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

In the primordial west, in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.

Blood-red clouds obscured the sun, and a murderous aura soared to the heavens.

Lu Chen lay on a hilltop a hundred miles away, looking down at the battlefield, his eyes twitching.

"The First Calamity of the Dragon and Han Dynasties... This is too brutal."

On the plains, tens of thousands of Qilin and tens of thousands of dragons were locked in a fierce battle. The Qilin rode on auspicious clouds and breathed divine fire; the dragons soared through the clouds and tore through the void with their claws. Every moment, corpses fell, and blood rained down, staining the earth dark red.

At the very center, two colossal figures, each ten thousand feet tall, are locked in a fierce battle.

One of them is a five-colored Qilin with a Qilin seal on its head. Every time it steps, it triggers the earth's veins, causing mountains to collapse and the earth to crack.

The other is a nine-clawed golden dragon with a dragon pearl hanging from its top, its roar shattering the clouds for miles around.

"At least a late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal..." Lu Chen judged.

In a battle of this caliber, if he were to get too close, the aftershocks would obliterate him.

"No, we need to change our approach."

He took out the jade map that Hongjun had "given" to him and immersed his divine sense into it.

【Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range - Qilin Clan Vanguard Base】

[Location of the treasure vault: Three thousand feet underground, protected by innate Wu Earth.]

[Guards: One Grand Luo Golden Immortal (permanent), six Taiyi Golden Immortals (on rotation)]

Lu Chen frowned.

A Grand Immortal guarding the gate? What's the point of stealing then?!

However, there is a small note below the map:

[Note: During the Great Tribulation, the Great Luo Guards may leave their posts to participate in the battle; this is the optimal time.]

He suddenly looked up at the five-colored Qilin in the distance—wasn't that the Great Luo Guardian? He was currently being entangled in a deadly battle with the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon, and had no time to care about the treasure vault!

"A golden opportunity!"

Lu Chen's heart pounded. But he didn't act immediately; instead, he carefully observed the battlefield's movements.

Half an hour later, the golden dragon tore open the qilin's abdomen with a single claw. The qilin howled in agony, its blood splattering across the sky. The five-colored qilin, enraged, burned its life essence, and the qilin seal crashed down, exchanging blows with the golden dragon.

Both sides suffer heavy losses!

The opportunity is coming!

Lu Chen took a deep breath and activated the stealth technique he had just mastered—the [Concealing Breath Technique], which he had learned from the axe handle fragment. It could perfectly conceal his aura, and when combined with the concealment effect of the black robe, it would be difficult for anyone below the Golden Immortal level to detect him.

He transformed into a black shadow, skimming the ground, and stealthily infiltrated the edge of the battlefield like a ghost.

Corpses littered the ground.

The corpses of dragons and qilins were piled up like mountains, many of them still emanating a powerful aura, clearly indicating they were at least true immortals in life. Broken magical artifacts, scales, and horns were scattered everywhere.

Lu Chen's eyes turned green with envy.

"It's all money!"

But he resisted the urge to snatch up the bargains. These scattered items were of limited value; the real treasure was in the vault.

After bypassing several battlegrounds still raging, Lu Chen arrived at an inconspicuous stone mountain.

The map shows that the entrance to the treasure vault is here.

Following the map's directions, he found a blue stone at the foot of the mountain engraved with a qilin pattern and infused his magic power into the specific pattern.

"Buzz—"

The bluestone gleamed, a crack appeared in the ground, and the steps extended downwards.

Lu Chen slipped inside, and the gap immediately closed.

The passage was deep and secluded, its walls inlaid with luminous crystals. Every hundred feet there was a restriction, but each one was marked on the map with a method to break it—Hongjun's gift was far too precious!

The journey was unimpeded, leading down to a depth of three thousand feet.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

This is a massive underground cavern, hundreds of feet high and thousands of feet in circumference. The cavern is filled with treasures:

On the left is the spiritual materials area, where innate Geng metal, Yi wood essence, and scraps of Nine Heavens Breath Soil are piled up like mountains; on the right is the magic weapon area, where swords, spears, and halberds are displayed in a dazzling array, all of which are at least at the level of acquired spiritual treasures; in the very center are three high platforms, each with a treasure emitting powerful fluctuations floating on it.

"The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner!" Lu Chen recognized the first item at a glance.

It was a small yellow flag, embroidered with a Qilin riding on clouds, exuding a strong earthy aura—one of the Five Primordial Flags, a supreme defensive treasure!

The second item is an earth-yellow bead, the [Earth Spirit Bead], a treasure that can mobilize the power of the earth's veins and cultivate earth-attribute techniques.

The third item was a jade slip labeled "Secret Map of the Ancestral Land of the Qilin".

"I'm rich..."

Lu Chen swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

Collect the most important items first!

He rushed towards the central platform, reaching out to grab the Wuji apricot-yellow flag. But as soon as his hand got close, an earth-yellow light shield appeared around the platform, repelling him.

"There are still restrictions?"

The map doesn't mention this. It seems the Qilin clan isn't stupid; they've added extra protection to their most important treasure.

Lu Chen frowned and tried to penetrate the barrier with the golden light of merit from the axe handle fragment—it worked, but it was too slow! At this rate, it would take at least an hour to break the restriction.

The battle is still raging outside; what if that Great Luo Qilin suddenly returns...?

Just as I was getting anxious, I suddenly heard footsteps coming from the passage behind me!

"Who has trespassed into the treasure vault?!"

A loud shout shook the cave.

Lu Chen felt a chill run down his spine and turned to look.

