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

When Nuwa descended upon Buzhou Mountain, Lu Chen had already adjusted his expression, adopting a posture of "respectfully welcoming the sage."

"Your Majesty's arrival is an honor for this junior." He bowed and greeted her, but in his heart he was thinking: This Sage Who Mending the Heavens has always lived a secluded life, why is he suddenly coming to see me?

Nuwa remained calm, her gaze sweeping over the pillar supporting the sky behind Lu Chen. She nodded slightly: "This pillar is well-built. The primordial earth veins have been basically stabilized. You have performed a great service."

"Your Majesty flatters me. I was merely following the trend."

"Go with the flow..." Nuwa repeated, looking at him meaningfully, "You've done quite a few things by going with the flow."

Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned ignorance: "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

Nuwa didn't expose her true intentions, but instead asked, "On the human side, are Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan related to you?"

"I only provided some guidance; everything is up to them," Lu Chen replied cautiously.

"Guidance?" Nuwa smiled faintly. "From the Eight Trigrams to agricultural and medical practices, and even military strategy and deception... these 'guidance' techniques are all things that can change the fate of humanity. You, a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, spend all your time squatting in the mortal realm teaching humans how to farm and fight. Don't you think that's a waste of your talents?"

Lu Chenqian laughed: "This junior can't stay idle, so I'm looking for something to do."

Nuwa stopped asking questions and changed the subject: "I've come today to give you something."

She raised her hand, and a long sword appeared in her palm.

The sword is three feet long, golden in color, and engraved with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, grass and trees. A crimson gemstone is inlaid on the hilt, radiating a vast aura of humanity.

Xuanyuan Sword!

The ultimate treasure of humanity, a symbol of the future Human Emperor!

Lu Chen's pupils contracted: "Your Majesty, this is...?"

"This sword was forged by me using copper collected from the First Mountain and leftover materials from the Five-Colored Stones. It contains the essence of humanity and can suppress the fate of the human race." Nuwa handed him the sword. "According to the will of Heaven, this sword should belong to Xuanyuan, to help him defeat Chiyou and unify the human race. But..."

She paused, looking at Lu Chen: "I am not at ease with the Western Sect. Jieyin and Zhunti have placed heavy bets on Chi You, so there's no guarantee they won't tamper with the Xuanyuan Sword. Therefore, I am entrusting this sword to you, so that you may pass it on to Xuanyuan."

Lu Chen understood instantly.

Nuwa is using him to ensure the Xuanyuan Sword is safe and sound.

After all, he is now a Primordial Golden Immortal, and he has many treasures protecting him. It would be very difficult for a sage to do anything under his nose.

"I will certainly live up to your expectations." Lu Chen solemnly accepted the Xuanyuan Sword.

It felt heavy in his hand, and the humanistic energy within the sword surged like the Yangtze River, ceaselessly flowing. He could sense that if this sword were wielded by the Human Emperor, its power would be no less than that of a supreme innate treasure!

"However..." Lu Chen suddenly remembered something, "Your Majesty, if Jieyin and Zhunti really wanted to tamper with things, where would they do it?"

Nuwa pondered and said, "The most likely scenario is the 'recognition of master' process. The Xuanyuan Sword needs the blood of the Human Emperor to recognize its master. If a Buddhist restriction is placed on the sword during the recognition process, the wielder will be subtly influenced by Buddhism and may even become a puppet."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes.

Such underhanded methods.

"Then how should the younger generation prevent this?"

"I have already set up three protective barriers within the sword, capable of withstanding the prying eyes and erosion of those below the level of a saint," Nuwa said. "However, the methods of a saint... are impossible to guard against. That is why I have entrusted it to you—with your laws of power and your supreme treasure, you should be able to detect and eliminate any potential threats."

Lu Chen nodded, but other thoughts were on his mind.

Just eliminating potential hazards?

We're too passive.

How about... we turn the tables on them?

"Your Majesty," he grinned, "this junior has a bold idea."

"explain."

"Since they might tamper with things, then we'll... let them do it willingly."

Nuwa was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"I can 'replicate' a Xuanyuan Sword, identical in appearance, aura, and even the spirit of humanity," Lu Chen said with a sly glint in his eyes. "Then, I'll 'accidentally' leak this replica to the Western Sect, letting them tamper with it. When they think they've succeeded, we'll switch it with the real Xuanyuan Sword."

Nuwa understood: "You're going to use the fake sword as bait to lure out their methods?"

"Exactly." Lu Chen nodded. "Moreover, we can study the restrictions on the fake sword in reverse to figure out the Buddhist sect's tactics. We might even... be able to turn the tables on them at a crucial moment."

Nuwa remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly: "This method is feasible, but caution is required. Although Jieyin and Zhunti are not as powerful as the Three Pure Ones, they are still sages and should not be underestimated."

"I understand."

Nuwa gave a few more instructions, then transformed into a stream of light and departed.

Lu Chen took the Xuanyuan Sword and returned to the Pillar of Heaven Cave.

He began to work on making a copy.

The materials used were fragments of Buzhou Mountain and five-colored stone shards, combined with a portion of human fortune (which he extracted from the merit of reshaping the earth's veins), and the "suppression" Daoist aura of the Chaos Brick was used to simulate the sword's might.

Three days later, a replica of the Xuanyuan Sword that was indistinguishable from the real thing was completed.

Lu Chen held the two swords up for comparison, and even he couldn't tell the real one from the fake one—except that the real sword's spirit was more agile.

"Next up is 'fishing'."

