The Sage Era Was Powerful, Yet Sages Ultimately Relied on Hongmeng Purple Qi and Were Bound by the Heavenly Dao

Long Zang followed the traces and eventually stopped before a vast lake.

The lake was as large as a star-world, its waters crystal clear, gathered from the Three Lights Divine Water.

At its center, a green lotus swayed quietly, radiating green Divine Light. It had twelve petals!

"The Twelve-grade Creation Green Lotus..." Long Zang murmured, rare heat showing in his eyes.

It was one of the supreme wonders left behind after Pangu created the world, containing boundless power of Creation.

An ordinary cultivator who obtained it could make up for innate deficiencies and comprehend the Great Dao of Creation.

But to Long Zang, it was an unparalleled treasure for tempering his body, more precious than any spiritual treasure!

He sneered to himself:

He didn't care for spiritual treasures.

After all, without a Primordial Spirit, even the sharpest sword was less convenient to him than simply picking up a rock and swinging it.

But this Creation Green Lotus was different. It nurtured not an artifact, but the source of life.

To him, its value far surpassed that of any so-called "Innate Supreme Treasure"!

"This belongs to me." A smile appeared on Long Zang's face, his gaze cold and carrying a hint of domineering certainty.

In his eyes, there was no such thing as cause and effect.

His logic had always been blunt and ruthless:

If I want it, it's mine!

Long Zang gazed quietly at the Twelve-grade Creation Green Lotus in the middle of the lake, a smile at the corner of his eye.

This was no ordinary spiritual treasure. It had formed from one of the five lotus seeds of the Chaos Green Lotus, and shared the same origin as Luohu's Twelve-grade Destruction Black Lotus.

The difference was that one nurtured Destruction and Demonic Nature, while the other carried the supreme light of Creation.

If the World-Destroying Black Lotus represented the despair of all things being destroyed, the Creation Green Lotus was the hope of remaking them.

To others, it was a supreme treasure that could suppress fortune. To Long Zang, it was an unparalleled elixir for tempering his body.

He had chosen the path of supreme physical refinement, and this kind of Creation was almost tailor-made for him.

But Long Zang did not stop.

He looked toward the Endless Sea, already understanding that the Three Immortal Islands shared the same origin. If he found one, locating the other two would be no challenge.

Sure enough, when he turned and made his way to Yingzhou Island, he immediately sensed an aura of unimaginable antiquity.

It was the aura of Eternity!

Long Zang's gaze flickered, and a rare hint of surprise rose in his heart.

Eternal Light had existed only at the beginning of Primordial times.

It was a miracle on par with Primordial Light, the first radiance to illuminate heaven and earth.

It had long since vanished from the world and should never have appeared again, yet now it shone on Yingzhou.

On Yingzhou Island stood an Innate Spiritual Root, tall and proud.

Its blossoms gleamed gold, their light like the sun, illuminating the four directions and the eight wildernesses.

It was the Eternal Flower!

Long Zang watched it for a long while, then finally smiled.

"Refine just a strand of it, and you can become immortal."

He knew that such things had vanished from the entire Primordial World.

To find one himself was thanks not only to his strength, but also to a measure of heavenly fortune.

When he set foot on Fangzhang Island, an even more astonishing aura swept over him.

It was the aura of Origin!

A towering ancient tree stood between heaven and earth, its crown blotting out the sky and sun, the earliest laws flowing among its branches and leaves.

It was on par with the Creation Green Lotus and the Eternal Flower, all of them Innate Spiritual Roots... the Origin Ancient Tree!

Looking at the scene, a rare joy appeared in Long Zang's eyes.

"Today really is my lucky day."

Eternity, Origin, and Creation—the three Divine Lights had all fallen into his hands.

Only Primordial Light remained, and then the set would be complete!

An absurd thought even crossed his mind:

As if, intentionally or otherwise, heaven and earth had been pushing these opportunities right before him.

