Middle-Stage Great Firmament, Hongjun's Goodwill

The years of the Primordial World were beyond reckoning. Time flowed like water eastward; a white colt flashed past a crack in the wall. In the blink of an eye, with the snap of a finger, an entire Yuanhui had passed.

"Boom!"

On this day, three vast pressures swept out from the depths of Lingxiao Palace, rolling outward layer upon layer. The endless Solar Divine Flame upon the Sun Star surged like a tide, while ten thousand streams of golden radiance swayed in response atop the Fusang Tree. The entire Sun Star trembled faintly.

Within Lingxiao Palace, Changxi was the first to open her eyes upon her meditation cushion. Moonlight burst forth around her body, then instantly drew back into her limbs and bones, seamless and natural.

She sprang to her feet, planted her jade hands on her hips, and laughed brightly. "Middle-Stage Great Firmament Golden Immortal Realm—success!"

The Five Qi in her chest returned to the Origin, while the Three Flowers gathered at her crown. The three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit melded together, then shone forth from the Primordial Spirit within the sea of consciousness in Changxi's Niwan Palace through the crown of her head, becoming three Dao Flowers that slowly revolved, bright and pure as the moon.

Each flower had opened to the eighth grade. One exuded the solidity of "essence," another the ethereality of "qi," and the third the emptiness of "spirit." All carried the profound mysteries of moonlight and Lunar Yin.

"You little girl, still so unable to keep your cool." Xihe opened her beautiful eyes as well. The three moonlight flowers above her head were likewise eighth-grade. A faint smile rippled across her cool, elegant face as her gaze fell upon Lingxiao beside her, holding an irrepressible tenderness and a trace of concealed longing. "Our progress this time was entirely thanks to Dao Brother guiding us with the wondrous Yin-Yang method. My sister and I have benefited beyond measure."

Before her words had faded, her eyes abruptly fixed on the top of Lingxiao's head. Her lovely face first went blank, then filled with unconcealed delight as she cried out in congratulations, "A Ninth-Grade Dao Flower! Dao Brother has actually reached the foremost foundation in the Primordial World! Congratulations, Dao Brother!"

"A ninth-grade Dao Flower?" Changxi hurried over and widened her eyes at the brilliant Dao Flower above Lingxiao's head, radiant as the great sun. She was instantly stunned. "It is real! Legend says that mighty figures such as Hongjun Ancestor and Yang Mei Ancestor, reincarnated from the true spirits of Great Dao Demon Gods, possessed ninth-grade foundations upon taking form. Big Brother has now actually stood shoulder to shoulder with them!"

"Pure luck, pure luck. Hahaha." Lingxiao supported Xihe's fair jade arm and wrapped an arm around the beauty's waist as they rose together. His fingertips brushed the ninth-grade Dao Flower above his head, flowing with the Dao charm of the great sun, and a pleased smile rested on his face.

Within the Primordial World, Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Returning to the Origin were crucial steps on a cultivator's path. Without perfection in them, one's Dao foundation would be unstable, and the Great Dao difficult to achieve.

Among the Three Flowers Above the Head, first grade was the lowest and ninth grade the pinnacle. They corresponded to the depth of one's foundational endowment and affinity with laws. Unless one descended directly from Pangu or was reincarnated from the true spirit of a Great Dao Demon God, attaining a ninth-grade foundation was exceedingly difficult.

Xihe, Changxi, and he had been formed from the lingering grace of Pangu's eyes, born from the destiny of the supreme Lunar Yin and Sun Star. They possessed eighth-grade foundations from the moment they took form, already placing them among the finest Innate Sacred Beings.

Yet the lingering grace of Pangu's eyes was ultimately far inferior to the orthodox inheritance of Pangu's Primordial Spirit. Compared with existences such as the Three Pure Ones and Hongjun, who bore the direct lingering grace of Great Dao Demon Gods, they were still one line short.

This time, borrowing the Heavenly Dao Merit gained from establishing the Temporal Order, Lingxiao had secluded himself for an entire Yuanhui to refine his Dao foundation. At last, he had pushed his Dao Flower to the ninth grade and entered the ranks of the Primordial World's most outstanding foundations.

