The deities above, the mortals below.

When they looked up in this manner, they felt overwhelming pressure bearing down from above, and what crashed into their hearts was countless feelings of grim shock!

This universe had been peaceful for far too long.

Throughout the past two complete eras, almost no one had encountered traces of deities anymore. Even though they had appeared in the Primordial Realm, most others had only heard of them through various rumors and had never truly seen them with their own eyes.

One could imagine how terrifying this scene was in their eyes at this moment!

No one had ever imagined they would encounter such a sight.

The Pangu Desolate Domain appeared once every sixty thousand years. Although most of them had prepared to face danger, it was absolutely not this kind of direct confrontation with deities!

Looking around, where was even half a bright star?

Nearly forty people stood suspended above Pangu’s dream, their hearts trembling violently before sinking into the depths of despair, ice-cold throughout.

Even the usually benevolent Great Emperor Baihe had become stern-faced.

Without needing to see anything more, he already understood clearly: they had fallen into the deities’ trap. Aside from the Primordial Realm, the deities had already destroyed all reincarnation in the lower realms. The reason they had delayed showing themselves was merely to deceive them, making them all believe the deities had not yet made their comeback, so they harbored final hope and ascended to this place during the sixty-thousand-year cycle of the Desolate Domain’s arrival. Thus, first, they had left the Upper Ruins unable to protect the immortal realm’s safety, and second, they had become fish in a net, turtles in a jar!

“What an excellent strategy!”

Great Emperor Baihe could no longer feel any warmth. His gaze swept across the mass of dark figures above, then fell on the faces of the deity Shaojí and “Yìnghuǐ” below, whom he had never met before.

At this moment, he laughed bitterly.

He turned his gaze back and actually looked toward the people of Fēixié Tiān.

“I originally thought Phoenix King could be considered a hero of his generation, but today I see him consorting with villains. In this game, I, Baihe, have lost!”

There weren’t many people on Fēixié Tiān’s side.

Phoenix King Fèngquē stood at the very front in magnificent robes, with Daidai in white bones draped in light gauze beside him, and the rest of Fēixié Tiān’s Saint Immortals behind them both.

Facing Baihe’s mocking gaze, Fèngquē remained unmoved.

His expression was extremely calm. The golden phoenix feather between his slender fingers turned gently, and with some dignity, he bowed slightly to Great Emperor Baihe, saying with a faint smile: “The human race prides itself as the spiritual leader of all species, having dominated the universe for nearly two eras. Throughout thousands of years, is it only permitted for your human race to devour the flesh of our hundred clans and drink the blood of our myriad species, while other species are not allowed to scheme once?”

Daidai also cast a seductive glance toward Dàluó Tiān’s side with boundless charm.

From Great Emperor Baihe to Luye Laozu, and then to Immortal Lord Bixī, all their faces turned ugly.

When Jian Chou had said earlier that “Yìnghuǐ” ambushed them, everyone could still treat it as a personal grudge between Yìnghuǐ and Jian Chou. But seeing that “Yìnghuǐ” standing together with the deity Shaojí at this moment, what didn’t they understand?

Connecting this with Fèngquē’s words before entering the Desolate Domain, they could know Fēixié Tiān’s position.

Fèngquē knew this “Yìnghuǐ” had entered the Desolate Domain with them.

However, this “Yìnghuǐ” was not that Yìnghuǐ!

Simply put, this exchange of two sentences seemed calm but was truly ice-cold to the extreme.

The people of Dàluó Tiān and Zìzài Tiān stood without moving.

But all the people of Fēixié Tiān retreated, actually standing together with those deities above everyone’s heads!

Their appearances were strange and varied.

Some had transformed into human form, some were just masses of black mist; some had no eyes, and some, even if they had eyes, were completely dim.

The deities were born in this universe.

When the universe was still chaos and heaven and earth were not yet distinct, they already existed. They were naturally born with the universe’s birth, were this universe’s most ancient race, and had once dominated the entire chaotic ancient era, until…

Pangu broke through the boundaries and opened heaven and earth!

