Impressive...
Inside Yunxiao's sleeve, Li Changshou watched the intense battle at the edge of the Chaos Sea, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration in his heart.
Two streaks of light darted swiftly along the Chaos Sea's edge, each clash stirring up layers of "waves" in the surrounding chaos, while countless dark shadows were obliterated in the chaotic and disordered impacts.
That was the oscillation of the Dao principles.
Kunpeng possessed incredible speed, even in his innate Dao body state, it already approached the limits of what the Honghuang world's rules could accommodate, and at the Chaos Sea's edge, he faced no restrictions whatsoever.
This made Li Changshou suspect that the Kunpeng he had defeated head-on before was actually a weakened version.
The Great Magus Xuan Du wielded the Qian Kun Ruler, with the Xuan Huang Pagoda hovering above his head, mastering the Dao of Qian Kun through constant shifting, barely managing to keep up with Kunpeng's figure.
The two chased each other relentlessly, Xuan Du's form flickering continuously, the Xuan Huang Pagoda suppressing all laws around him to make him invulnerable, while the Qian Kun Ruler in his hand carved out rifts in the Chaos Sea.
Kunpeng's shadow left trails of afterimages, evading the Qian Kun Ruler's strikes, his palm condensing fragments of Dao principles, each fist or strike making the Xuan Huang Pagoda tremble slightly.
Clearly, the current Demon Master Kunpeng was even more formidable than in ancient times.
As the fierce battle began, several Innate Gods and Demons showed signs of flanking Xuan Du.
"You all guard the Taiji Chart."
Jin Ling Holy Mother shouted lowly, her figure transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into the shadows.
In an instant, sword marks tore through the sky, and a jade ruyi unleashed the shadows of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger divine beasts, smashing toward two Innate Gods and Demons.
Zhao Gongming immediately followed, his twenty-four Dinghai Divine Pearls radiating boundless blue light around him, as he called out,
"I'm going to protect Jin Ling."
At the side, Gui Ling Holy Mother said softly,
"Everyone, feel free to act; I have my own way to guard this place."
With that, she raised the jade flute in her hand and played a series of sharp notes, blasting the endless incoming extraterrestrial heavenly demons into bursts of black "fireworks."
Not only that, streams of green light flowed from the entrance of the Honghuang world below, twisting like vines and branches, quickly forming a massive turtle shell that completely sealed the entrance to the Honghuang world.
Yunxiao's graceful figure flashed, appearing amid the horde of heavenly demons, her Hunyuan Jindou glowing brightly, beams of light carrying the power to trace back origins piercing through the heavens, making those few Innate Gods and Demons instinctively retreat.
Following closely, Yu Ding Zhenren raised a palm that seemed to cover the sky, his broad back exuding an aura of sweeping across the universe, which made Huang Long Zhenren's spirit stir with excitement.
Huang Long Zhenren shouted loudly,
"This poor Daoist is going too!"
"Hey,"
Tai Yi Zhenren quickly grabbed Huang Long Zhenren,
"Senior Brother, where are you going? Don't leave the Taiji Chart unguarded."
Huang Long Zhenren blinked, and Tai Yi Zhenren nodded solemnly.
Huang Long Zhenren muttered,
"How about we just stay here and keep guarding?"
Tai Yi Zhenren tucked his hands into his sleeves and sighed,
"The glory belongs to them; we'll handle the grunt work."
At the side, Gui Ling Holy Mother's flute playing faltered slightly, and a few black lines appeared on her smooth forehead.
With the Daoist experts making their appearance, the situation reversed instantly.
The originally defensive Xuan Du Great Magus began aggressively pursuing Kunpeng, while Jin Ling Holy Mother and the other experts charged to slay the Innate Gods and Demons, engaging in a full-scale war with the extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
Li Changshou hid in Yunxiao's sleeve, ready to emerge if she fell into danger, but he discovered...
His future Dao companion's strength was somewhat beyond his initial expectations.
Yunxiao deployed no defensive treasures, only wrapping herself in a faint mist, her long skirt shimmering with a cool immortal light, yet any extraterrestrial heavenly demons that approached within a hundred zhang of her were instantly melted away.
—This was at the edge of the Chaos Sea, where the complete Dao principles of the Honghuang world still held, and the concept of distance remained clear.
Meanwhile, the Hunyuan Jindou in Yunxiao's hand unleashed its full power, beams of golden light sweeping across millions of li, evaporating vast swaths of the void.
After an unknown duration of battle, Yunxiao's figure appeared not far from the Innate God and Demon known as the Heavenly Demon Venerable, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes as she pointed her slender finger at the Hunyuan Jindou.
