The Primordial Era

Everyone then cast looks filled with murderous intent at Kunpeng.

Hearing Hongjun's words, Li Peng cursed inwardly, This Hongjun is clearly instigating them to snatch the Primordial Violet Qi from Kunpeng and me! How malicious his intentions are!

Though these people are no threat right now, once Di Jun and Tai Yi reach the late or even peak Quasi-Saint stage and deploy the Grand Formation of the Stars—

Won't I be doomed?

I must increase my strength as soon as possible, or I will surely suffer the same fate as Hong Yun!

With this thought, determination flashed in Li Peng's eyes.

He caught sight of Kunpeng, still immersed in joy, out of the corner of his eye and mused, Kunpeng is completely unaware? He's usually such a shrewd individual; has he lost his mind after obtaining the Primordial Violet Qi?

On the high platform, Hongjun said calmly to the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, "Since you are my personal disciples, you should each possess a supreme treasure for protection.

I traveled the Primordial Era in my early years and obtained many Spiritual Treasures.

Now that I am about to combine with the Heavenly Dao, these treasures are of no use to me.

Today, I bestow them upon you for your self-defense."

Upon hearing this, all the great beings present felt a pang of jealousy. They had risked life and death to obtain Spiritual Treasures, yet the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa received them simply for being personal disciples. The disparity was immense.

Zhunti and Jieyin, seeing that Hongjun was only bestowing treasures upon his personal disciples and paying them no heed, wore even more sorrowful expressions.

Hongjun ignored the gazes of the crowd, summoned a treasure map depicting the flow of Yin-Yang Qi, and said to Laozi, "Laozi, you were formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and are my eldest disciple. You shall wield this Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram."

With that, he tossed the Taiji Diagram towards Laozi.

The crowd immediately erupted in uproar—the Taiji Diagram was one of the Three Treasures of Creation, capable of calming the four elements, transforming Yin-Yang Five Elements, discerning the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, and encompassing all things. To casually bestow such a supreme treasure was truly astonishing.

Nearly all the great beings present wished they could rush forward and cling to Dao Ancestor Hongjun's leg, calling him "Father"!

Alas, Dao Ancestor Hongjun was not someone they could simply approach if they wished.

"Thank you, Master!" Laozi said, receiving the Taiji Diagram while suppressing his inner excitement.

Next, Hongjun took out a long banner and said to Yuanshi, "This is the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner. I bestow it upon you today, and I hope you will make good use of it."

After speaking, he threw the Pangu Banner to Yuanshi.

"Thank you, Master!" Yuanshi said, unable to hide his excitement as he received the Pangu Banner.

The great beings present, seeing Hongjun produce another Innate Supreme Treasure, were green with envy.

However, in the presence of Dao Ancestor Hongjun, none dared to act presumptuously.

Afterward, Dao Ancestor Hongjun took out a formation diagram and four long swords emitting a fierce aura, handing them to Tongtian. "These are the Immortal Slaying Four Swords and the Immortal Slaying Formation Diagram. When combined, they can form the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation. This formation possesses immense power and extreme killing intent; it cannot be broken unless four Saints gather. You must use it with caution."

"Thank you, Master!" Tongtian said gratefully, taking the Immortal Slaying Four Swords and the formation diagram.

The crowd had already been numbed by the treasures Hongjun had bestowed one after another. Hearing that the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation could only be broken by four Saints left them even more dumbfounded.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze shifted to Nuwa, and he said, "Nuwa, your temperament is gentle, and you dislike conflict. In the future, you will complete a great deed of merit. Today, I bestow upon you the Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the River Mountains Societal Diagram, and the Red Embroidered Ball. These two Spiritual Treasures, one offensive and one defensive, will protect you."

With that, he handed the Red Embroidered Ball and the River Mountains Societal Diagram to Nuwa.

"Thank you, Master." Nuwa said calmly as she received the Spiritual Treasures.

Having been with Li Peng for a long time, she had witnessed many Innate Supreme Treasures and Top-Grade Spirit Treasures, and her standards were no longer what they used to be.

After Dao Ancestor Hongjun bestowed these two Spiritual Treasures, he closed his eyes to rest, showing no intention of continuing to bestow more treasures.

Seeing this, Zhunti and Jieyin were instantly in tears. They knelt and pleaded, "Master! The West is barren, and treasures are scarce. We implore you to show mercy and bestow upon us Spiritual Treasures for protection!"

The two wept and kowtowed continuously, their appearance pitiful.

Hongjun looked at them, pondered for a moment, and said, "You two indeed possess great perseverance and wisdom, having comprehended three thousand unorthodox paths, which is also a form of destiny. However, you are ultimately guests in the West and have no affinity with the great treasures of the East. Very well, I now bestow upon you the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus and the Blessing Vajra Pestle."

As Hongjun spoke, he had already tossed the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus and the Blessing Vajra Pestle to Zhunti and Jieyin.

"Thank you, Master!" the two said gratefully in unison.

The moment the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus appeared, the System's prompt sounded:

"Ding! Detecting the host's current situation, please make a choice!"