What happened afterward was undoubtedly a massive disaster for the entire deity clan…

“Dying here today wouldn’t be wronging you.”

Probably sensing the suppressed anger and fear of the Upper Ruins group, after seeing the Fēixié Tiān people walk over, Shaojí laughed heartily several times with rare pleasure. Strange silver-blue patterns instantly crawled over His neck, making Him look full of primitive, most primal ferocity.

“That old thief Pangu—what use was it for him to exhaust his efforts creating reincarnation? This universe ultimately belongs to our deity clan!”

He actually dared to call Great Lord Pangu an “old thief”!

Just these four words had instantly ignited everyone’s already surging fury!

A stern-faced Daoist flushed red, pointed at Shaojí, and angrily rebuked: “Yellow-mouthed child, speaking impudently! Great Lord Pangu opened heaven and earth, performing great merit for this universe—how can you slander him at will?!”

“Slander?”

Shaojí was truly no “yellow-mouthed child.” On the contrary, he had lived longer than all these human cultivators waiting for slaughter combined. At this moment, he only laughed coldly, viewing everyone as ants.

“You really think you’re something!”

Having left the Primordial Realm, freed from the restrictions of the Primordial Realm’s tribulation punishment, Shaojí’s strength could finally be completely revealed at this moment!

As his words fell, his eyes suddenly widened!

From those pupils with little spiritual light, two thin streams of ghostly blue radiance shot out, heading toward the Daoist who had spoken earlier. Where the radiance passed, even space reverted to chaos!

The Daoist stood in place, completely unable to move.

Even with his Saint Immortal cultivation, at this moment he could only helplessly watch this ray of light attack him, pressing until his eyes bulged and blood flowed from all seven orifices!

At the crucial moment, a sword blocked in front of him!

“Clang!”

Two sounds became one as the light struck the sword hilt simultaneously, without distinction, causing the sword to ring out vibrantly!

But it failed to pierce through this sword.

Even that slender hand still held it steadily, not letting the sword slip!

“Bang!”

Not only could the light not kill that Saint Immortal, it was actually deflected by this sword, flying back toward its source, grazing past Shaojí’s eye corner at an angle!

Just like scraping across the surface of a mud sculpture.

At the wound, black qi immediately overflowed like dense fog and flowing sand, making Shaojí’s gloomy face appear even more wickedly sinister!

“Jian—Chou!”

These two characters spat from Shaojí’s mouth truly carried a sense of gnashing hatred, but also revealed several traces of undisguised wariness.

His knife-sharp gaze shot toward her as he slowly raised his hand to touch the wound at his eye corner.

After a moment, he suddenly laughed out loud.

“Worthy of being the King of Equality who could turn the tide in the Primordial Realm. I hadn’t expected that ascending to this Upper Ruins immortal realm, you would still possess such remarkable strength. It’s just a pity that as a human, you’re blinded by a single leaf and cannot see Mount Tai—ultimately too stupid!”

That Daoist had truly retrieved a life from the brink of death. Terrified, he retreated three steps, even forgetting to thank her, already completely frightened by the power of Shaojí’s casual strike.

But others’ gazes all fell on Jian Chou.

They were shocked by Shaojí’s strength, and also shocked by Jian Chou’s formidable performance when she blocked with her sword!

But Jian Chou only naturally stood at the front. Even though almost everyone’s—all the deities’ gazes—fell on her, she showed no sign of guilt or panic. Instead, she was so composed that she didn’t seem like someone in desperate straits. She even laughed and raised her tone to ask: “Blinded by a single leaf and cannot see Mount Tai? How coincidental—Jian Chou feels there’s an entire Mount Tai in her heart, tall and majestic. But I wonder what this ‘Mount Tai’ you speak of looks like?”

Fu Chaosheng held the Divine Key in his hand, standing right beside Shaojí.

He could see every word, every sentence, even every expression and movement of Jian Chou clearly.

But at this moment, she wasn’t looking at him.

