Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

"What kind of clay and water did you use to create the human body?" Ling Chi asked.

Nuwa was taken aback for a moment, then said, "It's just ordinary yellow soil and water!"

“That won’t do.” Ling Chi shook his head and said, “You’ve created humans before, so you should know that these people are born weak and have very short lifespans. They are born, grow old, get sick, and die very quickly. In the prehistoric world, they would simply be food for other races. Such a race would not be able to survive in the prehistoric world, nor would it be able to receive the reward of the Heavenly Dao.”

Nuwa seemed to be deep in thought.

"Try the Nine Heavens Breath Soil and the Three Lights Divine Water!" Ling Chi took out the Nine Heavens Breath Soil and the Three Lights Divine Water that he had collected over many years of traveling through the primordial world and said, "These are enough for you to create a million people."

Looking at these two extremely rare materials from the primordial world, Nuwa was deeply moved: "Brother Ling..."

"Alright." Ling Chi waved his hand. "Let's go! I'll go to Zhou Mountain with you, so we can see how much merit we can gain from creating a human this time?"

"Hmm." Nuwa nodded, and she and Ling Chi took a step forward, arriving at the foot of Zhou Mountain. Then, Nuwa used the Nine Heavens Breath Soil mixed with the Three Lights Divine Water to create one human being after another.

With the successful creation of humans from clay, Nuwa felt that her way of creation was becoming more and more perfect and that she had found the right path. Nuwa happily strode forward and created tens of thousands of human beings in one go.

But after kneading for so long, the girl was also a little tired, mainly because she had used up too much energy, which was why she felt so exhausted. Seeing this, Ling Chi said, "Ten thousand exquisite humans are enough, the rest is about right."

Nuwa knew that Ling Chi cared about her, so she smiled slightly. After thinking for a moment, she took out a gourd vine from her waist. This was the vine she had found when she came to Zhou Mountain to move to Nuwa Heaven. She sensed the birth of a spiritual treasure and went with Fuxi to find it. They found a gourd vine with seven gourds on it. Six of the gourds were about to ripen, while the last one was very shriveled and looked like it wouldn't survive.

At that time, Sanqing, Hongyun, and Dijun were also present. Nuwa then gave them six gourds. When the last gourd was about to wither, Nuwa used her saintly power to separate it. Now it is being nurtured in Nuwa Heaven to absorb spiritual energy, hoping that one day it can replenish its innate spiritual energy and become an innate spiritual treasure.

After dividing the gourds, Nuwa noticed that the gourd vines seemed to be no ordinary thing, so she put them away and used them as belts. She never expected that they would come in handy today.

Nuwa dipped a gourd vine in mud and flung it around. The splashed mud slowly transformed into human shapes, but they were far inferior to the humans created by hand.

After a million humans were born, Nuwa successfully created humans, and an incredible amount of merit descended from the sky.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Lao Tzu Becomes a Saint

The merit was divided into three parts: 65% went to Nuwa, 30% went to Lingchi, and the remaining half went to the gourd vine.

The gourd vine gained merit and instantly transformed from an ordinary 'belt' into a sacred artifact of merit. Nuwa gained merit and directly condensed a golden body of merit, from which point on, she could be said to be impervious to all evil and indestructible through countless calamities.

Ling Chi was somewhat surprised that he could obtain 30% of the merit, but considering that the Nine Heavens Breath Soil and Three Lights Divine Water he provided were rare spiritual items, it was understandable that he could obtain 30% of the merit.

Unlike Nuwa, Ling Chi didn't condense a golden body of merit; instead, he condensed a cloud of merit, intending to use it as a bed. While others sleep on beds, he sleeps on a cloud of merit, which must be incredibly comfortable.

Having absorbed all the merits of creation, Ling Chi lay comfortably on his side on the merit cloud, which was more than ten feet high. Looking at the newly born human race, he felt somewhat excited.

Billions of years have passed, and finally, in this primordial world where countless races coexisted, the human race was born.

