Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

Upon closer examination of the three sages' paths, Yuanshi's Jade Void Palace is orderly and disciplined, while Tongtian's Biyou Palace is like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, with its disciples being a mixed bag.

This difference ultimately foreshadowed the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods. While the Wu and Yao clans were still fighting at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, the cracks within the Xuanmen sect had already become apparent.

Zhou Yi observed coldly that even a sage of primordial chaos could never completely sever his anger, ignorance, and resentment. The method of severing the three corpses to attain enlightenment seemed like a self-deceiving trick.

A moment later, Zhou Yi and Zhen Yuanzi arrived at Yuzhu Cave in Zhongnan Mountain. Before the two powerful figures even landed, they sensed a familiar yet unfamiliar aura within the cave.

"Fellow Daoist, it has been many years since we last met. Would you be so kind as to show yourself and reminisce?" Zhen Yuanzi lightly flicked his whisk, his voice piercing through the cave's barrier.

At this moment, Fu De, deep within the cave, was clutching his natal magic weapon, his fingertips trembling slightly.

He had only been reincarnated and had only recently begun his cultivation, and was now barely at the level of a True Immortal. At this moment, sensing the two vast, ocean-like auras of Quasi-Saints outside the cave, cold sweat had already seeped out of his back.

Although he was a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, he usually lived a secluded life and had never encountered such a scene before.

Just as he was hesitating whether to activate the mountain-protecting formation, the communication jade talisman at his waist suddenly lit up, and a mark from Kunlun Mountain appeared.

Fude immediately calmed down. Since his master had not given any warning, it must not be anything dangerous.

Taking a deep breath and straightening his Taoist robe, he finally stepped out of the cave.

"Junior Fude greets the two seniors." As the young Taoist bowed, he caught a glimpse of Zhen Yuanzi's suddenly bright eyes.

The silver-haired Taoist priest rushed forward in two steps, his trembling hand hovering about an inch above his shoulder, before finally letting out a long sigh.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi stepped forward to defuse the situation: "Fellow Daoist, do you recognize the ancestor of Earth Immortals, Zhenyuan Daxian? A thousand years ago, during the great calamity of the Witch and Demon, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Fires sacrificed himself to protect his dear friend..."

Zhen Yuanzi, his eyes slightly red, continued, "Before you self-destructed your primordial spirit that day, you entrusted me with the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, saying that after reincarnation, we would surely continue our camaraderie."

As he spoke, a crimson gourd appeared in his palm, and the cloud patterns flowing on it resonated with the jade pendant at Fude's waist.

Fu De was startled to find his mind churning, fragments of his past life memories flooding back. As he staggered backward, Zhen Yuanzi caught his arm just in time, his thousand-year wait culminating in a choked sob: "It's good that you're back."

Outside the cave, the pine trees rustled in the wind. Zhou Yi looked at his old friend whom he had recognized, and with a smile, he took out a jade slip: "This item records the secret method of weapon refining created by you in your previous life. Now it has been returned to its rightful owner." The five characters "Pillar of Heavenly Divine Fire" could be faintly seen flowing on the surface of the jade slip.

According to the information Fude possessed, although Zhou Yi was ranked in the Quasi-Saint realm, his true combat strength was far beyond what could be measured by conventional realms.

What's even more astonishing is that this powerful human once fought head-on against Taiyi, the Lord of the Demon Court, and held his own.

It should be noted that the demon race supreme being who possesses the Chaos Bell is one of the most powerful quasi-saints recognized in the prehistoric world. The true cultivation level of someone who can rival such an existence is self-evident.

The arrival of Zhen Yuanzi terrified Fude even more. This abbot of Wuzhuang Temple was not only a descendant of earth immortals, but also a primordial deity who had listened to lectures in the Zixiao Palace of the Dao Ancestor.

When the two top-tier experts from the Primordial Era arrived together, especially when Zhou Yi uttered the words "previous life," Fu De felt his sea of ​​consciousness churn, and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

Fu De frowned slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the end of his whisk: "The concept of reincarnation has always been elusive. Do you have any basis for your assertion, fellow Daoist?"

At this time, it had only been a thousand years since the Ancestral Witch of Houtu transformed into the Six Paths. Even in a sacred place like Kunlun Mountain, the mystery of reincarnation was rarely understood.

