Chapter 9

The Great Dao endures, while the primordial Heavenly Dao will collapse when the boundless Great Calamity arrives; at that time, the Heavenly Dao's primordial purple qi will lose its effect.

No one knows how many years will pass before the boundless Great Calamity arrives.

"Three strands of Great Dao primordial purple qi?"

Zhu Qingyun fell silent in thought, secretly making calculations.

The Great Dao oath is highly binding; breaking it will inevitably bring its consequences, and Zhu Qingyun therefore let down his guard against the two.

Although the primordial world values individual strength, going it alone is not advisable! During the Dao-Demon struggle, if Luo Hou had not single-handedly fought four mighty experts, the outcome would still be uncertain.

As for the karma that Luo Hou shared in life and death during the previous era's decisive battle, where did it go? It must have perished before the battle.

Furthermore, after Hongjun attained sainthood, the Three Pure Ones and the two Western sages always advanced and retreated together.

Is it because their top experts are strong enough to overwhelm the primordial world that the Demon Race rules heaven and the Wu Clan rules earth? No, it's because the demon race has an emperor, three sovereigns, a demon master, and ten great demon sages comprising 365 great Luo demon gods! Likewise for the Wu Clan: it is precisely because of the twelve ancestral Wu and the many great Wu, united in breath and branch, that they can dominate the land!

Furthermore, the Heaven-ordained Six Sages!

As the creator of humanity, Nüwa ought to be the master of the human Dao, but due to her isolation and weakness, the human race's fortune was divided among the other five sages.

This is certainly due to Hongjun's scheming, but is it not also because his elder brother Fuxi failed to attain sainthood and could not offer help?

After the Three Pure Ones went their separate ways, Tongtian Jiaozhu's Jie Sect, with all its immortals paying court, became the foremost power in the primordial world; relying on the Slaughter Immortal Sword Formation, Tongtian Jiaozhu could even become the number one under Hongjun in terms of combat strength! Yet during the Fengshen Great Calamity, was he not also isolated and helpless, ending with the Jie Sect's annihilation, himself fed the Fallen Saint Pill and imprisoned in the Purple Cloud Palace? Thus, to laugh last in the primordial world, unless one can become the master of the Heavenly Dao like Hongjun, having companions who advance and retreat together is also essential!

Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun were originally destined to fall in the decisive battle of the Dao-Demon conflict.

But having crossed into the primordial world, Zhu Qingyun wants to change its predetermined fate, to alter that so-called Heaven-ordained great trend!

If the great trend truly cannot be changed, Zhu Qingyun would inevitably feel that crossing into the primordial world has lost its meaning.

Thinking this through, Zhu Qingyun took two strands of the Great Dao's primordial purple qi and offered them to Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun.

"I reckon that entrusting one's true spirit to the Great Dao requires only a single strand of primordial purple qi; since you fellow Daoists have helped me greatly and aided me in settling my karmic debts, please accept these two strands as a gift!"

Although Zhu Qingyun felt reluctant to part with such a supreme treasure, he ultimately had no use for so much, so it would be better to use it to bond with the two fellow Daoists.

Earlier, Yin-Yang had helped him several times, and Zhu Qingyun had kept that in mind.

Gazing at the primordial purple qi offered by Zhu Qingyun, the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor stood frozen in place for a long time.

He never expected Zhu Qingyun to be so generous; the immense greed almost consumed his consciousness! If he could refine the Great Dao primordial purple qi and entrust his true spirit to the Great Dao, even if Pangu were reborn and completely obliterated all his laws and traces, he could still return!

But the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor was, in his past life, one of the ten supreme Chaos demon gods; his Dao heart is not so fragile! Such immense karmic debt could not be repaid even if he sold his present self!

The blood-red hue in his eyes faded, and the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor regained his sanity! "Fellow Daoist, no! If this Great Dao primordial purple qi has no owner, I would take it, but the Myriad Heavens Island is your Daoist sanctuary; everything on the island is a gift from the Great Dao to you. If I were to accept it, I could not repay such enormous karmic consequences!"

