In the Primordial World, "karma and fate" have always clung to every innate god like a bone-deep toxin, binding their fortunes.
Inside Zixiao Palace's main hall, Hongyun hadn't yet recovered from the joy of obtaining Hongmeng Purple Qi, but he had already attracted countless hidden glances of varying intensities.
Some stared at the purple qi itself; others plotted against the opportunities hidden behind Hongyun's "kindness."
Ao Xuan stood at the edge of the crowd. The two strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi had now fully merged, resting quietly inside the conch shell. His dragon pupils narrowed slightly, having long seen through the countless eager covetousness lurking beneath this seemingly peaceful atmosphere.
"Nine strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi have been bestowed, each finding its destined owner."
Taoist Hongjun's voice broke the silence, and chaotic qi condensed into a pale gray light cocoon around him.
"Behind Zixiao Palace lies Treasure Distribution Cliff. The cliff is adorned with numerous Innate Spiritual Treasures, formed from chaotic fragments left since the dawn of chaos. Some stabilize origins, some shatter illusions, and some deduce heavenly secrets. You may proceed there freely, relying on your Dao rhythm resonance to claim what is destined for you—preparing for the upcoming kalpa."
As his voice fell, the light in the cultivators' eyes instantly burned with intense desire.
In the Primordial World, Innate Spiritual Treasures were the foundation of survival and standing. Even Golden Immortal powerhouses, if armed with an Innate Spiritual Treasure, would gain greater confidence in facing the kalpa.
After Taoist Hongjun's figure faded, the crowd flew toward the back of Zixiao Palace on colorful clouds. Robes fluttering, some couldn't wait to unleash their escape light, while others deliberately slowed down, secretly observing their competitors nearby.
Only top powerhouses like the Three Pure Ones and Nüwa maintained their calm demeanor, as if they had long been certain of their gains.
As they passed through a barrier glowing with a faint purple halo, Ao Xuan clearly felt a heavy Dao rhythm of sky-opening rushing toward him.
The barrier was not physical, but woven from countless runes. As the runes flowed, vague afterimages of Pangu opening the sky could be seen—his giant axe tearing through darkness, clear and turbid qi separating, mountains and rivers taking shape gradually.
Such profound Dao rhythm made many accompanying cultivators stop unconsciously, and even several low-cultivation cultivators showed obsessed expressions.
Beyond the barrier, the full view of Treasure Distribution Cliff suddenly came into sight.
The cliff was not in the shape of ordinary stone, but a broken mountain peak—one side rugged, the other smooth as a mirror, as if split diagonally with a single strike. Golden-red lava flowed through the stone veins in the cliff, like blood flowing slowly.
The spiritual treasures embedded in the cliff wall were scattered like stars, each emitting a unique spiritual light: sword-shaped treasures exuded sharp golden metal aura, with tiny chaotic ice crystals hanging from their tassels; cauldron-shaped treasures were surrounded by thick earth spiritual light, with mountain and river veins carved on their ears; pearl-shaped treasures glowed with warm water energy, and the sound of gurgling water could be heard as the pearls rotated.
At the most prominent position on the cliff top, three supreme treasures floated in chaotic qi. Their aura was so vast that heaven and earth trembled—a unique pressure exclusive to Innate Supreme Treasures, even freezing the air around them.
"The treasures on Treasure Distribution Cliff each have their rightful owners." Taoist Hongjun's voice suddenly echoed in the air, and everyone bowed in salute. "Rely on your own Dao rhythm resonance to claim what aligns with you. Do not seize by force, lest you be entangled in karma and meet an unfortunate end."
As soon as he finished speaking, a stream of light shot out first—it was Tongtian Jiaozhu.
His figure moved like lightning, his gaze fixed firmly on one of the three supreme treasures on the cliff top: a pitch-black formation diagram. Four ferocious sword shadows loomed on the diagram, their blades wrapped in black chaotic evil qi. As the sword aura flickered, it seemed capable of splitting the surrounding Heavenly Dao laws—it was the Innate Killing Formation, the "Zhu Xian Sword Formation Diagram!"
"This formation resonates with my Dao of killing!" Tongtian Jiaozhu burst into loud laughter, his voice filled with unrestrained freedom and dominance.
With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of pure spiritual energy transformed into a giant hand, steadily rolling up the formation diagram.
The moment the formation diagram entered his body, the killing aura around Tongtian suddenly surged. Black evil qi overflowed from him, forcing the surrounding chaotic qi to retreat step by step. Many low-grade spiritual treasures on the cliff wall trembled slightly under this aura.
"Third brother, this formation is overly vicious. You must exercise caution in the future."
The Supreme Old Lord stepped forward slowly, his voice gentle yet carrying undeniable admonition.
His gaze fell on a three-legged cauldron in the middle of the cliff wall. The cauldron was carved with Eight Trigrams runes—Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui arranged in order, each trigram glowing with a faint spiritual light. It was the Innate Supreme Treasure, the "Tai Chi Cauldron."
The Old Lord gently waved his sleeve, and the cauldron floated softly into his palm. The pure spiritual energy emanating from the cauldron spread automatically, neutralizing some of Tongtian's killing aura and easing the tense atmosphere.
Yuanshi Tianzun followed closely behind. His eyes were sharp as a blade, fixed firmly on the last supreme treasure on the cliff top—a golden banner. The banner was about a zhang long, with an afterimage of Pangu opening the sky painted on its surface: the giant axe raised high, clear and turbid qi separating beneath it. As the banner's corners fluttered, the sharp whistling of chaos being torn could be heard. It was the Innate Supreme Treasure, the "Pangu Banner."
