Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 144 Zi Ying's First Tribulation
Five immense, supremely powerful auras of sainthood descended upon us!

Its might was magnificent, its momentum was overwhelming, and in an instant it swept across every corner of the entire prehistoric world!
Even the Skull Mountain, which had already been covered by Ma Yuan's Five Elements Cause and Effect Array, was subjected to the repeated onslaught of the five saintly pressures.

The magnificent canopy guarding the mountain gate also trembled violently.

The five-colored divine light and the Daoist principles of cause and effect flickered on it, as if it would completely collapse at any moment!
Inside the secluded meditation room of Yuandao Palace.

Ma Yuan slowly awoke from his meditative state of complete absorption in the world.

He gazed calmly at the boundless sky, which was now ablaze with changing colors, but a rare hint of surprise appeared on his face.

"I never expected it to happen so quickly..."

He muttered to himself, his mind racing, and in an instant he had grasped all the causes and consequences of what had happened.

"My intention in passing down martial arts to the human race was to establish a foundation for the self-preservation of this weak race, and incidentally to secure a vast fortune for my lineage that would connect me to the future protagonist of the world."

"Unexpectedly, the martial arts of the human race flourished, and the desire for self-improvement soared to the heavens."

Inexplicably, this triggered the opportunity for Laozi (the Supreme Pure One) to attain sainthood, establishing the Human Teachings and achieving perfect merit.

"And when Taiqing attained sainthood, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, and Zhunti followed suit, achieving perfect merit on the same day and attaining the Primordial Sainthood..."

Ma Yuan sighed softly to himself.

There are fifty great ways, forty-nine of which are derived from heaven, and one is missing.

Although the general trend of Heaven is irreversible, there are still endless variables beneath it.

He slowly withdrew his gaze, then turned his vast divine sense to the increasingly thick and solid canopy of fortune in his own dojo.

At this moment, at the core of the canopy, the golden lotus of fortune, transformed from the supreme innate spiritual treasure, the Purple Gold Jade Ruyi, was exhaling three powerful streams of fortune of different shapes and colors.

Firstly, it presents a five-colored, misty appearance, within which countless phenomena arise.

This is the very foundation and fortune of the Skull Mountain lineage, profound and stable.

Secondly, it is bluish-white in color, and the sound of a fox can be faintly heard inside.

This is the good fortune and auspicious energy that the fox clan of Wuyi Mountain has received in return during their tens of thousands of years of recuperation and growth.

Though subtle, it is also enduring and continuous.

The third stream was a golden river of fortune, its entire body a dark yellow color!
The Golden River rushes down from the southern foot of Buzhou Mountain, which is extremely far away. It crosses hundreds of millions of miles of void and flows continuously into the canopy of fortune of Skull Mountain!

It was the newly formed, yet infinitely potential, human martial arts fortune!
Ma Yuan could clearly sense it.

With the integration of this human destiny.

The fortune of their own lineage is rising again at this moment, and its stability is several times stronger than before!
"The martial path has been established, and destiny has been decided..."

Ma Yuan understood.

He knew that only his own Martial Ancestor incarnation remained in the Human Race Martial Ancestor Hall.

As long as there is still one human practicing martial arts in this world.

Then this immense human destiny, symbolizing the future protagonists of heaven and earth, will continuously converge here.

This causal connection was exactly what he had expected.

He had already attained the Great Luo of the Outer Realm, and his true spirit did not enter the Primordial Heavenly Dao.

Naturally, they can no longer directly obtain the merits of the Heavenly Dao like Nuwa and the Three Pure Ones.

However, through the Martial Ancestor, an incarnation deeply bound to the fate of the human race.

Yet, he managed to find a different path amidst the overwhelming forces of Heaven, indirectly sharing in the boundless fortune of the future protagonist of this world.

Helping humanity is in accordance with the natural order, and good fortune will naturally follow.

This method is the best choice for Ma Yuan.

After observing the earth-shattering changes in the outside world from afar, Ma Yuan had a sudden thought.

His calm and undisturbed mind slowly sank into the Purple Jewel Heaven.

But when his gaze swept over this world that he had created with his own hands...

His brows furrowed slightly without warning.

The Purple Jade Heaven of today has undergone countless millennia of evolution, and its interior is now teeming with life and its laws are firmly established.

However, beneath this seemingly thriving scene, there is also an inexplicable sense of desolation and hostility.