Their “Mount Tai” was naturally not the real “Mount Tai.” How could Shaojí fail to understand Jian Chou’s meaning?

He scoffed: “Do you want to die understanding?”

Jian Chou shook her head and sighed: “I understand very clearly. It’s just that the Saint Immortals behind me probably don’t understand, and you ancient remnants may not understand either.”

This statement was quite thought-provoking. Not only did the deity side frown upon hearing it, but even the Upper Ruins people standing behind her felt something strange.

Too distant.

This sentence from Jian Chou clearly didn’t place herself within the ranks of “Upper Ruins immortals.”

Luye Laozu’s expression remained calm, seemingly not very surprised, but the others all glanced at Jian Chou, their hearts full of unease.

But Shaojí didn’t notice this point, because the latter half of Jian Chou’s statement was enough to attract His attention, giving Him a sense of being despised and mocked.

This small human female cultivator actually said she was the one who understood most clearly?

Malicious intent suddenly grew and spread.

Shaojí’s voice became thick, as if it could travel from where He stood to any corner of this universe, filling the silent and dark space!

“Our deity clan was born when this universe was first created, formed in chaos, and has always been part of the universe! And your so-called divine Great Lord Pangu was merely a common external intruder!”

“If not for our clan’s moment of benevolence, allowing Him to lead the human race in migration, how would your human race exist today?”

“But who could have imagined we were inviting a wolf into the house!”

“Once heaven and earth were opened, the chaos in the universe was all divided into clear and turbid, light and dark, with time and space—only then was it called ‘universe.'”

“How wonderful—your human race settled here, thrived and multiplied, while our deity clan gradually weakened as chaos diminished. This universe even gradually birthed new rules.”

“When heaven had no clear and turbid, everything was clean and pure!”

“When heaven had no time and space, this moment was that moment, this place was that place!”

“When heaven had no day and night, one day was eternity, and morning birth and evening death were originally eternal life!”

At this point, Jian Chou’s expression finally moved slightly.

She finally looked toward Fu Chaosheng.

Although it was still Yìnghuǐ’s face, the feeling it gave now was completely different—not even the faint hostility and demonic aura of that mayfly great demon from the former Primordial Realm, but a kind of nearly eternal coldness and heaviness.

Shaojí obviously recalled the most brutal past for the deity clan, and the hatred hidden in his voice seemed about to become substantial, grinding everyone into powder!

“You humans are merely weak beings who migrated here as guests, yet you presumed to master the power of this realm’s rules! That old thief Pangu was even more cunning and sinister…”

“In ancient times, when our deities warred with your human race, what did He do?”

“He actually killed the messenger our clan sent to negotiate peace, killed the strongest leader of our deity clan, and took the opportunity to create the Six Paths of Reincarnation! He cast countless deities of our clan into reincarnation! From then on, deities became humans, humans became deities, mixing the two races! Even worse, he artificially created the mayfly race, forever trapped in the lowest path! For thousands of years, born in the morning and dying at evening, never again having the chance to attain the Dao!”

“Today is merely letting your human race taste the bitter fruit of your own making.”

“You want to restore reincarnation and awaken Pangu; our clan wants to overturn reincarnation and send Him to eternal silence!”

Completely opposing sides with no possibility of compromise!

The Upper Ruins people, hearing this speech, only felt that Shaojí was reversing right and wrong, spitting blood in accusations, and someone was about to step forward to rebuke him.

But Jian Chou was much faster.

She had listened calmly throughout, so when Shaojí’s words just ended, she easily picked up the conversation, only saying: “Which side first provoked the war disaster back then is probably still debatable. However, regarding the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the mayfly race, from your meaning, this is also entirely Pangu’s fault?”

She didn’t pick anything else, but specifically chose this point?

Shaojí’s eye corner couldn’t help but twitch.

At this moment, He didn’t dare turn to look at Fu Chaosheng, fearing he would reveal flaws, but his face showed no guilt whatsoever. Using an extremely oppressive gaze to stare at Jian Chou, he counter-asked: “What, don’t you dare believe your revered Great Lord Pangu could do such things?”

