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

Inside the Wuzhuang Temple, the ginseng fruit tree swayed without wind, its surface shimmering with rosy light. Zhen Yuanzi, his face solemn, gazed at the Jade Mirror of Reincarnation floating before him. The scene reflected in the mirror was deep within the Northern Continent—where the dark gray malevolent energy surged like boiling water, and at its center, a chaotic pillar of light flickered in and out of existence, faintly emanating a Daoist aura as if it had created the world.

"This fluctuation... is very similar to the atmosphere when the Chaos Bell was born, but it is much more complex, and it seems to be more than one thing." Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard and pondered. "What's even stranger is that the Earth Book sensed that the energy here resonated with Fellow Daoist Hongyun's reincarnation. It was this anomaly that woke him from his slumber of reincarnation."

Lu Chen looked to the side. The remnant soul of Hongyun, which had been dormant for many years, had now condensed into a blurry phantom of a young man. At the center of the phantom's brow, the fragment of the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd was faintly glowing, echoing the chaotic pillar of light in the mirror.

"Did Senior Hongyun sense that this treasure was destined for him?" Lu Chen pondered.

"It's not just a matter of fate." Zhen Yuanzi shook his head. "The Earth Book reveals causal threads. This treasure and the 'waste purple energy' that Hongyun obtained back then share the same origin, both stemming from fragments of the original essence of a fallen demon god before the chaos was created. The difference is that the purple energy was tampered with by the Dao Ancestor, while this treasure... seems to be an unpolluted, pure source!"

Lu Chen's pupils contracted. Pure Chaos Demon God Origin? If that were true, this treasure would be invaluable! Not only could it help Hong Yun rebuild his Dao foundation, but it might even contain secrets that allow him to directly touch upon the mysteries beyond the Primordial Chaos!

Just then, from the direction of Zixiao Palace high in the heavens, three magnificent Daoist voices suddenly resounded, echoing throughout the primordial world and reaching the ears of all beings at the Hunyuan level and above:

"Chaos is in turmoil, and the origin of the demon god has appeared in the world. All those in the Primordial Chaos Realm must come to Zixiao Palace within three days to discuss the ownership of this treasure and the changes in chaos."

The Daoist Ancestor's decree!

Zhen Yuanzi's expression changed: "Even the Dao Ancestor has been alarmed? He's summoning all the Hunyuan beings? It seems the karma involved in this treasure is far greater than we imagined!"

Lu Chen laughed: "Summoning all the Primordial Chaos? Interesting, they're trying to muddy the waters. The Dao Ancestor wants to take this opportunity to see just how many hidden Primordial Chaos there are in the Primordial World, and also to see how everyone reacts."

Before he finished speaking, three more voices of sages resounded throughout the heavens and earth:

"I will obey the Master's decree." — This is the Three Pure Ones.

"Amitabha Buddha, I will go there myself." — These are the two Western Saints.

"Nuwa accepts the order." — This is Nuwa.

The six sages responded in unison! Immediately afterwards, from all corners of the primordial world, several obscure yet vast auras soared into the sky, heading towards the direction of Zixiao Palace—all of them were powerful beings of the Primordial Chaos Realm who usually kept their secrets!

"That old demon from the Styx River really didn't die, and he's advanced to the Primordial Chaos Realm... And the Kunpeng? That old bird is actually alive too, and he even broke through?" Zhen Yuanzi sensed those auras, his expression complex. "Including you and me, and a few others I don't recognize... There are actually eight or nine Primordial Chaos Realm experts hidden in the shadows of the primordial world!"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. A chaotic treasure had actually unearthed so many old monsters. It seemed that this meeting at Zixiao Palace would definitely not be peaceful.

"Senior, you and Senior Hongyun wait here. I'm going to Zixiao Palace." Lu Chen stood up. "Since this treasure is destined for Senior Hongyun and has appeared in Beiju Luzhou, I am, after all, the nominal 'guardian' of Beiju Luzhou. It is only right and proper for me to fight for it."

"Young friend, be careful. A sage is before you. Do not act rashly," Zhen Yuanzi cautioned.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Lu Chen activated his Brick Escape technique and flew towards the direction of Chaos.

The three-day period arrived in the blink of an eye.

The gates of Zixiao Palace slowly opened, exuding an ancient and profound Daoist aura. The scene inside the palace was exactly the same as when he preached, except that the illusory figure of Dao Ancestor Hongjun on the high platform was hazy, and his aura was even more distant and unfathomable than before.

The prayer mats below remained unchanged, with the six saints—Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—seated in the front row, followed by a succession of powerful beings of the Primordial Chaos realm.

As Lu Chen stepped through the palace gates, several gazes instantly focused on him. Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes were icy, Jieyin and Zhunti's were flashing, Laozi remained calm, Tongtian closed his eyes to meditate, and Nuwa nodded slightly. Styx Ancestor, Kunpeng, and the others, however, were filled with both apprehension and scrutiny.

