Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

"You little thief! You can't escape!"

The roar of the burly man came from above the crack, and the sound wave shook the cave, causing the rocks to fall down in a rustling sound.

Lu Chen's face turned pale.

The protective shield of the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner was already riddled with cracks; it would definitely not withstand another attack. He was now a True Immortal, while his opponent was a Great Luo Immortal; the difference in their realms was like an insurmountable chasm.

The only way to survive is this Qiankun Cave before us!

He rushed to the stone gate and looked at the words on the stone tablet next to it:

[To enter my cave, you must answer three questions.]

Question 1: What is the Tao?

Second question: What is treasure?

[Three Questions: What is a Calamity?]

Lu Chen's lips twitched.

What kind of time is this to be having philosophical quizzes?! But there's no way around it, the stone gate is a solid whole, without any mechanisms, so it's obvious that only answering the questions correctly can open it.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"What is the Dao?"—This question is too broad. In the primordial world, the standard answer would be something like "the Dao of Heaven" or "the Great Dao." But the Ancestor Qiankun, as the reincarnation of a Chaos Demon God, perished in the struggle between the Dao and the Demon God; his "Dao" is probably…

Lu Chen recalled the law of power contained in the axe handle fragments; it was the Dao of Pangu, where one force could break all laws.

Then I recalled what Hongjun said: "The Way of Heaven is fifty, but one of them is hidden away."

Thinking back to his own black brick-like self, he resorted to surprise attacks, robbed treasures, and acted unpredictably...

His mind raced, and he replied in a deep voice, "My path is to walk my own way and seize... cough cough, seize the opportunities that are rightfully mine!"

The stone gate did not respond.

Oh no, I answered wrong? Lu Chen broke out in a cold sweat.

But three breaths later, the stone gate trembled slightly, and the first line of text lit up—Passed?!

"I see!" Lu Chen exclaimed in realization. "What the Ancestor of Qiankun wants isn't a standard answer, but the respondent's true heart!"

His confidence soared, and he turned to the second question.

"What is treasure?"

"This question is easy." Lu Chen blurted out, "Anything useful to me is a treasure!"

The stone gate shook again, and the second line of text lit up.

As expected! What kind of innate treasures hasn't the Ancestor Qiankun seen? What he cares about is not the treasure itself, but the attitude of its owner.

The third question: "What is a calamity?"

Looking at the approaching killing intent emanating from the crack above his head, Lu Chen smiled bitterly and said, "Is this... what I look like now?"

The moment the words fell—

"Boom!"

The stone door slid open to both sides, revealing the interior.

Lu Chen didn't have time to look closely before plunging inside.

Almost simultaneously, the burly man rushed into the cave and slammed his palm against the stone door that had just closed.

"Bang!"

The stone gate remained unmoved, and the force of the recoil pushed the burly man back three steps.

"The Qiankun Restriction?!" The burly man's face turned grim. "That little thief actually managed to open the Qiankun Ancestor's cave..."

He tried attacking several times, but found he couldn't break through the stone gate's defenses at all. He could only grit his teeth in frustration: "I'll stay here and guard it! I refuse to believe you'll never come out!"

Inside the cave.

Lu Chen slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

He was so close, so very close, to losing his life.

He looked around and found himself in a simple stone chamber, about a hundred feet in circumference. In the center was a stone table, on which were placed three items:

An ancient scroll, radiating spatial fluctuations;

A bottle of three-colored divine water, with a shimmering halo;

A jade slip, inscribed with ancient Daoist script.

Beside the stone table was a pile of miscellaneous items: ores, spiritual herbs, and fragments of magical artifacts, which were obviously casually placed there by the Ancestor of Qiankun.

"The Universe Diagram! The Three Lights Divine Water!" Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

He first picked up the scroll and probed into it with his divine sense.

【Qiankun Diagram (Innate Spiritual Treasure)】

[It contains a microcosm, capable of containing all things, trapping enemies, and accelerating time (up to 1:10)]

[Note: Requires the magical power of a Golden Immortal to initially activate.]

"A spatial treasure with its own miniature world! It can even accelerate time!" Lu Chen's heart raced.

This is practically a tailor-made development artifact! If you can't win a fight, you can hide inside; if you're short on time, you can accelerate your cultivation; and if you steal a treasure, you'll have a place to hide it!

He bit his fingertip and dripped his blood to acknowledge the master.

The Qiankun Diagram transformed into a stream of light and merged into his dantian, floating alongside the black brick. Although it could only exert a rudimentary power for now, it was enough to serve as a storage magic item.

Next was that bottle of Three Lights Divine Water.

【Three Lights Divine Water (Innate Divine Object)】

Sunlight-infused water erodes blood, essence, bones, and flesh; moonlight-infused water corrodes the primordial spirit and soul; starlight-infused water dissolves true consciousness and awareness.

