Chapter 2

Li Peng's gaze shifted back and forth between the second and third choices.

When the Great Luo Flower bloomed to nine grades, one possessed the potential to become a Saint;

but when it bloomed to twelve grades, it reached the ultimate limit of numbers. Once achieved, one might hope to attain the Great Dao!

But how could blooming twelve grades be so easily achieved?

Even among the legendary Chaos Demon Gods, only a scant few had managed it.

With Li Peng's current foundation, wanting to bloom twelve grades

was truly harder than ascending to heaven!

Thinking of this, Li Peng could not help but hesitate.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and chose the third option.

After all, he was someone with a system. If he did not even have the ambition to surpass the Heavenly Dao and stand above all living beings of the Primordial World, how was he any different from a salted fish?

After making his choice, Li Peng circulated all the power in his body and relentlessly struck at the eggshell.

With each impact, cracks gradually appeared across the shell.

Dazzling black-and-white light shone through the cracks as countless streams of Yin-Yang Qi surged and swirled.

Suddenly, Li Peng let out a roar:

"Break for me!"

The power throughout his body erupted with a boom—

"Boom!"

With a loud noise, the giant egg exploded in midair.

A great peng with golden wings spread its wings and soared into the sky. It was ninety thousand zhang long, majestic and extraordinary.

The Golden Winged Great Peng dove down and landed, then transformed into a young man with the appearance of an Innate Dao Body.

The young man looked to be in his early twenties. His features were strikingly handsome, and his bearing carried an innate kingly dominance, as though he had been born the center of attention.

If he had been in the modern world, who knew how many admiring gazes he would have drawn?

Unfortunately, this was the Primordial World. People valued only cultivation, aptitude, and background, not appearance.

Black-and-white light flowed behind him, exuding an unfathomable Dao aura.

Li Peng turned his head towards the giant egg beside him, its five-colored light flowing, then stepped forward and tried to communicate with Kong Xuan using his divine sense.

Yet no matter how he tried, he received no response.

Doubt arose in Li Peng's heart.

"Could it be that Kong Xuan has yet to develop spiritual intelligence? That shouldn't be. With his aptitude, he should have developed it long ago."

He muttered to himself.

The next moment, Li Peng discovered in astonishment that Kong Xuan's cultivation was only at the peak of the Mysterious Immortal realm!

The discovery left him utterly stunned:

"What's going on?"

Why was Kong Xuan's cultivation still stuck at the peak of the Mysterious Immortal realm?

Could it be that my talent is too powerful, and I've left Kong Xuan far behind?

Li Peng rubbed his head, thinking smugly.

If Kong Xuan had been conscious at this moment, he would surely have roared at him:

"Wasn't it because you stole most of the spiritual energy here and made my progress so slow! Now that you're strong, you're coming to mock me? You... (fifty thousand words omitted here!)"

Unfortunately, Kong Xuan had yet to awaken his spiritual intelligence, so naturally he had no idea how Li Peng had "taken care" of him during this time.

"My poor little brother Kong Xuan, since I've taken human form first in this life, I'll gladly accept the title of elder brother. Don't worry—with me here, those two bald donkeys from the Western Teachings can forget about taking you away to become some Peacock Great Bright King."

Looking at the giant egg before him, Li Peng spoke with a firm gaze.

After saying that, he did not linger. Turning around, he flew out of the valley and headed beyond it.

As the Son of Ancestor Phoenix, Li Peng understood the formation Ancestor Phoenix had laid down like the back of his hand. He easily left that valley where Yin-Yang Five Elements coexisted.

He soared through the heavens, looking down at the Primordial World below, which had yet to fully recover, his heart filled with countless emotions.

Only a few million years had passed, and the primordial world was still far from returning to the prosperity it had enjoyed before the War of the Three Clans.

Even so, the scenery of the primordial world was still far beyond anything later generations' tourist attractions could compare to.

Li Peng flew through the sky, admiring the magnificent scenery, his mood at ease.

Yet as time passed, even the most beautiful sights gradually left him numb.

He landed atop a mountain and began considering where to go next.

Wandering about without purpose would not help him find a way to elevate the Three Flowers Above His Head.

So where should he go?

Bucephalus Volcano?

No.

After the great war, the Phoenix Clan's strength had plummeted, and there had long been no heaven-and-earth spiritual treasures within the clan capable of elevating the Three Flowers Above His Head.

Even if there once had been, they would have been exhausted during the war.