A beam of golden light, like a sword shadow, dissolved half of the Heavenly Demon Venerable's massive body. The creature let out a sharp wail, its form shrinking abruptly as it turned into a dark light and fled into the Chaos Sea.
The horde of extraterrestrial heavenly demons scattered in defeat, and the remaining Innate Gods and Demons, already in retreat, fled for their lives.
These survivors of the great calamity that opened the heavens were truly adept at escape, these "casually grown" beings of the Chaos Sea vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The only ones still locked in combat were the Great Magus Xuan Du and Demon Master Kunpeng.
A hint of ferocity flashed in Kunpeng's eyes as he condensed a pitch-black light sphere in his palm, dodging the rifts that could devour and banish him, and pressed this attack toward Xuan Du Great Magus.
Outside Xuan Du City, dark lights flashed everywhere, temporarily trapping Xuan Du's figure.
A wave-like Dao rhythm surged and flowed along the Chaos Sea's edge, and Kunpeng's hoarse voice, carried by divine intent, echoed in the hearts of the Daoist experts present:
"That outsider!"
Li Changshou, who had been conducting research on slicing extraterrestrial heavenly demons, frowned at these words.
The implication was strong.
"Want to know the truth about this Honghuang? Come to the Chaos Sea and find me! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!"
Li Changshou: ...
The Daoist immortals: ...
It was basically confirmed that this middle-school villain vibe from Kunpeng was undoubtedly directly linked to Senior Lang.
Li Changshou couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
Suddenly, he felt an urge to bow and apologize on behalf of his fellow countryman to the native beings of Honghuang.
At the Chaos Sea's edge, Kunpeng's figure had already vanished.
In the instant the dark light exploded, Kunpeng revealed his true form, his enormous Dao body surpassing the limits of the immortals' vision.
Then, the body seemed to shudder and instantly disappeared at the Chaos Sea's edge, leaving only churning chaotic auras beyond their detection.
That was true speed, the pinnacle of a great Dao!
"Sigh..."
Tai Yi Zhenren stood with his hands behind his back, murmuring softly,
"Just this Kunpeng alone, even if a Saint entered the Chaos Sea, they might not defeat him."
Huang Long Zhenren broke into a cold sweat on his forehead,
"Be careful with your words; you can't say that lightly."
Tai Yi Zhenren laughed,
"We're not in the Three Realms right now, so our words won't be overheard by the Saints. What's there to fear?"
"This is something we should avoid thinking altogether."
Huang Long Zhenren replied, and at that moment, several streaks of light flew down from above, as Xuan Du Great Magus and the others returned on their own.
The Taiji Chart slowly expanded, enveloping the entire Xuan Du City.
Xuan Du Great Magus gestured with his hand, and together with the Daoist experts who had come to aid, they sank below the Taiji Chart, landing on a relatively flat area. He let out a light breath and sat down heavily.
"Thank you, fellow junior brothers and sisters,"
Xuan Du Great Magus cupped his hands, his breath somewhat weak,
"I was almost at my limit; Teacher's Taiji Chart truly consumes a tremendous amount of magical power."
Jin Ling Holy Mother and Huang Long Zhenren led the experts from the two sects in a bow, but Xuan Du Great Magus waved casually, signaling they needn't be so formal, and pointed out seven meditation cushions.
Zhao Gongming said gravely,
"This Demon Master Kunpeng—how did his strength reach such a level?"
Yunxiao pondered briefly and gave the correct answer.
"It's the origin of the Primordial Phoenix."
Seeing the curious gazes from her fellow disciples, Yunxiao explained the incident from when she and Li Changshou had entered the Chaos Sea, encountering Kunpeng's old shed form.
Yunxiao's eyes carried a hint of brightness as she said softly,
"When we returned from the Chaos Sea, he once mentioned that it might not have been Kunpeng's true body, but just an old shed used to deceive the beings of Honghuang, and the Primordial Phoenix's origin power he stole had vanished without a trace.
Now, thinking back, his deduction was completely accurate... In terms of strategy, I'm afraid even Kunpeng can't match him."
"Ahem,"
Zhao Gongming whispered from the side,
"Second sister, tone it down, tone it down; you're practically praising him to the heavens."
Xuan Du Great Magus laughed,
"Changgeng's schemes are indeed formidable. Was it Changgeng who notified you all to come?"
From Yunxiao's sleeve, Li Changshou poked his head out, bowed with fists clasped toward Xuan Du Great Magus, then flew out of the sleeve to his normal size, smiling,
"If Senior Brother is in trouble, how could I not come?"
