Thirteen days out, wrapped in the Primal Chaos Qi, a Tánzhuó Hú tree, towering beyond trillions of li, drifted slowly amidst the ceaseless circulation of the Primal Chaos Qi, day and night.

This colossal tree resembled a Sangfei mulberry, its bark entirely verdant, faintly traced with innumerable silver vascular lines. The tree possessed nineteen primary branches, devoid of leaves; the boughs were impeccably clean, untouched by even a speck of dust. The surrounding Primal Chaos Qi was continuously devoured by the great tree, causing the branches to emit rays of immeasurable radiance. This cyan-green glow pushed back the Primal Chaos Qi, creating thunderous sounds like surging tides.

At the tip of each of the tree's nineteen branches floated nineteen nebulous masses of golden mist. From within these golden mists emanated myriad lights; some released celestial music and ethereal melodies, while others echoed with the wails of ghosts and the howls of wolves.

The golden mists would condense and disperse intermittently. When scattered, they were merely hazy forms; when gathered, they faintly coalesced into a portal tens of thousands of li high. On the two massive doors of the entirely golden gateway were vividly carved images of Twin-Luminous Beasts. Their eyes, cast from some unknown material, would occasionally shift, releasing brilliant essences that illuminated ten thousand li.

On this particular day, from the ten portals that continuously emitted ghostly cries and howls, several clusters of dark energy suddenly erupted. Accompanied by piercing laughter and ferocious roars, nearly a hundred clusters of dark energy collided and blasted against each other in the void. With every move, they stirred up the Primal Chaos Qi within a radius of hundreds of thousands of li. Occasionally, a few clusters of dark energy spewed forth bolts of lightning, these bolts themselves thousands of li thick, capable of striking hundreds of millions of li away with devastating force. The spectacle was utterly terrifying; even a whole star system struck by one such lightning bolt would instantly shatter into dust.

As the fight raged, one cluster of dark energy, finding itself at a disadvantage, was fiercely attacked by over a dozen others, letting out miserable, anguished cries. In a fit of rage, this dark energy grasped outwards into the boundless, empty void of Primal Chaos. Instantly, a vast expanse of Primal Chaos Qi spanning ten billion li violently condensed, compressing in a flash into a planet with a diameter exceeding ten million li, which was then hurled down upon the attacking clusters. The Four Phases of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind churned and surged across the surface of this nascent planet, its momentum defying any verbal description.

However, to those dozen clusters of dark energy, this attack was nothing more than a joke. They casually unleashed a few thin streams of lightning, reducing the planet to scattered fragments.

After a chaotic flurry of blows and destructive strikes, the nearly one hundred clusters of dark energy simultaneously burst into hysterical, manic laughter, and then converged inward to reveal their true forms.

Some were monks, some Taoists, some Confucian scholars, some laymen; there were men and women, old and young, tall and short, fat and thin—all manner of appearances were present among these figures. Yet, regardless of their outer guise, their eyes constantly betrayed a manic, hysterical frenzy. Their crimson pupils were filled with unconcealed, negative desires.

A hulking figure, standing over three zhang tall and clad in blood-colored armor, suddenly cocked his neck and bellowed in anger: "Why haven't those hypocritical pedants emerged yet?"

The shout was like thunder, causing the surrounding Primal Chaos Qi to churn and roll violently. Countless black lightning arcs flashed through the Chaos, slowly spreading outward, their reach unknown.

Suddenly, melodious celestial music echoed in the void. The nine golden mists, which had been gaseous, sharply condensed, and nine golden portals silently appeared. Wisps of golden light sprayed forth from the portals, accompanied by auspicious clouds, pure radiance, and a pungent, sweet fragrance. The nine portals slowly opened, and pairs of immortal cranes, solitary dragon-horses, and streams of flood dragons, phoenixes, Qingluan, Bifang, and other celestial fowl and beasts strode out with deliberate, unhurried steps, or flapped their wings slowly, emerging from the gates.

These immortal fowl and cranes invariably carried in their beaks treasures like Lingzhi mushrooms, ginseng, Heshouwu, golden lotuses, jade roots, and green lotus leaves—all manner of celestial herbs and elixirs. Their movements were invariably graceful and majestic, without the slightest hint of disorder. Even the paces of the walking immortal beasts were uniform in size and frequency, precise as clockwork automata.

Following the flight of these immortal fowl and cranes came ranks of young Taoist acolytes and novices, clad in various colored Daoist robes and crane cloaks, holding ceremonial implements such as censers, lanterns, whisks, great banners, and long pennants. Each one was exquisitely fresh and beautiful. The young male acolytes possessed the look of peerless pretty boys, while the young female novices were truly astonishing—any one of them, placed in any era, could incite lustful kings to climb the Great Wall at midnight just to play with fire!

