immediately after you obtain it."

Lu Chen took the talisman, took a deep breath, and held the Chaos Brick in his hand.

"Senior, send me into battle."

"Walk!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Luo Hou conjured an invisible passage of demonic energy, sending Lu Chen into the Zhuxian Sword Formation.

Almost simultaneously, in the chaos outside the formation, the purple phantom moved slightly.

A barely perceptible smile flashed in Hongjun Daozu's eyes.

"Little one, let me see... just how far you can go."

---

Inside the Zhuxian Sword Formation.

As soon as Lu Chen appeared, he was locked onto by boundless sword energy.

Four towering sword pillars guard the four directions, with a person sitting cross-legged beneath each pillar:

The Eastern Immortal-Slaying Sword Pillar—Jieyin, with a sorrowful expression, had golden light emanating from the twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit above his head, impervious to all magic.

Zhunti, the Southern Immortal-Slaying Sword Pillar, has recovered his severed arm and wields the Seven Treasures Tree, sweeping away all kinds of supernatural powers.

The Western Immortal-Trapping Sword Pillar—the Styx River—stands atop a twelve-petaled karmic fire lotus, with the Yuan Tu and A Bi swords suspended at its sides.

The Northern Immortal Sword Pillar—Kunpeng, its wings blotting out the sky, its demonic aura soaring to the heavens.

"Lu Chen?!" The four of them opened their eyes at the same time, both shocked and furious.

They never expected that Luo Hou would send Lu Chen into the formation!

"Good! Good! Good!" Jieyin exclaimed three times, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "I was just looking for you, and you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep! Today, I'll make sure you die here!"

"Why waste words with him? Kill him!" Kunpeng hated Lu Chen the most. With a flap of its wings, the Absolute Immortal Sword Qi transformed into a ten-thousand-foot black wind that swept over.

Lu Chen remained calm and composed, placing the Chaos Brick horizontally.

"Gravity Brick!"

The brick's gravitational field was distorted, and the black wind automatically deflected as it approached, grazing past him.

"This brick is strange, let's attack together!" Zhunti swept his Seven Treasures Tree, and seven-colored divine light swept towards the Chaos Brick.

The Styx River also stirred, and the Yuan Tu and A Bi swords transformed into blood rainbows, piercing straight for Lu Chen's brow.

The guide activated the Golden Lotus of Merit, its golden light like chains, wrapping around Lu Chen's limbs.

The combined attack of the four Quasi-Saints would be fatal, let alone a Great Luo Immortal, even a peak Quasi-Saint would perish!

But this was the moment Lu Chen had been waiting for.

"Now!"

Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging towards the center of the four attacks.

At the same time, fully activate the third ability of the Chaos Brick—

"Brick clone!"

"Buzz!"

The Chaos Brick split into nine, and the nine bricks transformed into nine beams of dark light, shooting towards the four core nodes of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation—the places where the sword energies of the four swords converged, and also the most vulnerable points of the great formation!

"Not good! He's going to break the formation!" Jieyin's expression changed drastically.

But it's too late.

Lu Chen's main body withstood the aftershocks of the four attacks. The protective light shield of the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner shattered, the small world of the Qiankun Diagram collapsed, and he was sent flying backward, spitting blood. His physical body almost disintegrated.

But the nine bricks have already been smashed on four nodes!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Four loud bangs rang out, and the Zhuxian Sword Formation trembled violently.

The four sword pillars dimmed simultaneously, and the flow of sword energy momentarily stagnated.

That one moment is enough!

Lu Chen mustered his last breath and activated the Brick Escape Technique!

His mind was fixed on the twelve-tiered karmic fire red lotus at the foot of the River Styx.

The next moment, he appeared above the Crimson Lotus, and the Chaos Brick itself slammed down—

"One brick can break all laws!"

The bricks emitted a surge of dark light, and the Red Lotus's defensive barrier shattered like paper.

"How dare you, you little thief!" Styx's eyes widened in fury as he swung his twin swords back.

But Lu Chen was faster.

The scroll of the Universe Diagram swept up the Karmic Fire Red Lotus along with the Styx River (a clone?) on the lotus platform—who cares if it's a clone or not, let's collect it first!

"Demonic Escape Talisman, activate!"

