In the beginning, chaos reigned supreme, heaven and earth were one, and no life existed.
Only the Great Dao of nothingness remained.
After a million years, chaos birthed a colossal egg.
This egg was immensely vast, its shell inscribed with intricate Dao patterns.
It was destined to contain a treasure of unimaginable worth.
Ten million years later, chaos bred three thousand Chaos Demon Gods, masters of the three thousand Great Dao laws, born with innate mastery of them.
Besides the Chaos Demon Gods, a Chaos Green Lotus, rooted in the void, absorbed chaotic energy to grow.
This lotus had thirty-six petals, also known as the Thirty-Six-Petaled Chaos Green Lotus.
The lotus bloomed with twenty-four petals, twelve leaves, and a pistil at its center, within which five lotus seeds were nurtured.
Another ten million years passed, and a crackling sound suddenly echoed through the silent chaos, followed by more "crack," "crack," "crack."
The colossal egg emanated a dazzling golden light, illuminating the surroundings with radiant splendor.
After a while, the golden light receded, and the egg was covered in cracks, as if something was about to emerge.
"Ya!"
Suddenly, a mighty roar erupted from within the egg, which then shattered. A naked man stood in the void.
This man was of immense stature.
His smooth, fair face exuded a chiseled handsomeness; his deep, dark eyes, a cold, distant aura that warned others away;
His hair, black and lustrous, fell straight down his back; his sharply arched, heroic eyebrows, his thin, tightly pressed lips, his defined features, his tall and lean but not rugged physique, made him seem like a lone wolf in the darkness, proud and aloof, yet exuding overwhelming presence.
Pangu held an axe in his right hand.
This axe was entirely black, its handle carved with many dark golden, profound innate patterns.
The broad axe blade was also covered with exquisite treasure patterns, faintly emitting a misty aura, the entire axe seemingly enveloped in a layer of dark golden mist.
Born with Pangu, it was named the "Pangu Axe."
As its handle bore the characters "Kai Tian" (Heaven Opening), it was also called the "Heaven Opening Axe."
The Pangu Axe possessed the power to open the heavens.
The Pangu Axe alone was thirty-three thousand zhang wide, its handle three thousand three hundred zhang thick, and sixty-six thousand zhang long, possessing the power to traverse the Great Void.
Pangu held a chisel in his left hand.
This chisel, like the Pangu Axe, was a companion treasure of Pangu, nurtured together with him in the giant egg for an unknown number of years.
Its body bore the characters "Pi Di" (Earth Splitting), hence it was called the "Earth Splitting Chisel."
The Earth Splitting Chisel had the ability to split the earth.
The tip of the chisel radiated a dark red aura of slaughter, with hidden murderous intent, undoubtedly a supreme weapon of destruction, possessing the might to shatter the void.
Newly born, Pangu saw only darkness all around, unable to see, hear, or sense anything but chaotic currents and utter silence.
A sense of loneliness instantly washed over him. Looking at the two treasures in his hands, "Kai Tian" and "Pi Di," he understood his destiny was to — open the heavens and split the earth.
Pangu raised the Pangu Axe and swung it with all his might towards the void. The axe blade emitted a white light that flew outwards, growing larger as it traveled.
It formed an arc of light that flew towards Pangu's front, and in a short while, it cleaved the void.
With a thunderous roar, the chaotic energy dissipated, revealing a sliver of dawn.
Pangu rejoiced and was about to swing his axe again when he saw a millstone-shaped treasure flying towards him.
Seeing this, Pangu threw the Earth Splitting Chisel at the millstone. The Earth Splitting Chisel collided fiercely with the speeding millstone, resulting in a massive explosion.
The Earth Splitting Chisel flew back towards Pangu, and he caught it with his left hand.
The round disk also flew backward, disappearing into the ripples of the void.
Suddenly, the ripples expanded, and a person clad in flowing light emerged, the millstone in his hand.
The newcomer said, "I am Time, the Master of Time. Who are you?"
