Honghuang: It makes sense that there are four Sanqing, right?

Yang Mei's cold and harsh voice rang out from the sky.

"Go ahead and gamble, why not? I originally thought Shichen was enough on his own, but now you've invited the rest of us. Xu Qing, how are you planning to gamble?"

Xu Qing smiled faintly and replied.

"If only Shichen speaks and the others don't participate, wouldn't that be very unfair to you?"

Yang Mei snorted coldly and said disdainfully.

"What fairness? Between you and me, why are you spouting such deceitful nonsense? I think you just think that having only the time as a source of information isn't enough to verify things, so you want the rest of us to provide it so you can cross-check, right?"

"Slap slap slap"

Xu Qing suddenly clapped his hands and looked at Yang Mei with a smile, saying that the world had turned upside down and that yin and yang were reversed.

"As expected of the Space Demon God, Immortal Yangmei."

"That's right, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"but……"

"If only one person, Shichen, is digging the pit, aren't you afraid I'll see through it?"

"Having multiple conflicting sources of information will only further confuse my thinking."

"Alright, I'll give you half an incense stick's time to discuss this amongst yourselves. After that, each of you will tell me what a 'calamity' is. How about it? Are you in or not?"

"This is just enough time for you to discuss it briefly, but not enough to make it sound completely plausible."

"Both sides have room to maneuver."

After speaking, Xu Qing tossed the Nago Guardian Jade that he always wore to Yang Mei. He couldn't let Yang Mei and the others out of his sight, so he could only use this method to ensure that Yang Mei and the others would not know about their conversation.

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Yang Mei and the others exchanged glances with Shi Chen, and then Shi Chen nodded.

"Okay, let's bet!"

They lost the physical fight, now... they'll have to outsmart them!

"Not bad, you've got guts!"

With the external threat of the three great calamities finally dealt with, Xu Qing was clearly in a good mood, giving a thumbs-up to Shichen.

"Remember to return the jade to me after half an incense stick has burned."

Xu Qing withdrew his thumb and conjured a green incense stick out of thin air, the kind that mortals offer to gods.

"good!"

Yang Mei nodded in agreement, then looked at the Na Guo Guardian Jade in her hand with a complicated expression.

Speaking of which, I personally handed this jade to Xu Qing. I originally wanted to use Xu Qing to get rid of Hongjun, but I never expected that the most troublesome one would be this junior whom I looked down on back then, Xu Qing!

After sensing the surroundings, Yang Mei discovered that the restrictions on the Naguo Guardian Jade had been removed. With a thought, she tried to activate the Naguo Guardian Jade, but found that she had no divine power.

“…………”

The scene was a little awkward for a moment, and after a while, Yang Mei finally spoke to Xu Qing.

"I and the other four—whose spirits are all gone, and Qiongqi has lost its divine power—are now unable to activate the Naguo Guardian Jade."

Shi Chen and the other four lowered their heads; this humiliation and pain were far worse than being killed.

Xu Qing's lips twitched. He didn't mean to humiliate Shi Chen and the others, but he really hadn't expected it.

With a sigh, Xu Qing pointed a finger, activating the Na Guo Guardian Jade. At this moment, if Xu Qing closed his eyes, he would no longer be able to sense the presence of Shi Chen and the others.

"Alright, you can continue."

Yang Mei nodded and said, "Okay."

After half an incense stick's time...

At this moment, Xu Qing's divine power that he had poured into the Na Guo Guardian Jade was exhausted, and then the auras of Shi Chen and the others reappeared.

Some doubts still lingered in their eyes. Clearly, half an incense stick's time was not enough for them to reach a consensus, which was exactly the result Xu Qing wanted.

"Who wants to go first?"

Xu Qing looked around at everyone and then set up a barrier in front of him to prevent others from hearing.

"I'll do it!"

Shichen took the initiative to step forward, volunteering to lead the charge for the Chaos Gods, and was also the first to die.

"The so-called Great Tribulation is a calamity brought down by the Great Dao, with the purpose of reducing the number of powerful beings and slowing down the primordial annihilation."

Xu Qing hummed in agreement; he knew all of this.

Shi Chen glanced at Xu Qing and continued.

"The Great Dao is formless, and so is the Great Dao itself. It does not act directly, but rather in various forms."

"The most common scenario is that it incites the powerful beings that already existed in the primordial world to attack and kill each other, ultimately resulting in their mutual destruction."

"This is true for events such as the Investiture of the Gods, the Lich King and Demon King, the Imperial Beast King, and the Three Heavens King."

"During this great calamity, those who are destined to face the calamity will have their bodies invaded by the calamity's energy, damaging their minds and causing them to engage in large-scale killings."

Xu Qing nodded. Back then, Di Jun had been possessed by a calamity aura, which drastically changed his personality.

"Secondly, it incites the demonic thoughts of cultivators, condenses the Heavenly Demon Heart Demon, and kills the cultivators. This is the Heavenly Demon Tribulation that you have not yet experienced, and it is extremely terrifying."

"Secondly, it reduces the concentration of spiritual energy in the primordial world. Without the nourishment of the circulation of spiritual energy, cultivators will soon die. This kind of death is the most painful. This is the cataclysmic calamity that no one can break."

"Furthermore, it is the transmission of unorthodox methods to the world, reducing the number of mortals who are keen on cultivating the Tao. This is a relatively mild calamity, just like the Journey to the West calamity."

"Finally, there is the immeasurable calamity. After the world-destroying calamity, there is no spiritual energy or cultivators left in the world. The primordial world collapses into the universe, and finally, entropy increases and heat death occurs."

"Okay, that's all I wanted to say."

Xu Qing nodded, indicating that she understood.

Shi Chen took one last look at the primordial world, as if he couldn't wait to see the day it was destroyed, then his body trembled, and like a god rebellious, he committed suicide.

"Next……"

Xu Qing didn't even glance at the time, and said expressionlessly.

"I'll do it!"

Yang Mei skipped over to Xu Qing.

"The essential purpose of the Great Tribulation is to extend the lifespan of the primordial world, since the total amount of spiritual energy in the primordial world is fixed."

"Besides what you've already experienced, the great calamity caused by the entry of calamity energy into the body and the resulting intensification of the primordial powerhouses."

"There are two more types of kalpas."

"One is that the amount of primordial spiritual energy has decreased, and the other is that the natural talents of primordial beings have been reduced."

"The great calamity is not a connecting period between two eras, but is happening all the time."

"As for the rest... I should have already told you the time."

Yang Mei tossed the Na Guo Shou Yun Jade to Xu Qing, then jumped to the spot where Shi Chen had just committed suicide, and took one last look at the primordial world before taking her own life.

As Yang Mei committed suicide, the Jade of Guarding Fortune in Xu Qing's hand flashed, and the Gate of Ultimate Mystery, having broken free from Yang Mei's influence, was able to be sensed by Xu Qing.

Xu Qing hummed in agreement, then turned her head and said.

"Next……"

This time, Yin and Yang emerged, indicating that they had discussed the order in which they would advance, prioritizing those with greater strength.

"The Great Tribulation will only occur at critical moments; at other times, the primordial world is safe."

This is the difference between Yin and Yang and what came before.

"Next……"

"The nature of living beings can be influenced by the Great Dao, but their innate talents will not; they will always remain at a certain level."

This is the difference between Qiankun and what came before.

"Next……"

"Aside from the impact of the Great Tribulation, the total amount of spiritual energy in the primordial world can also be changed at other times."

This is the difference between the reverse and the previous one.

"Next……"

"The more ordinary people, the better."

This is a new perspective on rebellion.