Chapter 30

Since the creation of heaven and earth, only the Ancient Three Sovereigns are known to have obtained Great Dao Merit through their own abilities.

When the Heavenly Dao Lineage emerged, all Innate Divine Beings were curious about who would receive the Dao's blessing.

Their deductions met no resistance, allowing them to probe the other's origins.

Meanwhile, within the chaos space of Buzhou Mountain, the Dao could not spy on the aura here.

The Yellow Old Lord and the Heart of the Earthly Path waited here.

The door to Yue Jianshi's inheritance suddenly stirred, and Tai Ming walked out.

His appearance made both beings' eyes gleam, and the Heart of the Earthly Path felt shaken, calling Tai Ming a monstrous brat and sensing the threat he posed.

Though the Heart of the Earthly Path was immensely powerful, it found this baffling.

After his breakthrough, Tai Ming's strength grew even more formidable.

Though he had not yet reached the Grand Unity realm and remained at the Grand Unity Venerable God's great perfection level, he still made the Heart of the Earthly Path feel a trace of threat.

Tai Ming, who once kept a low profile, now possessed strength that defied understanding—even the Ancient Three Sovereigns and Shen Ni, whose power had once been unfathomable, could hardly be compared.

The Heart of the Earthly Path could no longer see through Tai Ming's hidden secrets.

Even the Yellow Old Lord, known for sharp insight, praised him greatly. Though He still could not fully grasp the depth of Tai Ming's Ghost Dao, He could tell it had been perfected.

What amazed them both was that Tai Ming's current identity was merely a transformation; his strength, fused with the traits of chaos, the primordial, and the Chaos Demon God's Divine Body, surpassed all norms.

Even if the Ancient Three Sovereigns revived, few could see through his true power.

Having emerged from seclusion, Tai Ming did not grow arrogant from his enhanced strength and humbly responded to the Yellow Old Lord's praise.

As for the Heart of the Earthly Path's reaction, Tai Ming was used to it and ignored its exaggerated display.

The Heart of the Earthly Path knew Tai Ming inside out and didn't mind being ignored.

When it heard Tai Ming's reply, though it teased him for being arrogant, it still held hope for his potential.

Tai Ming acknowledged the Heart of the Earthly Path's ambition and felt the affirmation of his Dao heart from both powerful beings, filling him with confidence.

In his exchange with the Yellow Old Lord, they discussed the Innate Divine Beings of the Primordial World, and Tai Ming firmly believed he too could become a top-tier existence.

As he prepared to leave the Yellow Old Lord's Chaos Dojo, the Yellow Old Lord gifted him a Shore Flower as a present. Tai Ming, moved, eagerly absorbed the innate information it carried.

What he did not notice was that the moment he appeared, the Dao in the Nine Heavens shifted subtly.

Now, Tai Ming was entirely focused on the Shore Flower in his hand.

The Shore Flower, also known as the Flower of the Netherworld, the Flower of Death, and the Flower of Reception, was initially regarded as a low-grade Innate Spiritual Root.

Yet its terrifying growth potential drew attention: as the number of Shore Flowers increased, the main body's grade would rise, eventually reaching even the level of a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root.

The flower's ability, as its name implied, was to receive the souls of the dead.

Thus, wherever the Shore Flower grew, death and departed souls gathered, forming a unique netherworldly atmosphere.

As the Shore Flower matured, it would gradually give rise to an Other Shore World.

For Tai Ming, the Lord of the Ghost Dao, the Shore Flower's appearance was like a natural companion for ghosts and gods.

Tai Ming's Lineage of Ghosts and Gods included two types: living ghost gods, who could cultivate and improve on their own, and Departed Soul Ghost Gods, who relied on the Netherworld Ghost Seal to exist—immortal but unable to grow independently.

With the Other Shore World born from the Shore Flower, Tai Ming's ghosts and gods could break free from the Netherworld Ghost Seal, forming an independent Ghost Domain, and enhance their strength by perfecting it.

This was undoubtedly a massive opportunity for Tai Ming.

After learning the Shore Flower's innate information, Tai Ming bowed in the direction of Buzhou Mountain, where the Yellow Old Lord resided.

Though the Yellow Old Lord might not care about this, Tai Ming was someone who repaid kindness.

