The Primordial Era: Starting from Being Forced to Become an Apprentice of the Three Pure Ones

"Hahaha! From this day forward, my Daoist heart is clear and unobstructed; from now on, the Great Dao is within my grasp!"

Within the landscape painting, the ghostly laughter, hoarse and almost manic, echoed repeatedly through the mountains.

The humiliation that had been building up in my heart for so long was finally released, turning into a surge of exhilarating pride.

Ever since his last encounter with Taibai in Wuyishan, during which he fled in disarray, a demon had been quietly growing within him.

His father, Guiche, with his disappointed gaze and cold rebukes, gnawed at his dignity and Dao heart day and night.

In his distorted mind, he believed that as the son of a dignified demon saint, with noble blood, he should look down on his peers and not allow an outsider to humiliate him.

Instead of standing up for him, his father boosted the morale of others. How could he swallow this insult?

Today's situation is less about settling personal scores and more about him seeking to break down and rebuild his own Daoist principles.

Only by personally slaying the source of his inner demons can he regain his pride.

Looking at the torso in the distance, now devoid of limbs, the bloodlust in Gui Ke's eyes intensified.

However, just as he was feeling triumphant and completely absorbed in the illusion of victory...

A cold voice rang out close to the back of his neck, drilling into his eardrums.

"Ah, I am here."

As soon as the voice fell, a cold light flashed.

Taibai's figure emerged from the shadows in the void.

He made a fist with his right hand, and a sword light, carrying a resolute killing intent to cut through everything, slashed horizontally towards Gui Ke's waist.

Sensing all this, Guike immediately lunged forward desperately, trying to create distance and dodge the fatal backstab.

However, the sword light still grazed his neck.

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

Ghost Carving's figure suddenly froze, and then, four heads with frozen expressions were severed cleanly from the joint between his shoulders and neck.

"Ugh—!"

A belated, agonizing scream finally erupted from the mouth of the remaining head of the ghost carver, filled with agony.

Only then did the sword light slowly fade, revealing Taibai's aloof figure standing with his sword in hand.

His clothes were spotless, showing no trace of the disheveled state he had been in before when his limbs were dismembered.

The reason he held back was simply to see if the ghost carving had any other hidden cards.

Gui Ke staggered, managing to steady his mangled body. Black energy churned and flesh writhed at the severed neck.

He attempted to regenerate, but was constantly hindered by the killing energy of Geng metal contained in the sword intent, making the recovery extremely slow and painful.

"You...you're not dead?! Impossible!"

"Now do you know why even your quasi-saint father looks down on you? It's because you are too foolish."

Today, I, this humble Taoist, will teach you a principle: if you wish to kill someone, you must cut off their root.

His physical body, primordial spirit, and true soul must all be annihilated, his bones reduced to ashes, and his form and spirit scattered.

"Just when you think you've succeeded, how can you be like me, thinking you've won just because the enemy's form has disappeared? You've become so arrogant and will only leave behind future troubles. You are incredibly foolish!"

Before Taibai could finish speaking, Guike had already been driven completely mad by those heart-piercing words.

He frantically channeled his remaining magical power and mental energy to once again communicate with the landscape map.

The entire painting and its surroundings trembled violently, and the distant mountains let out their final lament.

It shattered again, transforming into countless giant rocks burning with black flames, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged forward.

However, faced with this even more violent and terrifying scene than before, Taibai's expression carried a faint hint of indifference.

His body radiated a pure, gentle glow, as warm and smooth as jade. No matter how powerful the mountains collapsed or the seas raged, they could not shake his figure or penetrate the area three feet around him.

Ghost Carving was ultimately only at the Golden Immortal level, even though he wielded a spiritual treasure like the Mountain and River Map, which contained the universe within it.

With its level of cultivation and magical power, the power it can unleash will ultimately have its limits.

This limit might be enough to crush cultivators of the same level, but it would absolutely not pose a substantial threat to Taibai.

Looking at Taibai again, nothing around him could disturb his mind.

He circulated the Five Elements Laws within his body, and his inner world resonated with them, causing his aura to rise steadily until he returned to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

"It is indeed a fine magical artifact. Unfortunately, with your strength, you are not yet able to unleash its full power."

Gui Ke stared intently at Tai Bai, whose cultivation had fully recovered, still harboring a sliver of hope:

"Impossible... This world is entirely under my control, how could you so easily recover your cultivation!"

"Even spiritual treasures have different grades. Do you really think you can completely suppress me just because you possess several innate spiritual treasures?"

As Taibai spoke, treasures such as the Pure White Lotus and the Azure Lotus Banner appeared one after another, surrounding him.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Gui Ke immediately urged the surrounding scenery to attack Tai Bai.

Taibai, however, stood on a twelve-petaled pure white lotus, wielding a Gengjin longsword, and chased after Guike.

With a few flashes of sword light, Gui Ke's body was covered in wounds, dripping with blood.

If it weren't for the continuous attacks that constantly blocked Taibai's offensive, he would have already perished.

Suddenly, Taibai stopped in mid-air, his divine sense spreading forward, and in an instant he locked onto the location of the ghost carving.

With a flick of his wrist, the Gengjin longsword flew out of his hand, emitting a clear and melodious sword cry, and chased after it at an astonishing speed.

No matter how Ren Guike dodged and weaved, the longsword followed him like a shadow, relentlessly pursuing him.

Just as he gritted his teeth, intending to ignite his own power and forcibly break free from this spiritual treasure space, the Gengjin longsword suddenly accelerated.

laugh!

The sword pierced through his chest.

Gui Ke's body stiffened, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.

As Taibai gazed at the falling figure of Guike, he felt somewhat calm, but he did not relax.

"However, it's best to nip it in the bud and do it thoroughly."

Gui Ke was, after all, the son of the demon saint Gui Che. No matter how much Gui Che disliked this son, blood ties were ultimately intertwined with cause and effect.

If this matter is not handled properly, Guiche will surely seek revenge.

Even as a disciple of a sage, Taibai knew that the old demon would never give up easily, and besides, he could not stay under the sage's protection forever.

Fortunately, the array that Ghost Carving had previously set up to conceal the secrets of heaven has now become an excellent cover.

Taibai moved swiftly and arrived before the ghost-carved body.

He raised his hand to retrieve the Gengjin longsword, and then with a clench of his right hand, the true spirit of the ghost carver emerged from the corpse.

"Fellow Daoist, spare my life! I'll have my father exchange it for a spiritual treasure. Whatever you want, even..."

Suddenly, Taibai clenched his five fingers together.

boom.

The ghostly spirit transformed into specks of ghostly light, which then completely dissipated into the void of the landscape painting, leaving not a trace behind.

As for Guike's corpse, Taibai flicked his finger and summoned Samadhi True Fire, which burned to ashes in just a few breaths.

As Gui Ke died and his Dao vanished, the restrictions he placed on the Mountain and River Map also disappeared like smoke.

With a flicker, Taibai escaped the world depicted in the painting and returned to the real world.

He had no intention of returning or destroying the landscape painting.

This is ultimately a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure, something that can only be encountered by chance and is not something that can be sought after. The small world within the picture is also quite useful.

However, with his current cultivation level, it is absolutely impossible for him to erase the quasi-saint primordial spirit imprint left by the demon saint Jiuying in the Mountain and River Map.

After a moment's hesitation, Taibai decided to place the Landscape Painting inside the Pure White Lotus to conceal its aura.