On the road back to the First Line Star Abyss, Gu Xiechen had a quiet chamber prepared within the Triple City.

Inside the chamber, the blood-soaked Gu Xiechen managed to sit cross-legged, while his near-dead, pale-faced Three Corpse Primordial Spirit hovered behind him, occasionally spitting up mouthfuls of blood. The Primeval Heavenly Demon sat solemnly before Gu Xiechen, pressing his hands onto his chest, slowly drawing out thin strands of black blade light from the almost invisible scar there.

"This blade," the Primeval Heavenly Demon muttered to himself while healing Gu Xiechen, "is the vicious blade that slew the Pangu Great Sage of our former universe."

"Of course, it is also the same vicious blade that slaughtered nearly three hundred and sixty million ancient demon gods who shared the same origin as Hongjun back then."

Gu Xiechen silently circulated his profound arts, his inner Chaos Sacred Power gradually forcing the blade light out of his body, allowing the Primeval Heavenly Demon to slowly absorb it into his palms.

"It seems now that after slaying the Pangu Great Sage, that Outer Realm Pangu did not completely perish. A sliver of his true spirit must have merged into the vicious blade. Hongjun’s massacre of the Sages in this universe was certainly meant to be achieved with the blade's power, but unexpectedly, Hongjun himself became possessed by that true spirit first."

The Primeval Heavenly Demon used his wisdom to dissect the entire course of events, while Gu Xiechen cautiously touched the residual blade light on his chest with his divine sense, attempting to extract any useful information. The moment his divine sense connected with the light, countless illusions erupted in his Sea of Consciousness.

The first and most striking vision was the scene of the Outer Realm Pangu slaying the Pangu Great Sage of Gu Xiechen’s universe.

Gu Xiechen watched the intensely fierce battle with wide-eyed astonishment and admiration. When the vicious blade pierced Pangu’s chest, extinguishing his vitality, and Pangu’s death-throes countered by utterly scattering his opponent’s soul, Gu Xiechen couldn't help but clap his hands in awe.

This was followed by the process of Hongjun finding the vicious blade, using it to execute the three hundred and sixty million ancient demon gods, and seizing control of the Heavenly Dao Wheel.

Gu Xiechen was already intimately familiar with these events and skipped through them, too lazy to examine closely.

Next came the account of Hongjun bringing this blade into this universe, engaging in bloody combat with the innate Sages, and establishing the first foothold for the Dao Sect disciples in this realm. This allowed the disciples of the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti to gain a stable footing here.

But perhaps it was because the essence and blood contained within the Sages born of this universe held too much inherent quality, that after Hongjun slew these Sages, the vicious blade began to devour the essence of their blood and flesh, consuming their primordial spirits and souls, causing the lingering true spirit within the blade to grow stronger.

The sliver of true spirit, containing the life essence aura of that Outer Realm Pangu—whose foe was annihilated by Pangu’s final counterattack—had fortunately been preserved within the vicious blade. This true spirit was akin to human genetic code; though it held no consciousness, it retained all the physiological structures and inherent nature of that Outer Realm Pangu.

After the true spirit devoured the complete essence, flesh, blood, primordial spirit, and soul of fifteen Sages, it immediately turned against Hongjun, infiltrating his body without his awareness and beginning to alter his physical structure and the structure of his primordial spirit.

The Outer Realm Pangu was fiercely brutal, inherently cruel, bloodthirsty, and advocated for war and aggression—he was born purely for slaughter. Influenced by that true spirit, Hongjun gradually began transforming into the Outer Realm Pangu, becoming increasingly tyrannical and bloodthirsty.

Originally, in the campaign to conquer this universe, Hongjun had only targeted the Sages naturally spawned by this world. But as the true spirit increasingly merged with Hongjun’s primordial spirit and body, and as Hongjun became completely remodeled by that true spirit, he began attacking beings below the Sage level.

The culmination was a devastation where nothing survived; where Hongjun passed, not a blade of grass grew, not a creature was left alive. Every living thing—be they Sages or native Immortals, naturally formed spirit beasts or common wild animals—was utterly annihilated by Hongjun.

Eventually, Hongjun even began slaughtering his own Dao Sect disciples. On several occasions, he nearly struck down the Three Pure Ones and Jieyin and Zhunti with his blade.

The Three Pure Ones and Jieyin and Zhunti discerned Hongjun’s change, vaguely calculating the cause and effect. In their horror, these Sages decisively resolved to strike first. Taking advantage of an opportunity when they were jointly surrounding the last three Sages born of this universe, and while Hongjun was locked in combat with those three, the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti resolutely attacked, successfully ambushing Hongjun from behind.