At that thought, Li Peng sighed softly. The easiest path to acquiring resources had already been ruled out.

The Three Immortal Islands Overseas?

That was worth a try.

However, since the primordial world had been opened through countless yuanhui, no one had ever truly found the Three Immortal Islands. That showed just how well concealed they were.

Still, they could serve as an alternative.

For the directionless Li Peng, having a goal to pursue was always a good thing.

In the end, he decided to head for Buzhou Mountain.

Buzhou Mountain was home to countless treasures.

Not to mention the obscure ones, even Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures such as the Twelve-Petal Creation Green Lotus, the Banana Tree, the Gourd Vine, and others—spiritual treasures renowned throughout later generations—all originated from this mountain!

At that thought, Li Peng's eyes lit up. He stopped hesitating, mounted a cloud, and flew toward Buzhou Mountain.

Though he had never personally visited Buzhou Mountain, his inherited memories contained its exact location.

Time flowed on, and a hundred years passed in a rush.

Li Peng was still flying, yet he had not even caught sight of Buzhou Mountain's shadow. He could not help but feel frustrated.

"The primordial world is actually this vast? With my cultivation at the Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, I've flown nonstop for a hundred years and still can't see Buzhou Mountain!

"I must learn a top-tier movement divine ability in the future. Otherwise, traveling alone will bore a person to death." He muttered in complaint.

Just then, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy drifted over from ahead.

"Is that... someone fighting? Or a spiritual treasure being born?" Li Peng murmured to himself, unable to tell for certain.

At the thought that a spiritual treasure might be appearing, light immediately burst from his eyes.

Li Peng was currently as poor as a church mouse. Forget Innate Spirit Treasures—even an Acquired Spiritual Treasure was beyond his possession.

Thus, he was filled with yearning for spiritual treasures.

Following the direction of the spiritual energy fluctuation, Li Peng swiftly flew over.

Before long, he arrived halfway up an unnamed mountain.

"The spiritual energy fluctuation clearly came from here, so why did it suddenly disappear?

"Could the spiritual treasure have already been taken away?" he muttered.

The thought left Li Peng dejected, yet still unwilling to give up.

After all, this was the first opportunity he had encountered since arriving in the primordial world. He did not wish to miss it just like that.

So he began searching the surrounding area carefully.

Yet bit by bit, time slipped away, and Li Peng gradually lost hope.

He searched all over this mountain for nearly a month, but still found nothing.

"Alas, it seems this treasure and I are not fated," Li Peng said despondently.

With that, he mounted a cloud and flew into the distance.

An hour later, Li Peng somehow returned to the same place.

"What's going on? I was clearly flying in the direction of Buzhou Mountain, so how did I end up back here?" He scratched his head and muttered, utterly baffled.

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Li Peng, and he blurted out, "Could there be a formation laid here?"

He immediately searched through his memories for knowledge related to formations. Li Peng remembered that when he had organized Ancestor Phoenix's inheritance, it had indeed included knowledge of the Way of Formations, the Way of Alchemy, the Way of Artifacts, and more. Yet he had always focused on improving his strength, only giving them a cursory glance without studying them in depth.

The reason he had not delved into them was not because he looked down on them. Rather, the inherited memories showed that Ancestor Phoenix herself was not particularly proficient in the Way of Formations, the Way of Alchemy, or the Way of Artifacts. The knowledge she left behind was not especially profound, so Li Peng had set it aside.

Yet at this moment, the knowledge of the Way of Formations within these inheritances was like timely rain to Li Peng. Though he was unsure whether he could use it to break the formation and find the treasure, it was still far better than having no clue at all.

Before long, Li Peng dug up the contents related to the Way of Formations from his memories. But to his surprise, he found most of it difficult to understand, leaving him somewhat helpless.

Still, that was only natural. After all, he had transmigrated here and had never come into contact with the Way of Formations before. If he had understood it at a glance, that would have been strange instead. Left with no other choice, Li Peng could only study the knowledge of formations while attempting to analyze the formation before him.

Time flowed on, and a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. Li Peng finally completely grasped the mysteries of the formation before him.

This formation was a combination of an Intermediate Binding Formation and an Illusion Formation. Though it was not considered top-tier, it was a naturally formed formation, and its power far surpassed formations of the same kind arranged after birth. However, after a thousand years of study, Li Peng had already seen through all its hidden mechanisms.

