Calamity of Tomorrow

(I apologize for the late update, everyone. Here's a mega chapter of 14,000 words, presented as compensation.)

Jiaojiao took out the book from her hands. Since obtaining it, she hadn't looked at it yet. She gazed at the book in her hands with a furrowed brow, seemingly filled with worry.

She thought to herself, 'Li Zhengdao willingly giving us this item must have ill intentions, possibly even an attempt to drive a wedge between the Three Pure Dao Sect and Zhou Bai. But to not look at it...'

She couldn't bear not to look. The Heavenly Dao was distorted, and the Three Pure Dao Sect she inherited had gaps. She was also unaware of many secrets within other sects, making her extremely curious about the content of the book, especially the possibility that it could help their current situation.

Sensing Jiaojiao's hesitation about whether or not to look at the book given by Li Zhengdao, Zhou Bai thought for a moment and first turned to Xuan Nu beside him.

After all, Xuan Nu had been misled by him all the way here. Any information Zhou Bai himself couldn't confirm in advance could potentially cause conflicts between him and Xuan Nu.

Worried about any unnecessary trouble after reading the book, Zhou Bai still planned to send Xuan Nu away.

"You go out and guard for us. Donghua City might send people to search this place. Don't let anyone in."

Xuan Nu, who had been eagerly anticipating the book, was slightly taken aback and pouted, clearly dissatisfied with the arrangement, couldn't help but protest, "This is the bottom level of the Forbidden Lands; there are no paths that lead here. No one will search this place, right?"

She protested, "I don't want to go. I want to stay here and look at this volume with you guys."

Zhou Bai said sternly, "We are opposing the Celestial Court, a place full of experts, with unfathomable depths. We must be hundred percent careful at all times and cannot afford any slip-ups."

Xuan Nu felt wronged; she really wanted to stay here and look at the book that contained the great secrets of the Three Pure Dao Sect with Zhou Bai. Being sent away like this made her feel distanced from Zhou Bai's core group.

Seeing the change in Xuan Nu's expression, Zhou Bai transmitted a message to her, speaking softly, "Xuan Nu, the Celestial Court is very strong and always ruthless and treacherous to the extreme. Perhaps while we are talking, they have already sent more immortals to Donghua City to find us, to take revenge on us. Therefore, we must be careful at all times and cannot let our guard down."

"After all, in this world, the only real mutants with intelligence are just the two of us, Jiaojiao can at best be considered half."

Hearing Zhou Bai's words, Xuan Nu's shoulders trembled as if she felt Zhou Bai was right, and her dissatisfaction and grievance seemed to diminish a lot.

Zhou Bai thought to himself, 'Xuan Nu is just eating this up; I basically have a thorough understanding of her inner and outer personality traits, she's easy to handle.'

Inside her consciousness, Christina let out a cold laugh, "Elsa, see for yourself, this is what men are like. Remember this, never trust a man's words easily in the future, because men are the greatest deceivers, and the uglier they are, the more deceptive."

Elsa curiously asked, "Sister Tina, do you understand men well?"

Christina, who had no experience of love in her memories and is currently just a cat, said, "Based on my long-time experience manipulating Zhou Bai's body to communicate with others, men, these creatures, are mostly influenced by their physical bodies for a large part of the day. Sometimes they can't even control themselves from lying and deceiving women."

Zhou Bai said inside his consciousness, 'Stop talking, you're affecting my performance.'

In the material world, Zhou Bai rubbed Xuan Nu's head and transmitted, "Xuan Nu, you are the person I trust the most, which is why I asked you to guard me. My life is in your hands."

Xuan Nu's face showed a hint of self-reproach, feeling she had been too capricious.

She lowered her head, staring at her toes and said, "Zhou Bai, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper." She couldn't help but grasp the hem of Zhou Bai's clothing, "Please don't be mad at me."

Zhou Bai smiled and said, "How could I be mad at you? You are the only one of my kind in this world. Whatever is written in the book, I will tell you after I've looked at it."

After saying that, he patted Xuan Nu on the shoulder, "Go on. Guard this place for me."

Xuan Nu nodded seriously, and with a turn, she entered a state of nothingness, passing through the mutated flesh towards the outside world.

Jiaojiao had been watching this scene from start to finish, her expression complex beyond measure, her feelings for this mutated great-granddaughter incredibly complicated.

At that moment, Zhou Bai said, "Let's see what exactly Li Zhengdao has given us."

After all, Jiaojiao was a female cultivator who valued humanity and her sect's endeavors. Hearing this, she also focused on the book.

Then she was seen forming a sword technique with her hands, the overlapping Taoist Primordial Divine Power already taking the shape of various runes, wrapping towards the book.

After setting up a round of protective measures, she and Zhou Bai opened the book together.

The moment they opened it, an old voice came from inside.

"I am Qing Yunzi, any disciple of the Three Pure Dao Sect must not open this book, retreat... retreat... retreat..."

Hearing this emitted speech, Zhou Bai and Jiaojiao looked at each other, uncertain of what was happening.

Jiaojiao furrowed her brows, hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue reading.

Zhou Bai, after all, wasn't a traditional cultivator nor did he have Jiaojiao's knowledge and burdens of a Three Pure Dao Sect member. He simply said, "This book has already been given to us by Li Zhengdao, who knows how many people have looked at it over this time, and the message, I think, is meaningless now, let's continue looking."

Jiaojiao thought about it and agreed. Moreover, with the distortion of the Heavenly Dao and the huge changes in the Celestial Court, the situation was probably completely unforeseen by Qing Yunzi, so his warning was likely outdated.

The two continued to read and soon saw lines beginning to float up from the pages, drifting into the air.

