The years passed in a leisurely flow, and time slipped away.
Hundreds of years had passed since that special training session that had helped Feng Xi grow and comprehend the ways of shamelessness and ruthlessness.
With those years of experience settling within him, he had truly integrated into the Primordial World and adapted to his immortal life.
He accumulated knowledge and studied the principles of the Dao.
Feng Xi plunged headfirst into the ocean of knowledge, learning from the wisdom and philosophies the Ancestral Witches had accumulated while crossing countless timelines and witnessing the rise and fall of endless civilizations, turning them into nourishment for his own growth.
Besides that, he would occasionally conduct secret treasure hunts in the Witch Clan's library. Whenever the opportunity arose, he would also consult Ancestral Witch Dijiang... He worked hard to improve, striving to secure more chances of survival for his future.
—Though that day was still a long way off.
Although he had descended into this world as a warrior, but... thank the heavens!
The true war between the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan would not erupt for who knew how many tens of thousands of years.
After all, the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court had not even been established yet.
The Witch-Demon Cataclysm was imminent—at least according to the concept of time held by a Grand Unity Supreme, who might casually spend ten or eight yuanhui in seclusion.
But for Feng Xi?
That was far, far too distant!
Of course, he did not slacken in his cultivation or waste his energy on enjoying life.
Because as he studied, watched his knowledge and wisdom increase bit by bit, and felt himself grow increasingly fulfilled... he experienced happiness.
To Feng Xi, it was an indescribable form of supreme enjoyment.
He loved cultivation. Cultivation brought him joy!
If not for the threat to his life in the future, Feng Xi mused... he might have become a pure seeker of the Dao.
Unfortunately, that was not realistic.
Having accepted benefits from Ancestral Witch Houtu, how could he dare refuse to fulfill his obligations?
Fighting the Demon Clan might not necessarily get him killed.
But a deserter? He would definitely die, and in the most miserable way possible!
That left Feng Xi no choice but to divert some of his energy toward struggling to seize control of his own fate.
Fortunately, after enduring countless hardships, he finally dug out a "forbidden book" from the Witch Clan's internal library. It had been hidden in an extremely obscure corner and had never been uploaded to the Witch Clan's information network.
"Chronicles of the Primordial Era?" Feng Xi carefully lifted the book. "That name sounds so grand... Who wrote it?"
He looked left and right, and finally found the compiler's name in a corner of the book—Bai Ze!
In an instant, inspiration flashed repeatedly through Feng Xi's mind.
Just looking at the name, it clearly screamed—there was a huge secret!
Who was Bai Ze?
In mythological legends, he was an auspicious mythical beast encountered by the Yellow Emperor!
He was said to know astronomy and geography above, and every trivial detail below; he could see through the past and know the future. He could speak human language and had once answered the Yellow Emperor's request by creating an illustrated guide to ghosts and gods—the Bai Ze's Spirit Monster Illustrated Guide, which recorded 11,520 kinds of ghosts, gods, spirits, and monsters.
—The Emperor went on an inspection tour and traveled east to the sea, where he climbed Mount Huan and encountered the divine beast Bai Ze on the seashore. Bai Ze could speak and understood the nature of all things. The Emperor therefore asked him about the ghosts and gods beneath heaven. Since ancient times, there had been 11,520 kinds of things formed from vital essences and transformations of wandering souls. Bai Ze explained them all, and the Emperor ordered them illustrated so they could be shown throughout the world.
Once people encountered a monster, they could search for it by consulting the illustrations. Then, following the methods recorded within, even ordinary mortals could eliminate strange and wicked monsters and ghosts!
Thus, there was a saying—Keep a picture of Bai Ze at home, and monsters will vanish on their own!
"What a ruthless one... No, what a ruthless beast!"
Recalling Bai Ze's glorious achievements, Feng Xi could not help sighing.
A single Bai Ze's Spirit Monster Illustrated Guide had practically erased more than ten thousand Demon Clan races from existence... If this fellow was not ruthless, then who was?
He had not even needed to wield a blade. Just moving his lips had been more terrifying than any divine weapon.
