The Great Dao Sends Down Tribulation, the Green Lotus Finally Takes Form!

As the years flowed on, several more tens of thousands of years quietly passed.

The ninth lotus leaf on Li Changsheng's stem, nourished by endless innate spiritual energy and the Origin of Creation, finally solidified completely!

Buzz!

A faint tremor resounded throughout the entire minor world.

The ninth lotus leaf fully unfurled. Its surface was covered in dense, profoundly mysterious Great Dao divine patterns. Every pattern carried the dual Dao intent of Creation and genesis, their divine light brilliant enough to illuminate heaven and earth.

In an instant, boundless power of creation erupted from Li Changsheng's true body and swept through the entire minor world!

The previously tranquil Three Radiances Divine Water instantly surged into towering waves, while the white mist over the lake scattered in all directions beneath the wash of creation power.

The innate spiritual roots across the ground frantically absorbed this power of creation, growing ever more luxuriantly. Quite a few spiritual roots directly bore fruits containing Great Dao intent.

Because of the formation of this ninth lotus leaf, the entire minor world became increasingly miraculous. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was so dense that it condensed into liquid, while Dao intent circulated through the realm, making it resemble a true chaotic immortal paradise.

Li Changsheng's consciousness was immersed in the joy of his soaring strength, his heart filled with anticipation for his impending transformation.

But at the very instant that power of creation reached its peak!

The entire Primordial World seemed to abruptly fall silent!

Time itself seemed to freeze at that moment!

The spiritual energy within the minor world stopped flowing. The Three Radiances Divine Water stopped churning. The spiritual roots covering the ground stopped swaying. Even the divine light circulating over Li Changsheng's true body instantly solidified!

An indescribably terrifying aura descended without warning, instantly shrouding the entire minor world and firmly locking onto Li Changsheng's true body!

It was an aura that stood above all else, indifferent to every living being, devoid of all emotion, and cold to the extreme!

There was not the slightest killing intent, yet it was more terrifying than any killing intent. It was as though all things in heaven and earth were mere dust and weeds in its eyes, things that could be annihilated at any moment!

Li Changsheng's entire consciousness instantly stiffened. All his joy vanished, replaced by a fear that seeped into his bones!

He felt as though the most terrifying existence in the world had fixed its gaze upon him. His whole body was rigid, and even the movement of his consciousness became incomparably sluggish. His lotus body trembled faintly beyond his control, as if he would be ground into dust the next second!

"What is going on?!"

"What happened?!"

"What kind of aura is this?!"

Panic flooded every corner of Li Changsheng's mind like a tidal wave!

Before this aura, he felt infinitely insignificant—so insignificant that he could not even summon the thought of resisting. He could only let it do as it pleased with him!

It was over!

He was finished!

He had merely grown a ninth lotus leaf. He was merely about to take form. How could he have drawn the attention of such a terrifying existence?!

The Primordial World had only just been born. Aside from Pangu's remnant soul, there could not possibly be any living being in heaven and earth with such pressure!

The Heavenly Dao had not yet been born. Then there was only the Great Dao!

"Great God Pangu!!!"

At the brink of life and death, Li Changsheng did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately cried out frantically, his plea for help trembling with unconcealed fear.

The only one who could save him now was Great God Pangu!

"Why are you panicking? With me here, how could anything happen?"

Just as Li Changsheng was about to be crushed by that terrifying aura, Pangu's steady, weighty voice, carrying endless majesty, rang out in his sea of consciousness once more.

That single sentence instantly settled Li Changsheng's frantic heart somewhat.

That was right!

He still had Great God Pangu to rely on!

This was the ancestor of the Primordial World who had split heaven and earth apart. No matter how terrifying this existence was, Great God Pangu would surely be able to protect him!

Almost at the exact moment Pangu's voice fell!

The void above the minor world suddenly split open with an enormous crack!

Within that crack was no chaos energy and no spiritual energy of heaven and earth—only endless coldness and nothingness.

Immediately afterward, an enormous, boundless, icy eye formed from the interweaving of endless Great Dao laws slowly opened within the rift in the void!

There was no emotion within that giant eye. No joy or anger, no good or evil—only the purest rules and order. It looked down upon everything in the world, indifferent to all living beings.

