When the light of Primordial Chaos bloomed, it filled the entire sky.
Primordial Chaos was infinitely mutable, like the heavens collapsing, like the earth splitting apart. The great sun rose and fell, the full moon appeared and vanished. It was like light, like darkness, like yin and yang, like the five elements. It was like the myriad Gods and Buddhas filling the sky, like the myriad Immortals and Demons, the myriad demonic spirits, the myriad ghosts and monsters. They were everywhere, indistinguishable as to whether they were God or Buddha, Immortal or Demon. One could not tell darkness from light, nor yin from yang, nor righteousness from evil. Everything was present, nothing was absent. Chaos, endless chaos.
At this moment, the world seemed to transform into an infinitely mutable world of Primordial Chaos.
Boom! Rumble!
—It sounded like the roar of Gods, the howl of Demons, the chant of Buddhas, and the music of Immortals...
It was as if Gods and Buddhas were reciting scriptures, as if Immortals and Demons were locked in battle, as if Asuras were drinking blood, as if ghosts and monsters were roaring in fury. It seemed to fill the entire void.
Gu Qingfeng stood in the void, his eyes slightly closed, his expression placid. His long hair danced wildly, and the hem of his robes flapped violently.
The myriad Gods and Buddhas, the myriad Immortals and Demons, the myriad ghosts and monsters—all were bowing in worship to him.
Yes!
Worship!
This scene was madness, and also breathtaking!
It was even more something that evoked a sense of awe from the depths of one's soul, an irresistible, seemingly innate reverence.
Thud!
One person knelt on the ground.
Then ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand... Wherever the light of Primordial Chaos enveloped, every single person, regardless of cultivation level, regardless of strength, regardless of whether they possessed destiny or not, all knelt upon the ground.
They did not know what this infinitely mutable Primordial Chaos was.
They did not even know why they were kneeling.
Yes.
They did not know. Their kneeling was purely instinctual. This instinct was like feeling hungry and wanting food, thirsty and wanting water, injured and feeling pain. When this infinitely mutable Primordial Chaos appeared, the awe in their hearts made them subconsciously kneel down.
Others might not know what this infinitely mutable light of Primordial Chaos was.
However.
Those present from the Sacred Ground—Xuanyuan Wan, Su Hua, White-Browed Holy Monk, and Da Xing the Mad Monk—they all knew. This was precisely the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda that the Three Thousand Great Daos had always coveted and sought to seize.
To speak of it, this was not the first time they had witnessed such a breathtaking scene. Over a decade ago, when Gu Qingfeng achieved the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, they had personally witnessed it.
Even so.
When Gu Qingfeng once again manifested the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, their hearts still could not help but tremble violently.
Within the chaos, it was as if light and darkness intertwined, as if sun and moon rotated, as if yin and yang merged, as if life and death alternated, as if flowers bloomed and fell, as if transforming, as if gestating, as if evolving. It was truly the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda. This chaos was far too profound, far too profound, profound to the point of being dazzling and dizzying.
Especially the scene of the myriad Gods and Buddhas, the myriad Immortals and Demons, the myriad ghosts and monsters, the myriad demonic evils all kneeling in worship to Gu Qingfeng—it truly left them bewildered. Deep in their hearts, there was an indescribable feeling, as if seeing the ancestral figures they worshipped kneeling to Gu Qingfeng. It made them unable to believe it, unable to accept it.
Beyond their astonishment, they were also deeply puzzled. They did not know why Gu Qingfeng would suddenly manifest the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda.
Did he not know that the Three Thousand Great Daos had always been eyeing this thing covetously?
No!
Gu Qingfeng should know better than anyone.
But if so, why would he choose to manifest it at this very moment?
Was he not afraid the Three Thousand Great Daos would seize it?
Looking at Gu Qingfeng again, their confusion only deepened.
If the Gu Qingfeng who earlier propped up the heavens with one hand resembled a solitary, proud War God from ancient times...
And the Gu Qingfeng who later manifested the Supreme Killing Domain resembled a bloodthirsty Demon God from hell...
Then the Gu Qingfeng who now manifested the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda was a True God of Myriad Phenomena from the primordial age.
He simply stood there with his hands behind his back.
Eyes closed, motionless, allowing the myriad phenomena to change, allowing all beings to worship.
What was he thinking?
What did he intend to do?
Unknown.
No one knew.
Just as everyone was shocked and suspicious, the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda began to rotate with Gu Qingfeng at its center. For a time, the world enveloped by this chaotic light seemed to be spinning. As it rotated, the chaotic light around Gu Qingfeng intensified, and the changing myriad phenomena, the worshipping all beings, all seemed to come alive, becoming vivid and lifelike.
At this moment.
Gu Qingfeng was like a flower of life blooming, like a light of life shining forth, like a fountainhead of life erupting.
Boundless, limitless, vast and unending life essence spread out.
This life essence was even more sacred, even more pure, even more concentrated than the natural anomalies triggered by the descent of the Heavenly Mandate years ago.
What was happening?
Everyone was somewhat dazed.
White-Browed Holy Monk was, and Da Xing the Mad Monk even more so. Although both of them had cultivated for who knew how many years, with rich experience and broad knowledge—especially Da Xing the Mad Monk, who often roamed the Three Thousand Great Worlds—there was nothing in this world he did not know, no destiny he was unaware of.
However, the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda was something he had never heard of before, nor was there any record of it in ancient texts. Therefore, he too did not know what was happening now.
However.
Deep in his heart, he had a faint, uneasy feeling.
Very uneasy!
It seemed like excitement, like agitation, but also like worry, like fear. It was complex, chaotic, leaving him somewhat at a loss.
"Buddha above..." Beside him, White-Browed Holy Monk, still trapped within the Vajra Celestial Ring, remained sitting cross-legged on the ground. His complexion was terrible, to be precise, ashen. His expression kept changing, his eyes wide and staring as if he had seen something unbelievable. His entire body trembled slightly.
"These changing myriad phenomena, this worship of all beings, this blooming of life, this..." Whether from excitement or fear, White-Browed Holy Monk's voice trembled as he spoke, haltingly. Even taking a deep breath, he could not calm down. He cried out, "He is...
He is...
He is ascending to become the Human King!"
Whoosh!
Upon hearing the words "Human King," Da Xing the Mad Monk felt as if struck by lightning. His scalp went numb, the world spun, and he sat down heavily on the ground, his mind echoing only those two words: Human King.
The Human Dao was, for many, an ancient legend, an existence both familiar and unfamiliar.
Familiar because there were many people in this world, countless, innumerable. Whether Immortals or Buddhas, Demons or Devils, most were cultivated from Humans. Thus, everyone was familiar with Humans.
Unfamiliar because since ancient times, Immortals had the Immortal Dao, Demons had the Monster Dao, Buddhas had the Buddha Dao, Ghosts had the Ghost Dao, Heaven had the Heavenly Dao... but Humans alone had no Human Dao. Not in the ancient times, not in the archaic times, not even in the primordial times.