Shapeshifting Black Heart, Eavesdropping on Hongjun's Secret Words

"Master, what's special about this rock?"

The young man leaned in, curiously examining the Black Brick—Lu Chen—held in the old man's hand.

The old man stroked his beard and pondered, "It seems ordinary, yet it contains a trace of... Sky-Opening aura. Strange, this place is at the edge of the Primordial Era, how could there be an artifact from Sky-Opening?"

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

It's over, this old man's eyesight is too sharp! He desperately suppressed the aura of the axe handle fragment and the merit. The faint golden halo on the brick's surface instantly vanished, leaving it looking dull and unremarkable.

The old man probed with his divine sense for a moment longer, then shook his head, "Never mind, perhaps I sensed it incorrectly. However, this stone is hard and would be suitable for propping up my alchemy furnace back at the mountain."

Propping up the alchemy furnace?!

Lu Chen almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Me, a dignified transmigrator, who started by knocking Pangu Axe fragments with a brick, and you want me to prop up an alchemy furnace?!

But the situation was beyond his control. The old man's aura was as deep as the sea, at least at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. The young man also possessed True Immortal cultivation. As a mere brick that had just gained sentience, resisting would be suicide.

"Endure! I must endure!"

Lu Chen forcibly suppressed his agitation and allowed the old man to stuff him into his sleeve.

Universe in a Sleeve.

It was dark all around, only the sound of wind from rapid movement could be perceived. After about half a day, the wind died down, and the old man seemed to have landed.

"Disciple, rest here for a moment. I need to calculate the direction of Jade Capital Mountain."

"Yes, Master."

Lu Chen felt himself being placed on a flat stone surface. He cautiously released a sliver of his perception—

It was a valley brimming with spiritual energy, filled with exotic flowers and plants, with a distant waterfall. The old man sat cross-legged about ten feet away, eyes closed, calculating. The young man was picking spiritual herbs not far away.

Good opportunity!

Lu Chen's mind raced. If he didn't escape now, it would be too late when he was taken back to prop up the alchemy furnace. But how to escape? Fly directly? That would attract too much attention.

As he was contemplating, the old man suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the east.

"Hmm? What is that..."

Lu Chen followed his perception and saw, in the eastern sky, a streak of purple energy spanning thirty thousand miles, vast and mighty. Wherever it passed, the void bloomed lotuses, and the earth gushed golden springs.

Within the purple energy, a figure could be vaguely seen, clad in a simple daoist robe, his face indistinct. With every step he took, he seemed to align with the rhythm of the Heavenly Dao.

"Dao Ancestor Hongjun!" the old man exclaimed, hastily rising to bow.

The young man also quickly knelt.

Lu Chen's heart churned like stormy waves. Hongjun! The future spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, the foremost Saint of the Primordial Era, is right before my eyes!

Hongjun seemed to sense something and glanced in their direction.

With just a glance, Lu Chen felt as if he had been seen through from the inside out, his axe handle fragment's existence almost exposed. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the axe handle fragment automatically concealed itself, the Golden Light of Merit retracted, and the brick's disguise was flawless.

Hongjun's gaze paused on Lu Chen for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Strange stone..."

The Dao Ancestor muttered softly but did not stop, continuing his journey. As he passed the valley, his steps paused slightly, as if he felt the ground was uneven. With a casual kick—

"Whoosh!"

Lu Chen was kicked flying, tumbling through the air in an arc before splashing into the distant spiritual spring with a "plop."

The old man: "..."

The young man: "..."

Lu Chen: "???"

I was kicked by the Dao Ancestor like a rock?!

The spiritual spring water was cool and contained rich spiritual energy. Lu Chen sank to the bottom of the water, filled with both anger and helplessness. But soon, he realized something was wrong—this spring water was extraordinary!

Sinuous threads of innate spiritual energy permeated through his brick body, merging with the Golden Light of Merit from the axe handle fragment. A "crackling" sound came from within the brick, and his sentience grew at a visible rate.