It turned out that the previous earth-shattering sound had alerted the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods. This Time was the Time Demon God among them.
Pangu put away the Heaven Opening Axe and the Earth Splitting Chisel, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in greeting, "My name is Pangu. Greetings, friend."
Time, however, tilted his head and said, "Friend? What are you? Most of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods consider me their master. Do you dare?"
He continued, "Do you not know that:
Time is supreme, Space is king.
Destiny is unseen, Karma reigns supreme.
Destruction is boundless, Creation is peerless.
The Five Elements are masters, Yin and Yang ascend together.
Strength is paramount, Reincarnation controls the game.
Besides them, who else is worthy of being my friend? Except for the Master of Strength, whose whereabouts are unknown. The others are all my friends.
Now, do you still think you are worthy?"
Pangu was about to reply.
Just then, ripples of void suddenly appeared all around, and from them emerged demon gods.
Seeing that almost all three thousand demon gods were present, Time laughed heartily, "Esteemed sirs, do you know what? He actually called me a friend?"
"This is hilarious!"
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Upon hearing this, the demon gods also burst into laughter. Although Time was arrogant, his strength was indeed among the top tier of the three thousand demon gods. Only Space, Destiny, Karma, and Destruction could fight him to a draw. Even the combined might of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang might not be enough to defeat him.
Just then, Destiny, who had arrived, said, "Time, who is this person? Was he the cause of the recent instability in the chaos?"
Pangu replied, "Indeed, it was I. I saw the chaos as utterly lifeless and devoid of vitality, so I wished to open the heavens and split the earth. I did not intend to disturb you all. I apologize."
He bowed with clasped hands.
Destiny's face darkened, and he said, "Apology? Your soul's annihilation will be your apology! Chaos is the place of my birth, how dare you be so presumptuous!"
With that, he drew his Spear of Destiny and thrust it at Pangu. Pangu was about to summon the Pangu Axe to counter, when Destiny suddenly reappeared in his original spot.
Destiny glared at Time and roared, "What are you doing?"
Time sneered, "I was the first to arrive. If there's killing to be done, I'll do it."
Destiny said, "If I hadn't been far away, how could I have been behind you?
In that case, you make your move!"
Time laughed heartily, summoned the Wheel of Time, and attacked Pangu.
Pangu also became enraged, summoning the Pangu Axe and chopping fiercely at Time. Before the axe even reached him, a cold light emanated from its blade, cleaving towards Time. Time was greatly alarmed, his hair standing on end. He hadn't paid close attention in their previous brief exchange, and hadn't expected this person to be so powerful. He quickly used all his might to shift from attack to defense, and the Wheel of Time flared, spewing forth time laws, which reinforced the Wheel of Time, forming a thick shield of time.
In the blink of an eye, as the time shield formed, the cold light struck it fiercely. Although it broke Time's shield, it also consumed the cold light's power. Just as Time was about to retreat, he saw Pangu wielding the Pangu Axe and striking the Wheel of Time. Immediately, Time felt as if he had crashed into a primordial divine mountain.
Where the Wheel of Time and the edge of the Pangu Axe blade met, a crack suddenly appeared. Time was terrified. This Wheel of Time was his companion spiritual treasure, nurtured with him in chaos for countless years, formed from the laws of time. What was the origin of this axe to be so terrifying?
After one blow, Time was repelled by Pangu. The Wheel of Time was his life-bound magical artifact, connected to his mind. Damaged today, he was also severely injured, spitting out a mouthful of misty essence.
All the demon gods were aghast. This person was so powerful, injuring Time so severely with a single blow.
That misty essence was the vital blood from Time's chest.
Pangu said, "I wish to open the heavens and split the earth, not to be your enemy. Do not hinder me, or else, hmph!"
How could the demon gods endure such insolence? They were instantly enraged, "How dare you be so arrogant! Although you are powerful, you cannot withstand our numbers. Two fists cannot defeat four hands. Let us attack him together!"
Immediately, all the demon gods surged forward.
