Within Buzhou Mountain in the Primordial Great World...
In Great God Nuwa's dojo...
"Roasted chicken wings—I love eating them. Today, I'm adding a whole pile of spiritual herbs..."
A rat was enthusiastically roasting a chicken wing. On closer inspection, it was actually a phoenix wing. With nothing better to do, the Treasure Seeking Rat, whose personality was rather wild, had braved the pressure of Buzhou Mountain and secretly gone to the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin battlefield, carrying away a dead phoenix. From then on, he had never dared leave the mountain.
Every day, he simply barbecued phoenix meat and lived a blissful life...
Whoosh...
A flash of light appeared. Four people stepped out of a vortex. The Treasure Seeking Rat's eyes widened, and he immediately cried out, "You're back... You're finally back... Do you know how I've lived these past twenty thousand years? You heartless people..."
Duobao looked like a resentful wife as he raised his head pitifully...
"Duobao... stop fooling around. Has anything major happened in the Primordial Great World lately?" Chen Xuan asked with a smile.
"Hmph... Great God Nuwa, comfort me." Duobao grunted, then suddenly wrapped both arms around Great God Nuwa's leg. Before he could rub against her more than twice, she kicked him flying, leaving him with an aggrieved expression.
"You really are an insidious fellow. No wonder you became Duobao Tathagata. Your belly is full of wicked ideas. Quickly, tell me about the trends in the Primordial Great World. And have you seen any treasures lately?" Great God Nuwa looked at Duobao. His chubby, adorable appearance was simply too cute compared with the later Duobao Tathagata.
"Ahem..." Duobao coughed and said, "Ancestor Dragon entered the Half-Saint realm ten thousand years ago, shocking the countless races of the Primordial Great World. Later, Yuanfeng and First Qilin proved no weaker than him and broke through one after another. The entire Primordial Great World has been fighting every day..."
"It's said that this time, the Qilin Clan has joined forces with the Phoenix Clan, planning to resist the Dragon Clan together. Endless slaughter has spread throughout the Primordial Great World. Can you see the Heaven and Earth Tribulation Qi surging?"
"All living beings tainted by it have gone mad with killing. Every day, one of the myriad races of the Primordial Great World is wiped out. It's terrifying beyond words..."
Chen Xuan looked up at the sky. Sure enough, the ancient firmament was terrifying. The wind and clouds changed color, the sun and moon dimmed, and a bleak killing intent hung over Cang Xuan. One mighty expert after another had surely entered seclusion, but once tainted by the killing tribulation, no one could escape...
The later Investiture of the Gods Calamity had begun precisely because the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chanjiao Sect had been tainted by the killing tribulation of the Primordial Great World. They had initiated the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, and even the Saints could not avoid it...
"It seems the Dragon-Han Calamity hasn't ended yet. There's still some time before it does. What do you think we should scheme?" Chen Xuan pondered.
"I think we can make some plans. After obtaining one round of merit, my brother and I will be far ahead of the three thousand guests of Purple Firmament Palace," Nuwa said solemnly.
"Indeed. If the tribulation continues as it has, the Primordial Great World will inevitably head toward the mortal world of later generations. The Age of Dharma Decline will descend, and all tribulations will end in annihilation. We must make a choice..." Houtu nodded gravely as well.
"Indeed. It's time to act in this Dragon-Han Calamity..." Fuxi said solemnly.
"Good... The main battlefield this time is in the West. We'll make a trip there and make sure the battle becomes more interesting." The corners of Nuwa's lips lifted. She had developed a strong interest, as if she were going to disrupt history.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go..." Chen Xuan was also eager to leave.
"You can't go. The tribulation qi has already arisen. Under the killing tribulation, you're just a weakling who hasn't even become an immortal yet—a weak dog. What are you getting involved for? I'll take you to the Witch Clan..." The Ancestral Witch Houtu stepped forward, leaving Chen Xuan on the verge of tears.
"You..." Chen Xuan tried to argue.
"That's right... Don't get involved. The calamity is too terrifying..." Fuxi and Nuwa nodded together, as did the Treasure Seeking Rat.
"Fine! But you have merit protecting you, so the tribulation qi won't touch you. Still, be careful. The West will be destroyed and turned into a land of stitched-together fragments. That was definitely a Half-Saint-level self-detonation."
Chen Xuan earnestly warned them. Naturally, none of them dared act recklessly, and they all nodded.
"Don't worry... We won't put ourselves in danger. That wouldn't serve our interests." Great God Nuwa also made her own plans.
"Just do it. Whatever treasures there are, we, the bandits of the Primordial Great World, definitely won't miss them. Heh heh..." Chen Xuan grinned.
Over the following period, everyone cultivated diligently in Great God Nuwa's dojo. Chen Xuan broke through from the Tribulation Crossing stage to the Mahayana stage, reaching the half-step Earth Immortal realm. Since the Primordial Great World still lacked a complete Heavenly Dao, cultivation proceeded smoothly...
