Vishnu seized the Celestial Seal held by the Haotian Shangdi, and a thread of divine consciousness shot into it.

The consciousness journeyed across a boundless sea of stars, enduring the assault of the Thirty-Three Heavens' fire and wind, and undergoing the baptism of thirty-three strands of purple and gold light. Ahead, in the limitless expanse, a small, exquisitely crafted hall, identical to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, materialized.

Vishnu’s consciousness strode boldly into the hall, where, at its center, stood a figure so blurred it seemed on the verge of dissolution. “This is but a sliver of a divine thought left behind by the Haotian Shangdi within the Great Seal, a wisp barely capable of overseeing the operation of all celestial palace restrictions, yet so weak it possesses no significant power.”

After all, the Haotian Shangdi had led countless Celestials and Immortals away from this realm to another universe to contend for opportunities; he could not afford to leave too much of his divine essence within the Seal, as it would directly impact his strength.

Thus, Vishnu effortlessly unleashed a stream of flame, annihilating this mere fragment of the Haotian Shangdi’s thought. He laughed triumphantly, standing precisely where the Haotian Shangdi had just stood—a circular Dragon Wall encircled by the Zhou Tian Star Chart and tightly woven by thirty-three golden dragons. With a wild cry directed at the heavens, Vishnu’s consciousness rapidly plunged into the Dragon Wall.

Under normal circumstances, the moment the Haotian Shangdi’s remnant was destroyed, all restrictions across the Thirty-Three Heavens would become vacant and uncontrolled. Vishnu merely needed to imprint a spark of consciousness into this Dragon Wall to gain absolute dominion over every restriction in the Thirty-Three Heavens. Especially since the restrictions within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall were personally laid down by Patriarch Hongjun; even a Saint, if ensnared by them, would end up severely wounded and forced to flee.

However, the instant Vishnu’s thread of consciousness entered the Dragon Wall, it encountered an immense, boundless repulsive force. All the restrictions of the Thirty-Three Heavens rejected Vishnu’s entry, as if they were already under someone else’s command. Though he held the ultimate control nexus of the Celestial Palace in his hand, this nexus was not inherently his; he couldn't command it immediately. Great beads of cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and Vishnu's expression turned exceedingly grim.

The Jixiang Tiannü, who had been laughing maniacally, stopped mid-chuckle. She stared blankly at Vishnu and asked, “What is it?”

Vishnu trembled slightly, murmuring in a low voice, “Buy me a quarter of an hour. All the restrictions in the Celestial Palace are under someone else’s control. Even though I hold this Seal, I still need a quarter of an hour to recover complete control over the Celestial Palace.”

If the Haotian Shangdi himself were present, even if other Celestials and Sages had seized control of the palace restrictions, the moment he touched this Seal, he could instantly reclaim dominion over the entire Celestial Palace. This Seal was originally a natal artifact tailor-made for the Haotian Shangdi by Patriarch Hongjun, the control core of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

But as an outsider, even if Vishnu held the Seal, reclaiming full control over the Celestial Palace would require a quarter of an hour!

The expression of the Jixiang Tiannü immediately changed; she understood the implication of Vishnu’s words. An unpredictable variable had emerged; this was not what they had anticipated, and Vishnu could not secure control in a short time. She had to buy him that quarter of an hour.

A drop of cold sweat slid slowly from the Jixiang Tiannü’s brow. She stared intently at the Grand Master Xuandu, the Great Brahma, and the others, stating firmly, “Retreat. You cannot harm me—!”

With a shift of her figure, vast swathes of seven-colored radiant glaze light erupted, and the space around the Jixiang Tiannü and Vishnu subtly transformed.

The Grand Master Xuandu, Yunzhongzi, and Zhao Gongming, who had been watching Vishnu’s palm holding the Seal with despair, were suddenly struck by ecstatic joy upon hearing the conversation between Vishnu and the Jixiang Tiannü. The Grand Master Xuandu exclaimed, “There is still a glimmer of hope! For the time it takes to brew tea, we must focus all our power to destroy the Jixiang Tiannü!”