With just one glance, the space throughout the entire minor world continuously twisted and collapsed. The Three Radiances Divine Water endlessly evaporated, and the spiritual roots across the ground withered one after another, as though they could not withstand the pressure contained within that giant eye!

The Great Dao!

This was the Great Dao of the Chaotic Primordial World!

It was the ultimate Great Dao that stood above the Heavenly Dao, established all rules, and controlled every fate!

Li Changsheng's consciousness instantly understood the identity of this terrifying existence!

At last, he knew why he had been so afraid!

As the Creation Green Lotus, he was already an innate spiritual root born against the natural order. Now, he was even attempting to break the rule set by the Primordial World that "top-grade spiritual roots cannot take form" and transform against heaven's will. Naturally, he had drawn the Great Dao's attention and summoned the Great Dao's punishment!

Fortunately!

Fortunately, Great God Pangu was protecting him!

Just as the pressure of the Great Dao's giant eye was about to utterly crush Li Changsheng's true body, Pangu's vast will erupted from the void of the minor world!

An aura equally boundless and equally majestic, yet carrying the supreme dominance of splitting heaven and earth, shot into the skies and blocked the Great Dao's pressure!

The two supreme wills silently collided within the void.

There was no earth-shattering boom, no phenomenon capable of destroying heaven and earth. Yet under the collision of these two wills, the entire minor world continuously stabilized and repaired itself. The space that had been on the verge of collapse instantly returned to normal.

The invisible oppression the Great Dao had imposed upon Li Changsheng also dissipated by more than half at that moment!

Li Changsheng let out a long breath. Cold sweat drenched his intangible consciousness, and the relief of having survived a disaster filled his heart.

He could clearly feel that Great God Pangu was shouldering the Great Dao's pressure for him!

The Great Dao's giant eye continued to hover quietly in the void, its icy gaze firmly fixed on Li Changsheng without shifting in the slightest.

There was no anger and no killing intent. It simply watched quietly, as though judging whether this spiritual root that defied heaven was qualified to break the rules, whether it was qualified to take form.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

The prolonged stare felt as though hundreds of millions of years had passed.

Finally!

The light within the Great Dao's giant eye flickered faintly.

Then, a bolt of lightning no larger than a thumb, entirely chaotic in color and seemingly insignificant, slowly descended from the giant eye and struck directly toward Li Changsheng's lotus true body!

This bolt of lightning had no dazzling glow and no overwhelming pressure. It appeared utterly ordinary, even more inconspicuous than the most common lightning in the Primordial World.

Yet as Li Changsheng looked at that chaotic lightning, he felt a deathly crisis ten thousand times more terrifying than the Great Dao's previous pressure!

This was not ordinary lightning!

This was the transformation heavenly tribulation sent down by the Great Dao!

It was a Great Dao tribulation meant specifically to punish living beings who defied heaven by taking form!

Though it appeared tiny, it contained the Great Dao's power of destruction, enough to crush anything that defied heaven. Even with the Creation Green Lotus origin and the Origin of Creation empowering him, he absolutely could not withstand it!

"Save me!!!"

Li Changsheng was frightened out of his wits and screamed madly within his sea of consciousness. He wanted to flee, but his true body had been locked down by the Great Dao and could not move at all. He could only watch helplessly as that bolt of chaotic lightning drew closer and closer!

Great God Pangu!

Save me, quickly!

He cried out frantically in his heart, but this time, Pangu made no move. He did not intervene, allowing that bolt of Great Dao lightning to strike Li Changsheng's Creation Green Lotus true body!

Boom!

A soundless explosion erupted in the depths of Li Changsheng's soul.

An indescribable swelling pain instantly swept through his entire body. From his lotus body to his soul, every part of him seemed about to be torn apart, crushed, and reassembled!

The agonizing pain struck, and Li Changsheng's consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.

In the final second before he completely lost consciousness, only one resentful thought remained in his mind.

"Great God Pangu has done me in!!!"

No one knew how much time had passed.

No one knew whether it had been an instant or hundreds of millions of years.

Li Changsheng's consciousness finally slowly awakened from the endless darkness.

The swelling pain had long since vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of ease and comfort. His entire body brimmed with surging power, his soul was clear and unobstructed, and his comprehension of the Great Dao had become incomparably distinct.

He moved his hand.

That was right!

His hand!

Not the trembling of his lotus true body, but a real human hand!

Li Changsheng abruptly opened his eyes!

