Deep within Chaos.
Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the void, while gale winds formed from Chaos Qi whipped his robes until they snapped loudly.
Lu Chen had no time to care about that. All his attention was focused on the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase above his head.
The patterns on the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase had become several degrees more intricate and exquisite than before. More accurately, it had become more complete, recovering some of its former appearance.
This was the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase after refining the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi and the Purple-Black Gourd.
Rather than being annoyed by the increased difficulty of refining the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, Lu Chen was delighted, because another restriction had formed within it.
The number had risen from forty-eight to forty-nine. Though only one restriction had been added, the difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.
That was because forty-eight stood at the pinnacle grade, while forty-nine could be called a supreme treasure.
The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase was now also a Primordial Supreme Treasure.
And that was only one delight. Another was that, perhaps because it had advanced within Chaos, the Innate Treasure Aura inside the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase had become tainted with a trace of Chaos.
That trace of Chaos had opened a new path of advancement for the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase. One day, when all the Innate Treasure Aura within the vase transformed into Chaos, the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase would undergo its innate-to-Chaos transformation and once more display the might of a Chaos Treasure.
There was not a single Chaos Treasure in the Primordial World.
Whether now or in the future, Lu Chen felt that even Hongjun did not possess a Chaos Spiritual Treasure.
If anyone possibly did, it could only be Yang Mei, deep within Chaos.
His true form was a Hollow Willow, and he was also a Spatial Demon God. Because he was proficient in the Great Dao of Space, his origin had been preserved most completely and was the most powerful. There were even rumors that he had become a Sage before Hongjun.
No one knew whether he had left himself some backup plan.
After all, Pangu had only cleaved open a small patch of Chaos.
It was time to return.
Lu Chen fixed the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase above his head and headed toward the Primordial World.
"You carry the load, I ride the horse..."
An utterly ordinary Daoist sat atop the back of a strange beast with the head of an ox and the body of a tiger, humming a tune under his breath.
The surrounding mountains lay shattered and broken, with faint black qi seeping up from beneath the earth.
"Suck, suck, suck!!!"
The Daoist played with the little vase in his hand. Wherever he passed, all the black qi was drawn into it.
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, the broken mountain ranges were restored, and the restless spiritual qi in the air was sorted out and soothed.
As the mountains were set in order and the black qi dispersed, strands of golden light descended from the heavens and entered the Daoist's Spirit Platform.
"The Western Sect's barrenness and its shattered mountains and rivers are merely surface symptoms. What truly made the West barren was the immense demonic qi left behind when Luohou self-destructed all those years ago. That is the root cause of the West's desolation."
The Daoist muttered softly.
"Even if Hongjun wanted to shrug off this burden, he could not. He could only grant two seats of Sagehood, then use the future Journey-to-the-West Calamity to revive the West as compensation."
"If I were to draw out all the demonic qi throughout the West and restore its mountains and rivers, just how much golden Merit light would I gain? It should be enough to attain Sagehood through Merit."
To Primordial World cultivators other than demonic cultivators, demonic qi was something to avoid like the plague.
Once contaminated by demonic qi, one's Spirit Platform could easily become clouded, causing one to lose control and fall into demonic deviation.
Although this was now an age in which the Dao prospered and demons waned, Inner Demon Tribulations still existed.
Yet none of that was a problem for the Daoist. Demonic qi could even be considered nourishment to him.
"Roar~!!"
A savage roar tore through space from afar, carrying immense force and shaking the ears.
In the distant sky, a pitch-black cloud swept rapidly toward him.
Through the black cloud, Lu Chen clearly saw a towering, majestic tiger beast. Its entire body was black, as ferocious as a fiendish beast, its red eyes blazing and demonic qi coiling around it.
"This is the strongest demonic cultivator I've encountered since entering the West. But the stronger the demonic cultivator, the less brain it has? Has demonic qi muddled its head?"
A trace of confusion appeared on the Daoist's face.
The reason for his confusion was simple. Although the black tiger beast in the distance possessed the densest demonic qi, those he had encountered before had only been little demons at the Golden Immortal and Mysterious Immortal realms. This black tiger was a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, but he was a Great Luo!
A Primordial Unity Golden Immortal was not weak, but that depended on whom it faced.
Facing a Great Luo was no different from stirring up earth atop the Grand Duke's head.
Others would flee for their lives, yet this black tiger had actually charged at him of its own accord.
Lu Chen was so angry that he laughed. He felt that his status as a Great Luo had been insulted.
Facing the black cloud, Lu Chen slapped downward.
In an instant, wind and clouds trembled. A palm formed from spiritual qi descended, blasting apart the black cloud carrying the tiger and pinning the black tiger firmly to the ground.
Boom!
