Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Suddenly, Xuandu stopped in his tracks and looked up ahead.

Deep within that ocean of floating debris, a massive stone gate stands silently.

The stone gate is entirely grayish-white, about a thousand feet high and about five hundred feet wide.

The door is engraved with dense Dao patterns, each one born of nature.

The Dao patterns intertwined to form a giant net, covering the entire stone gate.

On both sides of the stone gate, the void twisted and the laws solidified.

That was the restriction the hunchbacked old man had mentioned.

The existence of Hunyuan Taiji personally laid out the rules, which cannot be entered by anyone who is not at the peak of the Ninth Heaven.

Xuandu gazed at the stone gate and remained silent for a moment.

He raised his hand, and the Chaos Pearl rose from his palm, hovering above his head.

Forty-nine chaotic restrictions lit up simultaneously, transforming into a chaotic light curtain that enveloped the entire body.

Having done all this, he stepped out.

"Buzz!"

In that instant, the Dao patterns on the stone gate suddenly lit up.

A grayish-white light surged forth like a tide, pressing down fiercely on the figure in green!

The power contained within that light was enough to instantly injure a cultivator at the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Realm.

Even the highest heavens must resist with all their might.

But Xuandu stood in that light, his expression unchanged.

The light screen of the Chaos Pearl trembled slightly, blocking the grayish-white light from being more than ten feet away.

He raised his eyes and looked towards the center of the stone gate.

At the center of the countless interwoven Dao patterns, a very faint light flickered.

The light was a dark gold color, exactly the same as the patterns on the broken map.

"This is it."

He spoke in a low voice and raised his hand.

A chaotic light surged from his palm, gently touching the dark golden light.

"Buzz!"

Above the stone gate, the Dao patterns flowed faster.

The grayish-white light suddenly receded and converged towards the center of the stone gate.

A crack slowly opened from where the light converged.

Within the crevice lies a deep passageway, with ancient characters carved on both sides.

Xuan didn't recognize any of those characters.

Yet the Daoist principles contained within those words are clearly discernible.

Those are the words of the Chaos Gods, records left by beings even more ancient than the primordial era.

Xuandu stood before the stone gate, gazing at the passageway.

Shen Ni stood behind him, his blood-gold eyes gleaming.

"Master... that's the core of the secret realm."

Xuan Du nodded.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

In that instant, the void changed drastically.

The surrounding scenery receded like the tide, replaced by a pure white void.

In that void, there was no heaven and earth, no fragments, no Daoist essence.

There was only one person.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from Xuandu. He was tall and slender, with a long gray-white robe hanging down his back and long hair reaching his waist, the strands of hair floating gently in the windless void.

Although the face was obscured, the aura emanating from the person caused Xuan Du's pupils to shrink slightly.

Hunyuan Taiji Luo Jinxian.

Even if it was just a wisp of Daoist image, its aura was enough to suffocate even a peak-level cultivator at the ninth level of the Primordial Great Luo Realm.

Xuan Du stood still, gazing at that retreating figure, and remained silent for a moment.

He then spoke, his voice calm:

"Senior, you are the first master of the Xuanji Heavenly Domain?"

The figure did not turn around.

Only a voice came from the void, neither loud nor soft, yet as clear as metal falling to the ground:

"You've arrived."

As the three words fell, the pure white void trembled slightly.

The figure slowly turned around, revealing a thin, refined face.

His face showed neither sorrow nor joy, but his eyes shone brightly, as bright as stars, as bright as the beginning of chaos.

He gazed at Xuan Du, his eyes holding scrutiny, inquiry, and a faint hint of surprise:

"At the peak of the ninth level of the Primordial Great Luo Heaven, his foundation is as solid as a rock, and his Dao heart is pure and without impurities."

"My years of cultivation have amounted to only tens of thousands of yuan, yet I have already reached this point."

"No wonder he was able to subdue that ferocious beast king."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Du bowed slightly:

"You flatter me, senior."

"I have come here seeking an opportunity for a breakthrough."

The figure gazed at him, remained silent for a moment, and then shook its head slightly:

"An opportunity for a breakthrough?"

"Do you know that the realm of Hunyuan Taiji cannot be entered simply by chance?"

"That is the realm that the Chaos Gods are born with, the supreme path that existed before Pangu created the world."

"For cultivators from the primordial era to step into this realm, it is a thousand times, ten thousand times more difficult than for Chaos Demons."

"Among those who have attained the Primordial Taiji in the primordial world, only a handful have achieved enlightenment."

Xuan Du's expression remained unchanged, and his voice was calm:

"I understand."

"But I still came."

The figure gazed at him, its bright eyes flashing with an uncertain light.

A moment later, a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips, a smile that carried a knowing understanding that billions of dollars would eventually be lost.

"You're more interesting than those people."

"Since we're here, let's give it a try."

"This restriction contains a test I left behind years ago."

"If you pass, I will give you all the fragments of laws deep within the Mysterious Realm."

"If you cannot pass through, then turn back the way you came and never set foot here again."

Xuan Du bowed slightly:

"Please enlighten me, senior."

The figure slightly raised his hand, and a gray-white light surged from his fingertips, transforming into a light curtain that hovered in the void.

On the screen of light, there is a picture.

The scene depicts mountains and rivers, cities and villages, and countless living beings.

That was the primordial era.

It is the human race, it is the Jie Sect, it is everything that he will protect with billions of dollars.

The scene slowly shifted, from the Martial Arts Monument on the shore of the East China Sea to the purple and golden light on Jin'ao Island.

From the Reincarnation Seal of the Later Earth God Palace to the Investiture of the Gods in the Lingxiao Palace.

From Duobao, Kong Xuan, Zhao Gongming, and the Three Immortals of Sanxiao, to the countless human cultivators.

Everything he cared about, everything he protected, everything he couldn't let go of, was displayed in that light screen.

The figure gazed at Xuan Du, his voice calm:

"This is your way."

"It is the foundation of your enlightenment, and everything that has brought you to where you are today."

"The test I left behind is very simple..."

"If I asked you to give up all of this in exchange for taking that first step into the world of Hunyuan Tai Chi, would you be willing?"

"If I asked you to relinquish the Jie Sect, the human race, and the primordial world in exchange for half a step of the Hunyuan Taiji realm, would you be willing?"

"If I were to allow you to sever all ties of cause and effect, and cast aside all attachments, in exchange for attaining immortality and eternal life, would you be willing?"

The three questions fell like the evening drum and the morning bell.

In the pure white void, there was utter silence.

The light screen continued to flow, displaying the purple glow of Jin'ao Island, the smiling faces of human cultivators, and the rotation of Houtu's Reincarnation Seal.

Scene after scene, as if it were happening right before my eyes.

Xuan Du stared at the light screen in silence.

The figure stood in the void, hands behind his back, gazing at him.

In the depths of those bright eyes, there was neither sorrow nor joy, only a penetrating scrutiny.

a long time.

Xuan Du spoke.

The sound was not loud, but it was as clear as metal falling to the ground.

"I don't want to."

As the words fell, the light screen suddenly trembled.

The purple glow of Jin'ao Island, the smiling faces of human cultivators, the rotation of Houtu's Reincarnation Seal... all froze.

The figure gazed at him, a faint glint of light flashing in its bright eyes:

"Why not?"

"If you step into the Primordial Tai Chi, you will be the number one person in the Primordial World's Billion Yuan Society."

Even if the laws of Heaven were to be restored, they could not harm you.

Even if the Great Dao descends, you will be able to escape unscathed.

"Why not?"