He solemnly expressed his gratitude to the Yellow Old Lord and stated that if the Yellow Old Lord ever needed anything, he need only command Tai Ming.

After expressing his thanks, Tai Ming noticed the shocking change in the Dao above the Nine Heavens.

As he gazed at the clearly visible Three Thousand Great Dao Laws, he seemed to sense that they were aware of him.

Earlier, in the chaos space of Buzhou Mountain, no Dao law could spy on him.

After Tai Ming appeared, Great Dao Merit descended, accompanied by a earth-shattering pillar of light that landed on him.

This also drew the attention of countless Innate Divine Beings.

Since Tai Ming made no attempt to conceal himself, he stood fully exposed before all forces.

At the same time, he learned from the newly arrived Great Dao Merit the reason for its descent.

Tai Ming's Destiny Opportunity had become a major turning point in the Primordial World's development.

The success of this Destiny Trial brought endless benefits.

The previous Destiny Trial had involved the balance of order in the Primordial World, and Tai Ming's act of destroying Grand Unity had a tremendous positive impact.

The actions of various forces all stemmed from Tai Ming's Destiny Trial.

The Dao naturally sensed Tai Ming's role in advancing the Primordial World's development, so it bestowed Great Dao Merit to honor his contribution.

Originally, this reward should have been granted immediately after the Western Great War.

However, at that time, Tai Ming was taken by the Heart of the Earthly Path into the chaos space of Buzhou Mountain, where even the Dao could not see, so the reward had to be postponed.

But the Great Dao is impartial; the rewards meant for Tai Ming would eventually fall into his hands.

As soon as Tai Ming appeared, the rewards arrived as promised.

He had only sought justice for the ordinary beings innocently caught in the great war, never expecting such a profound impact on the Primordial World.

Those who had strived to contribute to the Primordial World's development failed to obtain Great Dao Merit, while Tai Ming effortlessly gained what others dreamed of.

The world is unpredictable; sometimes its workings are simply beyond comprehension.

Tai Ming's deeds in the West ushered in a new era for the Primordial World.

Thus, this Great Dao Merit was far greater than anyone could imagine.

Upon entering Tai Ming's body, it transformed into three Great Dao Merit Divine Rings, further accentuating his divine nature.

Coupled with his immense perseverance, great fortune, profound wisdom, and the recognition of the Primordial World's Heavenly Mandate, this Great Dao Merit allowed him to turn danger into safety in any endeavor and gain recognition from opportunities and spiritual treasures at any moment.

During cultivation, encountering bottlenecks made it easier for him to achieve sudden enlightenment.

It was as if the entire Primordial World was granting him a cheat.

Given time, he would inevitably grow stronger rapidly.

More importantly, Great Dao Merit itself was a powerful cheat.

Its Primordial Violet Qi, forming the world's origin, allowed Tai Ming to draw closer to the power of the Three Thousand Great Dao Laws.

This was akin to his Ancestral Qi of the Ghost Dao, which had entered the Primordial Chaos Dao Realm, greatly enhancing his comprehension of the Great Dao.

Tai Ming's insight was already exceptional, and now it had been elevated even further.

He also obtained the Primordial Origin of the Profound Yellow Great Dao, granting him an endless supply of Profound Yellow Great Dao Qi to create boundless resources.

These benefits were immense for both himself and his ghostly divine forces.

At this moment, the timely arrival of Great Dao Merit felt perfectly opportune to Tai Ming.

Various forces in the Primordial World were emerging, and he himself had become a representative of two major factions.

He was not only the Guardian of the Earthly Dao but could also represent the Earthly Dao in the Primordial Trend before the Earthly Path Inheritor appeared. At the same time, he was the Lord of the Ghost Dao, with strength enough to make all major forces wary.

Though he was only at the Taiyi Realm, his identity as the Grand Unity Ghost Emperor among ghosts and gods ensured no force dared underestimate him.

Even more astonishing, the monks of the Pure Land Buddhist Dao, originally belonging to the Nameless Ascetic Monk of Mount Sumeru, had now become part of Tai Ming's Ghost Buddha Lineage.

Thus, more and more people began to take Tai Ming seriously.

Although he might consider himself insufficiently strong and in need of further effort, his power had already drawn the attention of the entire Primordial World.