Before him was the familiar sky of the minor world, where white mist drifted and divine light flowed.

He instinctively lowered his head to look beneath himself.

Below him was the calm, rippleless Three Radiances Divine Water, clear enough to reveal its bottom. Reflected distinctly upon its surface was a figure.

It was a young man dressed in a blue-green robe, tall and straight, with handsome features. There was a trace of youthful innocence between his brows, yet he also possessed an innate nobility and transcendence. Faint divine light of creation flowed around him, giving him an otherworldly temperament, like a favored child of the Great Dao.

The figure was both familiar and unfamiliar.

This was... him?

He had succeeded!

He had truly succeeded in taking form!

Li Changsheng abruptly raised both hands. Looking at his fair, slender, truly existing hands, feeling the surging power within his body and the freedom of no longer being bound by the limitations of a spiritual root, his entire body trembled with excitement!

He had taken form!

He had finally transformed from a Creation Green Lotus that could neither move nor speak into a human!

From now on, he no longer had to live in fear. He no longer had to wait for the Three Pure Ones to carve him up. He no longer had to endure the restraints of the Heavenly Dao's rules for spiritual roots!

He was free!

"Hahahaha! I've taken form! I've finally taken form!"

Li Changsheng could not help bursting into laughter. Joy, excitement, and relief intertwined, leaving him utterly exhilarated!

"You merely took form. What is there to be happy about? Before me, I could blow you to death in a single breath."

Just as Li Changsheng was overwhelmed with delight, Pangu's slightly disdainful voice rang out in his sea of consciousness again, mercilessly pouring cold water on him.

Li Changsheng rolled his eyes and treated Pangu's words as though they had never been spoken.

Blow me to death with one breath?

That depended on who he was being compared with!

Compared to a god who had split heaven and earth apart like you, I really am weak as an ant right now. But across the newly born Primordial World, my current strength is still at the very top!

Comparing strength with you would be downright idiotic, wouldn't it?

His heart was presently filled with the joy of taking form, and he could not be bothered to argue with Pangu over such things.

But soon, Li Changsheng could no longer laugh.

He lowered his head to examine himself, and a flush instantly rose to his face. He was so embarrassed that he could have carved out an immortal mountain with his toes.

Though he had taken form, he was completely naked, without a stitch of clothing!

Although there were only his and Pangu's consciousnesses in this minor world, with no other living beings around, being watched like this still made him feel unbearably awkward!

Besides, he was quite satisfied with his current physique—broad shoulders, narrow waist, and full of strength—but no matter how satisfied he was, he could not remain naked!

"Ahem..."

Li Changsheng coughed twice, concealing his embarrassment.

As though sensing his thoughts, the tranquil Three Radiances Divine Water beneath him suddenly began to flow on its own. It turned into strands of shimmering, multicolored water ripples that instantly wound around his body.

In less than an instant, a blue-green Daoist robe automatically clothed him. It had broad sleeves and a loose fit, yet rested comfortably against his body. A faint aura of the Three Radiances Divine Water lingered around it, impervious to water and fire as Dao intent circulated through it.

Only after putting on the Daoist robe did Li Changsheng finally relax completely and feel at ease.

"What are you covering up for? It is not as though I cannot see through it. There is no need for such a little trick."

Pangu's voice sounded again, carrying a hint of teasing. "Besides, compared to my Heaven-Opening Divine Body back then, this body of yours is far inferior. It is far too fragile."

"If you wish to gain a foothold in the Primordial World in the future, you must temper it well. Go wander through the chaos more often when you have nothing to do. Let the chaotic gale blow over you, swim through the chaotic currents, and polish your physical body. That is how you will become stronger."

"Thinking of it now, I do miss it somewhat. It was very comfortable!"

Listening to Pangu's down-to-earth, even somewhat rough words, Li Changsheng was instantly stunned.

The towering image in his mind of Great God Pangu—peerlessly majestic, solemn and imposing, the one who had split heaven and earth apart—collapsed with a crash at that moment!

What lofty ancestor of creation was this? He was clearly an elder who loved teasing people and constantly nagging!

Though that image had collapsed, Li Changsheng's thoughts quickly became lively.

Now that he had successfully taken form, possessed profound strength and foundations, and even had Great God Pangu as his backer, he had already stayed in this minor world long enough!

It was time to leave this minor world and see the true Primordial World!