Opening the Double Piercing Gate, First Meeting with Willow Deity!

Ye Xuan accepted the two-tenths share of the enlightenment merit, and the Golden Wheel of Merit within him brightened by another ring.

He smiled and nodded. "Good."

With fire, life became a little easier.

But soon, new problems arose.

The Primordial Wilderness was rainy, and venomous insects and fierce beasts were numerous.

The tribesmen slept on the ground, often bitten by poisonous bugs or soaked by torrential rains until they fell ill.

A few days later.

A heavy downpour poured from the sky.

The tribesmen shivered in the mud, with nowhere to take shelter.

Ye Xuan stood in the rain and found another man with lively eyes.

He pointed at the huge bird's nest in the tree—crude as it was, it could block wind and rain.

"Even birds and beasts know to build nests to dwell in. Why should humanity sleep in the mud?"

"A nest in the tree can ward off dampness and keep away poisonous insects."

The man's eyes lit up, as if a door to a new world had opened.

He immediately gathered a few people, climbed the big tree, broke off branches, and bound them with vines.

After countless failures, the first crude treehouse was built.

It let in the wind, and it was ugly, but it was a home.

Boom!

Heavenly merit descended.

"I am Youchaoshi! Today I build nests from wood for humanity, so they may find shelter!"

The man's cultivation skyrocketed, and he likewise achieved the Fruit Position of a True Immortal.

Humanity's second Ancestor, Youchaoshi, was born!

Ye Xuan once again received two-tenths of the enlightenment merit.

Another few days passed.

The cold wind howled.

Ye Xuan looked at the tribesmen, still naked except for simple leaves covering their bodies.

The Innate Dao Body could withstand the cold, but the skin cut by thorns and brambles was a shocking sight.

He called over a woman with a meticulous mind.

"The bark of plants, the fur of wild beasts—both can be made into clothing."

"Covering shame is secondary; protecting the body is fundamental."

Ye Xuan picked up an animal hide and draped it over the woman's shoulders.

The woman seemed to understand.

She found tree bark, tore it into threads, and used a bone needle to sew the hide together.

When the first hide garment was worn, the warmth and sense of safety brought tears to her eyes.

Boom!

Merit descended once more.

"I am Ziyishi! Today I make clothes for humanity to ward off the cold, so they may protect their bodies!"

The woman achieved True Immortal.

Humanity's third Ancestor, Ziyishi, had taken her place!

Thus, the Three Ancestors of humanity were all gathered.

Fire, shelter, clothing.

These three seemingly simple things were the cornerstones of civilization.

They allowed humanity to truly take root in the harsh environment of the Primordial Wilderness.

Ye Xuan looked at the three Ancestors, each radiating an imposing aura, and felt a measure of calm.

With these three True Immortal-level combatants, plus his own pressure as the Human Emperor and the lingering might of a Sage, humanity could temporarily hold its ground in this valley.

Leisurely years were the cheapest thing.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed.

For the great powers of the Primordial Wilderness, ten years was no more than a single nap.

But for the newborn human race, these ten years were earth-shattering.

Inside the valley, rows of tree houses were arranged in a neat, scattered pattern.

The bonfire never went out, burning year-round.

The tribesmen had learned to gather wild fruits and to hunt in simple ways.

Ye Xuan sat atop the highest stone platform, watching the tribesmen busy themselves day after day.

His expression was dignified, but inside, his anxiety grew.

Ten years.

For some reason, he was still a mortal.

Though he possessed the Innate Dao Body, ageless and deathless, with boundless strength.

Though he was shielded by merit, immune to all laws.

He had no method of cultivation!

Nuwa had left in haste, without passing down any teachings.

Laozi had yet to establish the Human Teaching, and the Golden Core Great Dao was nowhere to be seen.

Suiren Shi and the others had relied on merit to become True Immortals, gaining magical power.

Only he, this "Human Emperor," had an empty body, filled with nothing but blood and qi.

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

Ye Xuan sighed, staring blankly at the drifting clouds atop Mount Buzhou.

"Do I have to wait for Laozi to come and teach? That could take forever! By then, the Witch-Demon Tribulation will be over, and everything will be cold leftovers."

Just as Ye Xuan was at his wit's end—

Hum!

A strange ripple suddenly came from deep within his eyes.

The Chaos Heavy Pupils, dormant for ten years, began to heat up without warning.

Ye Xuan's heart leaped. He quickly closed his eyes and looked inward.

Deep within the overlapping pupils, the originally gray, hazy Chaos Qi had now formed a vortex.

At the center of the vortex, a single point of starlight lit up.