"Choice One: The Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus, most suitable for severing the Good Corpse, has appeared. Please snatch this treasure in front of Hongjun!

Reward: Ten drops of Pangu's Essence Blood, a 30% increase in the Yin-Yang Great Dao Law!"

"Choice Two: The Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus, most suitable for severing the Good Corpse, has appeared. Please exchange this lotus with Jieyin and Zhunti using treasures!

Reward: One million years of cultivation, a method for forging the Golden Body of Buddhism!"

"Choice Three: The Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus, most suitable for severing the Good Corpse, has appeared. Please snatch it directly from Zhunti and Jieyin!

Reward: One million years of cultivation, a 10% increase in the Yin-Yang Law!"

Li Peng carefully weighed the three choices.

He first eliminated Choice One. Although the reward was generous, it was no different from seeking death—snatching a treasure that Hongjun had just bestowed in front of Hongjun himself? It was simply asking for trouble.

Choice Two was also quite difficult. The last time he snatched the gourd, Li Peng had already incurred a deep enmity with Zhunti and Jieyin. Even if he offered two Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures in exchange, they likely wouldn't agree. Moreover, why would Li Peng make such a losing deal?

Thus, only Choice Three remained: directly snatching the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus from Zhunti and Jieyin.

Even though they would certainly become Saints in the future, their current strength was far inferior to Li Peng's, making snatching treasures not difficult.

This action would undoubtedly offend these two destined Saints completely, but Li Peng did not fear them.

There were two reasons: First, he possessed a System, and his future achievements would definitely surpass theirs. Second, since a mortal enemy had already been forged during the last treasure hunt, given Zhunti and Jieyin's vengeful nature, they would certainly seek him out for revenge immediately after becoming Saints.

Since that was the case, what did it matter if he offended them one more time? It was simply a case of "the more debts, the less worry."

Li Peng decisively confirmed with the System, "I choose the third option."

The powerful beings present were once again shocked by this scene. None of them had ever imagined that humbling themselves could lead to such an opportunity. If they had known that putting aside their pride could bring such benefits, would these powerful beings have remained silent?

Thus, everyone followed suit, kneeling and pleading, "Our cultivation is shallow, and we have no Spiritual Treasures to protect us. We implore Teacher to show mercy and bestow treasures!"

Seeing this, Li Peng muttered to himself, "Dao Ancestor Hongjun was already planning to distribute Spiritual Treasures. This begging is truly superfluous." While he grumbled, he had already prepared to make a dash—the treasures on the Treasure Distribution Cliff were limited, and opportunity waits for no one.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun looked at the wailing crowd below and sighed, "So be it! In the backyard of Zixiao Palace, there is a Treasure Distribution Cliff, where I have stored various Spiritual Treasures collected over the years. Each of you shall take them according to your destiny."

Before the Dao Ancestor's voice had even faded, a figure in Purple Heaven Palace suddenly moved. The powerful beings present were shocked to discover that Li Peng, who had been sitting in the foremost seat, had vanished.

"** !!**"

The word echoed in the minds of the powerful beings present, and they immediately activated their Spiritual Powers, rushing towards the Treasure Distribution Cliff.

On the other side, Li Peng had already arrived at the Treasure Distribution Cliff. The cliff was immensely vast, with numerous restrictions.

Without hesitation, Li Peng immediately released his aura, attempting to attract the Spiritual Treasures destined for him.

As soon as his aura emerged, three streams of light flew towards him.

He reached out and grabbed them, and three Spiritual Treasures entered his hands: the High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Yin-Yang Diagram, the High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Yin-Yang Treasure Fan, and the High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Yin-Yang Qiankun Robe.

Looking at the mere three Spiritual Treasures in his hands, Li Peng was inwardly annoyed, "Why only these few? Am I not the protagonist? Why are there so few treasures destined for me? It must be that old man Hongjun playing tricks!"

He no longer hesitated, taking out the Chaos Yin-Yang Pagoda and plunging into the depths of the Treasure Distribution Cliff.

"Collect! Collect! Collect!"

With the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Yin-Yang Pagoda, Li Peng easily broke through the numerous restrictions.

Regardless of the grade of Spiritual Treasures within the restrictions, he collected them all.

In a short moment, he had forcibly collected dozens of Spiritual Treasures.

Although the grade of these Spiritual Treasures was not high, their quantity was considerable. Even if he didn't use them himself, he could leave them for his future **.

At the same time, Li Peng did not forget to search for the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Divine Beads, the Five Elements Pearl, the Four Symbols Pearl, and other Spiritual Treasures that would be of great use to him.

Soon, he finally discovered the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Divine Beads.

"Finally found them, collect!"

Just as Li Peng was putting the Sea-Calming Divine Beads into his bag, the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Fuxi, Di Jun, Tai Yi, Zhunti, Jieyin, East King Duke, Kunpeng, Changxi, Xihe, and a host of other top powerful beings also arrived before the Treasure Distribution Cliff.

Laozi flew forward and released his aura.

