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

The day after Lu Chen slipped back to Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi summoned him to the ginseng fruit tree.

"You brat, what mischief have you gotten yourself into now?" Zhen Yuanzi pushed a cup of tea over expressionlessly. "News came from Taiyin Star. Chang Xi sent a message saying she was grateful for your mercy last time and even gave her two bottles of Sanguang Divine Water to heal her wounds."

Lu Chen took the tea and chuckled, "Senior, please don't put it so harshly. I'm just being compassionate and tender-hearted."

"Tenderness towards women?" Zhen Yuanzi raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you explain that Chang Xi's message mentioned that you had her leave a 'brick-shaped mark' at the core of Taiyin Star, saying that she could use this mark to call for help if she were in trouble in the future?"

Lu Chen paused in his tea-drinking motion.

Chang Xi... why does she tell everyone everything?

"Ahem, senior, please let me explain." He put down his teacup and said seriously, "I was thinking of the greater good of the prehistoric world."

"Oh? What's the big picture?"

"Think about it," Lu Chen said, counting on his fingers. "The core of the Zhou Tian Star Array is the Sun Star and the Moon Star. On the Sun Star side, Di Jun has it firmly under his control, like a needle cannot be inserted. But the Moon Star is different—although Chang Xi and Xi He are Di Jun's wives, they are kind by nature and are not like those bloodthirsty demons."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "When I went to the Heavenly Court to steal the Hetu and Luoshu last time, I saw the jade slip left by Chang Xi. She was worried about the future of the demon race. This shows that she is not completely devoted to the demon race. So I left a mark, as a way of... planting a seed for the future."

Zhen Yuanzi narrowed his eyes: "Foreshadowing? You want to turn Taiyin Star against us?"

"It's not a matter of turning them to defect," Lu Chen shook his head. "But if, in the future, the decisive battle between the Lich King and the Demon King reaches a crucial moment, and the Zhou Tian Star Array requires the full cooperation of the Taiyin Star, could Chang Xi 'hesitate' for even a moment, or 'make a mistake' for even a second... wouldn't that change the course of the battle?"

Zhen Yuanzi remained silent.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly: "Lu Chen, you're playing with fire. Once Di Jun discovers this, Chang Xi will surely die."

"So I did it extremely discreetly," Lu Chen said seriously. "That mark is hidden in the innate restrictions at the core of the Taiyin Star. Unless a sage examines it carefully, no one can find it. Moreover, I only gave Chang Xi the authority to contact me one-way—she can send me messages through the mark at any time, but I cannot contact her proactively, nor can I control the Taiyin Star through the mark."

This was seen as leaving a way out for Chang Xi, and also as adding insurance for themselves.

Zhen Yuanzi stared at Lu Chen for a long while, then finally sighed, "Fine, do as you please. But Lu Chen, in this great calamity, cause and effect are intertwined. The seeds you sow today will surely bear fruit tomorrow. I hope you will take care of yourself."

"This junior understands," Lu Chen said, bowing.

After leaving the ginseng fruit tree, Lu Chen did not return to his residence, but instead used a brick-遁 (a type of teleportation technique) to go to the East Sea.

He was going to see another person—Little Golden Crow.

The little golden crow that Yuan Feng transformed into through his sacrifice years ago has been hidden deep within the Sun Star and has been sleeping for a hundred years.

The surface temperature of the Sun Star is extremely high, and even Great Luo Golden Immortals dare not approach it easily. However, with the protection of the Morning Bell and the Chaos Brick clearing the way, Lu Chen was able to barely sneak into the core area.

In a sea of ​​blazing solar fire, he saw a three-legged golden crow curled up.

The Golden Crow was not large, only about ten feet long, and its entire body was golden, with solar fire flowing on its feathers. Its eyes were closed, seemingly asleep, but the pressure emanating from it had already reached the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!

"Wake up, it's time to get up." Lu Chen tapped the Golden Crow's head with the Chaos Brick.

"Gah?" The golden crow opened its eyes groggily, saw Lu Chen, and a trace of confusion flashed in its eyes, which then turned into affection, "Father... Father God?"

It opened its mouth, its voice still sounding childish.

"How many times have I told you, don't call me Father God, call me Big Brother." Lu Chen rubbed its head. "How are you? Did you sleep comfortably?"

"That feels good." The little golden crow rubbed against Lu Chen's hand. "I'm just a little hungry."

Lu Chen pulled out a handful of "Solar Essence Crystals" from the Qiankun Diagram—the essence naturally condensed from the Sun Star, which was a great tonic for the Golden Crow.

