Gu Xiechen’s Sun Primordial Spirit manifested a true form towering ten thousand li, enveloped by the blazing Solar Primordial Fire and myriad pure Yang celestial flames, its body shimmering with colors of white, red, blue, cyan, purple, gold, and black.

A Fire Crow, its wings spanning ten thousand li, wheeled arrogantly above the Sun Primordial Spirit’s head. Occasionally, the Fire Crow would screech, causing half the sky to tremble, while countless celestial fire bolts and lightning flashed everywhere, incinerating the nearby star domains as if celebrating fireworks, with fire and lightning rolling chaotically across the heavens. Vishnu coldly regarded the Sun Primordial Spirit and sneered, “Do you truly intend to fight?”

With a slight movement, the golden axe Vishnu had thrown slowly floated back into his hand. The radiance of the seven jewels embedded in the axe dimmed, and when Vishnu’s palm touched the haft, a sizzling sound of flesh scorching erupted. The Sun Primordial Spirit stared even more coldly at Vishnu, its two middle fingers, each hundreds of li long, already pointed high into the sky. “If you want to fight, fight. Stop with the nonsense. You already struck me with an axe, so what is all this talk about intending to act?”

The Sun Primordial Spirit, differing slightly in temperament from the main body of Gu Xiechen, possessed a fiery, active, and highly volatile nature. Thus, the personality of the Sun Primordial Spirit’s avatar was somewhat akin to those rascals—possessing a distinct street-thug swagger.

Not content with displaying two middle fingers, the Sun Primordial Spirit, fearing Vishnu might not grasp the full implication of the gesture, let out a cackling, eerie laugh: “I struck your old woman and injured her severely, yet you stand here dithering, unwilling to make a move? Must I carry her off to bed and dote on her before you’ll act like a real man?”

Vishnu’s face changed drastically, his formerly dignified and majestic expression immediately turning purple and swollen. He looked ruthlessly at Gu Xiechen and roared, “Chāmundā, teach this fool who doesn’t know the meaning of death a harsh lesson!”

A sharp roar echoed. Chāmundā, entirely black, having transformed into three heads and eighteen arms, wielding eighteen divine weapons coalesced from mental power, ceaselessly blowing conch shells to sound the war horn, leaped animatedly from amidst the Asura Heavenly Soldiers behind Vishnu. Chāmundā performed a war dance, issuing sharp cries, rushing towards the Sun Primordial Spirit as if driven mad.

The Sun Primordial Spirit chuckled coldly. Gazing at the rapidly approaching Chāmundā, he suddenly pointed a finger at her and roared, “My lads, beat her to death!”

A booming sound cracked through the void. Behind Gu Xiechen, a benevolent cloud parted on both sides, revealing the forms of hundreds of millions of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals in perfect unison. The divine lords and immortal officials from the ancient Heavenly Court—the famous Thunder Grand Lord, Thunder Profound Lord, and Thunder Capital Lord—stepped out in perfect formation, leading their most elite eighteen thousand subordinates from the Thunder Department. In perfect synchrony, they reached into their waist pouches for magical artifacts and hurled one object each toward Chāmundā.

Eighteen thousand square golden bricks, identical in construction, forged from Tai Bai Golden Essence mixed with ten-thousand-year Black Ice Iron and ten-thousand-year Earth Core Red Copper, naturally imbued with a trace of Yin-Yang energy, constantly erupting with lightning that pierced the sun, flew out. These eighteen thousand bricks descended like a rainstorm across the void. As they neared Chāmundā’s body, all eighteen thousand bricks simultaneously unleashed a burst of golden lightning, rapidly collapsing inward.

The eighteen thousand golden bricks fused into a single gigantic gold ingot, roughly ten zhang on each side, which smashed heavily onto Chāmundā’s forehead.

Among the immortals of the Three Thunder Provinces, there were thirty High-grade Grand Unity Golden Immortals, three hundred Mid-grade Grand Unity Golden Immortals, and one thousand two hundred Low-grade Grand Unity Golden Immortals; the remaining one hundred thousand-plus immortals were all peak Tai Yi Golden Immortals specializing in the Thunder Law.

