At the same time, in the Outer World.
The Luo Clan's ancestral land.
As one of the former Eight Tribes of Heaven's Proxy, the Luo Clan vanished from the world's sight after the Heaven's Proxy Organization collapsed.
Even the other parts of the Eight Tribes rarely knew the Luo Clan's location.
Moreover, the Heavenly Faction had long been searching for the tribes that had made off with the foundations of Heaven's Proxy, borrowing the power of the Coffin of World Burial to constantly send attackers, forcing the Luo Clan into a long period of wandering and fleeing.
It was only when the Luo Clan's Ancient Ancestor, Luo Zhu, gravely wounded, passed away in meditation, and in his final moments used supreme methods to sever the Luo Clan's connections to the myriad worlds, that the clan gradually stabilized, living in seclusion beyond the world, no longer inquiring into the affairs of the Vast Expanse.
Many members of the Luo Clan firmly believed that their Ancient Ancestor had not perished and would return at some future time. Thus, every few epochs, they would select the descendants with the thickest and purest bloodlines to serve as sacrificial offerings, offering them to the Ancient Ancestor to light the path back for him from the boundless darkness of the Nine Nether.
The reason Luo Xiangjun fled the Luo Clan and became a "thief" was precisely because she had witnessed with her own eyes the entire process of her parents and kin being sacrificed by the clan.
During this process, her parents and the others offered no resistance; instead, they were intoxicated by it, regarding the act of serving as offerings to the Ancient Ancestor as a supreme honor.
Luo Xiangjun believed the entire Luo Clan was insane, sacrificing generation after generation of their people for a belief in something long dead and no longer existing, a faith as illusory as mist, in exchange for a sliver of hope.
Such a sick, deranged clan would inevitably perish and vanish completely within the Vast Expanse one day.
Yet, after fleeing for many years, she once again set foot on this calamitous land, filled with despair and bleakness.
Especially after learning from the Eternal Primordial God that the Luo Clan's Ancient Ancestor might not be dead, but had faked his death and gone into hiding, just like him.
The elders of the Luo Clan had long since received word of Luo Xiangjun and were waiting for her arrival in the ancestral hall.
The Grand Elder of the Luo Clan was a spirited man with a head of silver hair, draped in a silver robe, his face marked by the traces of time, and his eyes gleaming with silver light.
Within his pupils were two cross-shaped cracks, from which strands of silver light seeped out, suffused with the aura of spacetime, exceptionally astonishing.
This was an innate characteristic of the Luo Clan, naturally able to wield the power of spacetime. Luo Xiangjun usually kept it hidden; otherwise, with her cultivation, she would not have been able to touch many ancient tombs, let alone escape from them.
She had dared to accept the key to the Eternal Secret Treasure from Gu Changge precisely because she relied on her racial talent.
"The burial site of the Ancient Ancestor lies deep within the cemetery of the ancestral hall, where the heroic spirits of our Luo Clan have slumbered from ancient times..."
"If you wish to go there, Senior, please follow me."
The Grand Elder led the way, guiding the Eternal Primordial God into the cemetery, while Luo Xiangjun followed behind as well.
She did not know how the Eternal Primordial God had convinced the Grand Elder with just a few simple words to grant his request and allow him to visit the resting place of Luo Zhu.
But there was likely some connection between the Luo Clan and the Eternal Primordial God.
The Eternal Primordial God was by no means comparable to ordinary Ancestral Gods. Both the spacetime Dao mastered by Luo Zhu and the time Dao controlled by the Eternal Primordial God were among the most profound and peak-level Daos in existence.
Even existences at the Ancestral Dao Realm would find it difficult to delve far into the Daos of spacetime and time.
The Luo Clan's cemetery was built deep in the back mountain. Though called a cemetery, it was actually a towering, ancient peak.
