380: Chapter 367 The Flaws in the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun's Conspiracy

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[Super-dimensional Divine Thought scan detected!]

[Source location: Deep within Chaos · Unknown Realm!]

[Defense System overload! Firewall is being brute-forced!]

[Opponent's Rank: Administrator!]

Kong Xuan was alarmed: "What is happening? Who dares to forcefully break into Tiance Mansion's defensive array? Could it be that those two old bald donkeys have returned to kill us?"

"It is not them."

Lin Feng lifted his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the ceiling of the great hall, through the Nine Heavens, and staring directly into the endless Void Realm of Chaos.

His expression was grave as never before, and the wine cup in his hand was crushed into powder with a "snap."

"An existence ten thousand times more terrifying than those two old bald donkeys."

"That old fellow who has always been playing chess from behind the scenes, yet never shows his face..."

"Has finally lost his patience and wants to flip the chessboard."

Lin Feng took a deep breath, and his casual clothes instantly switched into the dark red "God-Slayer: End of Days Armor."

"Kong Xuan, pass down the order."

"Level 1 combat readiness."

"Tell the monkey and Nezha to stop playing around. Prepare to fight for your lives."

Deep within Chaos · Zixiao Palace.

This is the end of the Honghuang world, and also the origin of all Law.

Zixiao Palace is not a palace in the conventional sense. It floats within the violent currents of Chaos, without foundations or tiles; it is a materialized product condensed from pure "Dao."

Inside the palace, the silence is maddening. There is no concept of time here; the past, present, and future are intertwined into a tangled mess.

In the deepest part of the great hall, upon a prayer mat, sat a figure.

He wore a seemingly ordinary gray Daoist robe, and his face was as plain as any old farmer one might see in the mortal world. But if one were to look closely, they would find his face constantly changing—sometimes aged, sometimes youthful, sometimes compassionate, sometimes ferocious.

He is Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

The teacher of all Saints.

The spokesperson for Heavenly Dao.

Or rather... a combination of a Heavenly Dao Puppet and a Dominator.

At this moment, Dao Ancestor Hongjun slowly opened his eyes.

What a pair of eyes they were. There were no whites, no pupils, only two slowly rotating black and white Taiji Diagrams, and countless threads of Law flickering like data streams.

Before him floated a fragmented, crack-filled jade plate—the jade plate of creation.

This supreme treasure, which records the three thousand Dao, was currently flashing red frantically, projecting various scenes.

In the scenes, it was all Lin Feng.

Lin Feng beating up Nezha, Lin Feng inciting Erlang Shen to rebel, Lin Feng bombing Lingshan, Lin Feng breaking the seven-treasure wonderful tree...

Every scene was being dismantled and analyzed under Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze.

"Is this that 'variable'..."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's voice echoed in the great hall, devoid of any human emotion, carrying only cold logic, "The one that escaped. The Great Dao is fifty, Heavenly evolution is forty-nine, and humanity escapes the one."

"This Daoist has merged with Heavenly Dao for countless eons, always searching for this 'one that escaped.' Only by finding it and devouring it can this Daoist complete Heavenly Dao, fully control the three thousand Dao, take that final step, become a true Dao Saint, and transcend this cage."

"Originally, I thought that monkey who popped out of a stone was the variable."

"Or that Nezha who carved his bones to return them to his father was the variable."

"Unexpectedly, the true variable is actually a Heavenly Demon from outside the realm."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun lifted a withered finger and tapped lightly on the jade plate of creation.

"Hum!"

The scene froze at the moment Lin Feng activated "God-Slayer Mode," covered in black armor, and broke the seven-treasure wonderful tree with his bare hands.

"This kind of power..."

The Taiji Diagrams in Dao Ancestor Hongjun's eyes suddenly accelerated their rotation, "It does not belong to the Five Elements, it does not belong to Yin and Yang, and it does not even belong to the spiritual power System."

"This is... a tampering at the level of the rules."

"Similar to... the underlying code of this world being hacked."

On Dao Ancestor Hongjun's eternal face, a strange expression appeared. It was greed. An extreme greed mixed with fear and desire.

"If I could analyze that thing inside him..."

"If I could strip out that so-called 'System' and merge it into the jade plate of creation..."

"Then, this Daoist would no longer be the manager of Heavenly Dao, but the—owner!"

For this day, he had laid plans for too long.

During the Dragon and Phoenix Great Tribulation, he used the opportunity to become a Saint; during the Witch and Demon Great Tribulation, he weakened the legacy of Pangu; during the Investiture of the Gods Great Tribulation, he forced the Three Pure Ones to fight amongst themselves, made the Saints consume the Saint-Slaying Pill, completely locked the power of the Saints in a cage, and made the Heavenly Court the only orthodoxy.

Everything was for the sake of centralizing power.

Everything was for the sake of weakening the resistance of all living beings.

And now, the final puzzle piece has delivered itself to his door.

"Lin Feng... what a perfect prey."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun slowly stood up.

As he stood, the entire Void Realm of Chaos began to tremble, and the chaotic storms spanning billions of miles instantly stilled.

"Since you have come, don't even think about leaving."

"Becoming a part of this Daoist's body is your supreme honor."

At this very moment, inside Tiance Mansion.

Lin Feng was sitting on that Geng-Metal sofa, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Although the scanning sensation from earlier had vanished, the alarm bells in his heart were ringing even louder.

"System, come out." Lin Feng said in a deep voice within his mind, "Don't play dead."

[Host, I am here.] The System's voice sounded somewhat mechanical, even carrying a hint of imperceptible... nervousness?

"What exactly does that old fellow Dao Ancestor Hongjun want?" Lin Feng lit a cigarette, his hand trembling slightly, "I can feel it; he doesn't just want to kill me. That look in his eyes was like... a starving ghost seeing braised pork."

The System was silent for a long time before slowly responding.

[Host, you have touched upon the ultimate truth of this world.]

[In this super-server named 'Honghuang', Dao Ancestor Hongjun is the Administrator (GM) with the highest authority. But he is not satisfied with managing; he wants to claim the server as his own, and even wants to rewrite the server's code.]

[But he cannot do it. Because Heavenly Dao is flawed, his authority is incomplete.]

[And this System...]