"N-no, it's nothing." His troubled thoughts interrupted, Wang Shen let out a long breath.
He looked up at the mysterious Purple Firmament Palace before him and forced down the darkness in his heart.
"So be it. Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it."
"Hongjun has only just attained the Dao. The Witch-Demon Great Tribulation hasn't begun, and countless Yuanhui remain before I ascend as Heavenly Emperor."
"I have memories of the future. I know who will attain the Dao, who will die, and where those spiritual treasures and wonders lie."
"I refuse to believe I can't rewrite my fate!"
"In the Primordial Wilderness, the Great Momentum cannot be changed, but the Minor Momentum can."
"Since I'm fated to become Heavenly Emperor, surely becoming one with real power won't count as defying heaven."
The Chaotic Gale, purified by the arrays around Purple Firmament Palace, brushed Wang Shen's face as a gentle breeze.
A fierce ambition rose in his heart.
Wang Shen glanced at Yaochi beside him, then surveyed the newly formed Purple Firmament Palace. He swore to himself: From this day on, Wang Shen is no more. There is only Haotian!
"In the Primordial Wilderness, anyone who fails to attain Primordial Unity is but an ant."
"In this life, I will attain the Primordial Chaos Dao Fruit and become the supreme Heavenly Emperor who truly rules the Three Realms and Six Paths!"
Time flowed like a fleeting flash of light. Ten thousand years passed in the snap of a finger.
Deep within Purple Firmament Palace, in a quiet chamber of simple elegance, Haotian sat cross-legged, palms and feet turned toward heaven. The rhythm of the Dao flowed around him.
After a long while, he slowly breathed out and opened his eyes.
"The Longevity Dao Fruit, the Immortal Golden Immortal realm... I've only glimpsed the threshold."
Haotian spoke softly, with understanding in his voice, but also a trace of gravity.
As a Primordial Chaotic Stone, he had no chance of Form Transformation. Only a wisp of Innate Yang Qi bestowed by Hongjun had allowed him to form a Dao body.
Thus, though he cultivated a true scripture passed down by a Saint, after ten thousand years of bitter cultivation, he had merely stabilized his realm at the Golden Immortal Early-stage. His progress was slow.
"No wonder the Haotian of my previous life remained a puppet. If I keep cultivating at this pace, I fear I won't attain the Great Dao even when the immeasurable Calamity arrives." Haotian frowned slightly as his thoughts turned.
In fairness, his origins and innate foundations surpassed those of ninety percent of the Primordial Wilderness's living beings.
But the fatal problem was that those he would face belonged to its very highest ranks.
There was Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who had awakened him, and the future Six Saints.
Even Kunpeng, Styx, Zhenyuanzi, Fuxi, and Hong Yun—the latter two destined to die in future tribulations—were far stronger than he was now.
"I can't go on like this... Otherwise, I may never rise." Haotian gathered his thoughts and entered meditation again.
He had spent the previous ten thousand years only solidifying his foundation. Now he truly began to comprehend the Great Dao.
As Haotian's Divine Sense sank into the unseen, the Three Thousand Great Dao Laws imprinted within Purple Firmament Palace answered his call. They manifested from the void as strands of Dao markings that circled him, shimmering with profound light.
"I attained the Dao as a stone. I have a natural affinity with the Dao of Earth, the Dao of Thick Earth, and the Dao of Metal and Stone..."
As Haotian considered them, several Great Dao laws stirred. A faint glow rose among the three thousand Dao markings, as though they were eager to emerge.
But that stirring soon ceased.
The reason was simple: Haotian had changed his mind.
"But my Heavenly Mandate is to be lord of the Three Realms, supreme between heaven and earth."
"Cultivating those Daos would suit my original form, but conflict with my Heavenly Mandate. In time, my Dao and destiny would pull against each other, and I'd achieve half the result for twice the effort."
The light of those laws faded, and they returned to the river of Dao markings.
