Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Just then, Chen Qing suddenly heard his master Laozi's voice: "Come to Kunlun Mountain immediately."

What's happened now? Chen Qing wondered. Although the Three Pure Ones had separated, they still habitually gathered at Kunlun Mountain to discuss important matters. He wondered what the purpose of this summons was.

He immediately stood up, put the Xuanming and Qiankun Cauldron into his body, and continued to supply energy with the micro-particle world. He transformed into a rainbow light and flew towards Kunlun Mountain – this was the unique Golden Crow Rainbow Transformation Technique of the Golden Crow Clan.

Chen Qing sometimes couldn't help but wonder: Why do all those immortals like to collect mounts? Isn't it better to fly on your own? Isn't flying faster than riding a mount? Why bother riding a mount and traveling so slowly? Is it all just for show?

It seems that vanity is the strongest emotion in any world. But then again, he still prefers the feeling of flying—free and unrestrained.

In the present-day primordial world, the war between the Lich King and the Demon King has just ended, and the place appears exceptionally peaceful.

Along the way, nothing else was particularly noteworthy, except that the human race was developing quite well. The population was growing rapidly, spreading from their ancestral lands on the East Sea coast to the inland wilderness.

This time, Chen Qing was no longer worried about them—the Wu and Yao races had already retired, and no one in the prehistoric world wanted to cause trouble for the once-powerful human race.

The human race has gradually shown its potential as the largest race in the prehistoric world; all it lacks is some foundation and power.

At Chen Qing's current speed, he arrived at Kunlun Mountain in no time.

Inside the main hall, the Three Pure Ones were all present. To Chen Qing's surprise, the Goddess Nuwa was also there.

"Chen Qing greets Master and all fellow disciples." Chen Qing stepped forward and bowed.

"Yes, get up." Lao Tzu nodded, looking at his disciple with a smile.

"Hey, Little Qingzi, your skills have improved quite a bit again!" Tongtian stared at Chen Qing, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "What kind of extraordinary encounter have you had this time?"

After Tongtian reminded them, the others began to scrutinize Chen Qing with their Xuan Guang.

A moment later, their expressions changed to one of surprise—Chen Qing's Dao aura was even more intense than before, exuding a primordial and natural energy, as if it were something he was meant to be. This was an elevation at the fundamental level.

Seeing the surprised looks on his master's and several senior uncles' faces, Chen Qing smiled and said, "Where would there be so many opportunities? I've always stayed in the dojo and have never gone out."

"Then what's going on with you...?" Laozi asked curiously. He couldn't help but feel a little frustrated that even he, as the master, couldn't understand what was happening to his own disciple.

Chen Qing then recounted how he used the Qiankun Cauldron to restore the corpse of the witch to its original state in the Daoist temple.

As for the scene he witnessed through Pangu's essence blood of fighting against three thousand demons and creating the world, as well as the strange black light and the existence that even Pangu feared, he deliberately omitted it.

It's not that they don't want to talk about it, but these things are too astonishing, far beyond their current level of understanding.

Revealing the truth might cause unforeseen complications, so it's better to wait until you're strong enough before investigating.

Just think of the existence that even Pangu feared—what kind of powerful force was that? He didn't want to provoke that kind of trouble right now.

Even so, Chen Qing's words still surprised the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa—they never expected that this kid could come up with such a cultivation method.

The origins of both the Lich and Demon races do indeed contain a great deal of Daoist wisdom, so it's reasonable for their cultivation levels to have improved. This kid is truly full of ingenious ideas, which is really gratifying.

Seeing that the people at the head of the table still wanted to press for more information, Chen Qing didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer. He had already said what needed to be said, and further discussion would be pointless. He immediately asked, "May I ask why Master summoned me here?"

Upon hearing this, Laozi solemnly replied, "This time it is still for the sake of the human race. With the retreat of the witches and demons, the human race should prosper. Only when there are three sovereigns and five emperors to govern the world can the human race achieve prosperity."

Chen Qing nodded. No wonder even Nuwa was present—Nuwa was the Holy Mother of Humanity, and the matters of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors naturally needed to be discussed with her. And as the eldest disciple of the Three Pure Ones and the Holy Teacher of Humanity, he naturally had to participate as well.