Instantly, the High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Vajra Ring, the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner, the High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Trigram Furnace, the High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Jing Palace Lamp, and over ten other treasures, all at least of High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure level, flew towards him automatically.

Seeing this, Li Peng couldn't help but curse, "! This cheat is too obvious! Releasing his aura brings over a dozen High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures!"

Before his words had even fallen, Tongtian also released his aura.

In an instant, the Plague Punishing Seal, Plague Stopping Sword, Plague Bell, Plague Radiant Umbrella, Plague Dispersing Whip, Headache Incense, Sky Swallowing Cover, Rainbow Piercing Rope, Flying Smoke Sword, Sky Opening Bead, Earth Splitting Bead, Hunyuan Pearl, Five Dragon Wheel, Sky Illuminating Seal, Spirit Shattering Cone, Trigram Dragon Whisker Scarf, Treasure Cloud Light Scarf, Four Symbols Pearl, Dragon Tiger Ruyi, Mountain Driving Whip, Sun Moon Pearl, Golden Cloud Crown, Multi-Treasure Pagoda, Treasure Spitting Golden Toad, Treasure Gathering Basin, Dragon Binding Rope, Eye Slaying Bead, Wind Bag, Hunyuan Golden Dipper, and hundreds of other Innate Spiritual Treasures, all flew towards Tongtian.

Witnessing this scene, Li Peng was truly convinced.

With just a release of his aura, hundreds of Innate Spiritual Treasures actively flew towards him. Such destiny was truly heaven-defying!

Suddenly, Li Peng noticed that the Four Symbols Pearl was among those treasures.

His pupils constricted, and he began to calculate in his heart.

The other powerful beings felt uneasy seeing the Three Pure Ones take away so many treasures.

Di Jun, Tai Yi, Kunpeng, Nuwa, Fuxi, Zhunti, Jieyin, East King Duke, Changxi, Xihe, and other top Innate powerful beings all released their auras, attracting the treasures destined for them.

Instantly, streams of light streaked across the sky, and treasures were collected by these powerful beings.

Li Peng also hesitated no longer, the Chaos Yin-Yang Pagoda atop his head like a furious dragon emerging from its lair, sweeping through the Treasure Distribution Cliff.

In a short while, over ten more Innate Spiritual Treasures fell into his hands.

Seeing this, the Quasi-Saint level powerful beings like the Three Pure Ones also entered the Treasure Distribution Cliff, fully committed to collecting treasures.

At this moment, hundreds of Great Unity Golden Immortal peak-level powerful beings hurriedly arrived before the Treasure Distribution Cliff and also released their auras to attract destined Spiritual Treasures.

Instantly, hundreds of streams of light flashed.

These Spiritual Treasures were quickly collected by the Great Unity Golden Immortal peak-level powerful beings.

In the blink of an eye, the Treasure Distribution Cliff was empty.

The hundreds of Great Unity Golden Immortals who arrived a moment later, the late-stage cultivators, arrived belatedly and could only sigh in disappointment at the empty Treasure Distribution Cliff.

Li Peng and the other top Innate powerful beings, seeing that all the treasures were gone, withdrew from the Treasure Distribution Cliff.

Fuxi, Nuwa, Changxi, and Xihe, who had gained a considerable harvest from this trip, came to Li Peng's side with joyful expressions.

Just then, a majestic voice echoed in the ears of all the great powers:

"Combine with the Dao!"

The great powers knew that this voice meant Hongjun had merged with the Heavenly Dao, and from then on, he would no longer concern himself with worldly affairs.

The moment Hongjun merged with the Dao, his cultivation broke through, and he took control of a portion of the Primordial Era's Heavenly Dao authority.

After merging with the Dao, Hongjun first used the Heavenly Dao's authority to deduce who was stirring up trouble in the Primordial Era and secretly plotting against him.

"Pfft!"

Not long after, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression shocked. "Why are the heavenly secrets still chaotic and unclear? I can't deduce the person behind the scenes at all! Could it be that the other party has reached the Heavenly Dao realm?"

Thinking of this, Hongjun's face was filled with horror.

"I paid such a price, even risking my unstable foundation, ending the sermon early, and compressing the enlightenment period for all cultivators, all to merge with the Heavenly Dao as soon as possible. To my surprise, in the end, I gained nothing. I'm afraid in that great power's eyes, my actions are nothing but a joke." Hongjun muttered bitterly.

If he knew that all of this was caused by the System within Li Peng, and that Li Peng himself only had late-stage Quasi-Saint cultivation, would he be so angry that his Dao heart would become unbalanced?

Upon hearing that Hongjun had merged with the Dao, all the great powers felt a sense of relief, as if a great mountain pressing down on their heads had finally been moved.

In the blink of an eye, the Three Pure Ones and other great powers flew away from Purple霄 Palace one after another.

However, Li Peng and his group remained in their original positions, not in a hurry to leave.

After most of the others had dispersed, Li Peng waved his hand and took the Treasure Distribution Cliff into his possession.

The Grand Unity Golden Immortals beside him, who were looking dejected, could not help but twitch their mouths at the sight.