The golden bricks they wielded were a set-type magical treasure painstakingly forged by Daoist Gu Chen over several millennia. Individually, they possessed immense power, but deploying dozens together increased that power exponentially. If eighteen thousand golden bricks struck simultaneously, the resulting power rivaled that of an ordinary Innate Magical Treasure.

Combined with the immense divine power the eighteen thousand immortals channeled into the bricks, the caught-off-guard Chāmundā was hit squarely by the brick barrage. An immense, latent force erupted; Chāmundā howled miserably, her three heads bloodied, seventeen and a half of her eighteen arms shattered. The golden impact sent her staggering in the void, and blood sprayed from all three mouths simultaneously. Without a word, she turned and fled. Vishnu was furious enough for smoke to pour from his seven orifices, while the Sun Primordial Spirit laughed heartily, clapping his hands. “Vishnu, we are now engaged in warfare between nations; why should we fight one-on-one? If you wish to battle, let us engage in an array formation!”

The gloating Sun Primordial Spirit provocatively thrust up two middle fingers, then abruptly spun around and forcefully slapped his own backside toward Vishnu. Utterly arrogant, the Sun Primordial Spirit taunted while shouting broadly, “Vishnu, you must put some spirit into it! If you lose today, I will certainly steal your wife and make you lose face before all beings in the Three Realms!”

The Sun Primordial Spirit was enjoying his tirade when the Fire Crow above his head, seeming to fear no chaos, also flew and screeched wildly, spitting out large clouds of fire sparks that made the heavens roll with flames. Suddenly, a cold snort sounded from the depths of the Heavenly Soldier formation. Fúyā-Míng had timely registered her displeasure with some of the Sun Primordial Spirit’s choice of language.

The Sun Primordial Spirit’s movements abruptly stalled. He shivered violently, quickly straightened his posture, and assumed the dignified, immortal demeanor befitting a Sage. Hands behind his back, he gazed arrogantly at the trembling Vishnu and smiled, “Alright, jokes are fine, but let’s not take them seriously, everyone. This Holy Monarch would never pick roadside flowers; how can a wild flower compare to a home-grown one?”

Fúyā-Míng let out a satisfied cold snort from within the formation of Heavenly Soldiers. The Sun Primordial Spirit breathed a sigh of relief, pointed at Vishnu, and chuckled, “Alright, enough nonsense, let’s settle this under our battle array! Hey, Vishnu, I have the Eighteen Thousand Layers of the Heavenly Net Grand Array here. Do you dare enter the array to fight me?”

Behind him, hundreds of millions of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals roared in unison. Countless banners spun and whirled across the sky. A dais woven from green grass rose in mid-air, upon which Fúyā-Míng, wielding the seamlessly crafted Seven-Jewel Sword, sat enthroned. Before her lay a golden bowl haphazardly stuck with hundreds of tiny spirit flags. Fúyā-Míng grasped the flags and tossed them around, causing the countless Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to disperse according to the flags’ trajectories. In the blink of an eye, the menacing Heavenly Net Grand Array was perfectly established.

The Asura Heavenly Soldiers behind Vishnu glanced at the solemn and strictly ordered array before them, and fear began to show on their faces.

Whether Celestial Gods, Asuras, or the guardian forces of the heavens, their troops were better suited for individual combat. When it came to array warfare, the myriad soldiers brought by Vishnu were truly no match for the well-trained Heavenly Soldiers of the Heavenly Court.

Gazing at the array ahead, Vishnu became enraged. Knowing full well the limitations of his troops, Vishnu recklessly jumped up, pointing at the Sun Primordial Spirit standing at the entrance of the Heavenly Net Grand Array, launching into a torrent of curses.

“I have uncovered your origins! Your Nine Nether Way, is it not merely a surviving branch of the [Sect Name] religion? A path of immortality cultivated by beasts clad in fur and armor—you do not cherish fortune but rather engage in warfare against the Heavenly Soldiers! This is a capital offense!” As he got carried away, Vishnu spoke wildly without regard for sense. “Venerable Evil Dragon, if you are a man of mettle, come out and meet me to settle the score, determine victory or defeat. If I win, you simply hand over Pṛthivī. If I lose, I will turn around and leave without another word.”

