The God of Cause and Effect!

Xuanbao sat up from the recliner. The chill had come and gone quickly, but it had left a lingering shadow in his heart. He was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Bailu: "I just... had a very strange feeling."

Bai Lu frowned slightly: "How does it feel?"

"It's like... someone is spying on me." Xuanbao pointed to himself. "That feeling was fleeting, but I'm sure it wasn't an illusion."

Bai Lu's pupils contracted slightly. Although she was born from a Chaos Demon God, she had spent so much time in the Primordial World and knew that anyone who could give a seventh-level Grand Luo Golden Immortal such an intuition was no ordinary person.

"I'm afraid it's not just about spying." Xuanbao stood up, walked to the edge of the garden, and gazed in the direction of Chaos. "A being that could give me this intuition must be at least at the peak of the eighth heaven, or even possibly the ninth heaven. And as far as I know, there probably aren't many beings in Chaos who can reach that level, are there?"

He paused, turned his head, and his expression became somewhat subtle: "Moreover, that feeling of spying has a... very strange quality. It's like being pulled by an invisible thread, extending from the past to the future, connecting the source of cause and effect to its end."

Bai Lu's expression changed slightly: "The laws of fate?"

"Very likely." Xuanbao nodded. "If the God of Fate has his eye on us, then we're in big trouble."

He didn't continue, but Bai Lu understood his meaning. The God of Destiny was one of the top-ranking Chaos Gods, wielding the laws of destiny and able to perceive and manipulate the threads of fate. If he set his sights on someone, every move of the Primordial World would be exposed to his gaze, and no conspiracy or trickery would be able to hide.

"So what should we do now?" Bai Lu asked.

Xuanbao didn't answer immediately, but closed his eyes, as if sensing something. After a long while, he opened his eyes, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Interesting. That feeling of being spied on has disappeared. It's like it was blocked by something."

"Block?" Bai Lu was taken aback. "Who can block the spying of the God of Fate?"

"I don't know either." Xuanbao shrugged. "But since someone helped us avoid this disaster, we can't let their kindness go to waste. Let's just go about our business as if nothing happened."

After he finished speaking, he lay back down on the recliner, picked up a spiritual fruit, took a bite, and mumbled, "When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. No matter if it's the God of Destiny or some other kind of demon god, if it dares to run wild in the primordial world, it should be prepared to be skinned alive."

Bai Lu shook her head helplessly at his carefree attitude, but didn't say anything more. She knew that although Xuan Bao seemed nonchalant on the surface, he was more perceptive than anyone else. Since he said he was fine, she would believe him for now.

However, Xuanbao was not as relaxed as he appeared.

He lay on the recliner, eyes closed, seemingly dozing, but his mind was racing. The appearance of the Destiny Demon had disrupted his original plans. He had intended to make Rahu take the blame while he remained behind the scenes, developing his power peacefully, but now it seemed that plan was no longer feasible.

The God of Fate, capable of peering into the threads of destiny, could naturally see that someone was manipulating Rahu behind the scenes. Although for some unknown reason the God of Fate didn't delve deeper, this was ultimately a ticking time bomb. If the God of Fate changed his mind and turned his attention back to the primordial world, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"It seems we need to speed things up," Xuanbao thought to himself. "We must get the Primordial World to complete its first world advancement before the God of Destiny changes his mind. Once the Primordial World advances to a higher level, the Heavenly Dao's capacity to bear power will increase, the number of Saints will rise, and the overall strength of the Primordial World will improve significantly. At that time, even if the God of Destiny really comes knocking, we'll have the power to fight back."

……

However, the Fate Demon God did not give him time to prepare. No one knows what methods he used, but he managed to bypass the perception of the Primordial Heavenly Dao and directly arrive at Xuanbao's side.

The Deity of Fate stood before Xuanbao, watching him silently.

There was no oppressive aura, no killing intent, not even a trace of fluctuation of laws. He just stood there, like an ordinary old man in a gray robe, calmly examining Xuanbao lying on the recliner.