Black talismans burned, distorting space.

"Stop him!" Jieyin, Zhunti, and Kunpeng attacked simultaneously.

The three quasi-saint powers struck the spot where Lu Chen had disappeared, but only shattered his afterimage.

Lu Chen has already fled back to the Demon Abyss!

"puff--"

Upon returning to the Demon Abyss, Lu Chen collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, his body riddled with cracks, and even his primordial spirit dimmed.

He withstood an attack from four quasi-saints, and even the aftershocks nearly killed him.

"Ruthless enough." Rahu's remnant soul appeared beside him, raising a hand to transfer a stream of pure demonic energy to stabilize his injuries. "Where's Honglian?"

Lu Chen pointed with difficulty at the Qiankun Diagram.

Luo Hou probed with his divine sense and immediately burst into laughter: "Good! Good! Not only have you captured Hong Lian, but you've also captured the Blood God Child avatar of the Styx River! This avatar contains thirty percent of the Styx River's essence blood, enough for me to refine a temporary demonic body!"

He looked outside the formation: "Jieyin, the formation has been broken, shall we continue fighting?"

Outside the formation, the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation had already collapsed by more than half.

The four guides turned ashen-faced.

They never expected that the core of the great formation, which they had painstakingly refined over a century, would be shattered by a single brick from a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!

What's even more infuriating is that the River Styx's Fiery Lotus was stolen!

"Luo Hou! Hand over Hong Lian and Lu Chen, or we will fight to the death today!" Styx roared in the sea of ​​blood, his voice piercing through the void.

"A fight to the death?" Rahu sneered. "Nether River, if you have the guts, come and take it from the Abyss."

The River Styx remained silent.

Go into the Demon Abyss? That's Rahu's lair; going in is suicide.

Jieyin looked into the depths of the chaos, where the purple phantom was still there, but showed no intention of making a move.

He understood—the Dao Ancestor was observing from the sidelines, but not interfering.

What happened today is now a done deal.

"Let's go." Jieyin gritted his teeth and put away the incomplete Zhuxian Sword Formation.

Zhunti, unwilling to accept this, said, "Senior brother, Honglian..."

"We'll talk about it another time." Jieyin gave Moyuan a deep look, then transformed into golden light and departed.

Zhunti and Kunpeng followed closely behind.

As Styx departed, he left behind a harsh threat: "Rahu, Lu Chen, this grudge will be avenged!"

Outside the Abyss, peace returned.

Luo Hou withdrew his gaze and looked at Lu Chen: "Boy, you did better than I expected. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Lu Chen struggled to sit up: "What you promised before, senior..."

"The method for forging the God-Slaying Spear and the list of agents?" Rahu nodded. "I will not go back on my word."

He flicked his finger, and two jade slips flew into Lu Chen's hand.

"The method for forging the God-Slaying Spear requires at least three fragments. You already have one. The whereabouts of the other two can be found in the jade slip. As for the list of informants... destroy it after reading, and do not reveal it."

Lu Chen carefully put it away.

"Furthermore," Luo Hou added, "now that you have broken through to the Great Luo realm, you should consider severing your corpse. Although the Three Corpses Path is not the orthodox path, it can quickly increase your combat power. I suggest you use this half of the purple energy to sever your benevolent corpse."

"Use purple energy to sever the corpse?" Lu Chen was taken aback.

"That's right." Luo Hou said meaningfully, "The Primordial Purple Qi is the foundation for becoming a saint. The three corpses that are severed with it will naturally have a trace of sainthood. When the three corpses are united in the future, the success rate will be higher. Moreover... you have too much karma on your body. Using the Purple Qi to sever the corpses can temporarily transfer some of the karma to the benevolent corpses, reducing the burden on your main body."

Lu Chen's heart stirred.

That's a good idea.

He is indeed burdened with too much karma right now: the three races, the demon race, the Western religion, the demonic path... If he could transfer some of it, his main body would be much safer.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior."

"No need to thank me, it's just a matter of mutual benefit." Luo Hou waved his hand. "You should recuperate in the Demon Abyss. Once you've fully recovered, it's not too late to dismember your corpse."

Lu Chen nodded and found a quiet room to heal his injuries in seclusion.