Hell Mode from the Start? Then I'll Linger Until the End of Time!

The far west of the Primordial World.

The summit of Mount Sumeru.

The setting sun, red as blood, cast a more ghastly hue upon the dark red Sha Qi that permeated the heavens and earth, refusing to dissipate.

The earth was cracked and fissured, crisscrossed with ravines like the gaping, withered maws of giants, silently accusing the heavens.

The wind carried the pungent scent of scorched earth and smoke; there were no cranes or spiritual birds here, nor any exotic flowers or jade grasses—only endless desolation and deathly silence.

The self-detonation of the Devil Ancestor Rahula had not only destroyed the ancestral veins of the West but had completely reduced this land, once equal to the East in its abundance of spiritual treasures, into a barren wasteland.

Taiyuan sat cross-legged on a scorched black boulder, his green robes unstained by dust. His face was refined and handsome, his eyes as warm as jade. To an observer, he appeared to be meditating on the Dao, but in reality, he was already cursing up a storm in his heart.

This isn't a starting point; this is a death sentence.

Taiyuan sighed inwardly, his gaze sweeping across the wasteland before him, which was cleaner than a polished face.

He had transmigrated.

The good news was that his origin was heaven-defying.

He was not some innate cloud or mist, nor a spiritual stone or ancient tree; he was the first ray of "Wish Light" left behind in the world when Pangu God split the heavens and earth and transformed his body into all things.

Pangu God had wished for the well-being of all living beings and for the prosperity of this world.

This wish, combined with the merit of creation and innate clear Qi, had manifested as Taiyuan.

In terms of seniority, the Three Pure Ones would have to call him a fellow Daoist, or even half an elder brother; in terms of origin, aside from Chaos Demon Gods reincarnated like Old Ancestor Hongjun and Yang Mei, he ranked in the top three within the Primordial World.

The bad news was that he was born in the West.

And specifically, the West after it had been forcibly detonated by that "demolition expert," Rahula.

The spiritual veins were severed, and the spiritual Qi was so thin it felt like drinking water through a straw; a slightly deep breath could drain the spiritual Qi for a hundred miles around.

"Elder Brother—!"

A shrill, mournful cry shattered the silence of Mount Sumeru.

Two streaks of Escape Light were seen flying crookedly from the distance, transforming into two figures the moment they landed.

The one on the left had a face full of misery, as if he had consumed all the bitter herbs in the world; his eyes were red-rimmed—it was Jieyin.

The one on the right was gaunt, his Daoist robes washed until they were white and patched in several places, his hair disheveled, his face full of grief and indignation—it was Zhunti.

At this time, the Two Sages of the West did not yet possess the scheming nature that would later manipulate the heavens; they were simply two "hard-working laborers" crushed by the weight of life.

"Elder Brother! We can't go on like this!"

Before Zhunti had even steadied himself, he collapsed at Taiyuan's feet, weeping in earnest, tears and snot streaming down his face: "I just tried to search for some spiritual items to repair our mountain gate, and I ran for a full thirty thousand miles! Thirty thousand miles! Forget about Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, I couldn't even find a blade of grass!"

Jieyin also wore a look of sorrow, sighing repeatedly: "Elder Brother, Rahula has dug up the very roots of the West. Now that the spiritual veins are destroyed and Sha Qi is everywhere, I see that the East is filled with vast purple clouds and surging treasure light. Perhaps... should we move?"

"Move?"

Taiyuan raised an eyebrow, looking at these two cheap junior brothers.

Because his origin was unique, he had taken human form the earliest and carried the lingering aura of compassion left by Pangu God. After these two future leaders of the Western Sect took human form, they naturally deferred to him as their leader, calling him "Elder Brother" with great affection.

Zhunti wiped away his bitter tears, gritting his teeth: "Yes! Go to the East! Why should the Three Pure Ones enjoy the blessed lands of Mount Kunlun while we brothers have to eat dirt here? Elder Brother, your origin is noble; if we go to the East, we can seize a cave dwelling. If that fails, I will... I will go and stage an accident! I'll claim that the treasures of the East are fated to be with me!"

