A shrill, miserable wail suddenly split the air.

A few unfortunate Asuras, laden with heaps of gold and jewels seized as spoils, were passing by the entrance of a courtyard. They happened upon the villains led by the Yellow Robe Dharma King. These direct disciples of Mahā from the Golden Bamboo Cave charged forward in great strides, unleashing a barrage of brutal beatings upon the Asuras until they were left broken, barely clinging to life, every last piece of loot thoroughly snatched by the thugs.

The Yellow Robe Dharma King and his retinue stood in the middle of the street, roaring with laughter. The surrounding Asuras and Ascetic Immortals glanced over, carefully skirting around them. In just these few days, this gang of villains, disguised as Asuras, had beaten their way across the entire district, making them known to every guardian deity; everyone now understood—this was a group of Asura heavyweights with the biggest fists, not to be trifled with. Deep within the courtyard, Qingyin and the other twenty-something nuns were weeping softly.

A few days prior, with the aid of Mahā and others, they had returned to their sect, only to find that the Asura army’s single assault had reduced all the elders of their lineage to mere dust; not a single strand of hair remained. The desolate and tragic sight following the defilement of their sect was truly unbearable. Seeing scenes a thousand times more terrifying than hell, the young nuns seemed to have matured considerably overnight.

They did not cause trouble, obediently following Mahā and the others into the Three-Linked City, diligently cultivating every day, single-mindedly devoted to revenge. Yet, occasionally, when memories of their deceased sect members and fellow disciples arose, they couldn't help but gather together for a good cry.

Mahā was quite pleased with this situation—-. A young girl, having lost her kin, was like a lone goose separated from the flock, precisely at the height of shock, her state of mind most pliable. With Mahā Master’s experience of mingling in the flower beds for millennia, these little nuns were surely within his easy reach, ready to offer themselves willingly? Hahahahaha, just offering a little affection daily and promising vengeance for their sect, this little one wouldn't escape.

His heart was practically bursting with joy, yet his face remained perfectly earnest, the few illusionary great heads he projected bearing expressions of deep sorrow.

Gently placing his hand upon Qingyin’s delicate, smooth, and small shoulders, Mahā spoke with weighty sincerity, “The departed are gone; those of us who remain must look forward. Junior Sister Qingyin, if you do not mind, call me Brother Mahā. The revenge for all our seniors shall rest upon my shoulders!”

Several other robust arms slammed down toward the ground, and Mahā sneered, “No matter who it is, anyone who dares make my Junior Sister Qingyin sad, I will utterly raze their stronghold and annihilate their entire lineage.”

Mahā’s illusory form was hideously warped, and his own cultivation was rooted in the Buddhist power of the Death lineage. As he erupted in fury, the death aura around him surged, demonic flames soared high, and in a shroud of blackness and white light, he enveloped himself in the guise of a three-headed demon king with a blue face and fangs—truly possessing immense deterrent power.

However, this grotesque deterrence, in the eyes of Qingyin and the young nuns, appeared utterly formidable and utterly reliable. They felt as if Mahā was an unmoving great mountain weathered by wind and rain, granting them a profound sense of security.

It wasn't just Qingyin; the other young nuns began to laugh too, chirping sweetly and brightly, calling out, “Brother Mahā!” Mahā was delighted. His eyes narrowed to slits; he found these shaven-headed little nuns unbearably cute, wishing he could gather them all into his arms for some intimate affection.

Of course, things couldn't be done that way. Not until Junior Sister Qingyin formally became the mother of Mahā Master's future children! Based on Mahā Master’s experience spanning millions of years in the gardens of dalliance, a little woman like Qingyin, once possessed, made to bear his children, would become irrevocably devoted to him. At that time… ah, a faint, glittering trail of drool appeared at the corner of Mahā's mouth.

Yet, Mahā felt a little strange himself. Previously, he had only favored modern city girls or noble ladies steeped in aristocratic air. How was it that after disguising himself as a monk in Polominitan Pālala Heaven for so many years, he had grown fond of nuns? Could it truly be that the environment shapes one’s life? Mahā pondered this question deeply.

Inside the Three-Linked City, the hundred thousand monastic soldiers of the Golden Bamboo Cave rampaged unchecked. Relying on their superior cultivation and conduct a hundred times more depraved than the Asuras, they harassed the guardian deities of this realm until they cried out incessantly. Never mind Yakshas, Rākṣasas, or Asuras—the true demons resided in men's hearts. Once these monks of the Golden Bamboo Cave appeared, every demon had to step aside.

