Luohou rode upon the clouds, wandering across Honghuang. As he traveled, he exterminated ferocious beasts while refining his own divine abilities. Although he possessed the Primordial Beginning Magic Scripture, it contained no combat techniques whatsoever.
Furthermore, Luohou had never fought anyone back in Chaos. When it came to blocking the Great God Pangu, he hadn't even brushed against the edges before that terrifying aftershock shattered his physical body. If not for the World-Destruction Millstone, he would have long since vanished into smoke and dust.
Therefore, Luohou naturally relished slaying ferocious beasts. Not only could he acquire merit, but he could also deduce his own offensive divine abilities—why would he not enjoy this?
As for that unearned and preposterous reputation as a great philanthropist, he could let it go straight to hell!
He was the Ancestor of Magic, not some saintly do-gooder. He would never do anything that offered him no profit. As for the life or death of others, what did that have to do with him?
"At this time, the Heavenly Dao is not yet complete, and all things are free from the entanglements of cause and effect. If only I could run into Hongyun—slaying him would be far more worthwhile than heading to Mount Buzhou or the East China Sea."
Luohou was well aware that the wealthiest mighty figure in all of Honghuang was none other than Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Since he himself was a transmigrator who had begun practicing cultivation as far back as the Chaos era, he figured his cultivation level should surpass that of Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Encountering him naturally meant seizing the magical treasures in his possession.
Perhaps due to his mastery of the Magic Dao, Luohou's mindset was gradually undergoing a transformation. In his view, the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth belonged to those capable of claiming them. As for killing people and seizing their treasures, it was entirely normal and nothing out of the ordinary.
Running into the Three Pure Ones would be fine, too. Among them, Laizi possessed a companion supreme treasure: the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda. Though not an Xiantian spiritual treasure, it was one of the two major acquired merit supreme treasures, rivaling even Xiantian supreme treasures.
Lost in these thoughts, Luohou leisurely flew in the direction of Mount Buzhou.
...
"Hmph! Pangu, you old scoundrel, you ruined my physical body. Then I shall grant your world no peace for all eternity, ensuring you die with lingering grievances!"
In the northern reaches of Honghuang, countless ferocious beasts roared. Among them stood a man draped in imperial robes—none other than the Ferocious Beast Emperor, Shenni, whose previous incarnation had also been a Chaos Demon God.
To think that Shenni, a Chaos Demon God, had been reduced to becoming a lowly ferocious beast! One could easily imagine the depth of his hatred for the Great God Pangu!
Not only had his physical body been destroyed, but even his companion supreme treasure had been smashed to pieces by the Pangu Axe. Yet, by some twist of fate, Shenni had turned misfortune into fortune, acquiring an Xiantian superior treasure instead: the God-Killing Spear.
This weapon had been formed from the stem of the thirty-sixth-grade green lotus of Chaos, and under the Heavenly Dao, it was the sole supreme treasure capable of injuring a Sage.
"Although my cultivation is merely at the Late Daluo Golden Immortal stage, how many Daluo Gold Immortals even exist in the present Honghuang? I shall make your world my very own Honghuang, Shenni's Honghuang!" Shenni's command echoed directly into the minds of every single ferocious beast.
In an instant, the countless beasts surged into a frenzy. Deafening roars shook the heavens and the earth as they poured out from the northern borders toward the boundless expanse of Honghuang.
...
At Yuqiong Mountain stood a modest thatched cottage, furnished with utter simplicity—a solitary green lamp and a single rush cushion, upon which sat an old Daoist priest possessed of a transcendent, immortal air.
In his hands, the old Daoist held a shattered piece of jade plate, while countless laws orbited around his body as if he were sorting and unravelling them.
Suddenly, the jade plate gave a slight jump. A brilliant light flashed in the old Daoist's eyes as he gazed toward the northern reaches of Honghuang, his sight seeming to pierce through endless space and time.
"A remnant of the Chaos Demon Gods dares to wreak havoc in Honghuang? Utterly ignorant. This poor Daoist shall see you off."
If Luohou were present, he would surely have recognized the jade plate in the old Daoist's hand, for that plate was none other than the Jade Plate of Creation belonging to the Great God Pangu. Clearly, this old Daoist was Dao Ancestor Hongjun himself.
