Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Afterwards, Chen Qing wandered around this vast, desolate land for several hundred years.

During his journey, he did encounter several blessed lands brimming with spiritual light, but upon entering, he found either low-grade spiritual objects or immature spiritual roots. Compared to the supreme treasures he already possessed, such as the Qiankun Cauldron and the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler, they were utterly insignificant. After a few glances, Chen Qing turned and left, his interest waning.

Perhaps he had used up all his good luck in previous years, as he had gained very little over the past few hundred years and had not even obtained a decent innate spiritual treasure.

In the end, Chen Qing decided to head back home—after being away for so long, it was time to return to Kunlun Mountain. He rode on auspicious clouds, flying westward towards Kunlun Mountain.

Kunlun Mountain remains the same Kunlun Mountain, majestic and imposing, shrouded in spiritual energy, unchanged from when he left. The mythical birds and beasts of the mountain still live leisurely and freely, as if he had never left.

Upon returning, the first thing I did was naturally to pay my respects to my master, Lao Tzu.

He followed the familiar mountain path to the cave where the Three Pure Ones cultivated themselves, straightened his clothes, and respectfully went inside.

Inside the cave, the Three Pure Ones were all present, their auras as deep and unfathomable as abyss. Chen Qing could tell at a glance that all three had broken through to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm—the faint Daoist charm they exuded was completely different from that of the Great Luo Golden Immortals, as if they had become much closer to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

"Disciple Chen Qing greets Master and two senior uncles." Chen Qing bowed deeply, his posture respectful.

"Hmm." Laozi, sitting in the middle, nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Chen Qing, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Laozi grew increasingly fond of his disciple. Upon returning from a trip, the disciple's first act was to come and pay his respects to his master; this filial piety and obedience greatly pleased Laozi.

Looking at Chen Qing's cultivation level, although he appeared to be at the Celestial Immortal realm, Laozi, with his exceptional insight, immediately discerned that the 840 million particles within Chen Qing's body were functioning normally, and his magical power was incredibly abundant, absolutely capable of contending with a Taiyi Golden Immortal. In the current prehistoric world, he could be considered a figure of considerable importance.

Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian, standing to the side, were naturally overjoyed. They both genuinely liked this first disciple of the Three Pure Ones—he was polite, knew his place, possessed great talent, and even knew how to respect his elders; where could they find such a junior?

After exchanging greetings, Tongtian said with a grin, "Little Qing'er, I've found you a junior brother. You're not allowed to bully him in the future."

"Junior brother?" Chen Qing looked around in confusion. Apart from the four of them, there was no one else in the cave.

He didn't notice that after Tongtian uttered the words "junior brother," Laozi's face twitched slightly, and Yuanshi's face darkened completely—clearly, this "junior brother's" situation was somewhat special.

Seeing Chen Qing's puzzled look, Tongtian laughed and called out towards the cave entrance, "My good disciple, come out and greet your senior brother!"

Chen Qing turned to look at the cave entrance, secretly guessing: Tongtian's first disciple should be Daoist Duobao, right?

Duobao Daoist, the senior disciple of the Jie Sect, was later converted to Buddhism by his master Laozi after the Jie Sect's defeat in the Investiture of the Gods. He became the present Buddha of Western Buddhism—the Tathagata Buddha. He was going to be a powerful figure who would dominate the Three Realms! Thinking about meeting this legendary figure, Chen Qing felt a sense of anticipation.

However, he waited for a long time but no one came in from outside the cave.

Chen Qing turned his head in confusion: "Uncle-Master, what kind of master are you talking about—"

He was speaking when his gaze inadvertently swept to his side, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap! A rat!"

It wasn't that he was afraid of mice, but rather that his understanding of mice was still based on the tiny creatures he knew from his previous life.

However, the one in front of him was three or four meters long, with golden fur all over its body. It was round and chubby, and it was squatting next to him, its pair of shiny black eyes curiously looking at him.

Chen Qing was startled by the enormous creature and instinctively cried out in surprise.

The big rat seemed startled by him, leaping far away with a "whoosh," its two front paws digging into the ground, its round body trembling slightly, its eyes nervously fixed on Chen Qing, looking just like a frightened furball.

Lao Tzu, who was above, saw this scene and simply closed his eyes, his spirit wandering beyond the heavens—out of sight, out of mind.