At the same time, a Great Dao law of utmost yang strength separated from the river and slowly approached Haotian, blazing with light.
"Innate Yang Qi gave me form. I have an affinity with the Pure Yang Great Dao as well."
Haotian considered it. "Two people in the Primordial Wilderness cultivate this Great Dao: Di Jun and the East Prince."
"One founded the Heavenly Court; the other founded the Immortal Court."
"Both once ruled over a realm..."
"By that measure, this Dao truly does suit me!"
At the thought, the Pure Yang Great Dao flared brilliantly. Its Dao rhythm surged toward his spiritual altar, seeking to enter.
But Haotian stopped it with a thought.
"The Pure Yang Great Dao may suit me, but Di Jun and the East Prince both met Death and Dao Annihilation. That means this Dao... is difficult to bring to fruition."
The light of the Pure Yang Great Dao dimmed, and it slowly withdrew.
Haotian fell into thought once more.
He began to recall and consider the past.
The history of the Primordial Wilderness began with Pangu opening the heavens...
Haotian's consciousness entered the river of his memories. Starting from Pangu's creation of the world, he traced events forward step by step, searching for a Great Dao suited to him...
At last, he found what he sought.
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!
"The Three Human Emperors and Five Emperors attained the Great Dao of rulers by enlightening the Human Race and laying the foundations for the Human Dao's prosperity."
"That path suits me rather well."
"But everything they did was for the Human Race. In the end, they became only its rulers and reached the rank of Sub-Saint."
"I, however, want to rule the Three Realms and attain Primordial Unity."
Haotian's eyes grew bright. "I shall take the path of building the Three Realms and Enlighten Myriad Spirits!"
"I shall make heaven and earth my foundation, the Myriad Races my people, and the rise and fall of the Six Paths my responsibility."
"Then I can surely gather the Heaven and Earth Great Momentum and attain supreme Primordial Unity!"
"This is the Imperial Great Dao truly suited to me!"
Boom!
As clarity came to Haotian's mind, the markings of the Three Thousand Great Dao Laws surrounding him vanished.
At the same time, a Great Dao law, still slender and young, slowly manifested from the void.
Though its form was frail, it held the supreme essence of rule, order, enlightenment, and prosperity.
Without hesitation, Haotian opened his spiritual altar and inner palace, allowing the nascent Imperial Great Dao to merge with him.
The instant its Dao rhythm entered his body, he felt a shackle deep within his Divine Soul break apart. The fog obscuring the road ahead vanished.
Haotian let out a long breath. "Di Jun and the East Prince failed because they only gathered fortune for themselves. They never gave back to heaven and earth or brought blessings to all living beings."
"That may increase their strength rapidly for a time, but they are no more than duckweed without roots. In the long run, they are bound to fall."
"I won't make that mistake."
Haotian breathed slowly, the aura around him growing steadier and more vast.
"My Imperial Great Dao shall be a path of shared prosperity."
"All things in heaven and earth will flourish as I flourish and grow strong as I grow strong."
"When that day comes, I will be all things in heaven and earth, and all things will be me. Forget the Six Saints—even Hongjun of the Heavenly Dao will be unable to do anything to me!"
Once he understood what he had to do, the gloom in Haotian's heart dispersed.
In the Primordial Wilderness, an individual's power could be mighty, but the Heaven and Earth Great Momentum was more fearsome still.
Since Pangu opened the heavens, every Calamity had ended with the final victor favored by the Heaven and Earth Great Momentum.
During the Fierce Beast Tribulation, for instance, Shen Ni's strength stood unmatched throughout the Primordial Wilderness.
Yet he defied heaven and earth, seeking to overturn the Primordial Wilderness and destroy all living beings.
That was why an allied army of Innate Divine Beings defeated him.
Then came the Dragon-Han Tribulation. The dragon, phoenix, and Qilin clans gained the favor of heaven and earth for their part in slaying Shen Ni.
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