"From the moment I was born, there has always been a voice whispering in my ear, saying things I couldn't understand..."

"I have always been pondering... what that voice meant... what on earth it meant..."

...

Qing Yunzi was first discovered by the White Bone Sect, this Demon Clan sect excelled at refining various puppets, zombies, and warrior mummies, and was most fond of searching through abandoned caves of the past to excavate the bodies of ancestors to refine into puppets and zombies.

Qing Yunzi did not know where his hometown was, only that he was captured by people from the White Bone Sect and raised as a spiritual child from a young age.

The term "spirit child" may sound rather decent, but in reality, it is an extremely cruel method of refining a person.

As soon as a spirit child becomes aware, they are trained with unbearably cruel punishments, and any slight disobedience leads to being beaten to death.

Their will as human beings is obliterated by absolute agony, coupled with various intensely poisonous drugs to rid the spirit child of all emotions and desires—a process with the ultimate goal of turning them into a living zombie.

Out of a hundred spirit children, there might not even be one who survives and completes the entire cultivation process.

Qing Yun did not wish to sit and await death, but being small and weak, he started by trying to show off in hopes of attracting the attention of the disciples of the White Bone Sect to avoid the fate of a spirit child.

Unfortunately for Qing Yun, although his demonstrations indeed drew the disciples' attention several times, what awaited him was even harsher punishment as he became more valued.

...

"Elder, this kid has incredible willpower. He's already on triple the dosage and still holding on."

"This child's mind and will clearly exceed that of ordinary kids. If he is trained properly, there's a high possibility he could become a living zombie."

"It's just that his mind is too active; we need to thoroughly wash away his emotions."

Then, one saw a transparent medicine jar in which a child of about five years old soaked, staring blankly at the people outside the jar with numb eyes.

"White Bone Sect... you all wait for me... One day, I will kill all of you... Every last one..."

"Oh?" An elder with white beard looked benevolently at the scene within the jar, "He still shows emotion. Excellent, continue to increase the dosage. He is indeed prime material. In a while, I will personally administer his acupuncture."

Before long, the medicine jar echoed with harrowing screams.

...

Boom!

Streaks of thunder and fierce fire fell from the sky, charring the disciples of the White Bone Sect in the valley to cinders.

A group of Daoists dressed in purple robes unleashed lightning techniques to annihilate this stronghold of the White Bone Sect.

An elder with an ancient appearance deployed waves of Primordial Divine Power across the valley, seemingly in search of any that slipped through.

Moments later, his gaze sharpened as he opened a cellar and saw rows of medicine jars and the young children in them, a look of fury emerging on his face.

However, when the disciples of the White Bone Sect realized that their stronghold had fallen, they triggered a mechanism intended to prevent their sect's techniques from leaking by destroying all evidence, including killing all spirit children.

The elder sighed deeply as he looked at the little bodies in the medicine jars that had already lost their breath.

Suddenly, a bang!

Turning his head, the elder saw a small palm pressed against the transparent inner wall of a jar, and a pair of dark eyes staring intently at him.

The elder hurriedly broke the medicine jar and lifted the child inside, comforting him, "I am Tian Xinzi from the Zhengyi Dao Palace. We've come to rescue you; it's all right now."

...

Twenty years later, at the Zhengyi Dao Palace, in the Pure Yang Hall.

A young man knelt on the ground, his expression cold and his brows slightly defiant.

An aged voice wafted from the depths of the hall, "Qing Yun, for what reason do the cultivators of my Zhengyi Dao Palace practice cultivation over the past three thousand years?"

The youth spoke loudly, "To slay demons and devils, to support and protect the nation."

"Remember what you said today when you descend the mountain."

Watching the youth's departing figure, Tian Xinzi, who had brought Qing Yun to the mountain twenty years earlier, smiled, "Time flies indeed; in the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed. Qing Yun has now mastered the Five Thunders Technique, attained the stage of Five Qi Towards the Yuan and Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, and achieved the Yang God Great Success. He is just one step away from ascending to the heavens."

Tian Xinzi continued, "Qing Yun is precocious, mature, and steady from a young age. As he suffered at the hands of the White Bone Sect during childhood, he intensely abhors evil, harbors a vision for the world, and I see him as the best candidate for the next Sect Leader. He may be granted the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing Thunder Technique. Does anyone have objections?"

Next to Tian Xinzi, another dignified elder said, "Qing Yun did, after all, originate from a demonic cult and has carried evil arts since childhood. We must be cautious and even more cautious with him. The Nine Heavens Demon Clearing Thunder Technique is the supreme secret of our Zhengyi Dao Palace; it must not be imparted lightly."

...

After descending the mountain, Qing Yun traveled around to kill demons and eliminate devils. With his peerless cultivation, he soon became famous.

The White Bone Sect, which he resented the most, was driven back by him into severe retreat, nearly vanishing without a trace.

After slaying the eight elders of the White Bone Sect, Qing Yun became renowned throughout the world, recognized as the person most likely able to ascend to the heavens.

Yet Qing Yun seemed indifferent to his reputation, not returning to the Zhengyi Dao Palace or ardently pursuing the path of ascension. Instead, he roamed the world for decades, tirelessly slaying demons day after day, year after year.

Even when Zhengyi Dao Palace especially summoned him to return, he continued his solitary journey across the four seas, heedless of their call.

Some curiously asked Qing Yun why he did not return to the Zhengyi Dao Palace.

Qing Yun said there was something he had lost, and he must find it back.

Others asked him what he had lost.

Qing Yun replied that he had forgotten.

Time passed, and everyone began to think that Qing Yunzi had gone mad.

Some said he was so eager to ascend but could not find the right method, causing his cultivation to go awry and driving him to madness.

