"The Hongmeng Sea... the Other Shore. It seems you know quite a lot."
Juntian Merchant Venerable spoke indifferently.
As the true Master of the Myriad Realms Merchant Alliance, he was extremely well-informed and had naturally gathered much intelligence regarding transcendence. This information came from the mouths of many ancient existences. While these beings might not have transcended themselves, this Chaos had already birthed more than one Transcendent. In short, escaping the shackles of Chaos was no simple feat.
"The Dao Ancestor did not step into the Hongmeng Sea alone back then."
The Demon Ancestor's voice echoed, speaking of a secret known to very few in Chaos:
"He also took away the Tongtian Dao Venerable. He definitely didn't rely solely on his own power; he likely used a... supreme treasure from the Hongmeng Sea or even the Other Shore."
"You mean..."
"I suspect this treasure is in the Immortal Realm, possibly in the hands of Haotian or Xuantian Dao Venerable."
Deep within the pupils of Juntian Merchant Venerable, countless runes flashed by.
The surroundings became even more silent.
In reality, the Demon Ancestor's words were half-truths; the existence of the treasure was true, but the latter half was a lie. However, in his view, Han Xuanji likely had a significant connection to the Dao Ancestor. He even suspected Han Xuanji might be an existence from the Hongmeng Sea, as his Origins were completely inscrutable.
"How do you know all this?"
Juntian Merchant Venerable was still somewhat skeptical.
The Demon Ancestor did not answer immediately. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice deeper than before:
"After all these years, do you truly think this Ancestor's only goal was to plunder the Origin and lay hands on the Immortal Realm?"
Juntian Merchant Venerable's gaze shifted slightly, but he did not respond.
"This Venerable intercepted a strand of... the residual traces left by the Dao Ancestor when he departed the Immortal Realm."
Juntian Merchant Venerable's figure suddenly leaned forward.
"What was recorded in those residual traces?"
"It wasn't a record."
The Demon Ancestor shook his head and said:
"It is an 'echo' and an 'anchor.' Before the Dao Ancestor left, he used the Chaos Origin as a Foundation to confirm the 'anchor' of our world. Perhaps... one day, the Dao Ancestor will follow the anchor's trail and return from the Hongmeng Sea."
He paused, his gaze piercing through layers of light as if looking toward the distant Immortal Realm.
"As for that Xuantian Dao Venerable... his appearance was too abrupt, too far beyond common logic."
The Demon Ancestor's tone carried a hint of deep suspicion.
"His cultivation promotion is faster than common sense, his Foundation is unimaginably thick, and he possesses many supreme treasures rare even in Chaos... If you say he has no connection to the Dao Ancestor, this Venerable will never believe it."
"I suspect he might be the Dao Ancestor's trump card."
Juntian Merchant Venerable pondered aloud:
"You mean... he was originally a 'trump card' left in the Hongmeng Sea by the Dao Ancestor? Or... a 'guest' from the Hongmeng Sea?"
"He might be carrying one, or even more, artifacts related to the 'Other Shore'?"
"The 'delicacy' that fool, the Lord of Greed, sensed—what do you think it was?"
The Demon Ancestor asked in return:
"His Origin of Greed has a desire to devour all things tangible and intangible in Chaos, but it feels an instinctive 'hunger' for only two things: first, an Origin that exceeds its level of cognition;"
"Second, an existence that has a Karmic connection to the word 'Transcendence.' "
"When he mentioned Xuantian Dao Venerable, his Origin of Greed grew restless. Otherwise, do you think he would have agreed to my terms so easily?"
Juntian Merchant Venerable fell silent.
He naturally knew what the Lord of Greed's almost pathological instinct of greed signified.
To make the other party take such a huge risk, the attraction must have surpassed everything; it was an uncontrollable instinct, and the result was naturally suffering a backlash.
"This Venerable has one more question."
Juntian Merchant Venerable finally spoke, his voice regaining its stability, though with a slight change even he might not have noticed.
"If he truly is an existence from the Hongmeng Sea, the Dao Ancestor's trump card, or a guest from the Other Shore, then what exactly did he come to this Chaos to do?"
Hearing this, the Demon Ancestor looked up.
"You are worried..."
"This Venerable is worried that your and my schemes will, in the end, be nothing more than another color of chess piece on the board."
Juntian Merchant Venerable said slowly, his star-patterned robe fluttering without wind, reflecting the deep calculations in his eyes.
"If the Dao Ancestor could leave an 'anchor,' who knows what Realm his cultivation has reached now? How do we know he hasn't foreseen our actions?"
"Furthermore, why would I not seek cooperation with Haotian or Xuantian Dao Venerable, but instead cooperate with you?"
As these words were spoken, the Wujian Exchange Market seemed to grow even quieter.
The Demon Ancestor remained silent for a long time but did not immediately refute him.
After a while, he said in a low voice:
"I have not failed to consider your concerns, but it is precisely because of this that we must make a decision early."
"If the Dao Ancestor truly calculated everything, why would he tolerate my erosion of the Immortal Realm? If he could allow more people to transcend, why did he not take Taishang and Yuanshi with him? The will of Chaos is gradually awakening. If we don't make a decision now, we might also face the Final End."
"Besides, the Dao Ancestor has walked this path. Are you willing to miss it?"
Juntian Merchant Venerable's pupils constricted as he stared at the Demon Ancestor.
At this moment, the Demon Ancestor was no longer just that primordial demon god who had plotted for eons to lay hands on the Immortal Realm.
The cold veil over him seemed to have been torn open, revealing a desire no different from any other cultivator.
Juntian Merchant Venerable withdrew his gaze.
"This Venerable understands."
Without transcending Chaos, everything is an illusion!
Even if he was a Limitless Primordial, he was no different from a prisoner. However, although Juntian Merchant Venerable agreed to cooperate with the Demon Ancestor, he still wanted to obtain more intelligence. To know oneself and one's enemy is to be victorious in every battle.
He never fought a battle he wasn't sure of winning.
Most importantly, he didn't trust the Demon Ancestor at all...
Time passed slowly.
A thousand years went by.
Deep in the Chaos, on an ancient star that had already lost its vitality. Lin Feng's Qi had already reached the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal. The majestic magic power permeating around him, combined with his resolute will, formed a Chaos storm that stirred a million-mile radius.
He had cultivated bitterly in the Chaos, experiencing countless life-and-death battles, and finally touched that Primordial Gate that stood across his path!
"In my past life, I was the Primordial Emperor, ruling over a region, yet I was betrayed by my beloved Disciple. My Dao Fruit shattered, and my life ended... In this life, I met my Master's guidance to walk the Great Dao again, experiencing a hundred tribulations in the Mortal World and tempering in Chaos... The Karma of the past life and the insights of this life are all here at this moment!"
Lin Feng looked up at the void of Chaos, his voice low and firm, like an oath and like a farewell to his past self to welcome a new life.
"Today, I, Lin Feng, shall re-attain the Primordial Realm here!"
As his voice fell, he no longer suppressed the torrent of power within his body that had already boiled to the extreme.
"Boom!!!"
An indescribable, majestic aura, like a super volcano that had been silent for eons, completely erupted from his body.
Blazing light instantly illuminated the world, and vast magic power mixed with his unique Nirvana true intent shot straight into the clouds.
In an instant, with him as the center, countless air currents were drawn in. This was the phenomenon of condensing a Primordial Dao Fruit, meaning he was forcibly forging his own Dao, insights, magic power, and even his life imprint into an undying Dao Fruit of his own!