Master of the Demon Emperor

"Where?"

Su Yie asked eagerly, though he still harbored doubts in his heart.

Observing Guo TianMing's demeanor, he couldn't help but think of Qing Jushi.

That would be Emperor Qing Xiao.

Guo TianMing feigned a cough, raised his head proudly, and said, "In a universe under the Jade Emperor's control there lies a place called Hua Xia, which was once a grand world known as Primordial. Following a battle between great powers, it shattered into pieces and became Hua Xia."

Upon hearing this, Su Yie was immediately overjoyed.

This matched exactly with the Hua Xia Primordial myths he knew.

"Take me to Hua Xia."

Su Yie commanded, realizing he no longer needed to descend to the Lower Realm to gather information.

Guo TianMing's face turned slightly bitter as he said, "It's best not to go to Hua Xia right now."

"Why?"

Su Yie frowned, feeling as though he'd been fooled.

Guo TianMing gave a wry smile and explained, "The Dao Ancestor Hong Jun has set a chess game in motion, using myriad realms as chess pieces, and Hua Xia is one of them. If you intrude, you'll fall into endless trouble."

The Dao Ancestor Hong Jun?

Su Yie's frown deepened. He hadn't expected this matter to be connected to that name.

In 'The Investiture of the Gods,' Hong Jun was the highest being, the teacher of saints, who easily suppressed the battle for godhood.

How strong was the real Hong Jun?

No matter how strong, he probably was still below the Pure Jade Emperor.

Su Yie said firmly, "Take me there!"

Upon hearing this, Guo TianMing could only smile bitterly and nod.

Siao Tianquan, meanwhile, grinned, spitting saliva as he teased, "Scared, you coward!"

Guo TianMing glared at him and retorted, "You still have to follow me!"

Su Yie glanced at them and asked, "What's your relationship?"

At that, Guo TianMing began to spill his grievances.

It turned out they weren't old acquaintances. They met each other in this grand world, driven purely by self-interest. They joined forces to trick a Manifesting Saint to seize a treasure from him, which led to the furious chase earlier.

So, it was fair to say that Guo TianMing and Siao Tianquan were just passersby in each other's lives.

Su Yie said coldly, "Lead the way."

Guo TianMing nodded obsequiously and immediately flew ahead.

Su Yie and Siao Tianquan followed closely behind.

Along the way, Siao Tianquan talked nonstop, like a chatterbox.

"Fellow, what's your name?"

"What realm is your cultivation?"

"How did you deal with that guy just now? Such an impressive Divine Skill, I couldn't even see it clearly!"

Siao Tianquan seemed very excited, but Su Yie paid no attention, instead inquiring within Emperor Su's Sect.

Su Yie: Yang Jian, is Siao Tianquan your pet? I've encountered one being pursued by a Manifesting Saint.

Nan Xiaopao: Siao Tianquan?

Jade Emperor: Brother Su, you haven't encountered trouble, have you?

Yang Jian: Hmm, but that rascal frequently wanders and has sired many Siao Tianquans. You might have come across one of his offspring.

Demon Wolf Star: Probably learned it from the master.

Supreme Dragon Shaking: Shut your mouth!

Yue Qinglong: Su Yie, where are you?

…

After a brief exchange, Su Yie finally shifted his attention to Siao Tianquan.

It was hard to know how strong the real Siao Tianquan was, but standing by the side of Yang Jian, he surely couldn't be weak.

Sensing his peculiar gaze, Siao Tianquan asked in astonishment, "What's up? Do I have something on my face?"

"Have you ever met your ancestor?"

Su Yie shook his head and asked, to which Siao Tianquan shook its head as well and said, "I've seen it in my dreams."

The Siao Tianquan Tribe possesses bloodline memories. From birth, it would cultivate and possess the Divine Skills of Siao Tianquan, which is why it had survived to this day.

Su Yie didn't respond, he had always thought Yang Jian came from Hongmeng. If he really came from Hongmeng, how could the descendants of Siao Tianquan have spread to Chaos?