Pangu roared in fury, "I did not intend to trouble you, yet you trouble me. Good advice is wasted on a dead man. If you wish to die, then I shall fulfill your wish."
He manifested his Pangu giant form, wielding the Pangu Axe in his right hand and holding the Earth Splitting Chisel in his left. With a swing and a stab, he sent two demon gods on their way.
After Pangu killed two demon gods, he had a realization. To open the heavens, he must eliminate all three thousand demon gods to supplement the laws of heaven and earth. Otherwise, even if he succeeded in opening the heavens and splitting the earth, it would return to chaos due to incompleteness, and he himself would be the Master of Strength.
Suddenly, Pangu hesitated. If he were to open the heavens and split the earth, would he not perish? In that moment of hesitation, the remaining demon gods, seeing that Pangu was too formidable to fight, fled for their lives.
The demon gods arrived quickly and left just as fast. In an instant, only Pangu and the two corpses of demon gods on the ground remained.
Suddenly, these two corpses exploded, transforming into the laws of light and darkness.
Pangu also suddenly recalled the sliver of dawn that appeared when he first struck the void, and the joy he felt. This chaos was pitch black, where one could neither see nor hear. What pleasure was there in living in such an environment?
It would be better to create a peaceful world. Must all sentient beings live in such an environment? Would that not be a tragedy? Even if I cannot enjoy it, I have the ability to provide them with a better environment.
Where the heart yearns, the Dao follows. What is there to fear in life and death!
Thus, Pangu's hesitation turned into resolve. He picked up the Pangu Axe and pursued the fleeing demon gods.
After an unknown period, Pangu finally slew all the demon gods. All three thousand chaos-bred demon gods, except for Pangu himself, were all dead.
Then, Pangu raised the Heaven Opening Axe and struck the void again and again. Finally, after Pangu had swung it one hundred and twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine times, the chaos let out a deafening roar.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
A white line appeared in the middle of the chaos, from top to bottom. The chaotic energy transformed into two streams of gas, one clear and one turbid.
The clear gas slowly rose, becoming the heavens.
The turbid gas gradually descended, becoming the earth.
Pangu rejoiced and was about to rest when suddenly the sky began to descend, and the earth began to rise.
Pangu dared not rest and quickly manifested his giant form, becoming immensely tall, his head supporting the heavens and his feet treading upon the earth.
Only then was the merging of heaven and earth halted. Pangu feared that heaven and earth would merge again after he left, so he used his giant body as a pillar for heaven and earth, growing taller by an inch each day, causing the heavens to rise by an inch as well.
However, the earth was not thick enough, so Pangu took out the Earth Splitting Chisel. Using the Earth Splitting Chisel as a conduit, he connected this world to the chaotic earth realm beyond the universe.
The Earth Splitting Chisel had the ability to split the earth. As long as there was chaotic energy, it would be absorbed by the Earth Splitting Chisel and transformed into soil and gravel. Thus, for every inch the heavens rose, the earth would thicken by an inch, balancing heaven and earth.
The Pangu Axe was placed by Pangu's side.
Thus, after countless tens of thousands of years, Pangu's giant body reached its limit. With a mighty roar from heaven and earth, when they gained the energy to operate independently, Pangu could no longer hold on. His colossal body fell upon this land. Just as Pangu was on his last breath, he still feared the merging of heaven and earth, so he transformed his spine into the pillar of heaven and earth, named "Buzhou Mountain."
Thus, our hero who opened the heavens departed from us. After Pangu's passing, his primordial spirit transformed into three streams of clear light, heading towards Kunlun Mountain.
The twelve drops of vital blood in his chest turned into twelve streams of red light, heading towards Buzhou Mountain.
His eyes became the sun and the moon, bringing the alternation of day and night to this world.
His veins evolved into rivers and lakes, bringing the resources of life to this world, his hair became grass and trees…
After the heavens and earth stabilized, the residual source of the Great Dao in the chaos evolved into the Heavenly Dao. Hence,
Chaos divided, Pangu perished.
The Great Dao hid, the Heavenly Dao manifested.