The Primordial Era

Clearly, they unanimously agreed to gather the full fighting strength of the Witch Clan on the day of Di Jun's Wedding to attack the Demon Clan.

Time flowed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day Li Peng was to take disciples.

Li Peng stood high in the sky outside Three Immortal Island, looking down at the countless densely packed living beings below, and said calmly, "Formation, rise!"

As his voice fell, an eighty-two-tiered staircase, tens of thousands of feet high, rose from the center of the island.

Each tier of the staircase was equipped with an Illusion Formation. The higher one ascended, the more difficult the Illusion Formation became, making it hard for anyone without great willpower and wisdom to pass.

Li Peng looked at the rising formation, nodded in satisfaction, and was about to announce the start of the disciple-testing, when the System's prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Detected that the host is about to take disciples. Please make a choice!"

"Choice One: It is better to have a few excellent disciples than many. The host already has five **. Please drive away all the living beings from the Primordial Era who come to seek discipleship."

"Reward: One million years of magic power, one random High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure."

"Choice Two: Many hands make light work. Please take all the living beings from the Primordial Era who come to seek discipleship under your wing."

"Choice Three: As a System host, how can one go back on their word? Please take all the living beings from the Primordial Era who pass the test as **, and find a way to have more than ten ** under your tutelage."

"Reward: One Divine Ability Granting Card, one Saint-level ** Golden Peng Dao Art!"

"Please make your choice as soon as possible."

Li Peng listened to the System's prompt and was speechless for a moment.

He hadn't expected the System to join in the fun at this moment.

However, having a reward was always better than having no reward, so he unhesitatingly began to examine the options given by the System.

"Absurd!"

Upon seeing the first choice, Li Peng couldn't help but curse.

Since he had already gathered the living beings of the Primordial Era here and announced that he would be taking disciples, the System's first option was for him to take none at all?

If Li Peng truly went back on his word and took no **, how could he maintain his reputation?

Therefore, Li Peng dismissed the first choice without a second thought.

He didn't even bother to carefully examine the reward content attached to the first option.

Next, Li Peng shifted his attention to the second choice.

As soon as he saw the content of the second option, a surge of impulse to curse again welled up in his heart.

However, when he clearly saw the reward for Choice Two, that surge of anger instantly vanished.

This was because the reward for Choice Two was indeed extremely tempting--the Heavenly Dao-level ** Pangu Body Refining Technique (The reason it was classified as Heavenly Dao-level was because Pangu failed to prove the Great Dao when he created the heavens, hence it was categorized as Heavenly Dao-level).

Although the reward was incredibly generous, if he were to truly take all these millions of living beings from the Primordial Era under his wing, Li Peng's Destiny would likely be quickly depleted.

In the original history of the Primordial Era, the Sect Leader Tongtian merely orchestrated the "Myriad Immortals Coming to Court," which ultimately led to the sect's destruction and his own imprisonment.

If he were to take all these tens of millions of living beings from the Primordial Era as ** , the consequences would be simply...

Thinking of this, Li Peng dared not continue thinking.

But the reward for this option was too difficult to give up.

With a conflicted heart, Li Peng looked at the third choice.

Hmm, taking in disciples who passed the test was a reasonable condition.

Gathering ten disciples?

This wasn't difficult either; he could just pick a few with the best potential from those who hadn't passed the test.

Looking further at the reward!

When Li Peng saw the reward content, he blurted out, " ** !"

What kind of reward was this?

A Divine Ability Granting Card?

What novel item was this?

Did using this card allow him to perfectly copy one of his divine abilities and grant it to a **?

Out of curiosity, Li Peng quickly clicked on the detailed description of the Divine Ability Granting Card.

Divine Ability Granting Card: Using this card allows the perfect replication of one divine ability from the host and grants it to a **. (The power, proficiency, and control level of this divine ability will be exactly the same as the host's current level.)

After reading the description, Li Peng cursed again, "This is too powerful!"

It was important to remember that Li Peng had mastered quite a few divine abilities. Although most of them were acquired through post-natal cultivation.

But don't forget, he also possessed a heaven-defying innate divine ability--Yin-Yang Destruction Divine Light!

Once a ** acquired this divine ability, challenging those of higher realms would be a piece of cake.

Although...

Wait! Li Peng suddenly remembered that among his personal **, there was indeed a promising seedling with innate Yin-Yang attributes!

Instantly, a fiery light flashed in Li Peng's eyes.

Having a successor who perfectly inherits one's legacy, what a comforting thought.

As for that Heavenly Dao-grade Pangu Body Refining Technique?

Though Li Peng was tempted, he knew he couldn't bear the corresponding price.

