Chapter 256: The Primordial One Qi Emerges: Setting Off for the Huai River [5k]

Within the cloud light above his head, one could see shimmering layers where hexagrams emerged and vanished, evolving into all manner of profound and mysterious scenes.

There were flowing lights of primordial energy, dragon scripts and phoenix seals, the essence of the five spirits, banners and talismans... and so on, appearing and disappearing in cycles.

At the center, a hazy purple-green lotus flower, its petals unfurled, swayed without wind, radiating colors and a fragrance that intoxicated the senses.

Though it did not appear large, it felt incomparably majestic, as if it could fill the heavens and cover the earth, revealing a sense of ancient, undying permanence.

With a shift of his thoughts, this celestial blossom above his head began to swell, until finally, it returned to the form of the Three Flowers, floating within the auspicious clouds and causing lotus flowers to bloom and wither in the surrounding space.

At the same time, accompanied by the blooming and withering of the lotus, wondrous sounds arose, and a mysterious Dao Qi—neither smoke nor cloud—surged from the top of his head.

Rising upward, it billowed and ascended, evolving into a scene of dim, indistinct, and indescribable primordial chaos.

Primordial and compliant, encompassing all things.

Faintly, one could see a god with a dragon's head and a human body, holding a divine axe, splitting the heavens and the earth.

Once the heavens and earth were formed, it shifted shape into a human body with a dragon's tail, creating all things.

Suddenly, it transformed again into a divine dragon covering the sky, coiling around the entire heavens and earth.

In the end, all forms returned to one.

A figure standing upon a Green Lotus appeared within the chaos, rising and falling.

Existing from time immemorial, unmoved by ten thousand calamities.

"Primordial One Qi!"

After a long while, Fang Longye shifted his thoughts, withdrawing this mysterious Dao Qi, and exhaled a long breath, a strange brilliance in his eyes.

Since stepping onto the path of cultivation, in order to attain longevity and remain in the world, a cultivator must nourish essence, refine Qi, preserve the spirit, harmonize the dragon and tiger, capture the Kan and fill the Li, step by step—from Loose Immortal, to Origin Immortal, to True Immortal—their lifespan growing ever longer, their divine abilities ever more vast.

Until reaching his current realm of Golden Immortal, as long as there are no other tribulations, the primordial spirit remains bright and the physical body is no longer in danger of decay, allowing one to withstand the baptism of time and exist forever.

Ascending to the heavens or diving into the earth, hiding in the abyss or shrinking the ground, escaping through the void in an instant... all sorts of divine abilities imagined by mortals are almost trivial.

Yet, all of this is still cultivation directed at tangible things.

Even though he had begun to comprehend many laws and principles since entering the Golden Immortal realm, it could not yet be considered truly stepping into metaphysical cultivation.

Only upon reaching the Taiyi Realm can one be considered to have truly stepped onto the path of metaphysical cultivation, pursuing the ultimate question of the "Great Dao."

And the reason why the merging of the Three Flowers is a critical juncture is that, after this, the essence, Qi, and spirit become one, integrating everything within the body to resonate with heaven and earth, giving birth to the Primordial One Qi.

Once this Qi emerges, the Golden Immortal realm is perfected, and the Taiyi Realm is within reach.

It can be said that if the foundation of becoming an immortal and attaining the Dao lies in the cultivation of the three elements of essence, Qi, and spirit, then the Primordial One Qi is the foundation for attaining Taiyi.

This is because this Primordial One Qi integrates everything a Golden Immortal possesses; it exists externally yet stops internally, approaches the void yet can become substantial, with Yin and Yang flowing and the Five Elements in order, all the laws one has comprehended are internalized within it, making it exceptionally profound.

It is precisely by relying on this Primordial One Qi that those who have reached the perfection of the Golden Immortal realm can enter the Dao Source Sea without worry, attempting to leave their own mark within it to attain Taiyi.

