Breakthrough in Cultivation, Escape from the Western Realm

Inside the Chaos Pearl, a world unto itself, isolated from inside and out. Yet, the solemn vows and Heavenly Lament that shook the very Primordial Source Laws at the end of the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity still stirred ripples within the pearl's space, like stones cast into still water.

Li Cha slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of complex, unfathomable light within them. Though he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, through his connection to the Primordial World and the vague information relayed by the Spiritual Tea Trees scattered outside, he already knew all that had transpired. The Ancestral Dragon sealing the Sea Eye, the Primordial Phoenix sealing the Volcano, the Beginning Qilin transforming into an Auspicious Sign... Three once-mighty sovereigns, ending their reign in such a subdued manner—it was enough to evoke a sigh.

"The rise and fall of fortune, the cycle of cause and effect—nothing more than this." Li Cha let out a soft sigh. The tragedy of the three clans was lamentable, but at its root, it stemmed from their own ambition and accumulated Sha Qi. Under the Karmic Tribulation, no one could truly transcend.

Setting aside his reflections, his mind immediately tensed. The Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation had passed, signaling that the next great calamity—the Dao-Demon Conflict—was about to unfold! Those mighty beings who had lain dormant during the Dragon-Phoenix era, or who were born to meet the times, would begin to step onto the stage of the Primordial World one after another.

His Spiritual Sense, like an invisible tentacle, leveraged the power of the Chaos Pearl to cautiously probe the outside world, especially the demonic, oppressive depths of Mount Sumeru. Sure enough, in an extremely hidden corner beneath Mount Sumeru, he clearly detected a space cleverly concealed by the Heavenly Barrier. This space was buried so deep that even the Demon Ancestor Luohu hadn't noticed it, but it couldn't fool Li Cha, who had "dealt" with the Heavenly Dao the most—even fleecing it once or twice.

His Spiritual Sense silently penetrated that Heavenly Barrier, and Li Cha "saw" the scene within: two gaunt, sorrowful-faced Daoists sat facing each other, their bodies radiating a pure Western Metal Dao Rhythm. Their auras had already reached Early Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, yet they fiercely suppressed themselves, daring not let a shred leak out, much less trigger the Transformation Heavenly Tribulation. The reason was simple: this Western region was now the domain of the Demon Ancestor Luohu! If they dared to manifest and emerge, the surging spiritual energy fluctuation would instantly draw Luohu's attention, and the consequences were obvious.

"Jieyin, Zhunti..." Li Cha understood in his heart. Sure enough, these two future founders of the Western Teachings were currently like startled rabbits, trembling underground in their own lair, secretly gathering strength.

Seeing them, Li Cha immediately thought that the Three Pure Ones, born from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches, born from his essence blood, had likely long since been fully gestated and might have even taken form, only choosing to remain hidden, biding their time. These future protagonists who would stir the Primordial World had all tacitly chosen to lie low, silently developing in corners where no one paid attention.

As for himself, though he had opportunities and supreme treasures, his Early Da Luo cultivation level seemed rather inadequate in the face of these future saints and top-tier powerhouses. Especially in the coming Dao-Demon Karmic Tribulation, without sufficient strength, he wouldn't even be able to protect himself, let alone fish in troubled waters.

"Perfect timing. The deep understanding of the Five Elements Laws gained from refining the Five Elements Furnace, and the tempering of my mind through a thousand years of artifact crafting, have let me touch the threshold of a breakthrough." Li Cha's gaze grew firm. "The top priority is to increase my strength!"

He glanced at Mo Ran, who was still digesting his previous gains, his aura already at the peak of Golden Immortal but stubbornly refusing to break through to Da Luo. Li Cha spoke to soothe him: "Mo Ran, the path of cultivation has its tensions and relaxations. Don't force it. Your foundation is solid; a breakthrough is only a matter of time. Come into seclusion with me, quiet your mind and comprehend—there will be gains."

"Yes, Master." Mo Ran replied respectfully, suppressing his inner restlessness.

Li Cha hesitated no longer. He fully activated the Chaos Pearl, maximizing its concealment and defensive capabilities. Then, within this pearl world filled with Chaos Qi, he and Mo Ran began another round of seclusion, their goal set firmly on Mid Da Luo!

Just as Li Cha sought his breakthrough inside the Chaos Pearl, far beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, an ancient, majestic palace wreathed in purple mist—the Purple Firmament Palace—silently floated amidst the currents of Chaos Qi.

Inside the palace, on a cloud bed, an old Daoist with a weathered face and an aura of profound mystery slowly opened his eyes. It was Hongjun. Before him floated a Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation, far larger than the one Li Cha possessed, with strands of Primordial Violet Qi cascading down to aid him in deducing the Heavenly Mechanism.

