Chapter 2181: Inside the Primordial Realm Upon hearing Dong Ye’s command, the Shadow Army began its fight with the guards of the Primordial Realm. "We cannot let that crazy bastard open the Primordial Realm and let the criminals inside loose!" The guards fought with desperate ferocity, as though not only their own lives, but the lives of their families, hung in the balance. The Primordial Realm housed countless dangerous and heinous criminals, and none of them dared even to imagine what would happen if these criminals were set free in the Nine Heavens. Meanwhile, upon reaching the entrance of the Primordial Realm, Yuan poured his spiritual energy into the Ancient Key, activating it. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he drove it into the waiting keyhole. The sealed doors opened, causing the entire ground to tremble. "Let’s go." Yuan entered the Primordial Realm with Mu Xuelian following behind. Once Yuan and Mu Xuelian’s figures disappeared into the Primordial Realm, the doors closed again. "What? They didn’t fully open the Primordial Realm and instead went inside?" The guards were left dumbfounded by the unexpected development, as they thought Yuan was there to release the criminals. "Who the hell are you bastards and what is your goal here?! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!" The seventh-level God Ascension expert roared at Dong Ye, his opponent. "We are the Shadow Army, and we are here to piss off the Celestial Emperor," Dong Ye laughed out loud. "The Evil God’s Shadow Army?!" The guards instantly recognized their infamous name. "Hah! Kill us then! Let’s see what will happen afterward!" Dong Ye shook his head and said, "Although I told them to kill you guys, we’re not really going to kill you. Do you think we aren’t aware that the Celestial Emperor is tracking your lives with a Life Tablet and that if we kill you, it would immediately alert him?" "We won’t kill you for now, but we will destroy your physical body in case you try anything." In the middle of their fight, three of the guards, who were Shadow Army spies, suddenly betrayed the other seven. "What the fuck are you three doing?!" "They must be spies!" "Do you think you’ll get away with this?!" With the betrayal and the Shadow Army’s overwhelming might, the fight ended in the blink of an eye. The Shadow Army destroyed the guards’ physical bodies but left their souls alone so that the Life Tablet tracking their lives wouldn’t activate. "Great job, everyone. However, we’re far from done," said Dong Ye. He proceeded to use his memory-stealing abilities on the guards, stealing their identities. "The Celestial Family does random inspections, and we must be ready for them when that happens," he said afterward. "Yes, commander!" Meanwhile, Yuan and Mu Xuelian appeared inside the Primordial Realm. "What is this place...?" Mu Xuelian murmured, her eyes wide with curiosity and disbelief as she studied their surroundings. Above them stretched a pitch-black sky, where streaks of crimson lightning slithered like serpents through the void. The land was even more dreadful—a desolate plain of scorched earth, fractured with countless cracks, as though it bore the aftermath of an ancient apocalypse. Yet, despite the dark skies, the red lightning appeared frequently enough to constantly illuminate the world. *Cough* *Cough* Mu Xuelian suddenly started coughing. "The air outside was already awful, but in here it’s even worse! The atmosphere feels suffocating!" she exclaimed, raising her hands to cover her mouth. Yuan faced her and shrugged, "I suggested you not follow me in here earlier, but you wanted to be stubborn." He looked at the sky and sighed, "But this place is definitely very... tragic. Not only does this place lack spiritual energy, but the Chaotic Essence is at least ten times denser than outside." "There’s no way any cultivator can survive in this environment. Why did you want to come here?" Yuan shook his head and said, "No, there are definitely people living in here. I can sense someone not too far away from us." "You’re using divine sense? Aren’t you worried that you’ll exhaust your spiritual energy? You can’t replenish it in this place, after all," Mu Xuelian asked. "I don’t have any issues replenishing my spiritual energy since I can refine the Chaotic Essence in this place. Ah, Chaotic Essence is what you’re sensing right now, and it cannot be refined by humans." "As Lord Shiva said... you’re not human..." Mu Xuelian stared at him with a dumbfounded face. "So, what’s next?" she asked a moment later. "Ask for directions," he answered, his gaze shifting toward the presence he had already sensed. Just as Yuan began to take flight, Mu Xuelian suddenly shouted, "Wait!" "Hm?" Yuan turned around to see Mu Xuelian glaring at him from the ground. "Oh, right. You cannot replenish your spiritual energy, so it’d be wise to save it for when you truly need it." Yuan made a gesture toward her figure, and the next moment, Mu Xuelian’s body lifted off the ground and flew beside him. "Thank you," she said. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 Yuan silently nodded before flying away with Mu Xuelian. They flew for hours without encountering so much as a single tree—or any sign of life at all. Some time later, Yuan halted before a half-destroyed mountain, its upper half completely gone, while the remaining portion was riddled with cracks, as though it might collapse into ruin at any moment. "Wait here," Yuan instructed Mu Xuelian before striding toward the lone cave in the distance. When he was halfway there, a silhouette emerged from its depths. When the figure finally stepped out of the cave, it was revealed to be a gaunt, middle-aged man. His limbs were so frail and thin they seemed as though they might snap under the mere weight of his own stance. Yet, his eyes were filled with life and killing intent. Seeing Yuan’s healthy appearance, the man frowned and said, "There’s nothing for you to take here." Yuan responded with a calm smile, "I’m just here for directions."