“Not really.”

Completely contrary to Shaojí’s expectations, Jian Chou actually shook her head lightly in denial, showing no intention of defending Pangu at all!

Behind her, there was immediately a shocked stir.

But Jian Chou didn’t turn back to look at them.

She only stepped forward several paces in the void as if walking on flat ground, standing in a middle position, then looked at Shaojí again, lightly counter-asking: “The grievances between the two races are too long past—if one wants to clarify them, it’s truly difficult, and I’m too lazy to clarify them. However, regarding the mayfly race, some clues can be glimpsed in the Primordial Realm, and it’s still worth discussing. But why do I feel that what you just said differs greatly from what I know?”

“What do you mean?”

Shaojí had already changed color.

The gazes of all surrounding deities toward Jian Chou became even more unfriendly.

Leading them were ten elders of the deity clan who spoke with great weight, all wrapped in black cloaks with even their faces unclear, but the darkness around them rapidly spread.

An aged voice sounded in the scene, speaking to Jian Chou: “Little girl of the human race, your words have hidden meanings.”

Jian Chou found it interesting.

Deities, human race…

What difference was there?

In her view, they were merely slightly different forms of existence. For this universe, there was no host or guest in the world, no righteousness or evil in heaven and earth—clear was turbid, bright was dark!

Deep in the dream beneath their feet, Xie Buchen was still in mortal combat with Yuèyǐng, but at this critical moment of survival, no one could pay attention to it.

Jian Chou glanced toward the source of that aged voice, too lazy to inquire about the speaker’s identity, and still addressed Shaojí: “No other meaning, just doubting who’s speaking nonsense. Your deity clan keeps claiming you sent a messenger to negotiate peace, but wasn’t this war initiated by your deity clan when endangered? If I’m not mistaken, this so-called ‘peace negotiation’ messenger was the mayfly ‘Mùsǐ’ you mentioned, who was killed by Pangu and cast into reincarnation, trapped in the lowest path. If so, shouldn’t your entire deity clan show the utmost respect for this ‘Mùsǐ’ who should have been immortal?”

“…”

Stormy waves suddenly surged in his mind, endless dark clouds flashed across Shaojí’s face, and he could almost guess what Jian Chou’s next words would be.

Indeed, seeing his changing expression, she laughed.

But within it was full of mockery!

Without needing Shaojí to respond, Jian Chou had already thrown out her prepared words: “When in the Primordial Realm, you and I met several times. In the Battle of Bafang City, Lord Shaojí had heaven-reaching power, actually escaping from under the Primordial Realm’s tribulation punishment. At that time, the great demon born from the mayfly race’s vow power—that is, my Fellow Daoist Chaosheng—was also in the battle. Although he wasn’t the original Mùsǐ, he could be considered your kinsman, right? But how do I remember that you, Shaojí, not only showed no respect for Mùsǐ, but also no courtesy to your kinsman, even calling him ‘traitor to the deities’ and ‘running dog of the human race,’ saying things like ‘tens of thousands of years passed and still hasn’t changed’? Could it be that I remembered wrong?”

Fu Chaosheng stood on that head of Pangu. When he first heard Jian Chou mention the mayfly race, his fingers trembled slightly, and when the four words “Fellow Daoist Chaosheng” came out, he felt piercing pain.

His gaze lifted, and his pupils reflected her image.

He still didn’t speak. Apart from the Divine Key in his hand radiating some dangerous feeling, his entire being seemed nonexistent.

But Jian Chou’s gaze was directed precisely at him.

Thus, the Upper Ruins people all knew who the “Fellow Daoist Chaosheng” in her words referred to.

The deity clan’s side, however, had never imagined that Jian Chou’s words had almost completely exposed them!

The gazes of the ten elders all fell on Shaojí at this moment.

Undoubtedly, such an error should not have occurred.

