Chapter 5

As an ultimate divine ability, Pangu Imprint was an upgraded version of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. It even came with a bonus, including the prerequisite divine ability, One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.

Their choices were of utmost importance.

After facing Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Li Er comprehended Laozi's signature divine ability, but his application of it was two great calamities ahead of its original stage.

Facing the divine ability of Pangu Imprint, he gained a vague insight.

He guessed that it might be one of Pangu's divine abilities after the Three Pure Ones' Dao Bodies from One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones had merged into one.

The Three Pure Ones originated from Pangu's Primordial Spirit. They had transformed from Chaos Demon Gods into innate mighty beings suited to the prehistoric world.

In theory, returning to one's origin was difficult to achieve, but divine abilities could accomplish it, as demonstrated by the Twelve Ancestral Witches' Pangu's True Body.

Therefore, a divine ability bearing the words "ultimate"

was undoubtedly terrifying.

After sighing, Li Er decided to set an example for his junior brothers through action.

Within Purple Sky Palace, Li Er no longer cared about Heavenly Dao Hongjun's reaction and fully unleashed his aura.

His Good Corpse, Grand Supreme Elder Lord; Evil Corpse, Daoist Taiqing; and Self Corpse, Li Dan—the three Slaying the Three Corpses incarnations—appeared there.

This was a realm none of the prehistoric world's Quasi-Saint giants had ever reached.

The third corpse—obsession, the Self Corpse—was utterly unfamiliar to all living beings, including Nuwa.

Thus, the appearance of all three of Li Er's corpses drew everyone's attention.

Li Er's actions stirred complicated feelings in everyone, evoking envy, jealousy, yearning, and admiration.

He was the first being after Dao Ancestor Hongjun capable of slaying all three corpses.

His three Slaying the Three Corpses incarnations bowed to him, creating an immensely shocking scene.

From this, they also guessed that Li Er was currently attaining sainthood through Slaying Three Corpses to Attain Dao.

Li Er declared to everyone that he had comprehended the supreme Dao.

Although Yuanshi and Tongtian were shocked, his confidence before everyone remained unchanged.

Though they attained Dao through different methods, his achievement had surpassed the fundamental distinctions among the Three Pure Ones.

Seeing this, Nuwa was astonished and realized that the fluctuations in the heavenly secrets behind it meant the Heavenly Dao had begun to grow angry.

She lamented her earlier misjudgment. Now, Li Er's decision had placed her in a difficult position as well.

Yet Li Er remained calm and composed. A trace of mystery flickered in his eyes as he asked everyone to lend him a hand.

With the addition of his three Slaying the Three Corpses incarnations, an overwhelming pressure radiated from Li Er.

Sensing Li Er's majestic aura, even Heavenly Appointed Saints such as Yuanshi and Tongtian, who were destined to become saints, felt immense pressure.

Buzz! As the radiance of the three Slaying the Three Corpses incarnations converged, it seemed to stir ripples that spread from Purple Sky Palace throughout the endless void of chaos.

At this moment, the opportunity for Slaying Three Corpses to Attain Dao had arrived.

Everyone's eyes focused on Li Er.

He seemed to murmur, "The true essence of Dao cannot be expressed in ordinary words; the essence of names cannot be encompassed by mundane labels."

At this moment, he was comprehending the true meaning of the Classic of Morality.

Countless ** gathered into a classical passage, while Daoist Sect Destiny coiled around him.

Even without deliberately releasing pressure, Li Er still gave off an otherworldly feeling, exuding a vast and majestic aura.

An air of transcendence filled the surroundings.

The three Slaying the Three Corpses incarnations transformed into a cane, a stream of clear qi, and a diagram, circling around Li Er.

Finally, the black-and-white Taiji Diagram, where the two polarities merged, stood above his head, surrounded by a terrifying aura.

At that moment, it seemed as if he were being pushed toward a higher realm.

"Return to One!"

Wherever the Taiji Diagram, the cane, and the Taiqing qi reached, Li Er seemed to be stepping toward a higher realm.

Voices seemed to ring out around him, calling, "Attain Dao! Attain Dao! Attain Dao!"

In that instant, Li Er felt that he had broken free from the restraints of heaven and earth in the prehistoric world, as if shackles had shattered.

Crack.

A sound like shattering glass rang out.

