Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

At the foot of Mount Buzhou, Nuwa had already restrained her aura and stood quietly before Chen Qing. Although her holy might was contained, the sacred, supreme, and noble aura emanating from her still spread like a gentle spring breeze, inspiring awe in everyone.

"I wish to go into the Chaos and establish a Daoist temple. Would you like to come and witness the ceremony?" Nuwa looked at Chen Qing, her tone gentle.

Chen Qing hesitated for a moment, his gaze falling on the bewildered newborn humans on the ground. He smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "Uncle-Master, I plan to stay and observe these humans first."

Nuwa was slightly taken aback. She had been so focused on the joy of becoming a saint that she hadn't really thought about the future situation of these humans. She nodded, gave Chen Qing an approving look, and then her figure transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

Chen Qing bent down and retrieved the Qiankun Cauldron from the ground, sensing the change in the aura emanating from it—it was at least 30% stronger than before, its power surpassing all its former glory. The enhancement of merit power had added even more mystery to this innate treasure.

At this moment, the three thousand newly born humans stood bewildered at the foot of Mount Buzhou, gazing up in the direction where Nuwa had departed, each one at a loss. In their minds were some basic information left behind by Nuwa when she created humans: the dangers of the primordial world and the hardships of survival.

They knew this world was incredibly dangerous, teeming with liches and powerful beings. They, the human race, were newcomers, utterly powerless, unable even to defeat the weakest wild beasts. How could they possibly establish themselves on this perilous land?

Fear, confusion, and helplessness were written on everyone's face.

Seeing this, Chen Qing stepped forward and said loudly, "You are a newly formed race. This place is the territory of the Wu and Yao races, constantly embroiled in conflict, and is not suitable for your development. I wish to lead you to the shores of the East Sea to multiply and thrive. Are you willing?"

The humans exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes meeting, before finally focusing on the man standing at the very front. The man was burly, with a resolute gaze; he was the first human created by Nuwa, and was already the de facto leader of the group.

He stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Chen Qing: "Thank you for your mercy, Immortal! Our human race is willing to follow you."

Chen Qing nodded, looked at him and said, "Very good. From this day forward, you will be called Suirenshi, and you will lead the human race."

"Suirenshi..." the man repeated the name softly, a flash of understanding in his eyes. He bowed again in gratitude, "Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Immortal!"

Chen Qing took out the newly refined World Pearl, absorbed all three thousand humans into it, and then transformed into a stream of light, speeding eastward.

In his previous life, he was also human, and that deep-seated affection had never faded. Although he had no blood relation to humans in this life, looking at these newborn fellow humans, he still felt an indescribable sense of kinship. Now that humanity was newly born and everything needed to be rebuilt, he naturally wanted to take good care of them.

Soon, Chen Qing arrived at the shores of the East Sea. He carefully selected a suitable location—backed by green mountains, facing the sea, with gentle terrain and abundant water. Although this place was not a famous mountain or river, and its spiritual energy was far less abundant than that of Kunlun or Buzhou, it was secluded and peaceful, with no powerful demons or ferocious beasts around, making it most suitable for the human race to develop slowly.

Chen Qing released three thousand humans from the World Pearl and settled them on this land.

He believed that, given the human race's reproductive capacity, these three thousand people would soon become thirty thousand, three hundred thousand, three million... A single spark can eventually start a prairie fire.

The newly formed human race settled on this land, felling trees to build houses and gathering food, embarking on a difficult but hopeful path to survival.

Chen Qing did not leave. He stopped on a small hill not far from the human settlement, carved out a simple cave dwelling, and kept watch nearby. At this time, the human race's strength was too weak; any demon with even a little power could completely wipe out this newly born race. He needed to stay here and guard it for a while longer.

The sun and moon alternate, and spring and autumn follow one another.

On this day, Chen Qing finished his cultivation and strolled into the human settlement. The humans along the way stopped what they were doing and respectfully bowed to him. Chen Qing nodded in response to each of them, but his gaze swept across the crowd, and his brows gradually furrowed.

He saw that these humans were still eating raw meat and drinking raw blood—raw meat, raw fruit, raw vegetables, everything was raw. Some even squatted by the stream, scooping up raw water and drinking it. Such a way of eating, over time, would surely leave hidden health problems.

