Tribe

After the two had left, Donghua couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Turning to Yuan Xiong, he said, "Fellow Daoist, you can't stop Xiong Er from wanting revenge. You might as well let that hatred become the motivation for his cultivation. Just guide him well and make sure he doesn't let hatred control him."

Yuan Xiong could only nod helplessly. How could he not know what his son was like? He had kept him in check all these years, but his desire for revenge had never diminished.

"I only hope he doesn't lose his way."

Just then, someone came in from outside, about to say something. But upon seeing a guest, he stopped.

Yuan Xiong said, "It's all right. Speak freely."

"Chief, Ju Mang of the Demon God Race requests your presence."

Yuan Xiong's brows furrowed at that.

"Understood. I'll go shortly."

Hearing this, Donghua said, "Fellow Daoist Yuan Xiong, since you have matters to attend to, we'll take our leave."

Yuan Xiong waved his hand. "East King Gong, please don't say that. I expect something has stirred up trouble again over at the Demon Race Heavenly Court, but it's nothing serious. We'll probably just go out and fight. We've gotten used to it over the years."

"Since you've come all this way, and if you don't mind how impoverished our tribe is, why not stay a few more days? When I return, I'll do my best to host you."

Donghua considered it. He had wanted to learn more about the great tribes of the Primordial Wilderness, so he might as well stay.

"In that case, I'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Yuan Xiong. Go ahead and take care of your business."

Donghua sat cross-legged on the steps, with many Iron Eater Beasts gathered below.

"The Great Dao has no form, yet it gives birth to Heaven and Earth. The Great Dao is without emotion, yet it sets the sun and moon in motion. The Great Dao has no name, yet it nurtures all things. I do not know its name, so I call it the Dao. The Dao has its clear and turbid aspects, its movement and stillness. Heaven is clear, Earth is turbid; Heaven moves, Earth is still...

"When people can remain constantly clear and still, Heaven and Earth will return to them. People's spirits yearn for clarity, but their minds disturb them; their hearts yearn for stillness, but their desires tug at them. If they can always cast aside their desires, their hearts will grow still on their own. If they can cleanse their hearts, their spirits will grow clear on their own."

When Donghua lectured on the Dao, Golden Lotuses Springing from the Earth did not appear, but the thunderous resonance of the Great Dao still filled their ears, rumbling without end.

When the lecture ended, everyone rose and bowed. "We thank you, East King."

Donghua smiled and nodded, then stood up, ready to leave.

"Great God! Great God!"

Xiong Er chased after him from behind.

"Easy, easy. Don't rush. What is it?"

Xiong Er scratched his head sheepishly. "Great God, I have a favor to ask."

"Go ahead."

Xiong Er extended his right hand and brought out his Mysterious Iron Rod. "Great God, I heard my father say you're a master weapon-refiner. I'd like to ask you to reforge my weapon."

Donghua nodded. Though he knew how to refine weapons, he could hardly be called a master. When it came to formations, however, he truly did deserve the title.

He took the Mysterious Iron Rod and weighed it in his hand. As his magic power flowed through it, he immediately understood its construction.

The weapon had been made far too crudely. It had been refined using the Divine Dao Method and was the lowest-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure.

"All right, no problem. Come back for it in a month!"

With that, Donghua left.

Over the next few days, he stayed in the Iron Eater Beast tribe and saw just how backward the tribes of this era were.

Their daily lives, marriages, ways of speaking—in every aspect, from food and clothing to housing and travel, they showed their backwardness.

The class divisions were stark. The cultivators at the top enjoyed everything, while those at the bottom struggled to get by.

The Primordial Wilderness was no longer an age when everyone was born an immortal. Ordinary creatures had begun to be born.

During this time, Donghua traveled throughout the tribe, teaching the people at the bottom Cultivation Methods. Drawing on spells from later generations, he created many cultivation techniques and spells.

Above all, he taught them practical life skills and customs.

He also lectured on the Dao for the high-ranking cultivators who had attained immortality. Donghua had discovered that each time he lectured, he gained new insights himself.

As Donghua walked through the Iron Eater Beast tribe, many people he passed greeted him.

"Greetings, Great God Tai Wei."

"Great God, where have you been busying yourself?"

Donghua smiled and answered each of their questions.

When he returned to his simple dwelling in a bamboo grove, he found Shao Siming wasn't cultivating. Instead, she was cooking.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you cooking?"

Tai Hua didn't even turn her head, keeping her attention on the food in the pot. "You've been teaching them how to cook these past few days, so I learned a little too. It'll be ready soon. You can try it in a moment."