As the black tiger crashed down, earth and rocks sprayed outward, only to be crushed into mud beneath the giant palm of spiritual qi.
Roar!
The black tiger roared and struggled frantically, but the power of a Great Luo was not something a mere Primordial Unity Golden Immortal could shake.
Moreover, the Daoist was no ordinary Great Luo. Not only was his mana at that level, his physical body had nearly reached the Great Luo realm as well; he merely lacked an appropriate cultivation method.
"Hmm?"
The Daoist gave a soft sound and took one step, appearing ten thousand miles away.
He arrived beside the black tiger and saw a flash of golden light on its body amid the demonic qi.
That was Geng Metal Aura!!
"A tiger that has even mastered Geng Metal Aura. If this tiger had not fallen so deeply into demonhood, its future would have been bright indeed."
A gleam flashed through the Daoist's eyes. He rubbed his hands as he looked at the black tiger, another plan forming in his heart.
"If I devour and extract all the demonic qi from this black tiger's body, wouldn't that be helping it cleanse its origin and restore its original form?"
The Daoist was a man of action, and he immediately began.
A small, plain, unremarkable vase flew from his Spirit Platform. It shot out and pressed against the dark, demonic-qi-covered character for king on the black tiger's forehead.
Soon, the black tiger's body began to convulse. It opened its bloody maw and tried to bite the Daoist, but the Daoist had long been prepared. He pointed a finger and intensified the pressure severalfold.
Under that pressure, the black tiger could not even roar.
"The demonic qi has already penetrated deep into its dantian and marrow. I wonder if this will work."
The Daoist muttered quietly, but joy soon spread across his face.
Because through his senses, he discovered that the demonic qi within the black tiger was diminishing, and a trace of clarity had appeared in the Spirit Platform that demonic qi had obscured.
As an endless stream of demonic qi was drawn from its body, not only did the demonic qi radiating from the black tiger completely vanish, even its fur and skin color began to change.
Its jet-black body turned snow-white, and its scarlet eyes became pale gold.
Although its body still convulsed, it no longer tried to bite him as before.
Clearly, the little tiger's own will had now regained control of its body.
As the final trace of demonic qi within the little tiger was drawn out—
The character for king on its forehead became warm, clear, and translucent.
Nothing like before.
"So it is a White Tiger. No wonder it could command Geng Metal Aura."
The Daoist had assumed the black tiger was simply a lucky tiger that had accidentally comprehended Geng Metal Aura. He had not expected it to be a White Tiger.
White Tigers were born with Geng Metal Aura. Though their numbers were small, they were indisputably the royal lineage among tigers.
During the war of the Three Clans, they had been second-tier powerhouses, surpassed only by the qilin.
Their strength was incomparably tyrannical.
A faint smile appeared on the Daoist's face.
"Thank you, Senior, for cleansing the demonic qi from me."
A childish voice sounded in the Daoist's mind.
"I am Lu Chen."
The Daoist introduced himself.
He was Lu Chen, who had returned from Chaos. Coming to the West had long been part of his plan. If not for the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi Hong Yun had gifted him, which disrupted his plans—
He would have come to this barren western land much earlier.
Zhen Yuanzi's dojo, Wuzhuang Temple, was close to the West.
And the reason he said demonic qi was troublesome for others was because, before him, it truly was nothing but small fry.
The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase would help him absorb the demonic qi and transform it into cultivation energy he needed.
"Senior Lu Chen, may I remain by your side? I can save you the trouble of walking."
This time, Lu Chen did not even need to resort to trickery. The little White Tiger had already voiced what he had been thinking.
"Of course. That I encountered you in this barren West proves that we are fated."
"From now on, follow by my side."
"Thank you, Senior, for taking me in."
The little White Tiger looked at Lu Chen's face, its eyes brimming with excitement.
It had now latched onto a high branch. This was far more comfortable than staying alone and suffering the torment of demonic qi every day.
Besides, it also wanted to leave the barren West and travel east, where spiritual qi was rich and immortal mountains stood in countless ranks.
After taking in the little White Tiger, Lu Chen directly sat on its back.
"Keep going. We'll go wherever the road takes us."
From then on, Lu Chen left the journey to the White Tiger.
They would go wherever the road took them.
After all, the West's barrenness encompassed the entire region. No matter where they went, he needed to refine the demonic qi and then sort out the mountains and rivers.
"Are there any others from your clan?"
"I do not know. After our ancestor transformed into one of the Four Primordial Spirits and eternally guarded the Primordial World, our clan's strength greatly declined.
"We had no choice but to enter this barren West.
"Then the Dao-Demon War erupted, and the West was corroded by demonic qi.
"Our already few clansmen were corrupted by demonic qi one after another. Later, we scattered in all directions.
"Now, I do not know whether they are still alive."
