In the blink of an eye, countless years had passed.
Listening to their respective paths, the three figures felt the power of their laws subtly increase by quite a margin. Once the three of them had digested these insights, they all turned their gazes toward Pangu.
Slowly, Pangu spoke, his voice resounding like a great bell and echoing across heaven and earth: "My Dao is the Dao of Might. Listen well, everyone!"
As Pangu expounded on the Dao, his voice resonated like a great bronze bell, echoing through the cosmos. He articulated his understanding of might, how to wield it, and the infinite mysteries it held.
The three of them became completely immersed, comprehending Pangu's Dao.
With Pangu's explanation, their states of mind continuously elevated, and their comprehension of the Dao grew ever deeper. They felt as though they were beholding an entirely new world, brimming with infinite possibilities.
When Pangu uttered his final word, the entire space fell into absolute stillness.
After listening, the three sat in deep meditation, completely absorbed in the profound wonders of the Dao of Might.
This period of meditation lasted for yet another countless years.
When they slowly opened their eyes, a bright radiance flashed within them. Daoist rhythm flowed around their entire bodies, incomparably mystical and profound.
At this moment, Qiwu's cultivation had reached the Peak Hunyuan Taiji Golden Immortal realm, while Daoist Yangmei, who was already at the Peak Hunyuan Taiji Golden Immortal realm, now found his cultivation even more consolidated and solid.
The most unexpected development belonged to the Five Elements Demon God!
He looked at himself in astonishment, then bowed deeply and said, "Many thanks for the Daoist friend's guidance! My Dao injuries are now completely healed!"
Pangu nodded slightly and replied, "Daoist Five Elements need not be so formal. Discussing the Dao with all of you has also given me a bountiful harvest!"
Daoist Yangmei looked at Pangu and asked, "I wonder if Daoist Pangu knows where your Dao lies? Can you manage to glimpse that supreme realm?"
"The Dao Realm?"
After a long silence, Pangu spoke leisurely once more: "My Dao lies in splitting the heavens!"
"What?!"
The three of them exclaimed in unison, shock evident on their faces.
As fellow Chaos Demon Gods, the three naturally understood what Pangu meant by splitting the heavens!
To split the heavens meant that Pangu intended to eradicate all three thousand Chaos Demon Gods in this chaos!
Yet, the reactions of the three were completely different.
The Five Elements Demon God and Daoist Yangmei furrowed their brows deeply, while Qiwu's face was filled with worry.
"Big Brother, is your Dao truly to split the heavens? But how perilous is the splitting of the heavens!"
Upon hearing this, Pangu offered no reply.
With a steadfast gaze, he looked out into the distance, as if piercing right through the chaos!
"My Dao is fraught with peril, but it must be done. If the heavens are not split, this chaos will forever remain devoid of vitality."
Daoist Yangmei sighed. "Very well, very well. Everyone has their own Dao! Daoist Pangu, since your mind is made up, it is not our place to obstruct you. It's just that this path of splitting the heavens will undoubtedly be incomparably arduous. Although there are three thousand Chaos Demon Gods in total, when you truly think about it, what a vast multitude that is!"
The Five Elements Demon God remained silent for a long time before finally laughing heartily. "Daoist Pangu, I am willing to lend you a helping hand, if only to return the favor of today's enlightenment!"
Pangu remained silent.
He gazed deeply at Qiwu. "If I split the heavens, these three thousand Demon Gods will inevitably come to obstruct me, and a bloody battle will be unavoidable! If I do not split the heavens, this boundless chaos will likewise cease to exist! I have faintly perceived that a great tribulation is approaching. Since that is the case, I shall seize that single glimmer of survival!"
Yangmei looked at Pangu. "I wonder when Daoist Pangu plans to split the heavens?"
Pangu pondered for a moment before answering, "The time is not yet ripe. When I have completed my preparations, that shall be the moment to split the heavens."
With that, Pangu turned to look at Qiwu, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes. "Second Brother, this matter concerns all living beings. Big Brother has no other choice."
