Mental State Breakthrough

He put away the Purple Firmament Token and looked around, seeing the mountain ranges winding like dragons in flight and the lakes scattered like stars in a galaxy.

When viewed from afar, this magnificent scenery did not seem particularly unusual.

Only upon closer inspection did he realize that every mountain peak towered over hundreds of millions of feet, piercing straight into the clouds.

Every lake was as vast as the oceans of his previous life, with misty waves stretching into the distance.

"It is truly the Primordial World; a single mountain is a world unto itself, and a single lake can contain ten thousand galaxies."

Although he had expected it, Haotian could not help but sigh with emotion upon seeing such a magnificent sight with his own eyes.

In his previous life, he had at most looked down at the mountains and rivers from an artificial airplane.

How could that compare to standing in the void at this moment, his Divine Sense sweeping across the Eight Wastelands, taking in the vastness of heaven and earth?

"Magnificent! Exhilarating!" With his heart surging with pride, Haotian could not help but let out a long roar toward the sky.

The roar sounded like a Dragon Roar, echoing through the mountain peaks.

Hum!

Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up in Haotian's heart.

His aura changed abruptly, and a wisp of invisible haze dissipated from the crown of his head, vanishing into the world.

"Unexpectedly, just by experiencing the vastness of the Primordial World, my cultivation has improved." Haotian's face revealed surprise.

He realized that as his mind became clear and joyful, he had unintentionally severed the fear he felt upon arriving in this unfamiliar world.

With his state of mind improved, his cultivation of the Dao naturally progressed.

"Roar!"

Just as Haotian was rejoicing over his improved cultivation, a heaven-shaking tiger roar suddenly erupted, with Killing Qi soaring into the sky!

He frowned and looked in the direction of the sound.

He saw a pitch-black Fierce Tiger, a million feet long, leaping out from a deep ravine, its claws treading on Mysterious Cloud, its eyes gleaming with ferocity.

"Strange, my Divine Sense detected no aura of any Living Beings within a radius of ten thousand miles just now. Where did this tiger come from..."

Before Haotian could think further, the black tiger opened its mouth and spat out billions of streaks of black light.

The light surged with Demonic Path energy, with Blood Fiend faintly visible; it was clearly a Demonic Path Supernatural Power!

"Remnant of the Demonic Path!" Haotian's heart tightened, and he immediately circulated his Dao Method.

His status in the Purple Firmament Palace was merely that of a Boy, so the techniques taught by Hongjun were not the top-tier methods, incomparable to the inheritances of Innate Divine Beings like the Three Pure Ones.

However, they still originated from a Saint and were considered first-class inheritances in the Primordial World; they were more than enough to deal with such a beast that had fallen into the Demonic Path as a Rogue Cultivator.

Boom!

Haotian raised his hand and pressed down into the void, his Golden Immortal power surging forth, transforming into a golden Dao seal that pressed down from the sky.

In an instant, the black tiger let out a miserable shriek, its million-foot body disintegrating with a bang, its Divine Soul destroyed, leaving not even a trace behind.

But Haotian's brow did not unfurl: "The appearance of this tiger is suspicious. Although the Demonic energy was chaotic, its movement technique was obscure and difficult to detect..."

While he was pondering, a mysterious fluctuation suddenly came from the Netherworld.

This fluctuation was like the flow of Dao rhyme, or like a flash of spiritual light, appearing and disappearing, unpredictable and elusive.

Haotian's mind shook, and a bright light flashed in his eyes:

"A Heaven-bestowed Opportunity?!!"

His heart tightened slightly, and he immediately focused his attention on the source of the spiritual perception.

As Haotian's mind converged, the mysterious fluctuation became clearer.

It was like the chanting of laws, or the fetal breath of heaven and earth, ethereal and unfathomable.

"This black tiger appeared abruptly, and then this opportunity appeared; could it be a hidden scheme?" Haotian's gaze was calm as he deduced in his heart.

The peculiar fluctuation grew stronger, like a clear spring tapping against his heart, cleansing his spirit.

After a moment of hesitation, he no longer wavered: "Opportunities are hard to come by and fleeting."

"Since I have the Purple Firmament Token to protect me, there should be no danger to my life; I shall go and investigate."

Thinking of this, Haotian raised his hand to tear through the void, his figure turning into a streak of light as he plunged into it, speeding toward the source of the sensation.

Crossing millions of miles of mountains and rivers, traversing endless clouds and rosy light, Haotian arrived at a place brimming with Spiritual Aura.