With the arrival of Great Dao Merit, Tai Ming became even clearer about his position in the Primordial World.

He calmly faced the scrutiny from all directions and, as the Earthly Dao Guardian and Lord of the Ghost Dao, declared to the entire Primordial World: "All Primordial Beings may join my Lineage of Ghosts and Gods, enter the Earthly Dao Lineage of the Netherworld, enjoy the protection of the Earthly Dao's fortune, and possess the authority of ghosts and gods."

To attract more Primordial Beings to the Earthly Dao Lineage, Tai Ming not only opened the Netherworld as his stronghold but also could confer titles upon ghosts and gods.

Of course, he would not accept just anyone into his fold.

He needed to return to the Netherworld and work with his split-soul incarnation Jiang Chen to formulate more specific plans.

This declaration was merely to subtly reveal the existence of the Earthly Dao Lineage in the Primordial World, preventing it from being completely suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Lineage.

Tai Ming understood well that to truly strengthen the Earthly Dao Lineage, the best timing would come after the Heavenly Dao emerged, the Heavenly Realm opened, and the Heavenly Court was established.

Until then, any minor moves on his part would be seen as disrespect to the Heavenly Dao Lineage, potentially provoking retaliation.

After all, mutual respect was key.

Believing he had not yet reached an invincible state, Tai Ming was unwilling to become a target for all before the Heavenly Dao emerged.

He was still a Grand Unity Venerable God; the probing of the Heavenly Dao Lineage was not yet for him to handle personally.

Thus, after making his declaration, he decisively used his unique traits to vanish from the observation of the many divine beings.

He cared little for the discussions in the Primordial World.

His home was always the Netherworld—that was his root.

Thirty thousand years later, the Primordial World's forbidden zone, the Netherworld Blood Sea, was thick with Negative Energy like blood, dyeing the surrounding realms crimson.

It was filled with the aura of slaughter, death, and despair.

The recent great war in the West had caused the Negative Energy of the Netherworld Blood Sea to surge again, becoming even more terrifying.

Yet today, a ghostly purple streak of light descended from the heavens, from which a divine figure emerged.

Before this figure, the surrounding terrifying Negative Energy seemed to grow gentle.

It was Tai Ming, returning from Buzhou Mountain.

He had planned to use the Heart of the Earthly Path to traverse the void back to the Netherworld, but encountered many unexpected gains along the way.

Though he hadn't obtained any heaven-defying opportunities or top-tier spiritual items, he still smoothly returned to this familiar forbidden zone, the Netherworld Blood Sea.

Sensing the familiar aura and the pull of the split-soul power hidden deep within the Netherworld Blood Sea, Tai Ming's face broke into a long-lost, relaxed smile.

Gazing at the remarkable progress of his incarnation Jiang Chen, Tai Ming sighed inwardly that not only had he himself grown over the years, but his incarnation had also shown substantial development.

Jiang Chen had now successfully stepped into the Taiyi Realm, not yet reaching Great Perfection, but at the late stage.

This is the true pace of progress for an Innate Divine Being of the Primordial World, and all of this was thanks to the Netherworld Blood Sea—an exceptional cultivation ground.

Without this place, Jiang Chen's strength might have been somewhat lesser.

Of course, while such speed fell short when compared to a peerless genius like Tai Ming, Tai Ming was already more than satisfied.

Although Jiang Chen could maintain contact with Tai Ming through his split soul, the main body undergoing external training was not Jiang Chen himself. His cultivation to the late Tai Yi stage was achieved entirely through steady, down-to-earth effort, step by step.

Tai Ming pondered the current state of the Netherworld, hoping for the completion of Ming He and Huang Quan's gestation. Once that happened, Jiang Chen would be freed from his constraints and able to venture out for training.

Though staying in the Netherworld Blood Sea posed no danger to Jiang Chen and would steadily increase his strength, the lack of experience and worldly knowledge would inevitably slow his progress in later stages.

Thus, Tai Ming wanted Jiang Chen to train in the Primordial World, to solidify his foundation.

With this thought in mind, Tai Ming hurried toward the Netherworld.

Though he could access the memories of Jiang Chen's split soul, seeing things with his own eyes was the only way to grasp the truth.

With a single thought, he appeared in the familiar realm. This was the Netherworld—he had returned!