In the Primordial World, years were not counted.
In the blink of an eye, ten thousand years had passed.
Heaven and earth were natural; the grotto-heaven was primordial chaos.
Dazed and muddleheaded, Zhou Yuan felt that all of time, space, heaven, earth, and the universe were boundless vastness.
The four directions above and below were called space; the past and present were called time.
Within the grotto-heaven world inside his body, all things fell into extinction. The Five Elements vanished, the Four Symbols perished, and yin and yang returned to one.
Great Annihilation, Great Destruction.
Sparks of wisdom flashed within Zhou Yuan's pupils. His Dao body was extinguishing, yet his spirit was ascending beyond all limits.
Rising amidst ruin, reviving amid extinction.
"Beside a sunken ship, a thousand sails pass; before a withered tree, ten thousand trees bloom in spring."
New things would inevitably replace the old.
The way of worlds was the same.
Every world spiraled upward through the negation of negation.
His heart gained insight; his mind felt revelation.
The next moment.
The ruined grotto-heaven world within his body suddenly radiated boundless light.
A thread of immortal golden radiance emerged from within the world.
Then the entire world seemed to come alive.
All things emerged, yin and yang evolved.
Zhou Yuan transcended the world. His true spirit fused with the grotto-heaven world, achieving Indestructible Golden Nature.
"The True One Realm is complete."
True One Realm divine demons were exalted through eternity, unique across all ages. In the flow of time, only they bore witness to themselves, with no second equal. With every gesture, they could command the power of heaven, earth, and the Primordial World.
If Heavenly Human Realm divine demons could command the power of one grotto-heaven world,
then True One Realm divine demons had transcended the grotto-heaven world itself. At a thought, they could govern its birth and destruction. They had already stepped onto another dimension, directly touching the great world of the Primordial World.
"If Grotto-heaven Realm divine demons were equivalent to the Earth Immortals of the Immortal Dao in later ages, and Heavenly Human Realm divine demons were equivalent to the Heavenly Immortals of the Mystic Gate,"
"then True One Realm divine demons would be the Golden Immortals of the Mystic Gate."
The golden character meant immortality.
Grand Unity Golden Immortals were also Golden Immortals.
Grand Luo Golden Immortals were also Golden Immortals.
If I am a Golden Immortal, then I am a Grand Luo Golden Immortal.
Zhou Yuan rubbed the bamboo staff in his hand, his spirits lifted.
Having advanced to a True One Realm divine demon, his standing in the Primordial World had undergone a qualitative rise.
Now, even if he went to a banquet, he would no longer have to sit at the children's table.
Inside the cave abode, purple qi gave rise to rosy clouds.
At Zhou Yuan's thought, the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Myriad Dao Book, floated in the void. It was as though a vision of clear and turbid energies dividing, with myriad Daos born alongside them, was unfolding.
Cultivation Core Canon [Primordial Abyss True Scripture] Lesser Divine Ability [Five Elements Mystic Gate] Lesser Divine Ability [Myriad Transformations Divine Mechanism] ...
The [Primordial Abyss True Scripture] was the fundamental cultivation core canon, the foundation of cultivation and battle. It contained the cultivation path of Turbid Fiend Divine Demons, along with combat techniques such as Five Elements spells.
Cultivation in the Primordial World took spells as its foundation, above which came Lesser Divine Abilities and Greater Divine Abilities.
Zhou Yuan had searched through the divine demon inheritances across eighty million li of territory before barely gathering enough Dao essence to deduce two secret arts into Divine Ability arts.
<Grand Unity Golden Light Lesser Five Elements Divine Calculation> had evolved from a spell into the Divine Ability [Five Elements Mystic Gate], a qualitative transformation. Now, as he observed the patterns of heavenly secrets, he could not yet see through all things, behold the ten directions while seated, or remain unobstructed by heaven and earth.
But with the aid of the High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Heavenly Machine Chessboard, he could still sort through his own karma, calculate heavenly secrets and fortune, evade death, and prolong life.
[Myriad Transformations Divine Mechanism], meanwhile, was a Divine Ability dedicated to forging.
Not only could it be used for Artifact Refining and forging puppets, it possessed even more remarkable effects.
The puppet "Pure Clarity," forged by Zhou Yuan from divine materials, could be inhabited by a fragment of his divine sense. Even Heavenly Human Realm divine demons could not see through him and could only be toyed with at his whim.
