Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

After the war between the Lich King and the Demon King was forcibly ended by the Dao Ancestor, the primordial land temporarily returned to peace. Three thousand years of truce is a long time for mortals, but for cultivators who have cultivated for tens of thousands of years, it is just a fleeting moment.

Chen Qing did not return to Penglai Island. After being away for so many years, it was time to go back to Kunlun Mountain for a visit.

He traveled westward, traversing the primordial land, flying towards the Kunlun Mountains. Along the way, he observed that although the Wu and Yao races no longer openly waged war, their covert conflicts never ceased. The two races' forces were intertwined, wary of each other, and could erupt into conflict at any moment.

But none of that mattered to him; all he wanted now was to return to the mountains.

However, as the outline of the Kunlun Mountains came into view, Chen Qing's brows gradually furrowed.

Kunlun Mountain remains the same Kunlun Mountain, majestic and imposing, shrouded in spiritual energy. But at the foot of the mountain, on the mountainside, and even along the mountain paths, there are many figures he has never seen before.

These people came in all shapes and sizes; some had animal heads and human bodies, some had human faces and animal bodies, and some were simply spirits or monsters that had not yet fully taken human form.

Disheveled and unruly, some drank and sang by the stream, others chased and frolicked in the woods, and still others simply lay down in the middle of the road and slept soundly. The once peaceful and solemn Kunlun Mountain was turned into a chaotic mess by them.

Chen Qing was puzzled, but he didn't rush to react. He had been away from Kunlun Mountain for nearly a thousand years, and he didn't know what had happened during that time. He decided to go and see his master first and ask about the situation.

He walked up the mountain path.

They hadn't gone far when a voice suddenly came from the woods beside the road—

"Halt! Kid, who are you? How dare you come to our Kunlun Mountain territory?"

Before the words were finished, seven or eight figures darted out of the woods. Calling them figures was a bit of a stretch—some had horns on their heads, some had scales on their faces, and some had tails trailing behind them, exuding an air of uncultured arrogance and ignorance of manners.

Chen Qing stopped and looked at the group of people who had surrounded him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Oh?" he said casually, his tone neither too loud nor too soft. "When did Kunlun Mountain become your territory?"

The leader was a burly man with a face full of scars. His eyes darted around as he sized Chen Qing up and down. Seeing that Chen Qing was simply dressed and his aura was restrained, he couldn't tell what kind of power Chen Qing possessed, so he assumed he was just an ordinary rogue cultivator. He then said arrogantly:

"We are disciples of the Supreme Master Shangqing, so Kunlun Mountain is naturally our place. I bet you've come here to become his disciple, haven't you?"

He chuckled, his eyes revealing undisguised greed: "If you know what's good for you, hand over a few treasures. Perhaps, out of respect for the treasures, I can let you meet my master."

"Oh?" Chen Qing's voice had turned cold. "What if I don't pay?"

The burly man's face darkened, he crossed his arms, and sneered, "You won't hand it over? Then you're probably not getting through."

The men behind him also surrounded him, each rubbing their hands together, their expressions hostile. Judging from their practiced manner, they must have done this kind of thing many times before.

Chen Qing's face turned completely cold.

He didn't want to waste any more words with these people.

With a wave of his hand, his magic transformed into an invisible giant hand, grasping all the people around him in its palm. Those people felt an irresistible force assail them, and their bodies were uncontrollably lifted up. No matter how much they struggled, it was futile, as the difference in strength between them was too great.

"What do you want?" The burly man's face changed drastically, and he struggled desperately. "Let me go! Or you're dead!"

"Let us go!"

"Kid, you dare to make a move in Kunlun Mountain? You're dead!"

A group of people were being held by a powerful magical hand, their limbs flailing wildly as they shouted incessantly.

With a thought, Chen Qing sealed their mouths shut, and the world instantly became quiet. He grabbed the group and continued walking up the mountain path.

Such a commotion naturally did not escape the eyes of those powerful beings on the mountain.

At the top of the mountain stands the Sanqing Taoist Temple.

The three Pure Ones each resided in a separate hall, adjacent to each other. At this moment, all three had sensed the commotion below the mountain, and with a sweep of their divine senses, they clearly saw what had happened.

Lao Tzu sat upright on the futon, expressionless, lost in thought.

Yuan Shi's face had turned ashen.

He had long disliked the group of so-called "disciples" that Tongtian had recently taken in.

He always valued lineage, etiquette, and hierarchy, and when accepting disciples, he emphasized those with exceptional talent and upright character.

But the people Tongtian brought back were all worse than the last—they lacked moral character, disregarded rules, and made the entire Kunlun Mountain a mess.

