Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

The storm of the demon race's massacre has finally subsided.

Bearing countless wounds and endless grief, humanity once again embarked on the arduous path of reconstruction.

Everything seemed to be slowly getting back on track. But the hatred was never forgotten.

From the moment they can remember, every human is told: the demon race slaughtered our people and killed our relatives. From then on, whenever a human sees a demon, they must kill it. This blood feud is etched into their bones, passed down from generation to generation, and will never be erased.

In the center of the ancestral land of humanity, beside the temple of the Goddess Nuwa, a brand-new palace of equal scale rose from the ground. The palace was majestic, paved with bluestone, with upturned eaves and corners. Above the main entrance hung a plaque with three large characters: "Shrine of the Holy Teacher".

The person enshrined in the shrine is Chen Qing.

Although the goddess Nuwa ultimately did not come to humanity's rescue in its time of crisis, humanity still retains deep reverence and gratitude for this holy mother who created them. The grace of creation is greater than heaven.

The holy teacher Chen Qing was their benefactor who saved them from fire and water and protected them from danger.

A shrine to the Holy Teacher and a temple to Nuwa stand side by side, enjoying the incense offerings of the human race for eternity.

Chen Qing did not leave the East China Sea.

He still lived on that same small hill, the thatched hut unchanged, the tea still served. Below the hill lay the ancestral land of humanity, where smoke curled from chimneys and children played daily, a scene of peace and tranquility. His master, Laozi, was still in seclusion in the thatched hut, comprehending the Primordial Purple Qi, while Chen Qing spent his days meditating on the mountaintop or going down the mountain to help humanity resolve minor troubles, living a simple yet fulfilling life.

But he knew this calm wouldn't last long.

An era is about to end.

On this day, as the sun rose, golden light bathed the mountaintop.

Chen Qing was sitting cross-legged on the rocks when he suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation coming from the thatched hut behind him.

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked back. He saw the door of the thatched hut slowly open, and Laozi, dressed in a green robe and holding a cane, walked out slowly.

After centuries of seclusion, Lao Tzu's aura was completely different from before.

He couldn't quite describe the feeling—it was like a mountain, yet also like water, as if he were one with heaven and earth, yet also as if he were transcending heaven and earth.

His face remained calm, and his gaze remained gentle, but he possessed an inexplicable air of authority that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

Lao Tzu did not speak, but walked straight to the top of the mountain and sat down cross-legged on a flat boulder.

After a moment, he spoke.

The voice of the Great Dao flowed from his mouth, not with the booming sound of a great bell, but like a clear spring rinsing over stones, or a gentle breeze rustling through bamboo, spreading naturally.

The sound was initially very faint, so faint that Chen Qing thought it was just his imagination. But gradually, it became clearer and louder, eventually resounding throughout the heavens and earth.

Within a radius of tens of thousands of miles, all human beings heard this sound.

They put down their work, stopped, looked up, and followed the sound. One, two, ten, a hundred... more and more people gathered at the foot of the mountain, standing quietly, gazing up at the figure of the old Taoist priest in a green robe on the summit.

No one spoke, no one made a fuss. They simply stood there, listening to the enigmatic yet deeply moving sounds, as if their souls were being cleansed, as if something dormant was awakening.

Chen Qing stood to the side, listening quietly.

Lao Tzu spoke for three days and three nights.

At dawn on the fourth day, he suddenly stopped.

He slowly stood up, the Tai Chi diagram in his hand unfolding into a golden bridge spanning heaven and earth. Standing upon the golden bridge, his robes fluttering, his beard and hair flying, his voice, though not loud, clearly resonated throughout every corner of the primordial land:

"I am one of the Three Pure Ones of Pangu, Laozi of Taiqing. I now establish a great religion called 'Humanity' to educate and enlighten the human race. I will use the Taiji Diagram and the Exquisite Pagoda of Heaven and Earth to suppress the destiny of humanity—the Human Religion is established!"

The moment the words were spoken, the world changed drastically.

A purple aura swept in from the east, stretching for thirty thousand miles, rolling in from the eastern horizon and dyeing the entire sky auspicious purple. Heavenly flowers rained down, golden lotuses bloomed on the ground, and ethereal Daoist chants echoed in the void. The sun and moon shone together, stars were arrayed in formation, and extraordinary phenomena appeared, even more magnificent than when Nuwa became a saint.

