Chapter 23

After saying this, he took an axe-shaped spirit treasure from the system space and handed it to Zhao Gongming. Calmly, he said, "Zhao Gongming, this treasure is for you."

You are my foremost disciple. This High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Mountain Splitting Axe, shall be bestowed upon you for protection.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhao Gongming said gratefully as he accepted the Mountain Splitting Axe.

Li Peng nodded, then took another sword-shaped spirit treasure from the system space and handed it to Yunxiao. "Yunxiao, this is the High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Mother-Child Twin Swords. I bestow them upon you for protection."

"Thank you, Master!" Yunxiao said gratefully as she accepted the Mother-Child Twin Swords.

Afterward, Li Peng bestowed an Innate High-grade spirit treasure upon each of Qiongxiao and Bixiao.

Having finished this, Li Peng said, "I will next travel through the prehistoric world. Stay here and cultivate in seclusion properly. When I return, I will take you to my Daoist sanctuary to cultivate."

"Yes, Master!" the Five Xiaos and Zhao Gongming replied in unison.

After arranging matters for his disciples, Li Peng mounted an auspicious cloud and flew straight toward the place where he had been born.

The reason he returned was that he had calculated his younger brother Kong Xuan was about to be born. Otherwise, he might have gone directly back to Three Immortal Island to cultivate in seclusion, open the Thirty-Six Heavens, or find a way to fuse the three corpses.

In less than ten years, Li Peng returned to his birthplace.

Looking at the enormous egg before him, shimmering with five-colored light, his heart was filled with emotion.

Li Peng and Kong Xuan had originally been twin brothers. Now, he, the Golden Winged Great Peng, was already a great power at the Quasi-Saint Peak, while Kong Xuan had yet to take form.

In the original history of the prehistoric world, the Golden Winged Great Peng had been a hopeless good-for-nothing. Had his elder brother not protected him, he would likely have perished many times over.

Thinking of this, Li Peng's gaze upon the five-colored giant egg became exceptionally gentle.

"Kong Xuan, rest assured. In this life, with me here, I will protect you completely and help you achieve Dao and attain Hunyuan." Li Peng silently vowed.

Just as his thoughts drifted, a voice entered his mind:

"Who are you? Why do I sense such a familiar aura from you?"

"I am your elder brother, the Golden Winged Great Peng. There should be records of me in your inherited memories," Li Peng replied with a smile.

"My elder brother?" Kong Xuan asked doubtfully.

Immediately afterward, Kong Xuan began searching through his inherited memories.

Before long, he asked, "Big Brother, we were clearly born together. Why did you take form so much earlier than me?"

Li Peng felt helpless upon hearing this. He could hardly tell Kong Xuan that he had cheats.

"It is merely a difference in talent and effort," Li Peng said with a faint smile.

Kong Xuan fell silent at once, seeming to have suffered quite a blow.

Looking at the giant egg that had already reached the Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, Li Peng asked, "Kong Xuan! Are you planning to break through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal before taking form?"

"Precisely," Kong Xuan answered decisively.

Li Peng fell into thought.

If Kong Xuan took form now, his Great Luo Flower would bloom to at most seven or eight grades. Though that would not be inferior to the foremost Innate great powers, achieving Hunyuan would still be extremely difficult.

In theory, a seven-grade bloom still held a sliver of hope, but throughout prehistoric history, no one whose flower bloomed at seven grades had ever truly achieved Hunyuan.

How could he improve Kong Xuan's foundation?

Suddenly, an idea struck Li Peng.

He immediately pointed at the giant egg, and a ray of light instantly entered it.

After receiving the information, Kong Xuan said in astonishment, "This Nine Revolutions Profound Technique actually originated from the great god Pangu. It is truly profound!"

Li Peng merely smiled and offered no explanation.

After Kong Xuan calmed down, Li Peng said, "Do not rush to break through to Grand Unity yet. Wait until you cultivate the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to the peak of the sixth revolution before making your breakthrough."

"Why? Wouldn't it be easier to cultivate this technique after attaining Grand Unity?" Kong Xuan asked in confusion.

"At the Grand Unity realm, the Three Flowers are fixed, and their grades determine your potential. If you cultivate the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to the peak of the sixth revolution, both your physical body and primordial spirit will enter Grand Unity. The grades of your Three Flowers will certainly rise, and your future Dao path will become broader," Li Peng explained.

Kong Xuan immediately understood. His elder brother was paving the way for his attainment of Dao.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Kong Xuan said gratefully.

"We are brothers. There is no need for thanks." Li Peng waved his hand.

