Understanding the Imperial Great Dao

"N-No... nothing." His suppressed thoughts interrupted, Wang Shen let out a long breath of stale air.

Raising his head to gaze at the mysterious Purple Firmament Palace before him, he forcibly pressed down the negative emotions in his heart.

"Fine. Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it."

"Hongjun has only just attained the Dao, and the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation has yet to begin. There are still countless Yuanhuis before I ascend to the position of Heavenly Emperor."

"I possess memories of the future. I know who will attain the Dao, who will die, and even where those spiritual treasures and rare spiritual objects lie."

"I refuse to believe I can't rewrite fate!"

"In the Primordial Wilderness, the Great Momentum cannot be changed, but Minor Momentum can."

"Since I bear the destiny of the Heavenly Emperor, becoming a Heavenly Emperor with real power surely cannot be considered defying heaven."

The Chaotic Gale, cleansed by the formations surrounding the Purple Firmament Palace, turned into a gentle breeze that brushed across Wang Shen's face.

Heroic spirit gradually rose within him.

Wang Shen looked at Yaochi beside him, then swept his gaze over the newly born Purple Firmament Palace. Afterward, he made a vow in his heart: "From this day forth, there will be no more Wang Shen—only Haotian!"

"In the Primordial Wilderness, without attaining Primordial Chaos, one will forever remain an ant."

"In this life, I will surely cultivate the Primordial Chaos Dao Fruit and become the supreme Heavenly Emperor who truly commands the Three Realms and Six Paths!"

Time flowed like light; in the blink of an eye, ten thousand years passed.

Deep within the Purple Firmament Palace, inside an elegant and tranquil quiet room.

Haotian sat cross-legged, his five centers facing heaven as Dao resonance circulated around his body.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and gradually opened his eyes.

"The Longevity Dao Fruit, Immortal Golden Immortal... I've only just glimpsed the threshold."

Haotian murmured softly, his tone carrying both understanding and a trace of gravity.

As a Primordial Chaotic Stone, he had originally possessed no chance of Form Transformation. Only because Hongjun had bestowed upon him a wisp of Innate Yang Qi had he been able to forge a Dao body.

Thus, although he cultivated the true scripture passed down by a Saint, after ten thousand years of Hard Cultivation, he had only stabilized his realm at the Golden Immortal Early-stage. His progress was painfully slow.

"No wonder the Haotian of my Previous Life could only ever be a puppet. If I continue cultivating at this pace, then even when the immeasurable Great Tribulation arrives, I fear I still won't be able to attain the Great Dao." Haotian frowned slightly as thoughts churned through his mind.

To be fair, his origins and foundations already surpassed ninety percent of the living beings in the Primordial Wilderness.

But the fatal problem was that those he would contend against in the future were the very top tier of the Primordial Wilderness.

Setting aside Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who had enlightened him, and the future Six Saints, even Kunpeng, Styx, Zhenyuanzi, as well as Fuxi and Hongyun, who would perish in a future tribulation, were currently far stronger than him.

"I can't go on like this... otherwise, I may never see the light of day." Haotian gathered his mind and entered meditation once more.

The previous ten thousand years had merely been spent stabilizing his foundation. Only now did he truly begin to contemplate the Great Dao.

As Haotian's Divine Sense sank into the unseen depths, the Three Thousand Great Dao Laws imprinted within the Purple Firmament Palace were drawn forth. They emerged from the void, transforming into strands of Dao patterns that coiled around him, their radiance flowing with profound mystery.

"I attained the Dao as a stubborn stone. I naturally share affinities with the Dao of Earth, the Dao of Thick Earth, the Dao of Metal and Stone..."

As Haotian's thoughts shifted, several Great Dao Laws immediately responded. Faint light rose from among the three thousand Dao patterns, eager to emerge.

But this movement quickly came to a halt.

The reason, naturally, was that Haotian's thoughts had changed.

"But my Heavenly Mandate is to be the lord of the Three Realms, the supreme sovereign of heaven and earth."

"If I cultivate those Daos, though they suit my True Form, they would run contrary to my Heavenly Mandate. In the future, my Dao and destiny would clash, and I would get half the result for twice the effort."

The radiance of several Great Daos dimmed, returning to the river of Dao patterns.

