I can't get into the barrier, is this your doing

Chen Yi found it hard to fathom just how much Wuji valued cleanliness.

Could even a Chaos Treasure fail to excite him?

Watching those transcendent and immaculate immortals, Chen Yi felt he might have misjudged Wuji somewhat.

It wasn’t just about cleanliness—it seemed Wuji was also actively avoiding some unspoken taboo of the lower realm.

The feeling was like... the lower realm was a foul, murky swamp, so turbid you couldn’t see what lurked beneath. Afraid of dirtying his hands or worse, being bitten by hidden fish or cut by sharp rocks, Wuji refused to reach down. That made sense.

But here’s the thing—what if there was a dazzling golden gem in that filthy swamp? No matter how repulsive, how disgusting, or how risky, as long as it wasn’t life-threatening, wouldn’t anyone reach for it?

After all, Chaos Treasures were incredibly rare. And history had already proven that the Immortal Emperor was invincible—even in the upper realm, few could shatter his golden invincibility, let alone the lower realm!

Could it really just be disgust holding him back?

Would someone abandon a supreme prize over mere fastidiousness?

Was that possible?

Ordinary people might give up due to their limitations, but the Immortal Emperor, with his overwhelming power and means to suppress all opposition, absolutely wouldn’t!

So, after eliminating all impossibilities, no matter how absurd the remaining answer, it had to be the truth.

The lower realm must harbor something capable of threatening the Immortal Emperor’s life—that’s why Wuji feared to intervene.

But what could it be?

Chen Yi fell deep into thought.

Meanwhile...

Inside the Primordial Heavenly Mirror, the artifact spirit—a little boy—and the Little Golden Dragon were happily spectating.

"Fight! Fight! All this talking and no action—are they playing house?" The Little Golden Dragon watched as the Abyssal Matriarch and the Great Luo Immortals of the Celestial Realm stood at a stalemate, itching to stir the pot himself.

"Ah, those were once mighty figures of the Divine Realm... Now, bereft of their true destinies, new spirits have emerged from their remnants, yet they still instinctively reject the Celestial Realm’s people. Admirable!" The little boy sighed wistfully, his eyes filled with regret.

No sooner had he spoken than—

A Half-Cosmic Abyssal Fiend suddenly snapped, shattering the deadlock. The Dao of Cosmos activated instantly as it charged toward a Golden Immortal on the opposing side!

"RAAAH! Brothers, kill him!"

"Damn ! I’ve had enough of these bastards!"

"Filthy wretches, seeking death!"

"Great Mandate of Heaven, Great Luo Divine Curse!"

"......"

All-out war erupted in an instant!

Bizarre interweavings of the Dao of Space and Cosmos clashed, while condensed immortal energy formed intricate Dao patterns.

In a flash, terrifying energy fluctuations rippled outward, instantly calming the chaotic void energy across billions of miles.

Though the Abyssal Matriarch’s side had numbers, the Celestial Realm’s immortals held the qualitative advantage.

The moment the two forces collided, the Abyssal forces were suppressed, forced into retreat.

Amid the chaos, no one noticed the Half-Cosmic Abyssal Fiend that had started the fight had already slipped to the rear. Like a ghost, it ignored the searing energy of the Radiant Barrier—meant to repel Abyssals—and plunged straight through.

Chen Yi: ???

It just... waltzed right in?

How?!

What the hell is that thing?!

This Abyssal... something was off. No, twelve times off!

That power... while it resembled the Abyssal’s innate Dao of Cosmos, closer inspection revealed subtle differences.

It was like a refined subdivision of the Dao of Cosmos—or perhaps an evolution beyond it.

Abyssal Fiends, due to their corruption, had fused their Divine Realm cultivation into the crude, instinctual Dao of Cosmos. They couldn’t refine it further, let alone evolve it.

So... that Half-Cosmic Abyssal Fiend had a puppeteer behind it!

But here’s the question: Abyssals were remnants of Divine Realm experts, and the Dao of Cosmos was the melted-down essence of Divine Realm techniques. Who else could flawlessly mimic and wield it?

Too hard to guess!

Chen Yi spun around, grabbing the little boy artifact spirit, his gaze piercing. "I can’t enter the Radiant Barrier—is this your doing?!"

"What madness is this?! I’ve even volunteered to extend your time, and you doubt me?! Where’s the trust between people?!" The little boy shouted angrily, kicking at Chen Yi’s fingers while trapped in his grip.

The Little Golden Dragon, triggered by a keyword, immediately declared with righteous indignation: "Trust between people? There’s no such thing!"

"Enough nonsense! My brother Yi is asking you a question—spit it out!"

He’d once preached about trust too... until reality beat it out of him. He’d learned he was a dragon, not a human—trust was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

Hearing the old Primordial Mirror spout his old mantra now made him crack.

"Is that Half-Cosmic Abyssal Fiend being controlled by the mysterious reawakened Divine Realm expert?" Chen Yi cut straight to the point, tearing off the unspoken pretense.

But the little boy refused to admit it, even deflecting: "How should I know? I’m just here for the show! I’m giving you free overtime—how could you treat me like this?!"

SMACK!

Chen Yi slapped him without hesitation: "Talk. Now."

The Little Golden Dragon wriggled excitedly. "Brother Yi, let me handle this! I know a hundred ways to make him talk. A hundred!!"

"Enough, that’s already too twisted. Creation, sit down—I’ll talk!" The little boy covered his face, leaning back defensively before explaining cautiously:

"Since he’s already seized the initiative, there’s no point hiding it. Yes, it’s me."

"If you carry me—a complete Chaos Treasure—it marks you as ‘claimed.’ That newly awakened one won’t let you near."

"Honestly, it’s not that I wanted to hide it. You never asked Creation! He knew this taboo too—he kept it from you. How’s that my fault?"

Little Golden Dragon: ......

Wait, there’s such a taboo?

Since when did I know this?

After a pause, he belatedly realized—this bastard was framing him, shifting the blame!

"Old Primordial, you—! I warn you, watch your words! I’ll sue you for slander! Slander!!"

"Brother Yi, he’s slandering me! I swear I didn’t know about this taboo!"

Chen Yi: ......

If any other Chaos Treasure spirit had said this, he wouldn’t believe a single punctuation mark.

But coming from the Little Golden Dragon... it was 98% credible.

There's still 0.2% left to blame Ling Xiao for, after all, the Little Golden Dragon might have just been naive at first, but after being killed once by Ling Xiao, it became a bit brain-damaged...

Sigh, what are we gonna do with this kid?