Before the Hongmeng was judged, the Chaos had just begun.
The vast, boundless expanse of the Chaos was filled with surging chaotic currents. Within this space, it seemed that nothing existed save for these currents.
Time has no meaning in the Chaos. It is impossible to say how much time had passed.
In the silent void, a sound resonated—perhaps a "Zha," perhaps a "Moo." Regardless, the source was nowhere to be found, seemingly emanating from the very depths of the Chaos.
After that sound, an unknown duration passed, and once again, the Chaos fell into stillness.
Suddenly, a beam of purple light appeared within the murky gray, stirring up vast tides and sending the endless chaotic currents into turmoil. It took a long time before the Chaos finally returned to calm.
***
"The Great Dao is unjust! Since you brought me to the Chaos, why not bestow upon me a magical treasure? Forget the treasure, surely you could have at least passed on a cultivation method!"
Mo Yan, a busy office worker from the twenty-first century, had slaved away for eight years. At twenty-eight, he hadn't even managed to afford an apartment; he was, in every sense, a tragedy of that world.
He had died suddenly for no reason, only to awaken in the Chaos.
That beam of purple light was Mo Yan. Upon arriving, he had been ecstatic. This was the dawn of the Chaos! He was to be a contemporary of the Great God Pangu. Even if his cultivation could not match Pangu’s, being on par with the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods would surely be good enough.
But it was all delusion. The cruel reality forced Mo Yan to curse the Great Dao for its unfairness, for granting him nothing.
"All that talk about cultivation methods being learned through long periods of exploration? I don’t even know how long I’ve been in this Chaos, and I still have no idea how to cultivate. It’s all a bunch of lies!"
Mo Yan seemed to be the only living being in the Chaos. Every time he grumbled, he triggered vast eruptions of chaotic energy.
He failed to notice, however, that as time passed, his true form—that beam of purple light—was growing larger. Initially, it had been only a zhang long and as thick as a bowl; now, it had reached ten zhang in length and was as thick as a water barrel.
***
Countless more years passed. Countless purple beams appeared throughout the Chaos, bringing the total to exactly three thousand, including Mo Yan’s.
Each of these new beams appeared a hundred zhang in length, far larger than Mo Yan’s.
Mo Yan was oblivious to what was happening in the Chaos, for he had fallen into a deep slumber. Having lost hope in cultivation, he found that sleep was a worry-free way to pass an infinite existence.
The other purple beams began rapidly absorbing the surrounding chaotic energy, Mo Yan’s beam included, yet the slumbering Mo Yan remained entirely unaware.
Countless more years passed, and Mo Yan was suddenly jolted awake.
"Was it a dream? Or was it real?" In his sleep, he had a long, long dream. He dreamed he had become the Ancestor of Magic, Luohou, of the Honghuang.
Suddenly, three thousand streams of purple energy surged from the depths of the Chaos and submerged into the beams of light. Mo Yan felt his mind flooded with new information.
"One of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods, the Ancestor of Magic Luohou? I’ve actually become Luohou!" Mo Yan processed the information and reached this conclusion.
"Weren’t there legends that traversing into the Chaos required swearing an oath to the Great Dao, declaring that 'from now on, there is no so-and-so, only such-and-such'? How did the Great Dao just turn me into Luohou directly?"
Of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods, Luohou was one of those Mo Yan least wanted to be. He knew that the Ancestor of Magic would meet a grim fate; when the Great God Pangu split the heavens and the Honghuang emerged, Luohou would merely serve as a stepping stone for Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
The three thousand streams of purple energy that surged from the depths were the heritage of the Great Dao. Now, Mo Yan understood why he had been unable to cultivate for all these years. Without the heritage of the Great Dao, how could he cultivate? His mind now contained the "Beginningless Magic Sutra"—a true method of cultivation. He could also sense an object beside him, seemingly his innate companion treasure, though he could not yet discern what it was.
At the same time, Mo Yan learned common knowledge about the Chaos, such as the existence of five Supreme Chaos Treasures: the 36th-rank Chaos Green Lotus, the Jade Plate of Creation, the Chaos Bead, the Pangu Axe, and the World-Destruction Millstone.
Mo Yan—no, he was Luohou now—clarified his identity and decided what he must do next. Legend had it that Luohou was among the weaker of the three thousand Demon Gods, and it was precisely because he was so unremarkable that he wasn't completely wiped out by the Great God Pangu.
But this time, Luohou did not intend to remain unremarkable. Ancestor Yangmei was famous and powerful; had he not survived the Great God Pangu?
If Ancestor Yangmei could do it, so could Luohou.
Time has no meaning in the Chaos; it is merely a concept. Until one moment, when the Chaos suddenly became lively.
"I am Ancestor Shichen, master of the Law of Time. The Chaos shall revere me as supreme."
"I am Ancestor Yangmei, master of the Law of Space. The Chaos shall honor me as king."
"I am Ancestor Xuantian, master of the Law of Destiny. The Chaos shall crown me as emperor."
"I am the Chaos Demon Ape, master of the Law of War. I shall battle every Chaos Demon God to the end."
...
As each Chaos Demon God took form, the entire Chaos began to churn, and endless chaotic currents surged.
In an inconspicuous corner of the Chaos, Luohou took shape quietly. He did not shout into the void, for he viewed that as a suicidal act—he was terrified that the Great God Pangu would take note of his name.
Of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods, Ancestor Shichen, Ancestor Yangmei, Ancestor Xuantian, and the Chaos Demon Ape were the most powerful, each possessing the cultivation level of a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal (Sage).
The remaining Chaos Demon Gods were all at the level of Hunyuan Golden Immortals (Quasi-Sages), Luohou included.
However, Luohou possessed a treasure—a supreme treasure he could never have dreamed of.
Among the five Supreme Chaos Treasures—the 36th-rank Chaos Green Lotus, the Jade Plate of Creation, the Pangu Axe, the Chaos Bead, and the World-Destruction Millstone—Luohou’s companion treasure turned out to be the World-Destruction Millstone. This was an unexpected delight, giving him full confidence that he could survive the calamity of the opening of the heavens.
"All three thousand Demon Gods have emerged. It seems the Great God Pangu will be next. It is a pity about the 36th-rank Chaos Green Lotus. Sigh, the greatest treasure of the Chaos, yet it is destined to shatter. Regardless, I should use this time to travel the Chaos; perhaps I can find some innate materials," Luohou thought to himself.
***
Within the infinite Chaos, a green lotus ten thousand zhang in size bloomed. Resting within the lotus was a massive "egg," which was frantically absorbing the chaotic currents.