All around were ancient towering trees that blotted out the sun, their branches thick. The charred-black earth seemed as if drenched in blood, shrouded in wisps of crimson mist. Row upon row of mounded graves stretched up the mountain, stacked like steps.
There were no remains within any of these tombs. When a member of the Luo Clan died, they disintegrated into flying fragments. These tombs were merely cenotaphs.
On the way up the mountain, Luo Xiangjun saw her parents' graves.
A flicker of sorrow passed through her beautiful eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
Her parents had willingly become offerings. No, it was more accurate to say that all the tombs on this mountain, all the slumbering Luo Clan heroic spirits, were willing.
They returned their souls to the embrace of Luo Zhu, and until the moment of sacrifice, they were at peace and honored.
She paid no heed, refusing to mourn for them.
The highest point of the cemetery featured a grand, square tombstone, built exceedingly tall.
Not a single weed grew nearby. The spirit trees planted around were lush and verdant, their branches ancient and spreading like coiling dragons, blotting out the sky, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and solemnity.
After bringing the Eternal Primordial God here, the Grand Elder respectfully withdrew, not uttering a word to disturb him.
Only when he saw Luo Xiangjun did a trace of surprise appear in his eyes, but he did not take her down with him.
After Luo Xiangjun left the Luo Clan, she was actually not pursued by them. The Luo Clan did not force any clan member to become an offering; they respected each individual's choice.
That Luo Xiangjun would return to the Luo Clan this time greatly surprised the Grand Elder.
For he had watched Luo Xiangjun grow up. Among her generation of Luo Clan members, her talent was the highest, her bloodline the purest and most concentrated, far surpassing even her parents.
"The tomb is empty, not even a cenotaph..."
After the Grand Elder left, the Eternal Primordial God shook his head slightly and said thoughtfully, "Based on my understanding of Luo, it's impossible that he was beaten to death by a group. The Eight Tribes of the Heaven's Proxy Organization kept to themselves and didn't interfere with one another; it's unlikely they would have jointly attacked him. The Heavenly Faction's goal was to recover the former foundations of Heaven's Proxy, so they wouldn't have wanted Luo's life."
"How exactly did he suffer such severe injuries?"
Luo Xiangjun stood quietly behind him, not saying a word.
She did not care whether Luo Zhu was dead or alive. At this moment, all she wanted was for this Eternal Primordial God to let her go. As for the Transcendence Codex he had previously promised her, she had no hope of receiving it anymore.
"Luo is not dead."
"If he wished to hide, I probably wouldn't be able to find him. His mastery and control over the spacetime Dao are likely unmatched throughout all the worlds."
The Eternal Primordial God mused as he scanned the cemetery.
Regarding the Luo Clan's sacrifices to revive Luo Zhu, he neither agreed nor disagreed, offering no opinion of his own.
He himself was an Innate Being, born with knowledge, knowing the meaning of his existence from birth, and would not go against his own will for the sake of any person or matter.
Thus, he could not possibly feel even a shred of pity or compassion because of these actions.
Right now, all he wanted was to find Luo Zhu. In the coming Great Chaos of the Vast Expanse, relying on his strength alone would make it difficult to gain a foothold, let alone manipulate the situation and seize benefits for himself.
With Luo Zhu's help and leveraging their past friendship, he would have the confidence to reap profits from it.
In the Great Chaos of the Vast Expanse, the muddier the waters, the easier it is to "fish." Those who had always hidden and never dared to show themselves would surely be unable to hold back and wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
The Eternal Primordial God was no exception.
"Luo once followed the former Lord of Heaven's Proxy. He must have understood his methods and style. Choosing to hide early likely meant he had foreseen something..."
Suddenly, the Eternal Primordial God realized something, his expression turning uncertain.
He stared intently at the empty tomb before him, then, as if making a resolution, waved his hand. The layers of restrictions vanished, the mountain rocks shook, and a large crack appeared, revealing a bronze coffin beneath.
