Chapter 4: First Encounter with the Primordial Wilderness

Qi set out from Cloud Dream, traveling for four thousand three hundred years; the roads he traversed were immeasurable, hundreds of millions of miles without end, yet the beings he saw were mostly ignorant, few to converse with, most though wise were far from the Dao.

Their understanding of the surrounding environment was limited; each stayed on his own mountain, yet at the mention of Mount Buzhou they all wanted to go, agreeing when calling companions, but once they left their mountain they regretted it, saying they had been too impulsive, missing their kin, and thus returned.

The one who tormented Qi the most dragged him along for a year before finally deciding, telling Qi not to go, unable to bear leaving home.

Only now did Qi realize how hard it is to find a fellow Daoist, let alone a Dao companion, and thus abandoned the idea of a third goal.

Focused on observing mountains and waters, whenever he found a beautiful scene he would descend to the clouds for a brief rest, play a passage, cultivate his sentiments; even if it didn't become a tune, he would play whatever came to mind, following his whim, and his pace became considerably faster.

Indeed, as long as one does not meddle in others' affairs and is free of desire, one can act without hesitation.

Qi also came to understand the present Primordial Wilderness: most tribes relied on their true forms in combat, fighting flesh to flesh like beasts, only a minority of tribes possessed innate divine abilities, and not every member of those tribes had them.

Spirit treasures, spirit roots, and formations were basically absent; after all this time he had seen only a single lower-grade innate spirit treasure, and that treasure allowed a tribe to have no rivals in its surroundings.

Hereupon Qi felt blessed with extraordinary fortune and remarkable luck; he therefore ceased using the World-Opening White Jade Node and the Water-Splendor Awakening World Drum, storing the World-Purifying White Lotus within his mind-spirit, revealing it only when safe, and outwardly using only the Tranquil Heart Bell.

Although slaying those giant beasts was somewhat troublesome, it amounted to nothing more than an extra strike of Pure Divine Light.

If bored, he would draw some lotus-filaments from the lotus pond, twist them into fine cords, and pass the time.

Only when he saw a spirit mountain shrouded in a formation did he halt his journey.

This mountain's planar shape resembles a lotus leaf, sloping from southeast to northwest, with its east, south, and west sides steep.

The north side is gentler; its summit bears the three peaks of Jade Capital, Jade Void, and Jade Splendor, their names inscribed on the stone cliff.

A stone stele stands on the mountainside, inscribed with "Mount Shaohua".

This mountain is beautiful and abundant, its spiritual energy plentiful, the formation lying between its three peaks, bright in color.

Flocks of birds flew and sang within the formation, every bird possessing gorgeous plumage, dazzling in color.

Upon seeing this formation, Qi felt curious, not knowing its purpose.

On his forehead two eyes emerged, pupils vertical, divine light nurtured within, able to see through false appearances.

Only see spiritual light flowing within the formation, forming three-colored ribbons; the ribbons turn, stirring a vortex of spiritual qi that constantly draws in external spiritual qi, yet retains none within the formation, all being led underground.

Although this formation does not store spiritual qi, it does gather the surrounding qi in one place, making it far denser than outside; no wonder it attracted tribes to dwell here, with abundant spiritual energy and converging vital qi, indeed a fine place for propagation.

Upon closer observation, Qi realized that rather than the formation gathering qi and pouring it into the earth veins, it was the earth veins here absorbing qi; the long-term circulation of spiritual qi gave rise to this formation.

Should the earth veins ever sink, this formation might spontaneously collapse into a spiritual qi bomb; the longer the formation runs after the veins sink, the greater its destructive power upon collapse.

However, if one avoids the formation's collapse, the site will become a place of abundant spiritual qi; the greater the collapse's power, the longer and wider the resulting spiritual abundance will endure.

It is a place of intertwined blessing and calamity, depending on the owner's fortune and whether he can restrain his greed.