Yuanshi flicked his finger, and the banner transformed into a golden stream of light flying into his palm. He waved the banner gently, and a golden wave surged out, completely suppressing the evil qi Tongtian hadn't yet restrained—fully displaying the majesty and dominance of Yuqing Dao rhythm.
"Hmph, eldest brother and second brother certainly know how to choose." Seeing this, Tongtian felt a hint of dissatisfaction, but he was also very satisfied with the sword formation he had obtained. He could only snort coldly and say no more.
At that moment, two blazing Sun True Fires suddenly shot out from the crowd, hovering above Treasure Distribution Cliff like two miniature suns.
The flames were mixed with faint silver stardust. When they landed, they condensed into a burning light domain at the edge of the cliff, incinerating the surrounding chaotic qi into nothingness. Everyone turned to look, and saw a man in a black robe with golden patterns standing side by side with a cultivator with loose red hair—they were the great demon powers nurtured by the Sun Star, Di Jun and Tai Yi!
Thick starry Dao rhythm surrounded Di Jun. His black robe was embroidered with a map of the celestial stars in golden thread: the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Twenty-Eight Constellations arranged in order. Each star pattern glowed with a faint silver light, as if he had draped the entire starry sky over his body.
His gaze was calm as an abyss. As he scanned Treasure Distribution Cliff, there was no hint of eagerness in his eyes. Tai Yi, however, was completely different. His red hair blazed like fire, and surging Sun True Fire wrapped around him. In his hand, he held a red-gold short blade, with tiny flame runes dancing on its blade. His aura was domineering and fierce, as if even the air would be ignited by his true fire—he was Donghuang Tai Yi, who would later command the demon clan's armies.
As soon as the two appeared, many cultivators on Treasure Distribution Cliff stepped back unconsciously. The demon clan already held considerable power in the eastern Primordial World. Di Jun ruled over all demons with star power, and Tai Yi deterred the four directions with Sun True Fire. Moreover, the two were blood brothers, always advancing and retreating together. Ordinary innate gods dared not confront them at all.
"Treasure Distribution Cliff holds such great opportunities—it was not in vain for my brother and I to come all the way from the Sun Star."
Di Jun's voice was steady, but his gaze had already locked onto a spot on the left side of the cliff wall. There, a pale blue jade book floated, its pages carved with countless intricate runes. Black and white dots intertwined into complex mathematical patterns, and each flip emitted a Dao rhythm that deduced heavenly secrets.
This was the River Diagram and Luo Shu, an Innate Supreme Treasure of mathematics and principles. If obtained, it would help the demon clan sort out the power of the celestial stars, stabilizing the foundation of the future Heavenly Court—it was something Di Jun was determined to get.
Just as he was about to reach out to recall the jade book, a gray shadow suddenly darted out from the chaotic qi, moving as fast as lightning.
It was a thin innate rat demon, surrounded by earth-element spiritual energy—clearly skilled in escape techniques. "This treasure is destined for me! Fellow Daoist Di Jun, do not compete with me!" The rat demon screeched, condensing earth-yellow spiritual light in its claws, ready to grab the jade book.
Di Jun's eyes turned slightly cold, and his fingers moved subtly. The star map on his black robe suddenly lit up.
A silver blade of light shot out from the Big Dipper pattern, faster than the rat demon's escape light. With a "puff," the rat demon screamed and flew backward. It didn't dare to linger for a moment, scurrying into the depths of chaos and never daring to show its head again.
"Hmph, if this were not Taoist Hongjun's dojo, you would not have escaped with your life."
Di Jun spoke calmly, not glancing at the direction the rat demon had fled. Instead, he raised his hand and beckoned to the jade book. The River Diagram and Luo Shu transformed into a pale blue stream of light, floating steadily into his palm. As the jade book opened, countless star runes flew out from its pages, condensing into a starlight shield around him. Di Jun ran his finger across the pages, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "With this treasure's help, I will have a greater chance of setting up the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array in the future."
Tai Yi's gaze burned with desire, fixed on the right side of the cliff top—there hung a bronze ancient bell. The bell was covered with chaotic runes, and faint golden light flowed through the runes, emitting an aura that stabilized space and deterred evil spirits. It was the Innate Spiritual Treasure, the "Chaos Bell."
This bell resonated perfectly with his Sun True Fire origin. If refined, it would allow him to coordinate the auras of all demons with its toll when commanding the demon clan's armies in the future, greatly enhancing the army's power and providing an extra layer of protection against the kalpa.
"This bell is mine!"
Tai Yi's figure flashed, his red hair fluttering in the air. The Sun True Fire around him suddenly surged, transforming into nine fire dragons coiling around his body. He flew toward the Chaos Bell, moving so fast that he left behind streaks of flame afterimages.
At that moment, an innate god holding a giant axe suddenly rushed out from the crowd!
The god stood three zhang tall, surrounded by a mixture of earth-element and golden metal spiritual energy—clearly a powerhouse skilled in close combat.
"This bell resonates with my origin! How dare you seize it!" He roared, condensing thick earth-yellow spiritual light on his giant axe and slashing toward Tai Yi's back.
A fierce glint flashed in Tai Yi's eyes, but he did not look back. The Sun Blade in his hand suddenly struck out, a red-gold blade of true fire tearing through the air and colliding with the giant axe with a deafening "clang." The entire Treasure Distribution Cliff trembled slightly.
The earth-yellow spiritual light on the giant axe shattered instantly, and several fine cracks appeared on the axe blade. The innate god was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood and crashing heavily against the cliff wall. He struggled several times but couldn't get up—clearly, there was a world of difference between his strength and Tai Yi's.
Tai Yi didn't hesitate any longer, reaching out to grab the Chaos Bell.
The bell was scalding to the touch, but it resonated perfectly with the Sun True Fire around him. The golden light in the bell's runes suddenly brightened.