The coffin had long been opened, wreathed in a bloody glow, with the aura of space permeating, making the area hazy.
Seeing this, before Luo Xiangjun could react to what was happening, the Eternal Primordial God wrapped her in his sleeve and tossed her into the coffin ahead.
Buzz!!!
The space trembled, and suddenly a terrifying aura spread, but the next moment it subsided, with a ripple-like fluctuation flashing past.
"As expected, it's right here..."
The Eternal Primordial God revealed a cold smile, then strode in as well, disappearing into the bronze coffin in an instant.
The next moment, the blurry scene before him became clear: a valley with chirping birds, fragrant flowers, and beautiful scenery where the lake mirrored the mountain colors appeared.
In the distance, a babbling stream gathered into an emerald lake. Further away, a huge rumble could be heard as a silver-white waterfall cascaded down as if from the Nine Layered Heavens, stirring up boundless waves, with mist rising and shrouding everything.
Throughout this entire world, no aura of Dao or techniques could be felt. Time and space seemed completely frozen.
Luo Xiangjun looked at this place with uncertainty, standing not far from the Eternal Primordial God.
She had no idea what was happening, but understood that the Eternal Primordial God must have used her to test the waters, which was why he had pushed her into that coffin.
If there had been a fatal restriction inside, she would have perished instantly, exploding into a cloud of blood mist.
A flash of coldness passed through her beautiful eyes, but she forcefully suppressed it. The situation was stronger than her; she could only endure.
"Not existing in the past, future, or present, dissolving one's own Dao into this world—what a brilliant method."
"Thus, heaven and earth decay but you do not; the worlds wither but you endure. Even if the Vast Expanse collapses and all ages decay, you remain transcendent. Truly worthy of you, Luo..."
The Eternal Primordial God voiced his admiration, surveying the world before him with undisguised wonder in his eyes.
Initially, he hadn't expected that the coffin contained a node portal to another world. But in that instant, recalling Luo's past prudence and the fact that he had once followed the Lord of Heaven's Proxy, the Eternal Primordial God felt the urge to test.
The moment he pushed Luo Xiangjun toward that coffin, he had confirmed that there was something mystical hidden behind it.
Indeed, now looking upon it, this world had no flowing aura of Dao laws, and it didn't even exist within any specific space-time.
Past, future, present—none could find a trace or shadow of it.
Even those with heaven-reaching methods, those at the peak of the End of the Path, would never be able to locate Luo's true body.
This method was far more brilliant than his own faked death.
Who could have imagined that all along, the Luo Clan's Ancient Ancestor was hiding within his own tomb? The so-called most dangerous place was truly the safest.
As the Eternal Primordial God spoke, the world rumbled like rolling thunder.
In the originally clear, cloudless sky, a blurry ripple suddenly spread, transforming into a colossal face with closed eyes.
This face was unimaginably large, shrouding the entire firmament. No, more precisely, the entire sky was this face.
Under the gaze of this face, Luo Xiangjun felt a terrifying pressure that suppressed her bloodline, and she couldn't help but want to prostrate and kneel.
"Is that you?"
"Heng?"
A moment later, a terrifying voice like the simultaneous roar of heaven and earth echoed through this world. Luo Xiangjun was even more unable to withstand the immense pressure of this voice.
Bloody tears streamed down her delicate face as she coughed up blood. Her entire body was pinned to the ground, unable to move, her dress stained red with blood, utterly disheveled.
"Oh? A descendant of mine?"
The voice seemed to notice Luo Xiangjun's presence, and the overwhelming pressure dissipated.
Only then did Luo Xiangjun feel somewhat better, but the fear and shock in her eyes remained unconcealed. This was the aura of the Ancient Ancestor; even a mere trace of it could annihilate her Dao Realm cultivation countless times.
Yet such a figure had once willingly followed the Lord of Heaven's Proxy.
"Long time no see, old friend," the Eternal Primordial God said with a faint smile, unaffected by this pressure.