For the Grand Master Xuandu, known for his moral rectitude, to utter such fiercely murderous words demonstrated the boundless greed and killing intent that the opportunity for sainthood had ignited within him.

Anyone who dared stand in the current path of the Grand Master Xuandu would surely meet destruction, irrespective of divine or sacred status; there would be no room for parley.

Yunzhongzi let out a cold snort, and the long sword in his hand transformed into a white Flood Dragon, shooting forth with a flash of white light directly toward the Jixiang Tiannü’s heart.

Zhao Gongming roared in fury, casually waving a purplish-gold Fangtian halberd, which morphed into a fierce, charging tiger that shot out. The Grand Master Xuandu, meanwhile, held his jade brush and lightly touched the void with a single stroke.

With that single touch, the altered space surrounding the Jixiang Tiannü instantly shattered. The white Flood Dragon seized the opening and pierced the Jixiang Tiannü’s heart. The fierce tiger created by Zhao Gongming’s halberd swept past her slender form with a furious gust, inflicting numerous cuts deep enough to expose bone upon her graceful body.

Great gouts of blood sprayed from the Jixiang Tiannü, and she let out a scream of excruciating pain. The Innate Supreme Treasures wielded by Yunzhongzi and Zhao Gongming had not only ravaged her physical body but also wounded her soul; she felt her Primordial Spirit torn into countless fragments, and even her avatars shattered, unable to maintain their complete forms. In a single strike, the Jixiang Tiannü was gravely wounded, near death. Vishnu, still grasping the Seal, showed a flicker of alarm. He glanced anxiously at the Jixiang Tiannü but did not move an inch.

The Jixiang Tiannü staggered back a few steps, her voice cold: “Vishnu, ignore me! They are using Innate Supreme Treasures from that other universe; their power is overwhelming. My innate divine abilities cannot stop them!”

The Innate Supreme Treasures from another universe obeyed different Great Dao rules, and that universe existed on a higher plane than their own, meaning the power of its Heavenly Law was far mightier. Consequently, the void conjured by the Jixiang Tiannü was shattered by a single blow, offering no defense whatsoever.

She possessed other means to counter, as the Jixiang Tiannü was never skilled in direct combat; her true talent lay in traversing the void, unbound by any restriction or spell. Forcing her to defend against the combined assault of the three was too great a strain. Yet, she could not use her abilities to flee now; she had to stand before Vishnu. One quarter of an hour—that brief span was all Vishnu needed to seize everything.

Footsteps sounded as the Great Brahma, Shiva, and the other Guardian Devas rushed into the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Along the way, the restrictions laid by the Sages had been completely neutralized by the Grand Master Xuandu’s Grand Purity Talismans, and the restrictions within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall had not been activated, allowing them to follow closely behind the aged Daoists into the hall unharmed.

Staring fixedly at Vishnu and the Jixiang Tiannü standing by the throne, the Great Brahma suddenly let out a strange laugh: “So, all these years, the struggles and conflicts between you two have merely been a performance for us! Akshmi, you truly deserve death!”

Shiva shrieked, “Vishnu, you are a Triune Spirit alongside us! Do you intend to hoard everything?”

Indra shouted, “How shameless! Jixiang Tiannü, you pretended to expend all your energy hiding in seclusion, only to bring Vishnu here to the hall. You are too shameless... You deserve punishment, Jixiang Tiannü, you deserve my harshest punishment!”

Seeing Vishnu stand opposed to the Great Brahma and Shiva, Indra finally mustered the courage to roar at Vishnu and the Jixiang Tiannü. Judging by his greenish gaze and the drool at the corner of his mouth, one could easily imagine the punishment awaiting the Jixiang Tiannü should she fall into his hands!