"The Lunar Jade Rabbits inherited Pangu's lingering grace. An eighth-grade foundation is already extraordinary." Lingxiao smiled at the two women, his tone gentle. "A foundation is never fixed forever. Later comprehension of the Great Dao, fortuitous opportunities, and destiny can all make up for its shortcomings. In time, the two of you will certainly bloom ninth-grade flowers as well."

At once, a brilliant smile bloomed across Changxi's face. "We'll listen to Big Brother in everything!"

Xihe merely nodded lightly, placing her slender hand softly upon Lingxiao's forearm and carefully tucking those sentiments into her heart.

She had always been cool and reserved, never skilled with words.

Yet she had long made up her mind. She would accept every opportunity Lingxiao offered without reserve. From then on, she would accompany him upon the Dao path, sharing life and death, and never speak such distant words again.

"Besides the advancement of my Dao foundation, the greatest gain from this seclusion was refining this treasure that bears my Dao." Lingxiao made a grasping motion with his right hand. A brilliant golden rainbow flew from the sea of consciousness between his brows, landing in his palm and transforming into a longsword.

The sword measured three feet, three inches, and three fen. It seemed neither gold nor wood. It had been forged with a branch of the Fusang divine tree as its base, fused with Innate Solar Gold Essence, tempered by Solar True Fire, harmonized with Lunar Divine Water, and finally infused with Heavenly Dao Merit, condensing thirty-three Merit Treasure Restrictions.

The sword's body flowed with the brilliant Dao charm of the great sun. Wherever sunlight shone, it could draw upon the harmonious Yang power of heaven and earth for reinforcement, overcoming all heretical demons and unorthodox paths without becoming tainted by karmic sin from slaughter.

"Big Brother Lingxiao, what is this sword called?" Changxi looked at the treasured sword in Lingxiao's hand without surprise.

After all, the three of them had forged this sword together.

"This sword bears my Dao and has received the favor of the starry sky, reversing its nature to become innate. As I am the god of the sun, it shall be called the Sun God Sword."

Lingxiao's fingertips stroked the blade. The sword gave a clear, resounding cry, its aura wholly fused with his Primordial Spirit, as obedient as an arm or finger.

Generally speaking, treasures were divided into innate and acquired. Innate treasures were born before heaven and earth, though some only emerged after their creation. Treasures forged after the fact, meanwhile, were all acquired treasures unless aided by an object like the Universe Cauldron, capable of reversing the innate.

The difference lay in whether a treasure's restrictions were innate or acquired.

Of course, this did not mean acquired treasures were necessarily weaker than innate ones. A treasure's strength had some relation to the quality of its treasure restrictions, but the greater factor was still the number of restrictions.

For instance, the Acquired Supreme Treasure Heaven-Flipping Seal, forged by Yuanshi Tianzun in later ages from half of Mount Buzhou, and Laozi's companion Postcelestial Merit Supreme Treasure, the Heaven-Earth Mystic Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, both possessed forty-nine treasure restrictions.

In terms of power, they surpassed many Innate Spiritual Treasures.

"Then Sister's and my paired swords shall be called the Lunar Divine Swords!" As Changxi spoke, a cool silver rainbow flew from between her brows, and a longsword of similar shape landed in her hand.

Xihe at her side summoned her treasure as well.

Its blade was slightly slimmer than the Sun God Sword, its lines gentler. Made primarily from Moon Osmanthus Tree branches and Lunar Cold Iron, it likewise condensed thirty-three Merit Treasure Restrictions. It was a genuine high-grade Innate Merit Spirit Treasure.

The three swords emerged together and instantly resonated. Their clear sword cries intertwined as the blazing brilliance of the sun and the bright charm of Lunar Yin merged and complemented one another. Yin and Yang cycled in a loop, their Dao charm naturally formed.

All three swords had been forged from the origins of their respective foundations and were perfectly suited to their Primordial Spirits. With one part of their strength, they could unleash ten parts of power.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Lingxiao nodded in satisfaction and flicked his finger. All three swords returned to their sheaths at once.

He possessed the supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures River Map and Luo Script, as well as the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Bell. Xihe and Changxi each possessed their own companion spiritual treasures as well.

Yet though the Chaos Bell carried the reputation of being "innately undefeated when held above one's head," what object in this world was truly invincible?

Even Chaos supreme treasures could be shattered. How much less an Innate Supreme Treasure?

