Primordial Spirit Manifests

Chapter 35: Manifestation of the Primordial Spirit

Protected by the mysterious nine-colored light shield, He Yu remained shielded from the aura of the Gods and Devils. Yet, his heart was filled with trepidation, his focus sharpened to its peak. While the shield was effective at repelling the aura, it was not under his control, and he had no idea how long it would last. Fearing he might be caught off guard, He Yu dared not even pause to recover his spent energy, keeping his eyes locked on the shimmering barrier.

Time slipped away. The Primordial World was shrouded in boundless, impenetrable darkness—a result of both the loss of the Light of Taichu and the suffocating blanket of the Gods and Devils' aura. This aura descended from above the Thirty-Three Heavens, saturating the entire Primordial land, the Heavenly Realm, and the heavens themselves; there was nowhere it did not reach.

The Calamity of the Era!

There was no escaping it; there was no choice but to endure!

"Roar!" "Awoo!" "Clack!"...

Various agonizing howls echoed from the distant horizon, marking the moment the myriad spirits of the Primordial World transformed into giant beasts amidst the aura. Even from such a distance, He Yu could sense terrifying waves of power erupting all around him, each one surging with rapid intensity.

Primordial Spirit Realm—Hexu Realm—Loose Immortal Realm—Earth Immortal Realm!

Sensing several auras reaching the early Earth Immortal stage, He Yu felt a wave of despondency. Though he had anticipated this, the reality stung; falling from the peak of the strongest to the weakest of ants was a bitter pill to swallow.

Falling behind for now is no matter. With the Primordial Avatar and the Plane Space, I can still rival a late-stage Loose Immortal. Combined with the twenty-five Demon Kings, self-preservation should be possible. As he pondered, he thought of the Heart of Heaven's Scourge. It contained countless laws, which solved his greatest dilemma. Its ability to deduce Daoist arts and supernatural powers was peerless, and comprehending its laws would surely elevate his cultivation—the advantage was simply too immense! One had to realize that the Jade of Creation had not yet emerged. In the Primordial World, only those innate deities who had yet to take form and the blessed descendants of Pangu possessed systematic cultivation methods; all others were crude and barely worth a glance.

The memories of his past life were of little help once he reached the Golden Core stage, and after entering the Primordial Spirit realm, he held no advantage over those lacking systematic methods. However, the integration of the Heart of Heaven's Scourge into his plane had resolved his troubles. The Plane Space had become a nascent semi-world, and the Heart of Heaven's Scourge had manifested as the Heavenly Dao. Its computational and deductive power exceeded that of the computers of his past life by a hundredfold. He Yu only needed to use the Heart of Heaven's Scourge to process his past cultivation memories to perfect his "Eight Meridians Mystic Pole" to a level previously beyond his reach.

"How could this be?" Suddenly, He Yu cried out in shock. The twenty-five strands of alien consciousness within his own had abruptly transformed into pure consciousness energy, merging with his own. While his consciousness had grown, his expression turned chillingly dark.

"To think such a thing would happen. My schemes have crumbled in an instant, and I have even forged a blood feud with those twenty-five Demon Kings." Having lost the twenty-five strands of consciousness, He Yu had lost control over the Demon Kings. Given their cultivation, their transformation into giant beasts would surely grant them the power of Heavenly Immortals. Now, having lost control and considering the matter of the consciousness strands, they were undoubtedly enemies. He Yu felt a wave of frustration; it was his own miscalculation. He had never expected the Great Beast Calamity to shatter his plans so thoroughly.

"I tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice! If I had known, I should have killed them all." Regret gnawed at him, but it was too late.

"Forget it! No matter what, the situation cannot be changed. It seems I must hide and focus on raising my cultivation. At least with the help of the Heart of Heaven's Scourge, I have saved myself much trouble. I believe it won't take long to improve." With the Heart of Heaven's Scourge to guide his deductions, his Daoist arts were no longer an issue. Being in the Primordial World, where spiritual energy was dense and filled with countless spiritual essences and roots, reaching the Earth Immortal and Heavenly Immortal stages would be easy. In later ages, when spiritual energy was thin and century-old herbs were rare, people still managed to reach the Earth Immortal stage; he had every advantage.

Once he let go of his frustration, He Yu calmed down. He was among the first beings of the Primordial World, with innate conditions far superior to those of later humans. With the Heart of Heaven's Scourge combining various laws and his perfected "Eight Meridians Mystic Pole," plus the abundant conditions of the Era of Giant Beasts, what did he have to fear?

The horizon suddenly brightened. He Yu looked up to see the three hundred and sixty-five primary stars faintly visible at the zenith of the firmament, surrounded by four hundred and eighty million auxiliary stars. Among the primary stars, two giant orbs—one yin, one yang—reigned supreme: the Sun Star and the Moon Star.