A middle-aged, burly man, over ten feet tall and clad in Qilin armor, strode forward, his aura clearly that of an early-stage Grand Luo Golden Immortal! Although his armor was tattered and he was covered in blood, clearly having just endured a fierce battle, a Grand Luo is a Grand Luo, killing him was as easy as killing a chicken!

"Oh no, there are guards again?!"

Lu Chen's mind raced, but he forced a smile and bowed respectfully: "Senior, please calm your anger. I am a relative of the Qilin clan, and I have been ordered to come and retrieve the treasure to assist in the battle..."

"Bullshit!" the burly man glared angrily. "How could a relative of the emperor break through the outer barrier? You're a spy!"

Before he could finish speaking, he struck out with his palm.

With a casual wave of his hand, the Great Luo Golden Immortal caused the void to collapse, and his immense magical power transformed into a giant, earth-yellow hand, ready to smash Lu Chen into mincemeat.

There's no escaping it!

Lu Chen gritted his teeth, and instead of dodging, charged towards the burly man. At the same time, he secretly summoned his natal black brick, hiding it in his sleeve.

"You're asking for death!" the burly man sneered, his palm strike growing even stronger.

Just as the giant hand was about to strike, Lu Chen suddenly shouted:

"Wait a minute, senior! I have important military intelligence to report!"

The burly man paused, then said, "Speak!"

"The Dragon Clan has sent its elite troops to raid our ancestral land. I have been ordered to take the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner to guard it!" Lu Chen spoke very quickly, his expression anxious and sincere.

The burly man's expression changed—the ancestral land was the foundation of the Qilin clan, and if it were truly attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

In that brief moment of distraction...

Lu Chen moved.

The black brick silently slid out from his sleeve, and under the blessing of the golden light of merit, it transformed into a beam of dark light that shone directly into the strong man's face.

too fast!

The burly man was completely taken aback that a mere True Immortal ant would dare to attack a Grand Luo Immortal, and he certainly didn't expect the black brick to be so incredibly fast.

"you--"

He only managed to utter one word before the black bricks were already in front of him.

"Bang!"

It hit me squarely on the head.

A burst of golden light erupted from the merit, causing fragments of the Law of Power to vibrate. The burly man felt a violent tremor in his primordial spirit, his vision went black, and he was forcefully knocked unconscious!

Although she was only unconscious for three breaths.

But that's enough!

Lu Chen grabbed the Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag—the restriction was automatically lifted due to the guard's unconsciousness—and turned to run. Passing through the spiritual materials and magic weapon sections, he casually rolled it up and, using the newly mastered "Sleeve Universe," collected about 30% of the most precious parts.

I dared not take too much, for fear of triggering the alarm.

They burst out of the tunnel and returned to the ground. Behind them came the burly man's furious roar:

"You little thief!! I will kill you—"

Without looking back, Lu Chen plunged into the dense forest in the direction of Buzhou Mountain.

With the black brick in hand, I unleash my full speed.

As he fled, he checked his spoils.

The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner has been initially refined, transforming into a palm-sized flag that floats in the dantian. The Earth Spirit Pearl and the secret jade slip have also been obtained. Spiritual materials and magical treasures have been piled up into a small mountain.

"What a windfall..." Lu Chen grinned.

But as he was laughing, his expression changed.

A thousand miles ahead, a colossal peak rises majestically, reaching for the sky—Mount Buzhou!

But at the foot of the mountain, there was a densely packed army of Qilin reinforcements! The Qilin leading the group had an aura even more terrifying than the burly man from before!

"Blocked ahead, pursued behind..."

Lu Chen turned around, and the burly man had already chased out of the treasure vault, locking onto him with murderous intent.

Desperate situation!

His gaze swept across the area, and he suddenly noticed a tiny crack at the foot of Mount Buzhou—a natural fissure in the mountain formed from the spine of Pangu, its depth unfathomable.

Map marking: [Buzhou Mountain Rift - Leading to an unknown area, possibly the entrance to a cave left behind by the Ancestor of Heaven and Earth]

Ancestor Qiankun? That powerful being from the primordial era who perished in the struggle between Dao and Demon, leaving behind the Qiankun Diagram?

Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

"Let's give it our all!"

He changed direction and rushed towards the crack at full speed.

Behind him, the burly man roared, "You scoundrel, don't run away!"

A palm strike came from afar, shattering the void inch by inch.

Lu Chen gritted his teeth and unleashed the newly refined Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner.

"Buzz—"

A yellow light shield unfolded, protecting the entire body.

"boom!"

Da Luo slammed his palm onto the light barrier, causing it to tremble violently and crack, but it still managed to block the attack!

The defensive power of the Five Innate Banners is truly legendary!

Using the force of the recoil, Lu Chen shot into the crack like a cannonball.

Darkness swallowed him.

Falling, falling continuously.

After an unknown amount of time, with a "plop," he fell into a pool of water.

The pool emitted a tricolored divine light, illuminating the underground cavern. In the center of the cavern, an ancient stone gate stood silently, inscribed with two primordial Taoist characters—

【Heaven and Earth】.

As soon as Lu Chen climbed out of the pool, he heard the roar of the burly man from the crack behind him, clearly indicating that he had caught up with them!

However, the stone door to the Qiankun Cave requires a special method to open. Even more troublesome is that the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner's protective shield is already riddled with cracks; another blow will surely shatter it!

In his desperate situation, Lu Chen looked at the stone tablet beside the stone gate, on which was engraved a line of small characters: "To enter my cave, you must answer three questions..."