Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

"Firstly, all the divine positions in the Heavenly Court must be returned to their proper places so that the Heavenly Court can operate at full capacity and maintain the balance of the Primordial Great Dao. Although the Heavenly Court has more manpower than before, most of the divine positions are held by temporarily appointed rogue cultivators who are not suited to their positions. If they are put in those positions, they can only exert one or two tenths of the effectiveness of their divine positions at best, let alone operate at full capacity."

Haotian's voice carried a hint of helplessness as he spoke.

"Secondly, the primordial world cannot sustain slaughter. Resentment originates from slaughter, and as long as slaughter continues, resentment will continue to grow. Even if the Heavenly Court operates at full power, it can only dissipate existing resentment, but cannot prevent new resentment from being generated. A two-pronged approach is necessary to slowly dissipate that endless resentment, suppress the calamity, and prevent the great calamity of heaven and earth from erupting."

After listening, Huang Long nodded slightly.

These two conditions sound simple, but upon closer examination, you'll realize how difficult they are.

The divine positions in Heaven have been restored to their rightful places!

That's overthinking it. Many divine positions remain vacant to this day because there's simply no suitable candidate.

Those who want to come are not qualified, and those who are qualified don't even look down on the divine positions in Heaven!

The primordial chaos cannot be quelled?

That's pure fantasy.

Even without the demon core cultivation method passed down by the demon race, those billions of living beings would still continue to kill each other for resources, for longevity, and for the Great Dao, just not as tragically as they are now!

This primordial world has never been a peaceful place; to stop the killing, all living beings must be exterminated.

Haotian chuckled self-deprecatingly, then stared straight at Huanglong.

"The reason I urgently summoned you here is to hear your solutions."

Haotian pointed to the boundless starry sky, "You can revive all the stars in the heavens when they are extinguished?"

Then, pointing to the human race on the mirror of light, he said, "The birth of the two human emperors is also closely related to you."

"so......!"

Huang Long listened in silence, his gaze fixed on the sea of ​​resentment reflected in the spiritual water mirror.

He saw those distorted faces in the resentment, the lingering obsessions of countless devoured beings.

They screamed and howled silently, struggling and tumbling amidst their resentment.

He stared at the wisps of black calamity energy at the core of that resentment for a long time.

Then a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Huang Long stared at the alien races that were still frantically devouring each other under the shroud of resentment, and suddenly felt that they were very pathetic.

In their quest to become stronger, they chose the Demon Core Technique, and this is what they ended up looking like.

They thought that human blood and souls could save them, but instead they only went further and further down this path of no return.

The problem of the Demon Core Technique must be solved at its root.

Huanglong raised his head, looked at Haotian, and solemnly asked, "Uncle-Master, as the Heavenly Emperor, can you change the rules of Heaven?"

Haotian's expression changed instantly upon hearing this.

He looked at Huanglong, then waved his hands repeatedly.

His movements were so swift that they were completely different from his usual calm and dignified image as the Heavenly Emperor.

"Yellow Dragon, the rules of Heaven are born from Heaven and Earth, and were established by the Dao Ancestor."

"Even if I were the Heavenly Emperor, wielding the power of the Heavenly Emperor, I could not alter the rules of Heaven. This is not a matter of the extent of my authority, but rather that the rules of Heaven themselves are immutable, like all rivers flowing into the sea and the sun rising in the east—the fundamental principles governing the universe...!"

"Uncle-Master, don't be anxious," Huanglong interrupted Haotian's rapid-fire speech.

Looking at Haotian's eager explanation, he suddenly realized that he hadn't explained himself clearly.

"What I mean is," Huang Long said slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "can you add a new rule to the existing Heavenly Dao rules? Not to change the existing ones, but to add a new one on top of the existing ones, so that the entire Primordial Heavenly Dao can operate more perfectly."

Haotian's expression changed from anxious to stunned, and then from stunned to thoughtful.

He frowned and thought for a while, then his eyes gradually brightened.

"More complete?"

Haotian repeated those four words, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty, but more so a spark of ignited interest!

"If the newly added rules are beneficial to the operation of the Heavenly Dao and can make the operation of heaven and earth smoother, then I, as the Heavenly Emperor, am qualified to add them. Moreover...!"

Haotian paused, a burning glint in his eyes, "If the newly added Heavenly Dao rules are indeed beneficial to the operation of the Heavenly Dao, the origin of the Heavenly Dao will recognize the exercise of this authority, allowing me to merge more deeply with the Heavenly Dao and wield more Heavenly Dao power."

Huang Long nodded.

This was exactly the answer he wanted.

"In that case, I have an idea."

Huang Long walked to the Spiritual Water Mirror and pointed at the alien races that were frantically devouring each other under the shroud of resentment.

"The reason why the Demon Core Technique can cause such great harm is not due to the technique itself, but to the lack of restraint among practitioners. They can devour as many as they want and kill as many as they want without any consequences."

"Cultivation is a long and arduous path for ordinary people to explore the mysteries of heaven and earth, but for beings who cultivate the Demon Core Technique, it becomes a shortcut... Devouring makes them stronger, and the more they devour, the stronger they become."

Haotian listened, seemingly lost in thought.

"To solve this problem, killing won't work, and banning won't work either."

Huang Long's voice became solemn, "The only way is to make cultivation itself a barrier. Every being who wants to break through a realm must undergo a test...! Pass the test to prove that you are qualified to pursue greater power! If you fail, you will be reduced to ashes, and your cultivation will be returned to the world."

Haotian paused for a moment.

"You mean...!"

"Heavenly Tribulation," Huang Long uttered those two words.

As soon as those two words were uttered, Haotian's eyes suddenly flashed with golden light.

Instead, the clouds of resentment on the Spiritual Water Mirror seemed to tremble slightly.

"I have established the rules of Heavenly Tribulations for the primordial world," Huanglong continued. "From this day forward, all living beings in the primordial world must undergo Heavenly Tribulations whenever they break through to a higher realm. These include the Tribulation of Becoming an Immortal, the Tribulation of a Celestial Immortal, the Tribulation of a Golden Immortal, the Tribulation of Taiyi, and even... the Tribulation of Daluo."

Each tribulation tests the cultivator's foundation in Taoism. Those with a solid foundation and a firm resolve in Taoism can overcome the tribulation and receive rewards from the Heavenly Dao, thus advancing their cultivation further.

Those with weak foundations and insufficient character, who relied on devouring the flesh and blood of other living beings to break through, were annihilated under the heavenly tribulation, their cultivation turning into essence to replenish the world.

As Huang Long finished speaking, he turned to look at Haotian, his gaze intense.

"The Demon Core Technique allows those beings to grow stronger through devouring, but their character is insufficient and their Dao heart is not firm. Such beings simply cannot withstand the test of the Heavenly Tribulation."

"When the heavenly tribulation strikes, every single one of these beings will be reduced to ashes by the heavenly lightning."

Haotian's eyes were already incredibly bright.

As the Heavenly Emperor, having held the power of Heaven for countless years, he naturally saw the meaning behind the rules of the Heavenly Tribulation at a glance.

This is not just a punishment for beings who cultivate the Demon Core Technique.

It fundamentally fills the missing link in the operation of the primordial Heavenly Dao.