Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Chen Qing was overjoyed. It was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was sleepy—he had the Qiankun Ruler in his hands, and now all he needed were the twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls from Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

If one can collect all thirty-six of them, and then use the Qiankun Cauldron to return to the origin and open up the myriad worlds within the particles in one's body, then one's strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds.

He became more and more excited as he thought about it, and reached out to grab the Qiankun Ruler that was floating in mid-air.

Just then, a loud shout came from behind—

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"

Chen Qing's outstretched hand trembled violently, genuinely startled by those words. They seemed to carry some ominous curse, sending a chill down his spine.

Think about the later period of the Investiture of the Gods. Shen Gongbao went around saying "Fellow Daoist, please wait" to everyone he met, and as a result, whoever he caught died—either their souls were destroyed or they died and were listed on the list.

The entire Jie Sect was wiped out by just one sentence. Its power was even greater than that of a supreme innate treasure!

"Fellow Daoist!"

Hearing the voice behind him again, Chen Qing dared not delay any longer. He reached out and firmly grasped the Qiankun Ruler in front of him before slowly turning around.

At the entrance of the cave stood a Taoist priest with an unusual appearance. He was thin with deep-set eyes and wore a gray Taoist robe. He stared at the Qiankun Ruler in his hand with a dark expression, his eyes filled with frustration and resentment.

Chen Qing feigned ignorance and calmly asked, "Fellow Daoist, is there something you need?"

The man paused for a moment, then suppressed his displeasure, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am a Daoist named Randeng. The Qiankun Ruler in your hand is destined for me; I wonder if you would be willing to part with it?"

Upon hearing the words "destined to be with you," Chen Qing almost burst out laughing. This excuse sounded so much like the tone of that Western figure! It seems there was a reason why Randeng later joined the Western religion.

He replied expressionlessly, "Fellow Daoist, this Qiankun Ruler is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure. How can it be given away so easily? If you were in his shoes, would you give it up?"

Ran Deng was also quite frustrated at this moment. He had sensed that there was a great opportunity here that was related to him, so he rushed over without stopping.

To his surprise, upon arriving at the location, he discovered that the protective array had been violently broken. His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed into the cave, just in time to see Chen Qing reaching for the Qiankun Ruler.

Without thinking, he blurted out, "Fellow Daoist, please wait"—hoping to make the other party pause for a moment so that he could take the opportunity to snatch it.

Although the person hesitated for a moment, they didn't waste any time and still managed to take the item before slowly turning around. Now, things were in trouble.

If the item is still in its original place and untouched, it's ownerless, and everyone can claim it based on their own abilities. But now that the item is already in someone else's hands, if he tries to forcibly take it, he'll not only be in the wrong, but the other party might not be someone to be trifled with. Don't underestimate them just because they're only at the Celestial Immortal level; they can break through the great formation, and even he would have to exert some effort. Is it possible for a Celestial Immortal to do so?

But he was truly unwilling to leave like this. He could clearly feel that this Qiankun Ruler was related to his future path to enlightenment, and if he missed it, he might never have another chance in this lifetime.

Seeing that Randeng remained silent with an uncertain expression, Chen Qing was too lazy to waste any more words with him. He simply put away the Qiankun Ruler and walked out of the cave.

So what if he's burning a lamp? What does it have to do with him? Whoever gets something first gets it. Besides, this Qiankun Ruler is crucial for his cultivation and opening up the heavens; how could he give it to someone else?

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"

Seeing Chen Qing about to leave, Randeng panicked and shouted again, reaching out to grab Chen Qing at the same time. His hand rapidly grew larger in the air, his five fingers like hooks, carrying a powerful magical force, clearly intending to forcibly keep Chen Qing in place.

"snort!"

Chen Qing snorted coldly. He had long been prepared for this move—after all, in terms of shamelessness, Randeng was second only to Zhunti in the West among the prehistoric novels, so how could he be careless?

The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl he had prepared in advance instantly transformed into a five-colored radiance, striking fiercely towards the outstretched palm of the Burning Lamp.

"what!"

