Primordial Wilderness: Starting by Downloading Pangu's Cultivation

Shen Ni's heart trembled, and he hurriedly said, "Dao Venerable, I am willing to be your attendant, a servant or a slave—I will agree to anything you ask. I only beg you not to kill me, to grant me a thread of life. I, Shen Ni, am willing to swear a Great Dao oath, to follow the Dao Venerable eternally, and to dedicate everything I have to you."

He sensed the killing intent from Qing Tian and spoke without delay.

The longer a being had lived, the more they cherished their own life.

Especially someone like Shen Ni, who had wielded the power of life and death over the Fierce Beast Clan and enjoyed every extreme pleasure existence could offer—he was even more reluctant to die.

Qing Tian narrowed his eyes slightly. To dissolve Shen Ni's karmic sin, the best course would be to find Old Ancestor Minghe's Naihe Gui.

But Old Ancestor Minghe had yet to take form; by the time he emerged into the world, it would likely be after the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation.

And before that, Shen Ni would probably already be dead, weighed down by his own karma.

What was more, for a Sub-Saint Great Power like Shen Ni, even the Naihe Gui might not be able to cleanse his karmic sin.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke flatly, "Swear the oath. This Venerable can spare your life."

Shen Ni was stunned at first, then overwhelmed with joy, feeling as though he had escaped a calamity by a hair's breadth.

He dared not hesitate and immediately swore to the Great Dao. "I, Shen Ni, swear to the Great Dao: I will be eternally loyal to Dao Venerable Qing Tian, willingly serving as a slave or servant, daring no resentment. If I harbor any disloyal thoughts, may I be eternally annihilated, my true spirit extinguished into the void!"

Boom!

Heaven and Earth shook—this was the Great Dao's response.

Qing Tian could not help but glance sideways.

This Shen Ni was ruthless enough to swear such a venomous oath, but it also proved his sincerity.

After making the Great Dao oath, Shen Ni did not linger. Instead, he tapped his brow, extracted a drop of Soul Blood, and floated it before Qing Tian.

This was like handing over a drawn sword—giving another the hilt—placing his own life and death into Qing Tian's hands.

"Not bad."

Qing Tian nodded and said coolly to Shen Ni, "This Venerable will send you to a place. Do not resist in any way. When the time comes, I will summon you forth."

"Yes."

Shen Ni lowered his head, not daring the slightest hint of defiance.

Qing Tian paid it no further mind. With a light flick of his finger, a spatial rift appeared, seeming to lead to a mysterious world thick with dense Sha Qi.

Shen Ni did not hesitate, understanding Qing Tian's intent. His body turned into a streak of light and vanished into the rift.

The next moment, the rift disappeared.

Shen Ni's aura also faded into silence within the Primordial Wilderness.

The World-Destroying Millstone!

Qing Tian thought long and hard. In all the world, perhaps only the World-Destroying Millstone could block the karmic sin and causal burden weighing on Shen Ni.

Or rather, temporarily obscure the Heavenly Mechanism!

Having dealt with Shen Ni, his gaze turned toward distant Buzhou Mountain and the Thirty-Three Heavens hidden atop its peak, yet to fully manifest.

"The Divine Court, Di Tian—this is also a trouble. The Divine Court must be dealt with, or else how can the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation play out to its peak?"

Qing Tian mused silently to himself.

Di Tian was a being who appeared only rarely in the history of the Primordial Wilderness; only a few top-tier Great Powers knew of his existence.

Di Tian stood opposite Shen Ni.

He was the king of the Innate Divine Race.

In ages past, Pangu had slaughtered far and wide, cutting down countless Chaos Demon Gods.

The corpses of those Chaos Demon Gods had fallen into the Primordial Wilderness.

The flesh and blood of those Demon Gods, mingled with the Heaven Cleaver's Sha Qi and the turbid Qi of the earth, gave birth to the Fierce Beast lineage.

The shattered divine souls and thoughts of the Demon Gods, on the other hand, merged with the pure Qi of Heaven to form the Divine Race.

In truth, before the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation, there should have been another calamity.

That was the Fierce Beast Calamity.

Shen Ni led the Fierce Beasts in a rebellion against the gods of the heavens, and in the end, both sides fell, withdrawing from the stage of the Primordial Wilderness.

Only then did the Three Races truly go to war, igniting the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation.

Otherwise, with Shen Ni and Di Tian leading the Divine Race and the Fierce Beast Clan watching covetously, the Three Innate Races—no matter how bold their ambitions—would never have fought to the death, allowing the Divine and Beast races to profit as the fisherman.

But now, the situation was different.