Hongjun was severely wounded. The three native Sages perished, but their desperate counterattack also grievously injured the Three Pure Ones and the others.

Haotian, the Queen Mother, who was fiercely loyal to Hongjun, seized the moment to rescue him and fled far away.

Gu Xiechen slowly absorbed the residual aura within the blade light, shaking his head, unable to utter a word. The schemes of Sages, their intricate calculations, resulted in this outcome in the end. Perhaps it would have been better to remain contentedly in their original universe.

With a long sigh, the Chaos Sacred Power surged, completely expelling the blade light.

As the light shattered, Gu Xiechen felt a desire to destroy everything—a desire for destruction without purpose, purely for destruction’s sake. It was a near-mad craving, standing diametrically opposed to all living things. This was the true face of Hongjun’s vicious blade, and the true nature of that Outer Realm Pangu. Once Hongjun was completely assimilated by that true spirit, he too would become this existence driven to annihilate everything without reason.

His struggle for control over this universe was merely a quest to acquire enough energy to completely evolve Hongjun’s body into that of the Outer Realm Pangu. At that point, it would be equivalent to the perfect rebirth of that Outer Realm Pangu.

Spitting out a stream of blood, the flesh around the scar on Gu Xiechen’s chest writhed rapidly and healed completely.

Stroking his still faintly aching flesh, Gu Xiechen murmured in admiration, “Truly worthy of being the vicious blade that slew Pangu; this single strike nearly took my life. Hmph, with only a thousand years left, what should I do now?”

The Primeval Heavenly Demon pointed a finger. The Damaged Primeval Sun Pearl, Primeval Yin Pearl, and the Chaos Bell flew out from within the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit. The Primeval Heavenly Demon stated with a stern face, “The Three Corpse Primordial Spirit is damaged and will take tens of thousands of years to recover. Three vital artifacts have been pierced; where can you find matching treasures now? With such a massive weakening of strength and no ultimate treasures for protection, it’s difficult, difficult, difficult.”

Gazing at the three damaged primordial treasures, Gu Xiechen could only let out a helpless, heavy sigh.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Xiechen extended his hand. The Primeval Heavenly Demon placed his palm opposite Gu Xiechen’s. All of Gu Xiechen’s primordial power, his entire comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, and all the Heavenly Dao Imprints of the Primeval Heavenly Demon converged, seeking a solution within that endless mystery.

Thus, in the blink of an eye, three years passed in quiet contemplation.

Gu Xiechen and the Primeval Heavenly Demon opened their eyes simultaneously. The Primeval Heavenly Demon mused, “There is a degree of risk.”

Gu Xiechen shot him a look: “You are the greatest fiend between heaven and earth; are you still afraid of risk?”

With a cold snort, the Primeval Heavenly Demon grinned: “If we want to do it, we do it. Fear is not the way of the Primeval Heavenly Demon. Since we are one entity, if you aren't afraid of death, what am I afraid of? Isn't it just gambling with our lives? Am I afraid of a life gamble?”

Gu Xiechen laughed uproariously, slapping the Primeval Heavenly Demon’s body with force: “Well said! Isn't it just a life gamble? If we don’t risk it all now, we’ll either be killed by Hongjun or become his puppet, controlled at his whim—what difference is that from death?”

Amidst his booming laughter, Gu Xiechen transmitted his decision via divine sense, summoning Fuya Ming and the others inside.

After explaining his decision to the group, Gu Xiechen looked at his family, friends, and the pet Mo Qie Long Gen, and said in a low voice, “This matter is extremely perilous; I cannot guarantee success. If anyone is unwilling, you may seek refuge with Hongjun now; perhaps you can save your lives.”

Hearing Gu Xiechen’s words, the Corpse Emperor’s immediate reaction was to deliver a kick, sneering, “Stop talking nonsense. Let’s do it. You can kill this Lord, but forcing this Lord to live subserviently is impossible!”

Ruhua, Siren, and the others did not speak, but all of them offered Gu Xiechen smiles filled with trust, encouragement, and the pride of those who would never submit to fate or be manipulated.

Gu Xiechen nodded. He glanced at those beside him, suddenly transforming into a streak of brilliant light that shot into the sky, arriving at the boundary where this universe met the Chaos Space. At this moment, Gu Xiechen and his group were constrained by this universe’s Heavenly Dao. They could temporarily leave this universe to enter the Chaos Space, but the distance they could travel in or out was strictly limited to one million li; otherwise, they would be immediately pulled back to their original location by the power of the Heavenly Dao.