However, there was another claim about Bai Ze's deeds, one whose truth was unknown—during the Witch-Demon War, he had served as one of the Demon Clan's Ten Demon Marshals as its strategist, leading the fight against the Witch Clan.
Between the two versions, which was true and which was false?
Perhaps both were true.
Betting on both sides—standard practice for a Great Divine Ability User.
Feng Xi had already witnessed it with his own eyes. Having one more Bai Ze made no difference, and having one fewer Bai Ze made no difference either.
Of course, whether Bai Ze had placed his bets or not, the appearance of his name at this moment undoubtedly lent authority to this Chronicles of the Primordial Era, making it highly credible.
Feng Xi furtively looked around. After confirming that no one was nearby, he slipped into a quiet room and began reading.
Soon, an ancient era unfolded before him.
This Chronicles of the Primordial Era recorded the history of the previous epoch, recounting the stirring experiences of countless Innate Divine Beings as they rose to prominence!
"Pangu Creates Heaven and Earth, and the Primordial World first took shape."
"When Heaven and Earth first opened, the essence-blood of the Chaos Demon Gods evolved into fierce beasts that ravaged the Primordial World."
"Wherever they passed, mountains and rivers shattered, and all living beings perished. The devastation was boundless."
"This was known as—the Fierce Beast Tribulation!"
"At the moment of crisis, the Innate Divine Beings emerged in response to destiny."
"To protect Heaven and Earth, to protect all living beings, the gods threw down their heads and shed their blood, waging countless battles. In the end, they slew the Fierce Beast Emperor—Shen Ni—in the starry sky, shattered his remains into Guixu, and quelled the bloody upheaval."
"The twin poles of Heaven and Earth, the True Dragon and divine Phoenix!"
"Dragon Ancestor established himself in the vast sea. All scaled creatures beneath Heaven honored his commands. He established the supreme divine court, with divine beings such as Zhu, Hong Yun, Kunpeng, and Jimeng gathering beneath his banner."
"Phoenix Saint established herself in the southern heavens, guarded by the Feathered Clan and supported by the gods. She founded the supreme divine temple, with divine beings such as Qinyuan, Ziguang, and Jieyin bustling about to nurture all living beings."
"The divine court and divine temple held different ideals, ultimately leading to a battle to determine superiority... This was the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation!"
"Demon Ancestor Rahu was sinister and treacherous, unmatched in schemes."
"The Inner Demon sowed chaos, leaving the divine heart clouded."
"His mastery of sowing discord was unparalleled... First he destroyed the divine court, then he destroyed the divine temple!"
"Dragon Ancestor entered annihilation, while Phoenix Saint underwent Nirvana. For a time, the boundless Primordial World saw its mountains and rivers dyed red with immeasurable blood!"
"Dao Ancestor Hong emerged and battled Rahu... This was the Dao-Demon Tribulation!"
"Alas! Though the Demon Ancestor perished, his will did not. One day, he might yet wage war against Heaven and Earth again, bringing another disaster upon the Primordial World."
"After enduring prolonged warfare, the living beings of the myriad races yearned for peace."
"At that time, **** won the support of the myriad gods, established ****, became the first ****, carried out ****, and thus the Primordial World entered an era of great order!"
Feng Xi finished the preface of the Chronicles of the Primordial Era with great interest, gaining an overall understanding of the major events of the First Epoch.
There was far too much within that exceeded his imagination—for example, the activities of several renowned powerhouses. Not long after Heaven and Earth had been created, they had already stepped onto the stage of the Primordial World.
During the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, for instance, Dragon Ancestor and Phoenix Saint had certainly been the protagonists, but there had also been supporting characters whose existence could not be ignored.
Nuwa, Fuxi, Jieyin, Kunpeng, Hong Yun...
They had each chosen sides, using Heaven and Earth as the chessboard and the myriad races as pieces. As they played their moves, they had fought until Heaven and Earth were turned upside down!
In the end, rather than saying that Dragon Ancestor and Phoenix Saint had led their respective forces into battle, it would be more accurate to say that their subordinates had dragged them into it, forcing them to participate in the game of supremacy over the Primordial World.
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