Besides this—

The Primordial One Qi also serves as a life-saving means for a perfected Golden Immortal.

When facing a perilous situation, a cultivator can entrust their True Spirit to the Primordial One Qi, cast aside everything else, and escape directly into the void.

Thus avoiding the calamity of death.

It is roughly equivalent to a low-tier version of the method where a Taiyi Realm cultivator's True Spirit escapes into the Dao Source Sea.

It sounds as if it might not be much.

But one must know that not all Golden Immortals are dual cultivators of Dharma and body like Yang Jian, Nezha, and himself.

Even for cultivators on the path of the "Heavenly Immortal," as long as they are not dual cultivators of Dharma and body, they have no effective measures against the destruction of their physical bodies before reaching the perfection of the Golden Immortal realm.

They can only escape with their primordial spirit and attempt to possess another body to start over. And this is only possible if the primordial spirit is not completely destroyed.

But with the Primordial One Qi, even if the shell is destroyed, the Dharma power is gone, the primordial spirit collapses, and the origin is exhausted, leaving only a trace of the True Spirit, it does not matter.

As long as one has made preparations externally, after escaping, one can recover quickly with the help of resources. Moreover, the fruits of cultivation previously attained will not be lost.

Because the Primordial One Qi has already preserved everything from before; it is equivalent to a "reload" with a price.

In short—

Even in the eyes of the current Fang Longye, the life-saving function of the Primordial One Qi is quite useful. Even though he himself could currently return to life as long as a single particle remained.

After all, he cannot guarantee that he will never fall into such a state.

When all is said and done, upon reaching the perfection of the Golden Immortal realm, various shortcomings have been compensated for.

Others, even if they are not dual cultivators of Dharma and body like them who can turn themselves into trillions of particles, can still achieve ordinary flesh-and-blood regeneration.

Some advantages, while still present, are no longer as vast as a chasm.

……

Shaking his head, Fang Longye cast these thoughts aside, calmed his mind, and intended to attempt to truly enter the Dao Source Sea he had already touched upon before.

On the Cloud Couch, he sat cross-legged in silence, eyes slightly closed, as the Primordial One Qi rose up, spun around, and operated along a mysterious trajectory, communicating with the void.

Following a sense of being dazed and lost in the dim void, Fang Longye realized his consciousness had already arrived within the Dao Source Sea along with the Primordial One Qi.

In a space-time impossible to describe with words, the vast ocean of the Dao was immense and boundless.

Where the Great Dao resides, Yin and Yang are obscured, cause and effect are isolated; there is no east, west, south, or north, and no universe or Five Elements.

There is only the "Dao," supreme and vast.

Through the Primordial One Qi he had cultivated, Fang Longye's consciousness plunged into this surging sea of the Dao for the first time.

Unlike the overlooking view from his previous contact, now that he was immersed within it, he felt only a vast, deep emptiness before him, unable to see any path forward at all.

He could only drift with the waves, swaying unsteadily.

He felt as if he were merely a speck of dust, devoid of presence. A single gust of wind or a crashing wave could completely annihilate him.

The sound of the tides crashing against him was so vast and mighty that it made one's scalp tingle.

This is the "Dao Source Sea," the place where the projections of all the Great Daos of the Primordial World are gathered.

All the Great Daos of the entire Primordial World, whether innate or acquired, are revealed here without exception.

Encompassing everything, with nothing left unmanifested.

Because of this, these tides are nothing else, but the product of various Great Daos intertwining.

How could he not feel terrified? He only felt that the Primordial One Qi protecting his mind was constantly being consumed as he drifted with the waves.

"Must hurry!"

Otherwise, when the Primordial One Qi could no longer keep up, he would only be able to declare that his mission had failed before success, and return empty-handed.

Wait until the next time, after the Primordial One Qi recovers, then come again! In a trance, he sensed the Aura in the dark, searching for a place suitable for him to leave his mark.

Unknowingly, he arrived at a corner.