He had mentioned it to Tongtian several times, and Tongtian had also restrained those people a few times, but with little effect. They had been brothers for many years, so he couldn't say anything too harsh and could only turn a blind eye.

But what happened today was simply too much for him to bear.

Yuanshi turned his head and looked at Tongtian, whose expression was equally unpleasant, and said coldly:

"Third brother, I don't care if you take on disciples. But you can't just bring anyone up the mountain without proper qualifications. Look at what these 'disciples' you've brought have been doing!"

Tongtian's face was so black it could drip water.

He was also extremely angry.

He did indeed take on disciples, but not these rabble from the foot of the mountain. These people were simply people he had taken pity on during his travels and had casually rescued. They ended up kneeling before him, weeping and begging for a safe haven.

He took pity on them and brought them back to Kunlun Mountain, letting them cultivate on their own at the foot of the mountain, and never formally accepted them as disciples.

Normally, these people were all respectful and subservient in his presence; he thought that although they were not very talented, at least they were of decent character. He never expected them to turn around and show such a true face!

After a long silence, Tongtian sighed, his tone tinged with self-reproach: "This time I was wrong. I never imagined I would be deceived by such a villain, thus tainting the tranquility of my Kunlun Mountain."

Yuanshi snorted coldly and didn't reply.

Lao Tzu remained silent, only gazing down the mountain at the white-clad figure climbing step by step, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Chen Qing led the group to the top of the mountain.

Having been away for nearly a thousand years, the mountaintop has undergone considerable changes. The Three Pure Ones no longer remain in seclusion in the caves, but have instead built several Taoist temples on the summit.

The Taoist temple has a simple and solemn style, vaguely resembling the Zixiao Palace, and is obviously built in imitation of the Taoist ancestor's Taoist temple.

As soon as Chen Qing stepped onto the mountaintop, several streaks of light shot out and landed in front of him, transforming into several figures.

"Who goes there? How dare they cause trouble in the Kunlun Mountains?"

The leader was a tall, slender young Taoist priest with sharp eyes. When he saw the group of people behind Chen Qing being gripped by a powerful magical hand, his expression changed instantly, and anger surged in his eyes.

Although this group of people are incompetent, they are still people from Kunlun Mountain. Now they've been dragged up the mountain like chickens; this is a slap in the face to Kunlun Mountain!

The others also looked angry, their hands flashing with light, as if they were about to start a fight at the slightest provocation.

Chen Qing looked up and glanced at the group of people, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

He had never seen these people before; they must be newly accepted disciples of his master or his two senior uncles. It seemed that his arrival had changed many things. In his previous life's memories, these faces were not among the disciples of the Three Pure Ones Sect.

Seeing that Chen Qing remained silent, the young Taoist priest became even more enraged, gathering his magical power in his hands, ready to make a move.

Just then, a chubby figure rushed out of the Taoist temple.

The figure was round and chubby, wobbling as he ran, yet incredibly fast. He rushed out and his gaze fell on Chen Qing, his face lighting up with joy. Then, seeing his fellow disciples about to attack, he was terrified and immediately roared:

"stop!"

The light in the young Taoist's hand paused. He turned to look at the newcomer, his face full of confusion: "Second Senior Brother, what's wrong? This person came to Kunlun Mountain to cause trouble and even arrested our people..."

The chubby Taoist ignored him, rushed to Chen Qing in a few strides, and respectfully performed a deep bow, his voice loud and joyful:

"Duobao greets his senior brother!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

Senior Brother?

That mysterious senior brother?

The one who listened to the Dao in Zixiao Palace, the chief disciple of the Three Pure Ones, the legendary senior brother.

The light in the young Taoist's hand vanished instantly, and the anger on his face turned to astonishment, then to fear. The others exchanged bewildered glances, their faces pale, completely at a loss.

Chen Qing looked at the chubby Duobao in front of him and nodded with a smile. Nearly a thousand years had passed, and this little fatty had already broken through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, his cultivation having improved considerably.

"Duobao, it's been many years. You've even broken through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. Not bad, not bad."

Duobao chuckled, scratched his head, and said shyly, "It's all thanks to the excellent teaching of my master and senior uncles."

He secretly sensed Chen Qing's aura and immediately felt a chill in his heart—he couldn't sense its depth at all, as if the person standing in front of him wasn't a person, but a vast starry sky, an endless universe.

Duobao thought to himself: I thought my cultivation had improved quite a bit, but compared to this senior brother... forget it, I can't compare, I can't compare.

At this moment, Duobao seemed to notice the group of people behind Chen Qing being gripped by a powerful magical hand, and asked curiously, "Senior Brother, who are these people?"