Xuanbao didn't move either. He still had half a spirit fruit in his mouth, his gaze meeting that of the God of Destiny, and his face bearing that signature lazy smile.

The two stared at each other for about three to five breaths.

Then, Xuanbao broke the silence: "Fellow Daoist, do you know that it is very impolite to barge into someone's home without their permission?"

Upon hearing this, the Deity of Fate raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a cryptic smile: "You are the first acquired being to dare speak to me like this."

"There's a first time for everything." Xuanbao sat up, casually tossed the spirit fruit pit in his hand, clapped his hands, and said, "So, what do you want? You didn't come all this way just to see me, did you?"

The Fate Demon did not answer immediately, but instead glanced past Xuanbao at Bailu behind him. Although Bailu's expression was calm, the light of the Law of Life was already faintly flowing around her, clearly indicating that she was ready to make a move at any moment.

"Life Demon God... I didn't expect you to choose to stand beside an acquired being." The Fate Demon God's gaze lingered on Bai Lu for a moment before returning to Xuan Bao. "It seems you do indeed have something special about you."

Xuanbao shrugged: "Thank you for the compliment. However, you still haven't said why you came to see me."

The Deity of Fate was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "I see your fate line."

Xuanbao raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

"But I can't see through it," the Fate Demon added, a rare hint of confusion in his voice. "Your fate line is shrouded in a layer of mist. I've tried to dispel that mist, but every time I get closer, it grows thicker, as if deliberately avoiding my gaze."

"I have lived through countless eons and seen countless beings, but I have never encountered anything like this." The God of Fate's gaze deepened. "Therefore, I have decided to come and see for myself—to see what kind of being you truly are."

After listening, Xuanbao remained silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Just because of that?"

"That's why." The God of Fate nodded.

"So you see it now?" Xuanbao shrugged. "I'm just an ordinary, acquired being, aren't I?"

The Deity of Fate stared at him for a long time, then slowly shook his head: "You are no ordinary person."

"There's an aura about you that I know very well." The Demon God of Fate's gaze became distant, as if recalling something from a long time ago. "That is... Chaos."

Xuanbao's smile faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Chaos? What does that mean?"

"Just because you don't know doesn't mean it doesn't exist." The God of Fate gave him a deep look. "That aura was very well hidden. If I hadn't cultivated the Laws of Fate and had an extremely keen perception of the origin of all things, I probably wouldn't have been able to detect it either."

Xuanbao was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "So what do you want?"

"I don't want anything." The Fate Demon shook his head. "I just want to confirm one thing—to the chaotic future, are you a threat or a variable?"

Xuanbao raised an eyebrow: "What's the difference?"

"Of course there are." A profound light flashed in the eyes of the God of Fate. "If you are a threat, I will nip you in the bud before you grow up. But if you are a variable—then I will choose to stand by and watch, or even... give you a push."

Xuanbao narrowed his eyes: "So, have you come to a conclusion?"

The God of Fate didn't answer immediately, but closed his eyes, as if sensing something. After a long while, he opened his eyes, a complex expression flashing within them: "I see countless lines of fate, each pointing to a different future. In some futures, you lead the primordial world to glory; in others, you perish together with chaos; and in still others, you become an existence beyond all..."

"But there's one line of fate I can't see clearly."

Xuanbao raised an eyebrow: "Which one?"

The Deity of Fate did not answer, but gave him a deep look.

"The river of fate is never static." His voice came from afar, carrying a profound echo. "Every step you take changes the course of the future. I hope you can walk that path that I cannot see clearly."

Before the Destiny Demon God's words had even finished, his gaze suddenly passed over the Xuanbao and fell on the void behind him.

"You're here too?"

Xuanbao's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the God of Destiny—only to see a figure appear three feet behind him.

The man was dressed in white, and his face bore a slight resemblance to the God of Fate, but their auras were completely different. The God of Fate was like a long, unbroken river, deep and unfathomable; while this man was like an extremely intricate net, every thread of which was connected to endless causes and effects.

The Demon God of Cause and Effect.