This corner of space-time was no different from elsewhere; it was likewise a vast expanse, with the Great Dao boundless, and nothing else to be seen.

It was just that, as his thoughts stirred, he had a sense—a kind of indescribable certainty, a kind of choice from the dark.

"Right here!"

Thus, he drove his own Primordial One Qi, consuming the power within it, and lingered here.

Then, he stirred up his own Primordial One Qi, transforming it into an inconceivable size, and wrapped it around a spray in the Source Sea.

The Primordial One Qi was consumed at high speed, until finally, the depletion was near the bottom, leaving only enough power to protect his mind.

Looking at that spray again, he had only left a mark on it that was more than ten times thinner than a strand of hair.

The light was faint and glistening, no more than an inch long, seemingly there yet seemingly not.

Afterwards—

With a surge of waves, the overly depleted Primordial One Qi could no longer endure, and immediately carried his mind back to the present world.

……

Glazed jade light, golden rays leaping like rainbows.

Fang Longye sat upright on the Cloud Couch, his eyes slightly closed, surrounded by hazy Divine Light and auspicious colors, accompanied by faint, murmuring Dao sounds.

His whole person was like an ancient immortal, archaic and solemn.

Just at this moment, a soft sound was heard, like the sudden arrival of fine rain, clear and round like falling pearls, tinkling and ringing, the sound crisp, clear, and pleasing to the ear.

Fang Longye opened his eyes, his gaze deep, as if the myriad things of heaven and earth were reflected within them.

"The realm of Taiyi is not easy!"

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and came to a small window to look out; beneath the window, lotuses bloomed, the Treasure Pavilion hung with pearls, and crystalline light descended from above, gradually entering, horizontally soaking a stretch of clarity.

Stroking the Panlong Spear, which was the size of a writing brush, and feeling his Primordial One Qi, which was withered and listless from the depletion, he sighed: "Water-grinding work indeed!"

With such a thick body of power he had cultivated, after a round of depletion, he had only left such a small mark in the Dao Sea.

It was not even a hundred and eight thousand miles away from a complete mark that could truly represent himself.

"No wonder so many people are blocked at this threshold."

Fang Longye looked at the green lotuses outside the window and thought to himself: "It seems that in the future, besides not being allowed to slack off on the water-grinding work, I must still focus on how to strengthen the 'Primordial One Qi'!"

Fortunately, this time could not be considered a failure; on the contrary, it was quite successful.

He succeeded in leaving a mark in the Dao Source Sea on the first try. This was much faster than what the classics described.

Next time he enters, he can go directly to the mark he left and use the Primordial One Qi to continue imprinting on the basis of that mark. However, it was only natural that he was much faster than what the classics said, which required several attempts to succeed.

After all, he had caught a glimpse of the Dao Source Sea in advance, so naturally, it could not be measured by common sense.

"Heh—"

Picking up a Golden Flower with jade stamens condensed from spiritual energy, Fang Longye smiled lightly: "The road ahead is long and far—"

Therefore, how could he allow himself to slack off? Immediately, he returned to the Cloud Couch to sit, and operated the 'Nine Breaths Serving Qi' divine ability to recover his depleted Primordial One Qi.

By the way, he would make some preparations—now that the Golden Immortal perfection was achieved, he should also set off for the Huai River.

Three days later—outside Yang Chan's dojo at Huashan.

With a ripple in space, Fang Longye's figure appeared.

Seeing him look back, he then grew cloud light beneath his feet, rose into the air, and headed east.

……

The morning light was faint.

A great river north of the Huai River surged with sparkling water, filling the space above and below, with layers of waves dancing.

Above it, the remaining starlight was fragmented, illuminating a Demon Clan naval force, holding weapons, baring fangs and brandishing claws, looking extremely ferocious.

Yet, these Demon Clan naval soldiers were each suffused with rich Divine Dao spiritual light, peace and ferocity in one, appearing exceptionally incongruous.