One day they robbed an Asura; the next, they forcibly seized a Rākṣasī woman; the day after, they molested the beautiful wives of some Ascetic Immortals. These reverends caused endless unrest in this tier of the city, leading some guardian deities to gather and demand retribution.

But the strongest among these gathered guardians only possessed the cultivation of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal (Taiyi Jinxian), proving utterly fragile against these vicious monks and wicked nuns of the Golden Bamboo Cave, merely supplying the Buddhist scum with endless spoils. After a few such incidents, no one dared provoke this group anymore.

Gu Xichen focused entirely on comprehending the profound mysteries within the projection space, utterly unconcerned with the wrongdoings of these rascals. Consequently, in the end, Guo Hua, Siren, and even the Corpse Emperor enthusiastically joined the illicit activities of these monks and nuns from the Golden Bamboo Cave. Their targets for harassment and robbery expanded to the guardian deities of the upper and lower seven tiers of cities.

When the guardian deities plundered outside cultivators, this crew would rob the returning deities—a pure act of black-on-black predation.

Time flowed day by day. Another three years passed. Polominitan Pālala Heaven was devastated; its faithful were scattered everywhere, and all Buddhist cultivators, save those who had mysteriously vanished, were either slain or forcibly dragged back to the Three-Linked City. Everything of value within Polominitan Pālala Heaven was completely looted.

"Scraping the ground three feet deep" couldn't describe the actions of these guardian deities. They employed grand divine abilities and mighty magic, peeling back layers of rock miles deep beneath Polominitan Pālala Heaven, scouring everything in the depths for anything that caught their eye.

Polominitan Pālala Heaven groaned, while the Three-Linked City turned its sights toward the last vestiges of wealth in this celestial realm. The Three-Linked City ascended high into the sky, slowly floating thousands of miles above the ground.

The colossal body of Ducat—a marvelous physique forged from countless physical forms of the Three-Linked City inhabitants, merging mechanical, biological, and energy technology—emerged beneath the base of the city. His body began to writhe and reshape itself, finally transforming into tens of thousands of colossal tentacles, each hundreds of miles thick, slowly probing toward the ground. Each sleek tentacle plunged deeply into the earth, rapidly extending toward the deepest subterranean levels.

Strange brilliance manifested within these tentacles, while vast Braman mantras flashed rapidly within the energy envelopes of the appendages.

In the blink of an eye, the entire Polominitan Pālala Heaven suffered a massive upheaval, the earth shaking violently. The frequency and amplitude of the tremors accelerated rapidly. After only fifteen minutes, all the mountains of Polominitan Pālala Heaven collapsed simultaneously, the earth splitting open with countless fissures, and dense telluric energy surged toward the heavens like rain.

After about two hours, rock strata measuring hundreds of millions of miles in circumference vanished piece by piece. These rock layers were converted into energy by Ducat’s tentacles and sucked into the energy core of the Three-Linked City, becoming a source of magical power reserved by the city.

With this immense infusion of magical power, the Three-Linked City shone brightly across its three layers of gold, silver, and iron. Many massive magic arrays within the city, previously hidden and inactive, were activated. Colossal fluctuations of magical energy traveled far beyond, and the guardian deities cheered in ecstatic delight.

As these massive magic arrays ignited, the profound mysteries of the Three-Linked City became infinitely greater. The guardian deities felt the city they inhabited growing stronger and stronger, filling their hearts with boundless ambition: "With the Three-Linked City, perhaps even the Buddha himself need not be feared?"

Gradually, as the collapsing and annihilating strata widened, suddenly, everyone saw a brilliant ash-white color emerge beneath the bedrock of Polominitan Pālala Heaven. Judging by its shape, it seemed to be the structure of a finger bone, but what kind of finger bone could be so immense?

This finger bone was at least three trillion miles long and a trillion miles thick. To the naked eye, it appeared as a continent stretched beneath the bedrock of Polominitan Pālala Heaven; only by using divine sense could one discern it was a bone.

As the bedrock continued to collapse, more and more of the object underground was revealed. A finger bone, an entire bone, a section of finger bones, wrist bones, arm bones...

When nearly all the bedrock of Polominitan Pālala Heaven had collapsed and been destroyed, all entities within the Three-Linked City at the level of Great Overarching Golden Immortal (Daluo Jinxian) in the late stage could clearly see with their divine sense what was hidden below—it was a colossal white skeletal structure, nearly as large as the entire Polominitan Pālala Heaven.

