“Asura?” Lu Yun’s forehead scrunched slightly.

“My dear martial uncle! Don’t you make the mistake of thinking that Asura is easy to handle. Luo Houluo was born in the world of celestials and the ancestor of all heavenly demons. Darkriver was born in the netherdark and forefather of all earthly demons. With heaven and earth coming together in one body, he's already received the approval of the world. If you can’t obtain control of the celestial court and grasp the three realms, you’ll actually be less than him.”

Daoist Yuyu continued gravely, “He's gone on an endless feast of connate demon gods at the moment, and his strength increases every time he eats one. Dijiang’s in his stomach as well.”

“No wonder I couldn't figure out where Dijiang is, so he's become food for Asura.” Lu Yun frowned even more ferociously.

Asura would be quartered and suppressed in the future, but that would only destroy part of his soul. He would still create the four terrible blood demons and incite a war between heaven and earth. The blood demon that he himself would turn into in the future was being kept in Lu Yun’s Rearbow even as they spoke.

“You’ll be able to rival the current Asura and restrict his growth only after you possess the power of the three realms. Otherwise, even if you somehow manage to defeat him, that won't stop him from continuously growing stronger. If that's the case, there’ll come one day when he is the strongest existence beneath the heavens and destroys everything he sees,” Daoist Yuyu sighed.

“Umm… I have a question. Why does he want to destroy everything?” Lu Yun smiled wryly. 

All this talk of destroying heaven and earth, but what good would it do for Asura to do so? What, would it give him a sense of satisfaction to reduce the realm into the chaos and leave him the only being in existence?

Daoist Yuyu stared blankly when he heard the question and scratched his head, dumbfounded.

“This is what my master’s told me… I don't know why he wants to destroy everything either. But the will emanating from his being really is one suffused with the desire for destruction and annihilation.”

“Why doesn’t fellow daoist Hongjun put down Asura himself?”

Daoist Yuyu’s face spasmed fiercely when he heard the words “fellow daoist Hongjun”.

“My master has entered the heavenly dao to observe its future, he doesn't have the effort and time to spare. Besides, my master’s primary body is suppressing the outer realm and keeping the realm monsters out of the world of celestials. It's only a minor replica of his that walks the great wilderness, which doesn’t have the strength to fight Asura.”

“I see.” Lu Yun nodded, finally having a complete picture of things.

That even Pangu had fallen in battle to those creatures was testament to the horrifying strength of the realm monsters. Taiyi’s celestial court had been similarly outmatched, but he’d traded his life to halt the realm monsters outside the cosmos and arranged for his celestial army to stand guard in the stars.

What it ultimately came down to was Hongjun acting as a deterrent in the skies of the world of celestials, suppressing the strongest existence amongst the realm monsters. That was what had bought some breathing space for the planet of the great wilderness.

“Asura is terrifying… the realm monsters even more so… but so is the great wilderness equally as strong. Why do Fuxi and the others look to the future for help instead?” asked a baffled Lu Yun.

“Indeed, Asura is terrifying and the realm monsters even more so, so why do they think that the future is the key?” Daoist Yuyu shook his head. “I’ve asked my master the same question before, and the answer he gave me was…”

“Was what?” Lu Yun quickly followed up.

“From whence do the realm monsters come from, and why are they born?” Daoist Yuyu shook his head.

Lu Yun shook, comprehension clearing up his thoughts.

“My master and the other two creators have never viewed realm monsters as our enemies. The biggest enemy of the great wilderness isn't them, but whatever resides in the chaos that transforms dead worlds into them. If we can’t root that out, then it's only a matter of time before the great wilderness becomes a realm monster as well. 

“And then we will be the endless tides of dead spirits within its body,” Daoist Yuyu postulated with a melancholy air.

“I understand.” It wasn't until this moment that Lu Yun truly understood the difference between him and the real powerhouses of this realm.

In his eyes, the realm monsters, Asura, and the unending tide of demon gods were indeed the enemies. He felt that peace would reign in the great wilderness as long as he took care of them all.

But Hongjun, Pangu, Leize, Fuxi, and the others had seen through to the crux of the matter long ago. Realms monsters were the enemies, yes, but whatever created them was even more horrific.

Hongjun, Pangu, and God—the three creators—had exchanged moves with that unknown entity in the chaos countless numbers of times. The world as it existed now had no hope of triumphing over it, which is why they looked for help in the future.

“The innumerable connate demon gods will never agree to you occupying the world of celestials and reconstructing the celestial court. They'll absolutely raise countless obstacles in your path. Therefore, Fuxi has entered the chaos to find the treasure that will quell the demon gods, and you need to find another that will squash the court’s fortunes.” Daoist Yuyu changed the subject.

It was inevitable that Asura would be born, and his race taking possession of the Blood Sea was a development tacitly approved by Hongjun and the others. What Lu Yun needed to do was to restrict Asura’s strength so that he wouldn't develop to the level of being able to destroy everything.

And for now, the demon gods were the biggest barriers in his way.

“Is the Bell of Chaos not enough?” Lu Yun frowned.

“Why would Taiyi have died if it could really uphold the fortunes of the celestial court?” Daoist Yuyu shook his head slightly.

“That's because the bell belongs to Tushan. Taiyi was never able to fully refine it,” Lu Yun explained.

“Tushan is also one of the four great celestial masters of the court. She assisted Taiyi, so she could absolutely deploy the bell’s fullest strength. But that still wasn't enough! The Bell of Chaos is the greatest connate treasure of the great wilderness, yes, but the one I speak of has exceeded the range of connate treasures!”

Daoist Yuyu turned incomparably grave. “I speak of great god Pangu’s ultimate treasure, his axe Worldcarver! It’s located in his tomb beneath Mount Buzhou!”

“Worldcarver... so Pangu really did hew this realm into being?” Lu Yun’s eyes went wide open. This was a question he’d wanted to ask Fuxi last time, but hadn’t had the chance to.

“No. While the great god really did want to clear the void for a world, the creators don't yet have the ability to fashion a world.”

“Are you a projection of the great god's nascent spirit?” Lu Yun suddenly asked.

Daoist Yuyu was startled into rolling his eyes. “Does this humble daoist look like the great god’s nascent spirit? Then wouldn’t I be Pangu himself?”

Lu Yun looked wordlessly at the other.

“Martial uncle, Pangu hasn’t really died!” Daoist Yuyu suddenly said mysteriously. “I’ve heard my master mention sometimes that the great god’s nascent spirit and true spirit still exist, and that they’ve traveled to the future through some sort of power!”

Lu Yun’s eyes lit up. “Pangu exists in the future?”

“It’s just something that my master mentioned a few times. I don’t know what the truth is,” Yuyu replied with resignation.