Chapter 16

The High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure White Jade Flat Crutch flew into the Three Flowers.

Laozi let out a clear shout:

In an instant, an elderly man in a green robe leaped out from the Human Flower and landed before Laozi.

The old man looked seventy percent like Laozi. Clear qi swirled around him, and his aura flickered in and out of sight, as though he had merged with heaven and earth.

As the old man appeared, Laozi's cultivation rose steadily, reaching the peak of the Quasi-Saint Early Stage in the blink of an eye.

This showed just how profound Laozi's accumulation at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm had been.

After completing his breakthrough, Laozi slowly opened his eyes.

The old man in green stepped forward and bowed. "This humble one greets Fellow Daoist."

Laozi replied with a smile, "You and I are one body. Why stand on ceremony?"

The old man in green nodded and turned into a streak of light, returning to the Three Flowers.

Laozi's breakthrough was like a fuse. Yuanshi, Tongtian, Di Jun, Tai Yi, King Father of the East, West Queen Mother, Fuxi, Nuwa, Kunpeng, and other innate great powers erupted with imposing auras in succession, clearly preparing to break through here as well.

In an instant, Spiritual Energy within the Purple Sky Palace surged wildly, gathering into dozens of Spiritual Energy storms.

The Spiritual Energy needed for a Grand Unity Golden Immortal to break through to the Quasi-Saint realm was as vast as the sea. Even with the Purple Sky Palace's abundant Spiritual Energy, it could not support dozens of people drawing upon it so frantically at once.

Before long, the Spiritual Energy in the palace became insufficient. The Three Flowers above some great powers' heads began to churn and grow unstable due to the lack of Spiritual Energy.

A failed breakthrough would not only bring backlash, but could also damage one's foundation and cause one's cultivation to stagnate.

Li Peng suddenly noticed that the Three Flowers above Nuwa and Fuxi's heads already showed signs of **, clearly because they too lacked the energy needed to slay their corpses.

Just as he was about to rise and help them, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had already acted.

With a casual wave of Hongjun's hand, endless heaven-and-earth Spiritual Energy immediately flooded the Purple Sky Palace. Li Peng could not even tell what method Hongjun had used.

"Dao Ancestor Hongjun truly deserves to be a **o of the Primordial World. His strength is unfathomable!" Li Peng secretly sighed.

With sufficient Spiritual Energy supporting them, the many great powers successfully slew their corpses one after another and entered the Quasi-Saint realm. The method of Slaying Three Corpses truly advanced one rapidly; once one corpse was slain, one immediately became a Quasi-Saint.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun looked at the crowd who had broken through by slaying their corpses, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"This lecture has ended. Return and consolidate your cultivation." Hongjun waved his sleeve and spoke calmly before vanishing from the Ninefold Cloud Platform.

With the Dao Ancestor gone, the great powers also left the Purple Sky Palace one after another.

Having just broken through to the Quasi-Saint Early Stage, King Father of the East actually gave Li Peng a deliberate, provocative look. If Fuxi and Nuwa had not been present, he would likely have come looking for trouble, just as Li Peng had once intercepted Randeng.

Li Peng merely shook his head and ignored him. He had no interest in arguing with someone destined to perish.

Li Peng brought Fuxi, Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi back to the Primordial World.

A thousand years passed in an instant, and the group finally returned to the Primordial land.

Li Peng said to the four of them, "Would you be willing to visit my Daoist grounds?"

Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi answered in unison, "Good!"

Seeing Nuwa agree, Fuxi naturally had no objection.

Li Peng then led them toward Three Immortal Island.

Another five hundred years passed before Li Peng finally brought Fuxi, Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi to the location of Three Immortal Island.

Li Peng stopped with the four of them above a stretch of sea. Fuxi, Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi all looked confused, not understanding why they had come here.

Changxi asked, "Big Brother Li, what are we doing here?"

Li Peng answered with a smile, "Naturally, we're going to my Daoist grounds."

Changxi looked around, but saw no trace of any formation. She asked again, "But where are your Daoist grounds?"

Li Peng raised his hand and tapped the empty space ahead. A Space Channel immediately appeared.

"Come. I'll show you my Daoist grounds." As he spoke, he stepped into the passage first.

The four followed closely behind and entered it.

After a dizzying whirl, their vision suddenly opened up. Verdant mountains rose and fell, vegetation flourished, and rare flowers and exotic plants filled every corner. The scenery was incomparably beautiful.

Changxi exclaimed in delight, "Big Brother Li, this is your Daoist grounds? It's so beautiful!"