"Tsk!" The figures manifested from the dark energy all shook their heads. A few of the more ill-tempered ones even cursed outright: "So much pomp and circumstance, who are you putting on this show for?"

An old Daoist, dressed in black robes, sporting a small hand growing out of the back of his head, sneered wickedly: "These little girls are truly tender; let me feel a thigh or two!"

With a slap to the back of his head, the small hand grew into a streak of blood-red light shooting skyward, instantly solidifying into a blood-colored handprint spanning several zhang, which snatched at a young female novice carrying a flower basket and leisurely picking blossoms. With a shriek, the novice, whose cultivation was at the level of an Earthly Immortal, was dragged back before the old Daoist. The lecherous old Daoist opened his mouth wide—a gap of a full two zhang—and with a crack, bit off the novice's right leg. After chewing audibly for a few moments, he swallowed it whole.

The young novice screamed in terror, crying out repeatedly, "Celestial Venerable, save me! Celestial Venerable, save me!"

A beam of golden lightning suddenly struck down from an oblique angle, obliterating the novice into dust. A cold, emotionless voice echoed from afar: "What is the great fuss? Why such panic? You’ve needlessly disgraced our Profound Mystery Palace!" With a cold snort, the voice coldly inquired, "Ancestor Scarlet Blood, are you intentionally humiliating my Profound Mystery Palace?"

Ancestor Scarlet Blood, the one with the hand at the back of his head, let out a sinister cackle: "Eating one leg—how is that intentional humiliation? If I forcibly abducted your Fairy White Egret and paired her with you, forcing you to return to the Profound Mystery Palace holding a little brat in a few hundred years, that would be humiliation!"

Laughing wildly toward the sky three times, Ancestor Scarlet Blood fiercely roared: "Palace Master of the Profound Mystery Palace, Celestial Venerable Biéfa, how dare your mere servant speak to this Old Ancestor this way?"

A great white jade chariot, carved with countless rare birds and exotic beasts and pulled by nine dragons, slowly flew forth amidst a cluster of purple mist. A girl of thirteen or fourteen years, exquisitely beautiful and appearing no older, descended slowly from the chariot, her voice sweet and delicate as she addressed Ancestor Scarlet Blood and—

"Ancestor, what status do you hold that you stoop to bickering with my maidservant? Today we gather to discuss serious matters; why spoil the harmony?"

As enchanting celestial music continued to drift over, nearly one hundred chariots, luxurious and extravagant to the extreme, pulled by rare beasts like dragons, phoenixes, and Qilin, slowly flew out of the nine golden portals. Various auspicious lights flashed as over one hundred and fifty men and women, possessing the bearing of immortals and the world's finest looks, gracefully arrived before Ancestor Scarlet Blood and his group.

The two sides gazed at each other for a moment. Celestial Venerable Biéfa smiled lightly: "Very well. After so many years, it is the first time the decision-makers of our Nine Heavens and Ten Earths have gathered so completely."

Ancestor Scarlet Blood looked greedily at Celestial Venerable Biéfa’s skin, which was finer and softer than a baby’s, and nodded repeatedly: "Indeed. Excluding those old immortals still in seclusion, the decision-makers present today represent about sixty percent of the total—enough to speak for the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

Licking his lips fiercely, Ancestor Scarlet Blood sneered coldly: "Let's speak of serious matters. The Ladder to Heaven—has it been repaired?" An elder, wearing a tall crown with an ancient, simple countenance, emanating pure celestial aura, slowly stepped forward a few paces. He deliberately pulled out an object from his sleeve—about a chi long, enveloped in golden light, shaped like nine intertwined golden dragons. This was precisely the Nine Dragon Ladder to Heaven that Daoist Mu had intended to use for ascension. However, the ladder was inexplicably stained with something; strange black spots intermittently appeared and vanished, and wisps of black energy constantly spewed out from the golden light.

The elder spoke coldly: "The Essence of the Celestial Fox is not easy to remove. If this Venerable used Profound Azure Celestial Fire to refine it for fifty years, the Celestial Fox Essence could be completely purified, and the treasure restored to its original state. But currently? The Nine Dragon Ladder to Heaven can barely establish a link to the Lower Realm, and no more than one person can descend at a time, with cultivation not exceeding Middle-Grade Golden Immortal."

Weighing the Ladder to Heaven, the elder stated calmly: "Once used this time, the Nine Dragon Ladder to Heaven must undergo complete refinement and full restoration before it can be used again. Otherwise, the Celestial Fox Essence will continuously plague the ladder's foundation. If the foundation is damaged in the future, it will be impossible for us to utilize it to descend."