The corners of Taiyuan's mouth twitched slightly.

Good heavens, is this talent for "staging accidents" hardcoded into their DNA? Is it already awakening at this stage?

Just as he was about to reprimand them, a crisp, mechanical sound echoed in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host is facing a major choice, Merit Farming System activated!]

A system?

Taiyuan's heart stirred, and his previously calm eyes brightened.

A golden finger might be late, but it would never be absent.

[Please make a choice:]

[Option 1: Respond to the junior brother's call, lead Jieyin and Zhunti to migrate to the East, compete for hegemony in the Primordial World, and seize blessed lands.]

[Reward: Innate Supreme Treasure · Pangu Banner (Note: This treasure has unparalleled killing power, but it is easy to incur great Karma and be viewed as a mortal enemy by Hongjun and the Three Pure Ones).]

[Option 2: Stay put and settle down, hiding in the West. Ignore the affairs of the outside world and focus solely on farming the fields of sages.]

[Reward: Eight Treasures Merit Pool Water x999 drops (each drop can revive the dead and regrow flesh and bones, and accelerate the growth of spiritual plants), Innate Spiritual Root Cultivation Method x1, Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure · Pure Water Alms Bowl (containing a small world inside).]

Looking at these two options, Taiyuan almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Was there even a need to choose?

Was Option 1 something a sane person would do?

What time was it now?

The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity had just passed, and although Old Ancestor Hongjun had not yet become a Saint, it was likely close.

As the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, the Three Pure Ones—especially the hot-tempered Primordial Heavenly Lord—would surely fight to the death if they saw him holding the Pangu Banner, which belonged to them.

If he went to the East, he would be throwing himself into the very heart of the Primordial World's meat grinder.

Above, there is Hongjun watching; in the middle, there are powerhouses like the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Fuxi, Di Jun, and Tai Yi; and below, there is that group of muscle-bound barbarians, the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Leading two underdeveloped junior brothers to fight for hegemony?

I'm afraid that's just asking to die faster.

The Pangu Banner is tempting, but my life is more important. Taiyuan's greatest strength was his self-awareness. Besides, I came here to enjoy life, not to become cannon fodder for the calamity.

He looked at the second option.

999 drops of Eight Treasures Merit Pool Water!

One must know that in the later Western Sect, the Eight Treasures Merit Pool was the sect's supreme treasure. The water within was incredibly precious, formed from the liquefaction of merit accumulated over countless eons.

And now, I get 999 drops right at the start?

There is also the Innate Spiritual Root cultivation method!

This is practically a gift package tailor-made for a "farming and low-profile" lifestyle.

As long as I keep a low profile and transform this dump of a Western region into a fairyland, why would I need to go to the East and beg for scraps?

Taiyuan took a deep breath and whispered in his heart: "System, I choose two."

[Ding! Selection successful. Rewards have been issued to the System Space.]

A warm current surged through his entire body, and Taiyuan felt his confidence increase a hundredfold in an instant.

He collected his thoughts and slowly raised his head, his gentle eyes sweeping over Zhunti and Jieyin, who were still sobbing before him.

The two, who had been preparing to pack their bags and run, suddenly felt the aura of their Elder Brother change.

It became deeper, more vast, and even faintly exuded a sense of holiness that made them want to prostrate themselves in worship.

"Nonsense."

Taiyuan gave a light reprimand. His voice was not loud, but it rang out like a great bell, instantly shattering the restlessness and panic in their hearts.

Zhunti shrank his neck and stopped his crying: "Elder Brother..."

Taiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. With his back to the setting sun, his entire figure seemed to be plated with a golden rim.

"Though the East is prosperous, it is not a place for us to dwell for long."

His voice was calm, carrying a convincing power. "You only see the treasure light soaring in the East, but you do not see how many vengeful souls from the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity are buried beneath that light? The three clans fought for hegemony, leaving the world in ruins, karma entangled, and the Sha Qi yet to dissipate."

"To go to the East now is to jump into a fire pit of your own volition."

Jieyin looked hesitant: "But Elder Brother, the West... is truly too poor. If we stay here, I fear we will perish from the exhaustion of spiritual energy before we can even reach the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm."