He descended to the mortal realm using a brick-like magic, arriving at the border between the Youxiong tribe and the Chiyou tribe—where the two armies were facing off, and a major battle was imminent.

Lu Chen hid the real sword, took the replica, disguised himself as a wounded deserter, and stumbled towards Chi You's camp.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" The guards, the witch warriors, stopped him.

"I...I am a craftsman from the Youxiong tribe..." Lu Chen feigned weakness, pulling out a replica of the Xuanyuan Sword from his robes. "I stole Xuanyuan's sword, intending to offer it to Lord Chiyou...Please...please spare my life..."

The soldier's eyes lit up when he saw the humanitarian spirit on the sword, and he quickly escorted him into the camp.

Chi You was discussing matters with the Bodhisattva of Sunlight when they saw the replica of the Xuanyuan Sword, and both of them were stunned.

"This sword..." The Bodhisattva of Sunlight took it, carefully sensing it, and his face lit up with wild joy. "It truly is the Xuanyuan Sword! It contains vast amounts of human destiny; it's definitely the genuine article!"

Chi You was overjoyed: "Excellent! With this sword, that brat Xuanyuan will surely be defeated!"

The Bodhisattva of Sunlight thought further: "This sword needs the blood of a human emperor to recognize its master. Although you, benefactor Chi You, are human, you have not yet ascended to the throne of human emperor. Forcibly recognizing it as your master may backfire. Perhaps... this humble monk should first 'purify' this sword, remove the mark of Xuanyuan, and then give it to you to use."

Chi You, unsuspecting, said, "Then I'll trouble you, Bodhisattva."

Sunlight Bodhisattva nodded, took his sword, and returned to his tent.

He set up numerous Buddhist restrictions to ensure no one could spy on him before beginning his ritual.

A golden Buddhist seal was imprinted into the sword, and dense Sanskrit characters appeared on the surface of the blade—this was the "Conversion Restriction." Once Xuanyuan recognized the sword as his master, he would be converted by Buddhism without realizing it and become a puppet of Buddhism in the human world.

But what he didn't know was that Lu Chen, hiding in the shadows, saw all of this clearly.

"As expected, this is the trick." Lu Chen sneered, secretly "imprinting" the structure and operating principle of the Buddha Seal with the Chaos Brick.

By the time the Bodhisattva of Sunlight finished casting his spell and returned the replica Xuanyuan Sword to Chi You, Lu Chen had already slipped away.

He returned to the Youxiong tribe and found Xuanyuan.

"The time has come." He handed the real sword to Xuanyuan. "Chiyou already has a 'Xuanyuan Sword,' which you 'accidentally' lost. During the great battle, he will use that sword against you."

Xuanyuan was taken aback: "Then I..."

"You'll use this real sword," Lu Chen grinned. "His sword has Buddhist restrictions on it. Once we clash, the restrictions will backfire on the wielder. When the time comes, you'll see if you get the chance, and then you can break his indestructible body with a single strike."

Xuanyuan understood and nodded emphatically.

Three days later, the battle for supremacy officially began.

Holding a replica of the Xuanyuan Sword, Chi You led eighty-one brothers and three thousand elite troops to attack the Youxiong tribe.

Xuanyuan also led his army to meet the enemy.

The two armies faced each other, their killing intent soaring to the sky.

"You little brat Xuanyuan, prepare to die!" Chi You roared, and the replica Xuanyuan Sword burst forth with dazzling golden light as he slashed at Xuanyuan!

Xuanyuan neither dodged nor evaded, but drew his true sword!

"clang--!!!"

The two swords clashed, unleashing a deafening roar!

Strangely, the Buddhist restrictions on the replica Xuanyuan Sword were activated by the humanistic energy of the real sword at this moment, and they surged back towards Chi You!

"Ah—!" Chi You screamed in agony, feeling a vast power of salvation rush into his sea of ​​consciousness, threatening to turn him into a Buddhist puppet!

He resisted desperately, but the Vajra Indestructible Divine Power required the power of faith to maintain it. At this moment, his faith was shaken, and the divine power began to collapse.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xuanyuan pierced his chest with his sword!

"puff--!"

Chi You fell to the ground, and the replica Xuanyuan Sword flew out of his hand, only to be picked up by Xuanyuan.

"This sword..." Xuanyuan sensed the Buddhist restrictions within the sword, and his expression turned grim.

"Destroy it." Lu Chen's voice rang in his ear. "With the real sword in hand, you've already won."

Xuanyuan nodded, and with a single stroke of his real sword, he cleaved the imitation in two!

The Buddhist restrictions completely collapsed, dissipating into a sky full of golden light.

At that moment, the Bodhisattva of Sunlight, far away on the Western Vulture Peak, suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden blood, his aura weakening.

"The restriction... has been broken?!" A look of horror flashed in his eyes. "How is this possible... unless..."

He suddenly remembered something, and his face turned deathly pale.

We've fallen for their trap!

On the battlefield of Zhuolu, Chiyou had been defeated, and more than half of his eighty-one brothers had been killed or wounded, with the remaining troops fleeing in disarray.

Xuanyuan stood holding the True Sword, its blade bursting forth with a soaring golden light that resonated with the destiny of the entire human race!

Above the nine heavens, the Heavenly Dao responded and bestowed upon the Human Emperor's merits!

Xuanyuan has officially become the supreme ruler of the human race!

Lu Chen, crouching in the clouds, watched this scene and nodded in satisfaction.

"One of the Three Sovereigns has been chosen; next... it's time to arrange the Five Emperors."

He looked in the direction of Wuzhuang Temple.

Senior Hongyun, it's your turn to take the stage.