Before long, Tai Hua brought out four dishes.

"Emperor Lord, hurry and try them. What do you think of my cooking?"

Donghua sat down. "When we're away from home, don't call me Emperor Lord. Since we've told people I'm your older brother, just call me Brother."

Then he picked up a dish with his chopsticks and tasted it.

When Donghua had finished eating, Tai Hua hurriedly asked, "Well? Well? How did my cooking turn out?"

"Mm, not bad. But you've been far too extravagant. These aren't ordinary ingredients—they're all innate spiritual treasures. They'd taste good even without being cooked."

"Cooking should be done with ordinary ingredients. That's what gives the dishes their unique flavor."

Tai Hua pouted. "I know. I tried a few times before, but I couldn't get it right. My cooking is nowhere near as good as yours, Brother."

Donghua smiled. "You just need to practice. And don't spend all your time on these little things. Cultivation is most important. You haven't been cultivating properly these past few days in the tribe, so—"

Before Donghua could finish, he sensed an imposing aura rise from Shao Siming Tai Hua. Her cultivation had reached the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

"When did you break through?"

Tai Hua said smugly, "Brother, you didn't expect this, did you? I've already broken through."

Donghua nodded. This had indeed taken him by surprise. Not long ago, he had sensed that Tai Hua was still far from a breakthrough, but now she had already achieved one.

"I didn't expect it either. These past few days, as you taught the tribe and lectured on the Dao, I realized that everything you taught aligned closely with my own Dao. The day before yesterday, I suddenly had an insight and broke through."

Donghua considered the details.

Over the past few days, he had taught the Iron Eater Beast tribe a great deal. In essence, it all came down to people's livelihoods.

Before taking up cultivation, Shao Siming Tai Hua had been a deity who oversaw fate, fortune, and blessings.

"It seems you've found your own Dao. That's excellent. Cultivators can readily comprehend laws, but finding their own Dao is difficult. It's also the key to breaking through to the Primordial Golden Immortal realm and becoming a Quasi-Saint. Excellent, truly excellent."

Before the Heavenly Dao emerged, the Great Dao existed, making it easy to comprehend laws. That was why everyone cultivated the Divine Dao, which was the mainstream path in the Primordial Wilderness.

Now that the Heavenly Dao had emerged, comprehending laws had become much harder than before. But for Innate Deities and those of exceptional talent, it was still relatively easy.

But for cultivators, finding their own Dao was difficult no matter the era. This Dao was neither a law nor a level of cultivation, but a principle.

"All right, Brother."

After they finished eating, Donghua went to an empty space and took out the Mysterious Iron Rod Xiong Er had given him earlier.

He took out some rare divine materials, thought for a moment, then brought out a few more.

Then he summoned the Hunyuan Cauldron. It was a Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure containing primordial energy, an excellent vessel for refining weapons.

Pure Yang Divine Fire blazed beneath the Hunyuan Cauldron. Donghua placed the Mysterious Iron Rod inside and began refining it.

He then added the materials one by one.

Inside the cauldron, the Mysterious Iron Rod could be seen shrinking. Some parts melted away, while liquid from the newly melted materials flowed in to fill the gaps.

Combining and refining all the materials together was the first step of weapon-refining.

Once the refining was complete, the Mysterious Iron Rod inside the cauldron had returned to its most basic state.

Now Donghua began carving Great Dao Inscriptions.

First, he refined the Law of Heaviness into an inscription and carved it into the inside of the Mysterious Iron Rod. Then he fused it into the rod using the primordial energy and Pure Yang Divine Fire.

Next came the Law of Breaking, the Law of Space, the Five Elements, and others. One law after another, Donghua refined them and carved them into the inside of the Mysterious Iron Rod.

He continued until the rod could no longer withstand any more. At that point, Donghua stopped.

After some thought, he also carved in Size As One Wishes, a divine ability he had recently comprehended.

Once he finished carving, Donghua channeled his magic power again. Inside the cauldron, the primordial energy formed a hammer-shaped shadow that repeatedly struck the Mysterious Iron Rod.

Under the refining of the Pure Yang Divine Fire and the hammering of the primordial energy, the various Great Dao Inscriptions began to fuse, slowly merging into the Mysterious Iron Rod.

Seeing this, Donghua knew that the weapon-refining had succeeded.

When the Pure Yang Divine Fire died down, the Mysterious Iron Rod shot out of the cauldron. It flew through the air, rattling and striking all around as it released its energy.

Donghua reached out, and the Mysterious Iron Rod returned to his hand. He sensed the power within it.

"High-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure."