Darkness. Endless, suffocating darkness. Within it, an intense hatred churned, and this overflowing hatred refused to settle.

Before, Long Chen had found peace in this very darkness—a soothing stillness that made him feel as though he had returned home. But now, it failed to calm the fury inside him. His hatred only grew, an uncontrollable force rising within his chest.

A voice broke through the chaos, familiar and ancient. “Great nine star heir, I can sense your thirst for vengeance. Are you angry? It is time to settle the nine star Line’s ancient grudge. Put aside your doubts, and dye your hands red with the blood of your enemies. This world needs someone who can restore order—a hand that will wield a butcher’s blade to cut through this chaos.”

Long Chen remained silent, absorbing the voice’s words but offering no response.

“The nine heavens and ten lands are on the cusp of an era where the past will return,” the voice continued. “This is the final opportunity for the human race. You must rise and shoulder its responsibility. Hurry and grow, great nine star heir. Time is running out.”

Despite the endless darkness around him, Long Chen felt an undercurrent, something hidden within it, waiting to be revealed. He didn’t speak, and the voice fell silent as well. Long Chen merged with the darkness, his presence fading into it.

No one knew how much time had passed, but the darkness slowly faded. When Long Chen saw light once more, he slowly opened his eyes.

He was surrounded by a sea of blood and corpses, the air thick with the scent of death. Huo Linger and Lei Linger were nearby, their energy nearly depleted as they fought to protect him.

“Big brother Long Chen!” the two of them cried out in relief when he opened his eyes.

“What’s going on?” asked Long Chen.

He was surprised to see the bloodied state of his palm and the numerous injuries across his body. Blood continued to seep from his wounds, and his energy felt drained, as if it had been siphoned away.

“Big brother Long Chen, you have to get out of here! You suddenly went still, your life qi and spiritual fluctuations vanished. We had no idea what was happening because the primal chaos space suddenly ejected us. We tried to wake you, but it was useless. Your body kept being injured, and no matter what we did, we couldn’t stop it... Grandpa Earth Cauldron and Big Brother Evilmoon were gone. We were so scared...” explained Huo Linger.

Tears welled up in Huo Linger and Lei Linger’s eyes. The terror they had just experienced was beyond words. They thought Long Chen had died. His body was inexplicably harmed, and no matter what they did, they were helpless to stop it.

Before they could speak further, a horde of Silver Wing Heaven Devils appeared, their numbers overwhelming. Nine-vein Emperor Silver Wing Heaven Devils surged toward them, accompanied by half-step Devil Emperors.

The two of them had fought for hours to protect Long Chen. Now, the ground was littered with the corpses of Silver Wing Heaven Devils, their blood forming lakes around them.

When Long Chen’s eyes fluttered open, their joy was incredible. They had never been so frightened in their lives.

Hearing that the Earth Cauldron and Evilmoon were gone, Long Chen jumped. He quickly checked the primal chaos space, his connection to it now restored. To his relief, he saw the Earth Cauldron and Evilmoon still there—but they were surrounded by a swirling mass of countless runes, encasing them in what appeared to be a giant cocoon.

The Heavenly Dao Tree, the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree, the mysterious vine, and even the golden lotus seed in the sky were in a similar state, wrapped in energy that vibrated with power. The Moon Trees and Fusang Trees, too, seemed transformed, radiating a new divine light as runes swirled around them. They were brimming with vitality, more alive than ever before.

Long Chen's eyes widened. He could feel it—something had changed. The very aura of the primal chaos space had shifted.

“These runes... this aura...” Long Chen muttered.

His heart trembled as he focused on the runes surrounding the Earth Cauldron and Evilmoon. The familiar aura washed over him, sending a chill down his spine.

Are these not the runes of the Heavenly Daos from the primal chaos era? Is this not the aura unique to the primal chaos era?

Even the laws governing the primal chaos space now carried the distinct flavor of the ancient era. The primal chaos space had truly undergone a heaven-toppling transformation.

“My starry sea...”

Long Chen focused inward, his gaze falling on his Dantian. To his astonishment, the violet qi within had changed—it was now as dense as water, swirling with a deep, pulsing energy.

It was as though there was a sea mirroring the starry sky, and the sky itself mirrored the sea. For a moment, it was impossible to tell which was the reflection and which was real.

Looking at the eight stars, Long Chen was delighted to see countless runes on top of them.

Although the runes were so dim that they were almost imperceptible, he recognized those runes—the new state of the Eight Star Battle Armor he had unlocked in the primal chaos era.

“What exactly happened?” Long Chen muttered to himself, stunned.

Everything felt like a dream. But could a dream be this real? If it was a dream, what about the injuries to his body? What about his experience in the primal chaos era? What about the runes on his stars?

This was beyond his understanding—something that defied everything he knew about the world.

Unfortunately, the Earth Cauldron and Evilmoon were in a strange state, and Long Chen couldn’t communicate with them for now. Otherwise, perhaps the Earth Cauldron could shed some light on what had happened.

However, given the changes in the primal chaos space, the Earth Cauldron, and Evilmoon—it was clear that they had undergone some kind of transformation. It seemed that whatever had occurred had benefited them all.

“Could it be that I really entered a crack in spacetime?” Long Chen wondered aloud.

Long Chen looked up at the sky, which had brightened considerably. The once-dark heavens now held a different, unfamiliar glow.

“Big brother Long Chen, this place is too dangerous. We should leave!” Huo Linger urged, her voice laced with urgency.

“What is it?” asked Long Chen, not seeing a threat in the vicinity.

“There’s a terrifying presence deep within the blood sea, and it’s the one directing the Silver Wing Heaven Devils to attack us. For some reason, it can’t come over here itself, but its soul alone almost shattered our Yuan Spirits. That’s why we had so much trouble with these devil creatures—we were heavily wounded by the soul attack,” Huo Linger explained, her tone fearful. Lei Linger nodded in agreement, both of them clearly shaken by the power of the mysterious entity.

“A terrifying fellow?” Long Chen’s expression changed. Just a wave of its soul had almost destroyed their Yuan Spirits? What kind of being could possess such overwhelming power?

“Let’s go!”

Long Chen immediately set off with Huo Linger and Lei Linger. But before leaving, he grabbed all the corpses and tossed them into the primal chaos space.

Looking around at the empty space, Long Chen took a deep breath. “Once I’ve recovered, I’ll return to figure out what’s going on here.”