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Primordial Wilderness
Primordial World: Red Cloud's Voice is Simply Too Pleasant to Hear
Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Primordial Wilderness (洪荒) |
| Alias(es) | Primordial World |
| Type | Primordial world |
| Creator / Origin | Formed when Pangu created heaven and earth and transformed himself into all things 1 |
| Status | Extant; its territory continues to expand as newly created worlds and Dao principles are absorbed into it 628 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1 |
Background / History
Creation and early tribulations
The Primordial Wilderness was created after Pangu separated heaven and earth: clear essence rose, turbid essence descended, and Pangu's transformed body gave rise to the world and its myriad beings. Its central land is the Primordial Continent, which became populated by innate life after creation 1.
Before Hong Yun's appearance, the world had endured the Fierce Beast Tribulation and the Dragon–Phoenix–Qilin Tribulation. The latter's end left the Primordial Wilderness temporarily peaceful, though its former great races had incurred severe karmic debt 1 16.
Era of Hongjun and the great factions
Hongjun's ascension to sainthood sent purple qi, golden lotuses, and spiritual energy across the entire Primordial Wilderness. Many lower-level beings gained sentience or broke through in cultivation, while its major powers began traveling through Inner Chaos to attend his sermons at Purple Cloud Palace 20 21 22.
After his three sermons, Hongjun merged with the Dao to maintain the world's order, declaring that future affairs should follow their destined course unless a great calamity occurred 80. In the resulting era, the Witch Clan, Demon Clan, and Immortal Court became major competing powers; by ten thousand years after the third sermon, the world stood in a tripartite confrontation between Witch, Demon, and Immortal factions 57 82.
Rise of the Three Daos
The world later developed beyond the authority of the Heavenly Dao alone.
- Earthly Dao — Houtu merged with the Six Paths of Reincarnation and prepared to become the first Earthly Dao Saint 183. Hong Yun subsequently used the Earth Book to transform the Netherworld into the Underworld, an event that heralded the Earthly Dao's appearance and increased spiritual energy across the world 187.
- Human Dao — Nuwa renounced her identity as a Heavenly Dao Saint to merge with the Human Dao, seeking to protect the Human Race and the spirits of the Primordial Wilderness 273.
- Heavenly Dao — The Heavenly Dao remained a central cosmic authority, but later admitted that it was formed when half of the Fate Demon God's body fused with its instincts after Pangu's fall 602.
The revival of the Earthly Dao and Human Dao greatly reduced the Heavenly Dao's exclusive control over the Primordial Wilderness 583 591.
Later development and expansion
The Human Race became a major force through alliances, merit, and the eras of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. A Purple Cloud Palace council formally opened that era, with Saints competing for the chance to guide the Human Emperors 143 249.
Following the Investiture of the Gods conflict, a rule was established to limit Saints' interference in mortal human affairs. The Earthly Dao, Human Dao, Demon forces, and Witch Clan instead focused on development, merit, and stabilizing the world's systems 447.
After the Primordial Wilderness formed alliances with powers in Chaos, worlds created beyond it and their newly developed Dao principles were absorbed into the Primordial Wilderness. This made cultivation easier for its inhabitants and expanded its territory outward 628 629.
Structure and Notable Locations
| Location / Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Primordial Continent | The main continent of the Primordial Wilderness, inhabited by myriad races and the site of its major conflicts and factions 1 82. |
| Buzhou Mountain | Pangu's spine and the ancestral vein of the world. From its summit, one can overlook the Primordial Wilderness; it is also the home of the Witch Clan and Pangu Hall 11 15. |
| Pangu Secret Realm | A Minor World associated with Pangu's heart storage and Pangu Hall. It contains dense Earth Sha Qi and the laws of the Three Thousand Great Daos 15. |
| East Sea | The region where Hong Yun first appears and where Floating Island is located 1 2. |
| Inner Chaos | A hostile gray expanse beyond the Chaos membrane. Chaos Qi erodes physical bodies, and cultivators travel through it to reach Purple Cloud Palace 22. |
| Purple Cloud Palace | Hongjun's sanctuary in Chaos and the site of his sermons, treasure distribution, and later councils among Saints 23 80 249. |
| Netherworld / Underworld | The Netherworld was transformed into the Underworld through the Earth Book, becoming a major foundation of the Earthly Dao 187. |
Cosmic Authorities
| Authority | Role in the Primordial Wilderness |
|---|---|
| Great Dao | A supreme existence invoked as witness to major vows and transformations, including Nuwa's merger with the Human Dao 273. |
| Heavenly Dao | Maintains order and influences the world's destined course; its actions and tribulations became a source of conflict with Hong Yun and other Saint-level powers 80 180 602. |
| Earthly Dao | Emerged through Houtu's Samsara and the Underworld's establishment; it is tied to earth veins, reincarnation, and the Netherworld 183 187. |
| Human Dao | Strengthened through the Human Race's destiny and Nuwa's merger with it, becoming an authority dedicated to humanity and the world's spirits 273. |
Major Inhabitants and Powers
| Group | Place in the world |
|---|---|
| Witch Clan | Pangu's direct bloodline, based at Buzhou Mountain. Rather than pursuing outright rule, it establishes itself as a force maintaining peace and refining malevolent energy 17 57. |
| Demon Clan | A major faction that competed with the Witch Clan and sought to unify the Primordial World under its rule 143 166. |
| Immortal Court | Founded on Penglai Immortal Island by the Eastern Prince, with the stated aim of managing the Primordial World 57. |
| Human Race | A later-rising race protected by Nuwa and supported by alliances such as its pact with the Dragon Clan; it becomes central to the Human Dao and later historical eras 143 273. |
| Saints and Great Powers | Powerful cultivators whose actions can affect the entire world. By the beginning of the Chaos expeditions, the Primordial Wilderness possessed twenty-five Saint-realm combat forces besides Hongjun and Hong Yun 597. |
World-Changing Phenomena
- Hongjun's sanctification nourished the world with descending golden lotuses that became pure spiritual energy, allowing many beings to gain sentience or advance in cultivation 21.
- The Twelve Ancestral Witches' simultaneous Quasi-Saint breakthroughs manifested as twelve towering figures whose auras were felt throughout the Primordial Wilderness 55.
- The Underworld's creation caused spiritual energy to surge across the land, restored damaged mountain ranges, and produced yellow lotuses of condensed spiritual energy 187.
- The appearance of the Axe of Creation caused inherited spiritual treasures of the Three Pure Ones and Twelve Ancestral Witches to react violently, alarming beings across the world 440.
- Sun Wukong's Quasi-Saint breakthrough manifested the Dharma Image of the Chaos Demon Ape, drawing the attention of Great Powers throughout the Three Realms 581.