[Time Coordinates: Primordial Era · The Golden Age of the Demon Court]
[Location: Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens · Sun Palace]
The heavens of the Primordial World are hierarchical.
The ground is the hunting ground of the Witch Clan, filled with mud and blood; while above the Thirty-Three Heavens lies the paradise of the Demon Clan, flowing with golden essence and jade dew.
A gold-embossed invitation, like a burning phoenix feather, floats outside the barrier of Qingqiu.
It is the personal edict of the Demon Emperor Jun, inviting all the powerful beings of the Primordial World to attend the **"Heavenly Marriage Ceremony"**.
"Heavenly Marriage?" Shen Qingqiu stands on a cloud above Qingqiu, the burning invitation between her fingers.
Today she has changed her attire. No longer the tattered purple dress, nor the murderous red wedding gown.
She wears a flowing, ink-dyed floor-length dress woven from **[Innate Cloud Silkworm Silk] mixed with [Interstellar Nanofiber Fiber]**. Her skirt cascaded in layers, like a watercolor painting, with tiny nebula-like sparkles within the folds as she moved.
Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned only with a peach wood hairpin carved by Seventeen herself.
Elegant, yet exuding a cold and mysterious aura that transcended all others.
"Called a grand wedding, but in reality, it's a show of authority." Seventeen stood behind her, dressed in a black high-collared robe, a dark red belt with thunder patterns around his waist. The [Slaying Evil] sword was concealed in his sleeve, making him appear like a taciturn, cold-faced guard.
But the occasional flash of red in his purple eyes warned all intruders: Keep away.
"I heard that Donghuang Taiyi will unleash the Chaos Bell at the banquet to intimidate the Witch Clan." Shen Qingqiu put away the invitation, a glint of light flashing in her golden eyes.
The [Bronze Fragment] (the bell tongue) in her arms was burning hot.
It sensed the call of its true form.
"Let's go, Seventeen." Shen Qingqiu took his arm, and a blue lotus flower composed of data streams bloomed beneath her feet.
"Let's go see this legendary... Lingxiao Palace."
...Outside the South Heavenly Gate.
There were no celestial soldiers or generals here, only elite demon warriors clad in golden armor and with wings on their backs.
True dragons coiled around massive white jade pillars, and colorful phoenixes perched on the eaves. The clouds and mist were not water vapor, but liquefied innate spiritual energy; a single breath could extend one's life by a hundred years.
Countless streams of light rushed in from all directions.
There were old men riding blue oxen, fairies riding auspicious clouds, and demon kings riding giant beasts.
The moment Shen Qingqiu and Seventeen landed, the once bustling South Heavenly Gate fell silent for a moment.
It was too unusual.
These two figures, one in black and one in ink, did not wield any magical treasures, nor did they exude any earth-shattering demonic or immortal aura.
They were like two drops of ink, falling into this magnificent golden painting.
Incongruous, yet forming their own world.
"Please show your invitation." The gatekeeper was a red-haired giant, a Bifang divine bird in disguise, wielding a flaming spear, his eyes arrogant.
Shen Qingqiu remained silent.
She simply raised two fingers, holding the golden invitation between them, and flicked it lightly.
Whoosh— The invitation transformed into a streak of light, not flying into Bifang's hand, but directly… severing the red tassel on his helmet.
Then it firmly embedded itself into the white jade pillar behind him, deeply embedded.
"You!" Bifang roared in fury, about to retaliate.
Seventeen stepped forward.
He didn't attack, but merely slightly raised his eyelids, the two golden halos of divine power within his purple eyes slowly rotating.
[Pressure Released: Chaos Demon God (1%).] Boom!
Bifang felt a terrifying chill, originating from the depths of his bloodline, instantly envelop his entire body. It was an instinctive fear of facing a natural enemy, of being at the top of the food chain.
His knees buckled, and he almost knelt on the spot.