He calmly walked to an empty seat and sat down, right next to the chilling Styx. The old demon glanced at him, snorted coldly, but did not retaliate—he had not forgotten the grudge of the Blood Sea Treasure Robbery, but now Lu Chen was at the peak of the Primordial Chaos realm and had a supreme treasure in his hands, so Styx dared not provoke him easily.

Once everyone had arrived, the illusory figure of Hongjun spoke slowly, his voice ethereal and indifferent:

"The chaotic disturbance in Beiju Luzhou is the appearance of a fragment of the 'Chaotic Demon Ape' from before the creation of the world. This object contains the ultimate laws of power and also has the ability to shatter illusions, fight, and evolve, making it extraordinary. However, the Demon Ape's origin is violent and could easily cause chaos to erode the primordial world, so it needs to be dealt with properly."

Chaotic Demon Ape? The Ultimate Law of Power?

Lu Chen was shocked! This was a treasure tailor-made for him! If he could obtain it, his path to power would surely advance further, and he might even directly touch the threshold of proving the Dao through power!

As expected, upon hearing this, all the Hunyuan cultivators present, especially those who also cultivated the laws of power or battle, had their eyes blazing with fervor. Even the Three Pure Ones and the Two Sages of the West showed signs of interest.

"Teacher, since this treasure was left behind by the Chaos Demon God, it is extremely dangerous. It should be collected and suppressed by the orthodox Xuanmen sect to prevent it from causing chaos in the prehistoric world." Yuanshi Tianzun spoke first, directly defining it as a "fierce object that needs to be suppressed" and pointing out that it should be handled by the "orthodox Xuanmen sect," his intention was clear.

"Amitabha Buddha." The guide chanted a Buddhist prayer. "Our Buddhist sect has methods of salvation that can transform violence into peace. If this treasure is guarded by our Buddhist sect and nurtured with Buddhist teachings, it may become a treasure that protects the Dharma, which would be a meritorious deed." This was to portray the treasure as having a connection with the Buddha.

The Tongtian Sect Leader snorted coldly and remained silent, but his meaning was clear—although our Jie Sect has disbanded, we are still qualified to compete.

Nuwa remained silent, seemingly uninterested in this treasure.

Styx, Kunpeng, and other scattered cultivators had their eyes gleaming as they plotted how to take advantage of the chaos.

The illusory figure of Hongjun looked at Lu Chen: "Lu Chen, you are the guardian of Beiju Luzhou, what are your thoughts on this?"

Instantly, all eyes were once again focused on Lu Chen.

Lu Chen rose, neither humble nor arrogant: "Reporting to the Dao Ancestor, this treasure was born in Beiju Luzhou. As its guardian, I have the responsibility to oversee it. However, treasures possess spirits and choose their masters. In my opinion, it would be better to set up a test, allowing the treasure to choose its destined owner. In this way, we can avoid disputes that could harm harmony, and also ensure that the treasure finds its rightful master and can maximize its effectiveness."

"A test? What kind of test?" Zhunti pressed.

"Since it is the origin of the Chaos Demon Ape, the test will naturally be related to 'strength' and 'combat'." Lu Chen already had a plan in mind. "We can set up an arena in the chaos, where anyone interested can enter and compete using their own Great Dao techniques. No one will be killed; only the winner will be determined. The final victor will receive the treasure's recognition. What do you think?"

This is a relatively fair method, a competition of understanding and application of the Great Dao, rather than simply cultivation level or the quantity of treasures. Although the assembled Hunyuan cultivators each had their own thoughts, they couldn't openly object—after all, none of them felt they would lose.

"Good." Hongjun's illusory figure agreed directly. "Three days later, at the Chaos Arena, the winner will receive the treasure. However, the winner must swear an oath to use the treasure properly and not to harm the Primordial World with it."

"We will obey the decree of the Dao Ancestor," everyone replied in unison.

The meeting concluded, and the Hunyuan cultivators departed one after another. Just as Lu Chen was about to leave, he suddenly heard a private transmission from Hongjun Daozu, containing only four words:

"Beware of the Primordial Beginning."

Lu Chen paused slightly, understanding dawning on him. The Dao Ancestor was reminding him that the Primordial Heavenly Venerable would never let him obtain the treasure easily, and might even resort to underhanded tactics on or off the arena.

Without making a sound, he used the Brick Escape technique to leave Zixiao Palace. As soon as he emerged from the chaos, he sensed several subtle divine thoughts quietly locking onto him. One of them, carrying a cold aura with the Jade Purity Immortal Light, was none other than Yuanshi!

"They've already set their sights on you?" Lu Chen sneered. "Very well, I'll use this arena to test my newly crafted 'Thirty-Six Heavens Brick Array'!"

He changed direction, not returning to the primordial world, but flying towards the depths of chaos—the secret place where he had secluded himself to refine the intent of the Immortal Execution Sword. Three days would be enough time for him to further advance the fusion of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and the Chaos Brick, adding an extra layer of confidence to his victory in the arena battle!

He was determined to obtain the origin of the Chaos Demon Ape!

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a scheme and a fierce battle surrounding this supreme treasure of chaos has already begun.