Nuwa jumped onto the cloud of merit and sat down next to Ling Chi, saying, "Brother Ling, what should we do with these humans?"

"Humans will be the next protagonists of the world after the Lich King." Ling Chi's first words shocked Nuwa greatly. At the same time, she realized why she had gained such great merit from creating humans. She never expected that her whim would create the next protagonist of the primordial world.

But what will be the fate of the Lich and Demon races? Will it be a repeat of the struggle for supremacy among the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin races?

Seeing Nuwa's worried expression, Ling Chi put his arm around her slender waist and said, "The Wu and Yao races caused endless bloodshed in their struggle for dominance over the prehistoric world. How could Heaven allow these two tyrannical races to become the protagonists of the world? But the human race you created is different. Humans are gentle and kind by nature, and are born weak. They will understand the difficulty of survival and will not cause the same destruction to the prehistoric world as the Wu and Yao races. They are right to become the protagonists of the world."

After a pause, thinking about how modern humans dominate the earth, causing the extinction of countless species, and the measures taken to protect wild species after the fact, Ling Chi sighed softly: "At least, the human race knows how to correct its mistakes. Even if it follows in the footsteps of the witch and demon races, it is its own destruction and it has no one to blame but itself."

Nuwa looked at Ling Chi and felt that there was something hidden in her words.

"As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement; as earth's nature is receptive, a gentleman should cultivate virtue and bear all things with magnanimity. Humanity's ambition to become the protagonist of the world doesn't require our support, but rather its own efforts and struggles." Ling Chi gazed at the newly born, poorly clothed million-strong human race, a stern glint in his eyes: "Self-reliance leads to abundance. But humanity is newly born and very weak. We should protect humanity for a million years; after that, let them grow on their own!"

Nuwa nodded and summoned her mount, Jin Ning, to guard the human race for a million years, so that she could earn some merit.

Ling Chi was much more generous. He grabbed a handful of golden beans refined with the Qiankun Cauldron and transformed them into a hundred bean soldiers at the level of Great Luo Golden Immortals. Then, he had Jinlian lead the team to protect the human race.

Seeing that the bean soldiers Ling Chi had scattered were all beautiful women, Nuwa said with a hint of sourness, "Brother Ling really likes beautiful women!"

"Haha, after all, I'm a man!" Ling Chi laughed twice and said, "With them protecting the human race, you can rest assured."

Nuwa looked at these bean soldiers, all of whom were at the level of Great Luo Golden Immortals, and then at the Golden Lotus, who was at the early stage of Quasi-Saint. Her eyes flickered, and she said, "Brother Ling's ability to turn beans into soldiers is truly amazing."

"Practice makes perfect." Ling Chi called Jinlian over, gave her a few instructions, and then left the prehistoric world with Nuwa.

The matter of creating humans came to an end, but for the Three Pure Ones, it opened the door to sainthood.

……

Ever since the birth of humankind, Lao Tzu had a premonition that his own path to enlightenment lay in the human race. This greatly surprised him; he never dreamed that he, a future sage, would achieve enlightenment because of the newly born, weak human race.

Knowing that he could no longer improve through seclusion, Laozi left Kunlun Mountain and headed towards Zhou Mountain, where the human race lived.

Lao Tzu transformed into an ordinary old Taoist priest, and instead of riding the clouds or using any supernatural powers, he walked step by step toward the human race. This process lasted for ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years later, Lao Tzu came to the land inhabited by humans and silently observed them.

Through continuous observation, he discovered that although humans were weak, they were very resilient, and more importantly, they possessed innate Dao bodies, seemingly natural-born geniuses in cultivation.

What shocked Laozi even more was that the human race had only existed for ten thousand years, yet in such a primordial environment, they were able to develop so rapidly. Some humans even managed to step into the path of immortality step by step using the most ordinary breathing techniques. In particular, the three ancestors of the human race, in just ten thousand years, actually cultivated themselves into Xuanxian through their own perseverance, which was truly remarkable.

