Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Just as Chen Qing was about to move, he suddenly saw a streak of light flying from afar. The light swirled in mid-air, seemingly recognizing him, and then fell straight down towards him.

"Guang Chengzi pays respects to the Vice Master!" The newcomer bowed as soon as he landed; he was none other than Guang Chengzi, the eldest disciple of the Chan Sect.

Chen Qing nodded and smiled, "Junior brother, since we're not on Kunlun Mountain anymore, just call me senior brother."

Guang Chengzi hesitated for a moment, then changed his address to, "Senior Brother!"

Chen Qing smiled and asked, "Junior Brother, you seem to be in a hurry. Where are you going? Is there something urgent? Don't let me delay you."

Guang Chengzi's trip was merely a routine matter, a visit down the mountain to check on the current situation of the Lieshan clan. After all, the matter of the Earthly Emperor's merits was of great importance and could not be taken lightly. Among the three religions, not everyone was as wealthy and powerful as Chen Qing, who had so much merit he didn't know how to use it.

After finding Lieshan, he discovered that the human emperor was searching all over the mountains and fields for various herbs and plants, trying them out himself.

Guang Chengzi was completely baffled—if it were about finding rare and precious materials, rare flowers and herbs, that would be one thing, but what Lieshan Clan was looking for were clearly just ordinary flowers, plants and trees.

After Lieshan explained, Guangchengzi finally understood. He felt that this matter was indeed of great significance, so naturally he would not stop it.

Moreover, before descending the mountain, Master Yuanshi Tianzun specifically instructed: Do not interfere too much with the Human Emperor's decisions; just provide assistance when necessary.

Therefore, Guang Chengzi not only did not interfere with Lieshan's tasting of hundreds of herbs, but also secretly followed and protected him.

Today, however, Lieshan discovered a strangely colored small plant on a desolate mountain. As usual, he picked it, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. But a moment later, he was in excruciating pain in his stomach. In the blink of an eye, Lieshan's face turned ashen, he vomited black blood, and he fainted.

Guang Chengzi hurriedly stepped forward to examine it, only to find that the poison was extremely strange.

Even with his perfect Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation, he could only temporarily keep Lieshan alive, unable to completely cure the poison. Helpless, he had no choice but to rush back to Kunlun Mountain to seek help from his master.

Chen Qing listened, a look of keen interest appearing in his eyes. Guang Chengzi, as the eldest disciple of Yuanshi, naturally possessed extraordinary talent; his cultivation at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm was only a step away from the Daluo realm. The fact that even he was helpless against this poison demonstrated its ferocity and difficulty to deal with.

After Guang Chengzi finished recounting what had happened, he stared expectantly at Chen Qing. In the hearts of his fellow disciples, their eldest brother had long since become an omnipotent being, just like their master.

This is also why he stopped rushing to Kunlun Mountain when he saw Chen Qing there – with his senior brother there, what problem couldn't be solved?

Moreover, the Kunlun Mountains are far away, and it would take a long time to travel back and forth. If the Lieshan clan cannot hold on, it will be a real problem.

"Let's go check out the situation," Chen Qing said.

Led by Guang Chengzi, the two sped along and arrived at a desolate mountain.

Besides the unconscious and ashen-faced Lieshan clan member, there were more than a dozen human companions on the mountaintop.

They anxiously surrounded Lieshan, observing his condition. From their grave expressions, it was clear that Lieshan's situation was dire.

The moment Chen Qing and his companion appeared, they immediately attracted everyone's attention. Upon seeing their faces, everyone was taken aback and excitedly surrounded them.

"We pay homage to the Holy Master! We beg the Holy Master to have mercy and save our Lord!" The crowd knelt on the ground.

Chen Qing raised his hand to indicate, "You all get up first, I'll go take a look."

He walked toward Lieshan, who was lying on the bluestone, and enveloped him with his spiritual sense, revealing every detail.

Within Lieshan's body, a gray-black stream of energy was constantly circulating, disrupting his bodily functions.

Wherever the airflow passed, muscles, bones, and internal organs were all infected and became lifeless.

Fortunately, there was still a considerable amount of magical power within him, constantly repairing and restoring him, barely sustaining his life. That magical power was clearly inputted by Guang Chengzi.