Yuan Shi's face darkened further, and his lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Tongtian, however, burst into unrestrained laughter: "Hahaha, little Yunzi, I never expected you to be startled by a mouse—cough cough, by your junior brother!"

When he said the word "rat," he saw the big rat casting a resentful look at him, so he quickly changed his words, but he couldn't stop smiling.

Chen Qing had come to his senses by now, staring intently at the large, round rat not far away, and asked with difficulty, "Junior brother? Uncle-Master, are you sure?"

Tongtian, feeling somewhat embarrassed, coughed twice and explained, "This is the first treasure-hunting rat in the world. When I, his uncle, saw him, he was being chased by a cat demon and was in a very sorry state. I rescued him on a whim, and later he wanted to become my disciple. I saw that he had good aptitude, so I brought him back."

The first treasure-hunting rat in the world? Does this primordial treasure-hunting rat also fear cats?

As Chen Qing looked at the big rat, an image involuntarily popped into his mind: a majestic cat demon chasing a fat rat all over the mountain, the rat screaming for help as it ran... This scene was just too hilarious.

However, he certainly wouldn't say that aloud. He carefully considered his words before speaking, "Uncle-Master, if you're going to take on a disciple, shouldn't you wait until they've transformed into human form before bringing them back? This... well, it's a bit abrupt."

Tongtian waved his hand: "I could have helped him transform directly. But this guy ate something that accumulated a lot of spiritual energy in his body, and he's been digesting and absorbing it. I thought that once he finished absorbing it, he could transform directly, so I didn't bother with it anymore."

Chen Qing caught a glimpse of the dark expression on Yuanshi's face and inwardly cried out in alarm—his second uncle valued rules the most, and for Tongtian to accept a rat that had not yet taken human form as a disciple was probably somewhat improper in Yuanshi's eyes.

He quickly tried to smooth things over: "Well, that's not bad either. The number one rat in the world has extraordinary luck, so its talent is naturally top-notch."

Perhaps these words had an effect, or perhaps the treasure-hunting rat's aptitude had indeed been recognized by the Primordial One. Although his expression was still not very good, he ultimately did not say anything more.

Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief and reached into his sleeve to pull out his spoils of war—the low-grade innate spirit stone pagoda. Although it had been damaged by the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl in the last battle, its spiritual essence remained intact. It would slowly recover over time and would still be usable. He casually tossed the stone pagoda towards the large rat.

"Junior brother, this is a gift from your elder brother to mark our meeting. Take it."

The large rat hurriedly took the stone pagoda, its small eyes immediately lighting up, clearly delighted with the treasure. However, it didn't accept it without permission, but instead turned its gaze to Tongtian, its eyes filled with inquiry.

"Since it's a gift from your senior brother, then you should accept it." Tongtian readily agreed, waving his hand.

The big rat then happily hugged the stone tower in its arms, its round body spinning around excitedly twice.

Laozi was very pleased to see how much Chen Qing cared for his fellow disciples—this disciple was truly worth taking in, respecting his teacher and valuing his fellow disciples.

Upon seeing this, Yuanshi praised Chen Qing even more, and the dark cloud on his face dissipated somewhat.

Tongtian looked at Chen Qing and suddenly asked, "Little Qing'er, you've been traveling outside for hundreds of years, and this is all you've got? This magical treasure is even damaged; did you fight someone?"

"Hehe, Martial Uncle has a good eye." Chen Qing chuckled, not hiding anything, "A Taiyi Golden Immortal was blind and wanted to cause me trouble, but I killed him. This stone tower is the spoils of war."

The Three Pure Ones had no doubt about this. Chen Qing was originally a Taiyi Golden Immortal. Although his cultivation level had dropped after his re-cultivation, the essence of Taiyi remained, and his magical power was countless times greater than before. Anyone who truly regarded him as a Celestial Immortal would probably suffer a terrible death. In addition, Chen Qing had the Qiankun Cauldron protecting him, so even a Daluo Golden Immortal couldn't defeat him in a short time. A mere Taiyi Golden Immortal was truly no match for him.

"However..." Chen Qing changed the subject, reaching into his sleeve to pull out twelve Sea-Stabilizing Pearls and a Universe Ruler. Holding them in his palm, their five-colored light mingled with the energy of heaven and earth, illuminating the entire cave. "Uncle-Master, what do you think of my gains?"