Shaojí’s expression immediately became extremely ugly, but thinking of Fu Chaosheng’s various actions after returning to the deity clan upon reaching the Upper Ruins, he became fearless: “So what? Everything you’ve said concerns internal grudges within our deity clan—it’s not a small human cultivator’s place to interfere!”

Not her place?

Jian Chou’s eyebrows slightly arched, but she didn’t get angry. She only said: “If you say it’s not my place, then so be it. But how pitiful was the original Mùsǐ—born of deities, close to humans, yet used by his own clan, sent under the false name of ‘peace negotiation’ to breach the Primordial Realm’s defenses. In the end, he couldn’t even get a decent death, not only cast into the Six Paths of Reincarnation by Pangu but also changed by these kinsmen who feared he might not die or return for revenge into the lowest of the six paths, scattered into the mayfly race, transforming from ‘supreme’ to ‘infinitesimal’ in this universe!”

“Seeking death!!!”

If her earlier words could still be endured by the deities, by this moment, they had crossed the line of what the deities could tolerate with this speech!

Before the ten elders could act, one of Shaojí’s arms had already transformed into a long spear!

The phantom of a thousand-legged centipede immediately appeared!

But before this black long spear could even cleave to Jian Chou’s eyes, she had already lightly flicked her finger, as casually as flicking away a speck of dust, deflecting it!

What appeared to be a finger flick actually surged out like an entire sea!

The entire Desolate Domain trembled for an instant!

Shaojí couldn’t react at all before being struck by this finger-flick’s power, his long spear shattering on impact!

“Ahhhhh—”

His long spear was one of his thousand legs!

Since birth, it had only been severely injured during the great war in the long night. How could he endure this?

His entire body flew backward!

Unable to maintain human form, he reverted to the massive black cloud that Jian Chou had seen in the Primordial Realm!

Everything happened in a flash. All the Upper Ruins people were terrified to the point of numbness, and the deities who had originally surrounded the Upper Ruins people below were even more horrified!

They could hardly believe what they saw!

Shaojí, whose combat power ranked among the top of the deity clan, couldn’t withstand this female cultivator’s single finger-flick!!!

She stood in the middle but didn’t even glance at Shaojí, instead looking at Fu Chaosheng and sighing softly: “Fellow Daoist Chaosheng…”

The skin of Yìnghuǐ finally dispersed from him like smoke and clouds.

She stood in others’ sight, yet he stood in her sight, momentarily feeling somewhat absurd and bewildered.

Fu Chaosheng gazed back at her, silent.

Jian Chou only asked him: “Knowing that the deity clan cannot tolerate you either, why did you still return?”

Fu Chaosheng naturally remembered Shaojí’s words from back then.

But later, none of it mattered anymore.

He was never someone who cared about such things.

At this moment, he only replied to Jian Chou: “I do this for myself.”

For the original persistent wish of his incarnation, for the fate of the mayfly race, for completely overturning reincarnation—and while Pangu didn’t die, reincarnation would be hard to destroy.

For himself.

His answer made Jian Chou’s heart complex.

She remembered his angry, uncomprehending, and hurt eyes in Pangu’s dream not long ago, and also remembered that indescribable loneliness of being enemies with the entire world.

At this moment, across the void, Jian Chou opened her palm and reached out toward him, saying only plainly: “Come here.”

At this time, whether the deity clan or the Upper Ruins immortals, all sensed an ominous premonition.

Fu Chaosheng was also stunned.

He blinked, and several traces of absurdity actually flashed in his eyes, but another voice in his heart ignored all his reason, echoing endlessly.

“Either you can kill me, or come with me.”

The hand Jian Chou extended didn’t withdraw, nor did it waver in the slightest. Her slightly deep voice could evoke some distant memories hidden in people’s hearts.

In that brief moment, her eyes swept across thousands of years of mountains and rivers, myriad ages of flowing streams.

The Yixiantian lay quietly dormant in her brow.

But her spoken words shed their sword light and blade shadows, leaving only a few traces of smiling tenderness: “Come here. My sword is unwilling to face you.”