Qiwu nodded. "Big Brother, I understand. No matter what, I will support you."
Pangu looked at Five Elements and Yangmei. "I thank you both for your kind intentions and willingness to help. However, such is the decree of fate; the two of you should also make your preparations early!"
Shortly after bidding farewell to the two of them, Pangu took a step forward and vanished once more into the chaos.
Along their journey, the two witnessed nothing but murder for the sake of seizing treasures!
Factions slaughtered one another purely to contend for a single spiritual treasure, and no matter how unbreakable an alliance might be, it would fall apart and turn into bitter enmity over a treasure!
They continued onward, hoping to find a tranquil sanctuary.
However, the sounds of battle grew increasingly frequent, as if the entire chaotic world had been shrouded by greed and desire.
"It seems that the disputes within this chaotic world will never cease..." Pangu murmured to himself!
Suddenly, one day, Pangu came to an abrupt halt!
"Second Brother, the time has come. Your elder brother intends to perform the act of splitting the heavens!"
Qiwu nodded heavily. "Big Brother, go ahead and do what you must. Second Brother will guard your path!"
Pangu stood majestically at the very center of chaos, gripping the Pangu Axe. With a single swing, a wisp of clarity seemed to flash across the boundless chaos!
Yet from the four corners of chaos, countless streaks of light came hurtling toward Pangu at lightning speed, and in an instant, the surrounding area was swarming with major Demon Gods!
"Quickly stop him! If he succeeds in splitting the heavens, all of us will perish and our souls will scatter!"
With a frantic roar from an unknown source, all the Chaos Demon Gods charged toward Pangu and Qiwu!
Pangu brandished the giant axe, and with a single sweep, countless Demon Gods tumbled down!
Qiwu held a sword in one hand, standing back-to-back with Pangu. Swarms of heavenly sword qi transformed into majestic dragons, slashing toward the Chaos Demon Gods. With a single rise of his sword, heaven and earth shifted in color; with a single fall, countless Demon Gods fell to their deaths!
As the sounds of battle spread, more and more Chaos Demon Gods rushed to the scene—the Time Demon God, the Causality Demon God, the Reincarnation Demon God, the Destiny Demon God...
Seeing this, Pangu had the Creation Jade Butterfly hovering above his head and the Chaos Green Lotus beneath his feet. He wielded the giant axe in his hands, hacking relentlessly until, at last, he slaughtered all three thousand Demon Gods one by one!
He stood in the center of chaos, swinging the axe down again and again—eighty-one times in total!
Then, he let out a furious roar: "Open for me!"
A deafening crash echoed out!
The chaos gradually parted; the light and clear elements slowly ascended to become the sky, while the heavy and turbid elements gradually descended to become the earth!
Yet just when Pangu believed he was about to succeed in splitting the heavens, a voice pierced into his mind!
"To succeed in splitting the heavens, you must slay all the Demon Gods in the chaos, including Qiwu!"
Hearing the voice echoing in his mind, Pangu froze right where he stood!
He raised his head and roared furiously: "Absolutely impossible!"
With that, he hurled the Pangu Axe up toward the sky, reached out with a massive hand to snatch Qiwu, and used supreme divine power to seal Qiwu within the Chaos Bead. Enveloping him with the thirty-sixth-grade Chaos Green Lotus, Pangu struck out with a single palm, sending him vanishing hundreds of millions of miles away!
Immediately following, a bolt of purple divine lightning, roughly hundreds of millions of miles thick, crashed down upon the Chaos Green Lotus!
At the same time, a desperate cry rang out: "No, Big Brother!"
There was no reply!
Within Qiwu's mind, only a single voice from Pangu echoed: "Live well, and guard this world in my stead!"
After the sky and earth were separated, fearing that they might merge once more, Pangu propped up the sky with his head and forcefully pressed down upon the earth with his feet.
The sky grew ten feet higher each day, the earth grew ten feet thicker each day, and Pangu grew taller right along with them!
Thus, after countless years had passed, the heaven and earth gradually took shape, and Pangu, no longer able to sustain himself, finally collapsed!