"This is... a chance for transformation!"

Lu Chen was overjoyed. He had been afraid to transform before, fearing that the commotion would attract powerful beings. But now, with the aura of Dao Ancestor Hongjun "passing by" to conceal him, coupled with the nourishment of this spiritual spring, it was a heaven-sent opportunity!

"I'll risk it!"

He hesitated no longer and fully activated the merit within the axe handle fragment.

Golden light emanated from within the brick, dyeing the entire spiritual spring golden. The spring water churned, forming a vortex. Lu Chen's sentience, nourished by the merit, underwent a frantic transformation.

Time ticked by.

Outside, the old man and the young man had long since departed—with the Dao Ancestor's appearance, they were in a hurry to get to Jade Capital Mountain to secure a spot, and had no time to spare for a mere stepping stone.

Three hours later.

At the bottom of the spiritual spring, cracks covered the surface of the black brick.

"Crack—"

The brick body completely shattered, turning into dust. In the golden light, a human form slowly condensed.

First came the bones, then the flesh and blood, and finally the skin. The Golden Light of Merit transformed into a simple black robe, covering the newly formed body.

Lu Chen opened his eyes.

He looked down at his hands—fair and slender, with distinct fingers. A scan with his divine sense revealed a clear, youthful face reflected in the water, about seventeen or eighteen years old, but with eyes that held a world-weariness unbefitting his age.

"I've successfully transformed!"

He felt the surging power within him—early True Immortal stage! Relying on the Sky-Opening Merit and innate spiritual energy, he had skipped stages like Qi Gathering and Spirit Refining, directly achieving an immortal body.

What surprised him even more was that deep within his primordial spirit, the Black Brick hadn't disappeared. Instead, it had transformed into his Natal Magic Treasure, now hovering in his dantian. Many mysterious patterns had appeared on its surface, and its aura was more than ten times stronger than before.

"It'll be even easier to ambush people from now on..." Lu Chen chuckled.

Just as he was feeling pleased, his heart suddenly tightened.

A vast, heaven-like pressure descended, enveloping the entire valley.

It was Hongjun!

Lu Chen was terrified, thinking the Dao Ancestor had returned to deal with him. But upon careful sensing, the pressure came from a thousand miles to the east—Hongjun had stopped there.

Not only had he stopped, but he was also... conversing with someone?

"Brother Dao, the Three Clans have engaged in excessive killing, accumulating karma. A Calamity is imminent."

An ancient voice rang out. Lu Chen had never heard it before, but anyone who could converse as an equal with Hongjun was definitely a top-tier powerhouse in the Primordial Era.

Hongjun's voice was calm and unwavering: "The Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin clans are destined for tribulation. This is the will of Heaven."

Then, Brother Dao's sermon in the Purple Firmament Palace...

"Three thousand years from now, Jade Capital Mountain will open. Three thousand will have affinity, and seven will attain sainthood."

Boom!

Lu Chen's head buzzed.

The Three Thousand Guests of the Purple Heaven Palace! Seven Saintly Positions! This was one of the most crucial secrets of the Primordial Era, and he had just overheard it?!

He held his breath, lowering his heartbeat to the bare minimum, terrified of being discovered.

The ancient voice asked again: "Brother Dao, what about that Anomaly stone..."

"Heaven has fifty, and one escapes. Anomalies have their own destiny; there's no need to interfere."

The conversation ended there. The pressure dissipated, and Hongjun and the mysterious great being departed.

Lu Chen collapsed by the spiritual spring, his back drenched in cold sweat.

That was too intense! Eavesdropping on the Dao Ancestor's conversation—if he had been caught, he wouldn't even know how he died.

But the gains were immense.

First, he confirmed that the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity was about to erupt. The Three Clans were doomed, which was a perfect opportunity for him to fish in troubled waters.