"Poor?"

Taiyuan chuckled, turned around, and stared intently at the wasteland beneath his feet.

"If the heart is barren, where is there not a desert? If the heart is abundant, even withered bones can bloom."

"Since the spiritual veins of the West have been destroyed, we shall reshape them; since there are no treasures here, we shall grow ten thousand spiritual treasures ourselves!"

Zhunti listened, stunned. Although he felt that what his Elder Brother said made perfect sense and carried an air of profound mystery, he still couldn't help but mutter while looking at the scorched earth beneath his feet: "Elder Brother, I understand the logic, but what are we going to use to grow them? There isn't even any water here..."

"Do not be deceived by appearances."

Taiyuan smiled slightly, a confidence born of having everything under control.

He raised his right hand, and a faint light flashed in his palm.

A simple, unadorned purple-gold alms bowl appeared out of thin air; it was the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure rewarded by the system—the Pure Water Alms Bowl.

But that was not the point.

The point was that Taiyuan gently tilted the bowl, and a golden droplet, radiating Nine-Colored Divine Light and containing boundless creative vitality, slowly slid out.

"That is..."

Jieyin's pupils instantly contracted to the size of needle points.

Zhunti's mouth hung wide open. Feeling the terrifying energy contained within that single drop, every cell in his body began to cheer and leap for joy.

Vitality!

Unimaginable vitality and merit!

"Plop."

The golden droplet landed beside a massive, scorched rock on the summit of Mount Sumeru, upon a charred, withered tree that had been dead for ten thousand years.

In an instant.

A miracle descended.

The once deathly silent summit of Mount Sumeru seemed to have been reset by a single key.

The withered tree shed its charred blackness at a speed visible to the naked eye, sprouting tender green buds. Immediately after, the branches stretched and the leaves unfurled. In the span of a single breath, it had grown into a towering tree, its entire body crystal-clear like jade, emitting a faint Bodhi Dao rhyme.

"This... is this the Bodhi Root left behind by my original form?!"

Zhunti exclaimed, feeling a mysterious resonance between himself and that Bodhi Tree. The bottleneck that had kept him stuck at the peak of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm for so long actually showed signs of loosening at this very moment!

And it was just a single drop of water!

To think he actually brought an Innate Spiritual Root back from the brink of death, and even boosted his own cultivation in the process!

Taiyuan watched the two of them, stunned into a stupor, feeling a secret thrill in his heart while maintaining a calm and breezy expression on his face.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

If he didn't bamboozle these two little brothers until they were limping, how could he get them to honestly stay in the Western Lands and farm with him?

"Junior Brother, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to go to the East to beg?"

Taiyuan put away the alms bowl and looked at Zhunti with a faint, inscrutable smile.

Zhunti shuddered, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. His eyes stared with fanatical intensity at the resurrected Bodhi Tree, then shifted to Taiyuan, looking at him as if he were a parent reborn.

"I'm not going! You couldn't beat me into going!"

Zhunti threw his arms around Taiyuan's thigh, the sorrow on his face swept away, replaced by extreme sycophancy and resolve: "Is the East a place for people to stay? It's a den of trouble! I love the Western Lands! I love farming!"

"Elder Brother, that water in your hand... do you have any more?"

Jieyin's throat bobbed as he swallowed, and though he remained more reserved, the longing in his eyes could not be hidden: "Elder Brother's actions here seize the very fortune of Heaven and Earth. I have attained enlightenment! So, the reason Elder Brother never allowed us to go to the East was because our own foundation is too profound, and he feared frightening those bumpkins in the East!"

Taiyuan nodded slightly, expressing his satisfaction with his junior brothers' "enlightenment."

See, this is the power of an information gap.

As long as you swing the hoe well, there is no corner you cannot dig, and no junior brother you cannot drag into the grind.

"Since that is the case, then set your hearts at ease."

Taiyuan looked up toward the eastern horizon, a playful curve tugging at the corner of his mouth, "From this day forth, we shall stay here on Mount Sumeru and properly manage our own little plot of land. As for the killing and fighting outside..."

"That is a business for barbarians."