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

When Zhu Rong cleaved Di Jiang in the back with her sword, the entire battlefield fell silent for a moment.

The demon race was stunned, the witch race was dumbfounded, and even Di Jun, who was fighting Di Jiang to the death, was taken aback—what was going on? Was there infighting within the witch race?

"Zhurong! Have you gone mad?!" Dijiang smashed Zhurong's longsword away with a backhand punch, his eyes wide with rage. "Is this the time for internal strife?!"

"Internal strife?" Zhu Rong's eyes were bloodshot, and the fire blade in his hand, reforged from fragments of the Witch-Slaying Sword, spewed violent flames. "Di Jiang, you have hogged the position of clan leader for ten thousand years, and the Witch Clan has grown weaker and weaker under your rule! Today, it's time for a change!"

Gonggong also rode the waves, the innate Ren water swirling around him transforming into a ferocious water dragon: "The Wu tribe should prosper, but that prosperity is in your hands. I see no hope!"

The two, one on the left and one on the right, actually joined forces to attack Dijiang!

Dijiang trembled with rage, but faced with the combined attack of two peak-level Ancestral Witches, he had no choice but to fight back with all his might. In an instant, the battleground transformed from a duel between witches and demons into a civil war within the witch clan.

On the demon side, Di Jun was first stunned, then overjoyed: "Heaven is helping us! Taiyi, order the entire army to halt the attack and let them fight amongst themselves!"

"Yes!" Taiyi also reacted. As soon as the Chaos Bell rang, the demon army slowly retreated, giving up the center of the battlefield.

Watch the show, pick up the scraps, and wait for the Wu tribe to be weakened by the two sides.

The demon race has a clever plan.

But some people calculate it even more precisely than they do.

Lu Chen squatted on a mountaintop somewhere on Buzhou Mountain, watching the farce below. He was gnawing on a roasted beast leg and mumbled to Hunyuanzi, "See that? This is what they call 'when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits'... But we're not the fisherman, we're the ones picking up seashells on the shore."

Hunyuanzi was speechless: "My lord, what do we do now? Wait until they're done fighting before going down to collect the loot?"

"No rush." ​​Lu Chen wiped his mouth. "The real show has only just begun. Do you think the other Ancestral Witches will just watch Dijiang get besieged?"

As soon as he finished speaking, at the edge of the battlefield, three of the remaining seven Ancestral Witches—Xuanming, Jumang, and Rushou—rushed out simultaneously to block Zhurong and Gonggong.

"Zhurong! Gonggong! Do you really intend to betray your clan?!" Xuanming roared, his body covered in frost.

"Traitor?" Zhu Rong sneered. "We're purging the court of corrupt officials! Di Jiang is incompetent; he should abdicate and give way to a more worthy successor!"

"Bullshit!" Jumang roared. "Without Brother Dijiang, the Wu Clan would have been wiped out by the Demon Clan long ago! You're all controlled by your inner demons, wake up!"

"Inner demons?" Gonggong laughed wildly. "We are perfectly clear-headed! But you, are you willing to be Dijiang's dogs forever?!"

If they can't agree on something, they'll start fighting.

The seven ancestral witches split into two factions: Xuanming, Jumang, and Rushou protected Dijiang, while the other four (Zhujiuyin, Shebishi, Yanzi, and Zhulong) watched coldly from the sidelines—they were also dissatisfied with Dijiang's rule, but had not yet reached the point of taking action.

The Wu tribe has completely split apart.

Emperor Jun watched with a broad smile, and even ordered the demon race to bring tables and chairs, and set out celestial fruits and fine wine, so that they could watch the battle live.

But just when the internal strife within the witch clan was at its most intense—

"clang--!"

A bell rang, its sound echoing throughout the primordial world.

It is not a replica of Taiyi's Chaos Bell, but the real sound of the Chaos Bell, coming from the depths of chaos, ancient and weathered, carrying the oppressive power to suppress all heavens.

"It's the Dao Ancestor's decree!" Taiyi's expression changed.

Sure enough, from the heavens above, purple qi traveled thirty thousand miles eastward, and the phantom of Dao Ancestor Hongjun appeared, his voice as indifferent as the heavens:

"The war between the Lich and the Demon race has not yet reached its thousand-year mark, yet you have recklessly restarted the conflict, disrupting the order of the primordial world. The Demon race's Heavenly Court is hereby sealed off for a hundred years, and the Lich race is to retreat to Mount Buzhou, forbidden from venturing out without permission."

"A hundred years later, the final war will begin, determining the fate of the primordial world."

"Those who disobey will be punished by Heaven."

As soon as he finished speaking, the saint's aura enveloped the battlefield, forcibly separating all the fighting witch and demon races, rendering them unable to move.

Di Jun's face turned ashen, but he dared not disobey the Dao Ancestor's decree. He could only grit his teeth and bow, saying, "I will obey the Dao Ancestor's decree!"

Dijiang also breathed a sigh of relief—if the fighting continued, the Wu tribe would truly collapse from within. He bowed and said, "The Wu tribe obeys."

The illusory image of the Dao Ancestor dissipated, and his holy might faded.

The demon race began an orderly retreat, and the witch race also retreated to the depths of Buzhou Mountain.

A final battle that was about to erupt was abruptly put on hold.

But everyone knows that the real battle will take place a hundred years from now.

At that point, there will be no turning back; it will be either you or me who dies.