Compared to their former universe, the Chaos Space surrounding it was as calm and peaceful as a safe harbor. The Chaos Space surrounding this current universe, however, was an ocean roiling with erupting volcanoes and surging tsunamis.

Fearsome and abnormal Chaos Beasts could be seen fighting each other everywhere, and terrifying energy storms raged constantly. As far as the eye could see, the murky gray expanse was filled with countless massive vortices, each large enough to swallow hundreds of star domains. These vortices constantly collided and consumed each other, and the energy tides released when one occasionally collapsed were enough to severely injure Gu Xiechen and the others.

Gazing at the terrifying, chaotic world around them, Gu Xiechen casually chose a spot to stand and smiled at Fuya Ming, “Thank you for your hardship.”

Fuya Ming smiled radiantly and shook her head, “It is nothing.”

The two exchanged a look and a smile. Fuya Ming spread her hands, releasing a hazy golden light containing thousands of Buddha Kingdoms. Each kingdom was vast, filled with countless believers ceaselessly reciting Buddhist scriptures, praising Fuya Ming’s Dharma name.

Gu Xiechen sighed softly, reaching out to grasp that ball of golden light, and a stream of fire erupted from his hands.

Fuya Ming trembled, cold sweat trickling down her forehead. She recited an incantation, and the thousands of Buddha Kingdoms began to rapidly converge. With immense divine power, she sought to fuse these kingdoms into one. The Primordial Sun Fire released by Gu Xiechen melted the edges of the kingdoms, assisting Fuya Ming’s secret art of integration.

In just three days, Fuya Ming’s thousands of Buddha Kingdoms were forcibly merged into a single entity. Gu Xiechen reached out and took Fuya Ming’s Buddha Kingdom from her palm. As the kingdom left her hand, Fuya Ming broke out in a sweat, and her cultivation suddenly dropped by about fifty percent.

The Three Corpse Primordial Spirit flew out of Gu Xiechen’s body and let out a soft cry. The Three Corpse Primordial Spirit, which Gu Xiechen had painstakingly cultivated for countless years to perfection, disintegrated, turning into three masses of chaotic mist that rushed into the Buddha Kingdom held in his palm. Instantly, the light within the Buddha Kingdom blazed, and hazy, dark clouds surged out, enveloping Gu Xiechen entirely.

The damaged three innate supreme treasures—the Primordial Sun Pearl, the Primeval Yin Pearl, and the Chaos Bell—flew up, likewise shattering into three streams of mist that merged into the entity.

Gu Xiechen cried out in pain. His body transformed into a black hole, ravenously plundering the surrounding Chaos Spiritual Qi. The Chaos Space immediately became chaotic, and boundless quantities of Chaos Spiritual Qi surged toward him. Even thousands of massive vortices were affected by the powerful attraction emanating from Gu Xiechen’s body, rapidly rushing toward this location. These vortices continuously rubbed and collided during their transit, releasing immeasurable spiritual energy.

This was the desperate gambit devised by Gu Xiechen and the Primeval Heavenly Demon.

Using Fuya Ming’s Buddha Kingdom as the foundation, the power of faith from countless believers as the adhesive, they fused Gu Xiechen’s damaged Three Corpse Primordial Spirit, and integrated the Primordial Sun Pearl, Primeval Yin Pearl, and the Chaos Bell—three supreme treasures that now possessed the power to govern a realm—to return to their origin and recast the Primordial Age, using infinite, immense force to perfect Gu Xiechen’s Pangu True Body.

Pangu, possessing the power of an entire realm within him, was capable of splitting heaven and earth.

Gu Xiechen’s Primordial Sun Pearl and Primeval Yin Pearl, after devouring the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearls, also possessed sufficient power to evolve into a realm. The Chaos Bell was the concrete manifestation of this universe’s Chaos Laws; although Hongjun called it a flawed product, the power it contained was definitely considerable.

In just ten years, Gu Xiechen fused the soul-origin power of the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit with the other energies, forming a power akin to a primordial spirit, yet distinct—a Yuan Ling power. The surrounding Chaos Spiritual Qi continued to pour in, and the hazy energy in Gu Xiechen’s hand grew stronger.

Glancing at the many exotic treasures he had wasted, and the sacrifice of the Three Corpse Primordial Spirit to condense this Yuan Ling power, Gu Xiechen shook his head with a sigh: “We aren’t far off now.”

He opened his mouth, and the Heavenly Dao Seal also flew into that mass of Yuan Ling energy.