“Do not think that the so-called Heavenly Net Grand Array you set up can defy the destiny woven by the Heavenly Dao. Back then, how grand was the momentum and prestige of your Interception Sect? You set up the Ten Ultimate Arrays, the Myriad Immortals Array, the Immortal Execution Sword Array, and other wicked formations, even with the Direct Heavenly Lord personally taking action—and what was the result? The Direct Heavenly Lord ended up with his sect ruined and himself destroyed, and the Interception Sect ended up with nothing, its disciples scattered like birds and beasts. Can a mere array stop us?”

Vishnu genuinely did not wish to charge into the Heavenly Net Grand Array; having his Great Fish avatar slain previously, he had already experienced the array’s might. Therefore, he was entirely focused on inciting the Sun Primordial Spirit’s competitive nature, trying his utmost to provoke him into a one-on-one duel.

To provoke the Sun Primordial Spirit, Vishnu even dredged up old grudges from the ancient Investiture of the Gods calamity, speaking with overt disrespect toward the Direct Heavenly Lord.

The Sun Primordial Spirit watched Vishnu with an impassive gaze.

The Nine Nether Way was indeed a descendant of the Interception Sect, but how many generations ago was that? The disciples of the Nine Nether Way today did not feel they had any great connection to the once-mighty Interception Sect of ancient times; the Nine Nether Way had not inherited the Interception Sect's orthodox doctrine!

However, a certain person observing from the void, enjoying the spectacle and having no intention of interfering, was provoked. It was bad enough that Vishnu’s vile, insidious words touched upon the Interception Sect—the fact that the Interception Sect was annihilated back then was a clear loss with nothing to argue against. But to dare speak ill of the Direct Heavenly Lord—that was truly unforgivable!

Suddenly, a mass of black qi shot forth from the void. A black long banner, trailing six long, strangely shaped tails upon which countless bizarre runes were drawn, tore through space and flew out. A fair, smooth palm, as if carved from white jade, gripped the long banner and violently shook it just above Vishnu’s head. With this shake, six streams of black qi shot out from the banner, striking Vishnu’s body directly.

Vishnu’s eyes flew wide as if he had seen a ghost, and he let out a sharp scream. The treasures lights surrounding his body instantly scattered, and the illusory forms of celestial gods around him vanished without a trace. His every pore seemed to open like a faucet, continuously spewing great torrents of golden blood. Seeing all the signs of the Five Decays of Heaven manifest simultaneously on Vishnu, the Asura Heavenly Soldiers and guardian gods like Chāmundā and Fúyā behind him also shrieked in terror.

In just one strike, Vishnu was beaten to the brink of death. Without a word, two clusters of flame erupted beneath his feet, cradling two lotus flowers, as he hastily shielded himself and fled rapidly into the distance. As he fled, blood continued to pour from Vishnu’s body, and wisps of auspicious clouds spewed from his seven orifices, within which various divine forms of the celestial gods materialized.

These divine forms were condensations of Vishnu’s vital essence, spirit, and mind (Jīng Qì Shén). The more divine forms that flew out, the more his Primordial Spirit suffered loss. But now, focused only on escaping with his life, Vishnu had no time to stop this tidal flow of his essence, spirit, and mind!

From afar, Vishnu’s exasperated roar was heard, angrily shouting at the Sun Primordial Spirit: “Shameless, vulgar, despicable! If one person in the Three Realms is the most shameless, it is you! How audacious! To use such an Innate Supreme Treasure to ambush and injure someone—Heavens! Is an Innate Supreme Treasure meant for delivering sneak attacks?”

Then came Vishnu’s indignant roar: “I am not convinced! I will not let this matter rest! Once I recover my divine body, once I recover my full, true strength, I will compete with you again!”

Chāmundā, Fúyā, and the other guardian celestials who had followed Vishnu to the Spiral Star Domain to cause trouble looked at each other, then simultaneously shouted and turned, escaping rapidly on their clouds of light.