Li Peng smiled. "If you like it, you can stay here too."

"That's wonderful! This place is much prettier than the Taiyin Star where I live." Changxi jumped with joy.

Nuwa and Xihe's expressions shifted slightly at those words before quickly returning to normal. Though it lasted only an instant, Li Peng had already noticed. He was now certain that they had feelings for him.

He said, "I have three islands here. If Nuwa, Xihe, and Fuxi are willing, you are welcome to move here as well. We can discuss the Dao together often in the future."

Nuwa and Xihe's faces reddened slightly, and for a moment, they did not know how to respond.

After a while, Xihe said calmly, "Since Changxi is coming, I'll move here as well. We have kept each other company for many years. I truly can't bear to be apart from her."

Changxi said happily, "If Sister comes too, I won't have to be separated from her!"

Nuwa's expression, however, became somewhat grave. If Changxi and Xihe spent every day with Li Peng, would she not fall behind?

Thus, she spoke as well. "This is indeed a rare Blessed Land. Cultivating here would surely yield twice the result with half the effort."

Fuxi understood his younger sister's feelings and could only nod in agreement.

After settling this matter, Li Peng's expression turned solemn.

"What do you think of the method of Slaying Three Corpses taught by Dao Ancestor Hongjun?" he asked seriously.

Fuxi, Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi were all stunned, not understanding why Li Peng had asked this.

Seeing their confused expressions, Li Peng sighed softly and explained, "In my view, proving Dao through this method is exceedingly difficult. Slaying the three corpses may not be hard, but merging the three corpses into one is as difficult as ascending to heaven. The key is that if the Spiritual Treasures used to slay the corpses do not share the same origin, they cannot merge. Yet Dao Ancestor Hongjun never made this clear. It is obvious that he has his own selfish motives."

Nuwa and Fuxi were immediately stunned upon hearing this.

The Fuxi Qin that Fuxi had used to slay his corpse was a High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, and it had no treasure of the same origin. Did that not mean his path of proving Dao through Slaying Three Corpses had been severed from the very beginning?

Nuwa's expression also darkened. She had used the Purple Sash Immortal Robe gifted by Li Peng to slay her corpse. By this logic, her own Dao path was obstructed as well.

The two exchanged bitter smiles, finally understanding why Li Peng's cultivation had reached perfection but he had never slain a corpse—he had already seen the flaw in this method.

"However, you need not lose heart," Li Peng said with a smile. "There are not only the three methods of proving Dao mentioned by Hongjun. I have another method."

"What? You actually have another method of proving Dao?" The four spoke in unison, utterly shocked.

"That's right. This method is called Law Proving Dao," Li Peng said.

"Law Proving Dao?"

The four repeated the words softly, their eyes filled with confusion and anticipation.

"So-called Law Proving Dao means comprehending the Laws of the Heavenly Dao. Once one completely comprehends a single law, one can prove Dao and attain Hunyuan. After proving Dao, if one can further completely comprehend a Great Dao Law, one can become a Hunyuan Limitless Grand Unity Golden Immortal. At that time, one's combat power would be sufficient to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World," Li Peng explained slowly.

Fuxi, Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi all revealed incredulous expressions. They were still painstakingly searching for the path to sainthood, yet Li Peng already possessed a method that pointed directly toward the Great Dao.

Ninety-seven

The gap between them was simply too great.

Fuxi suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, where did you learn that laws can be used to prove Dao?"

Hearing Fuxi's question, Nuwa, Changxi, and Xihe all turned inquisitive gazes toward Li Peng.

Meeting their eyes, Li Peng answered calmly, "I happened to obtain the Inherited Memory of the Yin-Yang Demon God, so I learned the method of Law Proving Dao."

Fuxi, Nuwa, Changxi, and Xihe all showed looks of sudden understanding.

At the same time, they could not help envying Li Peng for having such a fortuitous opportunity to obtain the Inherited Memory of a Chaos Demon God.

"Then from now on, let us cultivate the method of Law Proving Dao," Nuwa said with a smile.

But Li Peng shook his head. "The method of Law Proving Dao must be cultivated, but the method of Slaying Three Corpses cannot be abandoned either."

"Why is that?"

Fuxi, Nuwa, Changxi, and Xihe pressed him in unison.

"First, the method of Slaying Three Corpses can sever distracting thoughts, making the mind pure and flawless, allowing us to comprehend the Great Dao more easily.

Second, the method of Slaying Three Corpses is the Dao-proving method passed down by Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Dao Ancestor Hongjun's strength is now far beyond anything we can match. If he learns that we have not followed the path he set out, then..." Li Peng stopped there.

