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

Not long after Jieyin and Zhunti returned to Mount Sumeru with Taibai and Maitreya, strange phenomena reappeared in the ancestral land of the Eastern human race.

The golden clouds of merit spread across the sky once more.

For thousands of years, he has witnessed everything about humanity.

He had seen his mother carefully chew a rare bite of minced meat and gently feed it to her young child.

I have seen a hunter with a missing arm holding a stone in one hand, silently sharpening the tip of his spear, his eyes still shining like starlight.

I have seen how, on a cold night, the tribesmen covered the sick old man with the only intact animal skin they had, while they themselves huddled under the rock wall.

On that very day, everyone in the camp turned their heads and looked at the ancient mulberry tree.

They saw a warm, gentle light emanating from the old man who sat quietly all year round.

"Only today do I realize that the path lies beneath my feet."

The young man on night watch knelt down involuntarily.

As Lao Tzu took a step, a phantom of a blue lotus appeared beneath his feet.

Next, he stood before the flint.

The original flame of humanity roared and soared into the sky, illuminating the night as if it were daytime.

"I am Taiqing Laozi, the true descendant of Pangu, and a disciple of Hongjun."

"Look at your human race, born weak, yet possessing an unbroken lineage of wisdom; though your strength is inferior to that of demons and sorcerers, you retain a benevolent and compassionate heart."

The moment Laozi finished speaking, the eastern sky was suddenly bathed in boundless purple mist.

Purple energy surged in from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, stretching for thirty thousand miles.

Wherever it goes, withered trees come back to life, stubborn rocks nod in agreement, and sweet springs gush forth from the earth.

The auspicious purple clouds rising from the east are like the legendary goddess Nuwa becoming a saint; this is a sign of divine intervention and the birth of a sage.

Throughout the primordial world, all powerful beings sensed this and were deeply moved.

In the western Mount Sumeru, Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, both their eyes filled with solemnity.

Taibai breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Taiqing had become a saint, he would no longer have to worry about being coveted by all sides for possessing such a precious treasure.

In the ancestral land of humanity, everyone left their dwellings and gathered in the open space in the center of the camp.

They didn't understand what was happening, but their blood was surging, their souls were trembling, and an intuition from the depths of their being told them:

Something is about to change forever.

Lao Tzu stood quietly beside the flint, the flickering flames tinging his plain white Taoist robe with a warm orange-red hue, casting a long, drawn-out shadow on the ground.

A wisp of pure energy rose from the top of his head.

At first it was just a thin line, but in an instant it transformed into a pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth.

Within the pillar of light, images shifted: humans rubbing wood to make fire, sparks suddenly appearing;

They build nests from trees to shelter from the wind and rain; they weave leaves into clothes to cover their bodies and keep out the cold.

Knotting ropes for record-keeping marked the beginning of civilization; polishing stone tools revealed their sharpness through honing...

Everything that humanity had struggled for flashed by in this pillar of light.

"Heaven is above, and now there is Laozi of the Great Purity, who has established a religion called Humanity."

Humanity is based on the human race, with self-reliance as its backbone and inheritance as its lifeblood.

The doctrine has three parts: first, governing by non-action; second, cultivating virtue to bear all things; and third, passing on the torch from generation to generation.

"I suppress the fate of the Human Religion with the Tai Chi diagram. Heaven bears witness!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a Taiji diagram flew out of Laozi's sleeve and slowly unfolded in mid-air.

At the same time, thunder rumbled from the heavens.

Boundless golden clouds of merit poured in from the void, directly from the crown of Taiqing's head, and his aura began to rise at an incredible speed.

Purple energy surged forth, merits poured in, and Lao Tzu's body shone with a clear and radiant light.

In the camp, Suirenshi was the first to prostrate himself in worship, his forehead touching the ground:

"Greetings, Saint!"

"Greetings, Saint!"

The leaders of Youchao, Ziyi, and other tribes then solemnly bowed down.

"Greetings, Saint!"

Thousands of people, regardless of age, knelt down in unison.

The shouts were initially scattered, but soon coalesced into a unified and vast wave of sound, echoing between the flames and the morning light.

Lao Tzu stood in the center of the pillar of light, closing his eyes to feel the transformation brought about by the infusion of merit.

