Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Chen Qing looked up and quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, "Disciple Chen Qing greets Master!"

Lao Tzu nodded slightly, his eyes filled with approval: "Hmm, well done."

Lao Tzu's arrival seemed to have opened the curtain on a grand drama.

Immediately afterwards, strange phenomena appeared in the sky, and one after another, the figures of sages appeared above Mount Buzhou—Yuqing Yuanshi, Shangqing Tongtian, Nuwa, as well as the Western Jieyin and Zhunti, arrived one after another.

Chen Qing stepped forward to greet them one by one, displaying impeccable manners. Although he and Zhunti disliked each other and wished they could slap each other to death, they still had to observe proper etiquette.

After exchanging greetings, the sages' gazes fell upon the still raging Weak Water.

Lao Tzu flicked the Tai Chi diagram in his hand, transforming it into a golden bridge spanning heaven and earth, extending into the distance. The creatures struggling in the Weak Water were lifted up by the golden bridge, escaping imminent destruction.

The other sages also used their own methods, and in the blink of an eye, the Weak Water that had swept across the primordial world was cleaned up completely.

Zhunti circled around twice, then suddenly looked at Chen Qing with an unfriendly expression: "Fellow Daoist, did you take away the Chaos Bell?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Qing. The Chaos Bell was a supreme innate treasure, and after Donghuang Taiyi's fall, Chen Qing was the closest to it among those present. It would be reasonable for him to have picked it up.

Chen Qing's face turned cold. He had only bowed to you out of respect; did you really think you were someone important? He replied coldly, "The power of Donghuang Taiyi's self-destruction was so great that even saints had to retreat. I was too busy hiding to have the time to risk a self-destruction to find the Chaos Bell. Saint Zhunti's question was rather inappropriate."

Besides, even if the Chaos Bell were truly in my hands, what could you do to me?

"You—" Zhunti was so angry that his face turned pale. He was about to lash out when Jieyin stopped him. The Three Pure Ones' expressions were already very unpleasant.

Those present chuckled inwardly. Chen Qing was right. Even if he really got the Chaos Bell, what could Zhunti do? The two had fought before, and the fact that Chen Qing was still standing there unharmed spoke volumes.

Just then, a faint chant drifted from the sky:

"High above the nine heavens, on my futon I attain the true Dao. Beyond the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, I shall be the supreme master. Pangu gave birth to Taiji, from which the two polarities and four symbols follow. One Dao is passed on to three friends, and the two teachings, Chan and Jie, are divided. I am the leader of all the Xuanmen, and the primordial energy transforms into Hongjun."

The figure of Hongjun Daozu appeared in mid-air, his body radiating Daoist energy, his eyes indifferent, looking down upon all living beings.

Everyone quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Master!" "Greetings, Ancestor!"

Hongjun nodded slightly and said, "The war between the Lich King and the Demon King resulted in mutual destruction. The collapse of Mount Buzhou was the will of Heaven. This is the inevitable course of events and cannot be changed."

With a wave of his hand, a pile of five-colored divine stones flew towards Nuwa. "These are five-colored stones, which can be used to mend the sky."

Zhunti suddenly stepped forward, unwilling to give up, and asked, "Master, may I ask if the Chaos Bell was taken away by Daoist Chen Qing?"

Although Chen Qing told him that the Chaos Bell wasn't with him, he didn't believe it at all. In his view, no one would easily admit to possessing such a treasure. Asking Hongjun now was just a tentative attempt, to give himself some peace of mind.

Hongjun glanced at Chen Qing and slowly said, "Taiyi has passed away, but the treasures still possess spirits and will choose their own worthy masters. As for the whereabouts of the Chaos Bell, this humble Daoist cannot foresee it."

Upon hearing this, Zhunti felt a sense of relief. It was good that he wasn't in Chen Qing's hands; then there was still a chance. If he were truly in Chen Qing's possession, with the Three Pure Ones protecting him and Nuwa owing Chen Qing a great debt of karma, even if the two Western Saints wanted to seize him, they wouldn't be able to. Now that his whereabouts were unknown, it suited his wishes perfectly.

After Hongjun finished speaking, his figure gradually faded away and disappeared into the void.

Lao Tzu looked around at this shattered world and slowly said, "Mount Buzhou was the pillar of heaven, but now it is broken. We must find something else to support the heavens. There is a black tortoise in the North Sea that has lived for countless eons and is enormous in size. It can take on this task."

Tongtian was an impatient man, and he turned to head towards the North Sea: "I'll go and slay that Xuan Turtle right now, and use its four limbs as pillars of heaven!"

