Chaos knew no years, and the Primordial World counted no days.
Countless ages had passed since Great God Pangu opened Heaven and Earth.
Some people were dead, yet they still lived.
"Xuanqing Xuanyuan? I've become the Fourth Purity of Pangu, who was never supposed to exist?"
Xuanyuan muttered to himself. He looked around, only to find that he had no body, and his Primordial Spirit was shrouded in a stream of pure qi.
Not far away, three more streams of pure qi swirled, their Primordial Spirit forms faintly visible within.
An old man, a middle-aged man, and a young man.
"That's right. I must have transmigrated into the Primordial World, where I'm being nurtured alongside the Three Pure Ones."
With an Innate Foundation, one was born knowing.
Xuanqing Xuanyuan was one of the Four Pure Ones formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit after he opened Heaven and Earth. He possessed Heaven-Opening Merit and was blessed with deep fortune.
Transmigrating into the Primordial World and starting out as one of the Four Pure Ones of Pangu meant he had an exceptional foundation. It brought both obvious advantages and hidden dangers.
The advantage was that, as a member of Pangu's Orthodox Lineage, he had inherited Heaven-Opening Merit and fortune. He was undeniably blessed with Great Luck.
The moment he emerged from his form, he would be a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, standing at a height countless living beings could never reach in their entire lives.
There were drawbacks, too.
Becoming the Fourth Purity of Pangu meant that the fortune he had inherited from Pangu's opening of Heaven and Earth was a tempting, dangerous prize. His foundation was powerful, but it also made him stand out and attract attention. One careless move, and Hongjun might scheme against him.
The Three Pure Ones would become Saints, only to be fed Saint-Slaying Pills in the end. How could Hongjun spare him, the Fourth Purity, when he was plotting to seize their Heaven-Opening fortune?
"One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. There were never supposed to be Four Pure Ones. But my fate is formless, and I'm protected by a Supreme Treasure. I fit the Great Dao's saying that 'one escapes.'"
"With this Supreme Treasure, Hongjun will never scheme against us again."
As Xuanyuan pondered, a hazy gray pearl spun in his Primordial Spirit.
At first glance, the pearl seemed utterly ordinary. In truth, it shimmered with a mysterious, profound aura, as if it contained the principles of Chaos.
Faintly shimmering within it were fifty Chaos Restrictions, perfectly matching the complete number of the Fifty Great Daos.
This object was none other than the Chaos Pearl, one of the Four Chaos Supreme Treasures!
It was thanks to its ability to conceal the secrets of Heaven and shield him from the resonance between the Great Dao and Heavenly Dao that Xuanyuan had been able to live another life and become the Fourth Purity of Pangu in the Primordial World.
Moreover, due to its special ability and its connection to the concept of "one escapes," the Chaos Pearl was difficult for beings of Chaos and the Primordial World to obtain.
Only an outsider like Xuanyuan, whose fate was formless and who had chanced upon the right opportunity, could acquire it.
The Jade Disc of Creation, the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, and the Chaos Green Lotus had all shattered when Heaven and Earth were opened, falling in rank.
Thus, the Chaos Pearl was not only one of the Four Chaos Supreme Treasures, but also the only Chaos Supreme Treasure still intact!
It could be said that, once Xuanyuan had obtained the Chaos Pearl, he would have the advantage from the very start—as long as he could begin refining it.
Did he not want to be schemed against? The Chaos Pearl could conceal the secrets of Heaven.
An Immeasurable Calamity? The Chaos Pearl contained a world of its own. He could hide inside it and even evade the calamity of creation!
"Once I emerge from my form, I'll immediately begin refining this treasure."
"Whether it's Hongjun or the Heavenly Dao, neither will ever scheme against me, let alone treat me as a pawn or a puppet on strings. A Heavenly Dao Saint? A Saint-Slaying Pill? Hah!"
"I, the Fourth Purity of Pangu, will spend this life proving the Hunyuan Dao Fruit and attaining Great Ease and Great Freedom!"
Though protected by the pure qi, Xuanyuan could still sense the dense Calamity Qi roiling between Heaven and Earth, along with the malice that was still gathering.
But he knew there was no point in rushing. The time had not yet come.
Through his connection to the heavens and earth, Xuanyuan watched the great currents of the world unfold in his mind, scene after scene, as clearly as patterns in his palm.
The Primordial World, at that time.
Ever since Pangu opened Heaven and Earth, the world had changed, and conflict had never ceased.
Life flourished, and all things vied to thrive.
It was truly a world where each new player took the stage in turn.
The resentments of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods who had perished gave rise to countless fierce beasts across the land of the Primordial World.
The fierce beasts lacked intelligence. They were cruel and violent, destroying all things and devouring living beings. Yet some of them were intelligent and knew how to cultivate.
The strongest among the beast rulers was named Shenni. He possessed the Innate Supreme Treasure God-Slaying Spear, subdued the four great beast kings—Taotie, Hundun, Qiongqi, and Taowu—and established the Fierce Beast Dynasty, intent on dominating the Primordial World.
But in the end, the cruel and violent fierce beasts were not favored by the Heavenly Dao.
The Fierce Beast Calamity erupted. Surrounded by Hongjun, Luohu, and other mighty experts, as well as the Hundred Innate Races, Beast Emperor Shenni was killed. The four great beast kings were sealed, and the Fierce Beast Dynasty was ultimately destroyed.