"Hmm..."
Listening to the little White Tiger's answer, Lu Chen secretly felt some regret.
The White Tiger Clan had few members, but their racial talents were exceedingly high. Even among the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan, they were comparable to core clan members.
Setting Quasi-Saints aside, they had hope of reaching Great Luo.
"Senior Brother, look. The West's mountains and rivers have been deliberately sorted out."
Zhunti and Jieyin had just returned to the West after going east to reap some benefits. Seeing the restored mountains and rivers, astonishment appeared on their faces.
"Not only that, the demonic qi beneath the earth has been completely extracted. The spiritual qi is no longer violent and difficult to absorb or refine."
Jieyin added another sentence, secretly pondering.
"I wonder which fellow Daoist came here and did this..."
Zhunti spoke. "Senior Brother, no matter who did it, that person is a benefactor of our West. If we meet the one who sorted out the mountains, we must properly thank him."
"Indeed."
Zhunti nodded, then pinched his fingers and calculated.
His brows lifted slightly.
He actually could not calculate any information about the person who had sorted out the mountains.
Could the one who restored the mountains and rivers be one of the Three Pure Ones?
The thought had barely surfaced in Jieyin's mind before he dismissed it.
The Three Pure Ones had always been aloof and arrogant. They looked down on the Western Sect, so how could they kindly come and help sort out its land?
Yet most of the remaining fellow Daoists capable of blocking his divination held the same attitude as the Three Pure Ones.
Jieyin shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Rather than returning to their dojo on Spirit Mountain, he pulled Zhunti along the restored mountains and rivers. "Let us go, Junior Brother. By following this repaired land, perhaps we can find the person who helped our West."
Lu Chen did not know that Jieyin and Zhunti were seeking him. Riding atop the little White Tiger, he absorbed demonic qi into the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase wherever he went, casually sorted out the mountains and land, and earned golden Merit light.
Every demonic cultivator he encountered was slapped to death, which could also be considered acting on behalf of heaven.
"The West is barren because demonic qi runs rampant. My disciple has a way to eliminate demonic qi?"
"This is bad. If those two shameless men of the West learn of it, they will surely use threats and coercion."
Tongtian had just returned to Kunlun Mountain and intended to share his gains with his eldest and second brothers when his expression changed slightly. He immediately transformed into a streak of azure sword light and flew toward the West.
"What is Third Brother doing? He has only just returned, yet he is already leaving in such a hurry?"
Yuanshi sensed Tongtian's aura and slightly opened his eyes. Seeing Tongtian hurriedly depart again, confusion appeared on his face.
"Calm your mind. We will ask Third Brother when he returns."
"Yes, Eldest Brother."
"Nephew Lu Chen, thank you for sorting out the mountains and rivers of our West and eliminating the demonic qi."
"Nephew greets Uncle Zhunti and Uncle Jieyin."
Seeing the two figures appear in the sky, Lu Chen climbed down from the White Tiger's back and cupped his hands in a complete and proper salute.
"Would you be willing to tell us the method you use to eliminate demonic qi? For something that benefits the West, my brother and I will certainly spare no effort."
They truly are shameless. After one polite sentence, they immediately came to demand it.
Lu Chen cursed inwardly, but his expression did not change. He showed a trace of hesitation and difficulty. "Uncles, it is not that your nephew is unwilling to contribute this method of eliminating demonic qi. It is simply that even if you knew it, you would be unable to replicate it."
"Why?"
A trace of confusion appeared on Jieyin's face. He looked puzzled, but his eyes were filled with disbelief.
Feeling Jieyin's aura press down upon him, Lu Chen's heart sank.
"I cultivate the Devouring Path. It emphasizes merging all things into oneself and refining them. Thus, my method of eliminating demonic qi is actually to absorb it into my body, then refine it."
"Oh~ So that's how it is."
Jieyin spoke, but the disbelief in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
The little White Tiger beside him looked at Lu Chen. Though it did not know why its master was lying, it let out a sound and pretended to be frightened, curling up on the ground.
They really are hard to fool.
Seeing that Jieyin still did not believe him, Lu Chen sighed inwardly and was about to absorb the demonic qi himself to prove his innocence.
Sensing a familiar aura drawing near, a faint smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.
Jieyin and Zhunti, however, both changed expression.
"You two shameless bastards, take a sword from this Daoist!"
A streak of azure Sword Qi cut through the air, sweeping straight toward Jieyin and Zhunti.
Feeling themselves locked onto by the aura, with nowhere to evade, Jieyin and Zhunti could only helplessly take out their own Lingbao to block the Sword Qi.
"Why did it feel like Teacher had become even more straightforward after attaining the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal Dao? At the slightest disagreement, he just attacked?"
Before you continue