"This...this is..." Bi Fang was drenched in cold sweat, his gun trembling in his hand.
"A rogue cultivator, Shen Qingqiu."
Shen Qingqiu withdrew her hand, her tone as indifferent as water.
"This is my Daoist companion, Seventeen."
She linked arms with Seventeen, stepping on the blue lotus, and gracefully crossed the South Heavenly Gate under the watchful eyes of everyone.
No one dared to stop her.
...Jade Pool Wonderland · Main Hall of the Sun Palace.
This place was a thousand times more luxurious than the South Heavenly Gate.
The floor was paved with ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, and the dome was a single, enormous piece of star gemstone, simulating the celestial sphere of the primordial world.
Tables lined both sides, laden with dragon liver and phoenix marrow, and exquisite nectar.
Shen Qingqiu and Seventeen were seated in a corner.
This suited her perfectly.
She raised her wine cup, concealing a smile, and silently recorded the layout of the Heavenly Court using the scanning function of the **[Civilization Library]**.
"Look, those are the Three Pure Ones," Shen Qingqiu said to Seventeen in the consciousness channel.
At the head of the table sat three elderly men with an air of otherworldly grace, their faces obscured by the flowing aura of Dao.
"That's Goddess Nuwa," Nuwa nodded slightly to Shen Qingqiu. They had met briefly at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, establishing a karmic connection.
And seated at the highest position was today's protagonist—the Demon Emperor Jun.
He wore a golden crow imperial robe, exuding a profound and majestic aura, his eyes seeming to hold the rising and setting of the sun and moon. Beside him sat Xihe, wearing a phoenix crown, and… Donghuang Taiyi, with a somber expression, clutching an ancient small bell.
That bell…
was entirely dark yellow, its surface engraved with the sun, moon, stars, earth, water, fire, and wind.
It was the innate treasure—the Chaos Bell (Eastern Emperor Bell).
Shen Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.
The bronze fragment in her arms almost jumped out.
"Don't panic." Seventeen's hand covered the back of hers; the cool touch instantly calmed her down.
"There will be an opportunity."
Just then, the master of ceremonies announced loudly:
"The offering ceremony—!" Powerful figures from all walks of life presented their treasures.
"A rogue cultivator from Kunlun Mountain presents a pair of ten-thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum!"
"The Dragon King of the North Sea presents a piece of the Sea-Stabilizing Needle Iron!"
"The Fox Emperor of Qingqiu presents a nine-tailed fox fur coat!"
Di Jun sat high on the platform, his expression indifferent.
As the Demon Emperor, possessing the world, these mundane treasures were no longer worthy of his attention.
Until…
"The rogue cultivator Shen Qingqiu presents… a scroll of the Star River Record!"
The entire audience gasped.
The Star River Record?
It should be known that Di Jun's greatest skill was divination of the stars, and the **Hetu Luoshu** in his possession was his innate treasure. This woman actually dared to show off her skills in front of Guan Yu?
"Oh?" Di Jun's interest was piqued.
"Summon him." Shen Qingqiu stood up.
She patted Seventeen's hand, signaling him to relax.
Then, she adjusted her ink-wash-like long dress and walked step by step to the center of the hall.
Facing the most powerful figures of the primordial world, facing the imperial pressure that could crush even Golden Immortals.
Shen Qingqiu's back remained ramrod straight.
She did not bow or scrape, but merely nodded slightly as a gesture of respect.
"Your Majesty governs the celestial bodies and divination the secrets of the universe."
Shen Qingqiu's voice was clear and bright, like jade beads falling onto a plate.
"However, I am but a humble woman, having once traveled... downstream of the River of Time."
"I happened upon a map, depicting the universe... what it will look like three billion years from now."
She took out a crystal prism (actually a high-dimensional data storage device) from her sleeve.
"This map is called... the Milky Way."
She lightly tossed the prism towards the dome of the hall.
