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

At the summit of Kunlun, the Daoist principles flow like the sea.

Under the guidance of the Primordial Purple Qi, the three Dao Palaces grew increasingly profound and vast, as if gradually merging with the Primordial Heavenly Dao.

Lao Tzu's concept of non-action and naturalness, the Primordial Beginning's control of order, and the Heavenly Brilliance's inner strength are all about quietly comprehending the profound mysteries of the primordial chaos.

Within the Azure Jade Palace, surrounded by spiritual treasures and surging auspicious clouds, Qinglian was refining her myriad insights from her travels through the primordial world into the supreme foundation of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique. Her late-stage Great Luo realm was becoming increasingly harmonious and stable through this process of refinement.

Kunlun Wonderland is a peaceful and serene place, isolated from the growing bloodshed and turmoil outside.

However, beyond this pure and sacred realm, the primordial aura of calamity in the vast world had thickened to the point of being like indelible ink, weighing heavily on the hearts of every living being. The noose of calamity was quietly tightening.

Longevity Hill, Wuzhuang Temple.

This place is the Daoist temple of Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of the Earth Immortals. The ginseng fruit tree, a primordial spiritual root, is used to suppress the earth's veins. The earth energy is extremely abundant, and together with the "Earth Book Array" personally set up by Zhen Yuanzi, it can be described as impregnable.

After the three lectures at Zixiao Palace, when Daoist Hongyun obtained the last wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, he felt as if he were holding a hot potato.

He knew the principle that possessing a treasure is a crime, and he understood even more the venomous gaze of the Kunpeng, the greedy gaze of the Styx River, and the desire of countless powerful beings in the primordial world for the opportunity to become saints.

Therefore, Hongyun immediately hid in the Wuzhuang Temple of her close friend Zhen Yuanzi.

Zhen Yuanzi, being a man of deep affection and loyalty, readily agreed, offering his best quiet room and serving ginseng fruit. He also fully activated the Earth Book Array, transforming the Earth Qi into an invisible barrier that enveloped the entire Longevity Mountain completely.

Inside the quiet room, Hongyun sat cross-legged, with a wisp of primordial purple energy, exuding the aura of the Great Dao and containing the opportunity to become a saint, suspended above his primordial spirit.

He tried hard to comprehend it, attempting to glean a glimpse of the mystery of attaining the primordial state of enlightenment.

However, the primordial purple energy is mysterious and unpredictable. Although Hongyun is also a guest of Zixiao Palace and has a deep foundation (the first red cloud in the world to attain enlightenment), his temperament is too carefree and unrestrained, and his Dao heart is not as pure and firm as that of the Three Pure Ones.

After a long period of seclusion, consuming the essence of several ginseng fruits, he only managed to slay the "evil corpse" with the help of the purple aura, and his cultivation level was raised to the mid-stage of Quasi-Saint.

As for how to use this purple aura to attain sainthood, it's still like looking at flowers through a fog, with no clue whatsoever.

Time passed slowly, and Hongyun's free and unrestrained nature, like that of a cloud, began to stir.

The quiet room was nice, the ginseng fruit was wonderful, and the Earth Book Array was safe, but to him, it was like a magnificent cage.

"Sigh..." Hongyun sighed deeply, ending yet another fruitless attempt at enlightenment.

He stood up and paced restlessly in the quiet room. "How suffocating! How suffocating! Although my old friend Zhenyuan's place is nice, it's still not my Red Cloud Cave! This Primordial Purple Qi is visible and tangible, yet I can't comprehend it! If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I'll develop inner demons!"

He looked out the window at the vast and boundless wilderness beyond Longevity Mountain, where the air of freedom seemed to beckon him.

A thought grew wildly like weeds: "Go out for a walk! Perhaps a change of scenery, seeing the ancient mountains and rivers, and getting some worldly air might trigger inspiration and help me understand the mystery of this purple aura! As long as I'm careful and return quickly, there shouldn't be any major problems..." Once this thought took root, it could no longer be contained.

When Hongyun asked Zhenyuanzi if she could leave Wuzhuang Temple and return to her own Hongyun Cave to meditate, Zhenyuanzi's kind and gentle face instantly darkened.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun! You absolutely mustn't!"