Now that the art had been elevated to its ultimate form, puppets forged through Divine Ability were no longer merely hollow creations. They were equivalent to Zhou Yuan's incarnations.
If Zhou Yuan could one day attain the Dao as an Innate Dao Lord, then with a single thought, he could take control of billions of incarnations. Every incarnation could be his true body, yet none of them would be his true body.
"Then it can be said that so long as the puppets remain undying, Primordial Abyss shall not die."
Zhou Yuan clapped his hands in praise.
However, the divine materials needed to forge Heavenly Human Realm or even True One Realm puppets were numerous and precious.
His grand dream of creating countless incarnations still had a long road ahead.
Zhou Yuan shook his head slightly. Though the road was long, one would arrive by walking; though the Dao was difficult, one could attain it through perseverance.
This was not the Primordial World after the Witch-Demon Tribulation. Heaven and earth had not yet shattered. Though all kinds of treasures and spiritual materials were not exactly within arm's reach, as long as he searched diligently, he would eventually find what he sought. Compared to later ages, this was a glorious golden age of cultivation.
"Now that I have attained the True One Realm, I possess some means of self-preservation in the Primordial World."
"While heaven and earth remain clear and the great tribulation has yet to descend,"
"I must seek some cultivation sustenance."
Zhou Yuan silently circulated his primordial spirit to calculate. Light blazed from his brow as a black-and-white mysterious gate illuminated the four quarters and ten directions.
The present moment was precisely after Ancestor Hongjun's third sermon. Innate Divine Beings and Great Divine Ability Users were all digesting what they had gained from the three sermons, making this a rare time of peace in the Primordial World.
The approaching Witch-Demon Tribulation would plunge the entire Primordial World into chaos and upheaval, affecting countless living beings. Without sufficient strength, one could easily die and have one's Dao extinguished in the great tribulation.
"The four essentials of cultivation are Wealth, Companions, Dharma, Place."
"Wealth means cultivation resources and protective treasures. Though I now have the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Myriad Dao Book, to deduce myriad methods, I still lack Dao essence as sustenance. The Heavenly Machine Chessboard's calculations of heavenly secrets and karma are already enough to protect myself. Though the Nine-Section Bamboo Staff is acquired rather than innate, its attributes align with mine. At this stage, it is more than sufficient for battle."
"Companions are fellow Daoists upon the path of cultivation. The greatest taboo in cultivation is working behind closed doors. During this journey through the Primordial World, I must exchange insights with fellow cultivators."
"With the Myriad Dao Book in hand, I need not worry about the path of Dharma."
As for the final essential, Place, the Primordial Great Land was presently rich in spiritual qi, and any location could serve as a place of cultivation.
Some legendary Daoist grounds from his previous life had yet to emerge. Perhaps he could keep an eye out for them.
Zhou Yuan pondered inwardly, analyzing each point in turn.
"This journey must prioritize replenishing Dao essence."
With sufficient Dao essence came sufficient methods; with sufficient methods came great strength.
Those with great strength could obtain wealth, companions, and land alike.
"Then..."
He truly needed to head east.
Zhou Yuan looked at the heavenly secrets unfolding before him.
They revealed precisely this.
The east—great fortune!
Since he had decided to travel through the Primordial World, Zhou Yuan immediately packed up all the treasures he had accumulated over the years and took them with him.
He left behind only a formation to guard Myriad Bamboo Mountain.
Given Old Ancestor Pure's reputation for having slain two Heavenly Human divine demons, there probably would not be any blind fool bold enough to come knocking.
"Now that all matters have been settled, it is time for the dragon to roam the great sea."
Zhou Yuan stood outside the mountain gate, his ancient azure robe snapping in the wind.
After glancing once at the cave abode where he had stayed for over a hundred thousand years, Zhou Yuan severed the distracting thoughts in his heart.
Remaining here would let him reign as lord and ancestor, enjoying temporary ease.
But compared to the great Dao of roaming freely between heaven and earth and remaining unweathered through countless tribulations, what did that amount to?
The bamboo staff in his hand lightly tapped the void, sending ripples spreading outward.
Then Zhou Yuan transformed into a streak of azure radiance and flew eastward, vanishing beyond the horizon in an instant.
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