Five Needles Pine of Innate Origin

...Sizzle, sizzle... sizzle... Brain storage...

...Sorry, dear readers...

...The author's writing skill, experience, and imagination are limited... I overlooked many things while writing, so mistakes were easy to make. I'll go back and check them later~

...If there's anything you're dissatisfied with, please go easy on me...

...I am the dividing line...

Before chaos split, heaven and earth were in turmoil,

Vast and boundless, with no one in sight.

Ever since Pangu shattered primordial chaos,

Creation began, and purity and turbidity were distinguished!

Pangu cleaved open heaven and earth, then died from exhaustion. His breath became Qingfeng, warming and nurturing all things; his voice became thunder, deterring evil spirits; his eyes became the sun and moon, illuminating Qiankun; his blood became rivers, nourishing the earth; his sinews became mountains and rivers, stabilizing the four poles; his flesh became fertile fields, growing the Five Grains; his hair and beard became stars, adorning the firmament; his skin and fur became plants and trees, flourishing throughout the world; his teeth and bones became gold and stone, nurturing treasures; his marrow became pearls and jade, spreading spiritual radiance; his sweat became rain and dew, nourishing living beings...

Thus, heaven and earth were first formed, though they remained desolate. Various spirits were born in accordance with fate—some emerged from mountains and rivers, while others grew amid lakes and seas. Spiritual birds and auspicious beasts soared through the skies and raced across the land; immortal herbs and divine trees took root in fertile wildernesses and blossomed in secluded forests. Yin and yang first mingled, and the five elements gradually emerged...

Legend had it that Kunlun Mountain was transformed from Pangu's head. The head was where the primordial spirit resided, and the Three Pure Ones formed from Pangu's primordial spirit all cultivated atop Kunlun Mountain.

At this time, the Three Pure Ones had yet to become saints. The three brothers had merely built a Thatched Hut within Kunlun Mountain and cultivated there in peace.

"Elder Brother, Second Brother, hurry up! The time for the Dao Ancestor's next lecture is almost here. We should be leaving!" A young-looking Daoist emerged from the Thatched Hut and called out in the courtyard.

"Third Brother, be more composed. You are already a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Besides, there are still five hundred years before the lecture begins. There is plenty of time." A middle-aged Daoist emerged shortly afterward and spoke in a deep voice.

"Second Brother is right. Third Brother, you are always so impatient." An elderly man then walked out of the Thatched Hut. His beard and hair were entirely white, yet his complexion was ruddy. Leaning on a bamboo staff, he smiled as he spoke.

"Still, the Purple Cloud Palace lies beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, and the journey through chaos is long. It would be best to set off early." The old man stroked his beard, then abruptly changed his tone.

The three chatted and laughed as they employed their divine abilities, heading together beyond the thirty-three layers of heaven toward the Purple Cloud Palace.

These three were the Three Pure Ones who cultivated quietly atop Kunlun Mountain.

Before leaving, Taishang Laozi cast a glance toward the courtyard. His brows rose slightly, as though he had noticed something.

After the Three Pure Ones departed, the branches of a pine tree in front of the Thatched Hut trembled.

"As expected of the Three Pure Ones, the foremost among even the Six Sages. Their powers of observation are truly sharp."

The one who let out that sigh was Chen Song, the pine tree itself.

He had originally been a man from Huaxia on modern Earth. After graduating, he had been full of ambition, dreaming of rising through the ranks, becoming a CEO, marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life.

Unfortunately, he had not found a job and had not even become a wage slave. While returning home from an interview, he had been hit by a speeding dump truck that had come to boost its performance.

After that, he came to this prehistoric land and happened to be reborn as the Five Needles Pine of Innate Origin, a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root in the Three Pure Ones' courtyard.

He had been here for an unknown number of years. Chen Song had also learned that the three men in the Thatched Hut were the Three Pure Ones formed from Pangu's primordial spirit, the saints of the future.

Unfortunately, his true body was a pine tree. Though he was an Innate Spiritual Root, he was still ultimately just a pine tree. He could not move, had no mouth with which to speak, and had no idea when this so-called transformation would occur.

Until just now, when Chen Song tried once again to move his body, drawing Taishang Laozi's attention. That was why Laozi had cast that glance before leaving.

"Is the second lecture about to begin already? When will I be able to transform and go see the three thousand guests of the Purple Cloud Palace?" Chen Song sighed inwardly once more.

Just as his thoughts ran wild, he suddenly sensed three familiar auras returning!

This is bad!

"What is going on? Why have the Three Pure Ones returned?" Chen Song hurriedly steadied his mind and withdrew his spiritual awareness into the tree, not daring to make the slightest movement.

A cloud descended, and Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian appeared in the courtyard once more. Laozi held his bamboo staff, his gaze sharp as lightning as he stared directly at the pine tree where Chen Song was.

"Elder Brother, why did you suddenly return?" Lord of the Beginning asked doubtfully.

Laozi stroked his beard and smiled. "When we left just now, I suddenly sensed something unusual in the courtyard's spiritual energy. It seemed an opportunity was about to arrive." As he spoke, he slowly walked toward the pine tree.

Chen Song was horrified. Have I been discovered? Impossible, I hid myself so well...