[Holographic Projection · Activated.]
[Data Source: Interstellar Era · Panoramic View of the Milky Way.]] Buzz—!!!
The once magnificent hall instantly darkened.
Then, countless dazzling points of light lit up in the darkness.
Those were no longer the crude, primordial stars formed from spiritual energy.
But... real, vast, breathtaking deep space.
They were enormous spiral galaxies, exploding supernovae, black holes devouring light, and dazzling nebulae.
Billions of stars, like grains of sand, were spread above everyone's heads.
Every star was rotating, breathing, and following some incredibly precise physical law.
"This…" The immortals in the entire hall were stunned.
They cultivated immortality, believing the Thirty-Three Heavens lay above them.
Yet they had never witnessed such a vast, profound, so… lonely and beautiful truth of the universe.
Emperor Jun abruptly stood up.
The wine cup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered.
He stared intently at the holographic star map.
His *Hetu Luoshu*, though wondrous, was a formation, a metaphysics.
But this map before him was truth, science.
He saw the trajectories of the stars, the ripples of gravity, he saw… the ultimate evolved form of the Zhou Tian Star Array.
"Wonderful…wonderful!" Emperor Jun's hands trembled, his eyes filled with fervor.
"This is the starry sky! This is my Dao!"
Shen Qingqiu stood beneath the boundless starry river.
Her figure was small, yet she seemed to control this entire cosmos.
She looked at Di Jun, her red lips slightly parted:
"Your Majesty, is this 'Star River Record' to your liking?"
"To your liking! Absolutely!" Di Jun took a deep breath, recovering from his shock.
He looked at Shen Qingqiu, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
There was admiration, greed, and a hint of… apprehension.
A person who could produce something like this was no ordinary rogue cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist Shen." Di Jun changed his form of address, his tone carrying a hint of equal respect.
"This gift is too generous. How should I reward you?"
Shen Qingqiu smiled.
This was exactly what she had been waiting for.
She didn't ask for any divine weapons or high-ranking positions.
She extended her slender finger, pointing towards the bell in the arms of Donghuang Taiyi, who sat beside Di Jun.
"I have heard that His Majesty Donghuang's Chaos Bell contains the Dao of Time and Space."
Shen Qingqiu's gaze was clear, as if she were merely a scholar thirsting for knowledge.
"In this *Star River Record*, there are still several mysteries regarding 'space-time folding' that I, your humble servant, have been unable to fathom."
"May I ask Your Majesty the Eastern Emperor... to borrow the bell for a look?"
"Even just hearing it ring out, up close..." The entire hall fell silent.
Borrow the Chaos Bell?
That's the lifeblood of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi! It's the supreme treasure used by the Demon Court to suppress destiny!
This woman, how dare she!
The Eastern Emperor Taiyi abruptly looked up, his sinister gaze shooting towards Shen Qingqiu like a venomous snake.
The Chaos Bell in his arms suddenly emitted a low hum, seemingly sensing some kind of threat.
"You want to see the bell?" Taiyi sneered, slowly standing up.
A terrifying pressure at the quasi-saint level, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down on Shen Qingqiu.
"Then let's see if you... have the fate to hear it!"
Just at this critical moment.
A black figure appeared before Shen Qingqiu without warning.
Seventeen blocked the oppressive force.
He didn't draw his sword, nor did he use his magic.
He simply stood there, his long, dark robes billowing without wind.
He was like a silent Mount Buzhou, shielding him from all the storms.
He looked at the lofty Donghuang Taiyi, and two golden halos of divine light suddenly shone in his purple eyes.
"You want to touch her?" Seventeen's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed in the deathly silent hall, carrying a futuristic, metallic chill.
"First, ask my hands...the hands that slay gods." Ascending the Nine Heavens, presenting the Milky Way.
This seemingly elegant offering finally tore away the disguise, revealing the fangs hidden beneath the shimmering robes.