Hongjun, Luohu, Qiankun Ancestor, Yin-Yang Ancestor, Old Ancestor Five Elements, Old Ancestor Yang Mei, and the others gained Heavenly Dao Merit for eliminating the fierce beasts, then each went into seclusion to improve their cultivation.
After the fall of the Fierce Beast Dynasty, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Races among the Hundred Innate Races rose to power.
Each race dominated the seas, skies, or land. None would yield to another, and all wanted to rule the Primordial World.
Then, under Luohu's schemes and provocations, the three races set off the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity. A bloody war spread across the entire Primordial World, filling Heaven and Earth with Calamity Qi, baleful energy, and killing intent.
In the end, the Dragon Race retreated to the Four Seas, the Phoenix Race withdrew to the Volcano of Immortality, and the Kirin Race became an auspicious beast of the Primordial World. The founders of all three races perished.
Thus the three races left the stage of history, and the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity came to an end. The Dao-Devil War followed.
Luohu used the three races as blood sacrifices to establish the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, a formation that only the Four Saints could break.
Hongjun enlisted the aid of the three ancestors—Yin-Yang, Qiankun, and Five Elements. All three perished within the formation. Hongjun used his Three Corpses Incarnations in their place and broke the formation, gaining the upper hand.
Luohu refused to accept defeat. He blew himself up, destroying the Western Spiritual Veins and severely wounding Hongjun, leaving the Western Land barren. He then made a great oath, established the Devil Dao, opened the Demon Realm, and became an Outer Realm Heavenly Demon.
From then on, the beings of the Primordial World faced the Demonic Tribulation. The slightest misstep could lead to qi deviation and demonic possession.
As the Dao waned, the Devil Dao waxed; as the Devil Dao waned, the Dao waxed. The Devil Dao would never be extinguished.
"The Dao-Devil War is over. The Primordial World seems peaceful on the surface, but undercurrents are surging. A more ferocious and thrilling Witch-Demon Tribulation is about to erupt."
"Fortunately, the time has come for me to emerge from my form."
Watching the seas change into mulberry fields, Xuanyuan had passed countless ages.
He emerged from his communion with Heaven and Earth and saw a wisp of Mysterious Yellow Qi wrapped around the pure qi. He smiled faintly.
It was none other than the Mysterious Yellow Qi left over from Pangu's opening of Heaven and Earth. After giving rise to two Merit Supreme Treasures, it had come to help the Four Pure Ones emerge from their forms.
The time was ripe.
"Hum!"
Suddenly, four divine beams of light shot down from the heavens.
The first beam fell into the Grand Pure Qi. The instant it merged with the qi, the pure qi surged like a tide and gathered into a Daoist body, its form wreathed in Mysterious Yellow Qi, with the faint image of a Taiji flowing around it.
"I am Tai Qing Lao Zi. My three virtuous younger brothers, why not emerge now?"
His soft voice seemed to resonate with Heaven and Earth. Before long, the Grand Pure Qi gathered itself away, and an old man emerged from his form. He wore a plain Daoist robe and had a kindly, dignified face.
"I am Yu Qing Yuan Shi. Greetings, Eldest Brother."
The Jade Pure Qi gathered itself away, and a middle-aged man wearing a Purple Gold Crown stepped out upon the clouds. He glanced at the two remaining clusters of pure qi, then gave Laozi a slight bow. His face was stern and his gaze sharp. He was none other than Yuanshi.
"Hahaha! I am Upper Pure Tongtian. I hope you're all well, my brothers."
The Upper Clarity Qi roiled, and a young man in a black robe laughed heartily. His handsome face carried a trace of carefree irreverence.
"I am Xuanqing Xuanyuan. Greetings, my three elder brothers."
The Xuanqing Qi entered Xuanyuan's body completely. Though he said little, a bond rooted in Pangu's Primordial Spirit quietly resonated between them.
"Boom!"
The Primordial World had only just settled, and the Great Dao was beginning to appear. The moment the Four Pure Ones emerged, ten thousand rays of rosy light descended between Heaven and Earth, while Innate Spiritual Qi surged toward the four of them like a tide, as if congratulating them.
"We are of Pangu's Orthodox Lineage, blessed with deep fortune and born bearing the Great Dao's Heaven-Opening Merit. We have the cultivation of Grand Unity Golden Immortals from the start. Still, we must not become conceited. Let us first enter seclusion and stabilize our realms. We must not lightly quarrel with outsiders."
Laozi stroked his beard and spoke with a calm expression.
He gently raised his palm, and a tower of pure Mysterious Yellow flew out from his Primordial Spirit.
It was his Companion Treasure, one of the two Houtian Merit Supreme Treasures: the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, formed from one tenth of Pangu's Heaven-Opening Merit and Mysterious Yellow Qi, with peerless defensive power!
"Eldest Brother, we share the same origin. Why are Third Brother and Fourth Brother's auras a little weaker than yours?"
Looking at the Merit Supreme Treasure in Laozi's hand, a trace of envy flashed in Yuanshi's eyes. He cupped his hands and felt even closer to Laozi, while subtly distancing himself from Tongtian and Xuanyuan.
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