Rumor had it that Dao Ancestor Hongjun's past life was also a Chaos Demon God; other rumors claimed his true form was a cricket from the depths of Chaos; and still others said he was transformed from the primordial breath of the Great God Pangu. As for what his true form actually was, perhaps only Dao Ancestor Hongjun himself knew.
Originally, Luohou had believed that Dao Ancestor Hongjun was inferior to him, unaware that Hongjun's current cultivation had reached the Peak Daluo Golden Immortal stage, far surpassing his own Early Daluo Golden Immortal level.
Just as Dao Ancestor Hongjun stood up, the space between his brows twitched slightly, and a look of astonishment surfaced in his eyes.
"An anomaly has appeared?"
Without delay, Dao Ancestor Hongjun used the Jade Plate of Creation to calculate, but he could only discern that the anomaly resided in the West; any further details remained shrouded and impossible to calculate.
"Forget it. Since an anomaly has emerged, I will let Shenni test the waters with this anomaly first." Dao Ancestor Hongjun sat back down.
Meanwhile, Luohou was still leisurely riding the clouds, entirely unaware that Dao Ancestor Hongjun had come within a hair's breadth of calculating his existence. If not for the World-Destruction Millstone he possessed, his current cultivation level would have been insufficient to block the divination of the Jade Plate of Creation.
"Hmm?" Luohou halted, his eyes peering down through the mists.
A cultivator was battling a hundred ferocious beasts. However, the true form of this cultivator somewhat surprised Luohou.
A crystal dragon!
Although the Dragon Clan had already made its appearance in the world, its members were normally flesh-and-blood dragons, alongside a few elemental divine dragons. Yet this crystal dragon was truly unique in all of Honghuang—its entire body was crystalline, resembling a sculpture carved from purest crystal when in its true form.
"Aroo..." With a dragon roar, the cultivator transformed into his true form, revealing a hundred-zhang-long crystal dragon whose massive tail whipped out and sent several ferocious beasts flying.
Yet this crystal dragon possessed only the cultivation of a Mid Golden Immortal, while the ferocious beasts, though each only at the Early Golden Immortal stage, numbered a full hundred.
In an instant, those beasts lunged onto the crystal dragon's body, tearing and biting frantically.
The crystal dragon let out a pained cry, powerless to fight back as the scales on its body began to shed, crimson blood spilling freely.
At that moment, however, Luohou detected something hidden within the crystal dragon's body. A look of delight crossed his eyes, and he instantly appeared beside the crystal dragon, a overwhelming force sweeping all the ferocious beasts away.
Roar...
Faced with the sudden appearance of Luohou, the hundred ferocious beasts roared in fury, ready to pounce at any second.
Luohou paid those beasts no mind whatsoever. They were mere ants, easily eradicated with a flick of his hand. His attention was focused entirely on the object inside the crystal dragon.
"Aozheng offers his thanks to the senior for saving his life." The crystal dragon transformed back into human form, bowing deeply to Luohou in gratitude.
"This poor Daoist can save you, but you must offer your Dragon Pearl to me," Luohou said indifferently, as casually as if speaking of some utterly trivial matter.
Aozheng froze. Without his Dragon Pearl, he would be stripped of his foundation, forever trapped at the Golden Immortal stage with no hope of ever advancing another step.
Yet, glancing at the ferocious beasts, Aozheng understood that if he refused to surrender his Dragon Pearl, he would undoubtedly be devoured by the beasts, and the pearl would still end up in the hands of the senior before him.
"This junior knows his aptitude is low and that he is unworthy of becoming the senior's disciple. I ask only to be allowed to follow by the senior's side as a mount, and I willingly offer this Dragon Pearl to the senior," Aozheng said as he spat out the Dragon Pearl, presenting it respectfully in both hands.
"Roar..."
The hundred ferocious beasts suddenly lunged forward once more, charging at Luohou with gaping maws, eager to tear him apart and devour him.
"Ants." Luohou glanced at the beasts and waved a hand. The creatures instantly dissolved into mists of blood. Then, Luohou said calmly, "Very well. From now on, you shall serve as this poor Daoist's mount."