Yuan Ming rode the cloud light eastward.
This Redcloud Ancestor truly lived up to his reputation as the Primordial World's renowned good man, warmhearted and righteous.
Seeing that Yuan Ming was an ancestor of the Human Race yet still shallow in cultivation, devoted to his people and upright in character, he could not help but feel favorably toward him.
With the journey stretching ahead, he took the initiative to instruct Yuan Ming in the art of flight.
"Little Friend Yuan Ming, your cloud-riding method is balanced and steady, and the circulation of your spiritual power is quite exquisite. Yet it is too 'clumsy,' lacking nimbleness and, more importantly, a certain 'momentum.'"
In the path of escape arts, Redcloud Ancestor was an unsurpassed grandmaster of the Primordial World.
His Innate divine ability, [Transforming Rainbow Extreme Speed], was one of the finest escape techniques in heaven and earth. Transforming into a crimson-gold rainbow, he moved as swiftly as light and lightning, incomparably fast.
In terms of pure speed, it was likely no weaker—and perhaps even stronger—than [Roc Soaring Nine Heavens], the technique upon which Demon Master Kunpeng had built his fame!
With a mere thought from Redcloud Ancestor, the auspicious cloud beneath his feet instantly collapsed and condensed. His entire body seemed to transform into a streak of light spanning the heavens, and in an instant, he was already ten thousand miles away.
His graceful bearing and astonishing speed left Yuan Ming utterly amazed.
Perhaps he truly felt a connection with Yuan Ming, or perhaps he regretted letting his skills go to waste. In any case, Redcloud Ancestor unexpectedly developed the intention to pass on his teachings.
"Little Friend, we hit it off at first sight. This Daoist sees that your heart is pure and that you shoulder great responsibility, so I shall impart to you the basic methods of [Transforming Rainbow Extreme Speed]. Cultivate it well. If you encounter danger someday, it may give you one more means to preserve your life."
He did not hold anything back, carefully explaining the essentials of condensing spiritual power, sensing the qi of heaven and earth, and merging one's will with speed.
Yuan Ming was overjoyed.
His thought was simple and direct: He taught, so I learned!
Redcloud Ancestor's thought was equally simple: He learned, so I taught!
One was willing to teach, and the other was willing to learn. It was that simple.
Yuan Ming calmed his mind and focused his spirit. Relying on his heaven-defying [Great Dao Comprehension], every rune and every flow of qi described by Redcloud Ancestor became as clear to him as lines in his palm.
The seemingly unfathomable art of transforming into a rainbow was swiftly analyzed, understood, and mastered at its core.
In only a short while, Yuan Ming's spiritual power began circulating along a specific path, and a faint crimson-gold radiance emerged and flowed across his body.
"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!" Redcloud Ancestor clapped his hands in praise, his eyes filled with admiration. "Little Friend, your comprehension is truly unprecedented!"
He said no more. With a flicker of his form, he once again transformed into a heaven-shaking rainbow.
This time, however, Yuan Ming followed closely behind, the crimson-gold radiance around him suddenly blazing brighter!
"Whoosh—!"
A brand-new crimson-gold rainbow, slightly immature but already carrying the first traces of true essence, tore through the clouds and shot eastward at an unbelievable speed.
With the support of the Primordial World's top-tier [Transforming Rainbow Extreme Speed], the return journey that would originally have taken months or even years was compressed to the absolute limit.
Only a few days later, the familiar scent of sea breeze rushed toward him.
Below, the Shore of the East Sea, shrouded in hazy holy light, was already within sight!
Yuan Ming's heart flew homeward, and his speed increased by another thirty percent.
That dazzling rainbow light was like a meteor flying against the sky, cutting through the heavens and plunging directly toward the Human Race Holy Land.
In the Central Plains, everything appeared unchanged after Yuan Ming's departure.
Under the leadership of several True Immortal Realm elders, the Human Race continued reclaiming land, constructing cities, and practicing the Dao Scripture according to Yuan Ming's plans. Everything was orderly and thriving.
Yet an invisible aura, vast as a sea of stars, had already descended in silence.
On an unnamed hill not far from the Human Race settlement, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, clad in a simple Daoist robe, had somehow appeared seated cross-legged atop a Qing Shi.
His form was ethereal, as though he had merged with the surrounding mountains, rivers, plants, and trees. Unless he deliberately revealed himself, even a True Immortal passing nearby would struggle to notice his existence.