What shocked him most was that there were over a hundred young and beautiful women protecting the human race. Of course, the number of these women and their actions were not the reason for his shock. The real reason was that he discovered that these women all had the cultivation level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and the woman leading them had even reached the early stage of Quasi-Saint.

How could the human race have produced so many powerful individuals in just ten thousand years?

Filled with fear of the unknown, Lao Tzu spent several years investigating the identities of these women. He learned their identities from ordinary humans. The woman from the Phoenix Clan was the mount of the Holy Mother of Creation, who was Nuwa, a powerful being who cultivated in Zhou Mountain and the sworn sister of Emperor Xi of Heaven. However, it is said that many years ago she cultivated to become a Primordial Golden Immortal in the outer heavens, achieving sainthood beyond the control of the Heavenly Dao.

The 108 women were subordinates sent by the 'Holy Father' to protect the human race. As for the identity of this Holy Father, it was very mysterious, and even the human race itself was not very clear about it. However, the human race worshipped stone statues of the Holy Mother and the Holy Father. The Holy Mother Nuwa's appearance was very clear, but the Holy Father's appearance was very blurry and could not be seen at all.

Lao Tzu was puzzled, but he discovered that these women had no ill intentions towards him. Moreover, these women were only protecting the safety of the human race and did not participate in the development of the human race. This relieved Lao Tzu, and he continued to focus his attention on observing the human race and searching for his own path to enlightenment.

Lao Tzu traveled among the human race for many years and discovered that although the human race did not have a long lifespan, they reproduced very quickly. In just ten thousand years, the human race had exceeded one hundred million. This was even after many humans died from diseases, monsters, natural disasters, and so on. In particular, the human race's fortune was obviously much stronger than when it was first born.

The extraordinary nature of the human race deeply impressed Laozi. The longer he traveled among the human race, the more he felt that his chance to become a saint lay within them. The Primordial Purple Qi in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently, and the connection between him and his primordial spirit grew stronger. Now, all he lacked was a sudden enlightenment, an enlightenment that would allow him to prove himself and become a saint.

But such an epiphany seems to be something that can only be encountered by chance. Even though Lao Tzu understood that his chance to become a saint lay in the human race, he did not know how to seize this opportunity. He could only travel among the human race and ponder where the opportunity lay. The more he was in this situation, the less he could be anxious, and such things could not be rushed.

As Lao Tzu walked among the human race, he constantly pondered what the human race was lacking. Under the protection of those hundred or so women, the human race had already passed through the most difficult period. Now, the human race had the method of cultivating Qi, was able to hunt wild beasts and demons, and knew how to survive in this primordial world. But all of this seemed to be just the beginning.

Humanity has been exploring and progressing in its continuous development. If it wants to truly grow stronger, it must have its own path of cultivation. In the primordial world, strength is paramount. How can one truly step onto the stage of the primordial world with only some rudimentary methods of Qi cultivation? Thinking of this, Laozi realized that what humanity lacked was education.

His opportunity to become a saint was to enlighten the human race and pass on the methods of cultivation. However, Laozi also understood that although he possessed the Taiqing Immortal Method, it could only be taught to his disciples. He could not teach his Taiqing Immortal Method to the entire human race, and it might not be suitable for all humans. He needed to find another way and discover a cultivation path that suited the human race itself.

At the summit of a mountain, Lao Tzu sat there in meditation for a thousand years, deducing cultivation methods based on the physique of the human race. Slowly, a brand-new path of cultivation emerged in his mind, which would later become the renowned Golden Core Path. Once the cultivation method was perfected, a smile appeared on Lao Tzu's face, and he said to himself, "My path is complete!"

Seated cross-legged atop the mountain, Laozi was surrounded by the aura of Taiqing. A Taiqing Dharma Image appeared behind him, growing larger and larger until it transformed into a towering giant, looking down upon the land of humanity. He proclaimed loudly, "I am the head of the Three Pure Ones, the Taiqing Moral Heavenly Venerable Laozi. Having traveled among humanity for a thousand years, I have observed how difficult it is for you to attain immortality, and thus I have opened this altar to preach the Dao."

