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

"Fallen?" Lu Chen took the shattered jade talisman, scanned it with his divine sense, and his expression darkened.

The wisp of true spirit imprint left by Hongyun in the jade talisman was indeed extremely dim, almost extinguished. This meant that the reincarnated body was either on the verge of death or had already met with misfortune.

"When did this happen?" Lu Chen's voice was icy.

"Just three days ago," Zhen Yuanzi said wearily. "I've been using the Earth's membrane to deduce things, but the heavenly secrets are chaotic. I only saw a flash of blood... and then I sensed the jade talisman shattering."

Lu Chen closed his eyes, fully activating the Great Dao of Power, and began to trace the cause and effect.

His late-stage Primordial Chaos cultivation, coupled with his extremely pure Law of Power, made his perception of cause and effect comparable to that of a sage. Soon, a subtle thread of cause and effect appeared—extending from the shattered jade talisman, disappearing into the void, and connecting at the other end to the location of the reincarnated body of Hongyun.

"Found it." Lu Chen opened his eyes. "It's in the north, near the Northern Sea."

"The Northern Sea?" Zhen Yuanzi's expression changed. "That's Kunpeng's territory!"

"Kunpeng?" A cold glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "This old bird still dares to cause trouble?"

A hundred years ago, during the final war between the Lich King and the Demon King, Kunpeng was blackmailed and robbed of a replica of the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd and fragments of Mount Buzhou. Logically, he should have kept a low profile. Unexpectedly, he dared to attack the reincarnation of Hongyun?

"It might not have been Kunpeng himself who took action," Zhen Yuanzi calmly analyzed. "Fellow Daoist Hongyun, reincarnated as Zhuanxu, implemented the 'Severing of Heavenly Connections,' cutting off the ties between the demon race and the human race in the Northern Sea, thus harming the interests of the Northern Sea. Perhaps it was another demon race in the Northern Sea..."

"I don't care who he is," Lu Chen interrupted. "Anyone who touches my people will pay the price."

"Young friend, don't be hasty," Zhen Yuanzi stopped him. "The Northern Sea is Kunpeng's lair, which he has cultivated for countless years and is heavily fortified. Moreover, Kunpeng was punished by the Primordial Sage to guard the eye of the Northern Sea, but he escaped before his sentence was completed. He must have something to rely on. If we go there rashly, we may fall into an ambush."

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Senior is right. What is your opinion, Senior?"

Zhen Yuanzi pondered for a moment and said, "This old Daoist lives next to the Northern Sea and has planted some spies over the years. Why don't we let our spies investigate first before making any plans?"

"How long will it take?"

"Three days."

"Okay, I'll wait three days."

Lu Chen didn't have a moment's rest for three days.

He first went to the underworld and borrowed the supplementary book of the "Book of Life and Death" from Lady Pingxin to check the specific information of Hongyun's reincarnation - Zhuanxu, born in the Zhuanxu tribe, succeeded as leader at the age of fifteen, promoted the separation of heaven and earth at the age of twenty, and is now twenty-five years old. Logically speaking, he should be in his prime, so how could he suddenly be on the verge of death?

The Book of Life and Death shows that Zhuanxu's lifespan has not yet ended, but his destiny is tainted by external interference.

"As expected, someone was behind this." Lu Chen sneered.

He then traveled to the Nine Provinces of the Human Race and found Xuanyuan (the Yellow Emperor), who had already abdicated. Xuanyuan was now living in seclusion on Shou Mountain, focusing on his cultivation. He was overjoyed to see Lu Chen visit him.

"Old man, you're finally back!" Xuanyuan bowed respectfully.

"To make a long story short," Lu Chen waved his hand, "Zhuanxu is in trouble, did you know?"

Xuanyuan's face darkened: "I sensed it three days ago, but when I sent people to investigate, they found nothing. The tribe where Zhuanxu is located is shrouded in a black mist; outsiders can't get in, and those inside can't get out."

"Black mist?" Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. "What kind of black mist?"

"It's as viscous as ink, capable of swallowing light and divine thought," Xuanyuan described. "The Great Luo Golden Immortal I sent in never came out again."

"Devouring divine thoughts...that sounds like a demonic technique." Lu Chen mused. "What's been happening in the Northern Underworld Sea lately?"

"The Northern Sea?" Xuanyuan thought for a moment. "Right, a month ago, there were rumors that a 'demon cave' had appeared deep within the Northern Sea, spewing out large numbers of demons and attacking human tribes along the coast. Zhuanxu personally led people to suppress it, but things haven't been quite right since he returned..."

A demon's lair? Demons?

Lu Chen instantly realized what it meant.