I felt my primordial spirit gradually merging with the Heavenly Dao, and I felt the supreme sage status taking shape.

"Human education, established."

The three words uttered resonated with the heavens, and all paths echoed in unison.

After achieving sainthood, Lao Tzu did not leave immediately, but instead stayed in the ancestral land of the human race.

It begins to tell the story of the profound truths of heaven and earth to these newborn, indomitable beings.

On Mount Sumeru, Jieyin and Zhunti stood silently, gazing eastward.

The vast purple aura caused by Lao Tzu's ascension to sainthood had not yet completely dissipated, so the supreme holy might that pressed down on the primordial world could certainly be felt.

The sorrow on Jieyin's face deepened, and the smile that Zhunti usually wore on his lips had disappeared.

"Taiqing has already attained the Hunyuan realm, and the time left for us is becoming increasingly urgent."

All they wanted was for the West to prosper and for them to escape this barren and bitter land.

However, just as the two were still figuring out how to become saints, something strange happened again in the distant Kunlun Mountains.

From the direction of the Kunlun Mountains in the east, an even more intense roar of the heavens suddenly resounded.

Its momentum was no less than that of Lao Tzu's attainment of sainthood.

Both Jieyin and Zhunti were simultaneously shaken and looked up sharply.

All that could be seen was that Kunlun Mountain was now completely shrouded in a vast purple aura.

Within the purple aura, boundless golden clouds of merit emerged, layer upon layer, reflecting and complementing the purple aura.

Above Kunlun Mountain, two figures stood suspended in mid-air, their Daoist aura resonating strongly with everything around them.

"Heaven is above, and now Pangu, the Supreme Clarity One, sees all the myriad spirits of the primordial world, born from heaven and earth."

Struggling to survive, the path ahead is arduous and uncertain.

"With a heart full of compassion and a deep sense of urgency, I wish to establish a religion, named 'Intercept'!"

"To intercept means to seize; to seize one that has fled, to seize the last chance of life for living beings."

Our teachings are inclusive, welcoming all beings regardless of their origins or background, as long as they have a heart that yearns for the Way.

Anyone with aspirations for transcendence may enter my school, learn my great principles, and strive to break free from the shackles of confinement!

"I, Shangqing Tongtian, today establish the Jie Sect and use the Four Swords of Zhuxian to suppress the Jie Sect's destiny!"

As soon as the oath to the heavens was uttered, Yuqing Yuanshi followed closely behind, taking a step forward.

Unlike the sharp and flamboyant Tongtian aura, the primordial aura is majestic and dignified, carrying the immense authority to govern the universe:

"Heaven is above, and now there is Pangu, the Primordial Beginning of Purity, who, moved by the chaos of the primordial world and the ignorance of all living beings..."

"Without understanding the true principles of Heaven and practicing the righteous Dharma, endless fighting and entanglement of karma result. Therefore, I wish to establish a teaching, named Chan!"

"To elucidate means to clarify; to expound the ultimate principles of Heaven, to distinguish the fundamental relationships of Yin and Yang, and to promote the righteous laws of the Great Way."

Our sect selects those with exceptional innate qualities, profound blessings, and pure hearts to join our ranks, to transmit the supreme Dao, and to rectify the primordial customs!

"I, Yuqing Yuanshi, today establish the Chan Sect and use the Pangu Banner to suppress its destiny!"

At the very moment the two completed their vow to establish a sect, boundless golden clouds of merit and celestial purple energy...

It transformed into two torrents of golden light of merit, which poured into the crowns of Yuanshi and Tongtian respectively.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Two terrifying auras, capable of shaking the entire primordial world, erupted from Kunlun Mountain and swept across the eight directions.

The aura of the Primordial Beginning and the Heavenly Connection, infused with merit, broke through the natural barrier from the original Quasi-Saint who had severed the Three Corpses, and became a Saint of the Heavenly Dao.

On Mount Sumeru, Jieyin gazed at the extraordinary phenomenon of sainthood in the eastern sky and murmured to himself:

"The majesty of the Three Pure Ones upon attaining sainthood is no less than that of Nuwa in the past. I wonder when my fellow disciple and I will be able to attain this path."