But at the thought, he shook his head and sneered.

"Heavenly Mandate" had always been a joke to him.

Opportunities weren't gifts from the Heavenly Dao. They were won with one's fists.

Without the slaughter and unstoppable conquest he had undertaken all along, these supreme treasures would eventually have fallen into someone else's hands.

Long Zang waved his hand, and the Three Immortal Islands rumbled as they merged.

The three islands, originally of the same origin, fused under his power, nearly returning to Chaos. Fortunately, he forcibly suppressed them.

Light blazed across the island. Three "suns"—green, gold, and white—hung high in the sky, each casting one of the three Divine Lights of Creation, Eternity, and Origin.

He smiled faintly. "From now on, this place will be called Emperor Venerable Island."

"Emperor" came from his name.

"Venerable" represented his ambition... Supreme!

As his thoughts shifted, a palace rose from the center of the island, majestic and imposing.

Thus, Emperor Venerable Hall was born.

By the lake of Three Lights Divine Water on the island, an ancient tree swayed its branches.

It was the Yellow Middle Plum, chief among the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots!

Long Zang casually transplanted it into a small garden, where it stood alongside the Green Lotus, the Eternal Flower, and the Origin Tree, creating a true paradise for immortals.

Looking at what he had accomplished, Long Zang finally smiled from the heart.

"Now this is what it means to live freely."

He lay lazily in the garden, his eyes gleaming with leisure.

The irony was that if all he wanted was a carefree life, he could have gone into seclusion long ago. Why stir up the Primordial World?

The reason was simple: fate.

He was an Ancestral Witch, destined to be bound to the Witch Clan's fortunes.

When the Witch Clan emerged, he would be unable to stand aside.

So he had to plan ahead. He had to make trouble.

Sparing the Ferocious Beasts was not only for Yuan Huang's sake, but also for the Witch Clan.

The future belonged to the Sage Era, an age when "those who did not become Sages would ultimately be ants."

A Sage could determine the life or death of an entire clan with a single thought.

Long Zang refused to be a pawn for others to manipulate, and even more, refused to become the monkey pinned beneath Five Finger Mountain.

So he had to lay a solid foundation in advance.

So he had to stir up the Primordial World!

He knew that only a handful of beings could attain Hunyuan.

Hongjun was certain to succeed. Luohu would meet a tragic end, but he too was bound to succeed.

Beyond them, only Yuan Huang, Ancestor Dragon, First Kirin, Shen Ni, and Long Zang himself remained.

As for future top figures like Haotian and Zhenyuanzi, they would never have a chance at Hunyuan.

That was because they followed the Immortal Dao, which required Hongmeng Purple Qi. But how could heaven and earth provide that much Purple Qi?

The Immortal Dao was the Path of the Heavenly Dao.

The path he followed was the Path of the Great Dao.

Heavenly Dao and Great Dao differed by only one word, but they were worlds apart!

Long Zang sat quietly, his thoughts churning with great depth.

In the Primordial World, the Immortal Dao and the Great Dao seemed to differ by only one word, but in truth they were as far apart as heaven and earth.

The Immortal Dao depended on the Heavenly Dao. As long as one followed the proper steps, even someone of mediocre talent would eventually achieve success.

The Great Dao was different. It demanded the utmost in everything... fortune, roots, comprehension, perseverance, Divine Abilities... not one could be lacking.

Following the Path of the Great Dao meant loneliness and danger. A single misstep could mean death and the destruction of one's Dao.

But at the same time, the Great Dao represented true freedom and independence. It was the ultimate realm of transcending everything, unbound by the Heavenly Dao.

Long Zang knew in his heart that this was the path he was meant to take.

Though Sages were powerful, they ultimately relied on Hongmeng Purple Qi and were bound by the Heavenly Dao.

He had no wish to become the kind of being led around by the nose by rules.

The path he would walk was the Great Dao—the supreme freedom to stand alongside heaven and earth!