The ultimate battle.
No existence could remain uninvolved.
It was a struggle for supremacy between the Origin Seed and the Primordial Spirit Seeds.
Either return to the variables of the Great Dao, or the Primordial Spirit Seeds would dominate everything.
At the dawn of chaos, some Primordial Spirit Seeds managed to hide and survive the battle against the Twelve Ancestral Demons and the subsequent infighting. But this time… there was no escape, no hiding.
“Phew… Understood.”
The faint furrow in Chen Dong’s brow smoothed out. As he exhaled, his breath carried a peculiar rhythm, resonating through the entire Upper Heavenly Realm.
Rumble…
The next second, golden light flared again in the chaotic void ahead.
The moment the golden light appeared, a mass of pink radiance emerged beside it.
Chen Dong calmly observed the two cosmic phenomena. Within the golden light was a piece of golden ore, while the pink radiance cradled a delicate pink flower.
“Extinguish!”
No extra movements, no superfluous words.
A single word fell from Chen Dong’s lips.
Majestic and vast, mysterious and ethereal.
Absolute strength granted him absolute, domineering confidence.
His words shaped reality.
Clang!
The Yellow Emperor Sword let out a peerlessly sharp hum.
Sword Qi soared eighty thousand miles, its golden brilliance piercing the chaos.
The Human Emperor Qi and Worldly Luck cloaking Chen Dong surged to their peak.
Boom! Boom!
The sword Qi, slashing eighty thousand miles from the Yellow Emperor Sword, sliced through the two cosmic phenomena, cleaving them in half.
The golden ore and delicate pink flower, faced with the peerless sword Qi, were instantly bisected. Before the sword Qi dissipated in the chaotic void, the two Primordial Spirit Seeds were annihilated, vanishing without a trace.
The power of the Human Ancestor, even at its waning strength, remained ferociously domineering.
As the Yellow Emperor Sword unleashed this eighty-thousand-mile sword Qi, annihilating the two Primordial Spirit Seeds, Chen Dong’s mind trembled. He clearly felt the vast demonic energy within him surge, far more restless than during its earlier fusion, as if it urgently sought to burst free.
“A contest between Human Ancestors?”
A smile curved Chen Dong’s lips.
The Yellow Emperor was a Human Ancestor, as was Chiyou.
And now, the restless demonic energy felt like… Chiyou’s demonic energy.
“Roar!”
As the demonic energy surged, a low, guttural growl escaped Chen Dong’s lips.
Muffled like a drum, it echoed through the chaos.
It was a declaration of war.
A challenge to the Primordial Spirit Seeds.
Boom!
The demonic energy within Chen Dong erupted, spanning thousands of miles like a cascading waterfall, roiling and wreaking havoc in all directions.
The next instant, Chen Dong’s gaze sharpened, locking onto a point in the chaotic void.
The demonic energy, stretching thousands of miles, surged toward that spot.
“Ah!”
A piercing scream rang out.
Within the dark, ghostly demonic energy, a flicker of red light appeared, only to be instantly crushed by the domineering demonic energy, vanishing into nothingness.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, the thousands of miles of demonic energy reversed, returning to Chen Dong’s body.
The next second, a strand of purple Dao Qi, entwined with the golden chains linking the golden Taiji Bagua, suddenly detached. Like wisps of smoke, it drifted slowly forward.
When Chen Dong noticed, the purple Dao Qi, having floated a few meters, vanished.
It reappeared far away in the chaotic void.
Boom!
A cyan lotus had just emerged from the chaotic void when the waiting purple Dao Qi pierced it.
Before the lotus could fully bloom, still just a bud, it shattered and dissipated.
Absolute domination, utterly ruthless.
These “vanguard” Primordial Spirit Seeds were mere “cannon fodder,” weaklings who had cowered at the dawn of chaos. Now, facing the various forces within Chen Dong, they were equally frail.
After hearing the elders’ words, Chen Dong found no interest in these instantly vanquished Primordial Spirit Seeds.
The ultimate battle had begun, but the true fight was yet to come.
The Master of Jianmu and their ilk… they were the true protagonists of this final war!
They would surely let these “cannon fodder” Primordial Spirit Seeds exhaust him first before joining the fray.
Even if, as the Ancestral Demon said, they possessed the power to seize the Dao, it was just that—possession. Who would be foolish enough to charge in first when they could increase their odds of victory?
Boom, boom, boom…
In the chaotic void, terrifying explosions rang out continuously.
Cosmic phenomena appeared frequently, but each was swiftly dismantled by Chen Dong’s powers, often before they could fully manifest. The Dao Qi would traverse the chaos, waiting at the point where a phenomenon was about to emerge, extinguishing it the moment it appeared.
With the golden Taiji Bagua above his head and beneath his feet, clad in Human Emperor armor, surrounded by golden chains and Dao Qi, and with demonic energy, Human Emperor Qi, and Worldly Luck surging within, Chen Dong stood in the chaotic void yet seemed to form his own universe.
He was the Dao, and the Dao was him.
“It seems… the merging with the Great Void is still ongoing!”
Standing resolute, Chen Dong calmly watched his powers strike out, keenly aware of the changes within himself.
From the moment he began merging to become the Origin Seed, the various forces within him had never ceased fusing.
In a state of perfect balance, they blended seamlessly. Even as they surged out to annihilate Primordial Spirit Seeds, the fusion continued without pause, the balance unshaken.
“Feel it deeply. A thought arises, and the Dao is born; a thought falls, and the Dao vanishes. The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao… Child, do you understand?”
The ancient, mysterious voice suddenly spoke, followed by the ethereal chanting of the *Tao Te Ching*.
The chanting was mystical, imbued with supreme power. As Chen Dong listened, his mind cleared, and he seemed to transform rapidly, shedding layers of himself.
“This is…”
Chen Dong glanced around, then realized in shock.
The mysterious, ethereal chanting of the *Tao Te Ching*… only he could hear it!
Almost simultaneously, the Ancestral Demon’s voice asked, “What?”
The question confirmed Chen Dong’s suspicion.
Shock and fear enveloped him. How terrifying was this old man?
The chanting of the *Tao Te Ching* had isolated even the Ancestral Demon and the Human Ancestor Yellow Emperor. What kind of power was required to achieve that?
“Don’t be shocked, don’t be afraid. When this old man rode a green ox out of Hangu Pass, he composed the *Tao Te Ching*. Over the long ages, few have truly grasped the profound truth of its Dao.”
The ancient, mysterious voice intermingled with the chanting.
Chen Dong’s pupils dilated, his earlier guess fully confirmed.
From the purple qi he saw rising in the east on the Heavenly Road, the figure riding the ox… it was Laozi!
Laozi’s voice spoke again, “You are the sole variable, blessed by the momentum of fate. The Dao chose you, and you chose the Dao. Child… rise for the Dao!”
Before the words faded—
Boom! Crack!
Boom! Crack!
Boom! Crack!
…
In the distant chaotic void, lightning bolts thousands of miles long suddenly appeared, as if to cleave the void apart.
At the same moment, the Ancestral Demon’s warning rang out, “Child, the attacking Primordial Spirit Seeds are coming…”