Then an incomparably powerful aura of sainthood erupted.

Heaven and earth **, Li Er successfully attained Dao through Slaying Three Corpses and became a saint!

Li Er now appeared even more solemn and majestic.

The Taiji Diagram was like a path of the Great Dao, helping him soar into the clouds and become a saint.

Primordial Violet Qi flowed from Li Er's primordial spirit and merged with it.

Compared with Nuwa's Primordial Violet Qi, his appeared calmer and more restrained. Since the Primordial Violet Qi did not take the initiative, it could only passively be guided and fused by Li Er's primordial spirit.

Though their essence was the same, their manifestations differed. Yet they complemented one another as they broke through the restraints of heaven and earth, becoming transcendent beings above the prehistoric world.

Li Er's Primordial Violet Qi leaned toward passivity, whereas Nuwa relied on its guidance to attain the Dao through Merit.

Compared to the two, Li Er held the advantage.

If the Heavenly Dao wished to use Primordial Violet Qi to restrain saints, Li Er could sever the connection between his primordial spirit and the Primordial Violet Qi, retaining the initiative.

Because Nuwa depended on Primordial Violet Qi, she was passively constrained by it.

Slaying Three Corpses to Attain Dao was Dao Ancestor Hongjun's method. This method was more inclined toward leaving oneself a chance at survival rather than relying on Primordial Violet Qi for Attaining the Dao through Merit.

There was no free lunch in this world. Choosing the easy path meant paying for it with freedom.

Conversely, relying on one's own strength granted greater freedom.

The strongest Dao-attaining principle was Prove Dao by Force. It required no Primordial Violet Qi; all great power belonged to oneself and could shatter all heavens and myriad Daos.

Only beings like Pangu dared attempt this method of attaining Dao, because its beginning was destined to be its end.

After comprehending Dao, Li Er opened his eyes. Feeling the saintly realm of omniscience and omnipotence, a sense of control rose within him. He understood why it was said that all who failed to become saints were ants in the prehistoric world: saints stood above all due to the fortune and momentum bestowed upon them.

Throughout the prehistoric world, a distant Dao song arose—Li Er's melody of attaining Dao, tranquil and detached, carefree and unfettered.

The song drifted through the air, telling of the mysteries of life.

"Born before heaven and earth, taking form through the shape of Li, revealing the appearance of my true self."

Li Er stood atop the clouds, his voice resounding through the world like the sound of Dao. "I am serene and inactive, seeing through the myriad states of the world.

I roam freely in the upper realm, and people call me Saintly Venerable."

At this moment, his path of attaining Dao had reached its end.

At this moment, countless phenomena appeared across the prehistoric land.

A white jade golden bridge appeared across the sky. It connected to the sacred might of the Heavenly Dao, stretching from Purple Sky Palace toward the prehistoric land.

The golden bridge emitted thousands of rays of light. Divine flowers rained from the heavens and danced through the air, while golden lotuses surged from the earth.

All these sights celebrated Li Er's attainment of Dao.

At the same time, clear celestial music rose from the prehistoric land, echoing throughout the entire universe.

This was the sign of a saint's birth.

Within Purple Sky Palace, everyone, including Nuwa, congratulated Li Er in unison. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Laozi, on attaining the Primordial Unity."

They all understood that this step would make Li Er the Daoist Sect Leader, surpassing every one of them.

Their congratulations to Li Er were both courtesy and reverence.

Only Heavenly Dao Hongjun was already furious within. He had tried to persuade Li Er, but to no avail.

Yet Li Er had disregarded the great momentum of the Heavenly Dao and attained Dao through the Slaying Three Corpses method, infuriating Hongjun beyond measure.

But no matter how furious he was inside, the facts could no longer be changed.

Li Er now dared to openly defy the Heavenly Dao.

What he pursued was Attaining the Dao through Merit, rather than being controlled by the relationship between Primordial Violet Qi and the Heavenly Dao.

He understood that what he sought was not merely a path to sainthood, but true freedom and liberation.

His understanding of himself was clear and unwavering. He dared pursue what he wanted; that was the act of a true warrior.

What he wanted now was to completely break free from the Heavenly Dao's restraints and seize control of his own destiny.

The readers were filled with anticipation and support for Li Er's path of attaining Dao.

At this moment, Li Er had truly displayed his courage and determination.

