Hongjun Clears His Doubts

In ten thousand years, disaster would strike out of nowhere. Who could have imagined that the Heavenly Dao would emerge at this very moment?

Qing Xuanzi immediately dismissed the option of submitting. To be abandoned by the will of heaven and earth would be worse than simply dying.

In truth, answering the Heavenly Dao's coercion was simple. He only needed to say no.

The difficult part was surviving the Heavenly Dao's wrath afterward.

There was only one way to emerge unscathed: the awakening of the Human Dao.

Unfortunately, Qing Xuanzi could not accomplish that within ten thousand years.

The essential item needed for the Human Dao's awakening, the Kongtong Seal, was still in the Heavenly Dao's possession.

The Heavenly Dao definitely would not allow it to emerge during these ten thousand years.

After all, once it emerged, the Kongtong Seal would certainly choose Qing Xuanzi as its master.

He possessed one-tenth of the Human Race's fortune. If it did not choose him, who else could it choose?

Therefore, the Kongtong Seal should not appear within ten thousand years. The Heavenly Dao would never let it emerge.

That left one other path: his cultivation directly reaching the Hunyuan Daluo Taiji Golden Immortal realm, the Heavenly Dao realm.

He might as well just dream about that.

Even a Saint at Hongjun's level could not reach that realm within ten thousand years.

Otherwise, Hongjun would not have chosen the immensely perilous path of merging with the Dao. Would it not have been much simpler to directly fight the Heavenly Dao?

Qing Xuanzi was deep in thought when a panting member of the Human Race ran over and interrupted him.

"Qing... Qing Xuan... Qing Xuanzi."

"Do not rush. Catch your breath first."

"Qing Xuanzi, Huang collapsed and cannot get up." The one who had come was Tian. After calming his breathing for a moment, he spoke.

"Slow down. I will go take a look first."

Tian watched Qing Xuanzi's figure gradually vanish into the sky and murmured enviously, "Being an immortal is wonderful."

Qing Xuanzi swiftly and accurately found Huang, who was lying on the ground unable to rise.

Frowning, he saw that Huang had been bitten by a venomous insect. He knew this poison well; it was similar to snake venom from later generations.

Just as he was about to use his mana to save him, inspiration flashed through Qing Xuanzi's mind, and a faint smile curled his lips.

He struck swiftly, sealing the acupoints leading to Huang's heart and slowing the poison's advance.

Then he raised his head and looked around. He was searching for medicinal herbs.

A moment later, his eyes lit up. "Xuan, Huang, you two come with me."

He then guided them in gathering herbs and taught them how to use them.

Several days later, Huang woke up and came to find Qing Xuanzi together with Xuan.

"Qing Xuanzi, please teach us how to identify medicinal herbs and how to use them."

Qing Xuanzi smiled. His goal had been achieved.

Pangu had once said that the Human Race was his protective talisman. The more prosperous the Human Race became, the more wary the Heavenly Dao would be of him.

Hehe, obstructing the Heavenly Dao while laying a foundation for the Human Dao had gotten off to a fine start.

He was an immortal and could not directly teach them cultivation methods.

Otherwise, there would be no need to wait ten thousand years. The Heavenly Dao was likely watching him closely and would directly use that as a reason to destroy him.

But he could guide them—guide them in how to cultivate the Dao. What was happening now was the result of his deliberate guidance.

In this manner, even the Heavenly Dao could not interfere. Otherwise, it would be a loss of virtue.

If the Heavenly Dao lost virtue, it would inevitably suffer backlash from the will of heaven and earth. At best, it would be severely wounded; at worst, it would lose its intelligence.

"This is an illustrated herbal manual I drew with mana. It records the properties and appearances of the relevant herbs. You three may take it and study it, so that you may save your fellow clansmen."

Qing Xuanzi took out an illustrated manual he had prepared long ago and handed it to Huang.

Of course, because the Human Race had yet to invent writing, everything recorded in the manual was in Heavenly Dao Script, the writing the Congenital Human Race understood from birth.

Precisely because it was Heavenly Dao Script, every character contained the intent of the Dao. As long as they possessed the desire to become immortals, they would certainly comprehend the Dao from it.

After all, the Congenital Human Race had inherited Pangu's form and was beloved by the will of heaven and earth. Given the opportunity, comprehending the Dao and becoming immortals was inevitable.