Ancestor Scarlet Blood cursed in a low voice a few times. He muttered: "Those little brats who call themselves Demon Kings and Demon Venerables are truly detestable! To possess such a supreme treasure and fail to guard it properly, allowing it to be tainted by a mere Desire Demoness using the Celestial Fox Essence! Hmph, it infuriates this Old Ancestor! If not for this, we could descend now to seek that opportunity."

Celestial Venerable Biéfa let out a hissing laugh, chuckling leisurely: "Ancestor, you've already wiped out the entire lineage of those little Demon Kings and Demon Venerables; what are you still angry about?"

Pausing, Celestial Venerable Biéfa laughed: "What we discuss today is whose disciple should descend? The power cannot exceed that of a Middle-Grade Golden Immortal—ah, choosing this candidate is truly difficult!"

Those present looked at each other, all shaking their heads simultaneously. None of them felt comfortable sending a disciple from another faction down. Ancestor Scarlet Blood sneered: "Enough nonsense. Unless it is our own disciple, who would dare send them? That aura we sensed earlier—it belongs to Saintess Nüwa! Hmph, this matter is far from trivial; we must send someone we trust to gather intelligence. I don't trust sending your people down!" Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads again; none trusted sending another's disciples down! However, these were all cunning, seasoned individuals, and they quickly devised a plan: those present would each dispatch a junior disciple. They would select a territory within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, purge it, massacre every cultivator in that region, and force them to flee toward this great tree. Whoever was lucky enough to escape here first would be the one to descend and gather intelligence! Of course, to ensure this person could clearly see what was happening in the Lower Realm through their eyes, they must carry some secret treasure capable of communicating with the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. To prevent tampering with this treasure, one would not suffice; the person would have to carry several secret artifacts from different factions.

To guard against this person never returning, several malicious secret curses would also need to be heavily imprinted upon them. Curiously, few murderous secret spells would be needed—one would be enough.

After devising this somewhat overly cruel plan, the numerous Celestial Venerables and Demon Ancestors present immediately transmitted orders to their respective factions, issuing directives for the territorial cleansing.

Half a month later, a dim golden light shot out from one of the golden portals belonging to the Immortal Dao lineage. Within the golden light was a middle-aged Daoist with a face like fine jade and an otherworldly aura. He possessed the cultivation of a Second-Grade Golden Immortal—a rank equivalent to an ant in a place like the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Perhaps due to being hunted for too long, the middle-aged Daoist’s immortal power was completely depleted. His haggard face was utterly devoid of color, and even his sword light flickered weakly, threatening to collapse to the ground at any moment.

Celestial Venerable Biéfa smiled, clapping her hands lightly: "This young junior escaped from my territory!"

The faces of Demon Dao giants like Ancestor Scarlet Blood turned incredibly grim. Their junior disciples, upon receiving orders, had spent only three days completely eradicating every single Daoist cultivator in the designated territory, sparing not even a single soul or spirit. How could anyone have escaped?

These leaders of the Immortal and Demonic Daos, whose power was unfathomably profound, easily subdued the Daoist. After informing him of their decision, they affixed various secret artifacts all over his body, and then Ancestor Scarlet Blood imposed one vicious Blood Dao demonic curse upon him. The Nine Dragon Ladder to Heaven erupted with a piercing golden flash, instantly piercing the Primal Chaos space between the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and arriving directly in the star field where Daoist Mu and Mei Lin had perished that day.

After being manipulated by these legendary figures of the Immortal and Demonic Daos for a while, the Daoist stood dazed in the starry expanse. It wasn't until the several communication artifacts affixed to him began to flash impatiently that he finally hung his head dejectedly, rummaged through his robes, pulled out a star chart, selected a direction, and slowly flew out.

As he flew, the Daoist mumbled with a sigh: "I never thought I’d use this Star Fixing Plate in this lifetime. The Mortal Realm—ah, I'm finally back in the Mortal Realm! Great Heavens above, if my cultivation was successful, I should have ascended to the Thirty-Third Heaven, so why was I sent to a perilous place like the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths? Pity this poor Daoist has finally returned alive!"

Taking a deep breath, the Daoist patted his sleeve and smiled bitterly: "All my magic treasures are gone save for my natal flying sword. The Emperor doesn't starve an army, but these predecessors really go too far. All my hundreds of painstakingly refined magic treasures were either collected by their disciples and grand-disciples or destroyed. They should have at least sent a few protective treasures."

Smiling bitterly, the Daoist lifted his head and recalled something, suddenly clapping his hands in delight: "Wonderful! I wonder if that artifact from back then has been refined yet? Hmm, this Venerable must hurry over to check!"