The Jixiang Tiannü retorted sharply, “Enough nonsense! For such an opportunity, the fewer who attain it, the better. This universe only needs two Saints; why should we share our spoils with you weak and incompetent trash?”

She glared at the Great Brahma and Shiva, roaring in anger, “I have endured your harassment and rudeness for years! When Vishnu and I become Saints, all of you will die! Great Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu will slay you and seize every secret you possess!”

The complexions of the Great Brahma and Shiva shifted slightly; the Jixiang Tiannü had touched upon their greatest fear.

It was true they were a Triune entity; precisely because of this unity, they could fuse their powers to become the legendary most powerful, ultimate Primal Man among the Guardian Devas—an existence as great as the Great Sage Pangu in their lore, possessing incomprehensible, miraculous power, overseeing all existence and annihilation in the cosmos. With a strange howl, the Great Brahma and Shiva launched their attack against the Jixiang Tiannü first. Following them, the Grand Master Xuandu, Yunzhongzi, and Zhao Gongming renewed their assault.

The body of the Jixiang Tiannü was instantly enveloped in a brilliant light; it seemed she was about to perish under the combined might of the Saints, Sages, and Immortals.

Gu Yechen finally could not watch any longer. With a long sigh, he ascended to the throne, kicked Vishnu flying with one foot, and swept the Jixiang Tiannü far away with a fold of his sleeve. The Chaos Bell materialized before him, and a pitch-black singularity erupted from thin air. A muffled bell chime rang out, striking the hearts of the Grand Master Xuandu and the others as if hammered, causing them to spit blood and retreat.

A chaotic spiritual light coiled out from the singularity. The jade brush of the Grand Master Xuandu, the flying sword of Yunzhongzi, the halberd of Zhao Gongming, and the splendidly magical weapons of the Great Brahma, Shiva, Indra, Pāpīyas, and others were all swallowed by that chaotic light into the Chaos Bell.

Pressing a palm onto the Great Seal floating in mid-air, a sliver of Gu Yechen’s divine thought injected into the Seal, instantly merging with the Dragon Wall within.

All restrictions across the Thirty-Three Heavens opened wide, welcoming the primal aura of Gu Yechen’s divine thought to settle within. In the blink of an eye, Gu Yechen gained complete mastery over everything in the Thirty-Three Heavens. Infinite information flooded into his Sea of Consciousness, merging with his Primordial Spirit.

With a soft sound, Gu Yechen’s chaotic Primordial Spirit stepped back, settling brazenly upon the former throne of the Haotian Shangdi.

The Chaos Bell hung suspended above his head, emitting ceaseless, deafening chimes. The high, clear peal spread across the Thirty-Three Heavens, shaking everyone else in the hall so that they tumbled and rolled across the floor like scattered gourds.

Countless figures flickered into existence within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall: Immortals clad in feathered robes and crowned with stars, Divine Generals adorned in dazzling armor, and Sages of myriad strange forms emerged, respectfully bowing to Gu Yechen in formation. “Your subordinate pays respects to the Supreme Venerable! May the Supreme Venerable live for ages without end!”

A heaven-shattering cheer erupted from every corner of the Thirty-Three Heavens. The massive ovation surged outward like a tide, pushing the three contiguous cities outside the South Heaven Gate tens of thousands of miles backward. Rays of auspicious light shot out from the South Heaven Gate, where the Four Heavenly Kings of the Mo family and numerous Heavenly Soldiers and Generals appeared below the gate. The Heaven and Earth Net Formation, combined with the Gate’s restrictions, guarded the area impenetrably.

Innumerable Heavenly Soldiers and Generals materialized in the void. From the first heaven, Taihuang Huangzeng Tian, all the way up to the highest heaven, Sanqing Tian, in the sky above every palace and pavilion, on every parade ground before every gate, countless Heavenly Soldiers and Generals revealed their forms. They arranged themselves in neat formations, kneeling in homage toward the Lingxiao Treasure Hall in the highest heaven, chanting repeatedly, "Supreme Venerable, endless longevity..."