A vast golden cloud of merit descended from the heavens, cascading down like a waterfall and enveloping Laozi entirely.

The merit entered his body, triggering the immense merit of Pangu's creation of the world within his primordial spirit. The two forces of merit merged and fused, like a key that opened a door that had been tightly closed for a long time.

Within Lao Tzu's primordial spirit, the Primordial Purple Qi suddenly trembled, completely merging with his primordial spirit, becoming indistinguishable from it. Propelled by this power, his primordial spirit slowly rose, detached from his physical body, and resided within the Heavenly Dao.

An unprecedented pressure emanated from him, instantly spreading to every corner of the primordial world.

That was the aura of a saint.

All living beings, whether powerful beings from the primordial era or spirits of plants and trees, whether willingly or not, knelt and worshipped in the direction of the East Sea.

"Greetings to the Supreme Sage!"

The sound was like a surging tide, rising and falling in waves.

Kunlun Mountain.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning. He stood up, walked out of his cave, and flew into the sky, the Pangu Banner above his head fluttering in the wind.

The moment Laozi attained sainthood, he and Tongtian simultaneously sensed the resonance deep within Pangu's bloodline. The Three Pure Ones were originally one; when one of them became a saint, the other two also reached their critical point.

"I am Pangu, one of the Three Pure Ones, the Primordial Beginning of Jade Purity. I now establish a great religion called 'Chan,' to elucidate the Way of Heaven, act in accordance with Heaven, and perform the work of education. With the Pangu Banner and the White Lotus of Purification, I will suppress the destiny of the world—Chan Religion, established!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavens and earth trembled once more.

The same purple aura came from the east, the same showers of celestial flowers, and the same bestowal of merit. The merit of Pangu's creation of the world by the Primordial Celestial Venerable was activated, the primordial purple aura merged with the primordial spirit, and the primordial spirit entrusted itself to the Heavenly Dao.

A second wave of saintly pressure descended.

Before the crowd could even rise, they knelt again, saying, "Greetings, Sage Yuqing!"

Immediately afterwards, the figure of the Tongtian Sect Leader appeared in the sky above Kunlun Mountain.

He held the Primordial Measuring Ruler in his hand, the Azure Lotus Sword hanging at his waist, his eyes blazing like torches, his voice booming like thunder, resounding throughout the eight wastelands:

"I am one of the Three Pure Ones of Pangu, the Supreme Pure One who reaches the heavens. I now establish a great sect called 'Intercepting,' to seize a sliver of life, teaching all without discrimination. With the Primordial Ruler of Heaven and Earth, I will suppress destiny—the Intercepting Sect is established!"

Merit descends, the merit of Pangu's creation of the world is activated, and the primordial purple energy merges.

A third wave of sage-like pressure descended.

"Greetings to the Supreme Sage of Shangqing!"

Three saints appeared in one day.

The primordial chaos erupted.

Those powerful beings who returned from listening to the teachings at Zixiao Palace were all dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long time. The Three Pure Ones were originally transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, of noble birth and with boundless fortune. Now, through the merit of establishing their religion, they have become saints in one fell swoop, transcending reincarnation and living as long as heaven and earth.

In the Heavenly Court, Emperor Jun's face was ashen, and he remained silent.

Taiyi's hand, gripping the Chaos Bell, trembled slightly, whether from anger or lingering fear, it was hard to tell. He had once been on par with the Three Pure Ones, even considering himself slightly superior. But now, those three had become saints, while he was still struggling in the mire of a Primordial Golden Immortal.

"Big brother..." Taiyi's voice was hoarse.

Di Jun waved his hand without saying a word.

Inside the Pangu Hall of the Wu Clan, the twelve Ancestral Witches gathered, silent as mountains.

Zhu Rong wanted to say something, but was silenced by a glare from Di Jiang. After a long silence, Di Jiang let out a long breath and said in a deep voice, "So what if he's a sage? The Wu tribe doesn't worship Heaven, Earth, or sages. Those of the bloodline of Father God Pangu cannot kneel."

All the ancestral witches nodded in unison, but their clenched fists and tense faces betrayed the shock in their hearts.