When these three are combined, they become the most powerful healing medicine in the primordial world, capable of restoring flesh to bones and reviving the dead.

"It's a perfect combination of offense and defense!" Lu Chen carefully put it away.

Finally, there was the jade slip.

Divine sense reading revealed information left by the Ancestor of Heaven and Earth:

Those who come later, having entered my household, are destined to be here.

This map and this water are a gift to you. The jade slip contains an engraving of a primordial map and the secrets of the treasure troves of the three races. Make good use of it.

I have a past connection with Hongjun. If you encounter any difficulties, you may mention my name and receive his assistance.

[Note: The cave dwelling will self-destruct in three years. Take care of yourself.]

That's all for now.

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

The primordial map in the jade slip was ten times more detailed than the jade piece he had before! It not only showed the locations of the three races' treasure vaults, but also clearly marked the weaknesses of the guards and the loopholes in the restrictions!

More importantly, the phrase "having a past relationship with Hongjun" is like having another protective charm!

"Thank you, Ancestor Qiankun!" Lu Chen bowed respectfully.

With these, he could boldly move forward with his plan.

He first collected all the miscellaneous items in the stone chamber into the Qiankun Diagram. Although most of them were scraps, scraps from the early primordial era would be treasures in later generations.

Next, he took out the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and began to refine it with all his might.

The Qiankun Cave was rich in spiritual energy, and with the aid of the Three Lights Divine Water, the refining speed was several times faster.

three days later.

The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner was completely refined, transforming into a beam of yellow light that merged into his primordial spirit. With a thought, Lu Chen unleashed a yellow light shield, its defensive power more than three times stronger than before!

"Even if that great Luo comes again now, I can withstand a few more blows."

He persevered and began to decipher the information in the jade slip.

The main focus, of course, is the treasure trove of the three races.

The Dragon Clan's treasure trove is located in the eye of the East Sea, protected by an innate restriction left by the Ancestral Dragon, making it difficult for those without dragon blood to enter. However, the jade slip notes a loophole: every three hundred years, the restriction in the eye of the sea will experience a three-breath weakening period due to tidal fluctuations.

"Three hundred years... we can't wait that long."

The Phoenix Clan's treasure trove lies deep within the Undying Volcano, guarded by the Nirvana Divine Fire, which incinerates anyone not of Phoenix bloodline who approaches. The loophole is that on the night of each full moon, the Nirvana Divine Fire briefly extinguishes to nurture the Phoenix eggs.

"This can be done."

He'd already been to the Qilin Clan's treasure trove. Although he only took 30%, he got the most important item, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, so it wasn't a loss.

"Next target: the Dragon Treasury! But before we get there, we need to increase our strength."

Lu Chen looked at the Qiankun Diagram.

This magical artifact possesses its own miniature world, with a time flow rate adjustable up to 1:10. One year outside is equivalent to ten years inside!

Although accelerating consumes a lot of spiritual energy, he has the Three Lights Divine Water, which can convert spiritual energy.

"Seclusion!"

He flashed into the inner world of the Qiankun Diagram.

This is a desolate space, only ten miles in diameter, with a hazy gray sky and black soil on the ground. In the center is a spiritual spring—he brought in the entire three-colored spiritual spring from the outside world.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged beside the spiritual spring and took out the axe handle fragment.

He still has 90% of his virtue remaining, enough for him to break through to the peak of True Immortal, or even touch the threshold of Golden Immortal.

"start!"

Golden light of merit flowed throughout his body, and combined with the abundant spiritual energy transformed from the Three Lights Divine Water, his cultivation began to grow rapidly.

True Immortal Early Stage → True Immortal Middle Stage → True Immortal Late Stage → True Immortal Peak!

In just six months (18 days in the outside world), he broke through three minor realms!

But he got stuck when he reached the peak of True Immortal.

To become a Golden Immortal, one needs to condense the five vital energies within one's chest and gather them at the crown of the head. This is a qualitative leap that cannot be achieved through mere accumulation of merit; it requires a special opportunity or sudden enlightenment.

"Looks like I need to go out and look for opportunities."

Lu Chen wasn't greedy. Although a peak True Immortal was still at the bottom in the prehistoric world, with the Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag and the Black Brick in hand, he should have no problem killing an early Golden Immortal.

He left the Qiankun Diagram and returned to the stone chamber.

Calculating the time, a month has passed in the outside world, and the cave has two years and eleven months left to self-destruct.

"It's time to go out... Hopefully, that Great Luo has already left."

Lu Chen adjusted himself to his best condition, protected by the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, and carefully opened the stone door with the black brick in his hand.