After observing for a moment, a hint of anger gradually appeared on Chen Qing's face. That anger vanished in an instant, only noticed by Guang Chengzi, who occasionally turned his gaze; the others did not notice it.

Guang Chengzi was puzzled and was about to ask when he saw that his senior brother had already begun to detoxify him, so he wisely kept quiet.

A surge of powerful magical energy descended from Chen Qing's hand, invading Lieshan's body.

The gray-black aura crumbled upon contact with his powerful magic, and was almost entirely obliterated in the blink of an eye.

The only remaining clump at the heart seemed to have merged with Lieshan's heart, stubbornly refusing to separate.

However, this didn't stump Chen Qing; it would just take a little more time. He increased his magical output, carefully enveloping the wisp of air and slowly peeling it away.

Gradually, the dark gray aura was separated from the heart. It seemed to have gained some sentience, baring its fangs and claws under the pressure of the magic, making its final struggle.

Chen Qing had intended to use his magic to completely obliterate it, but at this moment he looked surprised and stopped what he was doing.

He reached out and grabbed, and saw that an extremely dense mass of gray-black energy was forcibly extracted from Lieshan's chest and firmly imprisoned in his palm.

The ball of energy struggled left and right in his hand, but could not break free. It could only make a faint hissing sound, like a dying venomous snake.

Chen Qing stared at the strange air current, his brows furrowing slightly.

Just then, a deep roar suddenly came from afar.

The ground began to tremble slightly, and a violent aura rose from the dense forest at the foot of the mountain. The aura was murky and chaotic, filled with a destructive desire, as if some terrible monster was awakening.

Guang Chengzi's expression changed, and he subconsciously stood in front of Lieshan Clan and the other humans.

The accompanying humans were also thrown into a panic. Some drew their crude weapons, while others protected the unconscious Lieshan clan.

Chen Qing raised his head, his gaze passing over the cliff, looking in the direction from which the aura was coming.

"Interesting," he murmured, casually sealing the wisp of grayish-black energy in his hand into a jade bottle and putting it into his sleeve.

A dark shadow shot up from the dense forest and landed in front of the monster. The figure was several meters tall, covered in jet-black scales, with a ferocious face and blood-red eyes staring intently at Chen Qing.

Its body was shrouded in a gray-black mist that was exactly the same as the poison, as if they were from the same source.

Guang Chengzi gasped – this monster's aura was even stronger than any quasi-saint he had ever seen! Moreover, the eerie mist surrounding it gave off an extremely ominous feeling.

"Senior Brother..." Guang Chengzi's voice was strained.

Chen Qing waved his hand, signaling him to step back. He handed the jade bottle to Guang Chengzi and said calmly, "Keep an eye on the Lieshan Clan. Leave this to me."

Guang Chengzi took the jade bottle and quickly led everyone to retreat to a distance.

The monster seemed to sense the threat emanating from Chen Qing, letting out a low growl. Its blood-red eyes held both ferocity and a hint of instinctive fear.

Chen Qing walked towards the monster step by step, his aura increasing with each step. When he stood before the monster, his aura was as imposing as a mountain, so powerful that the surrounding air seemed to distort slightly.

"You have an aura from beyond this realm," Chen Qing said coldly. "Who sent you?"

The monster didn't answer—it seemed incapable of speaking at all. It merely let out a low growl, and its entire body erupted with a surge of gray-black mist as it lunged at Chen Qing, its enormous claws tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

Chen Qing snorted coldly, and the Purple Lightning Hammer instantly appeared in his hand. He moved swiftly, advancing instead of retreating, and met the pair of sharp claws with his hammer.

"boom--"

A deafening roar echoed through the mountains. Guang Chengzi felt the ground beneath his feet tremble violently and quickly used his magic to protect the people behind him.

The monster was sent flying by the hammer blow, crashing through several giant trees and carving a deep trench in the ground.

It struggled to its feet, one of its claws already covered in blood, its scales shattered.

But Chen Qing had no intention of giving it a chance to breathe. He flashed and appeared above the monster, slamming down the purple lightning hammer once more.

The monster roared, and the gray-black mist all over its body condensed into a shield, blocking its path.

But before the berserk power contained in the purple lightning hammer, the shield was like paper, shattering instantly. The hammer's momentum did not diminish, slamming heavily into the monster's shoulder.