He formed seals with both hands, firing one Dharma seal after another into the formation. As the final Dharma seal fell, the scene before him abruptly changed—the once-dense forest vanished, replaced by a deep and shadowy mountain cave.

Spiritual Energy surged within the cave, while treasure light shone in all directions. Li Peng's heart leaped with joy as he hurried into the cave. There, he saw a pitch-black ruler floating in midair, its surface flowing with intricate innate Dao patterns.

This was the first Spirit Treasure he had obtained since transmigrating to the prehistoric world. Li Peng eagerly grasped the ruler and poured his mana into it. In an instant, information about the treasure flooded his mind: Universe Ruler, High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

"To obtain such a precious treasure upon first entering the prehistoric world—I truly have profound fortune!" Li Peng was rejoicing when he suddenly felt danger descend upon him and hastily twisted aside.

Amid a loud boom, a deep crater exploded open where he had been standing, smoke and scorched fumes billowing everywhere. Though he avoided the fatal strike, his right arm was still wounded by the aftershock, his flesh split and torn.

Enduring the pain, Li Peng looked back and saw a Daoist arriving atop a deer, treading through the clouds. Treasure light circulated around him, fragrant winds coiled about him, and he bore every trace of an immortal. Seeing such an ostentatious display, Li Peng's heart chilled—in this prehistoric world, anyone who dared act so flamboyantly was certainly no ordinary figure.

Li Peng suddenly saw the Daoist reach through the air, and a streak of light fell into his palm.

Looking closely, he saw that it was a divine lamp with ancient patterns and Spiritual Energy spilling from it. The lamp's body was densely covered with innate formation patterns, while an eerie blue flame danced at its core—it was precisely the object that had just ambushed Liu Hao.

As the Son of Ancestor Phoenix, Li Peng recognized at once that the eerie blue flame was Nirvana Divine Fire, its power comparable to Nirvana Fire. If not for his innate ability to command fire, he would already be dead or grievously wounded.

Having suffered such a vicious attack for no reason, rage flared in Li Peng's heart. He glared at the unfamiliar Daoist, tightly gripping the black ruler in his hand as he advanced toward the cave entrance step by step.

Before he could approach, the Daoist recited aloud, "Auspicious light sways through the skies, five-colored auspicious clouds fly without end... Beneath Spirit Vulture Mountain, I am known as Randeng. This Poor Daoist is Randeng, and I have dwelled here ever since taking form. Fellow Daoist, you came uninvited and stole the treasure from my cave—are you not **?"

Upon hearing the name "Randeng," Li Peng cursed his bad luck inwardly. He had actually encountered a man of ill repute. Then, hearing Randeng claim this cave as his dwelling, he found it even more absurd—this place clearly contained a natural formation and showed not the slightest trace of habitation. The man was plainly spouting nonsense!

Li Peng's gaze turned icy. He immediately prepared to leap forward and fight Daoist Randeng to the death!

At this moment, the system's voice suddenly rang out:

"Ding! The host's situation has been detected. Please make a choice!"

"Choice One: Yield the treasure to Randeng and leave in dejection.

Reward: One Ninja Turtle Transformation Card!"

"Choice Two: Defeat Daoist Randeng and let him understand who the true strong one is!

Reward: Nine Revolutions Profound Technique!"

"Choice Three: Kill Daoist Randeng and make this ** disappear from the prehistoric world completely!

Reward: Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Yin-Yang Pearl!"

"Please make your choice as soon as possible!"

Hearing the system prompt, Li Peng was delighted.

When the system sounded, it meant benefits were to be had.

But after hearing the reward for the first choice, his face immediately darkened.

"What kind of trash reward is this? A Ninja Turtle Transformation Card? Don't you know the Ninja Turtles' **heads are all green? You...(fifty thousand words omitted here)"

After venting for a while, Li Peng began to hesitate between the second and third choices.

Randeng was one of the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao!

Though later generations did not rate him highly, how could someone whose name had been recorded in history be a simple character?

More importantly, with Li Peng's cultivation at the Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, he could not see through Daoist Randeng's depth at all.

If he did not possess the Innate Yin-Yang Destruction Divine Ability, he would definitely have turned and fled upon encountering such an opponent.

But now, he had the confidence to give it everything he had!

Still, the hope of ** Randeng was slim. Even whether he could defeat him remained unknown.

The choices given by the system were either to defeat him or ** him, yet Li Peng had no confidence in either.

Uneasy, he recalled the system novels he had read, where many systems would erase their hosts if they failed to complete their missions.