Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

Huang Long listened quietly without interrupting.

He knew that the Pure World White Lotus previously belonged to the Eastern King Duke, who was the ruler of the Heavenly Court... but it had nothing to do with the current Emperor Donghua.

Emperor Donghua remained silent for a moment, then casually flipped through his fingers.

A light almost identical to the Pure White Lotus shone in his palm, and pure white holy light quietly bloomed within the two protective shields.

It was a half-broken lotus platform, pure white, exuding a sacred aura that shared the same origin as the Pure World White Lotus.

The moment the half-broken lotus platform appeared, the pure white lotus in the void trembled violently!

The pure white light that enveloped the two of them rippled.

Each petal rustled simultaneously, and an unprecedentedly bright light burst forth from the lotus heart.

A strong desire surged from the white lotus into the primordial spirit of the yellow dragon—a desire that bordered on madness!

Huanglong sensed that longing.

He looked down at the half-broken lotus platform in Donghua Dijun's hand, then looked up at the Pure World White Lotus in the void that was constantly trembling and emitting light, and he already had the answer in his heart.

But he still asked the question.

"Fellow Daoist Donghua, this is...!"

Emperor Donghua smiled slightly.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a sense of composure and serenity that came from having experienced life and death.

"Fellow Daoist Huanglong, you must have already guessed it." His voice was calm and gentle. "This is the missing part of the Pure World White Lotus's origin. Back on Penglai Immortal Island, I was no match for Dijun and Taiyi. In order to protect myself, I voluntarily gave up most of the Pure World White Lotus and took this three-tenths of its origin with me, escaping into the spatial turbulence."

He paused, then shifted his gaze from Huanglong's face to the half-broken lotus platform.

The white light of the lotus platform reflected in his pupils, and his gaze became extremely distant at this moment, as if he were looking at a dream from long ago.

His voice was calm, but Huang Long could still hear a deep sense of resentment in that calmness.

"I should have handed over these three grades of origin to you long ago," Emperor Donghua continued. "To allow the Pure World White Lotus to return to its perfect state has always been my wish."

"But selfish motives got the better of me...!"

Emperor Donghua paused slightly before continuing, "His Majesty returned to the Heavenly Court and spoke of what happened on Mount Sumeru. He knows that you, Fellow Daoist, have been purifying demonic energy in this realm. After much deliberation, I have finally decided to send you these three grades of Origin."

He raised his hand and presented the half-broken lotus platform to Huanglong.

The withered lotus trembled slightly in his palm, its resonance with the Pure White Lotus in the void growing stronger.

The white light echoed between the two lotus flowers, like two long-lost brothers finally reunited.

"Today, I offer the remaining essence of this Pure World White Lotus to you, fellow Daoist." Emperor Donghua looked directly at Huanglong, his voice solemn and sincere, "I ask for only one thing."

Huang Long's expression hardened.

The Ninth-Rank Pure World White Lotus is one of the most outstanding innate spiritual treasures in the primordial world. If its third-rank origin can be restored, it will become the complete Twelfth-Rank Pure World White Lotus, whose power will far exceed its current state.

If Emperor Donghua is willing to give away such a precious item, then what he seeks must be extraordinary.

"Fellow Daoist Donghua, please speak," Huang Long said solemnly.

Emperor Donghua smiled.

That smile was open and calm, carrying a kind of transcendence that only comes from seeing through life and death.

"If one day I perish again, I hope Fellow Daoist Huanglong will help me and give me a chance to embark on the Great Dao anew."

Huang Long remained silent for a moment.

Looking into Donghua Dijun's calm eyes, he slowly said, "Fellow Daoist Donghua, you are now in the Heavenly Court, protected by your Uncle-Master Haotian. Unless a Sage intervenes, you will certainly not be in danger of perishing. Why bother with such precautionary thinking?"

Emperor Donghua smiled calmly, a smile devoid of bitterness or helplessness, only a serene clarity.

