Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

On this day, Chen Qing was meditating with his eyes closed beside a thatched hut in the mountains when he suddenly felt uneasy. He frowned, made some calculations with his fingers to deduce the secrets of heaven, and after a moment he suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes flashing with cold light. He soared into the sky and into the clouds.

As his divine sense swept across the primordial land, scenes of carnage came into view—smoke and fire rose everywhere, corpses littered the fields, countless human tribes were trampled by the iron hooves of the demon race, and women, children, and the elderly lay in pools of blood, their cries of agony echoing across the land.

Chen Qing's eyes reddened, and anger surged in his chest.

His body trembled, and countless starlight flew out from his body. These were his microscopic incarnations, which transformed into streaks of light and sped off to all parts of the primordial world.

He himself transformed into a long rainbow, heading straight for the nearest battlefield. His master, Laozi, was in seclusion in the thatched hut behind him; with him there to oversee things, the ancestral land of humanity should be safe.

……

A flat plain at the foot of a mountain.

Millions of humans were surrounded by the demon army, like trapped beasts. The surrounding hillsides, the sky, and the treetops were densely packed with demon soldiers and generals, a dark mass that blotted out the sun.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"The flesh and blood of this human race are truly nourishing! I devoured three last night, and my demonic power has increased dramatically!"

"Hurry up and collect as many souls as possible to refine into treasures; His Majesty will reward you handsomely!"

A burst of ferocious laughter and cheers erupted from the demon horde. Blades flashed, heads rolled; demonic fire spread, turning everything to scorched earth. The cries, screams, and pleas for mercy of the humans mingled together, only to be drowned out by the demons' maniacal laughter.

The humans trapped in the center had long since given up hope.

They were survivors who had escaped from several large tribes. Originally numbering in the hundreds of millions, their tribes had dwindled to a mere few million, who had been relentlessly pursued to this point with nowhere left to retreat or escape.

An elderly man with white hair knelt down tremblingly, looking up to the sky and weeping bitterly: "Holy Mother! You created us, so why do you allow these demons to slaughter your people? Is it really as they say—that we are merely food prepared for the demon race?"

His voice was filled with sorrow, each word dripping with grief.

The surrounding humans all knelt down, their cries shaking the heavens, and an atmosphere of despair permeated every corner.

In the Nuwa Palace, the goddess Nuwa sat on her cloud bed, her face pale. Her divine sense had already witnessed this scene; her hands trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened. She was the Nuwa of the demon race, and also the Holy Mother of the human race; both were her flesh and blood, yet she could do nothing about it.

The way of Heaven is like a knife; even sages are not free to act against it.

She slowly closed her eyes.

"Stand up, everyone!"

A sharp shout rang out from the horizon, like rolling thunder, drowning out everyone's cries.

"Don't cry!"

Everyone looked up in astonishment, only to see a dazzling streak of light pierce the sky and arrive in an instant. As the light dissipated, a white-robed Taoist priest hovered in mid-air, his robes fluttering, surrounded by a faint, precious light.

Chen Qing looked down, his gaze sweeping over the corpses strewn across the ground, over the ashen-faced humans, and a pang of pain shot through his heart. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement! If humanity wants to become strong, it cannot rely on others, but only on itself—stand up!"

Among the crowd, several elderly people suddenly widened their eyes.

Their lips trembled, and disbelief shone in their cloudy eyes. One of them cried out hoarsely, "It's...it's the Immortal Master! The Immortal Master who led us to our ancestral land in the East Sea! We're saved!"

These words immediately caused a stir among the crowd. Countless eyes turned to the white figure in the sky, and a spark of hope gradually ignited in their previously empty gazes.

Chen Qing said no more and waved his hand.

An ancient, large cauldron descended from the sky, swelling in the wind and instantly transforming into the size of a mountain, carrying immense power as it crashed down upon the densely populated area of ​​the demon race.

"Bang—"

A deafening roar shook the earth. Where the giant cauldron landed, tens of thousands of demon soldiers were instantly crushed into a bloody pulp. The shockwave swept across, knocking down tens of thousands more demons. Screams erupted, and the demon horde was thrown into chaos.

Chen Qing slowly descended, standing with his hands behind his back atop the great cauldron, his white robes as pure as snow, his cold gaze sweeping over the surroundings. Wherever his gaze passed, the demons fell silent, not one daring to step forward.