His form flickered, and the Daoist executed the Starry Sky Great Teleportation divine ability, swiftly traversing the vast expanse of stars. With the strength of a Second-Grade Golden Immortal, the Daoist's light of escape was terrifyingly fast. Each teleportation covered a distance at least a thousand times greater than that of Gu Xiechen. He spent less than half a month traveling from the territory of the Polar Star Empire to the Heavenly Star Domain.

"Wandering Immortal Star, Wandering Immortal Star! An old acquaintance returns—do you still remember this Venerable? My fellow Daoists from that time... did you ascend to other regions of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, or are you..."

Two lines of hot tears slid down the Daoist's face. The emotionally rich Daoist sighed toward the heavens: "The Great Dao is ruthless, the Heavenly Dao unpredictable... If this Venerable has the fortune to return to the Wandering Immortal Star, what more could I ask for?"

After weeping for a short while, the Daoist suddenly began to chuckle mischievously: "Marvelous! Today, this Venerable possesses the cultivation of a Second-Grade Golden Immortal—invincible in the Mortal Realm! Those choice materials hoarded by those few Daoists back then, hehehe! This Venerable can now seize them easily! Ah, many are innate materials, perfect for this Venerable to refine new treasures!"

Cheerfully clapping his hands, the Daoist transformed into a streak of clear wind, sneaking into the Heavenly Star like a thief. He was immediately startled, shivering violently at the sight of the churches covering every mountain and plain and the soaring hymns echoing everywhere. Everything within his sight was a church; everything his ears heard was a 'Hallelujah' hymn; and everyone walking on the ground was a soldier wearing strange uniforms, carrying bizarre weapons, and sporting enormous pure silver crosses on their chests. The Daoist swept his divine sense over two nearby military camps and was shocked to witness scenes unsuitable for children unfolding.

"Absurd, utterly absurd! Public debauchery in broad daylight, and they are even... even watching that kind of thing." The Daoist’s face flushed crimson, and he hastily retracted his divine sense, daring not to let it extend outside his body even an inch. Everywhere his eyes fell, there were strange occurrences that violated the ethics in his mind, especially since he happened to glimpse a female soldiers' bathhouse, where nearly a thousand bathing female soldiers nearly sent his Dao heart soaring out of his body.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable, Three Pure Ones, Supreme Dao Ancestors above, this Venerable... Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper. Alas, how many years have passed? Even the Mortal Realm has changed. So many bizarre things!"

The Daoist muttered a string of nonsense while performing hasty salutations, rushing like a clear breeze clinging close to the ground toward the distant mountain range. Familiar with the terrain, he arrived before a secluded valley. Looking around with deep nostalgia, the Daoist sighed profoundly: "Things remain, but people change! There is no trace of fellow Daoists on the Wandering Immortal Star anymore—only a mass of mortals!" After sighing deeply, the Daoist looked toward the entrance of the valley and was instantly dumbfounded.

On the stone wall to the right of the valley entrance, a line of large characters descending from above was impressively imposing: "Hidden Hermitage of Senior Wuchen. Any who dare trespass will have their entire clan executed for nine generations!" "Hidden Hermitage of Senior Wuchen. Any who dare trespass will have their entire clan executed for nine generations..."

The Daoist froze, counting the characters one by one, muttering blankly: "Senior Wuchen? Senior Wuchen? Senior? Senior? Wuchen? Ah... My Ruyi!"

The Daoist frantically transformed into a whirlwind and rushed into the valley, only to emerge a moment later, staring blankly at the sky and muttering: "Someone has entered this Venerable's hermitage! Someone has inherited my Dao lineage? Wonderful, wonderful! This humble wandering cultivator of Zhongnan actually left a lineage in the Mortal Realm!"

Lost in this delight, the Daoist laughed toward the heavens! However, after only a few bursts of laughter, a cold, cutting voice came from beside him.

"Old Daoist nose, why are you laughing foolishly here? Which sect or school do you belong to? Why did you trespass here, and what are you trying to do?"

Daoist Wuchen froze, quickly turning to bow toward Gu Xiechen: "Oh, this Venerable..."

With a dull clank, Daoist Wuchen, who carried no protective magic artifacts, fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back.

Giant Spirit General emerged from the side, his great fist clenched, chuckling: "Exalted One, this old Daoist is quite foolish. He didn't even extend his divine sense outward and took a punch from this subordinate for nothing!"

Gu Xiechen smiled with satisfaction. He said faintly: "Tie him up and take him back for thorough interrogation!" Kan Hua, Prajna, and Maha bounded forward like hungry wolves, binding the Daoist Wuchen as tightly as a rice dumpling.

The communication artifacts covering Daoist Wuchen's body were immediately divided up and stuffed into storage rings.

In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, the high and mighty Celestial Venerables and Demon Ancestors simultaneously cursed out loud, turning everything before them to dust. A dignified Golden Immortal was struck down by a sneak attack—was he even an immortal anymore?