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of all things; named, it is the mother of all things. Therefore, one should always be without desire in order to observe its mystery; one should always have desire in order to observe its manifestations. These two are the same in origin but different in name; they are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all mysteries."

"When everyone in the world recognizes beauty as beauty, ugliness is already present; when everyone recognizes goodness, evil is already present. Existence and non-existence give rise to each other; difficulty and ease complement each other; long and short define each other; high and low depend on each other; sound and silence harmonize with each other; before and after follow each other—this is the constant way. Therefore, the sage dwells in non-action, practices teaching without words, lets all things arise without initiating them, acts without intending to achieve them, and succeeds without claiming credit. It is precisely because he does not claim credit that his achievements do not depart from him."

"Heaven is long-lasting, and earth is enduring. The reason why heaven and earth can be long-lasting and enduring is that they do not live for themselves, so they can live long. Therefore, the sage puts himself last and yet comes first, puts himself outside and yet survives. Is it not because he is selfless? So he can achieve his own ends."

"..."

Lao Tzu's voice resounded throughout the entire human race, captivating all who heard it. The three ancestors of the human race, Suiren, Youchao, and Ziyi, also showed joy on their faces. The names of the Three Pure Ones were renowned throughout the prehistoric world. They were the true descendants of Pangu, disciples of Hongjun, and divinely ordained sages. Now that Lao Tzu was spreading his teachings to the human race, they were naturally overjoyed.

The Golden Elixir Dao taught by Lao Tzu was absolutely a godsend for the human race. What the human race lacked most was a complete method of cultivation. The Golden Elixir Dao was extremely mysterious, yet it was also very suitable for the human race. As Lao Tzu preached the Dao, the human race cultivated the Golden Elixir Dao. The strength of the entire human race was undoubtedly greatly enhanced during this sermon, which can be described as an immense opportunity.

Of course, it wasn't just the human race that benefited; Lao Tzu was the same. As he preached about the human race, he could clearly sense that the Primordial Purple Qi in his sea of ​​consciousness was constantly merging with his primordial spirit. His aura was also rapidly increasing, just like Nuwa before she became a saint. Lao Tzu could feel the gate to becoming a Primordial Saint was opening for him.

Lao Tzu's high-profile preaching of the human race naturally attracted the attention of all parties in the prehistoric world. In particular, when they sensed the mysterious aura emanating from Lao Tzu, they couldn't help but gasp. They had only ever felt this aura from Hongjun and Nuwa. Now that Lao Tzu was also experiencing this, could it be that he was about to become a saint?

What intrigued them even more was what made the human race, created by Nuwa, so special. While Nuwa had received immense merit when she created humans, it only amazed them for a short time. After discovering the human race's extreme weakness, they ceased their interest. But now, Laozi was teaching them and was on the verge of sainthood, demonstrating that the human race was far more complex than they had imagined.

Among them, the most deeply moved were Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Daoren. Laozi left Kunlun Mountain to go to the prehistoric world to find the opportunity to become a saint. Unexpectedly, after only a little over 10,000 years, he actually found the opportunity to become a saint. What surprised them even more was that Laozi's opportunity to become a saint actually came into being in this new human race. However, what frustrated them was that they had not yet realized the source of their own opportunity to become saints.

As for Jieyin and Zhunti, the two looked eastward with bitter expressions, as if someone owed them a fortune. It's understandable; like Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Daoren, they hadn't grasped the key to sainthood. But now that Laozi was about to become a saint, he would surely enlighten Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Daoren—after all, they were three brothers. What were they to do?

Finally, there is Zhen Yuanzi. Among the six, Zhen Yuanzi is probably the most detached from worldly desires. Seeing that Laozi is about to become a saint, he is not in a hurry, as if he has long been confident in his path to sainthood.