Xuan Du Great Magus scolded with a laugh,
"Then why didn't you show yourself earlier and use your Dao of Balance? If we could have taken down Kunpeng, Honghuang would be rid of a major threat."
"Well..."
Li Changshou showed a helpless expression and said,
"I didn't want to face Kunpeng directly, to avoid being swayed by his demonic words."
The Daoist immortals exchanged glances, each recalling Kunpeng's earlier shout.
Xuan Du Great Magus asked puzzled,
"I heard Teacher mention the reason he called you an outsider when you were sleeping by Teacher's side.
But why does he want you to find him in the Chaos Sea? And talk about the truth of the Honghuang world?"
Li Changshou furrowed his brows, shrugged, and spread his hands,
"Maybe he's just lonely."
The immortals fell into silent laughter but didn't press further on the matter.
It was a taboo in Honghuang to probe another's origins.
Since these experts had come, they couldn't ignore the mess at Xuan Du City.
At Zhao Gongming's suggestion, Tai Yi Zhenren and Huang Long Zhenren, who were skilled in talismans and arrays, became the "main force" for repairing the city's great array.
They couldn't come for nothing; they had to create some value.
Zhao Gongming and the others sat discussing the Dao with Xuan Du Great Magus, while Li Changshou looked up at the magnificent scenery, the ruins filled with a thick "Honghuang cultural" atmosphere, and invited Yunxiao to take a stroll together.
Yunxiao happily agreed, and the two wandered through the city for a while.
Li Changshou said,
"Can you use the Hunyuan Jindou to conceal my figure?"
"Hmm?"
Yunxiao was a bit puzzled, but seeing Li Changshou's slight frown, as if troubled by something unclear, she immediately took out the Hunyuan Jindou and drew him into it.
Following that, a wisp of yin-yang qi drifted over, sealing the outside of the Hunyuan Jindou.
Just like years ago, when Old Daoist Qiyuan went to his death and Li Changshou used the excuse of recuperating, hiding in the Hunyuan Jindou to perfect his Dao of Balance.
But this time, Li Changshou didn't summon his own great Dao; instead, he sat there in a daze.
A moment later, Li Changshou muttered a curse about Kunpeng and took out a blank scroll, beginning to sketch and write.
Senior Lang must have teamed up with Kunpeng...
This made it hard to believe that Senior Lang was a "virtuous" person.
Of course not.
Senior Lang was also an innate being in Honghuang, having stayed there for so long; it was normal for his ideas and thoughts to change.
From the reactions of Senior Brother and Yunxiao, they clearly knew nothing about Senior Lang.
This confirmed Li Changshou's earlier guess about Senior Lang's state back then.
He must have cultivated a second primordial spirit, hiding his true self within the same body as the second spirit, with absolute control over both the Dao body and the second spirit!
Given Senior Lang's carefree nature, his surface identity might even be some famous expert in Honghuang!
A clever way to hide.
Then, the ancient experts who disappeared could all be Senior Lang...
The Demon Emperor? No, that wouldn't explain digging into Xi He's corner.
Uh, there were two Demon Emperors.
This suspicion is worth keeping, though the chances are low, it's still possible.
From the current information, Senior Lang, in every sense, isn't a "good person."
But perhaps such a simplistic view of right and wrong is too shallow; in the Honghuang environment, just surviving is tough enough.
Yet, it's precisely this shallow view that allows one to maintain their true heart, letting Li Changshou tell himself that he is different from other beings.
What information did Kunpeng's words reveal?
Simple: Kunpeng knows everything from back then, has the latter part of Senior Lang's memories, and knows the secret of Senior Lang's madness.
Besides, if he goes to the place where they encountered Kunpeng last time, he's likely to find clues to locate Kunpeng.
Li Changshou asked himself three questions:
What can he gain from knowing this? What is his goal after coming this far? What is Kunpeng's purpose in making such a big fuss?
The answers are:
Satisfaction of curiosity, living a safe and steady life until old age, and possibly using him to scheme something.
So, why respond to Kunpeng? Why go probing into the Chaos Sea?
At this point, Kunpeng is a huge obstacle to his retirement plans; the guy always tries to drag him into strange karmic entanglements.
In reality, this is the "afterglow" left by Senior Lang, the "disturbances" he caused during his long years in Honghuang, drawing all the variables from Senior Lang's recklessness toward Li Changshou due to their shared traits.
The concept is a bit abstract, with a hint of fate, giving Li Changshou a headache right now.