Chen Qing quickly called out to him, "Uncle-Master, wait! By slaying the Xuan Turtle, which is used as a support for the heavens, the Xuan Turtle will surely gain immeasurable merit. Please, Uncle-Master, protect its true spirit and do not destroy it."

He suddenly recalled the legendary story of the Xuan Turtle whose limbs were severed and which supported the sky. After its death, its intense resentment caused miasma to grow rampant in a certain area. Later, several sages shattered the primordial world, and that land became Beiju Luzhou.

Now that I'm here, I can't just stand by and watch this happen again. Besides, that Xuan Turtle's body supporting the sky has accumulated great merit; wouldn't it be better to take such a fellow as a disciple?

Tongtian paused for a moment, nodded, and then rushed out. He hadn't really thought that much about it before; he just wanted to finish the battle quickly. But Chen Qing's reminder gave him a new plan.

Zhunti watched from the side, beating his chest in frustration. Why hadn't he thought of that first? If he had gone to the North Sea first, he might have been able to take in a disciple with great merit! But now that Tongtian was gone, it was too late for him to regret it.

Nuwa examined the five-colored stone in her hand, pondered for a moment, and then turned to Chen Qing: "Fellow Daoist, please lend me the Qiankun Cauldron."

Chen Qing naturally had no reason to refuse. He first transferred the contents of the Qiankun Cauldron to the microscopic world, and then handed the cauldron to Nuwa.

Nuwa took the Qiankun Cauldron, activated her magic, and the cauldron brimmed with creation energy, flames rising within. Of course, this was only with Chen Qing's permission; otherwise, even as a saint, she wouldn't be able to easily control someone else's magical treasure.

Nuwa threw the five-colored stones into the cauldron. Under the scorching heat of the Creation True Fire, the five-colored stones quickly melted into a ball of liquid shimmering with five-colored light. She reached out and took the ball of liquid out of the cauldron, looking at Chen Qing.

Chen Qing understood immediately. He reached out and beckoned, and the illusory world blocking the Heavenly Cave transformed into a stream of light, disappearing back into his body.

Just as the waters of the Milky Way above were about to pour down, Nuwa unleashed a burst of multicolored light, creating a thin curtain of light that covered the hole.

As time passed, the light curtain slowly merged with the sky, and the celestial cave was completely repaired.

Nuwa glanced at the remaining five-colored stone in her hand, then casually tossed it away, its whereabouts unknown. Chen Qing's gaze flickered slightly, but he made no move. Zhunti, on the other hand, stared intently at the five-colored stone, his expression shifting uncertainly.

At this moment, Tongtian returned.

He brought back a giant black tortoise. To everyone's astonishment, the tortoise was alive.

Chen Qing raised an eyebrow: "Uncle-Master, what are you doing...?" You want to use someone else to support the sky, but you bring back a living person. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?

Tongtian casually replied, "Oh, I left in a hurry and didn't have time to kill them."

Everyone's lips twitched simultaneously.

The black tortoise was utterly devastated. It had been peacefully staying in the North Sea when this sage suddenly appeared and said he would use its body to support the sky. If it weren't for the fact that it was no match for him, it would have loved to swat him to death with a single claw.

Chen Qing shook his head helplessly and stepped forward to advise, "Fellow Daoist, don't panic. You've seen the state of this world; we urgently need something to support it. After much thought, we've concluded that only your body is capable of fulfilling this task."

The black tortoise looked around and saw that all the saints were looking at it. Knowing that it couldn't escape, it had no choice but to nod and say, "Alright. But you must protect my true spirit so that I can be reincarnated."

Zhunti's eyes darted around, and he stepped forward, saying in a friendly tone, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we will definitely protect your true spirit. In the future, you can become my disciple and be my personal apprentice."

The Three Pure Ones and Chen Qing immediately showed their anger. This Zhunti was too shameless. The Xuan Turtle was clearly brought back by Tongtian. Logically speaking, it was not his place to take on a disciple.

Before they could speak, the Xuan Turtle suddenly froze, its eyes fixed on Zhunti: "You are Zhunti, one of the two sages of the West?"

Zhunti was overjoyed and quickly nodded, "That's right, it is indeed this humble Taoist." He was full of anticipation, waiting for the Xuan Turtle to come and become his disciple.

However, to everyone's surprise, after hearing this, the Xuan Turtle's eyes turned bloodshot, and with a roar, it charged towards Zhunti: "Hmph! You stole my elixir and injured me back then, preventing me from transforming into human form to this day. Today, I've finally found you!"