Hongjun's origin among the Three Thousand Primordial Chaos Demon Gods was unremarkable, ranking outside the top thousand. But he was meticulous, skilled in patience and scheming, and with this largest fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation, he had received guidance from the Heavenly Dao, clarifying the key to his path to sainthood—eliminate the Demon Ancestor Luohu and complete the Heavenly Dao!

He knew well how terrifying Luohu was. A fearsome Demon God who had ranked in the top ten during the Chaos era, wielding slaughter and destruction. Now, using the Western lands as his foundation, he was refining the Four Swords of Zhu Xian, his strength already at Peak Quasi-Saint, his murderous aura overwhelming. Alone, Hongjun stood no chance.

"The Zhu Xian Sword Formation cannot be broken without four saints..." Hongjun's fingers moved in calculation, a gleam of wisdom and cunning in his eyes. "It seems I need to find a few 'Dao friends' to join in this grand endeavor." His divine thought began to sweep silently across the Primordial World, seeking those with potential, strength, and possibly a karmic link to Luohu, or those willing to contribute to the Heavenly Dao. Ancestor Qiankun, Ancestor Yin Yang, Great Immortal Yang Mei... names flashed through his mind one by one.

But unlike Hongjun, who followed the Heavenly Dao and schemed for allies, Luohu, deep in the Mount Sumeru Demonic Palace, was contemplating a far more insane and heaven-defying plan!

"The Heavenly Dao? Hmph, nothing but a puppet of self-generated rules after Pangu's death!" Luohu sat high on the Bone Throne, demonic energy surging around him, the phantom shadows of four murderous swords rising and falling behind him. As an ancient Demon God who had once crossed blows with Pangu and witnessed true Chaos power, he held no regard for this newborn Heavenly Dao in his heart.

His goal was to refine all living beings in the Primordial World! Using the essence blood, souls, and resentment of countless beings as fuel, with the Zhu Xian Sword Formation as the furnace, he would reverse-refine Heaven and Earth, forcibly seize the Primordial World's source, and forge a World-Destroying Millstone that could rival or even surpass the former Pangu! To achieve the supreme Primordial Great Dao!

The corpses and vengeful souls of billions from the Dragon-Phoenix three clans had already greatly enhanced his Four Swords of Zhu Xian and stabilized his cultivation at Peak Quasi-Saint, further confirming the "correctness" of his path. In his eyes, figures like Hongjun were nothing but bones in a grave, destined to be stepping stones on his path to the Great Dao.

The undercurrents of the Primordial World began to surge at an unprecedented pace.

Inside the Chaos Pearl, time flowed like water. Five hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the silent Chaos space suddenly trembled! Li Cha's aura erupted like a volcano, his once-stable Early Da Luo barrier relentlessly battered by his surging mana and even deeper Five Elements Dao Rhythm! Blue, yellow, red, white, and black—the Five-Colored Divine Light interwove behind him, evolving the mysteries of mutual generation and restraint. The Twelve-Petal Human Flower manifested, wrapping his Dao Rhythm and merging into the nearby bud of the Earth Flower, making its aura even more vast and profound.

Suddenly, the Chaos Pearl was filled with the fragrance of flowers, golden lotuses sprang from the ground, and the petals of the Earth Flower opened one by one, reflecting mountains, rivers, and exotic flora upon them... At last, the Earth Flower bloomed with twelve petals, and Li Cha's cultivation broke through to Mid Da Luo.

At the same time, Mo Ran, drawn by the momentum of this breakthrough, saw his black Qilin Armor blaze with light, and he let out a long-suppressed, low roar! His aura fluctuated violently. Though he couldn't fully breach the Da Luo barrier, he steadily took half a step forward, reaching a mysterious realm far beyond Golden Immortal's peak yet slightly inferior to true Da Luo—Half-Step Da Luo! His strength had also skyrocketed.

Feeling the surging, far more powerful mana flowing through him and his even more effortless control over the Five Elements Laws, Li Cha wore a satisfied smile. This breakthrough was of great significance.

Not long after his breakthrough, through the Spiritual Tea Trees scattered around Mount Sumeru, he keenly sensed that the suffocating, terrifying demonic might that had long enveloped the Western lands was rapidly moving away from Mount Sumeru, heading east!

"Luohu has left!" A sharp light flashed in Li Cha's eyes. "Is he setting up the Zhu Xian Sword Formation? Or... Regardless, this is the perfect chance for me to escape this place of trouble!"

If not now, then when?

"Mo Ran, suppress your aura. We're leaving." Li Cha said in a low voice.

Mo Ran let out a low growl and quickly concealed his Half-Step Da Luo aura.

Li Cha took a deep breath, fully activated the Chaos Pearl, and cast the Spirit Vine Boundless technique, locking onto a Spiritual Tea Tree far from Mount Sumeru's core area. The next moment, the speck of dust that was the Chaos Pearl, like a fish slipping into the sea, silently pierced through layers of spatial obstacles and fled swiftly beyond the Western lands!