Qi also lost any desire to search for treasure, since the place has a master; going or not going poses no obstacle to the Dao, thus he would not stir up trouble needlessly.

He continued onward, riding the clouds.

After another fourteen hundred years, Qi encountered a ferocious beast and came to blows with it.

That ferocious beast was drawn by Qi's flute music; it appeared as a chaos-shaped yellow sack, red like cinnabar fire, with six legs and four wings, lacking any facial features.

Upon seeing Qi it charged, attempting to trample him, but Qi struck it several times with Pure Divine Light.

Its flesh was brushed away in part, yet immediately restored; the Tranquil Heart Bell had no effect on it.

The Purple Sky Divine Thunder from the Water-Splendor Awakening World Drum also could not harm him; it merely wounded him before he healed before any pursuit could follow.

The World-Opening White Jade Node had some effect; a single lash could prolong the injury for a few seconds.

That ferocious beast was the first giant beast Qi had seen capable of human speech, yet it kept repeating, "I'll eat you!"

Its tone varied, but the content remained unchanged.

After finally inflicting heavy wounds, the beast returned a few days later, enraging Qi to curse, "You foolish, fat, idiotic creature!"

After sparring like this for several decades, Qi's combat ability grew considerably, yet he was also tormented without end.

"This damned livestock, since you seek death, I shall grant it."

Qi's anger flared, he became furious, and resolved to utterly end it.

Manifesting his true form, he summoned the World-Purifying White Lotus, standing upon a platform; left hand holding the Water-Splendor Awakening World Drum, right hand gripping the World-Opening White Jade Node, a serpentine tail over two thousand zhang in length coiled around the platform.

Heaven and earth suddenly raised a black wind, a sudden rainstorm swept past, heavily striking the Water-Splendor Awakening World Drum; thunderous might shook the skies, and with heavenly support its divine power shone like a prison.

Wielding the World-Opening White Jade Node, he swung; the pure light shattered the beast's four wings into fragments, a section falling from the air, yet before it hit the ground it restored itself.

From the beast's mouth a ray of red light shot forth, aimed at Qi but blocked by the lotus platform.

Heavenly thunder rolled down; the beast suffered unbearable pain, howling, and what greeted it was not an explosion but the pure light of the World-Opening White Jade Node.

Each strike carried the power to overturn mountains and seas, leaving the beast in agony beyond words.

Since his descent into the world, Qi had never been so enraged; the beast was truly ignorant of cultivation, with thick hide and flesh, and astonishing regenerative power.

To unleash the might of a spirit treasure requires great magical power; Qi felt fatigue for the first time.

The beast several times tried to flee, but Qi refused to give up; even if he occasionally lost grip and it escaped elsewhere, within a year Qi would find it again.

Since leaving Mount Shaohua two thousand four hundred years ago, the pursuit of this monster alone has lasted over a thousand years, during which he consumed more than a hundred lotus seeds to replenish his magical power.

The beast's stature also diminished with each blow; now its height is comparable to Qi's.

It is no longer as plump as when it first appeared, having become much slimmer; one could say the White Jade Node's weight‑loss effect is excellent.

The beast no longer shouts "I'll eat you"; upon sensing Qi's aura it flees in panic, lacking even the courage to resist.

Suddenly a rift appeared in the sky, a figure wielding a spear materialized, and intuition told Qi that this person could not be matched by force.

All he did was lightly clasp his hand, and the beast shrank, captured within his palm.

"I never expected chaos to be injured by you to this extent; you do have some skill. Since I received its plea for help eight hundred years ago, I have torn through space to come here…"

Before he finished speaking, another rift split the sky—not just one, but several.

Taking advantage while the others had not yet emerged, that person thrust his spear at Qi from a distance, then tore open space and fled, not even uttering a further word.

Busy with overtime and looking at other authors' photo releases, I can currently manage only two thousand characters a day.

(End of chapter)