Then Li Peng took out nine Yellow Middle Plums from the system space and held them out toward the giant egg. "These spirit fruits will help you cultivate the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique and let you achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Five-colored light flashed, and the nine Yellow Middle Plums instantly disappeared.

Li Peng recognized it as Kong Xuan's innate divine ability—the Five-Colored Divine Light.

He suddenly realized that Kong Xuan might not know what Yellow Middle Plums were.

If he swallowed all nine fruits in one bite, then...

Then his dear younger brother Kong Xuan might be blown apart by the energy contained in the nine fruits before he was even born.

Li Peng hurriedly warned, "Kong Xuan! Every Yellow Middle Plum contains enough mana to advance from Earth Immortal to Grand Unity Golden Immortal. You can eat no more than one at a time."

Kong Xuan was shocked upon hearing this.

He had never expected the nine fruits before him to be so precious. Every one of them could create a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. With such terrifying medicinal potency, what grade of spirit root could bear these fruits?

Thinking of this, waves of warmth rose in Kong Xuan's heart.

This elder brother whom he had never met had given him both a treasure and spirit fruits. How could Kong Xuan, who had been alone all this time, not be moved?

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Kong Xuan said gratefully.

"It is nothing. Refine the Yellow Middle Plums as soon as possible and strive to take form quickly. Your big brother is still waiting to roam the prehistoric world alongside you!" Li Peng said with a smile.

"Yes, Big Brother. I will certainly work hard," Kong Xuan replied solemnly.

Li Peng nodded in satisfaction, then sat cross-legged atop a distant cliff and began planning his next move.

"Now that the Witch and Demon clans are flourishing, the cultivation of great powers throughout heaven and earth will soon undergo tremendous leaps. The most urgent matter is to increase my strength—but where should I begin?" Li Peng pondered inwardly.

Just as he was deep in thought, the system notification suddenly rang out:

"Ding! Detected that the host possesses a strong desire to become stronger. Please make a choice!"

"Choice One: Break the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique through to the ninth revolution and have the physical body attain Hunyuan Tai Luo Golden Immortal. Reward: three drops of Pangu's Essence Blood and Great Dao Law of Strength (twenty percent)."

"Choice Two: Fuse the Three Flowers into one and attain Hunyuan Tai Luo Golden Immortal. Reward: one million years of mana and the Innate Supreme Treasure, the World-Destroying Millstone!"

"Choice Three: Open the Thirty-Six Heavens and obtain a spirit treasure comparable to an Innate Supreme Treasure. Reward: one million years of mana and a one-level increase in the Law of Yang Law."

"Please make your choice as soon as possible!"

Hearing the system notification, Li Peng was overjoyed.

Whenever the choice system was triggered, he could obtain treasures or cultivation, and what he needed most right now was an increase in strength.

He eagerly looked toward the first choice.

However, after clearly seeing its contents, he was left somewhat speechless.

Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal?

If achieving Hunyuan Tai Luo Golden Immortal through the physical body were so easy, why would the Twelve Ancestor Witches have been unable to break through for so long?

Although Li Peng possessed a drop of Pangu's Essence Blood, it could only raise his chances of achieving Dao by thirty percent.

More importantly, he felt that his physical body was still far from the Hunyuan realm and would need at least several kalpas of tempering.

Thus, Li Peng could only gaze at the generous reward and sigh helplessly.

He then turned to the second choice—the fusion of the three corpses to attain Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal.

"So the path of the three corpses truly can lead to Hunyuan! Hongjun did not deceive us," Li Peng murmured.

This method was excellent!

He had severed the three corpses using spirit treasures of the same origin, so fusing them should not be difficult.

At that thought, Li Peng's heart stirred with excitement.

But he soon sensed something was wrong—Hongjun had passed down the path of the three corpses, yet had not taught the method of fusing the three corpses into one.

Back then, when the immortals obtained this wondrous method, they had been ecstatic, and none had noticed that the Dao Ancestor had held this back.

Li Peng was immediately at a loss.

He looked again at the system's third choice: opening the Thirty-Six Heavens.

Now that all thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Beads and the Universe Ruler were in his possession, opening worlds within the beads would not be difficult.

The reward for this choice was precisely what Li Peng urgently needed—a fifty-percent increase in the Law of Yang, which could help balance Yin and Yang and unleash greater power.

Just as he was about to choose the third option, he suddenly cried out, "How foolish I am! These three choices do not conflict. Why not take them all?"

He immediately said to the system, "I choose all three!"

"Does the host confirm choosing one, two, and three simultaneously?"

"Confirmed!"

"Selection complete. Please complete the tasks as soon as possible."

Li Peng smiled happily. "The Yin-Yang Law can finally be balanced!"

He then circulated his mana and began to act.