Others said that the Zhengyi Dao Palace did not agree with Qing Yunzi taking over as Sect Leader, and that in his anger, he left the Zhengyi Dao Palace and became increasingly bitter and deviant.

There were also those who said Qing Yunzi was searching for an ancient Immortal's Taoist scripture, aiming to comprehend the Immortal's Taoist lineage to achieve ascension.

...

"Haha, Qing Yunzi! The Zhengyi Dao Palace has already expelled you! Today, four Sects from the White Bone Sect, Blood River Sect, Joyful Union Sect, and Heart Demon Sect, with six Yang God experts, have surrounded you to kill you, and no one will come to save you now."

Looking at the sky full of demonic beings and a sea of blood, Qing Yunzi murmured, "Can you hear that voice beside your ear?"

The several masters in the sky looked at each other, feeling that Qing Yunzi before them was insane.

"Qing Yunzi has slain numerous disciples of our Demon Sect; today, we must capture him alive."

The cold wind howled and thunder split the sky; Qing Yunzi, alone, battled six Yang God experts from the Demon Sects for seven days and nights and finally killed Tianlianzi from the White Bone Sect and the Zi Zai Taoist from the Heart Demon Sect.

However, Qing Yunzi himself vanished without a trace, some said he died at the hands of the Demon Sects, while others said he was captured by the Demon Sects and forced to reveal the Daoist arts of the Zhengyi Dao Palace.

...

Meow, meow!

Meow, meow!

Qing Yunzi felt an excruciating pain all over his body as he struggled to open his eyes and saw a group of cat heads looking at him.

Seeing Qing Yunzi regain consciousness, all the cat heads immediately scattered, then cautiously peeked out again, curiously watching Qing Yunzi.

A cat-eared girl looked at Qing Yunzi, hands on her hips, and said, "Are you Qing Yunzi?"

Seeing this scene, Qing Yunzi's expression changed, and his wariness towards the demon spurred him to immediately conjure up his thunder technique.

Then he saw thunder light surging around him, followed by an intense pain in his brain, and his whole body started convulsing.

The cat girl pouted and said, "You think I wanted to save you? Humans and demons are sworn enemies; if you hadn't spared Xiuniang's family, I wouldn't have bothered saving you."

After the cat girl's explanation, Qing Yunzi came to realize that during his past demon-slaying days, he had spared a nest of harmless, not-yet-transformed cat demons. Apparently, they were from the same clan, and that's why they saved him, grievously wounded as he was.

Just then, the voices of the elders seemed to echo again in his mind.

"Qing Yunzi, for three thousand years, our Zhengyi Dao Palace's succession of cultivators, for what purpose do they cultivate?"

In today's world, humans and demons have been at odds since ancient times.

The human race's Taoist arts are flourishing, and although the heavens' immortals have long avoided the mortal dust, they still suppress the Demon Clan, forcing them to retreat into the forests, where most live a barbaric lifestyle of eating raw flesh and blood.

The Demon Clan's strength is declining with each generation, weakened by the relentless demon-slaying by various Sects, they are barely clinging to survival.

Qing Yunzi knew that if the contradictions between the righteous human Sects and the demonic Sects were internal, then the struggle against demons was a life-and-death racial opposition. In the past great wars between humans and demons, countless humans died at the hands of demonic beings, and the two sides harbor deep-seated hatred.

Moreover, the cultivators of the Sects inherently looked down upon demons who only relied on their instincts to cultivate.

Realizing a demon saved him, Qing Yunzi struggled to his feet, removing the medicine patches from his body one by one, and walked towards the cave's exit: "Demons! You saved me this time, so I'll pretend I haven't seen you. But should I see you again, I will slay you..."

With a thud, as Qing Yunzi collapsed and fainted, the cat girl curled her lip: "Still talking about slaying, when you can't even stand steadily. How are you going to slay anything?"

Speaking, the cat girl looked at the small cats gathered around her and waved her hand, "Drag him back to the bed."

...

When he awoke again and carefully examined his condition, Qing Yunzi discovered how severe his injuries were. His painstakingly cultivated Yang God was almost dissipated, his sea of consciousness was in chaos, and he could hardly use his Taoist arts.

Worse still was the secondary damage caused by forcefully using his Taoist arts when he last awoke, on top of the grave injuries to his sea of consciousness.

These directly affected the connection between his brain and body, rendering him physically debilitated, like a cripple.

"My cultivation is essentially ruined."

Qing Yunzi sighed and lay on the bed, his eyes filled with confusion.

Suddenly, a kitten climbed onto his chest, treading on his chest with a curious look in its eyes.

Qing Yunzi's brows furrowed slightly, and the kitten immediately jumped away in fear, but quickly forgot the incident and started frolicking with the other kittens.

In the following days, Qing Yunzi, almost immobile, stayed there, watching the cat demons take care of him and treat his wounds.

These cat demons seemed to have their trade channels; Qing Yunzi watched them leave early and return late, seemingly exchanging resources gathered from the wild for various medicinal pills to treat his injuries.

However, his injuries stemmed from his sea of consciousness, wounds that the cat demons were not equipped to heal.

Upon realizing that Qing Yunzi's physical injuries had healed yet he still couldn't move freely, the cat demons were all troubled.

Holding her head, the cat girl with drooping cat ears looked distressed and said, "Why haven't you recovered yet? I've exchanged for so many good medicines to treat you."

Qing Yunzi said indifferently, "My Primordial Spirit has dispersed, my cultivation has been completely lost, and my brain and body are now out of sync; you can't fix it."

The cat demon's ears pricked up, and its tail shook impatiently: "Just you watch! I will definitely cure you." Having said that, she trotted off.

Qing Yunzi sighed and looked at the kittens playing nearby. Lying idle these days, all he did was watch them fight, sleep, and play.