"I'm only one realm away from becoming an Earth Immortal. Do any of you know a way?" Chen Xuan looked at Great God Nuwa expectantly.
"Have a cup of tea." Great God Nuwa handed him a cup of tea. Its rich fragrance made Chen Xuan's eyes light up. This was Enlightenment Tea, the treasure he had dreamed of day and night.
After drinking the tea, he felt refreshed and his soul danced with joy. A wave of comfort spread from within to without. The myriad things of Heaven and Earth appeared before his eyes, and the rules seemed within easy reach. It was as if the universe had become a system, making it effortless to enter the Dao...
A powerful force of insight left him enlightened. After another wave of comfort, he broke through once more, advancing to the late Mahayana stage and reaching the half-step Earth Immortal realm...
"Not bad... You've broken through to the half-step Earth Immortal realm this time. In an era when the Heavenly Dao has yet to manifest, you only need to break through recklessly, and you won't encounter any bottlenecks. Otherwise, the path of cultivation will only grow more difficult from here on..."
Great God Nuwa knew very well that after Hongjun merged with the Dao, the Heavenly Dao would be perfected, bringing various Heavenly Dao rules, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, the Three Calamities and Six Tribulations, and countless other tribulations. All of them had been established for living beings.
The road to the Great Dao would gradually become fraught with hardships. Whether this was Hongjun's deliberate design or the Heavenly Dao perfecting itself remained a mystery to everyone at present.
After cultivating in Great God Nuwa's dojo for half a month...
Chen Xuan ate many rare immortal treasures every day, and his cultivation speed improved by leaps and bounds: nine stalks of calamus, a Ginseng Baby, a hundred-thousand-year-old immortal lingzhi, a million-year-old blood bodhi...
Boom...
Chen Xuan finally broke through and became an Earth Immortal in one go. His entire body radiated a powerful aura that surged outward. He felt as if he had reached the peak of his life; with one punch, he could blast apart a small mountain...
"Hahaha... I'm finally an immortal! This is amazing! My future is limitless now. Who dares fight me?" Chen Xuan became carried away...
In the village, Chen Wang had been elected village chief. With family assets of tens or even hundreds of thousands, he could act arrogantly and look down on everyone, not even taking the town mayor seriously.
After Chen Xuan broke through and became an immortal, his confidence swelled beyond concealment. Power filled his entire body, and he felt invincible beneath Heaven. He immediately leaped into the air and headed in one direction...
A rabbit jumped out from Buzhou Mountain. Its blood-red eyes gleamed like jewels. It looked around before finally seeing someone blocking its path, standing in an extremely arrogant manner...
"Rabbit... You beat my Big Yellow some time ago. Don't think that makes you powerful. I'm an Earth Immortal now, and today I'm definitely going to teach you a lesson. Remember, your grandpa will always be your grandpa..."
Chen Xuan looked mighty and extraordinary. He raised his powerful fist, shattering the void and causing the mountains to collapse as he unleashed all his strength, intending to fight the rabbit from Buzhou Mountain.
Boom...
Chen Xuan was sent flying with one swat and crashed into a huge boulder a hundred meters away. He was in a sorry state, his face full of misery. Why couldn't he beat a rabbit?
"Have you gotten carried away? After you left the Primordial Great World, this rabbit cultivated for around twenty thousand years and has already entered the late Earth Immortal realm. What could you possibly fight it with?" Great God Nuwa said coldly. He really knew nothing about the world.
"Fine! Just what is this rabbit's identity? Could it be the Lunar Jade Rabbit? Or Chang'er Dingguang Xian? I'm furious. I actually can't even beat a rabbit." Chen Xuan was extremely depressed.
The two famous rabbits of the Primordial Great World were the Lunar Jade Rabbit and Joyful Buddha—Chang'er Dingguang Xian of the Interception Sect, who had betrayed Sect Leader Tongtian and defected to Buddhism, becoming a powerful dual-cultivation expert...
"I don't know. In any case, not a single living being in Buzhou Mountain is ordinary. Right... We're leaving for the Witch Clan." Great God Nuwa remained calm.
"We're going to the Witch Clan? It seems the calamity in the Primordial Great World has entered a tense and exciting critical phase." Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What are you standing around for? Let's go!" Great God Nuwa waved her hand. A force enveloped Chen Xuan, carrying him away without the pressure of Buzhou Mountain, toward an unknown destination in the Primordial Great World.
Houtu, Fuxi, and Duobao set off together in a grand procession. Like streaks of light, they tore across the sky and headed straight toward the Witch Clan.
Heh! Hah!
After they entered the Witch Clan's territory, a shout rang through the heavens. Flames rose everywhere. From a distance, they saw a pile of burning firewood, with a group of people gathered around it. They looked like a primitive tribe, holding hands and singing together before the bonfire.
"Nani... Did we come to a primitive tribe?" Chen Xuan stared with his mouth agape.
(Written after a few drinks. I'm a little dizzy, so I have no idea whether I made any mistakes.)
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