"Even Emperor Jun and Taiyi, who were at the peak of Quasi-Saint level, would perish, let alone me, a mere Great Luo Golden Immortal."

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear and powerful: "Back then, I was personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor as the head of the male immortals, established the Immortal Court, and enjoyed boundless glory, but in the end, I still perished under the Chaos Bell."

"Before the great calamity of the Lich King, how spirited and vigorous Emperor Jun and Taiyi were! The Chaos Bell resounded throughout the primordial world, and the Hetu and Luoshu were used to calculate the secrets of heaven. Who below the sages could rival them? But what happened in the end? After the great calamity, the Demon Court collapsed, the two emperors perished, and how many of the ten great demon saints remained?"

"In this primordial world, no one is invincible. Whether it's a Quasi-Saint at the peak or a Great Luo Golden Immortal, they are all ants before the great calamity of heaven and earth."

His gaze shifted from the half-broken lotus platform and returned to Huanglong.

"Throughout the countless ages of the primordial era, some beings left behind a contingency plan before their deaths. A wisp of their true spirit was reincarnated and began to cultivate again. Although they had to start from scratch, at least they had another chance. Others left nothing behind. After a great calamity, they were gone from the world."

"I do not wish to be the latter. Fellow Daoist Huanglong, you are a direct disciple of a sage, holding the high position of the Ziwei Emperor in the Heavenly Court, and also the Fengdu Emperor in the Underworld. Who in the entire primordial world can compare to you?"

"If I perish, I hope you, fellow Daoist, will protect a wisp of my true spirit from annihilation and grant me the opportunity to reincarnate and cultivate anew. This is what I ask for today—a chance to start over."

After saying these words, Emperor Donghua looked quietly at Huanglong, waiting for his reply.

His gaze was calm and unwavering, without any hesitation or wavering.

The Eastern King Duke, who became a stepping stone for Emperor Jun and Taiyi, now the Eastern Emperor in this life, stands on the scorched earth of Xiniu Hezhou, which has been eroded by demonic energy, holding the missing third-grade essence of the Pure World White Lotus in his hands, waiting for a promise.

Huang Long remained silent for a long time.

His gaze lingered on the face of the Eastern Emperor for a long time, then fell on the half-broken lotus platform, and then on the Pure White Lotus in the void that was trembling and emitting longing.

Then he raised his head, looked into Donghua Dijun's calm eyes, and nodded gently.

The nod was light and slow, yet it carried a heavy weight.

The cause and effect between the two were thus established, and the Great Dao bears witness to it.

The moment Donghua Dijun saw Huanglong nod, a smile slowly bloomed on his face.

He withdrew the magic power that had been binding the half-broken lotus platform.

The moment the power that bound the lotus platform dissipated, the half-broken lotus platform flew straight towards the Pure World White Lotus in the void, like a swallow returning to its nest.

The white lotus in the void trembled violently at this moment, and strands of Daoist energy resonated!

Upon seeing this, Huang Long's pupils suddenly contracted.

He reacted almost simultaneously.

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a burst of magical power, instantly enveloping both the half-broken lotus platform and the Pure World White Lotus just before they collided.

Then, with a thought, the Chaos Yin-Yang Pearl spun rapidly above his head, and the Yin and Yang energies transformed into a vortex that simultaneously devoured the Pure World White Lotus and the half-broken lotus platform.

After doing all this, Huang Long finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to look at Emperor Donghua and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "Fellow Daoist Donghua, thank you."

Emperor Donghua waved his hand, his face still bearing that composed smile: "No need to thank me. This is the fulfillment that the Pure World White Lotus deserves."

He straightened his clothes, cupped his hands in return to Huanglong, and said, "Fellow Daoist Huanglong, take care, see you again in Heaven."

Watching Donghua Dijun's figure disappear into the Western Heavenly Gate.

Huanglong turned around and looked at the rising demonic energy. A white lotus reappeared, and a holy light of purification enveloped the surrounding area for tens of thousands of miles...!