In the center of the naval force, a thousand-foot-long ship was crowded, riding the wind and breaking the waves.

Looking closely, this ship had three levels, with houses made of gold and jade on top, light hanging under the eaves, and vast water-colored Divine Light suffused upon it, shining with divine brilliance, protecting all around.

Although the large ship was fast, it was steady and secure on top.

Water Ape Great Sage, or rather his Divine Dao avatar, wearing a silver crown, clad in armor, and with a Dharma sword hanging at his waist, was sitting in the room.

On the jade table, a flower branch full of small flowers was inserted obliquely into a porcelain vase, the sparse flower colors stained with water vapor, becoming even more vivid.

With this attire of his, if he were not currently eating, it would be no exaggeration to say he was about to go on an expedition.

However, since withdrawing from Chang'an City, he had encountered many attacks from immortal offerings recruited by the Han Court along the way.

Therefore, even while eating at this moment, he did not leave his armor or his blade.

"Great King!" A monkey-faced demon general, clad in armor, pushed aside the bead curtain to report: "There is no obstruction ahead, the home is still peaceful!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Water Ape Great Sage finished his meal in a leisurely manner, only then waving his hand to signal his subordinate, who was still half-kneeling, to rise.

"That's right, Great King! It must be that those immortals, seeing that they are near the Great King's dojo, dare not show their faces anymore!"

After this monkey-faced general rose respectfully, he lowered his eyes and bowed his head.

"Hmph! Rats are just rats!"

"Speaking of which—" After the Water Ape Great Sage snorted and cursed, he took the embroidered gauze towel handed over by a maid, wiped his mouth, and sneered: "If it weren't for those rats hiding their heads and showing their tails causing trouble, how could this King not have arrived home by now?"

However, while he said this, he knew clearly in his heart that this was the result of the Underworld Dragon Court of the Great Han not making a move.

Otherwise, he would not have had a good outcome.

Of course, it was precisely because he saw that the Underworld Dragon Court of the Great Han was no longer interfering in the mortal world for certain reasons that he got involved in these matters.

Amidst a sneer, having finished wiping his mouth, he changed into a silk handkerchief and meticulously wiped his hands.

The entire process looked extremely elegant, not at all like a demon god, but rather like a young master from a family of great wealth and status.

However, the meal on the table revealed his identity completely.

One could see in a plain white bowl, a golden-lacquered, head-like object split open, empty and hollow, with only Buddhist resonance lingering, revealing a sense of sorrow.

"That's enough!" Water Ape Great Sage threw down the silk handkerchief he had finished wiping his hands with and waved his hand casually: "Go down! You can be considered to have worked hard~"

After this subordinate retreated, he gestured for the maid beside him to clear the table while wearing a look of aftertaste, saying: "It has been a long time since I ate such a tender little monk~"

"Speaking of which, have those baldies of the Brahma Sect developed their influence all the way to Nanzhan Buzhou?"

"I remember last time, the moment the Brahma Sect wanted to stretch its tentacles into Nanzhan Buzhou, they were beaten back by that big group of Taoists from the Profound Sect."

Water Ape Great Sage said, realizing it only after the fact.

"Chili, where did you catch this little monk?" He turned his head to look at a woman with a face as fiery as red, and scolded: "Didn't I tell you! When hunting for blood food, do not go too far."

"With your cultivation, it is too dangerous! Be careful of being made into a fish stew by others!"

"It seems you didn't listen at all!"

Chili knelt at his feet, lifted her body, and her beautiful peach-blossom eyes blinked incessantly, saying aggrievedly: "Master, this time you have truly wronged me!"

"I have remembered all of your instructions!"

"This little monk completely bumped into me himself when I was hunting for blood food."

"So that's how it is! I thought those bald donkeys had already managed to break through the blockade of the Profound Sect and develop influence in Nanzhan Buzhou!" Water Ape Great Sage's gaze shifted, and he realized suddenly.