This white skeleton was uniformly ash-white, radiating a massive, suffocating aura of Buddhist power. Countless inverted swastika Buddhist seals flickered indistinctly within the bones of this skeleton. A monk’s staff, broken into seven segments, floated near the skeleton’s hand, emitting intermittent blinding white light. Ducat’s tens of thousands of tentacles rapidly extended, swiftly coiling around this white skeleton.

This white skeleton seemed to have lost all sentience. As Ducat’s tentacles reached its surface, they began rapidly sucking out the massive power within it, yet it exhibited no reaction. Great clouds of demonic flames shot out from beneath the base of the Three-Linked City, illuminating the skeleton, frantically plundering the energy and vital essence within it, but the white skeleton remained motionless.

The power contained within this skeletal frame was too vast. The Three-Linked City and Ducat labored together for half a month drawing out the energy, yet the reserves within the skeleton showed no sign of depletion. However, the Three-Linked City had undergone dramatic changes. Its previously smooth, mirror-like walls had sprouted countless sharp spikes, several yards long and sharp as knives. Wisps of unparalleled sharp energy flowed back and forth across these spikes, producing a 'hissing' sound.

A somewhat simple-minded Rākṣasa giggled and reached out, intending to test the sharpness of these spikes. The moment his finger brushed against one spike, there was a sound of ripping, and the fellow instantly collapsed into a pile of raw flesh, as if struck by tens of thousands of knives.

Fortunately, the Three-Linked City was now infused with immense demonic energy, and large sheets of pure springs poured down from nowhere, quickly restoring the unfortunate Rākṣasa to normal.

The surrounding guardian deities all backed away several paces, daring no longer to casually touch these strange, newly manifested objects.

Guo Hua, the Corpse Emperor, and others also stood on the city walls, frowning as they gazed down at the massive white skeleton. The intense Buddhist aura, mixed with a terrifying death energy, left them deeply unsettled. What was the origin of this white skeleton? How could it possess such enormous power? If the Three-Linked City drained all the power from this skeleton, what would it become?

The Corpse Emperor and the others could not deduce the skeleton's origin, nor could they understand the ultimate purpose of the Three-Linked City extracting its power—was it merely to enhance the city’s defenses and magical reserves? Meanwhile, Gu Wuchen, deep in solitary meditation, began to smile.

Nothing in the world could be more coincidental. He had recently been intensely studying the Law Wheel of Devout Faith, and the Three-Linked City had just found him such a succulent piece of fat meat... He knew the origin of this white skeleton! Within the memories of the Great Evolution Fierce Sabers, Gu Wuchen understood the entire cause and effect of this white skeleton.

This was indeed the remains of one of the three hundred and sixty million ancient gods and demons from the Earth Source Star, a powerful being named the Undying Buddha, who was born with a skeletal Dharma aspect. He single-mindedly propagated his Undying Buddha Path among the myriad creatures of the Primordial Wilderness. The so-called Undying Buddha Path involved him cleansing the physical bodies of his believers, refining their bones into essence, discarding the flesh to preserve the bones, transforming them into existence akin to zombies. This was also a path of the Heavenly Dao, a branch lineage within the Great Dao of Life and Death.

The Undying Buddha, through his doctrine, managed to trick a considerable number of Primordial Wilderness beings into becoming his followers. A rough calculation showed that at its peak, he commanded hundreds of billions of disciples—how many disciples did the later Three Pure Ones claim combined?

It was easy to imagine how much power of faith these hundreds of billions of followers provided the Undying Buddha. However, the Undying Buddha did not use this faith power to forge a Boat of Faith to save himself or others. He simply adhered to the philosophy of 'One Power Breaks Ten Thousand Laws,' nurturing a 'Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl' in his Sea of Consciousness, relying solely on this pearl to cleave a clear path within the Heavenly Dao.

Later, when the three hundred and sixty million Primordial Demon Gods contended for opportunities, the lineage of Hongjun prevailed. Ninety-nine percent of the other Demon Gods perished; a small fortunate few fled to hide in the Chaos Space, while several unlucky ones, like the Great Netherworld King, were suppressed within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, their primal power evolving into a virtual space for the cultivation of Primordial-level experts and later immortals.

Gu Xichen had no interest in the Undying Buddha’s Dao arts or doctrines; unorthodox paths of cultivation were never his preference.

Nor was his vast magical cultivation the goal. Once Gu Wuchen achieved sainthood, his magical power would flow endlessly, with no worry of exhaustion. What need did he have for more magical power?

What he coveted was that Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl. A Spiritual Pearl that concentrated the faith power of hundreds of billions of devout believers, and these believers were powerful beings from the Primordial Wilderness, not the weak mortals of later ages. How immense would the power of faith contained in such a Spiritual Pearl be?