Tongtian looked at the twelve Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes—a complete set of mid-grade innate spiritual treasures, which was rare in the prehistoric world.

Looking at the Qiankun Ruler in his hand, it was entirely blue and white, with yin and yang flowing around it, clearly a top-tier innate spiritual treasure!

Tongtian suddenly felt a little sour.

As beings transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, the Three Pure Ones possess boundless fortune and can be considered the children of the primordial era.

However, the only magical treasure he possessed that he could be proud of was the Qingping Sword, which he had only recently acquired.

And this kid went out and got so many spiritual treasures, and they're not low-grade either—who exactly is the chosen one of the primordial era?

Chen Qing wasn't finished yet. He took out the Primordial Measuring Ruler from his sleeve, and as soon as the ruler appeared, the entire cave was filled with a vast and ancient primordial aura.

This startled even Laozi and Yuanshi. Their gazes simultaneously fell upon the Measuring Ruler, their eyes gleaming.

The Primordial Measuring Ruler! An unparalleled treasure that can kill without incurring any karmic consequences! This kid actually found it?

Tongtian was completely speechless. How could they compare? There was no way to compare them!

Chen Qing couldn't help but laugh at Tongtian's sour expression. He handed over the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler: "Uncle-Master, this Measuring Ruler is for you."

"What?" Tongtian was stunned, thinking he had misheard.

"Here you go." Chen Qing casually stuffed the measuring ruler into Tongtian's hand, as if he were giving away a cabbage.

Although the Primordial Measuring Ruler is unparalleled in attack and kills without incurring karmic consequences, it is not very useful to Chen Qing. He has the Qiankun Cauldron protecting him, which provides both offense and defense, and is already sufficient for him.

Furthermore, he cultivates the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, and his body is his most powerful magic weapon; the Measuring Ruler wouldn't be of much use to him. It would be more practical to spend more time cultivating and improving his realm than to spend time refining it.

Therefore, it's perfect to give it to my uncle.

Tongtian, holding the Primordial Measuring Ruler, was completely stunned.

Chen Qing ignored Tongtian, turned to look at Yuanshi, and said solemnly, "Second Uncle, I have also prepared a spiritual treasure for you."

Yuan Shi raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Chen Qing continued, "On an overseas immortal island, I discovered a twelve-petaled Pure White Lotus. However, I feel that although this twelve-petaled lotus is precious, it is not worthy of your status, Second Uncle."

Coincidentally, there were also two tenth-grade white lotuses in the lotus pond, sharing the same origin as the Pure World White Lotus. The disciple wondered if it was possible to use the Qiankun Cauldron to restore those two tenth-grade white lotuses to their original source, infusing their essence into the twelfth-grade Pure World White Lotus to elevate its grade? Perhaps, this could be used to forge a supreme innate treasure.”

He paused, then said, "However, my strength is too weak, and I cannot fully utilize the wonders of the Qiankun Cauldron. This matter will require Second Uncle to handle it personally."

Chen Qing had already planned this. The Twelve-Petaled Pure White Lotus was a pity to have returned to its original state in his hands, and it wasn't of much use to him anyway, so it was better to give it away. Giving it to Yuanshi would not only make Yuanshi feel indebted to him, but also allow him to get closer to him, killing two birds with one stone.

Besides, this is a spiritual treasure, a source of confidence. When the Three Pure Ones become saints, even if I want to marry Nuwa, my two uncles will probably bring the spiritual treasure and drag Nuwa to me.

At that time, Chen Qing will be able to roam freely throughout the prehistoric world!

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi's eyes lit up.

It wasn't the spiritual treasure itself that delighted him—given his personality, a top-grade innate spiritual treasure wouldn't have caused him to lose his composure. What truly pleased him was Chen Qing's filial piety and his statement that Chen Qing was "unworthy of his status," which resonated with him. Moreover, he was also deeply interested in the very process of forging an innate supreme treasure.

"Where is the Pure White Lotus? I'll go and give it a try." Yuanshi stood up, his tone filled with impatience.

"Please come with me, Uncle-Master," Chen Qing said, turning and walking out.

The Three Pure Ones followed. When Tongtian left, he didn't forget to take along the big rat that was still hugging the stone pagoda and laughing foolishly—the future Daoist Duobao.

The group left the cave, took off on the clouds, and flew towards the overseas fairy islands.