The little golden crow swallowed it in one gulp and let out a satisfied burp.

"By the way, there's something I need to tell you." Lu Chen squatted down and looked at the little golden crow intently. "Your father... Di Jun might be planning something big soon."

The little golden crow's eyes darkened: "Father...Is Emperor Jun going to war again?"

"Hmm." Lu Chen nodded. "The final battle against the Lich King is just around the corner. At that time, the Zhou Tian Star Array will operate at full power, requiring the Sun Star to provide endless energy. Di Jun may draw upon the Sun Star's essence to strengthen the array—in that case, your hiding place will no longer be safe."

The little golden crow panicked: "What should we do?"

"Don't be afraid, I have a way." Lu Chen took out a jade talisman and hung it around the Golden Crow's neck. "This is the 'Star Shifting Talisman,' which I deduced from the Hetu Luoshu. Once Di Jun begins to extract the essence of the Sun Star, this jade talisman will automatically activate and teleport you to the Taiyin Star—I've already spoken to Chang Xi, and she will protect you."

The little golden crow looked down at the jade talisman, gratitude flashing in its eyes: "Thank you, elder brother."

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Lu Chen stood up. "Remember, no matter what happens, survival is the most important thing. Once your cultivation is sufficient, I will take you away from the prehistoric world to explore the chaos."

"Yes!" Little Golden Crow nodded emphatically.

After settling Little Golden Crow, Lu Chen rushed back to the battlefield of Buzhou Mountain without stopping.

The Lich Wars are still ongoing, but have entered a stalemate.

Both sides suffered extremely heavy casualties. Of the eleven Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan, only nine remained—Qiang Liang and Tian Wu had perished in the previous melee. On the Demon Clan's side, six of the ten Demon Saints were dead, and more than half of their demon soldiers were lost.

The entire Buzhou Mountain was a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, filled with resentment.

Lu Chen crouched on a secluded mountaintop, looking down at the devastation below, his brows furrowed.

"Too slow..." he muttered. "At this rate, we could fight for another hundred years and still not have a winner. We need to add some spice."

Hunyuanzi floated to the side: "What does this Venerable One wish to do?"

"Force the growth of Gonggong and Zhurong." A glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "They have been practicing that modified cultivation method for fifty years, and it's time for them to reach the stage of 'inner demons flaring up'."

He took out a black bell from the Qiankun Diagram—it was a replica of the "Heavenly Demon Heart Bell" from Rahu's Treasure Vault, specifically designed to attract inner demons.

"Go, find an opportunity to 'lose' this bell near the cave where Gonggong and Zhurong are in seclusion." Lu Chen handed the bell to Hunyuanzi. "Remember, do it naturally, as if it was accidentally dropped."

Hunyuanzi took the bell and disappeared in the form of green smoke.

three days later.

Sure enough, a black bell appeared "by chance" outside the cave where Gonggong and Zhurong were in seclusion.

Zhu Rong discovered it first. He picked up the bell, sensed the "demonic laws" contained within it, and frowned: "This thing... seems to resonate with the cultivation technique we practice?"

Gonggong took it and examined it, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "It's the 'Heavenly Demon Heart Bell'! I've seen it recorded in ancient texts; this item can help people quickly break through their inner demons! Perfect timing, our cultivation technique has reached a bottleneck; perhaps this can help us break through in one fell swoop!"

The two, unsuspecting, took the bell back to the cave and began to cultivate with its help.

What they didn't know was that Lu Chen had tampered with the bell—once activated, it wouldn't help people break through, but would instead amplify their inner demons, causing them to completely lose control.

Another half month passed.

Two deafening roars suddenly echoed from inside the cave!

"Dijiang! What makes you think you can be superior to me?!"

"The Witch Clan needs a new leader!"

Gonggong and Zhurong broke through their barriers, their auras surging, and they both reached the peak of the Ancestral Witches! But their eyes were bloodshot, filled with violence and madness.

The inner demons erupted completely.

The two rushed out of the cave and headed straight for the center of the battlefield—not to kill the demons, but to charge at Di Jiang, who was fighting Di Jun!

"Dijiang! Step aside!"

Zhu Rong cleaved Di Jiang in the back with a single strike!

The battlefield situation reversed in an instant.

Lu Chen squatted on the mountaintop, watching the "brotherly feud" he had directed, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Go ahead and fight, the more chaotic the better."

He picked up the bricks, preparing to go to the edge of the battlefield to continue picking up his "garbage".

The final chapter of this great calamity is finally about to reach its climax.

And the person who started all this has already prepared his snacks and is ready to watch the show.