The Yin-Yang Old Ancestor refused, saying, although his Dao heart was steadfast, his eyes could not help but fixate on the Great Dao primordial purple qi in Zhu Qingyun's hand.

"When I came into the world, nine mighty divine-ability masters gathered on Myriad Heavens Island, but in the end only you two fellow Daoists remained in the necessary place, and the Great Dao primordial purple qi happened to be three strands—surely this is not the Great Dao's guidance?"

Zhu Qingyun smiled and advised.

"Know that in the dark there is a fixed number; under the Great Dao, everything leaves traces to follow!"

"This" the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor's heart stirred slightly; his Dao heart, which should have been as firm as rock, gained a hint of wavering.

Seeing this, Zhu Qingyun added another log to the fire.

"Fellow Daoists, if you worry about karmic consequences, I can swear a Great Dao oath, wishing to become Great Dao friends with you two; from then on, our fortunes will be linked—shared honor and shared loss!"

Great Dao friends are similar to the Peach Garden Oath brothers—born on the same year, month, and day, and dying on the same year, month, and day.

But the sense of binding is far stronger than that of sworn brotherhood!

As stated before, breaking a Great Dao oath will inevitably bring its consequences!

That is to say, if the three become Great Dao friends, and supposing Zhu Qingyun perishes, while Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun, whose fortunes are linked with his, even if they had reached the pinnacle of Chaos cultivation at that time, would also suffer the Great Dao's self-destruction, dying and vanishing from the Dao!

Compared to life, even the most supreme treasures are worth nothing! Of course, if the three refine the Great Dao primordial purple qi and entrust their true spirits to the Great Dao, even if one is completely obliterated, thanks to the Great Dao's indestructibility and our own immortality, we would only suffer a major loss of fortune for a time, merely a period of weakness.

"If that's the case, then many thanks, fellow Daoist Tianyun!"

In the end, the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor could not resist this temptation.

Later, the Daoist Hongyun was exactly the one whom the Heavenly Dao granted a holy position and then let go, ultimately meeting the fate of death and disappearance from the Dao.

Moreover, this is very likely the predetermined fate under the Great Dao's operation that Zhu Qingyun spoke of! Immediately, Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun took the Great Dao primordial purple qi and, together with Zhu Qingyun, swore an oath to become Great Dao friends.

"Tianyun greets his two elder brothers!"

Zhu Qingyun felt a hint of joy inside.

From now on, someone will accompany each other on the Great Dao's path!

"Yin-Yang (Qian-Kun) greets the second younger brother (eldest brother), third younger brother!"

After the three exchanged greetings, the Yin-Yang Old Ancestor removed his Daoist robe, which transformed into a black-and-white scroll.

"This is my innate supreme treasure, the Taiji Diagram, which accompanies me; take it for now, as it will aid in comprehending the Yin-Yang Great Dao!"

"This is my innate supreme treasure, the Qiankun Cauldron, which accompanies me; third brother, take it well, and may you soon master the Qiankun Great Dao!"

The Qiankun Daoist also took off the small cauldron pendant from his chest and handed it to Zhu Qingyun.

Zhu Qingyun did not stand on ceremony with the two, and smoothly took the two innate supreme treasures into his hand.

"Third brother, study the treasures well; I will first go into seclusion with your second brother to gain insight!"

After the three's fortunes became linked, Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun were no longer rejected by the primordial world; moreover, eager to refine the Great Dao primordial purple qi and sort out their gains from discussing the Dao, they therefore planned to take their leave.

"Eldest brother, second brother, there's no need to return; my Myriad Heavens Island is filled with Daoist essences, making it an ideal place for seclusion."

"I also have this intention."

After becoming Great Dao friends, the three treated each other without distinction; thus, Yin-Yang and Qian-Kun naturally would not stand on ceremony with Zhu Qingyun.

(End of chapter)