Primordial Era: From the Creation Lotus to the First Disciple of the Three Pure Ones

My time with the Houtu tribe was fulfilling and exhilarating.

Enjoy drinks with the heroic Wu tribe warriors and listen to them sing the ancient war songs of the father god Pangu.

He fought hand-to-hand with powerful shamans such as Xing Tian, ​​Xiang Liu, Feng Bo, and Yu Shi in the training ground, engaging in exhilarating and brutal battles.

Occasionally, even the Ancestral Gods Gonggong and Zhurong, when in high spirits, would suppress their power and personally offer guidance. Each encounter allowed Qinglian to gain a deeper understanding of power control, the essence of combat techniques, and even the profound mystery of integrating laws into battle.

His physical body became more refined and transparent through repeated extreme collisions, and his combat awareness was completely transformed, making him no longer the naive person he once was.

However, the wilderness is vast and the journey is long.

Qinglian knew that although the Wu tribe was a good place, it was not a place for her to stay for long.

He possesses the profound mysteries of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique and harbors the grand ambition of perfecting his foundation. He must also venture into the mortal world to search for innate spiritual roots and verify the Dao of all things in heaven and earth.

Moreover, with the Three Pure Ones Master still on his travels, as the chief disciple, he also needs to travel throughout the prehistoric world to maintain the reputation of his sect and await his master's summons.

On this day, Qinglian bid farewell to Houtu Zuwu and the great shamans of the tribe.

The news spread, and the entire Houtu tribe was filled with a sense of reluctance to part. A farewell bonfire, even grander and more solemn than the welcoming banquet, was lit in the center of the tribe.

A huge bonfire burned the heartwood of an ancient tree that had stood for thousands of years, the flames shooting into the sky and reddening the night sky.

On the grill sat the most precious, ancient beast king, brimming with boundless life force, while wine jars piled high like mountains. The shamanic men were no longer merely singing joyfully; their songs carried a sense of parting pride and blessings as they beat giant drums and performed a powerful war dance, as if sending off a warrior about to embark on a distant expedition.

"Brother Qinglian!" Xingtian, holding a stone bowl larger than his head, overflowing with strong liquor, boomed, "I, Xingtian, have never submitted to many people in my life, but you are one of them! In the future, if you encounter anyone who dares to mess with you in the prehistoric world, just mention my name, Xingtian! If you can't beat them, come back to the tribe, and we'll avenge you!"

He slammed the wine bowl against the lotus flower, splashing wine everywhere.

"Immortal Qinglian, take care on your journey!"

The great shamans, including Kuafu, Xiangliu, Fengbo, and Yushi, also stepped forward to offer wine, their words filled with sincere affection and respect for the strong.

Houtu, the ancestral witch, sat in the main seat, her face compassionate and gentle.

She took out an ancient stone talisman, condensed from the essence of the earth and exuding a heavy aura of earth, and handed it to Qinglian: "Nephew Qinglian, this is the 'Houtu Seal' that I refined with the source of the earth. Although it is not a treasure for attack, holding it allows one to sense the primordial earth veins, walk on the earth as if on flat ground, and in case of danger, it can also draw a trace of the earth's power to protect the body. This is just a small token of my appreciation. The gate of the Witch Clan is always open for you."

Qinglian solemnly accepted the stone talisman. It felt warm and heavy in her hand, as if it carried the blessings of the entire primordial land.

Moved to tears, he bowed deeply to the Ancestral Witch Houtu and all the warriors of the Witch Clan: "I am deeply grateful for the generous gifts from my Martial Uncle Houtu and the profound kindness of all my fellow Daoists! If I achieve anything in the future, I will never forget the kindness of the Witch Clan! May we meet again someday!"

The campfire burned out, and the first rays of dawn appeared.

Amidst the thunderous battle songs and blessings of the Wu tribe warriors, Qinglian's figure transformed into a streak of azure light, departing from the tribe that carried her passion and camaraderie, and embarking once again on her journey through the vast and primordial wilderness.

Having left the territory of the Wu Clan, Qinglian slowed his pace, no longer deliberately pursuing speed, but instead walking among the mountains and rivers of the primordial wilderness in a posture of merging with heaven and earth. He

Feel the cycle of life and death of plants, observe the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and comprehend the various fundamental principles flowing between heaven and earth.

Sometimes he would sit and meditate by the spiritually vibrant spring, and sometimes he would hide in the clouds and look down at the rise and fall of the tribes below. His mind became more and more settled during his travels, and his understanding of the Great Dao also grew imperceptibly.

On this day, he came to a beautiful mountain range. The place was full of strange peaks, ancient trees reaching the sky, waterfalls and springs, and was shrouded in clouds and mist, making it a rare place for quiet cultivation.