Zhou Yi conjured the Dao of Reincarnation patterns at his fingertips, and a ghostly phantom appeared in the void: "The Dao Ancestor once said that there are fifty Heavenly Daos, one of which has escaped. Before the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Fires self-destructed his primordial spirit, a wisp of innate primordial purple energy broke through the void and escaped."

As he spoke, the book in Zhen Yuanzi's sleeve moved without wind, and rays of divine light from the Earth element enveloped the entire cave.

As the words "Demon Master Roc" rang out, a blood-red sky suddenly appeared on the Fude Lingtai, and in a daze, it seemed as if a giant wing covering the sky was pressing down.

Upon seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi quickly formed a hand seal, and the illusory image of the ginseng fruit tree appeared behind him, with nine jade-like Dao fruits emitting a mysterious and clear light.

The sleeves of this ancestor of earth immortals trembled slightly, his gaze burning as if he had been waiting for a thousand years to finally see an old friend.

"So that's how it is!" Fu De suddenly clapped his hands and sighed. The three flowers on the top of his head bloomed with extraordinary light, and a wisp of innate energy in the shape of ten thousand fires shot up from the Baihui acupoint, creating a subtle resonance with the Wutu essence flowing around Zhen Yuanzi's body.

Suddenly, a strange phenomenon appeared outside the cave: the clouds in the sky surged like waves, as if an ancient secret was about to be revealed.

Fude looked at the two uninvited guests in front of him, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the jade pendant at his waist.

The sudden appearance of two quasi-saints who claimed to be reincarnations of ancient powerful beings would raise suspicions in anyone.

If he weren't wary of the other party's cultivation level, he would have already unleashed the Heavenly Divine Fire Pillar to send the guest away.

"Since you are a disciple of a sage, you only need to make a trip to the Jade Void Palace to verify it." Zhou Yi gently placed the teacup on the jade table, the rising steam blurring the golden line between his brows.

These words enlightened Fude. The disciples of the Chan Sect value lineage and inheritance the most. If there was really a karmic connection with the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Fires, how could his master, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, not know about it?

Zhen Yuanzi's grip on the Earth Book loosened and tightened again, and the fragrance of the thousand-year-old ginseng fruit permeated the cave.

Seeing that Fude was still frowning, the ancestor of the Earth Immortals finally suppressed his urgency: "This matter is not urgent. When you have time, you can visit Wuzhuang Temple..." He changed his words at the last minute: "If you encounter any difficulties in refining weapons in the future, feel free to come and find me."

Fu De's gaze swept over the three ginseng fruits on the table, each radiating spiritual energy. Such a treasure of heaven and earth was being given away so casually, showing his utmost sincerity.

He conjured three cloud-patterned prayer mats with a hand seal, and a gentle breeze carrying the aroma of tea led people deeper into the cave: "Why don't you two stay for a few days? After I finish refining the array patterns of this Immortal Binding Lock, I'll have some Five Elements Escape Techniques to learn from Senior Zhenyuan."

For more than a month thereafter, mysterious light frequently burst forth from the summit of Zhongnan Mountain.

Under the guise of exchanging formation techniques, Zhen Yuanzi compiled the old story of Wan Huo into eight hundred stories and told them in various ways; Zhou Yi discussed the inheritance of human civilization with Fu De, secretly observing the reaction of this Fu De True Immortal.

One day, when Fude was adjusting the newly made demon-revealing mirror, red cloud patterns suddenly appeared on the mirror surface, startling Zhen Yuanzi so much that he accidentally knocked over half a furnace of Samadhi True Fire.

"When I visited my master the other day, he mentioned that 'our karmic ties from the primordial era are not yet severed.'" Fu De brushed the ashes off his Taoist robe, his words no longer showing the distance he had when they first met.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi's eyes reddened slightly. He turned around and pretended to examine the charred cuff. The tear was exactly where Wan Huo had shielded him from the demon master's attack years ago.

Zhou Yi gazed at the cranes weaving through the sea of ​​clouds, a smile playing on his lips. A gentle breeze carried half a piece of vermilion talisman paper, the words "reincarnation" faintly visible, before it instantly transformed into starlight and dissipated into the purple aura rising from the alchemy furnace.

Zhou Yi, sensing the opportune moment, took out a gourd-shaped magical artifact, entirely crimson, from his sleeve. This treasure was none other than the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd entrusted to him by the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Fires, now shimmering with a dark red luster under the sunlight.