Even Saints possessed degrees of strength and weakness. The strength of a Saint lay in the foundation they established before achieving sainthood—ultimately, the strength of their Three Corpses Primordial Spirit. The firmer the foundation, the more Heavenly Dao principles they could grasp at the moment of ascension, and the greater the Heavenly Dao power they could borrow; naturally, the stronger that Saint would be. It must be known that at the instant of achieving sainthood, all Heavenly Dao principles are laid bare before the Saint; how much they can comprehend and attain depends entirely on the strength of their Primordial Spirit. If the Three Corpses Primordial Spirit is frail, then their speed and efficiency in comprehending the Heavenly Dao after becoming a Saint will naturally be far inferior to others. It is like a long-distance race: if you lose several body lengths at the starting line, the gap will only widen as you proceed.

It is precisely at the moment of achieving sainthood that all Heavenly Dao principles appear before the Saint unconditionally, and only linger briefly before melting back into the vast void. To glimpse the true face of the Heavenly Dao later requires the slow grinding effort of contemplation; where is the benefit of such ease as in that initial instant?

If, at the beginning of one's sainthood, the Three Corpses Primordial Spirit could be a hundred times stronger than others, one can imagine that this Saint's attainment would far surpass others. This is because the Heavenly Dao principles they command at the moment of ascension are a hundred times greater than those of other Saints. While subsequent slow comprehension might close the gap slightly, the one who seized the initiative will naturally maintain that advantage.

Why is Laozi Li Er the strongest among the Saints? Isn't it because he comprehended the technique of 'One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones'? At the moment of his ascension, his Primordial Spirit far exceeded that of the other Saints, thus enabling him to command more Heavenly Dao power than the others?

Having grasped this principle, Gu Wuchen smiled faintly, his divine sense silently tearing through the void, penetrating directly into the skull of the Undying Buddha.

The enormous skull was filled with endless ash-white Buddhist power. Within that viscous, ash-white ocean, a pearl, ten thousand miles in diameter, millions of times denser than Vajra, faintly circulating threads of pure light, quietly spun. This Spiritual Pearl, which radiated light yet refused to reveal it, continuously absorbed the surrounding ash-white Buddhist power, slowly refining it into a pure stream of Soul Origin Power.

With a light chuckle, the strength of the Quasi-Saint effortlessly removed this Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl, which had been tempered over countless eons, its accumulated faith power and soul origin power so vast it was terrifying. It was like a gentle breeze passing through the woods, disturbing not a single leaf or branch.

Once the Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl was spirited away by Gu Xichen's divine sense ripping through space, the vast power within the Undying Buddha immediately transformed from a fully battle-ready elite army into a mob of street thugs, instantly losing all ability to resist. The Three-Linked City and Ducat, working together, drained the Undying Buddha’s immense power in just seven days. The Three-Linked City blazed with light that illuminated the entire Polominitan Pālala Heaven.

The three great titans—Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu—along with countless guardian deities, cheered and rejoiced, believing the Three-Linked City had won an enormous prize.

Gu Xichen merely chuckled as he embedded the Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl directly into the center of the Law Wheel of Devout Faith. The power of the Law Wheel rotated silently. The Spiritual Pearl rapidly shrank at a visible rate, and immense, pure faith power and soul origin power continuously flooded into Gu Xichen’s self-divine sense and his Three Corpses Primordial Spirit. His Primordial Spirit power instantly surged several times over!

At Gu Xichen’s level, unless one became a Saint, advancing even a small step in Dao cultivation, magical power, or divine might was incredibly difficult. He had reached a certain bottleneck limit below the Saint realm; without achieving sainthood, this bottleneck was extremely hard to break. But once this bottleneck was broken, even without achieving sainthood, his cultivation would be sufficient to contend with a Saint. Once this bottleneck was shattered, and once he became a Saint, his attainment would surely shock heaven and earth, surpassing ordinary Saints.

Throughout the Three Realms, only Hongjun and Laozi Li Er had managed to break through this strength barrier before achieving sainthood. Primordial Heavenly Venerable did not, the Master of the Heavenly Sect did not, the Twin Saints of Buddhism did not, and the Sage Nüwa certainly did not.

With the aid of the Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl, Gu Xichen easily broke through this bottleneck. Now, his strength had suddenly increased severalfold. If he faced a Saint directly, vying only in terms of magical power and not Heavenly Dao divine abilities, he might not be at a disadvantage. Smiling triumphantly, Gu Wuchen devoted himself entirely to extracting the vast power within the Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl.

As for the cheering Brahmā and the others... well, if he had already sucked out the sweetest juice from the sugarcane, why should he bother reminding them when they chewed on the dregs for a momentary taste?