There's also the legend of Yang Jian in Hua Xia's mythology.

He felt that Yang Jian must have been to Chaos and visited Hua Xia.

With that thought, his mind began to drift.

The distance from here to the Star Region where Hua Xia was located was incredibly far.

Guo TianMing's cultivation wasn't high. By his estimate, it would take at least thousands of years to fly there.

Fortunately, Guo TianMing knew of some Grand Worlds with Teleportation Gateways near Hua Xia.

The two men and one dog quickly flew into the starry sky.

...

In the pitch-black space, dense fog spread far and wide, moving without wind.

Amidst the fog stood a massive palace, hundreds of feet tall, with a radiance of rosy clouds at its back and two formidable and fierce divine statues at its entrance. There hung a signboard above the door engraved with three forceful characters.

Palace of the Purple Clouds!

Inside the palace, an old man in a Taoist robe sat on a meditation cushion.

He had the appearance of a youthful elder, his presence nearly imperceptible, like that of a tree, sitting motionless.

He was none other than Hong Jun, the Dao Ancestor, a supreme being at the pinnacle of this Great Dao Plane.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a glimmer of confusion flashing within them as he murmured, "Strange, why has the fate of the Pangu Universe changed?"

The Pangu Universe, this was the name of this particular Great Dao Plane!

He started to calculate with his fingers but couldn't find the root cause, causing his white brows to furrow even tighter.

He liked to see all worlds as a game, and did not wish for unexpected developments.

"Master, I have something to request," a voice said from outside the palace at that moment.

Hong Jun looked up and said, "Come in."

Following that, a valiant middle-aged man with a dragon's stride and a tiger's step entered. He wore a black Taoist robe, and his bright, penetrating eyes sat within a stern face, exuding an aura of unspoken authority.

He knelt before Hong Jun and said solemnly, "Master, is the Tian Qiong Great Calamity really going to happen?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Jun glanced at him and said, "Of course, just like the previous Dragon-Han, Demon-Witch Conflict, Investiture of the Gods, and Journey to the West calamities, it's time to choose a new protagonist for the Heavenly Dao."

The man in the black robe clenched his teeth and asked, "Does the Domain Master know?"

Hong Jun, expressionless, said, "What does it matter to me whether she knows or not? She is, after all, an outsider."

Then, changing the subject, he said, "Tongtian, carry out this great calamity. Do not disappoint me!"

This black-robed middle-aged man was the famous Leader of the Heaven-reaching Sect from Hua Xia mythology!

Upon hearing this, the Leader of the Heaven-reaching Sect took a deep breath and asked, "What are the standards for the Heavenly Dao protagonist?"

Hong Jun's gaze sharpened and he replied, "Whoever gains the Creation Jade Disc will be the protagonist of the Heavenly Dao and the next Heavenly Sage!"

The Creation Jade Disc!

The Leader of the Heaven-reaching Sect trembled, his face showing shock as he had not expected Hong Jun to play such a big game.

...

A month later.

Su Yie, Guo TianMing, and Siao Tianquan stepped out of the Teleportation Gateway, greeted by a Star Sea made of billions of stars clustered together, like whirlpools waiting for them far away.

At that moment, they stood on a star that resembled the Moon.

Behind them was a Teleportation Gateway five zhang tall, and not far away, there were several stone houses where dozens of creatures were cultivating. They glanced at the trio and then looked away.

"The Milky Way."

Su Yie gazed into the distance and muttered to himself.

The Star Sea looked exactly like the Milky Way from his memory, appearing like a cosmic eye twinkling with blue light from this vantage point, its edges ringed with a silver-white band, sparkling and beautiful.

Guo TianMing and Siao Tianquan were indifferent, accustomed to such beautiful views after seeing them so often.

"Are we really going? With a great calamity imminent, what if we never come back once we go…" Guo TianMing asked hesitantly. Siao Tianquan also fell silent. Though they were greedy, they did not want to face annihilation.