Then, the starlight rapidly expanded, transforming into an ancient, mysterious door of light.

Upon that door of light flowed laws of time and space that did not belong to the Primordial Wilderness.

A message, transmitted through the heavy pupils, was imprinted directly into his mind:

[Double Piercing Gate activated]

[Connected World: A great cultivation realm where the body becomes a saint, and the human body's treasures are excavated]

"This..."

Ye Xuan's eyes snapped open, his breathing quick.

A great cultivation realm?

Excavating the human body's treasures?

Wasn't this the perfect solution to his current crisis?

He couldn't cultivate in the Primordial Wilderness because there was no suitable technique, and the immortal cultivation system here started too high, always requiring an understanding of the Heavenly Dao.

If he went to another world and found a method that started from the basics, focusing solely on the physical body...

With this Innate Dao Body, personally crafted by Nuwa, wouldn't he soar?

"Heaven never seals off all roads!"

Ye Xuan clenched his fists, a brilliance never seen before bursting from his eyes.

Without a moment's hesitation, he made his decision.

Go!

He had to go!

Staying in the Primordial Wilderness would only make him a mascot; going there might let him carve out a future.

Ye Xuan stood up and straightened the exquisite beast-hide royal robe sewn by Ziyishi.

"Someone come."

A moment later.

Suiren Shi strode over, bowing respectfully: "Human Emperor."

Ten years had passed, and Suiren Shi's aura had grown even more steady, bearing the demeanor of a grandmaster.

Ye Xuan looked at him, his expression solemn.

"Suiren Shi, I sense a summons from the Heavenly Dao and must go into seclusion to comprehend the Dao. It may take months, or it may take years."

"During this time, all matters of the clan, great and small, shall be decided by you in joint deliberation with Youchaoshi and Ziyishi."

"Remember, guard the valley well, and do not step beyond the range of the sacred resonance for even a single step."

"If a great demon comes to attack..."

Ye Xuan unfastened the Human Creation Divine Vine from his waist and solemnly handed it to Suiren Shi.

"Offer up this treasure, and it will ensure your safety."

Suiren Shi received the divine vine with both hands, his eyes filled with both dread and a sense of responsibility.

He knelt and kowtowed, his voice ringing with resolve:

"Your subject obeys the decree!"

"Your subject swears to defend the human race with his life, and awaits the Human Emperor's emergence from seclusion!"

Ye Xuan nodded and said no more.

He turned and walked back deep into the valley, to the stone house that belonged to him.

The stone door closed tightly.

Ye Xuan sat cross-legged on the stone bed, took a deep breath, and calmed his mind.

"Open."

He murmured in his heart.

Within his eyes, the Chaos Divine Light blazed brilliantly.

The gate of time and space that lay hidden in the depths of his pupils slowly swung open.

A vast, wild aura, utterly different from the Primordial Wilderness, rushed forth from beyond the gate.

Ye Xuan took a single step forward.

His body vanished from the stone house without a trace, leaving only a faint ripple of spatial distortion.

Time and space shifted, stars turned and seasons changed.

When Ye Xuan once again set foot on solid ground, the surroundings had completely transformed.

No longer the oppressive, heavy air at the foot of Mount Buzhou.

Here, the sky was higher and farther, the spiritual energy wilder and more violent.

The air was thick with the scent of earth and grass, along with the muffled roars of beasts echoing from deep in the distant mountains.

Ye Xuan opened his eyes.

A message surfaced once more in his mind:

[Current World: Perfect World]

[Location: Great Wilderness, Stone Village]

"Perfect World?!"

Ye Xuan's heart shook violently, and then came a surge of elation.

If this was the Perfect World, it was absolutely perfect for him!

Blood Moving, Cave Heaven, Spirit Transformation...

This cultivation system was practically tailor-made for his Innate Human Race body!

Ye Xuan suppressed his excitement, raised his head, and surveyed his surroundings.

It was deep night.

Around him lay a quiet little village, its houses built from piled-up boulders, rough and primitive.

And not far from him, at the village entrance.

Stood a colossal object.

It was a massive tree stump, pitch-black all over, a dozen meters in diameter, as if struck by thunder and fire, exuding an air of deathly stillness.

But at the top of that charred trunk.

A single tender green willow branch hung silently down.

It swayed gently in the night breeze, radiating a faint green glow, soft and sacred, like the only lighthouse in the darkness of the Great Wilderness.

Ye Xuan's pupils sharply contracted.

The charred tree stump, the single willow branch.

"Willow Deity..."

Ye Xuan murmured to himself.

He knew that his opportunity had arrived.