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

Lu Chen secluded himself in the ruins of Buzhou Mountain for thirty years.

Over the course of thirty years, he refined the essence of Pangu's heart, mastered the Law of Power, and naturally broke through to the level of Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal—proving the Dao with power and achieving Hunyuan!

Although he was only at the early stage of the Primordial Chaos realm, his combat power was already comparable to that of a Saint. More importantly, he did not follow the path of a Heavenly Saint, but rather the path of a Chaos Demon God, thus being free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao.

The first thing he did on the day he emerged from the pass was to rebuild Mount Buzhou.

No, it's not reshaping, it's "reconstruction".

Using the origin of Pangu as a foundation, fragments of Buzhou Mountain as materials, and combining them with five-colored stone fragments and remnants of the origin of water and fire, he crafted a new "pillar supporting the sky".

The pillar was 99,999 zhang tall, entirely gray-white, and its surface was engraved with patterns of the laws of force. Although not as magnificent as the original Mount Buzhou, it was still powerful enough to suppress the earth's veins and regulate spiritual energy.

The moment the new pillar was erected, the entire world trembled.

The disordered ley lines began to return to their proper places, the rampant spiritual energy gradually subsided, the volcanoes stopped erupting, and the floods began to recede.

Heaven responds, bestowing immeasurable merit!

This time, all the credit goes to Lu Chen alone—because while Nuwa was credited for mending the sky, he was the one who regulated the earth's veins and reshaped the backbone.

With the accumulation of merit, his cultivation level advanced further, stabilizing at the peak of the early stage of the Primordial Chaos realm.

"Comfortable." Standing atop the new pillar, Lu Chen looked down upon the vast wilderness, feeling a sense of accomplishment as a "construction maniac."

But his joy didn't last long.

Because trouble is brewing.

The Three Pure Ones, the Two Western Saints, and Nuwa—six saints in total—descended simultaneously and surrounded him on the new pillar.

"Young friend Lu Chen," Laozi spoke first, his tone calm yet scrutinizing, "do you know your crime?"

Lu Chen was taken aback: "What crime have I committed?"

"The final war between the Lich King and the Demon King resulted in the collapse of Mount Buzhou, the destruction of the heavens and the earth, and the devastation of countless lives." Yuanshi continued, his eyes sharp. "Although this calamity was ordained by Heaven, someone was manipulating it. We have deduced the secrets of Heaven and discovered that many 'accidents' are related to you."

He listed them one by one:

"The imbalance of Yin and Yang in the Zhou Tian Star Array is a backdoor you planted."

"The disorder in the laws of the Heavenly Divine Fiend Array is the seed of interference you planted."

"The collision between Gonggong and Zhurong and the mountain was caused by the inner demons you induced to erupt."

"The self-destruction of Di Jun and Tai Yi was a conflict you secretly instigated."

"Even when the Pangu Palace finally appeared, you were the first to arrive and obtained the largest share of the origin..."

With each word Yuan Shi spoke, Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.

That old guy's predictions were pretty accurate.

But he remained outwardly calm: "Sage Yuanshi, you are mistaken. I was merely acting in accordance with the circumstances to protect myself. As for those 'accidents'... during the great calamity, the secrets of heaven were in chaos, and you, Sage, are probably mistaken in your calculations."

"The calculation is wrong?" Jieyin sneered. "Then explain why you, a quasi-saint, were able to emerge unscathed from the Great Tribulation, and instead, your cultivation surged, obtaining supreme treasures, origins, and merits?"

"I'm lucky," Lu Chen said, shrugging.

"Good luck?" Zhunti interjected, "Lu Chen, don't try to deny it! Your actions have disrupted the workings of Heaven and you deserve divine punishment!"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes.

He realized that the six saints hadn't come to question him, but rather... to divide the spoils.

They were envious of his possession of the essence of Pangu's heart, the merit of reshaping the earth's veins, and the Chaos Bell, among other treasures, and wanted to find a pretext to make him "spit out" a portion of it.