At this moment, he deserved even more support and encouragement from us.

I hope all readers can support him, add his story to their collections, and give him more flowers and recommendation votes.

When the Investiture of the Gods calamity began in the future, the struggle over Daoist Lineage would become fierce, brotherly bonds would face trials, and Li Er would confront the crucial choice of repaying his karmic debt to Nuwa.

He had to proceed carefully, taking every step with caution.

Otherwise, one mistake would lead to mistakes at every step.

But Li Er wisely made his decision: attain Dao through Slaying Three Corpses and establish the Human Sect.

Even facing the threat of the Investiture of the Gods, Li Er firmly made his own choice and would not retreat because of any external force.

The Heavenly Dao granted him the status of a saint, yet he did not fear its backlash, because he had the support of sixty percent of Daoist Sect Destiny behind him.

He had been transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and was born with immense fortune and merit. The Heavenly Dao would not dare move against him lightly.

He knew that the reason the Heavenly Dao sought to win over the Three Pure Ones was their deep connection to the prehistoric world.

Therefore, he dared defy the Heavenly Dao, because he knew it would not dare erase him lightly.

Facing everyone's congratulations, he smiled calmly and said that he had merely taken one step ahead.

Facing Hongjun's warning and concern, he firmly stated his choice and said that he did not regret his decision.

[System Notification: The host has completed the task of not establishing the Human Sect and attaining Dao through Slaying Three Corpses. Congratulations on receiving the reward!]

Wild joy surged within Li Er. He felt that he had effortlessly mastered both Pangu Imprint and One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.

Because they were system rewards, he had mastered them without expending any time or effort.

When Heavenly Dao Hongjun sensed the aura of Pangu on Li Er, his expression changed drastically, as though he had witnessed something unbelievable.

He thought to himself, Why has this happened? Why has Pangu's aura appeared on Laozi once again?

This left him extremely dissatisfied, and he resolved to erase every trace of Pangu completely.

However, although Heavenly Dao Hongjun's emotions fluctuated, he did not continue displaying any intent to attack. The atmosphere instantly returned to normal.

He abandoned the idea of stripping Li Er of his deterrent power.

His gaze turned toward the other four saints: Venerable Yuanshi, Sect Master Tongtian, Buddha Jieyin, and Zhunti.

Hongjun asked the four whether they had gained any insights.

All four appeared somewhat awkward and helpless, because they had gained no insight at all and even felt they had nowhere to begin.

Hongjun then called on Nuwa to explain how these four could embark on the path to sainthood.

Nuwa glanced at Li Er and helplessly gave her conclusion. "Only establishing a sect is the key."

When Yuanshi, Tongtian, and the others heard the words "establishing a sect,"

their hearts churned.

They were exceptionally intelligent; otherwise, they could not have possessed the qualifications to become Heavenly Dao Saints.

Though they had not yet become saints and could not know everything, they possessed the ability to infer and judge.

After Nuwa's words fell, their thoughts raced like lightning, and their doubts about attaining Dao and becoming saints were quietly resolved at that moment.

They had always lacked an opportunity to attain Dao. At last, the purpose of Hongjun summoning them to Purple Sky Palace today became clear.

So Li Er's refusal to establish a sect was actually closely connected to today's discussion.

If their guess was correct, then Hongjun's actions were meant to solve Li Er's refusal to establish a sect and explain to them the method of attaining Dao.

And Li Er's choice may have been because he intended to establish a sect through the human race.

Though they did not know much about the human race, they understood that it had laid the foundation for Nuwa's sainthood and possessed enormous potential.

Yet Li Er had ultimately abandoned this option, which must have been a decision made after weighing the pros and cons.

That was why there was today's Dao attainment in Purple Sky Palace.

If they were in Li Er's position, they would likewise make the same choice between attaining Dao through Slaying Three Corpses and Attaining the Dao through Merit.

However, regardless of which method of attaining Dao they chose, they still found it difficult to fully understand Li Er's decision.

Huff!

Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, and Zhunti all felt a heavy pressure in their hearts.

Big Brother, you hid this from us so thoroughly!

You did not establish a sect, yet kept it secret, leaving us completely in the dark...

Laozi had hidden himself so deeply. He had actually known the secret of attaining Dao long ago, yet never revealed a single word. Could it be that he deliberately intended to obstruct our attainment of Dao?