The moment the Myriad Thoughts Spiritual Pearl was touched by Gu Xichen’s Law Wheel of Devout Faith, Polominitan Pālala Heaven began to collapse entirely. Not only was the ground sinking, but the entire space began to collapse rapidly inward. In visible areas, the sky fractured into pieces, and boundless streams of Chaos Qi roared in through the fissures, instantly engulfing the entire celestial realm.

The demonic flames of the Three-Linked City blazed fiercely as it slowly ascended and advanced cautiously through the boundless Chaos Qi, passing through the now-Chaotic Polominitan Pālala Heaven without incident. Next came Wuxiang Wujie Wu'ai Tian (Unattached, Unbound, Unloving Heaven).

At the core of this celestial realm was sealed the physical body of another of the three hundred and sixty million Demon Gods from the Ancient Earth Source Star—the 'Chaos Heaven Demon Phoenix.'

The Three-Linked City greedily devoured the massive magical power within the Demon Phoenix, and the Phoenix’s consciousness source was also taken by Gu Xichen. His Primordial Spirit expanded several times again, reaching an almost inconceivable state. After that came Shangshang Chanshan Wuliangshou Tian (Supreme Goodness, Boundless Life Heaven).

Sealed within this celestial realm was the 'Entwining Nine Demon Son' from among the three hundred and sixty million Demon Gods. Should the Entwining Nine Demon Son merge into one, he would represent yet another Law Wheel—the instinct of spring life burgeoning, where all things proliferate and flourish.

Having been tempered through countless aeons of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, the body of Gou Lian Jiu Mozi was nearly forged into a single entity, manifesting as a wondrous being of one body and nine heads. The fragmented Wheels of Law within them were also subtly merging, showing a distinct trend toward forming a complete Wheel of Law. The primordial memories of their nine innate Demon Gods had all been integrated into this Wheel of Law, which Gu Wuchen effortlessly claimed.

The strength of the Nascent Soul surged once more, reaching a level that astonished and startled Gu Wuchen himself.

The Nascent Soul avatars, forged from the power of the Nascent Soul, now possessed a strength capable of contending with Gu Wuchen’s own Pangu True Body. Gu Xichen was so stunned by this discovery that his eyes widened in disbelief; if this news were to spread, it would certainly terrify a vast number of beings—perhaps even shake a few Sages. Following this, they reached Gao Xu Qing Ming Tian.

Deep underground here was sealed the 'Liu Liu Star Sovereign' from the three hundred and sixty million Demon Gods. Thirty-six colossal bodies of the Liu Liu Star Sovereigns floated in the boundless void, their forms brilliantly illuminated by starlight, emanating an aura of terrible sharpness that dared not be met directly.

If the fragmented Wheels of Law within these Liu Liu Star Sovereigns could be unified, they would represent that singular, innate, sharp killing intent born from starlight and stellar power—embodying the Law of Slaughter governing the myriad stars of the cosmos. Gu Xichen seized the primordial consciousness of the Liu Liu Star Sovereigns, causing the power of his Nascent Soul to surge tenfold!

This time, the strength of his Three Corpses Nascent Souls surpassed the combined might of his current Pangu True Body plus the Profound Yellow Indestructible Body. When the Three Corpses Nascent Souls threw a punch at his main body, the avatars sustained no damage whatsoever, while Gu Wuchen’s physical body was blasted with several transparent, bloody rents. Reaching this juncture, Gu Xichen could not help but let out a booming laugh, happily commencing the next stage of his cultivation.

Since the Nascent Soul was already so formidable, the Taiyin Profound Pearl and the Taiyang Profound Pearl, which had merged with the Taiyin and Taiyang Nascent Souls, also became utterly indestructible. Gu Xichen carefully infused the Primordial Yang Qi and Primordial Yin Qi generated within his body into the two Profound Pearls, beginning the delicate process of transforming their essential nature.

Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang, their essence superior to Taiyin and Taiyang, were closer to the fundamental Dao of the Chaos World. If the Taiyin Nascent Soul and Taiyang Nascent Soul could be successfully transformed into the Primordial Yin Nascent Soul and Primordial Yang Nascent Soul, the might of Gu Xichen’s Three Corpses Nascent Souls would become even more esoteric and powerful. Should he achieve Sainthood with a mere thought, the potential and strength upon his ascension would be even more unimaginable. In the ancient past, the mysteries of Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang were secrets only accessed after the Sages had attained their exalted status.