Without hesitation, Li Peng told the System, "I choose three."

After making his selection, he calmly announced to all the beings below, "Anyone who can ascend these eighty-one steps can join my sect and become my personal disciple."

As his voice faded, Li Peng vanished into the void, quietly observing the beings of the Primordial Era who came to seek discipleship for any promising talent.

Instantly, countless beings from the Primordial Era surged towards the steps, scrambling to be first.

However, they went up as quickly as they came down. Most beings, shortly after entering, were teleported out by the formation before even passing the first trial.

Some beings were unconvinced and wanted to try again, but as soon as they stepped into the formation's range, a powerful force repelled them from the small island.

Seeing this, other beings who wanted to try could only stop, sighing in resignation before turning to leave. Since they had no fate to become Li Peng's disciples, they had to try their luck with other Saints.

At this moment, three beings from the Primordial Era had already reached over thirty levels at the front of the steps.

Li Peng's gaze swept over them, and he couldn't help but pause—one of them was actually a human. Logically, those among the Human Race with great perseverance and wisdom would mostly follow Li Wu to cultivate the Martial Dao; why would someone come here to seek discipleship?

He felt a pang of doubt and sent his divine sense towards the human. Upon investigation, he discovered that this person's aptitude for the immortal path was mediocre, and their talent for the Martial Dao was even worse. Without external help, they would achieve little in this life.

However, for a Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal like Li Peng, improving aptitude was not difficult. As long as this person's disposition passed the test, taking him as a disciple was not impossible.

After discerning the human's situation, Li Peng's gaze shifted to the Daoist walking alongside him. That Daoist had sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, a righteous expression, clearly an upright individual. Furthermore, his true form was Innate Geng Metal, and while his aptitude wasn't top-tier, it was quite good.

Li Peng nodded slightly, quite pleased.

However, when he looked at the being from the Primordial Era walking at the very front, he frowned—the other party had not yet formed a physical body and their cultivation had only reached the Golden Immortal realm. At such a realm, how had they survived in the Primordial Era?

Li Peng traveled all the way to Three Immortal Island, attributing all of this to fate.

He suddenly noticed that the golden-haired monkey had six small ears.

"It's a Six-Eared Macaque!" Li Peng exclaimed inwardly, startled.

He remembered that the Six-Eared Macaque was one of the Four Monkeys of Chaos and was later killed by Sun Wukong's staff.

The Four Monkeys of Chaos, originally formed from the remnants of the Chaos Demon Ape, did not belong to the divine, human, or ghost categories, nor to the scaly, winged, or furred creatures. They were not among the ten classes.

The first was the Clever Stone Monkey, who understood transformations, knew the times, understood the terrain, and could move stars and change constellations—the future Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.

The second was the Red-Bottomed Macaque, who understood Yin and Yang, knew human affairs, was skilled at entering and exiting, and could avoid death and prolong life.

The third was the Long-Armed Ape, who could grasp the sun and moon, shrink mountains, discern fortune and misfortune, and manipulate the universe.

The fourth was the Six-Eared Macaque, who was skilled at hearing sounds, discerning reason, knowing the past and future, and understanding all things.

The Six-Eared Macaque appeared earliest and should have been the strongest.

But because he used his innate divine ability to eavesdrop on Dao Ancestor Hongjun's preaching, Hongjun let out a cold snort and sealed his divine consciousness.

Hongjun also declared, "The Dharma is not passed to six ears," completely cutting off his path to cultivation.

Relying on his divine ability to know the past and future and understand all things, the Six-Eared Macaque repeatedly sought out the great powers of the Primordial Era, hoping to become a disciple and seek the Dao.

However, because of Hongjun's statement, "The Dharma is not passed to six ears," no one dared to take him as a disciple. Even those who appreciated his aptitude and desire for the Dao dared not defy the Dao Ancestor's will.

Not long ago, the Six-Eared Macaque heard that Li Peng intended to take disciples and rushed day and night, finally arriving outside Three Immortal Island as the thousand-year deadline approached.

Seeing the Six-Eared Macaque, Li Peng felt a sense of shared misfortune.

Both the Golden Winged Great Peng and the Six-Eared Macaque possessed extraordinary talent, yet both ruined their own futures through their own cleverness.

In the original history of the Primordial Era, by the time of the Journey to the West, both were insignificant figures.

With such similarities, Li Peng felt as if he saw his own reflection in the Six-Eared Macaque.

In that instant, he decided that regardless of whether the Six-Eared Macaque passed the test, he would take him as a personal disciple.

Of course, Li Peng valued the Six-Eared Macaque not solely because of their similarities.