Huang was overjoyed. After thanking Qing Xuanzi, he ran off impatiently to study.

Qing Xuanzi looked up at the cloudless sky and smiled happily. As expected, the Heavenly Dao would not interfere if he acted this way.

Over the following few years.

When someone was freezing, Qing Xuanzi provided an illustrated weaving manual.

When someone suffered food poisoning, Qing Xuanzi provided a method for making fire.

When the caves no longer had enough room, Qing Xuanzi provided an illustrated manual for building houses.

When hunting was inefficient, Qing Xuanzi provided an illustrated manual for forging knives and swords.

When someone fell ill, Qing Xuanzi provided an illustrated manual of the human body's vital currents and acupoints.

A hundred years passed, and the Human Race had been completely transformed from the time of their birth.

From the series of illustrated manuals Qing Xuanzi had provided, they learned how to survive.

Some even came into contact with deeper aspects of the Dao.

Gradually, a small group among the Three Thousand Congenital Humans embarked on their own unique paths of cultivation.

Fortunately, so long as the Three Thousand Congenital Humans did not die by accident, their lifespan was a full three thousand years.

If they could enter the path of the Dao before their lifespans ran out,

then the spark of the Human Dao would be successfully ignited.

Under Qing Xuanzi's careful care, none of the Three Thousand Congenital Humans perished.

Of course, the humans born afterward were not so fortunate. Accidental deaths occurred almost every day.

However, because of the Human Race's terrifying reproductive capacity, the later-born humans numbered nearly one hundred thousand after a hundred years.

With one or two people dying every day, it no longer seemed particularly strange.

Only once everything began getting on track did Qing Xuanzi start considering what would happen in ten thousand years.

"Why has the Heavenly Dao not bestowed merit?" Qing Xuanzi muttered to himself inside his cave abode.

Logically speaking, now that the Human Race had mastered so many survival skills, the Heavenly Dao should have bestowed merit.

Yet a hundred years had passed, and not even a trace of merit had appeared.

"Is it because of me? Does the Heavenly Dao believe everything happened because of me? But why?" Qing Xuanzi grew increasingly unable to understand the Heavenly Dao's absurd antics.

"Disciple, do you still not understand? You completely disrupted the great course of the Human Race's development, and you also happen to be human. Thus, the Heavenly Dao considered your merits and faults to cancel each other out, which is why it did not bestow merit."

"Master? Is that you?"

Qing Xuanzi saw no one, only heard a voice. Though it sounded like Hongjun, he still needed to confirm it.

That way, if someone was impersonating him, Qing Xuanzi would not be at fault.

Though that was impossible. Why would anyone impersonate Hongjun for no reason? Were they tired of living?

But Qing Xuanzi had transmigrated from later generations, so he still asked.

"It is I. The Heavenly Dao has already fallen asleep. What exactly are you planning to do in ten thousand years?"

"Master, what is there to consider? I will not go against Great God Pangu's original intentions..."

"Ah, as expected. Your willingness to take me as your master was likely also guided in advance by Great God Pangu, was it not?"

"Yes, Master. Great God Pangu said that if a spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao wished to accept me as a disciple in the future, I could agree."

"Then did Great God Pangu foresee your current predicament?"

Qing Xuanzi knew what Hongjun was asking. He was asking how Qing Xuanzi intended to respond to the Heavenly Dao's coercion in ten thousand years.

"No, Master. Can you offer this disciple any help?"

Hongjun gave no response for a long time. Just as Qing Xuanzi thought Hongjun had left, Hongjun finally answered.

"Disciple, answer me truthfully. Are you confident that you can reach the peak of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm within ten thousand years?"

"Perhaps."

"No. You must give this old Daoist a truthful, definite answer. If anything goes wrong, even I will be dragged down with you."

Qing Xuanzi understood. Hongjun's meaning was very clear: if he could reach the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm within ten thousand years,

then Hongjun had a way for him to survive the Heavenly Dao's coercion ten thousand years later.

If Qing Xuanzi gave an affirmative answer, yet failed to reach the peak of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm when the time came, then Hongjun would be finished along with him.

If his answer was negative, then the outcome was unknown.

Thus, Qing Xuanzi began carefully considering whether he could reach the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm within ten thousand years.

For a Golden Immortal to charge all the way to the peak of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm in ten thousand years seemed rather excessive.

But Pangu had given him a cheat.