He must think of a way to avoid being interfered with...
"What's wrong?"
Yunxiao's soft and gentle voice floated in from outside,
"Have you run into some trouble?"
Li Changshou sighed, sitting at the bottom of the Hunyuan Jindou and shaking his head,
"I was just thinking whether to make grilled Kunpeng wings mild spicy or medium spicy."
"Hmm?"
"Never mind, just let me sit quietly for a bit."
"If there's any difficulty, you can tell me; I can help share the burden."
Yunxiao gazed at the slowly rotating Hunyuan Jindou in her palm, a hint of disappointment crossing her eyes, as she said softly,
"I'm always here."
"Mm,"
Li Changshou's response came from inside the Hunyuan Jindou, and Yunxiao said no more, simply standing guard quietly.
After some time, Tai Yi Zhenren and Huang Long Zhenren finished repairing all the arrays they could, riding clouds back to where Zhao Gongming and the others were.
Li Changshou still hadn't emerged from the Hunyuan Jindou.
Jin Ling Holy Mother stared in the direction where Yunxiao was, frowning as she asked,
"Great Senior Brother, what connection does Changgeng have with Kunpeng?"
"As far as I know, none."
Xuan Du Great Magus replied, a hint of thought in his eyes.
Huang Long Zhenren asked puzzled,
"Then why did Kunpeng seem to appear this time just to find Junior Brother Changgeng?"
The Daoist experts pondered, but no one could make sense of it.
"Why think about it so much?"
Zhao Gongming laughed heartily,
"We all know Changgeng's character; let's not gossip behind his back and make him uncomfortable.
Changgeng is the one overseeing the Feng Shen calamity, so he must know things we don't."
Yu Ding Zhenren said,
"This poor Daoist knows a bit about it."
In an instant, gazes like knives gathered on Yu Ding Zhenren.
Yu Ding Zhenren smiled bitterly,
"In ancient times, beyond what we know, there was a great war. This poor Daoist sensed a powerful being being erased by the Heavenly Dao, right around the time our Grand Teacher attained the Dao."
The immortals' expressions varied upon hearing this.
Gui Ling Holy Mother muttered softly,
"If it involves our Grand Teacher, it's best we don't discuss it."
Huang Long Zhenren frowned and asked,
"Is Changgeng definitely not the reincarnation of some ancient great power?"
"Changgeng has an original soul,"
Xuan Du Great Magus said,
"When I first met Changgeng, his cultivation was still low and his Dao unobvious. I checked his origins thoroughly before entrusting him with responsibilities."
"In just a few centuries, he's reached his current level, cultivating a Dao we never imagined, closely tied to the Heavenly Dao..."
Tai Yi Zhenren paused, his face full of helplessness, sighing,
"This guy, if he'd been born in ancient times, he'd probably be of our Grand Teacher's generation by now."
The Daoist experts frowned at Tai Yi Zhenren, their expressions displeased.
Tai Yi Zhenren quietly moved closer to Yu Ding Zhenren, his smile warm.
In an unknown part of the Chaos Sea,
Several divine intents intertwined—it was the Innate Gods and Demons who had just retreated from Xuan Du City, questioning Kunpeng.
If translated into Honghuang common speech, it would be something like:
"You said we could take Xuan Du City and enter Honghuang to plunder life force, so why did you keep delaying and even deliberately lure those Daoist disciples?"
Kunpeng replied coldly,
"Are you teaching me how to do things?"
That divine intent instantly submitted, falling silent.
Kunpeng snorted, seeming annoyed, and to placate these Innate Gods and Demons, he casually explained,
"I'm just playing the long game. No being can resist the temptation to glimpse the truth of history.
Beings are like that; they always think they can change the past, just trying to gather more lost information to prove their own greatness and gain false satisfaction.
Just wait; that being I summoned will definitely come to the Chaos Sea to find me. He definitely will."
The several divine intents fell silent.
Another divine intent asked,
"Once we get that being, what then?"
Kunpeng was silent for a while before saying,
"At the very least, we can mock Hongjun."
The divine intents immediately grew excited, emitting bursts of piercing shrieks.
Amid the shrieks, a soft divine intent asked timidly,
"Master, do you need to feed?"
"No need; you've lost too much, so replenish yourself first."
"Ah, Master is so gentle."
"Shut up! Say another word and I'll devour you all!"
The divine intents instantly quieted, leaving only a few massive bodies drifting in the Chaos Sea, like lifeless objects.
Then, Kunpeng and his little companions began a long, long, seemingly endless wait.
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