"Indeed, only you could find this place."
The void still rumbled. In the next moment, white clouds converged, mountain ranges quaked, and all rivers and waterfalls reversed their flow, surging toward the heavens like blood, coalescing into a silver-haired man clad in a silver robe, with a handsome, stern face.
He had a vertical silver crack at the center of his brow, and his eyes were also silver, gleaming with divine light. This was precisely the Luo Clan's Ancient Ancestor, Luo Zhu, an Innate Being just like the Eternal Primordial God.
"You've come to find me—it seems you've encountered trouble?"
Luo Zhu landed in front of the Eternal Primordial God, glanced at him, and spoke calmly.
"Nothing escapes you. Are you aware of the current situation in the Vast Expanse?" the Eternal Primordial God asked with a smile, getting straight to the point, his tone unable to conceal his emotion and joy.
In the current Vast Expanse, nothing brought him more joy than reuniting with an old friend.
In the past, after the Innate Era ended and the Vast Expanse was born and nurtured, among Innate Beings like them, some died, some fled, some hid, and some were captured, with only a scant few surviving.
His own circumstances were entirely different from Luo Zhu's. He had hidden everywhere, once severing his innate foundation and then rebuilding a postnatal body, fearing that his innate origins would be discovered.
Other beings desperately sought to reverse their postnatal state and forge an innate flawless foundation, but beings like them did the opposite.
Luo Zhu initially made a similar choice, but later emerged into the world and followed the Lord of Heaven's Proxy.
At that time, he had still chosen to remain hidden and dormant, evading the searching gaze of the Land of Truth above the Vast Expanse. Even though the three beings had fallen into slumber, their vast, unfathomable power still manifested as the True Ancestor's Eye, acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, scouring the myriad worlds and eradicating all aberrations.
After the Innate Era ended, a new Heavenly Dao was born, beginning to purge dissidents. Naturally, beings like them from the Innate Era were regarded as "aberrations" by this new Heavenly Dao.
Of course, they were unclear whether this new Heavenly Dao that emerged after the Innate Era was a manifestation of the will of those three beings, or a consciousness spontaneously born from heaven and earth.
During the Innate Era, heaven and earth had not yet been born, and there was no concept of a Heavenly Dao. All clans and beings acted according to their inherent meaning and instincts.
If one had to say there was, then it was the so-called Great Dao, which unified all paths and gave birth to all things.
The concept of the Heavenly Dao actually only appeared in the Post-Innate Era...
"The current situation in the Vast Expanse?"
Luo Zhu frowned slightly, then half-closed his eyes, as if perceiving something.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, nodded in understanding, but his expression grew very solemn.
"Are you planning to enter the fray?" he asked the Eternal Primordial God.
The Eternal Primordial God nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Of course. Why have I waited and hidden for so long, if not to one day restore the glory of the Innate Era? That was our era; it cannot be buried and cut off in the river of time just like that..."
Luo Zhu looked at his old friend and sighed. Although eons had passed, the other had not changed.
"The Innate Era ended long ago. No matter what, even if we return to ancient times and reenact chaos, we can never return to that era." His tone was heavy. "As long as the Origin Realm exists, the Innate Era cannot appear in the Vast Expanse."
"The Innate Era you wish to return to is merely a false Innate Era..."
The reason the Innate Era was called the Innate Era was that at that time, there was no concept of "Heaven." All races and beings acted according to their instincts, without constraints or restrictions.
In fact, according to the evolution of the unseen grand trend, later eras would also give birth to "Heaven." The Innate Era and the Post-Innate Era were both a natural progression of the Great Dao, no different from each other.
But within that grand trend, the appearance of the Three True Ancestors shattered the Great Dao, destroyed the grand trend, and their will became what is called "Heaven."
For beings like them, the current Post-Innate Era should actually be called the "Pseudo-Heaven Era."