Gu Yechen held the Great Seal, frantically absorbing the infinite Heavenly Dao rules transmitted from it, while smiling faintly at the crowd being battered by the bell chimes.

Endless Heavenly Dao mysteries flashed through Gu Yechen’s mind. These were the secrets of the Heavenly Dao that the Haotian Shangdi, who had controlled the Three Realms for countless eons, had comprehended himself. They included the essence of the Heavenly Dao privately imparted by Patriarch Hongjun as special instruction for the Haotian Shangdi, as well as the feedback on Heavenly Dao rules provided by the various administrative departments that constituted the Celestial Court.

Even with Gu Yechen’s current cultivation, absorbing and accommodating these Heavenly Dao rules caused him to reel, almost causing him to pass out.

From the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Dao contained in this Great Seal alone, it was evident that the true cultivation of the Haotian Shangdi was but a hair’s breadth away from Sainthood. This Haotian Shangdi had concealed his true depth profoundly, deeply, deeply.

Two graceful figures darted in from the main hall entrance. The Yin Primordial Spirit and the Yang Primordial Spirit transformed into two streams of light and merged into the chaotic Primordial Spirit. Instantly, the aura emanating from the chaotic Primordial Spirit grew stronger, an ancient, primordial aura gradually spreading from within, first filling the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, then expanding to encompass the Sanqing Tian, and subsequently diffusing throughout the entire Thirty-Three Heavens.

Gu Yechen’s true body slowly emerged from the secret chamber in the contiguous cities. A hazy spiritual light shot from his eyes, instantly illuminating the Thirty-Three Heavens. In a blink, he appeared in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. The chaotic Primordial Spirit rose and bowed to his true body. After Gu Yechen’s true body returned the bow, the two figures gradually approached and fused into one.

Seated on the throne, Gu Yechen’s true body, now unified with his Three Corpses Primordial Spirit, radiated an even denser primordial aura. Merely being brushed by this aura caused everyone in the hall to witness the evolution of the Primordial World, seeing countless illusions flicker into being within that presence.

Holding the Great Seal, Gu Yechen sensed the myriad Heavenly Dao laws emanating from it and nodded slightly: “So that is how it is. Patriarch Hongjun is merely an agent of the Heavenly Dao, and the portion of the Heavenly Dao he controls is incomplete.” “Hongjun is the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao is not Hongjun. The Heavenly Dao is complete; Hongjun is flawed.”

“Just as Brahma creates, Vishnu maintains, and Shiva destroys, Hongjun only controls one segment of the Heavenly Dao.”

With a sigh, Gu Yechen suddenly understood: that incomplete Heavenly Dao resided within the fallen Ancient Demon Gods.

The combined strength of those Ancient Demon Gods surpassed Hongjun’s. But how could those Ancient Demon Gods unite? Thus, Hongjun defeated them one by one. Consequently, once Hongjun controlled the Heavenly Dao, his disciples hunted the Demon Gods, forcing them to flee across the cosmos until they were killed, scattered, or sealed away.

The Three Thousand Great Daos taught by Hongjun were merely the three thousand derivations from the portion of the Heavenly Dao he had comprehended. As for the rules of Heaven and Earth represented by the other Demon Gods, they numbered far more than just the Three Thousand Daos.

It was only because Hongjun became the spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao that the Three Thousand Great Daos he established became the laws of the Three Realms, which no one could transcend.

Any path within these Three Thousand Dao Gates was a path tolerated by the Saints’ disciples. Even heterodox or minor paths were conditionally accepted by the Saints.

But any path beyond these Three Thousand Dao Gates was the Way of the Demonic Cultivator; once discovered by the Saints’ disciples, they would naturally be pursued and slain without mercy.