Excellent, everything proceeded smoothly, with nothing happening beyond Gu Xichen’s control. As soon as the Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang Qi entered the Nascent Souls, it was like a nuclear chain reaction; the auras of the two great Primordial Souls rapidly began to transform, and the two Primordial Souls suddenly vanished into the void, their presence becoming difficult for ordinary sight and divine sense to detect.

As the Taiyin and Taiyang Primordial Souls transformed towards Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang, Gu Wuchen’s Chaos Nascent Soul gradually integrated the Primordial Yin and Yang, giving rise to true Chaos Saintly Power. In the blink of an eye, the Chaos Nascent Soul also melted into the void, rendering their presence beyond the perception of ordinary beings.

Even the aura of Gu Xichen’s main body became faint and elusive. Now, even if the Corpse Emperor were staring directly at Gu Xichen, if Gu Xichen chose not to reveal himself, the Emperor would be unable to discern the true form of his physique. Such supernatural abilities were gradually drawing close to the Dao itself.

Sanliancheng continued relentlessly to devastate realm after realm, frantically plundering the power of the Primordial Demon Gods sealed within those heavens.

The Immortals and cultivators in the various heavens either became slaves to Sanliancheng or were utterly annihilated. As Sanliancheng grew stronger, the strength of the Protector Deities also increased. They continuously performed sacrifices using the Immortals from the various heavens, thereby acquiring immense power.

Finally, when Sanliancheng destroyed the other heavens and began to advance upon Dongyuan Huayingsheng Tian, Indra, the weakest among the Protector Gods, successfully broke through to the peak realm of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal, becoming a top-tier powerhouse among them.

As for Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, they also seemed to have exploited the surging demonic power of Sanliancheng to break through certain restrictions, their complexion greatly improving.

Through massive and brutal sacrifices, the cultivation levels of the Protector Deities had all risen by one rank. The increasingly arrogant and overbearing Protector Heavens charged heroically into the last intact heaven, indulging in savage slaughter.

Pitiable were the Immortals of Dongyuan Huayingsheng Tian; like those in other heavens, the powerful overlords had secretly been subdued by the Nine Nether Dao, while a few other dominant figures had been secretly recruited by figures such as Wuyun Xian and Xuandu Grand Master.

The remaining Immortals, even the strongest among them, were only at the initial stage of the Golden Immortal realm—lacking miraculous abilities and powerful artifacts. Facing the ferocious Protector Heavens, they possessed absolutely no means of resistance. In a mere half a month, all the Immortals of Dongyuan Huayingsheng Tian were slaughtered, with only the mountain range where Xuandu Grand Master and others preached remaining untouched.

This expanse of several hundred thousand li of mountains and rivers had become the sole sanctuary in Dongyuan Huayingsheng Tian. Now, hundreds of billions of Protector Deities surrounded this area with greedy eyes, wishing only to rush in and turn everyone inside into minced meat.

It was not that these savage and tyrannical Protector Deities did not dare to charge in; it was simply that the restrictive formations Gu Wuchen had previously set up were too esoteric. Apart from Jixiang Tiannü, no one could enter this mountain range.

And Jixiang Tiannü, having suffered setbacks several times, was unwilling to recklessly venture into this mountain range again. She remained within the control core of Sanliancheng, utterly uninterested in external affairs, focusing solely on executing demonic arts to continuously enhance her own magical power.

The three giants—Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu—had no choice but to order a direct assault. However, as soon as their command was issued, Gu Wuchen in his quiet chamber sensed it. He quickly flicked his finger, completely eradicating the formations that had sealed off the mountain range. Boom! Billions of Protector Deities exhaled simultaneously, their collective sound turning into thunder that shook the region spanning hundreds of thousands of li into violent tremors.

Streams of spiritual light shot out from the central grotto-heaven of the mountains, and a voice fiercely rebuked, “Which evil spirits dare to seek death here?”

A Daoist priest appeared, clad in a water-and-fire Dao robe, wielding two golden whips, riding majestically upon a black tiger as he charged forward. Thousands of Grand Unity Golden Immortals and Great Unity Golden Immortals followed closely behind, their heads held high, smiles fixed on their faces. Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu happened to meet the Daoist riding the black tiger head-on.

Upon making eye contact, Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu were struck as if by lightning. They instinctively turned around and retreated, shouting as they walked, “This is a misunderstanding; we came here with no ill intentions whatsoever!”

Unexpectedly, the Daoist riding the black tiger also turned his tiger’s head back as soon as he saw the trio, laughing loudly as he retreated: “Hahahaha, it is indeed a misunderstanding; I must have been dazzled today. Alas, although this poor Daoist resembles Zhao Gongming in appearance, I am absolutely not Zhao Gongming, haha!”