He glanced at the Corpse Emperor and the others, then silently swallowed the mass of Yuan Ling energy. His body immediately began to writhe as the Yuan Ling energy continuously merged with his flesh, stimulating the Pangu True Blood hidden in his heart to multiply rapidly, gradually integrating into Gu Xiechen’s physical body and replacing his original form.

The Three Corpse Primordial Spirit destroyed, the vital artifacts shattered, everything returned to its origin, back to the core body.

This mass of Yuan Ling energy contained the power equivalent to an entire universe.

Only by eliminating everything external and retaining only the physical body could one truly transform into Pangu and recast the Pangu True Body.

When the original Pangu split heaven and earth, did he ever differentiate his primordial spirit to create the technique of ‘One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones’? Did the Pangu of that time possess any vital artifacts, or need to use any divine powers or spells? He relied solely on his incomparably powerful physical body to tear open the cosmos and evolve infinite void.

The Heavenly Dao Wheel materialized above Gu Xiechen’s head, accompanied by faint, fragmented pyramid-like phantoms hovering nearby. All the Heavenly Dao Laws Gu Xiechen comprehended continuously transformed into streams of spiritual light, merging into his body. With every stream assimilated, his aura grew stronger, and his physical body increased in height by eight hundred zhang.

Gradually, Gu Xiechen’s body swelled to a height of a thousand zhang.

However, his physical form could no longer bear the Yuan Ling energy. The strength of his body was insufficient, and the amount and speed of the external Chaos Spiritual Qi replenishment were too slow; his physical form could not continue to enhance!

The Yuan Ling energy contained the power of a whole world; only a sufficiently formidable physical body could merge with this Yuan Ling energy to truly manifest as Pangu.

After another hundred years of stalemate, Gu Xiechen’s cultivation made no further progress; he could not absorb even a single thread of the Yuan Ling energy.

The Corpse Emperor strode forward, forcefully slapping Gu Xiechen’s body, and boomed, “Well done, that’s my disciple!”

With a wave of his hand, the Corpse Emperor’s Three Corpse Primordial Spirit was destroyed, and ninety-nine percent of his vital essence blood, along with all his magical cultivation, transformed into a stream of chaotic energy that surged into Gu Xiechen’s body. Under the Corpse Emperor’s careful guidance, this immense power rapidly integrated into Gu Xiechen’s physique, enhancing his physical cultivation.

Because this power was willingly contributed by the Corpse Emperor, there was no resistance when this force merged with Gu Xiechen’s body.

Gu Xiechen’s body expanded another thousand zhang.

Ruhua stepped forward, shaking his head, clutching the crimson lacquer coffin he had just refined as his vital artifact, and sighed heavily, “Next time, you must personally forge me a coffin a thousand times more magnificent than this! One lifetime, two brothers, no need for more words!”

With a wave of his hand, Ruhua’s Three Corpse Primordial Spirit was destroyed, and ninety-nine percent of his vital essence blood, merged with his entire magical cultivation, poured into Gu Xiechen’s body.

Gu Xiechen’s body expanded another thousand zhang.

Next, Mahā leapt forward impatiently. He looked at Gu Xiechen’s colossal form and sneered, “Find Prajñā for me, beat him soundly, and ask him if he feels worthy of us, the brothers who bled together! Then, castrate that old bald donkey!”

Ruhua, looking dispirited while regulating his energy nearby, shivered suddenly upon hearing Mahā’s words. He looked at Mahā and laughed heartily, “That old bald donkey is your biological father; do you really intend to do that to him?”

Mahā’s face remained cold as he shook his head: “In my heart, I do not consider him my father!”

Primordial spirit destroyed, essence blood and magical power surged out wildly; Mahā gifted all the power he had cultivated over countless years to Gu Xiechen.

Like the Corpse Emperor and Ruhua, Mahā lost all his power, retaining only his insight into the Heavenly Dao. They lost their power today, but their Sage realm cultivation remained. Given enough time to slowly mend their vital energy, they could eventually regain their Sage strength.

However, they depleted their vital essence—and a Sage’s vital essence is not easily refined anew. Without a miraculous encounter, without tens of epochs, they would not expect to reach the Sage realm again after this loss.

After Mahā, Siren and Aridiya walked out side-by-side.

Aridiya gave Fuya Ming a slight smile.

Siren patted Gu Xiechen’s body and sighed heavily, “Our lives all depend on you now; work hard! Hmph, I don't want to die, nor do I want to be controlled like a slave. Freedom is much better!”

