A million threads of Chaos-Genesis Thunder erupted simultaneously, instantly reducing a section of the Dongyuan Huaying Heavenly Realm to primordial chaos.

The earth dissolved, the sky shattered; as far as the eye could see, the expanse was nothing but rolling clouds of black and crimson. Streams of high-pressure, high-heat, high-radiation energy swept through the surroundings, forcing the massive Three-Linked City back tens of thousands of miles. All beings present, save for a few supreme powerhouses, were utterly annihilated.

Fortunately, Indra and the others, leading the Guardian Heavens, had slipped away in advance; only thirty percent of the rearguard warriors among the Guardians were reduced to ash.

However, the elite immortals cultivated so painstakingly over many years by the Grand Master Xuandu and his two companions—those whom he had personally instructed in the profound essence of the Great Dao and guided in cultivation methods, pouring out their very life force—were all utterly destroyed in the great explosion.

Thousands of Grand Unity Golden Immortals, tens of millions of Great Unity Golden Immortals, countless high-tier Golden Immortals, and numerous Heavenly Immortals with promising futures—the Chaos-Genesis Thunder burst forth, and in an instant, every one of them vanished into thin smoke without a trace.

The Grand Master Xuandu's heart felt as if it were being twisted by knives. By nature, he was sincere and pure. Having lived alongside these immortals day and night for years, even though they were not direct descendants of the Three Pure Ones but rather outer disciples who had later aligned themselves with the Three Pure Ones’ sect, he had nonetheless forged deep emotional bonds with them over time.

Yet, right before his eyes, these immortals were blasted into oblivion, their bones turned to dust and their souls scattered to the winds—truly, how could this indignity be borne?

Above his head, a spire of pure qi shot toward the heavens. Within this qi, a seventy-two-story Glazed Pagoda, glowing with purple-gold light that radiated ten thousand feet, whirled into existence. The pagoda was entirely clear and translucent, utterly devoid of ornamental patterns, possessing an extreme degree of ancient simplicity. The moment the pagoda appeared, the surrounding chaotic space, which had been violently torn apart, suddenly stuttered to a halt. The energies of the chaotic waters, fire, wind, and primordial mist were constrained by an invisible, immense force and swiftly returned to tranquility.

With a cold sneer, the Grand Master Xuandu gazed upon the dumbfounded triumvirate of the Great Brahma Heaven and scoffed, “Self-inflicted ruin is inescapable!”

With a casual beckoning motion toward the void, a brush of pristine white and vibrant clarity materialized in the Grand Master Xuandu’s hand. He lightly tapped the brush against the void; the movement was like a mountain range erupting from the earth. The void instantly darkened, and a colossal mountain range, spanning hundreds of millions of li, violently formed within the chaotic energy. The mountain range then compressed violently, finally shrinking into a black pearl the size of a fist, which hurtled down toward the head of the Great Brahma Heaven.

The Great Brahma Heaven refused to be outdone. Raging flames ignited around his body as he raised his hands skyward in a gesture of supporting the heavens. He roared, “I am the Lord who creates all things! Everything between heaven and earth is born through my decree and subject to my control. In the name of the orthodox way of ‘Brahman,’ perish!”

The black pearl suddenly halted in the void. A series of sharp, cracking sounds was heard as countless fissures instantly spiderwebbed across the pearl’s surface.

Seeing that the pearl condensed from the great mountain was about to be destroyed by the Great Brahma Heaven’s magic, the Grand Master Xuandu smirked. His right hand, holding the brush, moved like a dragon or a serpent weaving through the air, sweeping effortlessly through the void with a single flourish. This movement carried the force of thunder, lightning, and a slicing sword.

Right before the Great Brahma Heaven, a brilliantly luminous Seven-Starred Dragon-Subduing Sword sprang into existence from thin air. Following the arc of the Grand Master’s brush, it fiercely cleaved across the Great Brahma Heaven’s abdomen. The sword radiated colorful splendor, and a biting wave of icy, chilling snow-light penetrated the Guardian Flames surrounding the Great Brahma Heaven, striking him directly. Immediately, a fountain of blood spurted forth as a three-foot-long gash split open his belly.