But as he watched, he gradually realized that he seemed to understand the actions of the cats.

Or rather, he could see thin streams of energy moving inside the cats in sync with their movements.

"This must be the method the Demon Clan uses to cultivate themselves?"

"They can't cultivate Daoist arts, and they don't have a systematic method of cultivation; they just naturally exercise like this."

"But why can I see those energy flows?"

Qing Yunzi just watched the kittens frolic, observed the energy flows in their bodies constantly circulating, growing stronger and more vigorous by the moment.

Two days later, Qing Yunzi suddenly felt a slight warmth in his chest, as if an energy flow had emerged from the position of his heart.

"What's going on?!" Qing Yunzi exclaimed in surprise: "I... can I use the Demon Clan's method of cultivation to cultivate?"

He found that while watching the kittens play, the energy inside his own body also subconsciously moved, growing bit by bit.

Qing Yunzi's expression darkened, he was shocked, confused, and somewhat incredulous.

"If I can cultivate the methods of the Demon Clan, there's only one possibility... I have the blood of the Demon Clan, I am mixed blood with human and demon."

Qing Yunzi suddenly thought of those deep memories, rows and rows of medicine pots, countless talismans and medicines, and the Golden Needles that filled his body.

"White Bone Sect... could it be that they were using human-demon hybrids to refine zombies?"

In the days that followed, Qing Yunzi felt the energy flow inside his body becoming hotter and stronger, and gradually... his body began to move again, even the turbulent and chaotic sea of consciousness seemed to have found a hint of calm.

And as his body recovered, as the demonic power within him strengthened, he gradually discovered... he could hear that voice again.

The hoarse, dry whisper sounded in his ear from time to time. It was the voice he had been able to hear since birth, and the one Qing Yunzi had instinctively wanted to find again.

Listening to the voice by his ear, two lines of clear tears inexplicably flowed, a sense of emotion surged within Qing Yunzi's heart.

He did not know why he cried, it just suddenly happened.

Afterwards, as the demonic power inside grew stronger, Qing Yunzi's flesh gradually recovered and even grew more robust, approaching the standards of a demon.

And the whispering in his ear became more frequent and clearer, and amidst the faint murmurs, Qing Yunzi could already understand some of the words.

"I... middle... sun..."

Qing Yunzi also had some speculation in his heart: "I could hear this voice when I was a child, but I heard it less and less as I grew up. Is it because of the Daoist arts? After cultivating the Daoist arts, I gradually stopped hearing it."

"But now, my Daoist arts have been abolished, and instead I have started to cultivate demonic power, and I hear it clearer than ever."

"Is this voice related to the demons?"

An instinctive anticipation bubbled up in Qing Yunzi's heart; he exercised his body with the cat demons every day, ceaselessly growing his demonic power, just hoping one day he could hear the specific content of that voice, wanting to know what exactly it was saying.

...

Sword light howled, the cat demon's fur bristled, as she nimbly dodged and weaved through the forest, evading the flying sword's assaults.

In the sky, a cultivator watched the cat demon trapped in a desperate fight below with a smile, manipulating a flying sword in his hand, toying with his opponent as if in applause.

Just then, a loud shout came from afar: "Senior Brother! We've found a nest of demon young, this cat demon really does have a den here."

Roar! Listening to this, the cat demon let out an angry roar, her face flashed with irritation, and she pounced towards the cultivator in the sky, only to be easily dodged. The sword light wrapped around her limbs, and swiftly severed her tendons.

The power of the Primordial Spirit transformed into a giant hand, grabbing the cat demon, now powerless to resist, and flew towards the source of the sound; soon, patches of blood could be seen on the ground, and several kittens with their heads cut off by flying swords lay there.

The sight made the cat demon struggle frantically, but grievously wounded, she couldn't break free from the Primordial Spirit's binding.

The cultivator holding the cat demon sneered: "No wonder you dared to steal medicine from the city, turns out there's a litter of demon young to feed."

The cat demon screamed wretchedly: "I didn't steal anything, I exchanged it for medicinal herbs! Let me go!"

The cultivator sealed the cat demon's mouth with the power of the Primordial Spirit and looked towards the cave: "Junior Brother, are you in there?"

Amidst an exclamation, a figure accompanied by sword light flew out. Another cultivator yelled, "Be careful, Senior Brother! There's another transformed demon beast inside!"

Qing Yunzi slowly walked out of the cave and looked at the two cultivators before him, the ground littered with kitten corpses, and he sighed softly, "This nest of cat demons hasn't eaten humans, why must you relentlessly pursue them?"

The cultivator sneered: "Humans and demons cannot coexist; even if they don't eat people now, they will eventually. You're the same."

"Die!"

The sword light swept towards Qing Yunzi, his Daoist arts had been abolished, only his newly developed demonic power remained. Although his experience and eyesight were still there, his strength was greatly insufficient; he could only dodge awkwardly under the sword light, barely managing to escape.

Soon, another cultivator's sword light also swept over, and under the joint attack of both, Qing Yunzi quickly accumulated numerous wounds on his body, and his right hand was even directly severed by a sword blow, falling to the ground.

At this critical moment, Qing Yunzi desperately squeezed the demon power within his body, and as the air flow gradually strengthened, his actions seemed to become faster.

At the same time, that whisper in his ear became clearer and clearer.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "I heard it!"

"I remember!"

A flash of enlightenment crossed his eyes, "I am Lin Chenyang, I am Lin Chenyang, born in 1985 in China!"

Facing the approaching flying sword, a hint of emotion flickered on Qing Yunzi's face, "Void."

A streak of black light flashed in his eyes, and the next moment, the two flying swords had been swallowed by a pitch-black void, losing all connection.