Chen Qing immediately summoned Suirenshi and said bluntly, "I observe that your human race eats raw meat and drinks blood, which is highly inappropriate. Eating raw, smelly food easily leads to disease, and in the long run, we fear that our race will be wiped out."

Suirenshi was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. During this period, he had also vaguely sensed that some of his people suffered from abdominal pain and fever, but he did not know the cause.

Hearing Chen Qing's explanation, he suddenly understood, but then fell into a new dilemma—if not raw food, what should he eat? And how should he eat it?

He turned to Chen Qing for help.

Chen Qing smiled slightly, bent down and picked up two wooden sticks from the ground, one thick and one thin, and handed them to Suirenshi. Then he instructed him to rub the thin stick with both hands, put its tip into the groove of the thick stick, and rotate it quickly.

That's right, Chen Qing was teaching Suirenshi how to make fire by drilling wood.

With Chen Qing's cultivation level, he could easily conjure flames with a simple spell, but he didn't. He wanted to make Suirenshi understand that relying solely on others was not an option.

In the dawn of humanity, what was needed was not charity, but self-reliance. As the saying goes, "Heaven's movement is ever vigorous; so should a gentleman constantly strive for self-improvement."

Although Suirenshi had doubts, he trusted Chen Qing completely and immediately did as he was told.

He gripped the thin wooden stick tightly with both hands and rubbed it vigorously, once, twice, ten times, a hundred times... His palms were worn raw, and blood stained the stick, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered. Chen Qing watched silently from the side, without uttering a sound or using his magic to help him.

After an unknown amount of time, a wisp of smoke began to rise from the groove of the thick wooden stick. Suirenshi's eyes lit up, and he rubbed it even faster.

"laugh--"

A spark flew from the sawdust and landed on the dry, fluffy grass, instantly igniting a tiny flame.

The flame, tiny as a bean, flickered precariously, as if it might go out at any moment. But in Suirenshi's eyes, it was the most brilliant light in the world.

Suirenshi, holding aloft a burning wooden stick, tears welling in his eyes, roared to the heavens: "Fire—!"

The humans in the distance seemed to sense something, and they all put down what they were doing and looked in this direction. Their eyes also lit up with the same light, and they involuntarily shouted in unison:

"fire!"

"fire!"

"fire!"

The sound was like a tidal wave, shaking the heavens.

At that very moment, the sky suddenly changed. A huge golden cloud appeared out of nowhere, looming over everyone's heads, and the power of merit poured down like a waterfall.

Two merits fell into Chen Qing's body, which he casually put away.

Three parts of the merit fell onto the burning wooden stick in Suirenshi's hand. The flames instantly turned a dark yellow color, transforming into a spiritual treasure of merit—the inextinguishable flame of humanity. As long as humanity exists, this fire will never go out.

The remaining merits were all poured into Suirenshi's body. His originally mortal body, which had no cultivation, saw his aura rise steadily until he reached the Great Perfection of Taiyi Golden Immortal, before slowly stopping.

When Suirenshi regained consciousness, he looked at the ever-burning primordial flame in his hand, then at Chen Qing standing smiling beside him, and his heart suddenly felt enlightened. He bowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Master! Suirenshi will never forget it!"

Chen Qing helped him up and patted him on the shoulder: "Go, lead the human race to bid farewell to the era of eating raw meat and drinking blood."

Suiren nodded emphatically.

From then on, humans learned to use fire. Grilling food, driving away wild animals, providing warmth and light... fire became humanity's most loyal companion.

Several years later, Chen Qing was strolling around the human settlement when he suddenly saw a man sitting alone on a large rock, his hands supporting his chin, staring blankly into the distance, his brows furrowed and his face full of sorrow.

Chen Qing walked over curiously.

Upon seeing Chen Qing arrive, the man quickly rose and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Immortal!"

Chen Qing waved his hand, sat down beside him, and asked, "I see you looking troubled here, is something troubling you?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then said with a pained expression, "Master, my people live in caves, which are dark and damp, infested with snakes and insects. Every rainy season, the caves flood with water, and the cold seeps into our bodies, causing many to fall ill and die... I can't think of a solution, and I am deeply distressed."

Chen Qing's eyes lit up. He looked around and suddenly pointed to a bird's nest in a large tree not far away, asking, "Look at those birds, perched high in the trees, exposed to wind and rain, aren't they alright?"