Together, the two unleashed their power, injecting their essence blood and magical cultivation into Gu Xiechen’s body once more.

Gu Xiechen’s physical body was now nearly ten thousand zhang tall, and the Yuan Ling energy within him was merging continuously with his body, carrying the power of an entire realm. But his body’s capacity was still insufficient; it could not yet contain the power of this entire world.

The Monkey and Yang Jian stepped forward. Yang Jian silently injected all his essence blood and magical power into Gu Xiechen’s body. The Monkey looked up at Gu Xiechen and shouted loudly, “Remember, capture that monkey head for me alive! When my cultivation recovers, I must challenge him to see who is the true self and who is the clone!”

Gu Xiechen looked down at the Monkey and nodded heavily: “Understood!”

One by one, the Sages who had been by Gu Xiechen’s side dedicated all their strength to him.

Finally, only Mo Qie Long Gen remained.

Rolling his eyes, Mo Qie Long Gen raised both hands to Gu Xiechen: “Remember, if any Sages perish this time, make sure to leave a few of their physical bodies for me… Ah, I can smell the fragrance on them, I can’t stop drooling!”

Gu Xiechen helplessly promised Mo Qie Long Gen. The creature strode forward to Gu Xiechen and offered up all of his own power.

What was surprising was that this creature’s vital essence was the most massive and purest of everyone present. His vital essence alone was nearly equal to the combined total of the Corpse Emperor, Ruhua, Siren, and Mahā.

Worthy of being an innate living being, worthy of being the Demon Dragon true form capable of devouring everything—the massive body brought immense vital essence!

Unexpectedly bolstered by Mo Qie Long Gen’s vast essence, Gu Xiechen’s physical body suddenly soared tens of thousands of zhang with a massive sound.

All the Yuan Ling energy was completely integrated into Gu Xiechen’s body. At this moment, his colossal form felt an almost insatiable emptiness.

With a great shout to the heavens, Gu Xiechen snatched the vital coffin refined by Ruhua and swallowed it. The coffin immediately transformed into a vast surge of power that integrated into his physical body. Having received the replenishment of Mo Qie Long Gen’s vital essence, Gu Xiechen had also gained the extraordinary ability to devour everything to enhance his cultivation!

Seeing this, the others could not hold back. All the treasures Fuya Ming had forged over the years, and every artifact the others possessed, whether innate or acquired, were promptly tossed into Gu Xiechen’s enormous mouth.

In the end, Gu Xiechen simply tucked the severely weakened group into his sleeve, sprang into the Chaos Space, and just like the Chaos Bell devouring the myriad things of old, he seized whatever he encountered to swallow it. Be it Chaos Vortices or energy tides, Chaos planets or strange beasts—wherever Gu Xiechen passed, everything vanished, entirely consumed by him.

Uncommonly, a vast expanse of stillness materialized within this dimension of Chaos, every element within it utterly devoured by Gu Xichen.

He even leveraged his comprehension of the Laws of Time and Space to consume every erratic warp and weave of temporal and spatial fabric within that zone, leaving behind an immense vacuum.

Ultimately, Gu Xichen achieved perfect completion; his primordial spirit and physical body fused seamlessly. He was suffused with potent Chaos Saint Power, entirely obliterating any distinction between Yuan Yang and Yuan Yin. His entire circulatory system brimmed with Pangu True Blood, a pure, potent current ceaselessly generated by his heart. With every movement, the surrounding Chaos Space subtly trembled under the sheer magnitude of his terrifying might.

Stamping his foot down heavily, Gu Xichen rapidly shrank his form to the size of an ordinary person. He let out a great laugh, gently guiding Fu Ya, Ming, and the others into the core of his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, allowing them a space to slowly absorb the nourishment of the Pangu True Blood while recuperating.

Flipping over and drawing himself away from the Chaos Space, Gu Xichen swiftly returned to the First Line Star Abyss.

Still a considerable distance from the Three Consecutive Cities, an urgent command message from the Nine Nether Path arrived directly before him.

In the message, Yan Jiang, the Nine Nether Path official responsible for all matters here, was frantically shouting, as he was when Gu Xichen and the others had departed.

Gu Xichen’s expression instantly shifted.

Gu Daoyuan, who had been excavating ore within the First Line Star Abyss in search of Innate Spirit Beasts, had been abducted.

The accompanying thirty Great Golden Immortals serving as escorts had been reduced to dust with a mere backhand strike.

A chilling glint flashed in Gu Xichen’s eyes; the surrounding stars instantly shattered into fragments.