The two cultivators were alarmed, they had never seen such power before.

Qing Yunzi's pitch-black eyes turned to the two cultivators, "Disappear."

The next moment, the gates of the void opened behind the two men, engulfing them completely like giant maws.

...

"Gone..." Jiaojiao murmured, "There's only half of it."

Zhou Bai looked at the book, which clearly showed signs of being torn, and a tumult of thoughts surged in his heart.

"Qing Yunzi... Lin Chenyang... He's also from the modern era? From the same time as me?"

"Did he, like me, travel through time? Was it through the void? Or something else?"

"Based on my last speculation, Qing Yunzi might have been from the era of the first great war between humans and demons... So that means he went back to over ten thousand years ago in modern society?"

"He went to the past, and I to the future. Is it the same person... or the same force behind this? And what is their purpose?"

For a time, Zhou Bai's mind was full of thoughts, as if countless ideas were forming and then dissipating into nothingness.

He asked the cat in his mind, "Christina, do you remember anything?"

Christina shook her head, "I can't remember."

While Zhou Bai's mind was filled with numerous thoughts, Jiaojiao's heart was also becoming somewhat chaotic. Unlike Zhou Bai's focus, she was more concerned about the half-demon and the void.

"Qing Yunzi is a half-demon? Was he really the first to awaken the power of the void?"

"Was it because of this demon that they rose to power?"

Jiaojiao did not know about the first great war between humans and demons, nor the subsequent decline in spiritual machines, nor the age of Homo sapiens.

She looked at the book, thinking it was just a tale from the second great war between humans and demons when the demons started off weaker than humans and then became stronger after mastering the power of the void.

Jiaojiao flipped through the book, as if checking something.

Zhou Bai, who was beside her, asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiaojiao, "I'm checking its authenticity to see if there's any imprint from my Three Pure Dao Sect."

As a sect with a long history, it was not uncommon for the Three Pure Dao Sect to lose some notes, scriptures, secret manuals from elders, or even secret messages and communications from a sect leader, all of which required unique markings and passwords.

Soon, Jiaojiao sighed, "There are the signature runes of seven sect leaders; it seems this book has passed through seven generations of leaders, each leaving their own mark. But how did it end up lost? And why is half of it torn?"

At this moment, Jiaojiao felt an unprecedented restlessness, eager to see what the rest of the book held.

Unfortunately, she could not see it now.

Zhou Bai and Jiaojiao had different focuses, but both were equally concerned about the content of the book. They flipped through it several times more before gradually calming down to ponder its contents.

Zhou Bai wondered inwardly, "Christina, do you know what the Yang God realm is?"

Christina, lying lazily on the scratching post, said, "Before the heavens unified the management of all sects, and before the creation of the Divine Map Ten Realms cultivation method and system, Yang God was a term for a realm from that era, roughly equivalent to having 100% Dao transformation."

Zhou Bai nodded, resolving one of his doubts.

Three hours later, Jiaojiao let out a long sigh, her expression complex, "It's amazing that our Three Pure Dao Sect has such a hidden chapter. Where did Li Zhengdao get this book from? Does he not have the second half, or did he hide it?"

However, Jiaojiao just sighed briefly. Neither she nor Zhou Bai could possibly know the answer at this moment.

She simply looked at Zhou Bai and asked, "Zhou Bai, what do you make of this?"

Zhou Bai thought to himself, 'If it's true that Qing Yunzi went back to the past, encountered the void, and then started the era of spiritual machine decline, giving Homo sapiens a chance to rise, then this guy is practically a blessing to Homo sapiens. Could it be that his purpose in going back was to create opportunities for Homo sapiens?'

Naturally, Zhou Bai wouldn't voice his true thoughts but replied, "I feel there's a lot of hidden information behind all of this, why did the White Bone Sect create hybrids, why could Qing Yunzi hear voices, and what do those voices have to do with the void? There are too many uncertainties."

"Yes, there are too many secrets in history," Jiaojiao said, looking at Zhou Bai. From her observations, Zhou Bai didn't seem to harbor any animosity towards the Three Pure Dao Sect over this matter, knowing this, Jiaojiao felt relieved.

...

Having finished reading the book and pondering it over and over, Zhou Bai finally decided to set aside the matter for now, and he began operating the Void Crown.

Jiaojiao glanced at the side and knew this was the technology of the Heavenly Demon. Although she had doubts in her heart, she suppressed them for the time being and planned to find time to talk with Zhou Bai about the problems related to the Heavenly Demon.

After all, most of her mental energy at the moment was still engrossed by the contents of the book.

She thought to herself, "The plan for tomorrow... could it have been proposed by Qing Yunzi? Christina came to the Three Pure Dao Sect back then just to take part in the tomorrow plan. I've always wondered why Christina knew about these things.

Could it be that Qing Yunzi left a legacy among the Demon Clan as well? If he was really a half-demon during the war when humans and demons were irreconcilable, it's indeed very likely that he left a legacy among the Demon Clan.

But what exactly was his purpose? And have our steadfast beliefs all along really been correct?"

Jiaojiao was reflecting seriously on matters related to the Three Pure Dao Sect.

Meanwhile, Zhou Bai was looking at the light and shadow emitted from the Void Crown in front of him, remotely controlling the situation at the Heavenly Demon base.

After all, the secrets of the book were temporarily unattainable, and the enhancement of strength was urgent. Whether exploring secrets, confronting the Heavenly Court, or protecting his companions, he needed powerful force.

And in his recent battle with Li Zhengdao, more than half of his mechanical minions were lost, especially the Star Space Throne, which was severely damaged and needed to be repaired, along with the creation of a new batch of minions as supplements.