Behind the demon camp, Yingzhao's face turned pale the moment she saw who it was.

His hand unconsciously covered his chest—the wound inflicted by the Qiankun Cauldron still ached faintly.

"How could it be this guy..." Yingzhao cursed under his breath, quickly grabbing Qinyuan beside him and whispering, "Run! This man is no match for us!"

Qin Yuan was intently examining the Qiankun Cauldron at Chen Qing's feet, his eyes filled with greed. He flung Ying Zhao's hand away and said disdainfully, "A mere Great Luo Golden Immortal, is that something you're so afraid of? Ying Zhao, have you been terrified of the Witch Clan all these years?"

Yingzhao glared at Qinyuan. "Damn it, I kindly reminded you, and not only did you not appreciate it, you even mocked me."

He simply shut his mouth and quietly took a few steps back.

Qin Yuan ignored him, leaped into the air, flew to the front of the formation, his eyes burning with fervor as he stared at the Qiankun Cauldron beneath Chen Qing's feet, and shouted loudly:

"Boy, if you know what's good for you, hand over the cauldron at your feet! I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your life!"

Chen Qing's lips curled into a slight, mocking smile: "You want my cauldron? You think you're worthy?"

"court death!"

Qin Yuan flew into a rage, flipped his hand and took out a jet-black longsword. The blade gleamed with a cold, eerie light, clearly a primordial spiritual treasure.

He roared, his demonic power surging wildly, and with the support of the power of the Great Dao, he transformed into a black lightning bolt, striking down at Chen Qing.

In his view, with his perfected Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivation, dealing with a mere late-stage Great Luo junior would be a piece of cake.

He had no idea that this "junior" in front of him had just defeated the Daoist Zhunti not long ago.

Chen Qing looked at the figure rushing towards him, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

He didn't even bother with the Qiankun Cauldron, but instead took out the Purple Lightning Hammer and gave it a gentle shake. The hammer instantly expanded, crackling with raging purple lightning snakes, as if a heavenly tribulation had descended.

With a thought, the Purple Lightning Hammer, carrying the earth-shattering power of thunder, smashed down on Qin Yuan like whack-a-mole.

Halfway through his charge, Qin Yuan suddenly felt an incredibly terrifying pressure descend upon him. He looked up and his pupils constricted—the giant hammer crackling with electricity was already inches away, with no way to avoid it!

"not good!"

He roared and charged forward with all his might, wielding the black blade in his hand while simultaneously channeling all his magical power to protect himself.

"Boom!"

The heavens and earth seemed to change color. The purple lightning hammer struck the black blade, emitting a piercing metallic groan. Cracks appeared all over the black blade, which then flew away.

The purple lightning hammer, its momentum undiminished, slammed solidly into Qin Yuan's body.

A figure shot down like a meteor, crashing heavily into the ground and kicking up clouds of dust and rubble.

As the dust settled, a deep pit, tens of feet wide, appeared on the ground. At the bottom of the pit, Qin Yuan lay half-dead, his body charred black, covered in blood, and barely breathing. His innate spiritual treasure had also been severely damaged, and its recovery seemed a long way off.

The entire room fell silent.

All the demons froze, almost dropping their weapons.

Yingzhao swallowed silently and took a few steps back.

Meanwhile, on the human side, a deafening cheer erupted.

Qin Yuan struggled to open his eyes and looked at the white figure at the edge of the pit. He finally understood why Ying Zhao was so cowardly.

If you run into a guy like that, you're either a coward or you'll die!

He struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse: "We admit defeat today... We're not moving from these humans."

Having said that, he staggered and prepared to leave.

Did I let you leave?

Chen Qing's voice came from behind, indifferent as ice, devoid of any warmth.

Qin Yuan paused, turned around, and forced a smile, saying, "I am a Demon Saint of the Demon Clan! If you kill me, the Demon Clan will not let you go!"

Behind them, Yingzhao silently covered his face. This guy still doesn't know who he's messed with? If the demon race had a way to deal with him, would they have waited until now?

Chen Qing curled a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, too lazy to waste any more words with him.

"Is that so? I'd like to see how the demon race can stop me."

Before the words were finished, the Purple Lightning Hammer flew out again, its body crackling with lightning, carrying the earth-shattering laws of thunder, and roared toward Qin Yuan.