The Great Brahma Heaven let out a muffled groan, glaring intensely at the Grand Master Xuandu. His eyes grew hazy, and within their depths, the cycles of countless eons flashed by. Innumerable beauties who could overthrow nations perished amidst the towering flames and scarlet blood. Countless heroes fell in mountains of corpses and seas of gore. With but a single gaze, the Great Brahma Heaven forcibly evolved three thousand worlds within his eyes, successfully imprisoning a thread of the Grand Master Xuandu’s primordial spirit within them. The body of the Grand Master Xuandu staggered, and blood began to drip from his seven orifices.

A wisp of his primordial spirit had been forcibly absorbed by the Great Brahma Heaven into the illusory Three Thousand Worlds, instantly cycling through trillions of reincarnations. Countless sorrows, joys, separations, and affections surged forth, allowing the Heavenly Demons from beyond the heavens and the inner demons within his own body to rise unchecked and assault his spirit, shaking the foundation of his state of mind.

With only the power of a single glance, even the formidable magic of the Grand Master Xuandu nearly suffered a devastating blow within the Great Brahma Heaven’s Three Thousand Worlds.

Fortunately, the purple-gold Glazed Pagoda above his head shed fragments of pure light accompanied by ethereal celestial music, safeguarding his body. Narrowly, it shielded the Grand Master Xuandu’s spirit and soul before the demonic power could fully erupt.

This Glazed Pagoda possessed infinite might, seemingly a thousand times more powerful than the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda of the Supreme Pure Lord from ages past. When the Great Brahma Heaven’s attempt to covertly harm the Grand Master Xuandu with his primordial spirit failed, the immense, profound force contained within the luminous light rebounded, striking him. He immediately began to tremble violently, his internal organs shaking, and vast amounts of blood also spewed from his seven orifices.

In that single exchange, the Grand Master Xuandu’s spirit was wounded, and the Great Brahma Heaven’s spirit was also injured, while the latter bore a sword mark on his abdomen. Though the Grand Master Xuandu seemed to gain a slight advantage in appearance, neither side achieved a decisive victory.

However, the Great Brahma Heaven decisively led his direct immortal followers in a retreat toward the Three-Linked City. While the Grand Master Xuandu was protected by an exceptional treasure, the Great Brahma Heaven currently lacked such a congenital supreme artifact. He dared not press the fight to a deadly conclusion with the Grand Master Xuandu.

The Grand Master Xuandu also slowly began to fall back. The pagoda above his head cast down billions of beams of light; wherever it passed, the chaotic space immediately calmed. The Grand Master Xuandu valued his reputation. Having taken a hit from the Great Brahma Heaven’s dark magic, he recognized that the demonic arts of the Guardian Heavens had advanced greatly over the years, and their true cultivation might not be beneath his own. Unless absolutely necessary, he naturally preferred not to engage the Great Brahma Heaven in a battle to the death.

Vishnu let out a long laugh. Just as the Great Brahma Heaven and the Grand Master Xuandu were both pulling back, the wondrous Fire Wheel artifact in his hand shot out, unleashing rays of fiery light stretching for tens of thousands of li, which converged haphazardly upon Yun Zhongzi’s head. This strike shattered nearly half of the Dongyuan Huaying Heavenly Realm, instantly throwing the calm established by the Grand Master Xuandu in the chaotic waters, fire, and wind back into turmoil. Yun Zhongzi, with a displeased look, swiftly brought down a seemingly ordinary withered wooden staff toward Vishnu’s head.

The fire wheel and the wooden staff collided with a dull thud. Both Vishnu and Yun Zhongzi spat blood and staggered back. Vishnu’s innate divine artifact, the Wonderful View Fire Wheel, suffered a depression the size of a human head where the wooden staff struck. Simultaneously, a cavity the size of a human head materialized on Vishnu’s chest, and as he continuously vomited blood, fragments of his internal organs were expelled.

Yun Zhongzi’s wooden staff remained unharmed, still emitting a faint, lustrous aura—truly an exceptional treasure of superior quality. Compared to this staff, the quality of Vishnu’s fire wheel was inferior by more than three tiers! Yet, Vishnu’s demonic arts ran deep, and the strike from his fire wheel contained infinite profound mysteries. Yun Zhongzi felt his blood surge violently from the impact, and he too spat blood while rapidly retreating. The two exchanged a glance. Without a word, Vishnu retreated under the protection of his numerous divine guards. Yun Zhongzi’s expression darkened for a moment, then he smiled faintly and retreated upon his cloud chariot.