At this moment, the mechanical minions had been brought back to the base by the Heavenly Demon collective, and Zhou Bai began giving remote orders to repair the mechanical minions. He also commanded the Heavenly Demons to gather materials for him.

Once he returned to the Heavenly Demon base, he could start selling off the Heavenly Demon organization in exchange for laziness points, and then use these points to learn the five major Divine Skills.

He also had to use the abilities of the demented chart to transform the newly created Mechanical Heavenly Demons into true minions.

Controlling the Void Crown in front of him, Zhou Bai kept watching the light and shadow change and continuously modified various mechanical design and manufacturing plans, and repair plans.

The battle with Li Zhengdao this time also brought Zhou Bai plenty of insights; the high-intensity combat gave him many ideas for the transformation of the mechanical minions.

So, after Zhou Bai remotely finalized the repair and transformation plans and manufacturing plans for the mechanical minions, it was already the afternoon of the next day. He stretched and a cracking sound echoed from his joints.

"Finally arranged everything; it should all be completed in about a week or two."

Xuannü also returned to Zhou Bai's side, happily looking at him. Seeing his earnest efforts always brought her joy.

The efficiency of the Heavenly Demons was astonishing. Besides, Zhou Bai didn't create anything original; all were mechanical minions designed with existing Heavenly Demon technology. Given the productivity of the Heavenly Demons, they could manufacture thousands in a short time.

Zhou Bai stood up and took a few steps, exercised his body, and suddenly, an idea emerged in his mind.

'Now that the forces of the Heavenly Department have captured so many people, and since I've already caused a disturbance, perhaps I should drive out those stationed from Central City in Donghua City and release the people.'

'No, what if after I do this, the Heavenly Court thinks they've found my weakness, and send more people over, forcibly taking everyone to Central City? I can't possibly stay in Donghua City all the time; I still need to earn laziness points from the Heavenly Demons...'

Zhou Bai was unaware that the people from the Heavenly Department had already withdrawn and that even the news of him repelling Li Zhengdao and Wan Xing True Monarch was slowly spreading.

He thought about it and felt that taking the people by force was not a good idea. He couldn't be in Donghua City all the time, and Jiaojiao said she would protect from the shadows, naturally only appearing in a life-or-death situation.

'I don't know what the attitude of the Heavenly Court will be. Taking people by force isn't feasible; perhaps I should just make a show of force.'

An idea lit up in Zhou Bai's mind. Not many among those who could enter the Heavenly Department's ranks were fools.

He thought about making a show of force, putting on an impressive display, casually flaunting his defeat of two righteous gods, flexing his muscles. Without saying much, those Heavenly Department cultivators, as long as they were not out of their minds, probably wouldn't dare to bully his classmates and teachers while he was unscathed.

If they really were out of their minds, then it was a good opportunity, while he was there, to get rid of that batch of fools.

'After doing this, I'll directly return to the Heavenly Demon base. Once I've earned enough laziness points, I'll come back to learn the skills.'

Thinking thus, Zhou Bai greeted Jiaojiao and was about to leave.

Jiaojiao asked doubtfully, "Where are you going? Donghua City is in chaos right now; don't stir up more trouble."

Xuannü, however, followed Zhou Bai straightforwardly, thinking wherever Zhou Bai went, she would go too.

She was very satisfied with the outcome of the battle in Donghua City: "I didn't expect Zhou Bai to truly subjugate Jiaojiao. That old woman is so powerful, and the Power of Deformation is strong as well. She still has some old sentiments for humans, though. I hope Zhou Bai can train her well, guide her onto the right path, and help her understand her position as a Mutated Being."

As for her pretense as little Pei, using the identity to build a relationship with Jiaojiao, Xuannü didn't take it to heart at all. For her, it was nothing more than deceiving that foolish woman; she had no identification with Pei's identity herself.

However, she glanced at Jiaojiao, looking at the visage somewhat similar to hers, and her brows furrowed slightly.

Jiaojiao's appearance was on par with hers; white hair coupled with that temperament and resolute will seemed to even overshadow her.

Moreover, Jiaojiao's strength and the Power of Deformation were both above hers.

And previously, Zhou Bai had only Xuannü to channel the Power of Deformation he emitted, but now there was also Jiaojiao.

Who could accommodate even more and discharge more of the Power of Deformation.

She also remembered the previous scene of Zhou Bai and Jiaojiao reading through the scroll together, while she only listened to Zhou Bai's recount afterwards.

Thinking about these points, Xuannü stroked the End of Dharma Heaven Deformed Sword in her hand and, unknowingly, her brows knit tighter and tighter.

Zhou Bai casually said, "I have to go out for a few days for some business. When I come back, I'm planning to practice the five major Divine Skills with you."

Zhou Bai was thinking about making a show of force at the Heavenly Department in Donghua City first, then heading back to the Heavenly Demon base to sell materials. After earning enough laziness points, he'd return to Donghua City and practice the five major Divine Skills with Jiaojiao.

Jiaojiao was immediately drawn to the mention of the five major Divine Skills and nodded, saying, "The five major Divine Skills are profound and unpredictable; one must not be too hasty. Practice as much as you can." She thought Zhou Bai was eager to practice Divine Skills after seeing her combine the power of the five Divine Skills.

But with Jiaojiao's experience, even before the distortion of the Heavenly Dao, it was impossible to master the five major Divine Skills overnight, let alone after the distortion of the Heavenly Dao.

Zhou Bai's cultivation speed was indeed swift, yet to master the remaining three Divine Skills in one go, let alone merging the five great Divine Skills into one, seemed to her an impossible feat to accomplish in a short span of time.

Especially the integration of the five great Divine Skills, she herself had spent a full ten years to meld them together, later on relying on the power of an Array to utilize them in combat.