The resentment of being unable to transform for countless years surged into his heart, and the Xuan Turtle became completely enraged, using its enormous body to slam into Zhunti.

Zhunti was happily waiting to take on a disciple when he was suddenly attacked. Caught off guard, he stumbled from the impact.

Everyone present was stunned; the plot had changed far too quickly.

After colliding with Zhunti, the Xuan Turtle immediately transformed into a streak of light and hid behind Chen Qing and the others, shouting, "Alright, now I can support the heavens. But you have to guarantee my life!"

Everyone then realized that this black tortoise was truly cunning. It had actually used this opportunity to find itself a powerful backer. For a moment, everyone was both amused and exasperated.

Zhunti, his face ashen, scrambled to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at the Xuan Turtle. He had been caught off guard, and although the Xuan Turtle could not transform, it possessed the cultivation of a Primordial Golden Immortal, and its physical body was incredibly tough; yet it had managed to launch a sneak attack!

"You beast, you're asking for death!" Zhunti was furious and swung the Seven Treasures Tree at the Xuan Turtle.

A Tai Chi diagram appeared out of nowhere before the Seven Treasures Tree, firmly blocking it. Laozi slowly spoke, "Fellow Daoist Zhunti, you've passed."

"I've gone too far?" Zhunti roared. "This beast attacked me without provocation. What wrong have I done?"

"Bullshit!" The Xuan Turtle, hiding behind Chen Qing and the others, cursed angrily, "Zhunti, you shameless scoundrel! Back in the North Sea, you injured a Xuan Turtle at the Taiyi Realm for a spiritual herb, don't tell me you don't remember!"

Zhunti's expression changed. He did some quick calculations and realized that he did indeed have a karmic connection with this Xuan Turtle. He had originally intended to kill it outright, thus preventing the Three Pure Ones from acquiring a disciple with great merit and settling the karmic debt. However, the Three Pure Ones and the others were on guard, and he couldn't find an opportunity to strike.

Seeing that Zhunti's face had darkened, Xuan Turtle knew to stop while it was ahead and said no more.

Tongtian turned to look at Xuan Turtle and laughed, "Would you like to become my disciple? By the way, I am Shangqing Tongtian, and we should have no karmic connection." As he spoke, he glanced at Zhunti, whose face darkened even more.

"Disciple Xuan Gui greets Master!" Xuan Gui immediately accepted the title of disciple on the spot.

Everyone nodded in agreement. He knew when to advance and when to retreat, and he was a good disciple.

At this moment, Nuwa, who had been silent until now, spoke up to remind everyone: "Brothers, it seems the sky is starting to tilt again. We need to hurry."

Everyone looked up and saw it was true. They immediately stopped dawdling. Tongtian took out the true spirit of the Xuan Turtle. After the Xuan Turtle's life force was cut off, its already enormous body swelled up again, blotting out the sky and the sun.

Tongtian severed off its four giant legs and gave them to Nuwa to be refined in the Qiankun Cauldron. Four colossal pillars appeared, standing at the four corners of the earth. The world finally stabilized.

The four giant pillars were slowly concealed by the Heavenly Dao, and everyone knew that this matter was now settled.

A huge golden auspicious cloud drifted in from the horizon, hovering above everyone's heads. A massive amount of merit power descended.

Five-tenths of the merit fell into the Xuan Turtle True Spirit within Tongtian's body, and the entire True Spirit became golden and dazzling.

Fifteen percent of the merit fell upon Chen Qing, and a huge golden wheel of merit immediately appeared behind his head, radiating boundless light and auspicious energy.

Everyone present twitched at the corners of their mouths upon seeing that Chen Qing possessed such profound merit.

Laozi and the others were all smiles. Their disciple had performed such merits, and they, as his master and uncles, were also proud of him.

Moreover, merit is a universal remedy; it can be used in any situation.

With this Golden Wheel of Merit, even a saint cannot easily touch Chen Qing, otherwise divine retribution would surely follow.

Chen Qing wasn't particularly excited. He had already accumulated a lot of merit during Houtu's reincarnation, and hadn't yet figured out how to use it.

The remaining merits were divided into several portions and sent to the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, Zhunti, and others.

It's clear that Tongtian gained more merit, while Zhunti gained the least. Who told him to be searching the world for the Chaos Bell while others were cleaning up the mess? If he hadn't also collected a lot of Weak Water later, he probably wouldn't have received any of the merit.