Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Chen Qing left the cultivation place and walked slowly along the mountain path of Kunlun Mountain.

The mountains are filled with spiritual energy, ancient trees reach for the sky, and exotic flowers and herbs abound. Occasionally, a spirit bird takes flight from the forest, uttering a clear and melodious call. This ancient ancestral home, having endured countless ages, remains majestic and solemn, displaying a myriad of magnificent sights.

He arrived at the cave where Duobao was cultivating. Before he even went in, he heard a series of clanging sounds coming from inside, mixed with Duobao's excited shouts.

"It's done! It's finally done!"

Chen Qing smiled slightly and stepped inside.

Inside the cave, Duobao sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a small mirror in his hands—the very same mid-grade innate spiritual treasure that Chen Qing had given him. He had now completely refined the mirror; its surface shimmered with spiritual light, and faint runes flickered within.

When Duobao saw Chen Qing enter, he immediately stood up and ran over with a grin: "Senior Brother! You've finished your seclusion? Look, I've refined the Mirror of Illumination!"

Chen Qing took the mirror, looked at it, and nodded: "Not bad, the refining was very thorough. It seems you didn't slack off."

"Of course!" Duobao puffed out his chest, looking smug. "I cultivate every single day, without missing a single day! When you were in seclusion, Senior Brother, I even went to ask Master for guidance several times."

"Oh?" Chen Qing's interest was piqued. "What did your martial uncle teach you?"

Duobao counted on his fingers, "Master taught me a method for controlling treasures, and also taught me a few formations. He said that when my cultivation level is higher, I can set up simple formations. Second Uncle also gave me some pointers once, but..." He shrank his neck and lowered his voice, "Second Uncle is so serious, I didn't dare to say a word."

Chen Qing chuckled. Yuanshi Tianzun always valued rules and regulations, and Duobao, with his lively and active nature, would indeed be a bit reserved in his presence.

"What about your master? Did your master give you any guidance?" Chen Qing asked.

Duobao nodded: "My master gave me some guidance once, but he didn't say much, just a few words, but I felt it made a lot of sense. He said that for a cultivator, the most important thing is to understand one's own mind and nature, and not to be disturbed by external things. I've pondered this for a long time, and I think I understand a little bit, but I also feel like I don't fully understand..."

Looking at Duobao's earnest expression, which seemed to understand but not quite, Chen Qing sighed inwardly.

Although this chubby boy is playful by nature, his attitude towards cultivation is quite upright. Although it may seem somewhat casual to outsiders that his Uncle Tongtian accepted him as a disciple, Duobao's talent is indeed quite good, and given time, he may very well become a powerful figure in his own right.

"Come on, let's go for a walk." Chen Qing patted Duobao on the shoulder and turned to walk out of the cave.

Duobao quickly followed, his short legs moving swiftly: "Senior Brother, where are we going?"

"Let's just wander around the mountains," Chen Qing said. "You've been here for so long, haven't you had a proper look at Kunlun Mountain yet?"

Duobao scratched his head sheepishly: "Really not... I've been cultivating in the cave, occasionally going to my master for guidance, but I haven't been anywhere else."

Chen Qing smiled and strolled with Duobao through the Kunlun Mountains.

The Kunlun Mountains are vast, with peaks and ridges stretching for thousands of miles. The two walked slowly along the mountain path, passing through ancient forests and crossing clear streams, occasionally stopping to look at the medicinal herbs in the mountains or to tease the spirit beasts by the roadside.

Duobao was as excited as a child, running ahead to pick a flower one moment, then squatting down to look at an insect the next, chattering away incessantly.

"Senior Brother, what kind of flower is this? It smells so good!"

"That's the Magnolia grandiflora, which blooms once every three hundred years and bears fruit once every three hundred years. The fruit can be used in medicine."

"Senior Brother, that bird is so beautiful! Its feathers are all golden!"

"That's a Golden-Winged Bird. It's extremely fast and adept at flying. However, its cultivation level isn't high; at most, it's at the Celestial Immortal level."

Duobao grew more and more excited as he listened, his eyes shining: "Senior Brother, you know so much!"

Chen Qing smiled but didn't say much. Although he hadn't spent a very long time in the prehistoric world, his experiences over the years meant he knew far more than Duobao.

The two walked for a while and came to the edge of a cliff. Below the cliff, clouds and mist swirled, and the bottom could not be seen. In the distance, the mountains stretched endlessly, layer upon layer, a magnificent sight.

Chen Qing stood on the edge of the cliff, hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountains, and suddenly asked, "Duobao, what do you think is the purpose of cultivating the Tao?"

Duobao was taken aback, thought for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "For...to become stronger? For immortality?"

Chen Qing shook his head: "Becoming stronger and achieving immortality are merely the results of cultivation, not its essence."

Duobao blinked, looking completely bewildered: "What is that at all?"

Chen Qing was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I can't explain it either. Perhaps it's to understand the principles of heaven and earth, transcend the limits of life and death, unite with the Dao, and coexist with heaven and earth. Or perhaps there is no fundamental principle at all; cultivation is cultivation, and the further you go, the clearer you see."

Duobao nodded as if he understood, then shook his head: "Senior Brother, what you're saying is too profound, I don't quite understand."