Surrounded by peaks, stretching for millions of miles, hundreds of sharp peaks soared into the clouds, presenting the posture of Nine Dragons Paying Homage.

The mountains were filled with Spirit Mist, exotic flowers and herbs swayed with brilliance, and Rare Birds and Exotic Beasts appeared and disappeared; it was truly a place of gathered spiritual essence.

Haotian stood in the void, his Divine Sense spreading out like a net, sweeping across the entire mountain range inch by inch.

The Primordial World was deep and unfathomable; although he had attained the Golden Immortal fruit, he was far from being a Great Power, so he had to be extremely cautious in his actions.

After investigating for a long time and confirming there was no danger, Haotian slowly lowered his cloud.

A cool breeze brushed against his face, carrying the crisp spiritual energy of the mountain.

A snow-white Spirit Deer leaped out from the forest; seeing Haotian, it showed no fear, instead pausing to gaze at him with spiritual light swirling in its eyes.

Haotian closed his eyes and focused, following the profound sensation within his Sea of Consciousness to carefully perceive the Dao rhymes of heaven and earth.

He did not know how much time had passed when his mind suddenly cleared, and the source of the sensation finally became distinct.

Haotian stepped forward, using Shrink Ground into Inches, and in an instant, he arrived before a towering peak.

The closer he got to this peak, the stronger the sensation became, like the tolling of morning bells and evening drums, knocking repeatedly upon his Dao Heart.

Suddenly, a strange change occurred!

The surrounding mountains and rivers trembled violently, the void twisted like ripples, and the River of Time appeared to fall into chaos!

Fortunately, Haotian had remained vigilant, shielding his body with Dao rhymes, and thus was not swept into the temporal turbulence.

When heaven and earth returned to calm, an Exotic Beast with an ancient appearance stepped out from the mountain stream.

Its form resembled a Qilin, yet it was not a Qilin; it had the head of a dragon, a body covered in mysterious armor, and its four hooves trod upon the phantoms of Earth Fire Water Wind.

"A guardian spirit beast?" Haotian's gaze sharpened, but he immediately shook his head. "No, it is not a living being."

Although this Exotic Beast radiated vigorous vitality, it lacked the soul and Dao rhymes that a true living being should possess.

It was more like an embodiment of the will of the mountains and rivers of this realm—as ancient as the mountains and as enduring as the rivers; though it possessed a majestic aura, it was not actually alive.

A desire to retreat sprouted in Haotian's heart.

To clash with an entity of such unknown origin was a gamble with unpredictable consequences.

"Roar!"

The Exotic Beast did not intend to give Haotian time to weigh his options; as it roared toward the sky, thousands of strange phenomena manifested from the void.

Phantoms of mountains descended to suppress him, rivers surged upward in reverse, and stars swayed as if about to fall...

With a single strike from the Exotic Beast, the world lost its color, and all laws wailed!

In the blink of an eye, Haotian's thoughts raced.

If he wished to escape the fate of a puppet and attain the true status of Heavenly Emperor, he needed to accumulate foundations and forge connections.

Now that opportunity lay before him, if he retreated out of fear, how could he ever attain the Dao?

Haotian's will hardened, and his Imperial Great Dao roared into motion!

A supreme majesty, capable of governing the Eight Wastelands and holding the universe in his palm, permeated from his body.

The Exotic Beast's overwhelming momentum faltered, as if a subject were facing a monarch, naturally restrained.

The Imperial Great Dao that Haotian had comprehended inherently contained the authority to govern all things in heaven and earth.

Although this Exotic Beast was formed from the will of the mountains and rivers, it ultimately did not escape the category of "all things in heaven and earth."

Under the suppression of the Great Dao, the power of its offensive plummeted.

Haotian raised his hand and traced a line in the air, borrowing the authority of Yin Yang from the world.

Subsequently, Yin Yang Qi flowed from his palm, transforming into a Taiji Diagram that rotated in mid-air.

The phantoms of mountains and rivers unleashed by the Exotic Beast crashed into the diagram and, like a clay ox entering the sea, were completely extinguished.

Taking advantage of this gap, Haotian struck back with a fist, the force of which secretly aligned with the subtlety of using a thousand pounds to deflect four ounces, turning the beast's own strength against its body.

Boom!

The deafening sound shook the mountains, and the million-foot-tall body of the Exotic Beast disintegrated inch by inch, turning into specks of spiritual light that dissipated into the world.

But Haotian's mind did not relax.

Because according to his perception of the Great Dao, that strange power of heaven and earth had not yet dissipated.