"Right," Zhou Bai suddenly recalled something, "How come I didn't see Teacher Ying Hui and the others when I returned to the city?"

Sensing Jiaojiao's silence, Zhou Bai's heart suddenly sank, "Are they still in Central City?"

Jiaojiao: "Zhou Bai, don't be rash. They are temporarily safe in Central City."

Zhou Bai narrowed his eyes, "Don't worry, I'm never impulsive."

Xuan Girl wanted to leave with Zhou Bai, but he stopped her, casually saying, "It's a minor matter; you don't need to follow. As my retainer, stay here. Pray and inform me of any developments."

"Alright, be careful," Xuan Girl reluctantly nodded, blankly watching Zhou Bai head away.

Jiaojiao, watching this scene from the side, felt somewhat conflicted, with her life experience of over a hundred years, she could easily discern that there was something special between Little Pei and Zhou Bai.

During the battle of Donghua City, she sensed Little Pei was wholeheartedly following Zhou Bai's arrangements, completely under Zhou Bai's control.

Yet she couldn't voice any objections. After all, considering Little Pei's current situation, she wasn't sure if she could still consider her her great-granddaughter. Watching her use that familiar appearance, that familiar voice to call her 'grandma,' she didn't know how to face Little Pei, her emotions complex and messy.

And as for Zhou Bai's current situation, his strength had completely blossomed, and she had even helped him resolve the issue of deformation. It was difficult for her to treat him with the attitude of a student anymore.

However, seeing Little Pei's familiar face, watching Little Pei gaze eagerly as Zhou Bai left, seeing Zhou Bai's casual impatience, Jiaojiao couldn't help but think, 'This brat Zhou Bai, to think he'd find Little Pei too clingy.'

...

Christina looked at Zhou Bai's floating body flying toward the upper echelons of Donghua City, curiously asking, "What are you up to, Zhou Bai?"

In an instant, Zhou Bai had already soared into the sky, arriving above the special control zone.

As an area delineated by the Heavenly Court within Donghua City, everything here was beyond the jurisdiction of Donghua City yet relied on Donghua City to provide comprehensive material support.

And stationed there were all the monks from the four divisions of the Heavenly Court, along with some monks from Wanxian Island.

Zhou Bai looked at the bustling crowd below, sharing his thoughts with Christina, igniting a fire of enthusiasm in her.

Christina couldn't help but say, "Zhou Bai, let me control your body and act out this charade."

Zhou Bai was silent for a moment, then slowly stated, "This time we can't be too high-profile, yet we need to appear impressive. Are you up for it?"

Christina eagerly responded, "I've made major progress recently, and what kind of experts could there be among the Heavenly Court monks in Donghua City? They're nothing more than a bunch of junior brothers who haven't even reached 100% in cultivation. I guarantee I'll make a spectacle of it for you."

"Don't believe me? Ask Elsa."

Beside him, Elsa nodded and said earnestly, "Sister Tina has indeed made great progress recently."

Zhou Bai only felt it was nonsense. He originally thought Elsa had potential and recently seemed smarter. However, after becoming a foolish dependent, she directly shared his 120% misfortune, proving that Elsa was still a simpleton.

Nevertheless, seeing Christina so eager, Zhou Bai decided to give her a chance; after all, with him present, he could take back control of his body at any time and dominate the situation.

So Zhou Bai said, "Alright, you do it this time, but I'll be watching. If you can't handle it, I'll take over."

Christina quickly nodded, taking over Zhou Bai's body and feeling the surging power within her, a look of exhilaration spread across her face.

"Haha! Here I come!"

"Where are the people? How come everyone's gone??"

Christina looked at the empty office area and grabbed a cleaning lady beside her, asking, "Where did everyone go?"

The cleaning lady looked puzzledly at the Zhou Bai in front of her, feeling he looked familiar, and replied, "They've gone back to Central City."

Christina hurriedly asked again, "Did they take the people to Central City?"

The lady shook her head, "Everyone was let go."

Zhou Bai laughed inwardly, "Looks like the Heavenly Court folks got the message and took off directly, saving me some trouble. Let's go back to reading."

"Darn it!" Christina exclaimed, "Why did they leave? Why did they just take off like that!"

Zhou Bai speculated, "Without the orders from the Heavenly Court, they wouldn't dare to withdraw. It seems Li Zhengdao isn't considering attacking Donghua City for now."

Zhou Bai said, "Everyone's gone, and we don't need to bother anymore, so give me control back over my body."

"I refuse!" Christina exclaimed, "I'm not convinced!"

Saying that, she opened her mouth and spat out a pink, glossy, and chubby cat scratch pad.

Last time in Central City, when Zhou Bai finished forging the End of Dharma Heaven Deformed Sword, he used some scrap Greedy Steel to forge a Primordial Spirit Armament for Christina, named the Heavenly Holy Cat Claw.

Zhou Bai didn't understand why this item, which looked like nothing more than a cat scratch pad, had such a showy name, but it was Christina's favorite treasure.

"Behold my Heavenly Holy Cat Claw!"

The chubby cat scratch pad expanded in the wind, swelling to the size of several tens of meters in length and width. As Christina's Primordial Spirit power poured into it, a gust of air spewed forth, hurtling towards the Heavenly Court's Donghua City office building with a loud boom.

The design of this cat scratch board was obtained by Zhou Bai when he activated the greedy power of diagrams, bringing Christina into the void to fetch it, so he naturally knew very well about the power of the cat scratch board.

Generally speaking, it had only one function; that was to convert the input of Primordial Spirit power into an invisible cat paw and strike out.

Even on the design blueprint, only this function was introduced, making it seem very insubstantial. This was also why Zhou Bai had previously not wanted to create it.