Li Peng took out the thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Beads and the Universe Ruler, preparing to begin immediately. He remembered that in prehistoric history, Randeng had used twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Beads together with the Universe Ruler to open the Twenty-Four Heavens, attaining the Quasi-Saint realm and becoming a renowned expert.

Li Peng's cultivation had now reached the Quasi-Saint Peak. Opening a minor chiliocosm world alone would not be difficult, but he planned to open a low-grade middle chiliocosm world within the Sea-Calming Divine Beads. Worlds were divided into minor chiliocosm worlds, middle chiliocosm worlds, major chiliocosm worlds, eternal worlds, and Hongmeng worlds, with each category further divided into low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and peak levels.

Li Peng had long estimated that the limit the Sea-Calming Divine Beads could contain was precisely one low-grade middle chiliocosm world. Once successful, every Sea-Calming Divine Bead would contain a world. With all thirty-six combined, their power would certainly rank among the foremost Innate Supreme Treasures.

Having thought it through, Li Peng took two deep breaths and flashed into one of the Sea-Calming Divine Beads. The moment he entered, he immediately used the divine ability of Heaven and Earth Manifestation. His body rapidly expanded until it reached ten million zhang, then stopped.

He raised his hand and summoned the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Merit Ruler. Looking around at the Chaos Void, he continuously poured mana from his body into the ruler. However, Li Peng did not dare strike with all his strength, fearing that he might accidentally damage the Sea-Calming Divine Bead and regret it beyond measure.

He focused his mind and calmed his breath, then fiercely swung the Merit Ruler forward. A terrifying ruler light erupted. Amid a thunderous boom, a vast expanse of chaos was split open, and Chaos Qi violently collided with the ruler light, transforming into Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.

Yet the chaos immediately began eroding the newly opened space, and Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind gradually returned to chaos. Fortunately, the chaotic space within the Sea-Calming Divine Bead was limited, so the erosion proceeded very slowly.

Li Peng smiled faintly at the sight. "It seems stabilizing this newly opened world will not be difficult!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung the ruler in his hand again, releasing a sharp ruler light.

In an instant, that space expanded outward by several more degrees.

Li Peng continued swinging the ruler strike after strike, gradually enlarging this space bit by bit.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, ten years passed. This space had finally reached the scale of a low-grade middle chiliocosm world.

Li Peng stopped swinging the ruler.

However, the instant he stopped, the earth slowly began to rise while the sky gradually sank.

Clearly, this world had not yet fully stabilized. It was beginning to close and was about to return to chaos.

Li Peng did not panic. He immediately brought forth the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Yin-Yang Pagoda, enlarging it until it stood as tall as heaven and earth, temporarily holding apart the upper and lower realms.

At the same time, he took out the Universe Ruler and poured surging mana from his body into it.

In an instant, an immense aura burst from the Universe Ruler.

After gathering sufficient force, Li Peng threw the ruler into the sky and shouted loudly:

"The power of the universe, stabilize heaven and earth! The power of heaven and earth, solidify!"

With his shout, an invisible ripple spread to every corner of this newborn middle chiliocosm world.

Wherever the ripple reached, the formerly raging Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind gradually calmed.

The world barriers eroded by the chaotic currents were also gradually reinforced.

A hundred years later, this low-grade middle chiliocosm world finally stabilized completely.

Low-grade middle chiliocosm world, successfully opened!

Time flew by, and more than three thousand years passed in an instant.

Li Peng had opened a low-grade middle chiliocosm world within each of three Sea-Calming Divine Beads.

Meanwhile, Kong Xuan had already cultivated the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to the peak of the sixth level a hundred years earlier. However, because Li Peng had not yet emerged from seclusion, he had continued suppressing his cultivation.

But now, he could no longer suppress it.

In the next moment, the Three Flowers above Kong Xuan's head bloomed one after another.

The Heavenly Flower bloomed first—one grade, two grades, three grades... all the way to nine grades.

After the Heavenly Flower settled at nine grades, the Earthly Flower bloomed next, from one grade to eight grades.

The Earthly Flower stopped at eight grades, and then the Human Flower bloomed, likewise reaching eight grades.

Once the Three Flowers had all bloomed, Kong Xuan's aura suddenly surged.

In mere moments, an aura belonging to a Grand Unity Golden Immortal spread from his body.

Kong Xuan broke through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm and sensed that the time for his birth had arrived. As soon as he spoke, five-colored light abruptly flowed across the giant egg's surface, and it shattered with a deafening boom. A massive peacock whose tail feathers shone with azure, yellow, crimson, black, and white divine radiance soared into the sky, circling freely among the clouds.