Moreover, it was far too conspicuous. The name of the Three Treasures of Creation was enough to make every reclusive mighty figure in the Primordial World see red.

Heavenly Dao Merit could not be stolen, but treasures could be.

With Lingxiao's current Great Firmament Golden Immortal Realm cultivation, activating the Chaos Bell, which he had only initially refined, was quite strenuous. Should he encounter an existence at the Primordial Golden Immortal level, this supreme treasure might not only fail to protect him—it could instead become the root of disaster.

Though the Dragon-Han Calamity had ended, ancient mighty figures such as Hongjun Ancestor and Candle Dragon had survived the previous Calamities.

They had gone into seclusion, not died!

More importantly, the Chaos Bell was an object from Pangu's creation of heaven, and it was aligned with Pangu's Dao.

Those who learn from others live; those who merely resemble others die. It was fine to use it to safeguard the Dao, but if he regarded it as the treasure that bore his own Dao, he would ultimately be trapped in the rut left by those before him, unable to walk a path belonging solely to himself.

A treasure that bore one's Dao differed from a treasure that safeguarded one's Dao. The former was proof and advancement of one's own Great Dao, and could also be called a treasure for attaining the Dao. The latter was simply for attack and defense in safeguarding the Dao.

Of course, this distinction was merely Lingxiao's own notion; there was no clear boundary between them.

For that matter, becoming a saint through Three Corpses Severance, or Taiyi comprehending the Heavenly Cycle Star-Dipper Formation from the Chaos Bell, were both examples of using a treasure that safeguarded the Dao as one that bore the Dao...

In any case, Lingxiao had his own path to walk.

That path might be the Sun Dao, the Yin-Yang Dao, the Fire Dao, or the Five Elements Dao. Everything would depend on the opportunities and plans to come.

"Once we become fully familiar with these three divine swords and create several sword arts and divine abilities, we can set out to travel." Lingxiao looked at the two women, smiling in his eyes. "The sun and Lunar Yin complement each other. If the three of us combine our strength, we may be able to deduce a sword formation. Should we encounter a powerful foe, it will grant us a few more means of self-preservation."

"I will follow Dao Brother's arrangements." Xihe smiled faintly and answered softly.

"Good, good, good!" Changxi's eyes lit up at once. Tugging Xihe's sleeve, she eagerly echoed her agreement. Her eyes were full of barely restrained excitement; she had long dreamed of traversing the Primordial Starry Sky and witnessing all the myriad sights of heaven and earth.

At the same time, above Chaos and beyond the Primordial World, Violet Firmament Palace hung alone in the great void.

Within the hall, Hongjun Ancestor sat silently upon the Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus. The Creation Jade Slip revolved slowly above his head, its three thousand Heavenly Dao mysteries flowing within as it evolved the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

"The Heavenly Dao is incomplete, and Calamities rise one after another. This is truly not a blessing for the Primordial World."

The old Daoist calculated with his fingers. His brows gradually drew together, his expression growing grave.

Since the Primordial World had been opened, Calamities had erupted in succession, causing the world's origin to steadily diminish, the three forces to fall into disorder, and the Five Elements to lose balance.

The Primordial World was like a broken sieve basket, its world origin leaking away without cease. If this continued, the world's rank would gradually decline, until one day it inevitably fell into an age of dwindling Dharma and barren silence.

—The collapse of the Western Ancestral Vein in the past had merely been the beginning. If the Calamities were allowed to wear away at everything in endless cycles, one day the entire Primordial World would shatter and collapse, returning to the empty void of Chaos!

The destruction of the Primordial World was an outcome Hongjun absolutely did not wish to see.

"The Dao of Heaven diminishes what has surplus and replenishes what lacks. The workings of heaven and earth have their ordained course; the greater trend cannot be forcibly reversed."

Hongjun Ancestor murmured in contemplation. The boundless halo of merit behind his head suddenly shone brilliantly, magnificent golden radiance flooding his body as three phantoms rose and sank, merging together.

"Yet since this humble Daoist has repaired the Creation Jade Slip and received the Heavenly Dao's favor, I should do my part to mend heaven and earth's deficiencies and slow the Primordial World's decline."

The white-haired Daoist gazed through Violet Firmament Palace toward the Primordial Starry Sky and smiled in relief.

"Besides, my Dao is not alone."