Zhao Gongming possessed the most unyielding character. Attacking simultaneously with the Grand Master Xuandu and Yun Zhongzi, his three hundred and sixty Sea-Calming Divine Pearls rained down indiscriminately, causing havoc among the countless demonic guard phantoms and spectral souls surrounding Shiva. Each pearl strike unleashed the power of a vast ocean; those struck had their bodies and souls utterly annihilated. Even with the blessing of Shiva’s divine power, these demonic specters could not withstand the assault.

The Guardian Heavens had already fled back to the Three-Linked City. The hundreds of thousands of demonic spirits and ghosts around Shiva were his core followers. But under the immense power of the Divine Pearls, these hundreds of thousands of confidantes were torn apart; a single pearl strike often scattered the souls of several thousand. Zhao Gongming, brandishing his golden whip, laughed wildly toward the heavens, as his three Corpse-God avatars gathered around him, each casting spells to enhance the power of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.

Shiva trembled with rage. The divine eye in the center of his brow opened, and the venomous snakes coiled around his neck angrily raised their heads, spewing torrents of toxic ichor toward Zhao Gongming. The bright jade ornament shaped like a crescent moon on Shiva’s chest emitted a dazzling green light, and an aura of insane destruction instantly enveloped the entire Dongyuan Huaying Heavenly Realm. Even the heavenly domains untouched by the Chaos-Genesis Thunder began to collapse abruptly.

Drawing forth his Bow of Destruction, an artifact that shook the Three Realms, Shiva lightly plucked the bowstring fashioned from the night of the world’s end. He glared grimly at Zhao Gongming and roared, “Black Tiger, Altar-Guardian Zhao Gongming, you have harmed my subordinates. Today, let us men of honor decide the victor!”

Zhao Gongming glanced at the Grand Master Xuandu and Yun Zhongzi, who were slowly receding amidst the chaotic storm. The heroic battle spirit of a Jie School disciple flared within him. He threw back his head and laughed: “Have you ever seen a Jie School disciple abandon the formation and flee?”

Clashing his twin golden whips together forcefully, Zhao Gongming boomed with laughter, “Shiva, come! Let me witness your renowned Bow of Destruction, which claims it can shatter the heavens and earth!”

Shiva smiled sinisterly. He beckoned toward the Three-Linked City. The Lunar God Soma, the Fire God Ashwini, and the Wealth God Kubera—three deities who had returned to the city walls and were peering out—suddenly shuddered. A strand of light, identical to their forms, flew out from their bodies, intertwined, and transformed into a golden arrow wreathed in flames. Swiftly, he fitted the arrow onto the bowstring. Shiva stared grimly at Zhao Gongming and sneered, “You truly refuse to flee?”

Zhao Gongming puffed out his chest, laughing robustly, “Who do you take me, Zhao Gongming of the Jie School, to be? I will flee? Even if all of you Guardian Heavens attack me at once, what have I to fear?” As he spoke these words, Zhao Gongming smugly glanced back at the Grand Master Xuandu and Yun Zhongzi.

Bound by Zhao Gongming’s words, the Grand Master Xuandu and Yun Zhongzi’s expressions shifted slightly. The two old Daoists smiled wryly and halted their retreat in the chaos, observing from several thousand li away. Protected by the Glazed Pagoda above the Grand Master Xuandu’s head, the chaotic waters, fire, and wind around them remained perfectly calm. In that boundless, disordered void, they had forcefully established a pocket of clear, beautiful world. Shiva grinned wickedly. He slowly drew back the long bowstring...

The void instantly darkened. The sun and moon appeared from nowhere overhead, mingling their light. A blood-colored rainbow illuminated the space, its sanguine glow inducing unease. Gradually, all the crimson light condensed upon Shiva’s arrow.

Zhao Gongming stood solemnly, chest thrust out. His golden whips flew from his hands, transforming into two coiling dragons circling before him. Vast swathes of golden light gradually solidified into a thick defensive shield before his chest. He and his three Corpse-God avatars continuously chanted incantations and struck seals into the shield, constantly reinforcing its defensive capabilities.

The three hundred and sixty Sea-Calming Divine Pearls transformed into a deep, vibrant azure light in the void, slowly coalescing into a massive, heavy ocean. The muffled roar of a tsunami could faintly be heard. The azure light-waves swept the surroundings, gradually stabilizing and pacifying the chaotic space torn open by the Chaos-Genesis Thunder.

