The domineering voice pierced straight to the origin.
Its vast, oppressive might was undeniable.
This was the difference between the Dao and its components.
The first bolt of lightning, no matter how ferocious its attacking power, was merely a law formed after the Dao took shape.
Even at its fullest exertion, it was but a fleeting gesture before the Dao, extinguished with a word.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a dazzling burst of radiant light erupted in the distant chaotic void.
As the light appeared, a lush cluster of green leaves materialized beside it. The two moved in unison, teleporting instantly to the edge of the lightning焦狱.
“Trying to save it?”
Chen Dong raised an eyebrow, sneering disdainfully, “You’re not worthy!”
Buzz!
His slowly lowering hands trembled slightly before continuing their descent.
This subtle motion caused the ethereal boundary around the lightning焦狱 to ripple outward. The ripple touched the leaves and radiant light, and like a gentle breeze brushing willows, it instantly annihilated them without a trace.
“Roar…”
The imprisoned Primordial Spirit Seed, witnessing this, let out a final, desperate, terrified roar.
But nothing could resist or change its fate.
As Chen Dong’s hands lowered fully to his sides, the boundary encasing the lightning焦狱 compressed it to the size of a single person. It then surged upward, flashing blinding white light, and swiftly returned to Chen Dong’s position.
When it reached him, the lightning焦狱 was gone, leaving only the original golden light, purple Dao Qi, and specks of starlight.
But as these three supreme forces returned to the space between the two golden Taiji Bagua, a strange and wondrous scene unfolded.
Within the universal realm formed by the two golden Taiji Bagua, there had only been specks of starlight forming white arcs. Now, a twisting, jagged bolt of lightning appeared, distinct yet equally white as the starlight arcs.
“Merely… an adornment.”
Chen Dong smirked playfully, his profound gaze shifting to where the leaves and radiant light had appeared, “What do you two think?”
This taunt carried unmatched confidence, a mockery and challenge to the two Primordial Spirit Seeds.
“To make it your own, for the Dao.” Laozi’s ancient voice followed, “Child…”
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the distant chaotic void, stirring a vortex ten thousand miles wide, as if it could swallow everything.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
…
Explosions rang out almost simultaneously across the chaotic void, forming terrifying vortices ten thousand miles in diameter.
Vast, overwhelming pressure surged from each vortex, pressing toward Chen Dong like mountains and prisons.
“All the Primordial Spirit Seeds are making their move? No more probing?”
Clad in armor, Chen Dong grinned playfully, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“They’re scared,” the Ancestral Demon’s laughter echoed, “You turned the lightning Primordial Spirit Seed into your own tool. They’re terrified and don’t dare probe further.”
“This is just the beginning.”
Chen Dong’s smile faded. He slowly raised his right hand, fingers splayed, facing the chaotic void ahead.
Buzz~
Instantly, demonic energy, Dao Qi, Worldly Luck, Human Emperor Qi—all his powers surged toward his palm.
Crackle…
Terrifying currents of electricity danced between his fingers.
Then, a mass of blinding white lightning coalesced in his palm.
Boom! Crack!
Without warning, the lightning shot from his palm. Though only as thick as an arm, it radiated unmatched ferocity, crashing into the nearest chaotic vortex.
“Damn it!”
An enraged curse echoed from the vortex.
Before the lightning could erupt, a cyan lotus bloomed at the vortex’s center, rapidly expanding and swallowing the lightning into its seedpod.
“The Eternal Cyan Lotus? One of the fiercest Primordial Spirit Seeds from back then,” the Ancestral Demon’s delighted voice rang out.
Chen Dong’s expression remained impassive, “Strong or not, I’ll crush it!”
Before his words settled—
The Ancestral Demon let out a surprised, “Hm? This is…”
…
In the Upper Heavenly Realm, cosmic phenomena appeared incessantly.
Though Chen Dong and the Primordial Spirit Seeds were all in the chaotic void, the terrifying forces of the Dao and its laws had already spilled unchecked into the entire Upper Heavenly Realm.
Living beings knelt, silent.
Across the realm, spatial rifts appeared frequently.
The once-sturdy space of the Upper Heavenly Realm now cracked like fragile glass, spiderwebbing outward. Each rift stretched at least thousands of miles, some in more terrifying areas spanning tens of thousands.
Under the influence of these phenomena, the Upper Heavenly Realm was fractured, scarred, and broken.
The Southern Immortal Forest suffered the worst.
Countless spatial rifts shattered the forest’s space.
Towering trees, like beasts and birds, silently vanished into nothingness due to these rifts.
Under the overwhelming pressure, they couldn’t even utter a final groan.
In the face of absolute power, all beings in the Upper Heavenly Realm were equal, frozen in stillness.
Except for one place.
The Forgotten Village.
“It’s cracking.”
The Old Man, standing before the village’s divine tree, turned first, “It seems… we can finally step out of the village.”
Almost simultaneously, the Kid, the Cripple, and the Sickly One turned as well.
A gentle breeze brushed past them, and smiles of joy and relief spread across their faces.
“We can finally leave.”
“Yes, how many years has it been? I can barely remember. We’ve endured the grinding of time’s river and can finally walk out.”
“Let’s go. The child… is waiting for us. We can’t miss this battle!”
Only Big Mang remained, standing before the divine tree, facing it.
“Big Mang, don’t just stand there,” the Sickly One called back.
Big Mang’s towering, stalwart frame trembled, “The duty of leaving the village, carried through endless ages, is suddenly over. Everyone can leave now, and my role seems… gone. I feel a bit lost.”
With that, Big Mang slowly turned, facing the four.
Then he bowed deeply, “Congratulations, my four masters, on your rebirth and stepping out of the village!”
If Chen Dong were present, he’d be stunned by Big Mang’s words.
To him, the five from the village were peers, differing perhaps only in strength.
But Big Mang’s words revealed a hierarchy, not of equals but of… master and servant!
The expressions of the Old Man, the Sickly One, and the others grew complex, their gazes drifting as if lost in memory.
The Kid, hands behind his back, spoke with a mature air, “After such long ages, what master-servant bond remains? We survived that ancient battle by chance, and it was fortunate to have you, the Earth Primordial Spirit Seed, by our side. You… are our companion, not our servant.”