Everyone present was intelligent. There was no need to make his meaning too explicit.

Fuxi, Nuwa, Changxi, and Xihe all fell silent at once. Clearly, they had not expected that Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who had selflessly lectured the beings of the Primordial World, also had his own selfish motives.

Seeing this, Li Peng smiled faintly. "We gained much from this lecture. Go into seclusion first to sort through your insights and consolidate your cultivation while you're at it."

Fuxi, Nuwa, Changxi, and Xihe all nodded. They then each found a mountain peak and began their secluded cultivation.

After watching them leave, Li Peng sat down cross-legged where he was and began considering which Innate Spiritual Treasure he should use to slay a corpse.

First, this Innate Spiritual Treasure should ideally have other Spiritual Treasures of the same origin. Otherwise, merging the three corpses in the end would be virtually hopeless.

That meant he first had to rule out Innate Spiritual Treasures such as the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Yin-Yang Pagoda and the Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure Yin Yang Twin Swords.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Li Peng, and he thought of the Pure World White Lotus in his system space.

The Pure World White Lotus was itself a Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, and there were also three Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures of the same origin: the Twelve-Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus, the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus, and the Twelve-Petal Creation Green Lotus. Achieving the fusion of the three corpses would indeed be comparatively easy.

Moreover, once three twelve-grade lotuses fused, the newly formed Innate Spiritual Treasure would possess power at least comparable to an Innate Supreme Treasure.

Having thought this through, Li Peng made up his mind: he would use the Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus to slay his corpse.

As soon as he decided, Li Peng acted. He took out the Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus from his system space and placed it before him.

He immediately circulated **, adjusting his condition.

As his mana flowed, the surrounding heaven-and-earth Spiritual Energy surged toward him and continuously poured into Li Peng's body.

A hundred years passed swiftly, and Li Peng finally adjusted his condition to perfection.

He took a deep breath. Mana surged within him, an Auspicious Cloud appeared above his head, and three twelve-grade lotuses floated within it.

Li Peng raised his hand and tossed the Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus into the Three Flowers.

As soon as the white lotus entered the Three Flowers, it fused with the Heavenly Flower.

In the next moment, a young man dressed in casual clothes flew out from the Heavenly Flower.

The youth resembled Li Peng by fifty or sixty percent. In particular, that carefree temperament was exactly like Li Peng's in his previous life.

With the appearance of the casually dressed youth, Li Peng felt the restraints on him lessen greatly, while many of his distracting thoughts also dissipated.

At the same time, his aura soared sharply. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had broken through to the peak of the Quasi-Saint Early Stage.

After completing his breakthrough, Li Peng opened his eyes.

The youth walked over, placed one hand on his shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Brother, congratulations on your breakthrough!"

Li Peng was at a loss for words when he saw this appearance.

He had never imagined that his Self-Corpse would look like this. It was truly hard to look at.

"Watch yourself. This is the Primordial World, not before. What kind of appearance is this?" Li Peng said with a dark expression.

The youth tilted his head and thought for a moment. "That does seem right."

As soon as he finished speaking, light flashed around him, and his casual clothes changed into a black-and-white Daoist robe.

"This should do, right?" he said carelessly.

Li Peng looked at him helplessly. "Could this be what I'm really like?"

The youth shook his head. "I am you, but you are not me."

"Then what should I call you? Li Peng as well?" Li Peng asked.

"Just call me White Lotus Daoist. This is the Primordial World. Calling one another by name is far too vulgar." The youth in casual clothes spoke with a smug expression.

Li Peng's face immediately darkened at those words. He had been in the Primordial World for so long, yet he had never given himself a Daoist title. This Self-Corpse had actually beaten him to it and even mocked him for being vulgar. The feeling was difficult to describe.

Who had ever seen someone mock himself like this?

Seeing Li Peng's gloomy expression, White Lotus Daoist smiled. "It seems the main body is not very satisfied with my conduct! Since that is the case, I shall leave first and travel the world. Now that I have come to the Primordial World, would it not be a waste if I did not explore it properly?"

Li Peng replied irritably, "Take these. Don't disgrace yourself outside." As he spoke, he tossed the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Yin-Yang Pearl and the High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure Purple Lightning Hammer to White Lotus Daoist.

Li Peng was not worried about White Lotus Daoist's safety at all. He too possessed cultivation at the Quasi-Saint Early Stage. In this era, when the strongest Primordial great powers were no more than at the Quasi-Saint Early Stage, he would naturally be perfectly safe.