"It seems the aura of the Gods and Devils is about to dissipate. I must leave as well." He mused. The Demon King City was famous throughout the vast region surrounding the Mount Buzhou Range; with his current lack of cultivation, staying here would be a death sentence.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!...

Over thirty powerful auras surged into the sky from all directions. The world underwent a violent transformation: gale-force winds howled, the sky cleared of clouds for a million miles, the earth trembled, mountains shook, waterfalls ceased to flow, and rivers surged...

"Heavenly Immortal power!" He Yu's expression was grim. For him, the Heavenly Immortal stage was still a distant goal.

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, He Yu fled at top speed. Fearing to attract attention, he didn't even ride his demon clouds. His heart was filled with the utmost frustration and humiliation, but the situation was simply not in his favor.

A treacherous mountain gorge stood filled with jagged, strange rock formations. The currents were rapid and the waves violent, with hidden reefs and whirlpools everywhere. The forest was sparse, the vegetation withered, and no signs of life remained—truly a place of poverty and malice.

He Yu stood silently at the entrance of a hidden cave on a cliffside, watching the turbulent torrents below, where countless white sprays of water leaped into the air amidst reefs, undercurrents, and swirling winds.

"To think that I, the great Demon King He Yu, would come to this! Living like a rat in a place of such desolation, heh!" With a self-deprecating laugh, He Yu looked at the sky once more. The last traces of the Gods and Devils' aura had vanished. Several days had passed since he left Demon King City. He had traveled with extreme caution, and he was now over a million miles away from the Mount Buzhou Range. With few giant beasts nearby and the terrain of this place, it served as a decent temporary refuge. He had been waiting for the world to clear so he could cultivate using the power of the sun, moon, and stars.

The wait was not short—he wasn't sure exactly how long, but it was at least a month. During this time, He Yu had poured all his focus into deducing his Daoist arts.

Under the deduction of the Heavenly Dao (the nascent form manifested by the Heart of Heaven's Scourge) within the Ancient Wild World (the Plane Space), the "Eight Meridians Mystic Pole" had been perfected from beginning to end. The path of the Primordial Spirit was complete, the path of Hexu was largely finished, and the path of the Loose Immortal had at least a foundation. Given the short time and the weakness of the Heavenly Dao, this progress was already astonishing to He Yu.

With the cultivation method for the Primordial Spirit perfected and the aura of the Gods and Devils gone, the power of the sun, moon, and stars radiating from the firmament was sufficient for him to forge his Primordial Spirit.

Closing his eyes and centering his mind, he began to circulate the cultivation method. As he practiced, he felt waves of solar and lunar essence and starlight pouring into his body. As soon as this energy entered, it rapidly merged with his twenty-five Demon Cores. What shocked He Yu was the sheer abundance of the power; it took the full effort of all twenty-five cores to contain it, and as time passed, it became increasingly difficult to bear.

After completing seventeen major and minor cycles, He Yu could no longer withstand the surging power and immediately ceased his cultivation to regulate his breath, his heart filled with both shock and excitement.

If the power of the sun, moon, and stars is this dense when only slightly opened, what would happen if it were fully unleashed? He shuddered at the thought. He was certain that if it were fully unleashed, he would have died instantly.

After this brief session, his Demon Cores had undergone a massive change. They were now covered in gold, black, and azure patterns, and the shimmering cyan light was now mixed with gold, black, and azure hues, with faint, brilliant golden glimmers appearing within.

The Light of the Golden Core!

To possess the Light of the Golden Core after the first session left him stunned. The first requirement for Primordial Spirit cultivation was a perfected Golden Core. His twenty-five Demon Cores were already full; the only thing lacking was the power of the sun, moon, and stars. Once he absorbed enough to form the Light of the Golden Core and the core became suffused with mist, the twenty-five cores would coalesce into a true Golden Core.

"The hardest step is the Light of the Golden Core, and the rest will follow. To think it would be this easy!" The first step was done; the rest would be much simpler.

"At this rate, I should be able to perfect the Golden Core within ten sessions." He found it incredible. The progress was too fast. He could cultivate three times a day—morning, noon, and night—meaning he would reach perfection in three days. Even with the foundation of his Demon Cores, such results were terrifying.

"It seems I underestimated the intensity of the Primordial World. The cultivation conditions are simply horrific! Even without the aid of spiritual essences, I could reach the Loose Immortal stage within a year." Through his brief practice, he realized the spiritual energy of the Era of Giant Beasts was ten times denser than at the very beginning of the Primordial World. He understood that the world had evolved; possessing fragments of Pangu's and Taichu's information, he knew the world had more than doubled in size, making the ascent to the Heavenly Gang layer far more difficult.