"Buzz—"

The stone door slid open.

The cave was empty, with only a pool of water shimmering with three colors.

"Are they really gone?" Lu Chen didn't dare to be careless, so he concealed his aura and moved close to the stone wall.

A sweep of divine sense revealed no trace of a Great Luo Immortal.

He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

At the bottom of the pool, something seemed to be glowing.

Lu Chen dived into the pool and discovered a palm-sized scale embedded at the bottom—a dragon scale! Moreover, it was the reverse scale of a nine-clawed golden dragon!

"This is... left behind by the golden dragon that fought the Qilin before?"

The reverse scale is a dragon's vital point, and also the essence of its entire body. Although this reverse scale is damaged, the true dragon blood it contains is enough for him to condense the "metal energy" among the five elements in his chest!

"I've searched high and low, but it's right here!"

Lu Chen excitedly sheathed his rebellious tongue and had just climbed out of the pool—

"boom!"

A figure fell from the sky and crashed into the center of the cave.

It wasn't that big, strong man.

Instead, it was a Qilin covered in blood! It was only a little over ten feet in size, obviously using a shrinking technique, but its aura was that of a mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal, even stronger than the previous guard!

Even more terrifying, a dragon spear was stuck in its chest, the shaft piercing its heart, and its life force was rapidly slipping away.

The Qilin staggered to the edge of the pool, took out a jade bottle, and wanted to collect the Three Lights Divine Water to heal itself.

But as soon as he raised his hand, he froze.

It saw Lu Chen.

The air freezes.

Lu Chen suffered cardiac arrest.

Although this Qilin is severely injured and on the verge of death, its final counterattack will definitely be able to take him down.

"Senior..." Lu Chen forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

The Qilin stared intently at him, then glanced at the Reverse Scale in his hand, its eyes flashing with realization, anger, and finally, resolve.

"Young human... your presence here is an opportunity." The Qilin's voice was hoarse, each word spitting blood. "I am the Third Elder of the Qilin Clan... a dying man, I have a matter to entrust to you."

Lu Chen: "???"

This isn't how it's going to unfold! Shouldn't it be a sudden murder according to the usual tropes?

"Please speak, senior," he said cautiously.

"Give this...to our clan leader..." With its last strength, the Qilin spat out a blood-stained jade talisman. "Tell them...that the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan have secretly allied to destroy the Qilin...beware...of internal traitors..."

Before the words were finished, the divine light in the Qilin's eyes dissipated, and its life force was extinguished.

The corpse fell to the ground and transformed into the true form of a ten-zhang-long Qilin.

Lu Chen stood there stunned for a while before daring to step forward.

He picked up the jade talisman and probed it with his divine sense—it contained evidence of a secret alliance between the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan, as well as a list of several suspicious individuals within the Qilin Clan.

"This...is a hot potato."

Lu Chen smiled wryly.

Should he hand it over to the Qilin clan chief? Going to the Qilin clan's territory now would be tantamount to suicide. But if he didn't hand it over, the consequences would fall on his shoulders.

Just as they were struggling with this decision, a dragon's roar suddenly came from above the cave!

"The Qilin has escaped into the crevice! Chase after it!"

"Its Qilin seal must be on its person, seize it!"

The auras of at least three true dragons are rapidly approaching, each one a peak Golden Immortal!

Lu Chen's expression changed drastically.

With a dead Qilin in front and pursuers behind, what kind of hellish start is this?!

His gaze swept over the Qilin corpse, and suddenly he gritted his teeth.

"Excuse me, senior... I need to borrow your identity!"

He grabbed the Qilin's corpse and rushed back to the Qiankun Cave, whereupon the stone door slammed shut.

The next second, three hundred-foot-long azure dragons rushed into the cave.

"Hmm? The aura has disappeared?"

"There are signs of a struggle here... and the scent of the Three Lights Divine Water!"

"Search! That Qilin is critically injured and on the verge of death; it must be hiding somewhere!"

Inside the cave, the dragon's might permeated the air.

Behind the stone gate, Lu Chen held his breath, looking at the blood-stained jade talisman in his hand and the small seal floating next to the Qilin corpse—the Qilin Seal (a replica), a treasure of acquired merit.

A bold plan took shape in his mind.

Three azure dragons began a frenzied attack on the cave walls, attempting to find a hidden space. Although the Qiankun Cave was concealed, the fluctuations from the large-scale attack inevitably leaked out.

In Lu Chen's hand, besides the jade talisman and the imitation Qilin seal, he also found a token in the Qilin corpse's bosom—[Qilin Clan Elder's Token - Allows free access to the ancestral treasury]!

Outside are dragon pursuers, and in hand is a hot potato, but the key to the treasure vault is also in hand. What to choose?