The relationship between the God of Cause and Effect and the God of Destiny is complex, much like the relationship between longitude and latitude. Destiny is like a general trajectory, while cause and effect are the threads you constantly weave and adjust through your daily actions. Everything you do is "changing the course" of destiny.

Xuanbao felt a sharp pain in his teeth. The barriers of this primordial world were as fragile as paper in their eyes; anyone could come and go as they pleased. One God of Destiny wasn't enough, and now there was another God of Cause and Effect, and a Saint at the ninth level of the Heavenly Realm at that.

"Gentlemen, did you arrange to visit my place?" Xuan Bao stood up from the recliner, patted the wrinkles in his clothes, his tone still relaxed, but his eyes had become serious. "Should I have the kitchen prepare some tea and snacks?"

The God of Cause and Effect ignored his teasing, calmly sweeping his gaze over Xuanbao before landing on the God of Destiny: "So you really came too."

"If you can come, why can't I?" the Deity of Fate replied calmly.

"I came because his causal connections are tangled." The God of Cause and Effect turned his gaze back to Xuanbao, his eyes seemingly able to see through all causal relationships. "His very existence is a huge causal paradox—he clearly has countless connections with many powerful beings in the chaos, but these connections are as if they have been severed by an invisible hand, impossible to trace or deduce."

Xuanbao raised an eyebrow: "So?"

"So, I'm very curious." A faint smile appeared on the lips of the God of Cause and Effect, "just how far can an acquired being, whom you can't see through and whose cause and effect you can't understand, go?"

Xuanbao was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You two big shots, one of you says I'm a variable, and the other says I'm a paradox, so what am I exactly? You have to give me a straight answer, right?"

Xuanbao knew that he was now at the mercy of others, and even with some trump cards, he would find it difficult to withstand two Saints at the Ninth Heaven.

So my current behavior isn't about admitting defeat, it's about acting from the heart.

The God of Fate and the God of Cause and Effect exchanged a glance, as if communicating something with their eyes. After a moment, the God of Fate slowly spoke: "We have come today not to make things difficult for you. On the contrary—we have come to give you a choice."

"A choice?" Xuanbao raised an eyebrow. "What choice?"

"You should understand the situation in the chaos better than I do." The God of Destiny stood with his hands behind his back, gazing towards the direction of chaos. "War rages, demons run rampant. Those higher-ranking demons will eventually notice the existence of the Primordial World. At that time, can you alone stop them?"

Xuanbao did not answer, because he knew that the God of Fate was telling the truth.

"But we can help you," the God of Cause and Effect continued. "As long as you agree to one condition, we can ensure that the giants in the Chaos will be too preoccupied to care about the Primordial World for ten thousand years."

Xuanbao narrowed his eyes: "What are the conditions?"

The Deity of Fate and the Deity of Cause and Effect looked at each other again, and then spoke in unison the same words—

"Let's see what kind of path you can take."

Xuanbao was stunned.

He had expected these two old monsters to offer some harsh conditions, such as demanding control of the primordial world or making him their puppet. But to his surprise, their condition was—to watch him walk?

"That's it?" Xuanbao could hardly believe his ears.

"That's it." The God of Fate nodded. "We have lived for countless eons, but we have never seen an existence like you. Your fate is shrouded in mist, your causal lines are in complete chaos—you are like a walking unknown, making everything full of variables."

"And what we love most is change," the God of Cause and Effect added. "Unchanging chaos is too boring."

Xuanbao remained silent for a long time, then slowly nodded: "Okay, I promise you."

He raised his head, looked directly at the two demon gods, and said, word by word, "I will show you the path I have taken."

The God of Fate and the God of Cause and Effect both revealed satisfied smiles. They said nothing more, their forms began to become transparent, and slowly dissipated into the void.

Before leaving, the Deity of Fate left a message: "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you—that brat Rahu has already prepared a 'scapegoat' script for you in the chaos. Make good use of it."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two demon gods vanished completely, as if they had never existed.

Xuanbao stood there, gazing in the direction they had disappeared, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he grinned.

"Taking the blame and getting two free bodyguards from the Ninth Heaven—this is a good deal."