The Protector Deities and the multitude of Daoists nearby were utterly bewildered. What was going on with their Great Lord Gods and their Preaching Master? After retreating a few steps, both sides suddenly snapped back to awareness.

Brahma turned back and roared fiercely, “Zhao Gongming! You all went to that place with the Three Pure Ones. Why have you returned? Could it be that the pact forged between the Three Pure Ones and the two Sages of Buddhism is nullified? You were to settle your scores there, leaving this world as a fallback route for the future, with no interference from either side!”

Shiva also shouted sternly, “Zhao Gongming, your appearance here means the Three Pure Ones have gone back on their word, violating the agreement with the two Sages of Buddhism!”

Vishnu remained silent, merely taking out his mystical 'Wonderful Sight' Fire Wheel, which could subdue the three realms, and coldly fixed his gaze upon Zhao Gongming.

Zhao Gongming snorted coldly and suddenly turned his tiger back, roaring with laughter, “So what if we broke our promise? You Protector Deities feigned death to escape, and this time I have caught you red-handed. If the two Sages of Buddhism learn that you are all alive and well, hehe…”

Brahma and the others were instantly alarmed, instinctively stepping forward a few paces. The rest of the Protector Deities roared collectively, charging forward aggressively for a short distance, shouting loudly, “Kill him! Kill this long-nosed old Daoist!”

Zhao Gongming glanced fearlessly at these Protector Deities, sneering proudly, “If you wish to kill this poor Daoist, then come forth! Heh, hehe, I’m not afraid to tell you, there are people from Buddhism here too, you…”

Vishnu interrupted Zhao Gongming, stating coldly, “Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Three Arhats of Subduing Dragons and Taming Tigers—those bald asses—have already been slain by us, completely annihilated. We know there are Buddhists here, but since they perished, why should we fear them?”

A sudden shock jolted Zhao Gongming, causing him to draw a sharp breath. He asked in disbelief, “They perished? Those three thieving monks, though their cultivation wasn't much, their skills in self-preservation and escape were quite genuine. They were actually… annihilated just like that?” Brahma and the others laughed coldly, nodding proudly, and slowly pressed forward a few steps.

Shiva spoke sinisterly, “Black Tiger Mystic Altar Zhao Gongming, if we were to sacrifice you, how much power would we gain!”

Zhao Gongming’s expression shifted slightly, and his hands tightened abruptly. A stream of profound light erupted from above his head. Three figures, identical in appearance to him—dressed respectively in armor, a Dao robe, and clothing made of leaves, bearing the appearance of a general, a Daoist, and a wild mountain man—emerged from the profound light: his Three Corpses Nascent Souls.

The Zhao Gongming dressed in armor gave a cold snort, casually sweeping his hand through the void, and a purple-gold Halberd of Heaven-Slaying, three zhang and six chi long, instantly materialized. As this halberd swung, starlight radiated, and a slight shake caused the sky to darken and the earth to dim; truly a fearsome Innate Supreme Treasure.

The Zhao Gongming disguised as a Daoist let out a hearty laugh, casually swinging forth a verdant sword that rippled like clear water, while in his other hand appeared a small, exquisite flower basket. Although this long sword and basket appeared simple, their casual swing could shake mountains and eclipse the sun and moon; they too were Innate Supreme Treasures.

As for the Zhao Gongming disguised as the wild mountain man, he laughed boisterously, and with every laugh, a ball of green light shot out from above his head. He laughed three hundred and sixty times consecutively, resulting in three hundred and sixty massive spheres of green light, the size of water vats, being shot out. Each of these three hundred and sixty spheres of green light shone brilliantly like the sun and moon, containing boundless power of water sources. The green light slowly rotated in the void, emitting a deafening roar like a tsunami, causing the surrounding Protector Deities to stagger unsteadily.

Except for those at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, all other Protector Deities swayed as if drunk after the appearance of these three hundred and sixty spheres of green light. This green light was clearly an Innate Supreme Treasure, and one of the very finest among them, containing endless esoteric mysteries. The faces of Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu turned pale, and they stared motionlessly at the jewel-encrusted Zhao Gongming, unable to utter a sound.

Zhao Gongming laughed loudly, “It is an unexpected joy to be able to return from that place. Now, witness the power of the three hundred and sixty Sea-Calming Divine Pearls I have newly acquired, originating from the Outer Realm New Universe!” Sea-Calming Divine Pearls? Three hundred and sixty of them?