The old man's features were ancient and unadorned, while his eyes were as deep as though they contained the birth and destruction of the cosmos. There was no oppressive pressure around him, yet an unfathomable aura of "the Dao follows nature" flowed naturally from him.
He calmly watched the distant Human Race tribe, where cooking smoke curled upward and clansmen came and went as they farmed. His gaze carried a trace of inquiry and contemplation.
This old man was none other than the foremost of Pangu's Three Pure Ones, the future Taiqing Sage—Laozi.
After Nuwa created humanity and attained Sagehood, shaking the Primordial World, Laozi had spent a long time in seclusion at Mount Kunlun. Yet he had never managed to grasp that faint, elusive opportunity to attain Sagehood.
Stillness gave rise to movement, so he left his Daoist abode and began traveling through the Primordial World, hoping to find his own path amid the transformations of all things.
When he reached the western Central Plains, far from the Shore of the East Sea, he unexpectedly discovered the existence of the Human Race.
This greatly surprised him and also stirred his intense interest.
Junior Sister Nuwa had created this race, received immeasurable merit from the heavens, and attained the Dao of Primordial Unity in one stroke.
What, exactly, was so special about the Human Race?
Thus, Laozi chose to remain here. He wanted to observe for himself whether this seemingly frail race held within it the mysteries of heaven and earth that even Sages had yet to fully perceive.
Naturally, Yuan Ming, far away at the Shore of the East Sea, knew nothing of this.
If he had known that a future Heavenly Dao Sage had descended upon the Central Plains at this moment and was silently observing the foundation he had built with his own hands, he would never have chosen to leave at such a critical time.
The scene returned to the Shore of the East Sea.
After crossing countless mountains and rivers, Yuan Ming finally returned to the Human Race Ancestral Land.
The Ancestral Land now seemed far emptier than before, since most Postnatal Human Race members had migrated away. Those remaining behind were almost all Primordial Humans.
As an ancestor of the Human Race, Suiren presided over all affairs within the Ancestral Land.
When he saw Yuan Ming return, he was overjoyed. He immediately set aside his work and personally came out to welcome him.
"Fourth Brother! You're finally back!" Suiren forcefully patted Yuan Ming on the shoulder, his face brimming with sincere joy.
He pulled Yuan Ming along and carefully asked about the hardships of his western journey, the scenery of the Central Plains, and the development of the tribe.
When he heard that Yuan Ming had established a stable tribe in the Central Plains, and that the Primordial clansmen who had originally been in the Heavenly Immortal Realm had all broken through to the True Immortal Realm after cultivating the new technique, Suiren's eyes revealed unconcealable envy and gratification.
"Good! Excellent! For the Human Race to gain a foothold in the Primordial World, Fourth Brother, your contribution is immense!" Suiren said with emotion. Then a bitter smile appeared on his face. "To be honest, Fourth Brother, after you left, the situation here in the Ancestral Land turned out exactly as you predicted."
It turned out that after the Primordial Humans of the Ancestral Land successfully reversed themselves to the Innate Realm and stabilized their foundations through the Four-Step Breathing Method, they had fallen into a bottleneck.
Although this breathing method was a supreme foundation-building technique for the Human Race, its efficiency became exceedingly low for cultivation beyond the Innate Realm.
The clansmen's cultivation advanced slowly, nearly grinding to a halt. This left Suiren deeply worried.
Yuan Ming's expression turned solemn upon hearing this. "Elder Brother, this is precisely why I returned."
Without wasting another moment, he directly taught Suiren the Dao Scripture that he had painstakingly deduced.
This scripture pointed directly toward the immortal path and possessed a complete system. It was precisely the key to resolving the Human Race's cultivation predicament.
"This Dao Scripture is a cultivation method I created specifically for the Human Race. It can be cultivated all the way to the True Immortal Realm, and even to higher realms."
Yuan Ming solemnly instructed, "Elder Brother, you must pass it on to every clansman in the Ancestral Land. At the same time, find a way to deliver this scripture to Elder Brother You Chao, Elder Sister Zi Yi, and the other Human Race tribes that migrated elsewhere. This scripture shall become the foundation of the Human Race's inheritance!"
Sensing the vast and profound Dao intent contained within the Dao Scripture, as well as its faint resonance with the Human Race bloodline, Suiren trembled with excitement.
He tightly grasped Yuan Ming's hand and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Fourth Brother! This is a foundation that will benefit our entire race for generations to come. I will personally oversee it, so that every son and daughter of the Human Race may step onto this great road to heaven!"
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