After quickly tempering his Demon Cores and fully digesting the energy, He Yu resumed his practice. He had only completed seventeen cycles before; perfection required thirty-six.

He pushed through nineteen more cycles in one breath, and the Light of the Golden Core grew even more intense and dazzling.

Time flew by as He Yu focused entirely on his cultivation, constantly absorbing and tempering. Within him, the twenty-five Demon Cores raced toward the formation of the Golden Core.

One day later—the Light of the Golden Core was achieved!

Three days later—the Golden Core mist appeared!

"The Golden Core is finally perfected!" With a sigh of relief, He Yu steadied his mind. Now, he would begin the cultivation of the Primordial Spirit. Even with a perfect method, he could not afford to be careless.

The method flowed through his mind. He closed his eyes and began to circulate it. As he did, the primary Golden Core began to vibrate slightly, then slowly melted into a golden liquid. Once it had completely dissolved, his consciousness merged into it. Simultaneously, invisible energy surged from his limbs and bones—his three souls and seven spirits. After merging with the essence of his consciousness, the golden liquid began to condense, gradually forming a three-inch-tall golden figure, identical in appearance to his past self.

The Primordial Spirit—was complete!

He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. Previously, he had been consumed by worry over the Great Beast Calamity. Now that he had settled down and seen his past self, he couldn't help but think of his parents, family, and friends. He wondered if they could accept his "death." As their only son, they must be devastated.

"Heh!" With a self-deprecating laugh, he buried the memories of his past life deep within his heart. Sorrow and melancholy were not his nature. Everything was set in stone; there was no use in dwelling on it. One had to look forward.

Whoosh!

His primary Primordial Spirit dove into the Ancient Wild World. The world had evolved to six thousand meters in size. The earth and sky had formed, thanks to the Primordial Avatar contributing a portion of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend source. The nascent earth was complete, planted with dense, ten-thousand-year-old spiritual essences. In the center of the land, the Post-Heaven Spiritual Root, the Green Spirit Fruit Tree, stood proudly. The earth veins had even formed a tiny, meter-long spiritual pulse, continuously circulating spiritual energy. The Primordial Avatar sat beneath the tree, while the Heavenly Dao remained hidden at the zenith of the sky, deducing Daoist arts and supernatural powers.

As soon as He Yu's main Primordial Spirit entered the Ancient Wild World, the Heavenly Dao sensed it immediately. Upon realizing it was He Yu, it promptly began to calculate once more. Although it was the Heavenly Dao of the Ancient Wild World, supreme and transcendent, He Yu was the Master of the World; if he were willing to pay the price, he could certainly destroy it. To put it plainly, the Heavenly Dao existed merely to serve He Yu.

He Yu's Primordial Spirit had not entered the Ancient Wild World this time without a purpose; his goal was the Heart of the World.

Although the Ancient Wild World was his world, he had not yet gained complete control over it, primarily because the Heart of the World had not yet formed. It had only recently come into existence, and now that he had cultivated his Primordial Spirit, he could fuse with the Heart of the World in one fell swoop. This carried both advantages and disadvantages. The only drawback was that his main Primordial Spirit would henceforth be unable to leave the Ancient Wild World; otherwise, the world would perish—just as a person cannot live without a heart, neither can a world. The benefits, however, were immense: he would gain total control over the Ancient Wild World, and his Primordial Spirit would evolve. This was He Yu's true objective, for he knew that he needed to split his Primordial Spirit into twenty-four parts, and without a powerful Primordial Spirit, that would be extremely difficult even with the Light of Taichu.

He Yu was the Master of the Ancient Wild World, and with a single thought, a brilliant, hazy speck of light deep within the Heavenly Dao descended and swiftly merged into the center of his Primordial Spirit's brow.

Rumble!

The world shook, and the heavens and earth trembled. The main Primordial Spirit radiated a terrifying aura that filled the sky and covered the earth, rising rapidly.

Four inches—five inches—six inches—twelve inches!

The Primordial Spirit continued to grow until it reached twelve inches before finally stopping; at this time, the limit of the Ancient Wild World could only accommodate a twelve-inch Primordial Spirit for the Master of the World.

Having fused with the Heart of the World, all manner of divine abilities and laws flooded into his mind. What the Heavenly Dao knew, He Yu knew; what the Heavenly Dao did not know, He Yu knew as well. This sensation of controlling the world and the Heavenly Dao left He Yu sighing in wonder.

Manifestation of Heaven and Earth!

He Yu's Primordial Spirit manifested, standing tall between heaven and earth, its power increasing significantly. While this was impossible to achieve within the Primordial World, it was incredibly simple within his own world.

Looking down upon the lands of the Ancient Wild World, a feeling akin to that of Pangu welled up within him.