Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

Chapter 196 Primordial Freedom, Daoist Name: Unrestrained

The phantom of True Lord Minghuang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the void and landing on the bustling capital city.

"A scheme."

"A scheme targeting the Paradise of All Heavens."

Li Xiaoyao was startled and cupped his hands, saying, "Please enlighten me, True Lord."

True Monarch Minghuang smiled slightly and slowly spoke:

"Ever since you were summoned and teleported away, the sect leader immediately convened a top-level meeting. The affairs of the Paradise of All Heavens are far more complicated than you think."

"The Immortal Sect has dealt with them before and knows their nature—they will pounce on any ripe fruit they find."

"So, we made a decision."

He raised his hand and waved it, and a star map appeared in the void. On the star map, dozens of points of light flickered, distributed across a vast area of void.

"This is the endless void beyond the jurisdiction of the Immortal Sect. We have projected a total of thirty-seven such planes there."

Li Xiaoyao's pupils contracted slightly.

"Thirty-seven... planes for advancing from the beginner to the intermediate level?"

"That's right." True Monarch Minghuang nodded. "Each one is a real plane that is currently at a stage of advancement. Each one has a true Chosen One overseeing it."

"Their combat strength may seem low, but their status is extremely high—we don't believe that people from other universes and those in Paradise wouldn't be tempted by such a ripe fruit."

A storm of emotions surged within Li Xiaoyao.

Thirty-seven planes.

Thirty-seven chosen ones.

What a magnificent achievement this is!

"But True Lord," he couldn't help but ask, "why is the strongest being in these planes only at the Foundation Establishment level? In a plane that's advancing to the intermediate level, the Chosen One should at least be at the Purple Mansion level..."

True Monarch Minghuang looked at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes:

"Good question."

He paused, his tone becoming distant:

"Because these chosen ones do not cultivate the Five Elements and Twelve Qi, nor any of the Daoist traditions that you and I are familiar with."

"They cultivate the primordial immortal path."

Li Xiaoyao was taken aback.

The Primordial Immortal Path?

True Monarch Minghuang slowly said, "That was the earliest cultivation method in our great universe. At that time, there was no such realm as the Purple Mansion. The path of cultivation only had three steps: Qi Refining, Foundation Building, and Golden Core."

"In the original path of immortality, the Qi Refining stage is to forge the foundation of immortality with one's life force, and the Foundation Building stage is to comprehend supernatural powers—only one supernatural power containing both life force and nature is needed. Once the supernatural power is perfected, one can directly attain the Golden Core stage."

"There is no Purple Mansion, no complicated Fruit Positions, Leap Positions, or Remainder Positions. One step to Foundation Establishment, one step to Golden Core."

Li Xiaoyao listened intently.

"But later, as you know, the world underwent a great change, the will and laws of the universe shifted, and the primordial immortal path gradually fell into disuse. Now, those who can cultivate the primordial immortal path are extremely rare. The entire immortal sect has only a handful of a few hundred primordial children."

"They are just like you—seeking enlightenment through emptiness. The traditional system of attaining enlightenment based on the Five Elements and Twelve Qi cannot accommodate them."

Minghuang Zhenjun looked at him, his gaze profound:

"When the sect told them about the plan, they all agreed. They even volunteered to sign up."

"Finally, the sect selected the thirty-seven most talented Primordial Children. They were sent to these planes to become Chosen Ones, awaiting the opportunity to break through."

"Attaining a high rank in the void is already as difficult as ascending to heaven, let alone in the endless void realm outside the immortal sects."

"They didn't know how long they would have to wait, whether they would be receiving reinforcements or the enemy, or even whether they would live to see that day."

Minghuang Zhenjun's voice became low:

"This is a huge gamble for the sect. They're betting that you can come, using thirty-seven primordial children and thirty-seven planes."

"I'm betting you'll see that signal stone, betting you'll touch it, betting you'll make it this far alive."

Li Xiaoyao fell silent.

After a long silence, he asked, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Fifty years."

True Lord Minghuang said, "From the time you were summoned and teleported away until now, it has been exactly fifty years."

Fifty years.

Li Xiaoyao's heart trembled.

How long had he been in the paradise? He himself couldn't remember. The different flow of time in those worlds, and the overlapping countdowns of those missions, had long since blurred his perception of time.

Meanwhile, fifty years had passed outside.

"Thirty-seven planes," True Monarch Minghuang continued, "three of them have already been invaded by people from other great universes. Those three Primordial Children... died in battle. Their planes were taken away."

"But their sacrifices were not in vain. Every invasion gave us a better understanding of the methods of those forces. Every death in battle made the remaining people more vigilant."

He looked at Li Xiaoyao, his eyes filled with satisfaction:

"Thank goodness, I've finally waited for you."

Li Xiaoyao took a deep breath and bowed deeply:

"This junior... is unworthy of such an honor."

Minghuang Zhenjun waved his hand, and the illusory figure began to become transparent:

"My time is running out. This stone tablet can only hold a fleeting image; after I finish speaking, it will vanish."

He raised his hand, and a beam of light flew from his fingertips and landed in Li Xiaoyao's palm.

It was a crystal-clear jade slip with a name and contact information engraved on it.

"This is how the primordial child of this plane contacts us. His name is—"

True Monarch Minghuang paused, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"His name is also Xiaoyao. Primordial - Xiaoyao Heaven."

Go. He's waiting for you.

As soon as he finished speaking, the illusory image of True Lord Minghuang transformed into starlight and dissipated into the void.

The stone tablet also silently merged into the void, disappearing without a trace.

Li Xiaoyao held the jade slip, remaining motionless for a long time.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and placed the jade slip between his eyebrows.

A stream of information flowed into the sea of consciousness—

A name: Primordial - Carefree Heaven.

A means of contact: A faint, ethereal aura guides you, pointing to a corner of this plane.

Li Xiaoyao closed his eyes to sense the situation, and after a moment, he opened them.

"Found it."

He vanished into the void in a flash.

It was an inconspicuous little hill.

The mountain was not high, the vegetation was sparse, and there wasn't even a decent road.

At the top of the mountain, there stood a solitary martial arts hall, with blue tiles and white walls, so simple that it looked as if it could be blown over by the wind at any moment.

Li Xiaoyao stepped out of the void and landed in front of the dojo.

The door was ajar.

He gently pushed it away.

In the courtyard, there was a square table. On the table were several small dishes, two jugs of wine, and two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

A black-haired boy was sitting at the table.

He had loose black hair, wore a faded blue Taoist robe, and was barefoot. The red lotus mark between his brows gleamed softly in the setting sun, and his golden eyes were quietly watching Li Xiaoyao.

But at this moment, he was completely different from the image projected in the projection.

He wore no red robes, no crimson gourd, no silver sword. Nor did he bear the auspicious red and white cloud beneath his feet. He sat there casually, like an ordinary Taoist hermit living in the mountains.

But it was precisely this casual demeanor that gave Li Xiaoyao an indescribable sense of ease.

That's the composure of a true strong person.

The white-haired boy stood up and smiled slightly at him:

"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, I've been waiting for you."

Li Xiaoyao looked at him and suddenly smiled:

"Did you know I was coming?"

The white-haired boy nodded, then shook his head:

"I don't know. But I'll keep waiting."

He raised his hand, making a "please" gesture:

"The food and drinks are all prepared. Although it's simple, it's better than just standing around talking."

Li Xiaoyao sat down at the table.

The white-haired youth poured him a glass of wine, and then picked up a glass for himself as well.