On the vast, boundless land, ravines crisscrossed the landscape, mountains were broken, and dried bloodstains occasionally stained the rivers dark red.

Above the sky, amidst the originally peaceful clouds, a lingering aura of resentment and malevolence also lingered.

His divine sense swept across the area, and in an instant, he had already discerned the changes that had taken place in this world over tens of thousands of years.

As the world evolved and resources became increasingly abundant, the three innate beings of the Metal, Wood, and Thunder races, born in this world, ultimately broke off all pretense of civility in order to compete for a more fertile habitat, to seize the spiritual veins that could give birth to more races, and even more so for the ethereal yet crucial title of "orthodox faith."

Throughout these tens of thousands of years, conflicts and wars, large and small, have never ceased.

The three tribes fought each other, resulting in heavy casualties.

Of the first generation of beings who once listened to his teachings together at the foot of Mount Ziying, most of them have now perished in the conquests of their tribe.

Their conflict severely impacted the stability of this nascent world.

The endless killing, resentment, grief, and other negative emotions arising from war have transformed into filth invisible to the naked eye.

It began to slowly erode and pollute the originally pure incense and prayer power.

Ma Yuan could see it clearly.

Within that torrent of willpower rising from the depths of the true spirits of countless beings, fine black threads had somehow begun to appear.

Ma Yuan's will silently surveyed all of this.

He knew that with just a thought, he could unleash a supreme divine punishment that would make the entire world tremble.

In the blink of an eye, all the culprits who stirred up the conflict could be turned to ashes.

Thus, with swift and decisive action, the escalating conflict was forcefully quelled.

However, he did not do so.

Because he knew that this was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

Might and divine punishment may bring peace in the short term.

But it will also plant a seed of fear in the hearts of countless living beings.

If this continues, the creatures of this world will inevitably lose their independent spirit of daring to fight and explore.

At that time, the entire world will completely lose its vitality, become a stagnant pool, and have no possibility of advancement.

That wasn't the outcome he wanted.

"The First Tribulation of Zi Ying..."

Ma Yuan muttered to himself.

Amidst the strife of this world before him, he seemed to see the shadow of the primordial chaos of the Dragon and Han dynasties.

How powerful the three clans of dragon, phoenix, and qilin were in the past!
Their noble origins and extraordinary abilities far surpass those of the three races currently in the Purple Jade Heaven.

However, their ultimate fate was still to suffer the same fate of losing all three races and declining fortunes in the endless struggle for supremacy and slaughter, and being replaced by the quietly rising Lich and Demon races.

"Is it true that as long as intelligent beings exist, conflict and calamities are an unavoidable destiny?"

A thought arose spontaneously from the depths of his mind without warning.

The Primordial Heavenly Dao is now facing the same predicament.

The endless battles between the Lich and Demon races have created immense karma, shattering the primordial world and causing widespread suffering.

Although the Heavenly Dao is powerful, it cannot directly erase these two protagonists who were born under the influence of the Heavenly Dao's destiny.

Only by unleashing a great eon can they be incited to kill each other.

Ultimately, karma is cleansed amidst endless destruction, and order is restored.

This method is undoubtedly the most efficient and direct means for the Heavenly Dao.

"The primordial world is already a top-tier world standing at the pinnacle of endless chaos. Its origin is stable and its laws are perfect, so there is no need to seek further advancement."

Therefore, the core of its operation lies in the concept of balance.

To maintain the balance of this world and prevent it from decaying due to excessive power of living beings and overwhelming karma, the Great Tribulation is the most effective method of cleansing.

“But my Purple Necklace Heaven is completely different.”

Ma Yuan's will became increasingly clear and cold.

"This world is still in its infancy, and its fundamental purpose is growth and accumulation, rather than balance and maintenance."

“Every great calamity is a tremendous drain on the world’s origin. Every life that perishes is a loss of my incense offerings and vows. Every regression of civilization is a weakening of my future foundation.”

"For the primordial world, this method is to reshape order. But for my Purple Necklace Heaven, it is to cut off its own arm and drink poison to quench its thirst!"

"The primordial Heavenly Dao takes calamity as its law, practicing the path of destruction and reshaping."

"Then how should I find a new path amidst this strife that can resolve karma, preserve our original nature, and promote the growth of the world?"

(End of this chapter)