……

Lao Tzu preached the Dao to the human race for a full forty-nine years. The Golden Elixir Dao he taught pointed directly to the Great Luo, which also raised the strength of the entire human race to a new level. With this method of cultivation, the human race would surely develop more rapidly and become stronger. When the period of preaching the Dao was over, Lao Tzu felt that his opportunity to become a saint had arrived.

As Laozi rose, he ascended to the clouds, and with a wave of his hand, the supreme innate treasure, the Taiji Diagram, appeared in his grasp. His powerful and mysterious aura soared into the heavens, and the entire human race felt immense pressure. Laozi then proclaimed, "Heaven above, I am Laozi, the Supreme Pure One of the Three Pure Ones. Now, having achieved enlightenment of the Great Dao, I establish the Human Religion to educate the human race, and I use the Taiji Diagram as the treasure to suppress the Human Religion's fortune. The Human Religion is established!"

As soon as Lao Tzu uttered these words, a tremendous golden light of merit appeared in the sky. About one-tenth of this golden light was given to the Taiji Diagram, the most precious treasure of the religion, while about nine-tenths of the golden light entered Lao Tzu's body.

Laozi immediately unleashed a powerful aura, causing all living beings in the primordial world to tremble. The nearby humans even knelt down and looked at Laozi. The primordial world was filled with celestial music, exotic fragrances, and auspicious omens.

Lao Tzu has become a saint.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Death and Dissipation

Lao Tzu established the Human Religion and became a saint. According to the general setting of prehistoric fantasy novels, this is equivalent to stealing Nuwa's fortune. After all, the human race was created by Nuwa, and the fortune of the human race belongs to Nuwa alone. However, Lao Tzu put people first and established the Human Religion, directly stealing several of the human race's fortune from Nuwa. In those prehistoric fantasy novels, the enmity between Nuwa and Lao Tzu would be considered very serious.

However, this world is different. Although Nuwa created the human race, she sensed the merit bestowed upon her by the Heavenly Dao after becoming a saint, and thus created humans to take a lot of merit. As for luck, it is very useful under the Heavenly Dao, but Nuwa is not a saint of the Heavenly Dao, so it doesn't matter whether she has it or not. Although I stole some of her human race's luck, I can just repay this favor with a few spiritual treasures later. There is no need to fall out.

After Lao Tzu became a saint, Nuwa sent him a message. The two saints discussed it and decided on a compensation plan. The compensation plan was that Lao Tzu would use the Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda of Heaven and Earth as compensation to offset this cause and effect.

The Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda is a treasure of acquired merit, a defensive treasure formed after Pangu created the world. Laozi originally took it and it became his companion spiritual treasure. However, since obtaining the Taiji Diagram, the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda has become useless. Moreover, now that Laozi has become a saint, the Exquisite Pagoda is even less useful. Exchanging a useless treasure of acquired merit for the karma of becoming a saint is worthwhile!

……

After Laozi became a saint, Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Daoren, who were in Kunlun Mountain, showed a hint of enlightenment on their faces. It was clear that they had been inspired by Laozi's establishment of a religion and his sainthood. When they had the idea of ​​establishing a religion, the primordial purple energy in their sea of ​​consciousness began to rapidly merge into their primordial spirit, which showed that their merit in establishing a religion had reached its goal.

"I am Yuanshi Tianzun, the second disciple of Hongjun Daozu, and the transformed primordial spirit of the Great God Pangu. I am the true successor of Pangu. I now establish a sect called the Chan Sect. Chan means enlightenment. We will follow the will of Heaven and the people, and elucidate the Great Dao. We will use the innate treasure, the Pangu Banner, to suppress the fortune of the Chan Sect. Those with extraordinary talents and extraordinary abilities may enter our sect and receive the true teachings of Hongjun and Pangu. The Chan Sect is established!"