As he anxiously waited, Laozi stopped three steps before the pine tree. After examining it carefully for a moment, he suddenly smiled. "Wonderful!"

"Elder Brother, this Five Needles Pine of Innate Origin has been here for years. What is so wonderful about it?" Tongtian stepped forward and asked in confusion.

Lord of the Beginning observed it intently for a moment, then suddenly gave a soft cry. "This tree... seems to be about to transform?"

Taishang Laozi nodded. "Second Brother has sharp eyes. This Five Needles Pine of Innate Origin had already been growing here when we three brothers built our hut and began cultivating. Three thousand years ago, when we returned from hearing the Dao at the Purple Cloud Palace, I sensed that this tree had developed intelligence. I thought it would transform then, but I never expected its day of transformation to be delayed until today, two thousand five hundred years later."

Sect Master Tongtian immediately grew interested. "Elder Brother, the needles of the Five Needles Pine of Innate Origin contain the Great Dao of the Innate Five Elements. It only grows five needles every five thousand years, each corresponding to one of the five elements. They are excellent treasures for artifact refinement and comprehending the Dao! Could it be that Elder Brother...?"

Chen Song listened in terror. Could these Three Pure Ones be planning to use him to refine a treasure?

Nooo! I'm still just a child!

But Laozi said, "A Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth does not grow easily. Why harm it for the sake of a single spiritual treasure? When we set off just now, I sensed that I would gain an excellent disciple today. It seems this tree may be the one."

As he spoke, Laozi formed a hand seal, and a stream of Taishang Immortal Light entered the pine tree. Chen Song felt warmth spread through his entire body. His spiritual awareness suddenly became several times clearer, and his perception of the laws of heaven and earth grew much sharper.

Seeing this, Lord of the Beginning smiled as well. "Since it is Elder Brother's excellent disciple, I shall lend it a hand too." Yuqing Immortal Light descended, and a lustrous treasure light glowed around the pine tree.

Sect Master Tongtian was the most straightforward. He directly drew Shangqing Immortal Qi into the tree. "Whether you can transform or not will depend on your own fortune!"

The tree, originally three zhang tall, grew to nine zhang. Mysterious patterns surfaced upon its trunk, while its pine needles divided into five colors corresponding to the five elements. Every needle seemed to contain a small world within it.

Dark clouds suddenly gathered over Kunlun Mountain, and thunder rumbled. Yet this was no ordinary storm. Heaven and earth had sensed that an Innate Spiritual Root wished to transform into a human, and so sent down a Transformation Heavenly Tribulation.

Above the nine heavens, the tribulation clouds divided into five colors corresponding to the five elements. Layer upon layer, they radiated a terrifying pressure. The first heavenly tribulation was Geng Metal Divine Thunder. Blinding golden light flashed like ten thousand swords unleashed at once, striking straight down!

The pine tree's true body shook violently. Its five-colored needles automatically rose and formed a five-element barrier. The golden lightning struck the barrier with an earthshaking metallic crash, scattering sparks in every direction. Chen Song felt his spiritual awareness tremble, yet he forcibly withstood the blow.

Before he could catch his breath, the second heavenly tribulation followed close behind—Yi Wood Divine Thunder! Green light flowed through the air. It appeared gentle, yet contained boundless vitality and sought to assimilate his wood-element origin. Chen Song hurriedly circulated the Shangqing Immortal Method, using wood to generate fire and transform the lightning's power. Blazing Dao fire ignited upon the pine needles, refining the Yi Wood Divine Thunder into pure spiritual energy.

The third Gui Water Divine Thunder descended like an overturned heavenly river, icy to the bone. The fourth Bing Fire Divine Thunder resembled True Sun Fire, scorching heaven and earth. The fifth Wu Earth Divine Thunder was as heavy as a mountain, nearly crushing his branches and trunk apart. Chen Song displayed every divine ability he possessed, using the mutually generating and restraining principles of the five elements to resist the heavenly tribulation with great difficulty.

By then, the Three Pure Ones had already been alerted and stood watching from afar. Tongtian praised, "What a pine spirit! It actually drew forth a five-element heavenly tribulation. Its foundation is far beyond that of ordinary living beings."

Yuanshi nodded. "For an Innate Spiritual Root to transform is already an act against heaven. The power of this heavenly tribulation is no less than what we faced when we transformed."

Laozi's gaze was profound. "The most crucial Inner Demon Tribulation is about to arrive."

Sure enough, after the five layers of lightning tribulation, the sky suddenly fell silent. The tribulation clouds turned the color of chaos, and an invisible pressure blanketed the surroundings. Chen Song felt his spiritual awareness blur, and he had already fallen into an illusion.

Within the illusion, he was no longer a pine tree. He had returned to a modern city, sitting in an office, working nine to five and steadily climbing upward. He married a beautiful and wealthy woman, had a gifted son, and lived at the pinnacle of life. Everything felt so real, so tempting.

"Stay here. Why return to that dangerous prehistoric world?" A voice tempted him from deep within his heart.

Chen Song's spiritual platform suddenly cleared, and the Taishang Immortal Light automatically protected him. "Hah, I've changed my mind! I want to cling to a powerful thigh!"

(Regarding this inner demon, it came from being unfamiliar with the place after just arriving. In plain terms, it was like having a nightmare because he could not adjust to the local conditions...)