"Click—"

The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. Half of the monster's shoulder caved in, emitting a mournful howl. The ferocity in its eyes was finally replaced by fear, and it turned to flee.

"Trying to run?" Chen Qing's lips curled into a cold smile.

With a thought, the Qiankun Cauldron flew out from above his head, instantly enlarging, and streams of profound light descended, firmly sealing off the space within a radius of several hundred feet.

The monster crashed headfirst into the light screen, bounced back, and was left dazed and confused.

Chen Qing spun the Purple Lightning Hammer in his hand, and an extremely dense aura of lightning energy gathered on the hammer. Then, with the support of the power of the world, the power of this strike was enough to make any quasi-saint tremble with fear.

Sensing the threat of death, the monster mustered all its strength and swung its last remaining claw in a final struggle.

Chen Qing neither dodged nor evaded; the protective light of the Qiankun Cauldron firmly shielded him. The monster's claws struck the light barrier, only causing a violent ripple, but failing to break through it even slightly.

"Pfft—"

The purple lightning hammer smashed into the monster's chest, splattering black, foul blood, which was then obliterated by the lightning.

The hard scales were no match for the purple lightning hammer, and a huge charred hole was smashed through its chest.

The monster let out a desperate roar, the red light in its eyes gradually dimmed, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

Chen Qing drew the Purple Lightning Hammer, flicked the blood off it, and coldly swept his gaze toward a hidden corner in the distance.

There, two figures stood silently, witnessing the entire event. Their expressions were extremely grim.

"Senior brother, are we really not going to stop them?" one of them asked, his voice trembling. "This is an important mission entrusted to us by Master. If we get killed like this, we'll be punished when we get back."

When the word "punishment" was mentioned, he involuntarily trembled, seemingly in great fear.

The other person was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "Stop it? What can we use to stop it? Our lives? If that monster wasn't controlled by something bestowed upon us by our master, we would probably be slapped to death the moment we got close."

"That Daoist Chen Qing can so easily crush the monster. If you want to die, you can go and die yourself. I'd rather go back and accept my punishment than rush up there and seek death now."

The two exchanged a glance, then silently disappeared into the void.

Chen Qing withdrew his gaze and did not pursue them. He had already noticed the two furtive figures, but since the Lieshan clan was still in danger, he did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Besides, those two were just small fry; the real mastermind was yet to come.

The waters of this ancient land are becoming increasingly murky.

In the distance, Guang Chengzi, seeing the battle was over, quickly led his group to meet them. Looking at the enormous monster's corpse on the ground, he asked with lingering fear, "Senior Brother, what exactly was that thing?"

Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said, "It's an extraterrestrial method. Someone planted some kind of evil substance in his body, forcibly increasing his power, but also causing him to lose his mind. He's nothing more than a puppet being controlled by someone."

Guang Chengzi's expression changed: "Have those from beyond the realms already planted their pawns in the primordial world?"

Chen Qing nodded: "I'm afraid there's more than just this one place. I'll report this to my master when I get back and let him make a decision."

Guang Chengzi quickly agreed.

Chen Qing turned and walked towards Lieshan. The toxins had been cleared, and Lieshan's complexion was gradually returning to normal, his breathing becoming steady. However, he was still somewhat weak and needed to recuperate for a few days.

"Take him back and let him rest well. He will surely wake up within three days," Chen Qing instructed the humans.

The crowd expressed their deepest gratitude and escorted Lieshan down the mountain.

Guang Chengzi carefully put away the jade bottle, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Qing, and said, "Thank you for your help, Senior Brother. If I hadn't met you, I'm afraid I would have made a wasted trip to Kunlun Mountain."

Chen Qing waved his hand: "We are brothers, no need to be so polite. Now that this matter is settled, you should go back and report. I still have some things to take care of."

Guang Chengzi knew that his senior brother must have something important to do, so he didn't ask any more questions and took his leave.

Chen Qing stood alone atop the desolate mountain, gazing at the spot where the two figures had disappeared in the distance, a cold glint in his eyes.

Beyond the realm, puppet monsters, bizarre toxins, and mysterious cultivators lurking in the shadows…

The undercurrents of the primordial world were far more turbulent than he had imagined.