Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

"If we could build a rain shelter among the branches of the giant tree," Zhou Yi traced crisscrossing lines in the mud with his fingertips, "we could use vines as ropes, withered branches as beams, and then lay three layers of broad leaves..."

The man suddenly grabbed his wrist, the calluses from years of wielding an axe scraping painfully: "Come on, there are ready-made materials in the birch forest to the east." Without waiting for a reply, he dragged the man into the depths of the dense forest, startling several crested falcons that were roosting there at night.

As the moon passed its zenith, the twenty-foot-tall hemlock tree began to take shape. Seven main beams were secured by tortoise-shell vines, and the sloping surface covered with layers of banana leaves perfectly avoided the direction of the stars.

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the leaves, two humans covered in resin lay supine on a precarious aerial platform, laughing loudly as they looked down at their tribesmen who were pointing and whispering.

As the setting sun dyed the clouds golden and red, a burly man leaning on a black wooden cane stood in front of the newly built wooden structure, his rough hands stroking the mortise and tenon joints of the eaves.

The dampness of the moss lingered around his nose as he turned to look at the gathered tribesmen: "From now on, this will be our shelter from the wind and rain."

Before the words were finished, golden patterns suddenly split open in the clouds above, and a vast expanse of primordial energy poured in like a celestial river flowing backward.

The people of the Suiming tribe witnessed a miracle: the strong man's body shone with a clear, jade-colored light, and the bone knife at his waist levitated and transformed into a dragon-shaped phantom.

As the last wisp of heavenly gift seeped into the earth's veins, the original thatched hut transformed into a twelve-tiered glazed palace, with the copper bells hanging from the eaves emitting clear and melodious sounds.

"My name is Youchao." The declaration resounded across three thousand miles of rivers and mountains, startling the immortals discussing the Dao atop Kunlun Mountain.

Chisongzi crushed the jade cup in his palm, Limozi's whisk moved without wind, and a faint sigh came from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

These innate deities were puzzled: how could the weak human race produce two Great Luo Realm Venerables in succession?

On the rocks along the East China Sea shore, the young man in the blue robe tossed the silver shark he had just caught back into the waves. The bronze compass hanging at his waist was slightly warm, a notification from the system that his Destiny Points were increasing.

Zhou Yi gazed at the lingering golden clouds of merit in the west, a subtle smile playing on his lips. Two days ago, he had guided the Fire Emperor to drill wood and make fire; today, he had instructed the Youchao Clan to build houses. Like a chess player, he was quietly manipulating the fate of humanity.

"Host, please note that your accumulated luck has exceeded the critical value." As the mechanical voice sounded in his mind, Zhou Yi was using a reed to draw the Bagua diagram on the sand.

He erased the Kun symbol, letting the tide swallow those mysterious lines.

Heavenly merit? It's nothing but a sweet poison. How could those powerful beings understand that their cultivation of the "Chaos Without Form Technique" requires severing all karmic ties?

Three days later, at the ancestral court meeting, the Mysterious Fire Mirror and the Nest Palace Order were placed side by side on the bronze altar.

The Emperor Sui raised his burning oak staff: "Without the guidance of the wise men of the Book of Changes, we would still be living on raw meat and blood."

The house model that appeared in Youchao's palm suddenly expanded, enveloping the entire council hall in a defensive barrier. The twelve elders looked at each other in dismay. They saw that the young man sitting at the end of the table was surrounded by a hazy, clear light, which actually rivaled the pressure of the two Great Luo Venerables.

"The position of princess..." The white-haired shaman was about to speak when a deafening dragon roar suddenly came from the direction of the East Sea.

Zhou Yi was playing with the newly acquired fragments of the Hetu diagram when a system notification came to his ears: [Hidden quest triggered: The Mystery of the Heluo Diagram].

He watched the elders arguing endlessly, his figure gradually fading into the void. Compared to the power game, the star map revealed by the Luo Shu was more worthy of exploration.

After all, the countdown to the Investiture of the Gods has already begun to flash on the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao.