Chen Qing didn't hide anything and briefly recounted what had happened down the mountain.

Upon hearing this, Duobao's smile gradually faded, replaced by a gloomy expression. He had also heard about the group's actions.

However, these people were brought back by his master, so he couldn't overstep his bounds and interfere. Unexpectedly, they became increasingly outrageous and even ran into his senior brother.

Just then, Lao Tzu's voice came from the main hall ahead, calm and gentle:

"Chen Qing, bring them in. Duo Bao, you all come in too."

"Yes, Master (Elder Master)."

Everyone bowed in unison.

Chen Qing led the way towards the main hall. Duo Bao quickly followed, while the others exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly followed as well.

After Chen Qing walked away, the Taoist priests quickly gathered around Duobao and asked in low voices:

"Second Senior Brother, this must be... Eldest Senior Brother?"

Duobao nodded.

"So... what's his temper like?" the young Taoist priest asked cautiously, his voice trembling. "We almost attacked him just now..."

Duobao glanced at them and smiled reassuringly, "It's alright. Senior Brother is a very nice person. You can just apologize later and everything will be fine."

In Duobao's heart, although this senior brother was not in Kunlun Mountain for many years, he treated his junior brother very well—he had given him innate spiritual treasures, guided him on cultivation methods, and was gentle and approachable. He was one of the people he admired most.

The junior disciples felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this, but their anxiety remained.

Inside the main hall, the Three Pure Ones sat upright on high prayer cushions.

Chen Qing entered the hall and respectfully bowed: "Disciple Chen Qing greets Master, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle."

"Yes, get up." Laozi looked at Chen Qing below with a relieved smile on his face.

After a thousand years, this disciple has made considerable progress. He is now in the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, with the aura of the Great Dao flowing within his body and his magical power fluctuating subtly yet inexhaustibly.

Yuan Shi's expression improved considerably upon seeing Chen Qing. He had always been very satisfied with this junior disciple—good background, well-mannered, polite, respectful to elders, and his cultivation was steadily improving, never causing him any worry. The only pity was that such a promising talent was not his disciple.

Tongtian was somewhat embarrassed. He glanced at the group of people behind Chen Qing who were being held by a powerful magical hand, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

"You can handle these people as you see fit," Tongtian said to Chen Qing, his tone tinged with weariness. "You can deal with them however you like, your master has no objections."

Chen Qing nodded: "Thank you, Martial Uncle."

Those people who were held in the hands of the powerful magician were completely dumbfounded.

They had initially clung to a sliver of hope, thinking that Tongtian would spare their lives out of consideration for their past relationship. But Tongtian's words were tantamount to a death sentence.

Especially the burly man at the head of the group, who had already given up all hope the moment Duobao called out "Senior Brother".

Having spent so long in Kunlun Mountain, he had some understanding of the situation there—he knew that there was a mysterious senior disciple on the mountain, the first disciple of the Three Pure Ones, a powerful figure who had listened to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, and whose cultivation was unfathomable.

But he never expected that he would offend this big shot.

There was nothing but despair.

After listening to Tongtian's words, Chen Qing thought for a moment, then casually cast several seals to completely seal the magic power of these people, and then threw them out of the main hall.

"Let's deal with this later." He turned around, his gaze falling on the people who had just followed Duobao in, and asked, "Are these... newly accepted disciples of Master or one of the two senior uncles?"

The three Qings at the head of the table nodded in unison.

Laozi spoke up, "Xuandu, come and greet your senior brother."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man stepped out from behind Duobao. He straightened his clothes, took a few steps forward, and respectfully bowed to Chen Qingshen, saying solemnly, "Xuandu greets Senior Brother! I was very rude just now, please forgive me, Senior Brother."

Chen Qing looked at the young man who had just entered the Profound Immortal Realm and nodded inwardly. As expected of Xuandu—he hadn't been away from the human race for long, yet this person had already become a disciple of his master and had even reached the Profound Immortal Realm. His talent and opportunities were truly extraordinary.

He smiled slightly and waved his hand: "It's alright. You didn't recognize me just now, and you did the right thing—anyone who dares to cause trouble in Kunlun Mountain, no matter who it is, should be apprehended first. If anything goes wrong, your senior brother will cover for you."

Hearing Chen Qing's words, everyone present finally felt relieved. In particular, the last sentence, "If anything happens, Senior Brother will take care of it," warmed their hearts and stirred their blood.

Subsequently, Guang Chengzi and Nanji Xianweng, disciples of Yuanshi Tianzun, as well as Jin Ling and Gui Ling, disciples of Tongtian Jiaozhu, stepped forward one after another to greet Chen Qing.