Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 1 One Qi Immortal Ma Yuan
In the primordial era, time passed without counting, and countless ages seemed like a fleeting moment.

Skull Mountain, as its name suggests.

The mountains are rugged and the strange rocks stand upright. From a distance, they look like the skull of a giant demon god lying across the vast land.

The mountains are shrouded in malevolent energy, and ordinary living beings have vanished.

Only a cave atop the mountain exudes a sense of coldness and deathly stillness.

This is the Cave of White Bones.

Contrary to expectations, the cave was not filled with bones; instead, it was remarkably simple.

Apart from a blue stone cushion.

The walls were bare, with nothing else on them.

At this moment, a figure was sitting cross-legged on the futon.

This man had a face as blue as indigo, protruding fangs, and tightly closed eyes.

He was the owner of the Skull Mountain and White Bone Cave.

One Qi Immortal Ma Yuan.

After a long time.

Ma Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

This breath, three feet from the body, transformed into a gray arrow.

The arrow pierced through a jagged rock in the cave wall, leaving a smooth hole.

"My Golden Immortal cultivation has finally stabilized."

Ma Yuan muttered to himself.

There was no trace of joy in his voice; instead, it carried an indescribable solemnity.

He is not a being of this world.

His soul came from an ordinary college student in later generations.

When I was studying literature late into the night, I suddenly felt a darkness before my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in this wild and vast prehistoric world.

What surprised him even more was...

He became the Immortal Ma Yuan.

Ma Yuan was a rogue cultivator from the White Bone Cave of Skull Mountain.

During the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, he was persuaded by Shen Gongbao's words, "Fellow Daoist, please wait," and went down the mountain to help the Yin Shang dynasty.

However, his real tragedy was encountering the Western religion's Zhunti Daoist.

The Taoist Zhunti wanted to convert Ma Yuan to the Western Paradise, but Ma Yuan refused, so Zhunti tricked him.

First, he was beaten by Zhunti and forced to reveal his true form, and then he was locked up by Jinzha, a disciple of Manjushri, using the Dragon-Binding Stake.

Finally, Zhunti Daoist pointed at him from behind, piercing his spine and leaving him no way to escape. He could only obediently be taken to the West and become the Ma Yuan Zun Wang Buddha in Buddhism.

Compared to other cultivators who survived the great calamity, Ma Yuan's fate was relatively good.

After all, given his background, it was already extremely difficult for him to escape the calamity of the Investiture of the Gods and obtain a Buddhist position.

He was well aware of how shallow his background was.

In the primordial world, one's origins and background are of utmost importance.

The Three Pure Ones, for example, were transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu. They were born with the merit of creating the world and were destined to be the protagonists of heaven and earth.

Nuwa, for example, was a primordial deity and a future saint of the demon race.

Even those with innate spiritual roots or innate spiritual treasures who have taken human form are far superior to him.

As for Ma Yuan, he was blessed with little fortune and few connections.

However, a spirit born from a wisp of malevolent energy gathered from the malevolent forces of heaven and earth in Skull Mountain eventually cultivated into human form.

Such a background is utterly insignificant in the eyes of the great beings of the primordial world. A weak background means limited potential and a difficult path to the Great Dao.

During the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, those disciples with deep roots and powerful backgrounds could still be listed on the Investiture of the Gods even if they died, retaining a glimmer of hope for survival. Some, like Nezha, could even be reborn as lotuses after death and advance further.

For a wandering immortal like him, without roots or foundation, once he dies and his cultivation dissipates, all things truly vanish.

Being taken to the Western Paradise by Zhunti may seem to save one's life, but in reality, it cuts off all one's own possibilities and turns one into a tool in the hands of others, which is not a good thing.

“Chanjiao, Jiejiao, Xifangjiao…” Ma Yuan considered them one by one.

The Chan sect prides itself on following the will of Heaven and responding to the needs of the people. It has strict rules and places great importance on the blessings and good fortune of its followers.

Given his appearance and background, he probably wouldn't even be allowed to enter the mountain gate; he would only be mistaken for a heretic and slapped to death.

The Jie Sect claims to teach without discrimination, and its disciples come from all walks of life.

But Ma Yuan knew the ultimate fate of the Jie Sect.

In the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, all the elites perished. Some were listed on the Investiture of the Gods, while others became mounts for others. The Tongtian Sect Leader was even imprisoned in the Zixiao Palace, suffering an extremely miserable fate.

Joining the Jie Sect at this time is tantamount to boarding a giant ship destined to sink.

As for Western religions...

A deep sense of apprehension flashed in Ma Yuan's eyes.

Those two religious leaders, in their pursuit of glorifying the West, acted without any moral compass, and their greatest skill was "converting" other people's treasures and disciples into their own bowl.

Western religions might be a last resort when all else fails, but ultimately they are not a good place to go.

After much thought, it seems that neither side is benevolent.

The Three Pure Ones are high above, regarding all living beings as straw dogs.

The two Western saints are cunning and ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others; ultimately, you have to fight for the great path yourself!"

Ma Yuan stood up and paced around the empty cave, his thoughts becoming increasingly clear.

Since there's nowhere to go, then we won't go anywhere!

This Skull Mountain and White Bone Cave, though barren, is also tranquil.

As long as one lives a secluded life, avoids karmic entanglements, and focuses on spiritual cultivation, there may still be a glimmer of hope.

He is taking a steady and reliable path!
Build walls high, accumulate grain, and slowly become king.

This is the wisdom he learned from history in his previous life, and it is perfectly suited to be used in this primordial world.

What reassured him even more was that this moment in time was a godsend for him.

Hongjun Daozu has just completed his first sermon at Zixiao Palace.

At this moment, there is still a long time before he begins his second sermon.

The future Heavenly Saints—the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—are probably all in seclusion right now, comprehending the Great Dao of Sainthood as taught by Hongjun, and have no time for anything else.

The Lich and Demon races had only recently emerged and dominated the world, and were in the process of accumulating strength.

The entire primordial world was in a rare period of relative peace.

The great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, which swept across the primordial world, occurred countless eons later.

He has plenty of time to plan his future!

Thinking of this, Ma Yuan's previously restless heart calmed down completely.

So what if my foundation is shallow?
At least, he has a unique advantage over all other creatures in this primordial world—he knows the general direction of the future!
He knew which magical treasures would appear in which places, which people would be the ones to face the great calamity, and he also knew what schemes and calculations those high-ranking saints had in mind.

This is his biggest trump card, and his only reliance for survival and defying fate.

"From this day forward, I, Ma Yuan, will live only for myself."

He returned to the futon and sat cross-legged, his eyes becoming more determined than ever before.

"Without becoming a saint, one is destined to remain an ant. The path to enlightenment is long and arduous. From this day forward, from this cave of bones, I will forge my own path to heaven!"

(End of this chapter)