Zhen Yuanzi suddenly stood up, and the phantom of the Earth Book appeared behind him, drawing upon the immense power of the Earth element, causing the entire hall to become solemn.

Do you know how many eyes are watching my Wuzhuang Temple right now?

Kunpeng is venomous, Styx is greedy, Dijun and Taiyi are ambitious, and countless powerful beings hidden in the shadows are all eyeing the Primordial Purple Qi in your hands!

The moment you step out of the Earth Book Formation, you'll be in a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, facing imminent death!

"Here, with the Earth Book Array and the Ginseng Fruit Tree suppressing it, combined with my cultivation, even if Emperor Jun and Taiyi were to come in person, they wouldn't be able to break through easily! This is the only way out!"

Zhen Yuanzi spoke earnestly, his eyes filled with genuine worry.

He had known Hongyun for countless years, deeply understood his temperament, and was even more aware of the dangers brought by the Primordial Purple Qi.

Hongyun, however, seemed unconvinced, her face still bearing that signature, slightly carefree, and nonchalant smile:

"My old friend, you worry too much! I am Hongyun, I can gather and disperse without form, and I am most skilled in the art of escape! If I can't beat you, can't I at least run away? Besides, I have already slain my evil corpse and greatly improved my cultivation. How could ordinary villains dare to get close to me? That Primordial Purple Qi is within my primordial spirit. Unless I die and my Dao dissipates, no one can take it away! Go out for some fresh air, and perhaps a flash of inspiration will lead me to understand the secret to becoming a saint? It's better than sitting here idly and wasting my time."

"Foolish!" Zhen Yuanzi stamped his feet in frustration.

"These are no ordinary villains! They are the most powerful figures in the primordial world who are coveting them! Kunpeng's speed is unparalleled in the primordial world, the Styx River and Blood Sea are immortal and never dry up, and Dijun and Taiyi have the Chaos Bell and the River Chart and Luo Book! Your escape technique may not be effective against them!"

Once surrounded, there is no chance of survival! Heed my words, stay! It's not too late to leave once you truly comprehend the mysteries of the Purple Qi, or when the great calamity has subsided!

However, Hongyun's desire for freedom had already taken hold, like a wild horse that could not be reined in.

Zhen Yuanzi's earnest advice sounded like a constraint to him.

He gave a perfunctory reply: "Okay, okay, my old friend is absolutely right. I'll think about it some more, I'll think about it some more." But in his heart, he had already made up his mind to sneak away.

A few days later, during a brief break when Zhen Yuanzi was routinely sorting out the earth's veins and reinforcing the formation under the ginseng fruit tree...

Hongyun's figure flickered, transforming into a wisp of faint, almost transparent, pale red cloud that silently merged into the Wutu barrier surrounding Wuzhuang Temple.

He was already familiar with the operating rules of the Earth Book Array, and as a fellow guest of Zixiao Palace, his cultivation was not weak. He actually found a weak point in the flow of the array and slipped out like a fish!

When Zhen Yuanzi sensed something and suddenly turned around, he only saw that wisp of pale red cloud flash by outside Longevity Mountain, instantly merging into the clouds on the horizon and disappearing without a trace!

"Red Clouds—!!"

Zhen Yuanzi let out a long howl filled with grief and indignation, the sound of which shook Wanshou Mountain!

He rushed to the edge of the great formation, gazing in the direction where the red clouds had vanished. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with grief and despair. He knew that his dear friend's fate was grim.

Just as Zhen Yuanzi predicted, from the moment Hongyun stepped into Wuzhuang Temple, a net had already been laid outside the temple!

Countless hidden and greedy divine thoughts, like invisible spider silk, densely entangled Longevity Mountain.

The moment the wisp of crimson cloud left the range of the Earth Book Formation, it was like a boulder being thrown into a calm lake, instantly detonating the lurking killing intent!

"Hongyun! You've finally decided to give it up! Hand over the Primordial Purple Qi!"

A sharp, piercing shriek, filled with endless resentment and greed, tore through the sky!

A dark shadow that blotted out the sky swooped down from the heavens, its wings like clouds hanging from the sky, and its speed was extremely fast. It was none other than the demon master Kunpeng, who had lost his holy position in Zixiao Palace because Hongyun gave up her seat and was filled with hatred!