“Eliminating Demons and Guarding the Dao” referred to eliminating the ‘Demon’ represented by the Ancient Demon Gods and guarding the ‘Dao’ represented by Patriarch Hongjun. The struggle between Dao and Demon was nothing more than this.

Gu Yechen compared and cross-referenced the doctrines transmitted from the Great Seal with the Wheel of Law he had comprehended, instantly spawning infinite variations.

His cultivation and magical power soared continuously; it seemed his two feet were already treading within the Great Dao.

The Grand Master Xuandu, Yunzhongzi, and Zhao Gongming, who had been rolling around on the floor, shaken by the Chaos Bell, suddenly sprang up. They gazed at Gu Yechen, whose form was now shrouded in a hazy spiritual light, and sighed: “Just as the Three Saints predicted, there is indeed one who comes to disrupt things!” The Grand Master Xuandu looked at Gu Yechen and whispered, “Indeed, you are that anomaly. Even if—”

Yunzhongzi nodded: “If we eliminate him, we shall earn boundless merit, and then we can achieve Sainthood.” Zhao Gongming agreed: “Excellent! Before disposing of this worldly anomaly, we must first resolve these nuisances—”

Gu Yechen looked coldly at the three Daoists and sighed softly: “Anomaly? What anomaly? Am I the anomaly of Heaven and Earth? What a joke. You cannot tolerate my achieving Sainthood, so I become the anomaly you speak of.”

Shaking his head, Gu Yechen sneered dismissively: “Can’t you play a fresher trick than pinning false charges and accusations on someone?”

Innumerable Immortals and Sages in the hall burst into loud laughter simultaneously. They slowly turned around, fixing cold gazes upon the Grand Master Xuandu’s trio.

Waves of golden light and purple energy spontaneously erupted within the hall. All restrictions in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall fully activated, the immense pressure pinning the Guardian Devas to the ground, unable to move. A single ray of golden light shining upon these powerful Guardian Devas rendered their limbs weak and their energy drained, leaving them breathless.

However, the Grand Master Xuandu’s trio remained completely unaffected by the golden and purple radiance. They stared coldly at Gu Yechen and slowly drew a jade sword from their sleeves, one each.

The jade sword held by the Grand Master Xuandu was pale azure. The jade sword in Yunzhongzi’s hand was jade-white. The jade sword of Zhao Gongming was pale red.

As the three jade swords appeared, a faint, melodious sword chime rang out in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Unstoppable sword energy shot toward the heavens, shattering the hall’s restrictions until they could barely hold form.

The Grand Master Xuandu smiled faintly and waved his short jade sword, barely over a foot long. A sweep of elegant azure light passed over, and the heads of the Great Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, the Jixiang Tiannü, and all the other Guardian Devas flew off—in a single move, the most powerful leaders among the Guardian Devas were all slain.

Yunzhongzi lightly swept his white jade sword, unleashing countless extremely fine sword energies. The Immortals summoned by Gu Yechen in the hall were all struck in the abdomen, spitting blood as they collapsed, instantly paralyzed and unable to move.

Zhao Gongming smiled and nodded toward Gu Yechen. He casually pointed his sword toward Gu Yechen, unleashing a beam of red sword light as thick as a fist. Gu Yechen’s hair stood rigidly on end; he suddenly felt a fatal threat within that sword energy. The three Daoists laughed in unison: “How can the methods of Saints be predicted by you mortals?” They looked at Gu Yechen as if he were already a dead man! Gu Yechen, having fully absorbed and integrated all the Heavenly Dao rules from the Great Seal, casually tossed the Seal away. This Seal, personally refined by Hongjun Daoist and the artifact used by the Haotian Shangdi to control the Three Realms, was truly—the red sword light swept past, and the Great Seal quietly vanished without leaving a trace. Gu Yechen’s body suddenly stiffened, frozen just three feet away from the incoming sword light. (To be continued. For what happens next, please log on to... .com for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)