"Chi, zha, duo!"
The three sounds of creation exploded in the minds of the many Great Sorcerers. In a trance, every Great Sorcerer beheld a colossal giant supporting the heavens, and the two characters "Pangu" surfaced in their minds.
The three sounds of creation they heard issued from Pangu's mouth. These sounds dragged their minds into the long river of time and space, letting them witness the scene of Pangu creating the world.
They saw Pangu raise the Pangu axe and swing it casually. An abstruse beam of axe light emerged, splitting the boundless chaos into two. The Qi of Chaos evolved into the clear and turbid qi, followed by the second axe, the third axe... all the way to the ninth axe.
Upon the ninth axe, the vision abruptly cut off. This had reached the limit of what the Great Sorcerers could endure; if it continued, their minds would inevitably suffer damage and they would perish by turning into the Dao.
Though Panshi stopped demonstrating the nine axes of creation, the Great Sorcerers did not awaken immediately, all remaining immersed in their comprehension of the nine axes of creation.
"This Xingtian is quite extraordinary, truly living up to his name as the premier Great Sorcerer of the Wu Clan. So quickly, he has already comprehended the first five of the nine axes of creation. Judging by his posture, he seems capable of comprehending all nine of them entirely.
"It appears he has a strong affinity for these nine axes of creation. Once his cultivation improves, I will pass on the subsequent axes to him and see how he fares."
Panshi's gaze lingered on Xingtian for a few breaths, and he nodded slightly.
"In the struggle for supremacy between the Wu and Demon Clans, the Wu Clan was strong and the Demon Clan weak at the outset. This dynamic reversed only after Hongjun's sermon, after which the overall strength of the Demon Clan grew rapidly. Were it not for the trump card of the Twelve Heavenly Godsfiend Grand Array, the Wu Clan might well have been crushed by the Demon Clan.
"Hongjun, you can enhance the overall combat power of the Demon Clan, and I can likewise enhance the overall combat power of the Wu Clan. Let us see whose method is superior."
Panshi's gaze looked up toward the firmament, as if able to see Zixiao Palace deep within the chaos.
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze and said, "Now that I have done all that can be done, the next step is to elevate my own combat power."
The fastest way to boost his combat power at present was to open up a world within the Chaos Bead, causing the Law of Strength to transform toward the Great Dao of Strength.
However, he had only refined a small portion of the Chaos Bead so far, and with his current strength, it was somewhat difficult to break open the chaos. He lacked a handy supreme treasure.
To cleave the chaos, the finest treasure would naturally be the Pangu Banner—one of the three treasures of creation formed from the Pangu axe—but the Pangu Banner was currently in Hongjun's hands.
"Aside from those supreme treasures that already have masters, the Primordial World actually conceals a masterless offensive supreme treasure, and furthermore, this masterless offensive supreme treasure shares a profound affinity with me."
"The Hongmeng Measuring Ruler."
When Pangu opened up the Primordial World, the Chaos Dao rewarded him not only with vast amounts of Dao merit, but also with abundant Qi of Profound Yellow and Qi of Primordial Chaos.
Among them, the Qi of Profound Yellow merged with one-tenth of the creation merit to form the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda, the foremost acquired defensive supreme treasure. The Qi of Primordial Chaos merged with one-tenth of the creation merit to form the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler, the foremost acquired offensive supreme treasure.
The Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda was acquired by Laozi, while the whereabouts of the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler remained unknown.
Panshi had obtained the complete inheritance of Pangu, which included memories concerning the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler. This ruler was located nowhere else; it was concealed within Mount Buzhou.
Therefore, Panshi planned to enter Mount Buzhou next to hunt for treasure and find the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler.
Throughout the entire Primordial World, who else shared a greater affinity with the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler than he?
He believed that as long as he drew within a certain range of the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler, the Heart of Pangu would sense it.
This was the foundation of Panshi's confidence in finding the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler. Otherwise, Mount Buzhou was so vast that even knowing the ruler was on the mountain would make it exceedingly difficult to locate.
The ancestral land of the Wu Clan and the Pangu Hall were actually situated in a mountain range extending from Mount Buzhou. The reason they were not within the boundaries of Mount Buzhou itself was the presence of Pangu's coercion over the mountain.
Enveloped by Pangu's coercion, any living being found it difficult to calm their mind and cultivate; naturally, this included the Wu Clan.
Consequently, apart from a few unawakened creatures, almost no beings were willing to set foot in Mount Buzhou.
"So this is Pangu's coercion."
The moment he stepped into Mount Buzhou, Panshi felt an invisible force wash over his mind like a tidal wave.
After a few breaths, Panshi recovered his wits and said with some surprise, "The Pangu will in this Mount Buzhou is resisting the power of the Primordial Heavenly Dao. It seems that Hongjun is not the only one with problems; the Primordial Heavenly Dao has problems as well."
Before his death, Pangu transformed his body into all things, leaving behind his will in order to protect the Primordial World. Now, that Pangu will was resisting the Heavenly Dao, which spoke volumes.
Others might not perceive it, but Panshi, who possessed the Heart of Pangu, could clearly sense the invisible collision between Pangu's will and the power of the Heavenly Dao.
Pangu's coercion was the product of this confrontation between Pangu's will and the Heavenly Dao's power, and it was also Pangu's resistance against the Heavenly Dao. Within the sphere of Pangu's coercion, not a shred of the Heavenly Dao's power existed.
Precisely because of this, the Laws of the Heavenly Dao were nearly imperceptible on Mount Buzhou.
Once the primary ancestral vein of the Primordial World and a supreme sanctuary for cultivation, it was now a place where almost no cultivator was willing to set foot.
"Great God Pangu, since I have obtained your inheritance, rest assured that I will certainly inherit your will, protect the Primordial World, and protect your bloodline." Panshi bowed deeply toward Mount Buzhou.
As the words fell, the entire Mount Buzhou trembled slightly, as if in response.
"My Dao is not without company."
In a trance, Pangu's gaze seemed to look across endless time and space toward him, nodding slightly with a smile in his eyes.
At the same time, the entire Mount Buzhou seemed to spring to life, and an invisible ripple converged toward him, merging into the Heart of Pangu.
"Thump, thump, thump—"
The Heart of Pangu revived, as if infused with vitality and vigor, joyfully leaping.
At that moment, however, Panshi had no leisure to examine the changes in the Heart of Pangu. He felt as though he had merged with Mount Buzhou itself, and the entire heaven and earth appeared different in his eyes.
Outside Mount Buzhou, boundless laws intersected into a massive web of law, covering the entire heaven and earth. Yet Mount Buzhou stood like a pillar supporting the heavens, piercing through heaven and earth, punching a hole through this web of law and becoming the eternal, sole entity amidst this lawful cosmos...
"The Great Dao of Strength—this Mount Buzhou is the manifestation of the Great Dao of Strength ultimately condensed by Pangu."
In an instant, understanding dawned upon Panshi, yet he felt as though he had comprehended nothing at all. He wanted to grasp something, but when he reached out his hand, there was only empty air before him.
Outside, Mount Buzhou had returned to its habitual tranquility. Panshi remained frozen in his original posture, staring fixedly at the mountain as if in a daze.
After a long time.
"If the realm has not been reached, why force it? The seed has already been sown; when the time comes, it will naturally sprout and grow." Panshi smiled self-deprecatingly.
Immediately afterward, he cast his gaze toward the waist of Mount Buzhou. There lay his destination for this journey: the location of the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler.
This was the final gift bestowed upon him by Pangu's will.