Gu Xichen’s divine sense, unknowingly, had already spread across the entire battlefield. He smiled as he 'observed' the standoff between Shiva and Zhao Gongming. His true body rapidly performed hand seals, and the massive Chaos Bell above his primordial Chaos Spirit quietly rose, transforming into a streak of chaotic light that arrived directly above the void between Shiva and Zhao Gongming.

At this moment, the surroundings were a chaotic maelstrom of roaring, surging waters, fire, and wind. The chaotic light formed by the Chaos Bell merged perfectly into this very environment of water, fire, and wind, unnoticed even by powerful observers like the Great Brahma Heaven and the Grand Master Xuandu.

As the bowstring twanged, Shiva’s arrow, formed from the combined divine power of Soma, Ashwini, and Kubera, shot forth and instantly arrived before Zhao Gongming. The azure light above Zhao Gongming’s head also shifted abruptly; the nearly boundless azure ocean abruptly contracted into a ball of cyan light the size of a human head, which shot toward Shiva’s chest.

Two piercing shrieks echoed. The Corpse-God avatar of Zhao Gongming, resembling a wild man of the wilderness, was pierced through the chest, leaving a transparent hole, and gradually faded into semi-transparency before vanishing. Blood gushed ceaselessly from Zhao Gongming’s true body; his three Corpse-God spirits were severely wounded, and his main body suffered significant backlash.

Shiva fared little better. His chest was smashed inward, and streams of bloody plasma erupted as he was nearly flattened into a sheet of paper. His wife, the snow goddess Parvati, transformed into a streak of snow-light and rushed over, swiftly grabbing Shiva and flying toward the Three-Linked City. The Great Brahma Heaven and Vishnu exchanged a look and hurriedly retreated toward the Three-Linked City as well.

Zhao Gongming endured the pain, raised his fist, and fiercely waved it toward the Three-Linked City before his body swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Gongming managed to straighten his body. Without a word, he summoned his mount, the Black Tiger, and began to retreat backward. Blood plasma poured continuously from every pore of his body, dripping down and scattering across the heavens along his path.

The Grand Master Xuandu and Yun Zhongzi cautiously approached to meet him. The Grand Master Xuandu kept a wary eye on the direction of the Three-Linked City, while Yun Zhongzi pulled out medicinal pills for healing and administered them to Zhao Gongming. After panting for a long while, the continuous bleeding from Zhao Gongming’s body finally stopped. He sighed deeply and remarked with emotion, “The Bow of Destruction is indeed not to be underestimated.”

Before he could finish speaking, just as Zhao Gongming was about to reach out to recall the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls—the congenital supreme artifacts he had painstakingly sought out in the alien, new universe—a muffled sound of rattling came from the void. The three hundred and sixty Divine Pearls suddenly lifted up and were instantly swallowed by the gaping mouth that the Chaos Bell suddenly opened. Zhao Gongming froze for a moment. He frantically chanted spells and performed seals, but there was not a trace of the Divine Pearls’ aura left! Agitated, exasperated, and weakened by severe injury, Zhao Gongming suddenly spat a mouthful of blood and fainted looking up at the sky.

In the quiet chamber, Gu Xichen smiled as he toyed with the Chaos Bell. Inside the bell, wisps of saintly Chaos Power were transforming into impossibly sharp blade-lights that incessantly carved away at the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls. With every strike, a deep scar was etched onto the wisp of Zhao Gongming’s separated spirit residing within the core of the Divine Pearls. After only a few cuts, all aura within the Divine Pearls was completely scraped away by Gu Xichen. With a few low hums, Gu Xichen shook his head.

When the Grand Master Xuandu and his two companions first appeared before Gu Xichen, they had been so overwhelmingly superior; Gu Xichen had seemed utterly worthless in comparison.

But today, Gu Xichen had easily outmaneuvered them and stolen Zhao Gongming’s core life-preserving artifacts, yet they hadn't even realized who the assailant was.

Strength is the foundation; in these Three Realms, those with the biggest fists dictate the rules.

Gu Xichen deepened his understanding of this principle once more.

Next, the Guardian Heavens should be heading toward the Heavenly Court!

Gu Xichen felt a surge of anticipation for the mysterious, ancient Heavenly Court.