Chen Qing chuckled and patted his head: "That's good that you don't understand. When you reach my level, you'll naturally understand."

Duobao pouted and muttered, "My eldest brother is already a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, and I'm only a Golden Immortal. I'm still a long way off!"

Chen Qing smiled and did not refute.

The two stood on the edge of the cliff for a while when Chen Qing suddenly sensed a familiar aura approaching. He turned his head and saw a white light flying from the sky, landing not far away, and transforming into an old Taoist with white hair and a white beard.

"Master?" Chen Qing was slightly taken aback, and quickly stepped forward to bow. "Why have you come?"

Laozi glanced at him, then at Duobao beside him, and said calmly, "You've emerged from seclusion. Let your master come and see. Has your cultivation stabilized?"

Chen Qing nodded and said, "This disciple has stabilized his early stage of the Great Luo realm. Thank you for your concern, Master."

Lao Tzu stroked his beard, a look of satisfaction in his eyes: "Not bad, you have not disappointed your teacher's expectations."

He took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Qing: "This contains my insights into the Great Dao over the years, as well as methods for using some magical techniques and supernatural abilities. Take it back and study it carefully; it will be helpful for your future cultivation."

Chen Qing accepted the jade slip with both hands and solemnly tucked it into his sleeve: "Thank you, Master!"

Laozi then looked at Duobao, who immediately stood up straight and respectfully bowed, saying, "Disciple Duobao greets Senior Uncle!"

Laozi nodded, took out a pill from his sleeve, and handed it to Duobao: "This is a Seven-Turn Golden Pill, which can help you break through your cultivation level."

Duobao accepted the golden pill, his eyes narrowing into slits with joy: "Thank you, Senior Uncle!"

Lao Tzu smiled faintly, said nothing more, turned around and rode away on the clouds, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Duobao held the golden elixir, muttering, "My senior uncle is so kind, my eldest brother is so kind, my master is so kind, my second senior uncle is so kind... everyone is so kind!"

Chen Qing couldn't help but laugh when she saw his happy expression.

"Let's go back to cultivate." Chen Qing turned and walked down the mountain.

Duobao quickly put away the golden pill and followed along eagerly.

"Senior Brother, when do you think I'll be able to cultivate to the Great Luo realm?"

"What's the rush? Let's take it one step at a time."

"But I want to become stronger quickly so I can help my senior brother."

Chen Qing paused, turning back to glance at Duobao. The chubby boy looked serious, not like he was joking.

Chen Qing felt a warmth in his heart and nodded: "Then you should cultivate well and don't disappoint me." Let's start with Duobao! The three religions are as close as one family, let's see how the Taoist sect can be weakened.

"Yes!" Duobao nodded heavily, his eyes full of determination.

The two returned to their cave and began their respective cultivation. Before parting, Chen Qing taught them the Multi-Treasure Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Technique—the ordinary version, of course, for body tempering. It was also intended for future fusion with the Undying Spiritual Light.

Of course it won't die. The spiritual light will remain with him for now. Even if he were given the treasure now, he wouldn't be able to refine it. Let's wait until he reaches the Great Luo realm!

Chen Qing sat cross-legged, took out the jade slip given to him by Laozi, and probed it with his divine sense.

The jade slip contained a wealth of information, including Lao Tzu's insights into the Dao of Heaven and Earth, methods for using various magical arts and supernatural powers, as well as knowledge on alchemy, weapon crafting, and formations. Although it only touched upon the essentials and touched upon the basics, it was already a priceless treasure for Chen Qing.

He immersed himself in it, absorbing the knowledge with great eagerness, while also using his supernatural powers to evolve it.

Time slips away unnoticed.

When Chen Qing came to his senses from the jade slip, a full century had passed.

He exhaled a long breath, his eyes gleaming. This century of comprehension had deepened his understanding of the Great Dao, making him more adept at using magic and supernatural powers. He had also deduced a technique for defending against enemies, namely the Great Space Technique, which allowed him to teleport, manipulate space to fight, and even banish enemies to the void and chaos.

As for the others, he didn't make any calculations; this one was enough for the time being.

Of course not. His understanding of the Great Dao was not deep, and he had no other resources available.

More importantly, he gleaned some insights into the mysteries of the world from it.

The core of the way of the world lies in "birth" and "completion." Birth is the creation of all things; completion is the perfection of them. For a world to move from chaos to order, from nothingness to fullness, it needs a constant infusion of laws, energy, and vitality.

The source of all this is the cultivation and comprehension of the Lord of the World himself.

The stronger the world's ruler, the stronger the world becomes; the stronger the world, the stronger the world's ruler becomes. This is a mutually reinforcing process, and of course, the importance of resources is also indispensable.

Of course, this is the primordial world, and the law of cause and effect must also be taken into account. If one blindly accumulates resources, he probably won't live long.

After understanding these principles, he felt that the world was disgusted with him, and if he continued in the primordial world, he would probably face a calamity.

If we can get through this, things will be alright; we can live peacefully for a while. But if we can't win, then our souls will be scattered and we will give back to heaven and earth.

Chen Qing had a sudden realization and knew which path to take next.