"I am Tongtian Daoren, the third disciple of Hongjun Daozu, and the transformed primordial spirit of the Great God Pangu. I am the true successor of Pangu. Now I establish a sect, seizing a sliver of heavenly secrets, called the Jie Sect, to enlighten all living beings. The Four Swords of Zhuxian are the treasures that guard the sect. In the primordial world, all living beings who are destined can enter my sect. Protect yourselves, cultivate yourselves, and you can attain the Great Dao. The Jie Sect is established!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly Dao bestowed two more merits upon him. Before long, two more powerful auras of sainthood spread throughout the prehistoric world. The Three Pure Ones became saints one after another, leaving all living beings in the prehistoric world stunned.

After the Three Pure Ones attained sainthood, Jieyin and Zhunti, far away on the Western Vulture Peak, also realized the opportunity to become saints. They shouted in unison: "Today, I, Jieyin (Zhunti), will establish a religion in the West, called the Western Religion, which will guide all beings to goodness, free from suffering and worry, and become a land of ultimate bliss. We will use the innate spiritual treasure, the Golden Lotus of Merit, to suppress the fortune of the Western Religion. The Western Religion is established!"

As soon as the two finished speaking, under the influence of the Heavenly Dao, the merits of establishing the sect began to accumulate in the air. However, unlike Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian Jiaozhu, which fell down, the merits gathered in the air, as if to say that these merits were not enough for the two of them to become saints. This caused Jieyin and Zhunti to change their expressions, and their bitterness deepened.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, and immediately made their decision, continuing to shout loudly:

"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. There will be no hells, hungry ghosts, birds, beasts, or any kind of flying or crawling creatures. All sentient beings, including those in the Yama realm and the three evil realms, who come to my Buddha-land to receive my Dharma teachings, will all attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and will no longer fall into the evil realms. When I attain this vow, I will become a Buddha."

"If I do not attain Buddhahood, I will not achieve unsurpassed enlightenment. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten directions sincerely believe and rejoice, desiring to be reborn in my land, even with just ten recitations, and they are not reborn there, I will not attain enlightenment. Except for those who commit the five heinous crimes and slander the Dharma. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the ten directions generate Bodhicitta, cultivate all virtues, and sincerely vow to be reborn in my land, and at the end of their lives, I do not appear before them surrounded by a multitude, I will not attain enlightenment."

"..."

Not long after, the chanting of the sutras disappeared, and flower petals fluttered in the air, golden lotuses sprang from the ground, a golden light filled the heavens and the earth, a relic flew into the air, and the fragrance of sandalwood permeated the air. Jieyin and Zhunti made forty-eight great vows in one fell swoop, to create the Western Paradise and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, in order to save all the lost beings. The heavens responded and they finally became saints and achieved the supreme enlightenment.

Once this grand vow is made, it is equivalent to owing a debt of karma to the Heavenly Dao, which must be repaid. However, Jieyin and Zhunti have no other choice. The merit of establishing the Western Sect is at most enough for one of them to become a saint. Since the Western Sect was established by the two of them, if the merit were to be reduced, it is likely that neither of them would be able to attain sainthood. Helplessly, they can only make a grand vow to obtain more merit to become saints.

Thus, five saints were born in the primordial world in one day: Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, Tongtian Jiaozhu, Jieyin, and Zhunti all became saints. However, only Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun remained who obtained the Primordial Purple Qi but did not become saints.

However, Zhen Yuanzi has already found his path to enlightenment and is working hard to accumulate supernatural powers and magic, hoping to become stronger after becoming a saint. Hongyun, on the other hand, has been unable to find his own path, which has made him increasingly anxious. After hiding in Zhen Yuanzi's Wuzhuang Temple for so many years, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going out to seek opportunities!"

Upon hearing Hongyun's words, Zhenyuanzi frowned and said, "No..."

Zhen Yuanzi had prepared a bunch of reasons to keep Hongyun, but Hongyun's next words left him speechless: "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Hongyun was the first red cloud in the world to attain enlightenment, and clouds are characterized by their unpredictability and freedom. To protect him, Zhen Yuanzi kept him at Wuzhuang Temple, requiring him to stay close even when he occasionally went out. This worked for a short time, but over time, Hongyun could no longer endure it.