With a scream of agony, Randeng's outstretched arm was instantly covered in blood, its skin torn and flesh ripped open. Had he not reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and possessed a robust physical body, his entire arm would likely have been shattered.

"You brat, how dare you hurt me!"

Randeng was furious, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He flipped his wrist, and an ancient lamp appeared in his palm—his most treasured possession, the Coffin Palace Lamp.

This lamp is entirely bronze in color, its body engraved with ancient runes. Inside, a gray flame dances, called "Ghost Fire of the Underworld." This flame leads directly to the underworld and has the power to reveal scenes from the life of the deceased; its power is extraordinary.

With a flick of his hand, the palace lantern in Ran Deng's hand produced a gray flame that flew out from the wick and grew rapidly in the wind, transforming into a raging sea of ​​fire that swept towards Chen Qing with a chilling aura.

Wherever the flames passed, the air was scorched and distorted, as if even space itself was about to be burned into nothingness.

Chen Qing remained calm and smiled slightly. A flash of light appeared above his head, and the Qiankun Cauldron materialized out of thin air, hovering above his head. Wisps of Xuanhuang Qi descended, protecting him like a curtain. No matter how the Netherworld Ghost Fire surged and attacked, it could not shake the light barrier in the slightest.

"The Qiankun Cauldron?"

The Taoist Ran Deng's eyes widened, and he gasped in shock. Then, a glint of barely concealed greed flashed in his eyes.

This is a supreme treasure! There are only a handful of such treasures in the entire prehistoric world, and it has actually fallen into the hands of a mere junior celestial immortal?

"That's right, it is indeed the Qiankun Cauldron." Chen Qing nodded frankly, readily admitting it. With his current cultivation level and the Qiankun Cauldron protecting him, there are very few people in the prehistoric world who could defeat him—at least not Ran Deng.

As for the greed in Ran Deng's eyes, he saw it clearly. Who could remain unmoved in the face of a supreme innate treasure? Not to mention Ran Deng, even a sage would be envious.

Seeing the changing expression on Ran Deng's face, Chen Qing's lips curled into a slight smile, and he suddenly shouted, "Fellow Daoist, look at this treasure!"

Before he finished speaking, the five-colored light in his hand flashed again, and the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl flew out of his hand, transforming into a dazzling stream of light that headed straight for the face of the Burning Lamp Taoist.

At this moment, Ran Deng's heart began to waver. Upon seeing the Qiankun Cauldron, he recognized Chen Qing's identity—they were all disciples of the Zixiao Palace, and although he couldn't recall Chen Qing's name, he clearly remembered Chen Qing's manner of following behind the Three Pure Ones. The Three Pure Ones' chief disciple was not someone to be trifled with.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly defeat Chen Qing, who was protected by the Qiankun Cauldron, in a short time. That tortoise-shell-like defense rendered all his attacks useless. Even if he used the Great Dao, he wouldn't be able to take it down in a short while, but the commotion would be considerable.

If he delays too long and attracts the attention of any of the Three Pure Ones, he'll be in big trouble—the Three Pure Ones won't reason with him.

Unwilling to get entangled, Randeng suddenly unleashed a wall of fire from the coffin palace lantern in his hand, blocking it in front of him. At the same time, his figure transformed into a streak of light and shot out of the cave, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Ran Deng flee, Chen Qing calmly put away the magic weapon and did not give chase.

He knew his limits—with his current cultivation level, he could barely protect himself against an opponent at the Grand Luo Golden Immortal level. If Ran Deng were to truly fight to the death, he would only be able to take the beating. After all, Ran Deng was a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who had embarked on the path of cultivation and comprehended the laws of heaven and earth, far beyond the reach of a mere Celestial Immortal who had rebuilt his cultivation. Even if he could crush a Taiyi, it wouldn't be enough.

However, this fight wasn't a complete loss. At least it let Randeng know that Chen Qing wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Chen Qing put away the Qiankun Ruler, dusted off his sleeves, and turned to walk out of the cave. Now that he had the Qiankun Ruler, he only needed to get the remaining twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls from the Dao Ancestor before he could begin experimenting. Of course, he also needed to improve his cultivation as soon as possible, otherwise, refining these spiritual treasures would be a huge effort.