As Qinglian was admiring the mountain scenery, her divine sense detected a commotion coming from the valley below.

Before the entrance to a seemingly secluded and spiritually rich cave, a short, golden-haired monkey with a pointed snout and shriveled cheeks, but bright, intelligent eyes that exuded both cleverness and arrogance, was being pushed out by several Daoist disciples dressed in Daoist robes, whose cultivation was roughly at the Xuanxian realm.

"Get out of here! You ignorant monkey! Take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror to see what kind of person you are!"

My master is of such high status, how could he possibly accept a wicked creature like you, whose path to enlightenment has been severed by the Dao Ancestor's golden words, as his disciple? Dare to cause any more trouble, and I'll break your monkey legs!

The leading Taoist boy was arrogant and spoke extremely harshly.

The golden-haired monkey stumbled as it was pushed, but stubbornly stood firm, its eyes filled with resentment and anger, but even more so with a deep-seated despair and numbness.

He cried out hoarsely into the tightly closed stone door of the cave, "Immortal! I beg you for mercy! I, Liu Er, sincerely seek the Dao, willing to be your slave, only asking to hear the Great Dao! I, Liu Er, only ask for a way to live!"

The sound echoed through the valley, carrying an endless sense of sorrow.

However, the stone gate to the cave remained unmoved, only the Taoist boys grew increasingly impatient, shouting and shoving.

"Six-Eared Monkey?" Qinglian's heart stirred, and she carefully scanned the golden-haired monkey with her divine sense. Although it was only a Golden Immortal, its muscles and bones were strong, its blood and qi were vigorous, and its mind was clear. Its aptitude and constitution were truly superior! Especially its pair of ears, which trembled slightly and faintly emitted spatial ripples, as if they could capture the sounds of heaven and earth that ordinary people could not hear!

Qinglian instantly understood the monkey's origin! One of the Four Chaotic Monkeys, the Six-Eared Macaque, skilled in listening, discerning reason, knowing the past and future, and understanding all things!

This monkey possesses the extraordinary ability of "six ears that can hear the mysteries of the universe," which is truly heaven-defying. It can hear all sounds in the three realms and six paths and understand the secrets of all things.

However, his supernatural powers were both his strength and his weakness. Back when the Dao Ancestor Hongjun of Zixiao Palace first expounded the Great Dao, Liu Er dared to use his innate supernatural powers to traverse endless space in an attempt to eavesdrop on the Great Dao!

The result can be imagined.

What kind of person was the Dao Ancestor? He had already sensed it when he was preaching. Although the Dao Ancestor Hongjun did not directly punish him, he only said calmly, "The Dharma is not to be passed on to six ears."

These words, like a decree of Heaven, resounded throughout the primordial world! From then on, all the great powers of the primordial world, whether immortals, gods, demons, or monsters, regarded Liu Er as a taboo, fearing that taking him as a disciple would offend the Dao Ancestor and incur immense karmic consequences! This was tantamount to completely severing Liu Er's righteous path of seeking the Dao and asking for the Dharma!

As Qinglian watched the Six-Eared Macaque in the valley being wantonly humiliated and shoved by the Daoist boy, his eyes shifting from despair and anger to a deathly gray, her heart clenched! A complex and indescribable emotion welled up inside her.

He seemed to see the twenty-four-petaled Creation Lotus that had been trapped in the chaotic space for countless ages, struggling to transform itself but unable to! It was the same Lotus that was blocked by the Heavenly Dao (the words of the Dao Ancestor were like the decrees of the Heavenly Dao), the same Lotus that had no way to seek the Dao, and the same Lotus that had experienced a deep-seated despair and loneliness!

The difference is that Qinglian ultimately seized a glimmer of hope, entrusted his life to the lotus seed, encountered the Three Pure Ones, and changed his fate.

But this Six-Eared Macaque could only struggle at the bottom of the primordial world, enduring endless rejection and humiliation. In the end... Qinglian's mind flashed the ending that was passed down in later generations—he impersonated Sun Wukong, was exposed by the Buddha, and was beaten back to his original form with a bowl of alms bowl, his soul and spirit destroyed!

"Under the laws of Heaven, there is a glimmer of hope... Does the Dao Ancestor's word truly sever all possibilities?"

As Qinglian pondered this question in her heart, a sense of empathy stemming from her own experiences and a slight rebellious sentiment against the injustice of Heaven quietly began to grow.

Seeing that the Taoist boys were becoming increasingly outrageous, even gathering their magical power to teach this "ungrateful" monkey a lesson, Qinglian's eyes turned cold, and her figure appeared silently in the valley.