Yin Chao immediately stood up and replied, "If it weren't for Brother Zhou Yi's guidance, Huo De Zhenjun and I would still be hovering at the threshold of the Golden Immortal realm. This gift from heaven and earth should rightfully belong to him."

Indeed, the weight of two merits bestowed upon him is enough to propel Zhou Yi to the peak of Quasi-Sainthood.

However, this young cultivator chose to share his opportunities with others, solely to accelerate the overall rise of the human race.

"A spirit of selflessness and dedication to the public good is the foundation for the revitalization of our people." Emperor Sui stroked his long beard, his voice resounding like a great bell throughout the palace. "With a leader of such character, how can our people not prosper?"

The strong support of the two first-generation ancestors instantly calmed the undercurrents that had been swirling within the council hall.

The elders, who had originally prepared to raise questions, looked at each other in bewilderment and found that all their rebuttals seemed weak and powerless.

In fact, Zhou Yi's initial plan was more circuitous. He planned to cultivate several meritorious cultivators to enhance the clan's strength and accumulate prestige, paving the way for taking over power in the future.

However, the direct recommendation of Suihuang and Youchaoshi accelerated the entire process by several hundred years.

In this simple and primitive era, the human race was united as one, and all their thoughts were focused on fighting against natural disasters and oppression from powerful races.

As the eight hundred tribal elders bowed in unison, a divine pronouncement suddenly resounded from the depths of Zhou Yi's Purple Mansion: "The human princess has returned to her position, her fortune has been activated, and she is hereby granted ten thousand points of the power of destiny and the secret technique for perfecting the Ancient Sacred Body."

The young leader suppressed the shock in his heart and maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

This generous gift far exceeded expectations. Ten thousand points of Destiny Power are enough to exchange for cultivation resources of the Innate Spiritual Treasure level, and once the Ancient Sacred Body is fully developed, it will be able to fight even against the true form of the Demon Emperor Taiyi God.

This means that the human race truly possessed the means to establish itself in the primordial world.

"Having received the mandate of Heaven, we shall naturally take the title of Ancestor of Humanity." Zhou Yi suddenly spoke, his voice sweeping across the entire Buzhou Mountain. "I hereby swear that I will lead the human race to break through the Nine Heavens and make the Wu and Yao races bow down in submission."

The character "恆" in the title not only subtly matches his name but also implies eternity and immortality. However, this bold statement made some elders secretly shake their heads. Humanity is now struggling to even survive, so how can they talk about surpassing the overlords of heaven and earth?

Faced with numerous questioning gazes, the young man in white simply stood with his hands behind his back. He knew that when the first human battle flag rose atop Mount Buzhou, all the criticism would vanish.

Inside the Human Race Temple, Zhou Yi stroked the stone pillar engraved with totems and spoke in a deep voice: "Do you all know that compared to the ancient, timeless races, we still lack a key to unlock civilization?"

"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!" The torch in Suihuang's hand illuminated his face, and the eyes of this descendant of Shennong, who tasted hundreds of herbs, flickered with the flame of thirst for knowledge.

The twelve tribal elders at the foot of the stone steps held their breath in unison. Having experienced the light of the fire and the shelter of the houses, they had a premonition that they were about to witness another miracle.

"A tribe without memories is like a herd of beasts that lives by following the water and grass." Zhou Yi traced the varying depths of the carvings on the stone pillar with his fingertips. "Those secrets sealed in jade slips are ultimately just quicksand at the fingertips of immortals."

He turned to look at the people working in the square, with smoke rising from the newly built pottery kiln. "I want every member of our people to have the power to record their innermost thoughts. We want to create a symbolic mark that belongs to our people."

Youchao stroked the bone knife at his waist and pondered, "Like using knots to record the number of prey?" This wise man, who once led his tribe to build a nine-story pavilion, now resembled an apprentice learning a new skill.

"No, it is a picture that can tell the story of spring planting and autumn harvest, a pattern that can record birth, aging, sickness, and death." The Book of Changes draws the shapes of the sun, moon, and stars on the rammed earth surface:

"When mothers carve blessings on pottery jars, when hunters record animal tracks on rock walls, when children trace the world in the sand with sticks, this is the true foundation of civilization that belongs to all living beings."