To be precise, the rhythm of the great calamity had already changed, diverging from the normal course.

Fortunately, this was only a minor deviation, with no impact on the grand scheme.

What Qing Tian needed to do now was to deal with Di Tian as well—either kill him outright or send him to keep Shen Ni company.

After all, it was best for a family to stay together.

Above the Thirty-Three Heavens...

Di Tian had long noticed the situation in the Primordial Wilderness.

Shen Ni's plea for help reached his ears with perfect clarity, yet his gaze remained fixed on Qing Tian.

Now, seeing Qing Tian actually ascending Buzhou Mountain, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"I haven't provoked him or offended him—what business does he have coming to the Divine Court?"

Terror clawed at Di Tian's heart, but he dared not delay. He swiftly ordered all the gods under his command to line the path and welcome Qing Tian, terrified of angering this harbinger of doom.

Just as he set foot on the Thirty-Three Heavens, Qing Tian witnessed this spectacle and couldn't help but chuckle. "How amusing..."

Because of Qing Tian's arrival, the entire Divine Court fell into disarray.

Qing Tian shook his head, musing to himself, When did I become so famous?

He had forgotten that his earlier pursuit of Shen Ni across the Northern Continent, tearing through the sky with earth-shaking momentum, had naturally caught the eyes of these beings.

"Daoist Qing Tian has traveled far to grace us—the Divine Court shines with your presence. Please, join me for a talk. This Emperor has prepared immortal wine and spirit fruits."

Di Tian's attitude was warm as he welcomed Qing Tian inside.

Qing Tian was helpless.

You don't slap a smiling face.

With Di Tian putting on such a front, what else could he do?

It wasn't as if he could say, For the Dragon-Han Tribulation to proceed smoothly, I need to kill you.

Under Di Tian's guidance, Qing Tian arrived at the Divine Palace.

Inside, Divine Maidens were already dancing, their graceful, sinuous movements soothing the soul.

Behind the two of them, the Thirteen Divine Emperors of the Divine Race took their seats in order, raising their cups to Qing Tian as if terrified of angering him.

Only then did Qing Tian realize he had misunderstood all along.

He had previously thought the Divine Court occupied all Thirty-Three Heavens, but now he understood—they only held Tai Huang Tian.

The remaining thirty-two heavens had yet to manifest, their time not yet come.

This explained why the Divine Court, despite occupying such a prime location, still fell during the Fierce Beast Calamity.

"If that's the case, the other thirty-two heavens remain undeveloped. Their celestial treasures and various Innate Spiritual Treasures must be plentiful. Why not take a trip?"

Qing Tian's mind raced as he pondered silently.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of delicacies, Qing Tian rose to his full height.

The Divine Court's members tensed instantly. Qing Tian noticed that several Divine Emperors even carried intense fluctuations of energy, as if ready to break into battle at the slightest provocation.

He let out a soft laugh. "I intruded rashly today and caused much disturbance. I hope you'll forgive me. I still have urgent matters to attend to, so I cannot stay long. Another time, if opportunity allows, I'll drink with you until we're thoroughly drunk."

"What?" Di Tian exclaimed in surprise. "The Dao Venerable is leaving already? I haven't even fulfilled my duties as host and properly entertained you."

Though his words said one thing, his heart screamed another: Leave, leave, hurry up and leave...

Qing Tian, unwilling to expose him, took a single step. In an instant, he vanished and reappeared in the Chaos Void above the Divine Court.

The Thirty-Three Heavens rose one upon another. Above Tai Huang Tian lay Tai Ming Tian, also known as Tai Ming Yu Wan Tian.

Qing Tian stood in the void as countless streams of information flowed through his mind. His eyes blazed with brilliant light, as if they could pierce all illusions, calculating the location of Tai Ming Tian.

Pangu's inheritance contained various methods of divination, but unfortunately, Qing Tian's inheritance was incomplete. He couldn't deduce it directly and had to rely on the connections between Tai Huang Tian and Tai Ming Tian, following every clue and trace to find a breakthrough.

Time trickled by, and in the blink of an eye, one hundred and twenty thousand years passed. Qing Tian silently calculated, and finally, on this day, he opened his eyes. Brilliant divine light burst forth as he gazed at an almost imperceptible cloud in the sky.

This cloud was utterly ordinary, seemingly insignificant. Yet Qing Tian knew—this was the only path to Tai Ming Tian!

With a single step, his cultivation erupted. His form vanished from its spot, and when he reappeared, he stood in an entirely new world.

The air was thick with the densest Chaos Spiritual Qi, nearly condensed into mist, giving everything a hazy, dreamlike quality.