"So it was just a wandering monk!"

He did not worry about such matters of blood food, so he truly did not know the origin of this little monk.

"Alright, get up!"

Water Ape Great Sage was just about to comfort his little darling a few more words, when suddenly his heart felt a warning, and he shouted: "Not good!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late~ One could see waves suddenly rising all around.

Lush green Aura rose up, layer upon layer, permeating the mountain gorges on both sides, in the forest, under the stones, and in the water.

With a slight movement, they intersected and swirled, with fire from the stones emerging from the stones, fire from the wood emerging from the forest, and fire from the water emerging from the water.

Thousands of flames gathered, clustered together, connecting into a single expanse, and in an instant, burned his army of demons to nothing.

Only a few subordinates with decent cultivation who did not follow the Divine Dao were spared, and they gathered toward him one by one.

Finally, the flames hung in mid-air like a Lotus Treasure Lamp, tilting down light, but there was a streak of pale white in the halo that was shocking to the eye.

Just seeing it made one feel their spirit swaying, wishing to throw themselves into it, to shave away all their sins, seeking only transcendence in the next life.

The Three Lives Nirvana Flame is impossible to guard against.

The empty and hazy flame light fell into the hearts of the remaining few people present, different scriptures leaped out, dragging golden and bright colors, and an indescribable feeling filled the surroundings, heavy and oppressive.

"Brahma Sect!"

Water Ape Great Sage gritted his teeth and said.

Chili on the side shrank her neck. Knowing she had caused trouble, the face she had just put on, feigning tears like rain, was gone.

"And it is you, that old bald donkey, Guoshi Wang!"

"Amitabha!"

Golden lotuses bloomed, a pagoda appeared above, layers of Great Brightness Auspicious Cloud, and the sound of a Wooden Fish, as a Bodhisattva Dharma body emerged.

It was like a mountain, with the color of sandalwood gold, covering the sky and earth.

The light saved all, with the sun and moon on the body.

The intensity of the Aura on the body was unimaginable.

This Bodhisattva caught a glimpse of the object in the bowl, and could not help but give rise to the wrath of a Wisdom King, golden and brilliant, scattering all around.

"Benefactor, Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. Why did my little disciple provoke you to suffer such a disaster!"

"Hahaha!" Water Ape Great Sage laughed loudly: "So this little monk is the disciple of you old bald donkey?"

"Good! Very good!"

"Don't you of the Brahma Sect talk about karma and retribution? What is retribution, this is retribution!"

"When you suppressed and killed my sister back then, you probably didn't expect that the karma would fall upon your disciple!"

"Old bald donkey, I actually believe in the Buddhist faith a little now!"

"It's a pity that I didn't properly prepare your disciple just now, and took him directly as a side dish for my wine, what a pity!"

While gritting his teeth, he caught a glimpse of Chili's expression of realizing she had caused a great disaster, and could not help but laugh and scold: "Scared now?"

"Don't worry! This time, Master does not blame you!"

"If it were other bald donkeys, that would be one thing! But you caught the disciple of this old bald donkey!"

"You not only have no fault, but you also have merit!"

After speaking, he lifted the bowl and threw it straight toward Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva, laughing loudly: "Old bald donkey, your disciple's meat is indeed extremely tender, those who see it get a share, I will share a portion with you!"

"Amitabha!"

Even a clay figure has three parts of temper, let alone Water Ape Great Sage taking Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva's disciple to provoke him.

Even though the Brahma Sect has always pursued compassion, it does not mean they have no bottom line.

One could see Guoshi Wang Bodhisattva, after receiving the bowl, the sound of the Wooden Fish around his body became increasingly urgent. The originally kind-faced Bodhisattva appearance also gradually turned toward a wrathful Vajra.

Just as the two were at daggers drawn and about to make a move, they suddenly sensed an Aura coming, knowing that a cultivator was passing by.

Both raised their eyes to look. (End of chapter)