Second, the time and location of the Purple Heaven Palace sermon. Three thousand years later, at Jade Capital Mountain. He had to go!

Third, he, an "Anomaly," seemed to have been tacitly approved by the Dao Ancestor? That phrase, "no need to interfere," was practically a protective charm!

"I'm stable, I'm stable..." Lu Chen calmed himself and began to strategize.

He was currently in the early True Immortal stage, at the very bottom rung of the Primordial Era. Let alone going to the Purple Heaven Palace, he couldn't even enter the Chaos. He had to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

How to improve? Seize opportunities!

As a transmigrator, he knew too well the treasures hidden in the Primordial Era: the gourd vine on Buzhou Mountain, the immortal peaches on Kunlun Mountain, the Fusang tree on the Solar Star...

But those places were either occupied or heavily guarded. With his current strength, going there would be suicide.

"Wait, the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity..."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up. The war between the Three Clans would inevitably result in heavy casualties. The fallen dragons, phoenixes, and Kirin would all be treasures! A Dragon Pearl, a phoenix feather, a Kirin horn—any one of them would be enough for him to cultivate to Golden Immortal.

More importantly—the treasure vaults of the Three Clans!

The Dragon Clan's hoard was in the East Sea, the Phoenix Clan's vault was at Buzhou Mountain, and the Kirin Clan's treasury was at Kirin Cliff. In the later stages of the war, as the Three Clans weakened and their treasury guards became lax, it would be the perfect time to strike.

"Let's set a small goal first: break through to Golden Immortal before the war ends, and then head to the treasure vaults of the Three Clans... to borrow some things."

Lu Chen grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

That smile looked exactly like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

He stood up and patted the water stains off his black robe. He scanned the valley with his divine sense, found a few newly born post-natal spirit herbs, and casually put them into his sleeve—even a mosquito's leg is still meat.

Just as he was about to leave, he paused.

Where Hongjun had stood earlier, something seemed embedded in the dirt.

Lu Chen walked closer, brushed away the dirt, and found a palm-sized jade slip. The jade slip was smooth and warm, with patterns of mountains and rivers carved on its surface.

"Is this... a map of the Primordial Era?"

He injected a trace of his magical power, and the jade slip lit up, displaying densely packed glowing markers:

[East Sea Dragon Palace · Treasure Pavilion]

[Buzhou Mountain · Nirvana Pool]

[Kirin Cliff · Ancestral Land]

[Jade Capital Mountain · Purple Heaven Palace]

Even the locations of some innate restrictions and methods of activation were briefly recorded!

"I'm rich! Did Dao Ancestor drop this by accident, or did he intentionally leave it for me?"

Lu Chen's heart raced. With this map, the Primordial Era would be like an open garden to them!

They solemnly put away the jade slip and bowed respectfully in the direction Hongjun had left toward the east.

"Lu Chen will remember Dao Ancestor's kindness. Even though you kicked me... one thing is one thing."

After the bow, they turned, their gaze fixed on the west.

"First stop, the Kirin Clan battlefield. Time to pick up loot!"

The black-robed youth turned into a streak of light, disappearing into the mountains.

However, they didn't notice that a thousand miles high in the sky, a pair of indifferent eyes were watching the direction they had departed.

Hongjun stood with his hands behind his back, murmuring softly:

"With an Anomaly entering the game, the Primordial Era should be more interesting. Let's see how far you can go..."

As the words fell, Dao Ancestor's figure faded, as if he had never appeared.

Lu Chen didn't know that deep in the valley they had just left, at the bottom of the spiritual spring, there was a barely perceptible mark—that was a coordinate left by Hongjun.

And ten thousand miles to the west, the vanguard forces of the Kirin Clan and the Dragon Clan had already clashed, flesh and blood flying.

Coincidentally, at the edge of the battlefield, in an inconspicuous cave, a fluctuation of an Innate Spiritual Treasure was emanating