The news of the Three Pure Ones' ascension to sainthood swept across the prehistoric world like a storm, and everyone's attention turned to the West.

When Hongjun Daozu bestowed seven streams of primordial purple energy, the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa had already attained sainthood, and the remaining ones were Jieyin and Zhunti from the West.

In the west, Mount Sumeru.

Zhunti, his face grim, paced anxiously back and forth in the main hall: "Senior brother, the Three Pure Ones have all attained sainthood. What should my brother and I do?"

Jieyin sat upright on the lotus platform, his face growing increasingly bitter. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "The Three Pure Ones are transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, of noble birth, and possess the merit of creating the world. This time, by using the merit of establishing the religion, they will naturally activate the merit of creating the world. But my brother and I..." He shook his head and did not continue.

Zhunti stopped, gritted his teeth, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes: "Senior brother, I do have a method, but... but this method is extremely difficult, and I'm afraid it will make me a laughingstock."

"Tell me about it," the guide said, raising his head.

Zhunti took a deep breath and spoke his mind.

After listening, Jieyin's expression shifted several times, turning pale and then flushed. After a long while, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes: "So be it. As long as I can become a saint, what does it matter if I suffer some humiliation and make some grand vows?"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, then simultaneously leaped into the air and stood atop Mount Sumeru.

"I will guide you—"

"I, Zhunti—"

The two spoke in unison, their voices echoing throughout the primordial world:

"Feeling the suffering of all beings, I hereby establish a new religion called the 'Western Religion' to enlighten and guide all people. The twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit will be used to suppress the flow of fortune—the Western Religion is established!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sky began to churn and clouds surged. A golden cloud of merit slowly condensed, much smaller and thinner than when the Three Pure Ones attained sainthood, but it eventually descended.

As the merit entered their bodies, Jieyin and Zhunti's understanding of the Heavenly Dao steadily increased, and the primordial purple energy within their primordial spirits began to merge at an accelerated pace. However, halfway through the merging, the merit was exhausted.

The two were stuck at the level of a half-saint, unable to go up or down.

Zhunti's face was deathly pale, and Jieyin's face was full of bitterness.

They had long anticipated this outcome. Without the merit of Pangu creating the world, the achievement of establishing the Western Religion alone was simply insufficient for them to attain sainthood.

"Senior brother!" Zhunti looked at Jieyin.

Jieyin closed his eyes and nodded.

Zhunti took a deep breath, spoke again, his voice sorrowful yet solemn, each word resounding:

"If I attain unsurpassed Bodhi and become a fully enlightened being, the Buddha-land I reside in will be adorned with immeasurable and inconceivable merits and virtues. All sentient beings, as well as those in the Yama realm and the three evil realms, who are reborn in my Buddha-land and receive my Dharma teachings, will all attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and will never again fall into the evil realms. If this vow is fulfilled, I will become a Buddha; if this vow is not fulfilled, I will not attain unsurpassed Bodhi..."

Forty-eight grand vows, one after another, emanated from Zhunti's mouth, like weeping and lamenting, resounding throughout heaven and earth.

For every grand vow they make, Heaven bestows a share of merit; for every share of merit they receive, their spiritual realm is elevated.

Having made all forty-eight great vows, the merits were finally sufficient.

The Primordial Purple Qi within the primordial spirits of Jieyin and Zhunti completely merged, and their primordial spirits entrusted themselves to the Heavenly Dao. The aura of a sage descended—weaker than the Three Pure Ones, but still a sage after all.

The two Western saints finally attained enlightenment.

However, there was no joy on either of their faces.

Zhunti was pale, and Jieyin's face was full of bitterness. They knew in their hearts that these forty-eight great vows were merits borrowed from the Heavenly Dao. Borrowing meant repaying.

If his grand ambition cannot be realized in the future, under the backlash of Heaven, not only will his holy position be in jeopardy, but he may not even be able to save his life.

But they had no other choice.

The opportunity to become a saint is fleeting; if you miss this chance, who knows when the next one will come.

Zhunti looked eastward, his gaze complex: "The Three Pure Ones... we are ultimately no match for them."

Jieyin didn't speak, but silently put away the lotus platform, turned around and walked back to Mount Sumeru.