After all, its power wasn't much different from a direct attack using Primordial Spirit power. It was simply Primordial Spirit power in the shape of a cat's paw, and Zhou Bai couldn't think of any use for it. Christina, on the other hand, seemed to like it a lot.

Boom!

This office building was just an ordinary small building, when suddenly it was heavily struck by the invisible cat paw, crushing and warping the entire building until it collapsed, leaving behind a pile of rubble and a giant cat paw imprint right where the building stood.

"Is that enough?" Zhou Bai looked at Christina after she finished striking, and asked, "Can we go back now?"

Christina sighed and said, "Ah, there's nobody here, totally not worth it."

"My Heavenly Holy Cat Claw hasn't even had the chance to be fully utilized."

Zhou Bai curled his lip, "Just a broken cat scratch board and you treasure it as if it were precious."

Christina retorted angrily, "This isn't just an ordinary cat scratch board! This is the Heavenly Holy Cat Claw! My intuition tells me that this cat scratch board is definitely important!"

Zhou Bai shook his head, "Primordial Spirit armaments have design blueprints, detailing all the functions of the armament. This cat scratch board is nothing more than a gimmick."

Christina countered, not convinced, "Maybe the blueprint is wrong! Or something was omitted!"

The man and the cat argued as they left, and the cat scratch board in the sky quickly shrank down, swiftly burrowing into the center of Zhou Bai's forehead.

The cleaning lady, who had been staring blankly, watched Zhou Bai leave and finally gasped, "Zhou Bai! That was Zhou Bai!" She had seen him on the live broadcast of the Daluo Heaven debates, but it was her first time seeing him in reality, so she didn't recognize him at first.

Amidst all the commotion, Zhou Bai was already out of sight.

However, after leaving the vicinity of the office building, Zhou Bai didn't head straight back to the Heavenly Demon base. Instead, he took a detour to the East Hua Dao School.

He casually put on his handsome guy mask and walked around the Dao School, a wave of sentimentality washing over him.

'I wonder how everyone is doing now.'

Thinking of this, Zhou Bai couldn't help wanting to check on everyone's current situation, yet he hesitated, worried that his arrival might disturb them, or even cause them trouble, especially since most humans now saw him as a traitor aligning with the Heavenly Demons.

Lost in thought, Zhou Bai unconsciously arrived below the dormitory building of Jing Xiu and Xia Li. He looked around at the empty streets due to the previously stringent management by the heavenly authorities, then lifted his head to gaze at the dormitory's wall.

By the time he realized, he had already climbed up along the wall.

'This is just eager concern for my classmates. They helped me a lot in the past; I can't bear not to check on them.'

Zhou Bai's head reached toward the window, "This seems to be Xia Li's room, isn't anyone here? Could she still be in the Array layer?"

After a moment of thought, he moved again and arrived below another window. Here was Jing Xiu's room, where he could faintly hear the sound of several people's voices.

"Jing Xiu, Teacher Lin, are you alright? Did those jerks do anything to you?"

"We're fine, they just detained us and sometimes asked questions, it's a pity I haven't been able to practice these days. How is it outside? Is the Dao School still suspended?"

"It's just puzzling why they suddenly withdrew and released us. They seemed to be in a rush, like something big happened. Do you guys have any news?"

Listening in for a bit, the hurried voice was likely Lu Wanzhen's, the soft-spoken one was Jing Xiu, analyzing the situation and asking for information was Lin Muqing, and there was another person who had been silent all along—He guessed it must be Xia Li.

'Good to know everyone is safe.' Zhou Bai glanced at the scene and decided to leave. After all, his current identity was awkward, and any attempt to help his classmates could inadvertently harm them.

Meanwhile, without realizing it, he had already opened a vast distance between himself and his former classmates. Unbeknownst to both parties, they were no longer on the same level, and his classmates could no longer help him.

With this thought, he sighed with some melancholy, noticing how there were fewer and fewer people who could stand by his side.

'Lonely is the head that wears the crown.' Zhou Bai sighed and firmly walked away.

In the room, a few people were discussing the current situation with furrowed brows. All of a sudden, Xia Li spoke up, "I... I think I saw Zhou Bai in the Array layer."

Facing the surprised looks of the others, Xia Li said uncertainly, "I also heard some rumors that Zhou Bai defeated the heavenly authorities, Haoran Heavenly Monarch and Wan Xing True Monarch, that's why the heavenly cultivators retreated."

The group listened to the news in shock, but Lin Muqing felt there was something unusual about it. Logically, such important intelligence shouldn't be known by an ordinary student like Xia Li in such a short time. She had some speculations and decided to contact the Sky Flipping Sect's members in Central City later to find out more.

At this moment, in Central City, the followers of the Sky Flipping Sect had already begun to spread the news of Zhou Bai's recent achievements under the arrangements made by Li Xiuzhu before departure.

Next, not just Central City but all of the four major cities and the followers of the Sky Flipping Sect would start covertly promoting Zhou Bai's victory, reshaping people's perception of the Heavenly Court.

Immortals are not invincible.

Elsewhere, Zhou Bai returned to the Heavenly Demon base, where he first let out Christina and the Original Dao Treasure, allowing her to continue practicing the Original Dao Treasure and elevate her Dao assimilation to 60%.

Perhaps, by that time, Christina might awaken new memories, which could be very helpful to Zhou Bai.

Elsa was not practicing the Original Dao Treasure for the moment because her demonic nature had been acting up recently, so Zhou Bai decided to stabilize it first.

Then, Zhou Bai himself went back to his workshop in the Heavenly Demon base and, looking at the rows of Heavenly Demon organization, began his task of earning idle energy points.

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