The Sun Primordial Spirit did not order a pursuit, nor did he use his divine power to slaughter some Asura Heavenly Soldiers. He merely stared intently at the six-tailed long banner suspended in mid-air and asked hesitantly, “The Six Soul Banner? The Direct Heavenly Lord’s ultimate secret treasure for overcoming enemies?” The Six Soul Banner swayed hesitantly, and Daoist Wuyun revealed his form from the void.

Squinting at Gu Xiechen, Daoist Wuyun chuckled softly, “Oh my, I’ve been recognized? I was planning to just watch the show, but it seems I have to intervene… However, lad, Vishnu isn’t so easily dealt with. The one who came this time was neither his true body nor his strongest power.”

The Sun Primordial Spirit fixed his gaze on the Six Soul Banner in Daoist Wuyun’s hand and muttered, hands behind his back, “What a treasure. A pity it’s in your hands.” Daoist Wuyun squinted and smiled, “Naturally, it’s in the old Daoist’s hands; otherwise, whose hands should it be in?” The Sun Primordial Spirit snorted coldly and suddenly exploded forward with a punch aimed at Daoist Wuyun’s head.

The Sun Primordial Spirit roared, “Heavenly treasures belong to the virtuous! Since the Direct Heavenly Lord no longer wants the Six Soul Banner, whoever has the bigger fist claims it!” The heavy fist whistled, trailing a streak of pitch-black Solar Primordial Fire, surging toward Daoist Wuyun’s heart.

Daoist Wuyun let out a chuckle, clenched his own fist just as tightly, and smashed a fierce punch toward the Sun Primordial Spirit. He also spoke as if to himself, “That’s reasonable, but who said the Six Soul Banner has no owner?”

The Sun Primordial Spirit intended a sneak attack, and Daoist Wuyun intended to test the Sun Primordial Spirit’s strength. Their fists struck each other’s chests almost simultaneously.

With a massive boom, the Sun Primordial Spirit coughed up blood and was sent flying backward, smashing into the dense, boundless stellar energy of the Spiral Star Domain, kicking up vast sprays of silver-white light curtains and mist.

Not taking the Sun Primordial Spirit seriously and being somewhat overconfident, Daoist Wuyun let out a muffled grunt, and sparks simultaneously spurted from his seven orifices. His robes instantly burned to ash and scattered with a hualā sound. Daoist Wuyun turned and fled without a word. A great roar burst forth from the Spiral Star Domain as the Sun Primordial Spirit, engulfed in towering flames, shot up into the air.

He stared blankly at the retreating, utterly naked, and disheveled figure of Daoist Wuyun, frowning deeply.

An entity that withstood his full-power strike, one that survived being attacked by the Solar Primordial Fire—the foremost pure Yang flame of the Innate—and emerged nearly unscathed could not be an immortal from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths or the Mortal Realm. This had to be a top-tier expert at the Primordial Chaos level! Who was he? Gu Xiechen’s memories of the Tai Yin True Lord did not contain any Primordial Chaos level master resembling Daoist Wuyun.

Could he be a disciple under the Direct Heavenly Lord? If so, who could he be? He was not traveling with Daoist Xuandu or Yun Zhongzi, but seemed to be deliberately avoiding them. What was he trying to accomplish? The Sun Primordial Spirit furrowed his brow.

Suddenly, he tossed out the Nine Dragon Heaven-Connecting Ladder. A golden light shot toward the sky, and before long, the Corpse Emperor descended rapidly from the void as a streak of black light. The Corpse Emperor roared with laughter, “Alright, alright! That fellow asked me to tell you he’ll be back in a while!” Just as the Corpse Emperor finished speaking, the stellar array within the Spiral Star Domain began to churn rapidly. Dozens of powerful divine senses instantly spread across the surrounding star domains: the Innate Star Lords were signaling that the Auspicious Heavenly Maiden had infiltrated the Nine Nether Palace, severely wounded Mo Yue Long Gen, and forcibly abducted Pṛthivī. The Circulating Heavens Star Array was exerting its full power to seal the void and intercept the Auspicious Heavenly Maiden. The Sun Primordial Spirit and the Corpse Emperor exchanged a glance, roared in unison, and furiously charged back into the Spiral Star Domain. That Auspicious Heavenly Maiden was truly relentless! This time, they certainly would not let her off easily!