At the same time, a Great Dao Law of utmost yang and utmost strength separated from the river of Dao, slowly approaching Haotian as it emitted a blazing brilliance.

"I took form through Innate Yang Qi, so I also share a karmic affinity with the Pure Yang Great Dao."

Haotian pondered. "In the Primordial Wilderness, there are two people who cultivate this Great Dao. One is Di Jun, and the other is East Prince."

"The former established the Heavenly Court, while the latter established the Immortal Court."

"Both once ruled over a region..."

"From the looks of it, this Dao truly suits me!"

With the birth of this thought, the Pure Yang Great Dao suddenly erupted in brilliance. Dao resonance surged forth, seeking to enter his spiritual platform.

Yet he deliberately stopped it with his will.

"Though the Pure Yang Great Dao suits me, both Di Jun and East Prince, who cultivated this Dao, met with Death and Dao Annihilation. That proves this Dao... is difficult to bring to completion."

The radiance of the Pure Yang Great Dao gradually faded, and it slowly withdrew.

Haotian sank into thought once more.

He began to recall, to contemplate.

The history of the Primordial Wilderness began with Pangu cleaving open the heavens...

Haotian's consciousness entered the river of his own memories. Starting from the moment Pangu opened the heavens, he began deducing forward bit by bit, searching for a Great Dao suited to himself...

At last, he found the target he sought.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!

"The Human Race's Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors enlightened the Human Race, laying the foundation for the flourishing of the Human Dao and thereby achieving the Dao of sovereigns."

"This method is quite suitable for me."

"However, everything they did was for the Human Race. In the end, they could only become sovereigns of the Human Race and attain the rank of Sub-Saint."

"But I wish to command the Three Realms and achieve Hunyuan."

Haotian's eyes gradually brightened. "I should walk the path of building the Three Realms and enlightening myriad spirits!"

"With Heaven and Earth as my foundation, the Myriad Races as my subjects, and the rise and fall of the Six Paths as my responsibility."

"Then I will surely gather the Heaven and Earth Great Momentum and achieve supreme Hunyuan!"

"This is the Imperial Great Dao that truly suits me!"

Boom!

As Haotian's thoughts became clear, the three thousand Dao-patterns swirling around him suddenly vanished.

At the same time, a Great Dao law, still slender and immature, slowly manifested from the void.

Though weak in form, it contained the supreme essence of command, order, enlightenment, and prosperity.

Without the slightest hesitation, Haotian opened his spiritual platform and Purple Mansion, allowing the still-forming Imperial Great Dao to merge into his body.

The instant the Dao essence entered him, he felt some shackle deep within his Divine Soul abruptly shatter, and the fog obscuring the road ahead completely dispersed.

Haotian let out a long breath. "Di Jun and East Prince failed because they knew only how to gather fortune unto themselves, yet did not know to repay Heaven and Earth or bestow blessings upon myriad spirits."

"Such conduct may rapidly increase one's strength in the short term, but it is nothing more than duckweed without roots. Given enough time, it will inevitably end in ruin."

"But I will not be like them."

Haotian slowly exhaled, and the aura around him grew ever more steady and vast.

"My Imperial Great Dao shall be a Dao of shared prosperity."

"All things between Heaven and Earth shall flourish because I flourish, and grow strong because I grow strong."

"When that time comes, I shall be all things between Heaven and Earth, and all things between Heaven and Earth shall be me. Let alone the Six Saints—even Heavenly Dao Hongjun will not be able to do anything to me!"

Having understood what he needed to do, the gloom in Haotian's heart vanished.

Within the Primordial Wilderness, although individual power was indeed formidable, the Heaven and Earth Great Momentum was even more terrifying.

Since Pangu opened the heavens, in every tribulation, those who laughed last had invariably been the ones favored by the Heaven and Earth Great Momentum.

Take the Fierce Beast Tribulation, for instance. At that time, Shen Ni's strength had completely surpassed all others in the Primordial Wilderness.

Yet he did not revere Heaven and Earth, instead plotting to overturn the Primordial Wilderness and exterminate myriad spirits.

That was why he was defeated by an allied force formed by numerous Innate Divine Beings.

Then came the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, when the dragon, phoenix, and Qilin Three Clans earned the favor of Heaven and Earth for their merit in slaying Shen Ni.