A hundred years ago, when he extorted Kunpeng, the old bird did indeed possess several demonic artifacts, seemingly left behind by the Demon Ancestor Rahu. Could it be that Kunpeng secretly opened some demonic lair and used demonic creatures to scheme against Zhuanxu?

"I understand." Lu Chen nodded. "Leave this to me. You protect the human race and prevent the demons from spreading."

"yes!"

When Lu Chen returned to Wuzhuang Temple after leaving Shoushan, Zhen Yuanzi was already waiting there with a grim expression.

"It's all been investigated." Zhen Yuanzi handed over a recording stone. "Young friend, take a look for yourself."

Lu Chen activated the image-recording stone.

The scene depicts an underwater canyon deep within the Northern Sea. At the bottom of the canyon lies a massive black hole, from which jet-black demons continuously pour forth. Above the canyon, bound to a simple altar, is a young man dressed in the robes of a human emperor—none other than Zhuanxu!

Three figures stood beside the altar.

On the left is Kunpeng, holding a black banner and controlling a demon.

On the right are two figures dressed in black robes with blurred faces, but judging from their aura, they are at least at the peak of Quasi-Saint level!

What alarmed Lu Chen the most was the center of the altar—there floated a jet-black bead, and on its surface appeared the face of Hongyun, her expression pained, as a force was extracting her soul!

"This is... possession?!" Lu Chen's pupils contracted.

"This isn't ordinary possession," Zhen Yuanzi gritted his teeth. "That's the 'Myriad Souls Devouring God Pearl,' a supreme demonic treasure capable of devouring the souls of living beings and transforming them into pure soul power. Kunpeng and the others wanted to use Fellow Daoist Hongyun's soul as a sacrifice to the Demon Cave to awaken something within!"

"Whom should we awaken?"

"I don't know," Zhen Yuanzi shook his head, "but to have a veteran Quasi-Saint like Kunpeng willingly act as a henchman, and to be able to enlist the help of two peak Quasi-Saints... the beings inside must be at least Saint-level!"

Lu Chen fell silent.

If it truly is a Saint-level demon, then that's troublesome. Although his combat strength has touched the threshold of Sainthood, he's not a true Saint yet. He's confident in dealing with one Kunpeng and two peak Quasi-Saints. But adding a Saint-level demon...

"However, it's not without a chance," Zhen Yuanzi suddenly said. "Over the years, I've been studying the Earth's membrane and have come up with a divine power of authority as the 'Ancestor of Earth Immortals'—as long as one's feet are on the ground, one can mobilize the power of the primordial earth veins for one's own use. Although it will be greatly reduced outside the primordial realm, in places like the Northern Sea that border the primordial realm, it can still exert 70% of its power."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up: "What you mean, senior, is..."

"This old Daoist will go with you," Zhen Yuanzi said, enunciating each word clearly. "Fellow Daoist Hongyun is our brother; saving him is our duty. Moreover..."

He looked at Lu Chen, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes: "Young friend, would you be willing to become allies with this old Daoist? From now on, Wuzhuang Temple and the Pillar of Heaven will watch over and help each other, fighting against powerful enemies together?"

Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "I couldn't be happier!"

Who is Zhen Yuanzi? He is the ancestor of Earth Immortals, one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the primordial world. He possesses the innate treasure of the Earth's membrane and his cultivation has reached the peak of Quasi-Saint. With him as an ally, Lu Chen's foundation in the primordial world will be incredibly solid.

"However, before forming an alliance, we must first rescue Senior Hongyun." Lu Chen's smile faded. "Senior, can your earth vein magic cover the Northern Underworld Sea?"

"Yes, it's possible." Zhen Yuanzi nodded, "but it will take time to set up the formation. And once activated, it will alert Kunpeng and the others."

"Then let's finish this quickly." A fierce glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "I'll launch a frontal assault to draw their fire. Senior, you can secretly set up an array to cut off their retreat. Once we rescue Senior Hongyun, we'll deal with them all at once."

"good!"

The two had a clear division of labor.

Lu Chen used his brick-escape technique to head straight for the Northern Sea.

Zhen Yuanzi remained at Wuzhuang Temple and began to mobilize the earth's membrane, silently extending the power of the earth's veins to the bottom of the Northern Sea.

A great battle concerning the life and death of Hongyun, as well as the future格局 of the primordial world, is about to erupt in the depths of the Northern Sea.

At this moment, thirty percent of the red cloud's soul on the altar had already been extracted.

The Myriad Souls Devouring God Pearl glowed with an eerie, blood-red light.

From the depths of the demon's lair came a low, deep heartbeat.

"Thump—!"

The entire Northern Sea trembled.