During the God-Conferment Battle of yesteryear, Zhao Gongming wielded twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, which was enough to leave all the virtuous ones speechless. After so many years in that Outer Realm New Universe, he had actually obtained three hundred and sixty new Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, and judging purely by their momentum, each new pearl was a hundred times more powerful than the combined force of the original twenty-four! How was one supposed to compete with this? The complexions of Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu grew extremely grim; they were nearly spitting curses.

This monstrous Zhao Gongming, having had twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls taken by the means of Burning Lamp in the past, had instead found three hundred and sixty even more powerful ones. He was truly fated to possess the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls! The pearls nurtured by this universe belonged to him, and the pearls from that Outer Realm New Universe also belonged to him. How was anyone supposed to survive this?

The Sea-Calming Divine Pearls hung high in the heavens, causing the entire cosmos to take on a uniform hue of green light, as if one were trapped in an ultimate sea frontier, with nothing but water waves in sight.

Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu simultaneously retreated a step. Only they knew the terrifying nature of that Outer Realm New Universe, and the Innate Supreme Treasures nurtured there, especially those encompassing a certain rule of the Great Dao, were absolutely beyond mortal ability to resist.

Calculating the magical implements they possessed, the trio of Brahma almost wept. They had a few innate items themselves, but which one could compare to the sheer, perverted power of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls?

Indra, observing the battle from the sidelines, quietly led the Deities away from the conflict. As he slipped away, he muttered under his breath, “Poor souls. Fortunately, Moonlight Bodhisattva and the others inherited Buddhism’s traditionally ascetic tradition and did not obtain any highly potent Innate Supreme Treasures; otherwise, we truly wouldn’t stand a chance against them.”

The Fire God Ashani mumbled incoherently, “Indeed. Now it seems it’s best for those Buddhist bald donkeys to focus solely on pure cultivation. What use are external objects? What use are they! If they don't have these magical artifacts, it’s easier for us to smash their bald heads!”

The Death God Yama nodded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He wholeheartedly agreed with the views of the two Deities: “Therefore, the glorious tradition must be maintained. The tradition of the Buddhist bald donkeys being poor enough to have no pants must be preserved and carried forward! Ah, a monk who is destitute is always easier to deal with than a Daoist rolling in wealth!”

The Deities made a tactical retreat, and the Asuras were no fools either; after all, the Asuras and Deities shared a brotherly relationship. Seeing Indra slip away, the Asura Demon Kings immediately turned tail, not sparing a single extra glance at the three great leaders standing frozen in confrontation with Zhao Gongming.

Subsequently, the Rakshasas fled, and the Yakshas bolted too. The Kinnaras ran even faster. The Nagas and the Lóruṇā race fled no slower than anyone else. A series of furious gusts swept through, and apart from Brahma’s direct Immortal subordinates, Shiva’s close Demon God followers, and Vishnu’s personal divine guards, all the other Protector Deities had vanished completely. Zhao Gongming smiled gently, “What more would a few of you like to do?”

Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu looked at each other, about to speak, when another large surge of spiritual light burst out from the nearby grotto-dwelling.

Xuandu Grand Master and Yunzhongzi, leading numerous Immortals, swooped in. From a great distance, Xuandu Grand Master shouted sternly, “Junior Brother Gongming, do not let them escape! Hmph, the Protector Deities have defected; it is perfect timing for us to capture them and make them the new guardians of our Daoist Sect!” Brahma and the others trembled with rage. Did they have the destiny of being mere guardians? Just as they were about to curse Xuandu Grand Master, Gu Wuchen, from his quiet chamber, gave a sinister smile and snapped his fingers. The million Chaos Heaven-Opening Divine Thunders he had planted earlier erupted simultaneously, instantly plunging the world into sudden darkness.

Dongyuan Huayingsheng Tian shuddered violently, and a black mist spread in all directions, instantly obscuring the heavens and burying the earth in chaos. With the Divine Thunders unleashed, the numerous Immortals recruited by Zhao Gongming were instantly reduced to paste. Xuandu Grand Master, Yunzhongzi, and Zhao Gongming were furious, all attacking Brahma and the others. They were convinced this was all a conspiracy and trickery by the Protector Heavens.

Today’s chapter is just a small taste to quench the thirst; brothers, please forgive me. Normal updates will resume tomorrow, striving for over ten thousand characters daily. I have had personal matters to attend to these past few days; my apologies, truly sorry!

Also recommending: Book Title: Jia Zhai (Home Residence), Author: Yuan Aichen, Synopsis: Whoever offends me shall be punished, no matter how far they flee! - Statement by the Young Mistress Nangong, Book Number: 1chunshanbuaoyinf