The man looked up and saw a bird's nest among the branches, with several chicks peeking out and chirping. Although the nest was simple, it kept the wind and rain out, ensuring the chicks' safety.

He was lost in thought.

Chen Qing nodded, said nothing more, sat cross-legged to the side, and closed his eyes to rest.

A day and a night later, the man suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming. He began collecting branches, vines, and thatch, piecing them together and hammering away. Occasionally, when he encountered a problem, he would come to Chen Qing for advice. Chen Qing answered every question, but did not do the work for him directly.

A few days later, a simple wooden house appeared before everyone's eyes—with wooden pillars and a thatched roof, it was rough and crude, but it could still shelter them from the wind and rain.

The man stood in front of the house, gesturing excitedly. The surrounding humans gathered around, curiously examining this novel object.

Just then, a golden auspicious cloud descended from the sky once more, and the power of merit poured down.

Two-tenths flew towards Chen Qing, who waved his hand to accept them.

Thirty percent landed in that wooden house, and the originally ordinary wooden structure instantly shone with a mysterious yellow light, transforming into a meritorious spiritual treasure—the first nest of the human race, the ancestor of all houses.

The remaining merit flowed into the man's body, and his aura also rose steadily until he reached the Great Perfection of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

The man regained consciousness and, looking at Chen Qing who was smiling at him, immediately understood everything. He stepped forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Master!"

Chen Qing smiled and said, "You have created a nest for the human race, providing them with a place to live in peace, so I will bestow upon you the name—Youchao Shi."

"Youchao Clan... Thank you, Immortal Master!" The man's eyes welled up with tears.

After that, under the leadership of Youchao, the human race followed suit, felling trees to build houses, bidding farewell to caves, and moving into warm homes.

Not long after, Chen Qing noticed a skillful woman among the humans who barely covered herself with animal skins and leaves, shivering in the cold wind. He went up to her and taught her how to weave cloth from hemp thread and sew it into clothes.

The woman was highly perceptive and quickly made the first decent garment. Wearing clothes not only kept humans warm but also added to their dignity.

Merit descended once more.

Chen Qing received another 20%, and 30% landed on the garment, transforming into a merit-based spiritual treasure. The remainder was infused into the woman's body, enabling her to also achieve the Great Perfection of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

Chen Qing bestowed upon her the name Ziyi.

Over the decades, under the leadership of the three ancestors Suiren, Youchao, and Ziyi, the human race prospered. Fire, houses, and clothing—three treasures of merit—protected this newborn race, allowing them to gain a foothold in the perilous prehistoric world.

Chen Qing guarded the human settlement for another hundred years. During this hundred years, the human race grew rapidly from the initial few thousand to hundreds of millions, spreading across the coast of the East Sea, with tribes connected and smoke rising from their chimneys.

The three ancestors of the human race all possessed the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal at the Great Perfection stage, enough to intimidate the minor demons and monsters in the vicinity. Seeing that the human race had the ability to protect themselves, Chen Qing decided to leave.

Before his departure, Suiren, Youchao, and Ziyi led the entire human race in kneeling farewell to Chen Qing. Suiren, holding the inextinguishable flame, proclaimed loudly, "The Immortal's great kindness will be forever forgotten by the human race!"

Standing on the cloud, Chen Qing looked back at the human tribes covering the mountains and plains, his heart filled with emotion.

Without saying anything more, he turned around and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards Penglai Island.

Upon returning to Penglai Island, Chen Qing secluded himself to cultivate and consolidate what he had gained over the past century.

Over the past century, he has accumulated merit several times. Although he did not use it to directly improve his cultivation level, it nourished the 840 million microscopic worlds within his body, making their foundation increasingly profound. Driven by these microscopic worlds, his comprehension of the laws of space has advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching 60%.

Each additional comprehension of the laws makes a world of difference. Sixty percent of the spatial laws brings one closer to perfection.

Chen Qing knew that as long as he fully comprehended one law, he could break through to the Primordial Golden Immortal realm. His path followed the Way of the World—as the world grew stronger, his cultivation grew stronger; as the world advanced, his realm advanced. The 840 million microscopic worlds were his source of power. Therefore, one law was not his path; what he desired was for all three thousand Great Daos to advance simultaneously and jointly perfect the world.

So he's not in a hurry.

A tall building rises from the ground; the deeper the foundation, the taller the building can be.