It was more because of the Six-Eared Macaque's immense potential—as one of the Four Monkeys of Chaos, if the origins of the four monkeys were gathered, it might be possible to transform the Six-Eared Macaque into a new Chaos Demon Ape.

Thinking of this, Li Peng's heart surged with emotion.

After all, how fulfilling would it be to personally cultivate a Chaos Demon Ape!

After making his decision, Li Peng continued to observe the remaining beings of the Primordial Era. Seeing their faces filled with pain, anger, frustration, sorrow, and tears, he lost interest.

Time flowed by, and three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. Only a little over ten beings from the Primordial Era remained within the Ninety-Nine Heart Refining Great Formation. As for those who failed the challenge, they had long since left, hoping to try their luck with other Saints to see if they could be accepted as disciples.

Another hundred years passed, and only three people remained in the formation. Almost all the other beings from the Primordial Era had been eliminated.

Of the dozen or so beings, eight more left, leaving only six with steadfast hearts, quietly awaiting the appearance of the Golden Peng Saint.

Ten years later, the Six-Eared Macaque was the first to emerge from the Ninety-Nine Heart Refining Great Formation.

A year later, the human and the middle-aged Daoist also finally emerged from the formation.

Seeing that all the beings from the Primordial Era had exited the formation, Li Peng finally appeared from the void.

Upon seeing Li Peng, the nine beings from the Primordial Era immediately knelt and bowed, "Greetings, Golden Peng Saint!"

Li Peng nodded and said, "Rise, all of you."

Everyone then got to their feet.

Li Peng looked at the Six-Eared Macaque, the Human Race member, and the middle-aged Daoist, and said, "The three of you have passed the Ninety-Nine Heart Refining Great Formation. You may all become my personal **."

"Thank you, Master!" the Six-Eared Macaque, the Human Race member, and the middle-aged Daoist said in unison.

Li Peng waved his hand, "Although you have passed the test, you must abide by my sect rules. If you cannot, it is best to leave as soon as possible."

"Please tell us, Master, and we will surely abide by them!" the three replied in unison.

Li Peng nodded and said:

"First, you must not betray the sect. If you violate this rule, I will personally ensure your soul is annihilated.

Second, you must not harm fellow disciples. If you violate this rule, I will personally ensure your soul is annihilated.

Third, you must have integrity and not damage the sect's reputation for the sake of survival. If you violate this rule, I will revoke your cultivation and expel you from the sect.

Can you three do these things?"

The Six-Eared Macaque, the Human Race member, and the middle-aged Daoist heard this and breathed a sigh of relief, replying in unison, "We can definitely do it!"

Li Peng nodded, "Good!"

Seeing this, the Six-Eared Macaque and the others bowed again in unison, "Greetings, Master!"

Li Peng nodded, "You may all rise."

Everyone then stood up.

Li Peng smiled, "Introduce yourselves."

The Six-Eared Macaque scratched his head and said somewhat shyly, "I am the Six-Eared Macaque. You can just call me Six-Eared from now on."

The middle-aged man continued, "My name is Yu Ding. I was originally a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the White Jade Cauldron, that achieved Formed."

Li Peng was slightly surprised to hear Yu Ding's origin. He hadn't expected to recruit one of Primordial Lord of Heaven's disciples unintentionally. However, since Yu Ding had now joined his sect, he was no longer connected to Primordial Lord of Heaven. Thinking that Yu Ding might cause trouble for Primordial Lord of Heaven's disciples in the future, Li Peng's lips couldn't help but curl into a slight smile.

The Human Race member then spoke, "My name is Xuan Du. I am just an ordinary member of the Human Race."

Li Peng's heart stirred upon hearing this.

It seems my grand recruitment of disciples this time was the right move. Not only did I poach a ** from Primordial Lord of Heaven, but I also took in the only ** of Laozi in Primordial Era history. I want to see who Laozi will take as a disciple next! Will Xuan Du still achieve what he did in Primordial Era history? Li Peng thought to himself.

Thinking of this, he almost couldn't suppress his smile, but as a master, he couldn't lose his dignity in front of his **. So, he composed himself and turned his gaze to the six Primordial Era beings beside him, asking, "Why aren't you leaving?"

The six Primordial Era beings knelt down in unison and pleaded loudly, "Please, Golden Peng Saint, take us as disciples!"

As they spoke, they kowtowed repeatedly.

Li Peng chuckled inwardly, *This is more like it. If you don't kowtow, how can I take you as disciples directly? After all, the mission requires me to take in more than ten *.

He feigned a sigh and said, "Since you have persisted until now, it shows your determination. I will accept you as registered **."