The battlefield gradually quieted down.

Lu Chen then carried the Qiankun Map and slowly floated down to begin his "garbage-collecting mission".

This harvest was richer than any before—fragments of the Ancestral Witch's essence blood (splashed out during the battle between Zhu Rong and Gong Gong), fragments of the Demon Saint's corpse (left over from the previous great battle), and various shattered fragments of spiritual treasures...

After he had collected almost all of them, he used the brick-遁 (a magical technique) to return to Wuzhuang Temple.

Zhen Yuanzi was already waiting for him.

"The Dao Ancestor has made his move," Zhen Yuanzi said bluntly. "What do you think of this hundred-year buffer period?"

"As expected." Lu Chen sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "The internal strife between the Lich and Demon races is too severe. If the fighting continues, both races may perish together, which is not what the Dao Ancestor wants to see. He needs both sides to be severely weakened, but not to perish together—otherwise, the primordial world will be out of balance, and who will mend the heavens? Who will stabilize the earth?"

Zhen Yuanzi nodded: "So this hundred years is time for both sides to prepare, and also time for... others to make their plans."

"Others?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.

"You think you're the only one scheming?" Zhen Yuanzi said meaningfully. "The Three Pure Ones have already secretly contacted the remnants of the Wu Clan, wanting to recruit some pure-blooded Wu people to fill the guardian teams of the Human Sect, the Chan Sect, and the Jie Sect."

"Jieyin and Zhunti were not idle either. While they were 'performing' the salvation of the dead on the edge of the battlefield, they secretly intercepted a group of souls with Buddhist affinity, preparing to send them for reincarnation so that they could be accepted into Buddhism in their next life."

"Nuwa was more direct. She passed down cultivation methods to the human tribes, preparing to support the rise of the human race and share the fortune after the witches and demons were both weakened."

After hearing this, Lu Chen grinned and said, "Everyone's pretty busy."

"Aren't you busy?" Zhen Yuanzi looked at him. "What are you planning to do for the next hundred years?"

Lu Chen took out a small notebook from his pocket, opened it, and found it filled with plans.

"First, completely refine the God-Slaying Spear—it's just missing the last bit of malevolent energy, so we need to go to the Blood Sea."

"Secondly, I will comprehend the Demon God's inheritance and strive to break through to the late stage of Quasi-Saint within a hundred years."

"Third, let's go to the underworld and have a chat with the Earth Goddess Houtu. The cycle of reincarnation has just been established, so she must be short-handed, right? It's not too much to ask me to send some of my own people there to serve, is it?"

"Fourth, and most importantly—" He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, "I need to find the whereabouts of the 'Chaos Bell Fragment'."

Zhen Yuanzi was taken aback: "A fragment of the Chaos Bell? Don't you have the Morning Bell?"

"The Morning Bell is an innate spiritual treasure, but it's not the real thing." Lu Chen shook his head. "The true fragments of the Chaos Bell are scattered throughout the prehistoric world. The Dao Ancestor should have one, the Three Pure Ones each have one, and Nuwa might also have one... I'll try to piece together a third of it."

"So what if you collect them all? You can't use them openly."

"If we can't use it openly, we can use it secretly," Lu Chen laughed. "For example, at the crucial moment of the final battle, we can use the fragments of the Chaos Bell to activate the Morning Bell, simulating the power of the complete Chaos Bell, and 'add some fuel' to the Zhou Tian Star Array..."

Zhen Yuanzi rubbed his forehead.

That kid is always thinking of ways to trick people.

"By the way, senior," Lu Chen suddenly remembered something, "could you help me find out something?"

"explain."

"The Dao Ancestor said that the final battle will begin in a hundred years to determine the fate of the world," Lu Chen said in a low voice. "Have the specific rules for this 'final battle' not been announced yet?"

Zhen Yuanzi's eyes flickered: "You mean...?"

"I suspect the Dao Ancestor might set up an 'arena'," Lu Chen said, stroking his chin. "For example, each side could send a few people to duel in a special venue, with the winner gaining luck. If that's the case, I'll need to prepare a few 'henchmen' in advance."

"Thugs?" Zhen Yuanzi frowned. "Who do you want to send?"

"One of the Twelve Yuan Chen can go, two of the Avengers from the Torch Reaper can go, and a few more rogue cultivator friends..." Lu Chen counted on his fingers, "Anyway, they can't reveal their relationship with me, they have to be 'third-party forces'."

Zhen Yuanzi remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Lu Chen, by doing this, you've essentially dragged the entire power of the prehistoric world into your scheme. What if things go wrong..."

"If things go wrong, we can just run away." Lu Chen shrugged. "Anyway, I can use my brick-escape technique quickly. If all else fails, I can just disappear into the chaos; who can find me then?"

Zhen Yuanzi remained silent.

That guy is really a bachelor.

"Alright, as long as you know what's going on." He waved his hand. "A hundred years is enough time to prepare. This game of the primordial world is coming to an end."

Lu Chen stood up and bowed solemnly: "This junior understands."

century.

That's enough for him to do a lot of things.

For example, let the "Witch-Slaying Sword 2.0" that is being forged have some "minor problems".

For example, let the inner demons of Gonggong and Zhurong "grow" a bit more.

For example, let the chess pieces he buried in various places all "mature".

Lu Chen shouldered the brick, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The eve of the decisive battle is when Lao Liu is busiest.