Sure enough, just as Chen Qing was thinking, the Supreme Lord Yuanshi spoke up: "The reason I summoned you here today is not only to discuss this matter, but also to give you full authority over it. All disciples of the three sects will be under your command. From this day forward, you will be the Vice Leader of my Chan Sect."

Chen Qing stared in astonishment at Yuan Shi above. This position of Deputy Leader was no ordinary position; he was the number one person below the Leader!

Although Chen Qing is recognized as the senior disciple of the three sects, he is ultimately a disciple of the Human Sect. Now that Yuanshi has proposed to make him the vice leader of the Chan Sect, this is a significant leap, not only in terms of status but also in terms of sharing the Chan Sect's fortune.

Just think about the legendary position of the Daoist Ran Deng in the previous life, and you'll know the weight of this sect leader. Even Guang Chengzi, the eldest disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, had to bow respectfully to Ran Deng. The powerful beings in the prehistoric world also treated him with great courtesy. The benefits of this go far beyond just saving face.

Chen Qing hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously looked at his master, Laozi, sitting at the head of the table.

Taiqing Laozi met his gaze and smiled slightly: "There's nothing wrong with it. Although the Three Pure Ones have established their own sects, we are originally one and inseparable. This position of deputy leader of the Human Sect is also yours."

As soon as Laozi finished speaking, Tongtian took over the conversation: "I'm also handing over the position of Vice Leader of the Jie Sect to you. Although Duobao is not bad, he's still a little lacking."

Seeing that Chen Qing seemed to want to decline, Tongtian waved his hand and said, "Just like my senior brother said, the Three Pure Ones are one. What difference does it make whether you are a disciple of the Human Sect, or a disciple of the Chan Sect or the Jie Sect?"

Besides, you've always done a great job as the senior disciple. We're just giving you the title of vice-leader, not making you the leader. What are you afraid of?"

The reason why the Three Pure Ones chose this time to appoint Chen Qing as the vice leader of the three religions was not only because he was outstanding and had high prestige among his disciples, but also because of a more practical reason.

As the number of disciples increased, especially between the Chan and Jie sects, some friction inevitably arose between the disciples of the two sects.

Such rivalry and underhanded competition occur frequently, and over time, the conflicts will only deepen. Although the three sages see this, they cannot personally intervene. For a sage to get involved in such trivial matters would be beneath his dignity, and he might not be able to manage them well.

Chen Qing, however, was different. He already held extremely high prestige among the three religions and had previously established many rules. Although he could control the situation, he was ultimately "not in a legitimate position."

Now, let's just give him a formal position as vice leader, so that he can rightfully manage the disciples of the three sects. I'm sure those disciples will behave themselves much better.

Furthermore, a sage cannot constantly monitor the words and actions of his disciples; he truly needs a capable person to manage them. Looking across the three religions, who else besides Chen Qing is qualified?

Yuanshi's eldest disciple, Guangchengzi, lacked both sufficient cultivation and prestige to command respect.

Tongtian's eldest disciple, Duobao, is indeed a good man, but he is, after all, the senior disciple of the Jie Sect. Letting him manage the affairs of the Chan Sect would inevitably intensify the conflict between the two sects.

Chen Qing was the most suitable candidate. He was the eldest disciple of the Three Pure Ones, and his prestige among the three sects was unmatched. The disciples both respected and feared their senior brother.

He had been doing these things before; now it's just a matter of giving him a more legitimate title.

Seeing that the three sages were in agreement, Chen Qing could no longer refuse and could only reluctantly agree. Managing disciples was a headache just thinking about it.

And so, Chen Qing became the deputy leader of the three religions without even realizing it.

Thus, his status in the primordial world can be described as the number one person below the sages—previously it was only his combat power, but now his status has also been solidified.

Nuwa, who was standing to the side, had been in a state of surprise ever since Yuanshi spoke, and only came to her senses when Chen Qing fully accepted the appointment.

Although she was somewhat surprised by Sanqing's actions, she could understand them when she looked at Chen Qing below.

Such an outstanding disciple deserves the highest possible treatment. If she had such a disciple, how could the demon race have fallen to its current state?

Seeing that Chen Qing had agreed, the Three Pure Ones said no more. They had witnessed Chen Qing's abilities firsthand; he had established rules on Kunlun Mountain and later helped the Jie Sect divide into inner and outer sects and establish an assessment system, all with excellent results. Now, entrusting these matters to him, the three of them were at ease.