"I understand what you sages mean," Lu Chen smiled. "You all feel that I've taken too much and should share some of it, right?"

The six saints remained silent.

It was accepted by default.

"Sure," Lu Chen readily agreed. "I have indeed had some fortuitous opportunities, and I'm willing to share them."

He took out three things:

The first item is a fragment of a Chaos Bell replica (the smallest ones).

The second item is the five-colored stone fragments (separate half of them).

The third item is the residue of the origin of water and fire (separated in half).

"These are offered to you saints as an apology from your juniors," he said sincerely.

The six saints looked at the three piles of "garbage" and their faces turned dark.

"Lu Chen! Are you humiliating us?!" Yuan Shi roared.

"This junior wouldn't dare," Lu Chen shrugged. "It's just that I've already refined and absorbed most of what I've obtained, and I really can't offer any more. How about... I give this new pillar to everyone?"

He pointed to the pillar supporting the sky beneath his feet.

Liu Sheng was so angry he almost vomited blood.

This pillar was forged from the essence and merit of Pangu, and it is already connected to Lu Chen's mind. Even if they steal it, they cannot use it.

The situation remained deadlocked.

Just then, a detached voice echoed from the heavens:

That's enough.

The phantom of Hongjun Daozu descended.

"Lu Chen proved his Dao through force, achieving the Primordial Chaos Realm, and is now on par with you all. Let bygones be bygones." The Dao Ancestor looked at the Six Sages. "As for the opportunities he obtained, that is his destiny, and you must not covet them anymore."

The six saints bowed their heads: "We will respectfully obey the Master's decree."

The Dao Ancestor then looked at Lu Chen: "Although you have attained the Primordial Dao, your foundation is still shallow, and you need to go into seclusion to consolidate it. Within a hundred years, you must not enter the Primordial World again to stir up trouble."

This is to "confine" him to his residence for a hundred years.

Lu Chen was reluctant, but he could only nod and say, "This junior obeys."

The illusory image of the Dao Ancestor dissipated.

The six saints gave Lu Chen a deep look before departing.

Only Nuwa remained in the same place.

"Young friend Lu Chen," Nuwa sighed, "you've really made a huge fuss this time."

"I was just trying to protect myself," Lu Chen said with a wry smile.

"Self-preservation?" Nuwa shook her head. "Your arrangements were hardly self-preservation; they were clearly designed to kill the Wu and Yao races. Now that the two races are declining, the human race should rise, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven... but because of this, you have become the target of everyone's criticism."

She paused, then said, "However, you have already attained the Primordial Dao, and no one below the level of a sage can do anything to you. But you still need to be more cautious in your future actions."

"This junior understands, thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

Nuwa nodded and left.

On the new pillar, only Lu Chen remained.

He sat cross-legged, gazing at the distant, desolate land gradually regaining its vitality, but felt no joy whatsoever.

"A scapegoat..." he muttered. "I got the benefits, and I took the blame. But... it was worth it."

He tallied up his gains:

1. Primordial Cultivation (Proving the Dao through force).

2. Pangu's Heart Essence (largest portion).

3. The three treasures: Chaos Bell, Morning Bell, and Chaos Brick.

4. Eight drops of the Ancestral Witch's essence blood.

5. Abundant spiritual materials such as the source of water and fire, and fragments of five-colored stones.

6. The merit of reshaping the earth's veins.

7. Most importantly—he is still alive, and has become a Primordial Golden Immortal.

"A century of confinement?" Lu Chen grinned. "Perfect, I'll go into seclusion to digest these gains."

"When I emerge from quarantine..."

A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"It's time to go to the Blood Sea and retrieve Senior Hongyun's gourd fragments."

"And that old demon Styx... it's time to settle the score for chasing me back then."

He activated Brick Release and disappeared onto the new pillar.

The centennial period has officially begun.

And the primordial world entered a new era—

The lich faded from the scene, and the human race began to rise.

But everyone knew that the sixth brother, who carried bricks and went around hitting people with clubs, was only temporarily retired.

When he reappears, the primordial world will be thrown into turmoil once again.