Inside Zixiao Palace, following Hongjun's lecture, the Sanqing and the Western Duo felt a surge of clarity. Their path was now laid out before them.
First, Ling Xiao was not invincible. As long as they remained united or fought outside the Chaos (Chaos), their odds of victory were overwhelming. At the very least, they had the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation (Immortal Slaying Sword Formation) as a final trump card.
Second, the Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao (great trend of the heavenly dao) was paramount. The Witch and Demon Races (Witch and Demon Races) had to be put back on track toward their inevitable demise.
"Very well. I have said all that needs to be said. If you have no further questions, you may depart," Hongjun spoke indifferently. He had delivered his instructions; there was nothing left to discuss.
The Six Saints (Six Saints) bowed in unison. "This disciple takes his leave!"
East Kunlun
The Sanqing returned to the Honghuang World and gathered at East Kunlun.
"The Dao Ancestor said that Ling Xiao was heavily injured by his hand before escaping," Laozi said peacefully. At the time of that statement, Yuanshi had not yet been reborn, so Laozi felt it necessary to share the news.
Yuanshi's expression shifted from surprise to a cold, predatory smile. "It's better that he didn't die. A blood-grudge like this must be settled by my own hand!"
His words were arrogant, his brow etched with an unyielding haughtiness. This even startled Tongtian, who couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother, are you... alright?"
Tongtian asked out of genuine concern, thinking Yuanshi might have suffered some mental trauma from his "death." However, to Yuanshi's ears, it sounded like a stinging mockery. He glared at Tongtian with displeasure.
"Third Brother, what is the meaning of that? I am fine. Better than fine."
"If you're fine, why are you speaking such nonsense?" Tongtian asked, completely lacking any sense of tact. In his mind, Yuanshi had been effortlessly swatted like a fly by Ling Xiao without even scratching the man's skin. To talk about "settling it by his own hand" now sounded like a joke. Do you plan to just keep resurrecting until the man dies of exhaustion?
"Tongtian! Do you think I'm rambling?" Yuanshi was furious. Had his authority dropped so far? He died once, and now Tongtian felt bold enough to question him openly!
Tongtian spread his hands and remained silent, but his meaning was clear. Yuanshi let out an angry laugh and finally revealed his scheme.
"The Teacher said the Great Trend cannot be changed. The Witch and Demon races will fall. Do not forget that Di Jun and Tai Yi are the protagonists of this Calamity. When those races reach their end and the dust settles, that will be the day they die!"
"At that moment, Ling Xiao will surely be unable to restrain himself. The moment he steps into the world, our three brothers—along with Jieyin and Zhunti—can surround him. Can we not put him to death then?"
Laozi and Tongtian were momentarily stunned.
"You mean... use the downfall of the races and the lives of Di Jun and Tai Yi to force Ling Xiao back into the Great Desolation?" Laozi looked at Yuanshi with a gaze of genuine surprise. This plan was indeed impressive.
"Once Ling Xiao enters the Primordial World, his advantage as a Grand Unity Golden Immortal (Daluo) will vanish. We won't even need a formation. With your magic power, Big Brother, you could suppress him single-handedly," Yuanshi said, his words flowing with logic as he subtly flattered Laozi.
Laozi waved his hand with a humble smile, but internally, he was quite pleased. "Second Brother makes a valid point. This is indeed a sound method. As long as he enters our domain, we can handle him easily."
"The immediate priority is to make the Wu and Yao races start fighting in earnest to exhaust their Luck (Luck). Only when the timing is ripe can we strike."
Laozi's eyes flashed with a cold light. Tongtian hesitated, then spoke up: "Although the Witches lost three Ancestral Witches, their remaining power still dwarfs the Yao Race. If they truly go to war, the Witches will simply dominate. Mutual exhaustion seems unlikely."
The brothers fell into deep thought. If left to their own devices, the Witch Race would eventually become the sole hegemon of the world, and their Luck would only grow stronger, potentially triggering another "Variable." The fundamental issue was that the Yao Race was currently too weak.
"Perhaps we find a way to force Di Jun and Tai Yi to lead the Yao?" Yuanshi suggested.
"That seems unwise," Laozi countered. "If they were going to lead, they would have done so by now. Doing this would only alert Ling Xiao and allow him to prepare."
"We must find a way to bolster the Yao Race's strength..."
"It is strange," Tongtian added. "Lately, both races have been mobilizing with great fanfare, but they refuse to actually fight. It's like they are waiting for something—or fearing something." He had noticed that both sides were constantly testing the waters, hovering on the edge of conflict without ever crossing it.
"Regardless, they must fall. I will perform a deduction to find a solution," Yuanshi said coldly. "Since Ling Xiao is 'heavily injured' by Teacher, we shall use this window to lay the board."
The Heart of Chaos
Within the Chaos Pearl, Ling Xiao sat in quiet meditation. His long hair flowed like silk, and his face was both handsome and defiant. He appeared like a primordial creator-god surrounded by chains of Order, possessing the power to remake reality.
"Excellent. The insights from that battle were not small. My laws have progressed once more..."
Ling Xiao whispered as radiant light bloomed in his pupils. While he wasn't yet a match for the Merged-with-Dao Hongjun, escaping was no longer a problem. Furthermore, Hongjun seemed to have reservations about pursuing him deep into the Chaos.
However, the greatest harvest from the trip was undoubtedly the Saint Essence Blood (Saint Essence Blood).
With a thought, two orbs of blood, shimmering like celestial crystals, floated before him. They radiated a terrifying energy that could likely annihilate a galaxy if unleashed. To Ling Xiao, however, these were the rarest treasures in existence—the perfect fuel for his next evolution.