Primordial Era: Reborn Kong Xuan, Steady Cultivation

Deep inside the cave, Kong Xuan simply set up a few stone platforms and jade tables as places to entertain guests in the future, and then stopped worrying about anything else.

With a swift movement, he arrived at the center of the quiet room. As light flowed from his sleeves, the Da Hong Pao tea tree, imbued with the innate fire energy, steadily settled upon the spiritual acupoint.

He then flicked his finger, and several drops of the Three Lights Divine Water fell from the air, glistening as they landed on the roots of the tea tree.

The tea trees, whose spiritual light had dimmed due to their long separation from the earth's veins, suddenly perked up, their branches and leaves unfurling, their red hues swirling, and their dazzling radiance filling the room with warmth like spring.

Kong Xuan concentrated and performed a spell, drawing out a wisp of intense and pure innate Bing fire energy from the main trunk of the tea tree, like golden silk threads, which then disappeared into his hair.

The tea tree's spiritual light vanished, returning it to its original state of stillness.

He wasn't in a hurry. He flicked his finger and added a few more drops of the Three Lights Divine Water, then let it recover on its own.

This tea tree is naturally mystical; every ten thousand years it generates a burst of Bing fire energy that is inexhaustible, just like the growth of tea leaves—a natural cycle.

The next moment, the five needles flew out from the sleeve and landed steadily on another acupoint.

As soon as it appeared in the world, the entire cave was suddenly enveloped in a continuous stream of colorful light.

The five colors of gold, turquoise, black, crimson, and bright yellow intertwine and rotate, even overshadowing the blazing red glow of the Da Hong Pao tea trees nearby.

Upon seeing this, Kong Xuan's lips curled up slightly.

Although the innate five elements contained in this five-needle pine are not divided into yin and yang, they are crucial and indispensable for his cultivation of the Five-Colored Divine Light.

Even those who do not care about perfecting their Dao foundation and only seek quick success can directly absorb the Qi of the Five Elements to refine the Five Qi in their chest and quickly reach the Taiyi realm.

However, this method ultimately abandons the essential for the trivial, and is by no means what Kong Xuan would have chosen.

However, what is rare is that the five-needle pine is a top-grade innate spiritual root, and its pine cones can also help people comprehend the profound mysteries of the Five Elements.

The Five Elements are the foundation of the operation of all things in the primordial world. From the moment a cultivator begins to refine the Five Elements within their heart, they inevitably come into contact with this path.

Therefore, those who cultivated in the primordial world all understood some of the principles of the Five Elements, though the depth of their understanding varied.

Once one attains the sacred fruit of enlightenment, comprehending the laws becomes the most important aspect of cultivation.

At that time, the already familiar Five Elements Law will surely become the Great Dao path that cultivators will study together.

This is why Kong Xuan's mind was clear and lucid.

If his five-colored divine light could overcome all five elements, in such a vast and powerful situation, it would be like a fish entering the river and sea, or a dragon returning to the clouds.

The reason why he was later hailed as "the first person after the sage" lies in this: it was not because his magical power was unparalleled in the primordial world, but because the Great Dao he upheld pointed directly to the essence of the operation of heaven and earth, and he stood precisely at the confluence of all laws.

After watering the five-needle pine with a few drops of the Three Lights Divine Water and waiting for its spiritual light to stabilize, I used magic to collect the innate five elements energy contained in the tree one by one.

As for pine cones, they are spiritual roots of this grade. It often takes tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years for them to mature in one season. Even with the nourishment of the Three Lights Divine Water, it would still take tens of thousands of years to obtain them.

After absorbing the Qi of the Five Elements, he already had the idea of ​​going into seclusion for quiet cultivation.

This breakthrough to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, along with the acquisition of the Three Lights Divine Water and the Pure World White Lotus, has taken quite some time.

At present, he needs to continue to refine the five elements in his chest, refine the innate restrictions of the newly acquired spiritual treasure, and devote himself to comprehending the mysteries of the five-colored divine light. With all these cultivations combined, this seclusion is likely not a short-term endeavor.

He might not emerge from seclusion even after the sermon at Zixiao Palace ends.

However, apart from seclusion, there is currently nothing else to do.

Without any opportunity to guide him, rashly traveling through the prehistoric world would be nothing more than a waste of time. Moreover, the most famous immortal mountains and blessed lands in the world already have their own masters, and he cannot easily venture into them at this time.

Once he made up his mind, Kong Xuan no longer hesitated.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the quiet room, the spiritual light in his sleeves subtly dimming, and the door to the cave quietly closed.

The Da Hong Pao tea trees are faintly blushing red, the five-needle pines are in a five-color swirling pattern, and the two spiritual roots form their own unique charm.

Zhitong straightened up in the spirit garden outside, glanced at the tightly closed stone door of the cave, patted the spirit soil on the corner of her clothes with her little hands, and then lowered her head to continue tending to the immortal herbs with their spreading branches and leaves.

The mountain waterfall still murmurs, the clouds still roll and swirl, and time quietly slips away during this seclusion.

……

Beyond the heavens, the Purple Cloud Palace.

Hongjun Daozu sat upright on the cloud bed, his body radiating Daoist energy, as if countless laws flickered with each breath.

His eyes were slightly lowered, his gaze flowing like an ancient, deep river, reflecting the gradually awakening primordial beings below.

His face was expressionless, neither sad nor happy, like the very essence of Heaven itself, both present before one's eyes and yet distant and unattainable.

Beside him, Haotian Tongzi stood solemnly, his expression dignified, a stark contrast to his previous agitation.

Until the last wisp of Daoist aura quietly dissipated, the radiant glow that illuminated the heavens and the auspicious colors that spread across endless time and space within the palace also faded away like the tide, leaving only a pure and tranquil emptiness that returned to its original simplicity.

In the front row, the eyes of the Three Pure Ones shimmer with a pure aura, the eyes of the Goddess Nuwa hold the vitality of creation, the face of Jieyin reveals compassion, and the eyes of Zhunti radiate wisdom.

Shortly afterward, powerful beings from all directions, including Fuxi, Kunpeng, Dijun, Taiyi, Zhenyuanzi, Hongyun, and Styx, also awoke from their profound Dao realms, their auras harmonious and their cultivation clearly having advanced significantly.

When the last listener opened his Dao Eyes, the three thousand powerful beings, without needing to speak, all rose as if in unison, straightened their robes, and bowed deeply towards the supreme cloud bed:

"Thank you, Sage, for transmitting the Dharma!"

This bow is an expression of gratitude for the profound truths of the Great Way, which illuminate the path ahead.

This bow is an expression of gratitude for the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, and for clarifying the origin of things.

This bow is an expression of gratitude for the wondrous Dharma of the Great Luo, which offers hope for liberation.

The hall was solemn, and everyone was sincere, without a single distracting thought.

After a long silence, Hongjun Daozu slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was like the first wisp of Dao sound at the beginning of chaos, clearly echoing in every inch of space and imprinted deep in the hearts of every listener:

"A new year begins, and everything is renewed."

However, as the primordial creatures have multiplied to this day, their causes and effects have become entangled, order has gradually deteriorated, and calamities have begun to brew.

When a being of great fortune, great merit, and great supernatural power is born, he will rule the primordial world, quell chaos, divide yin and yang, and maintain order, thus bringing peace to heaven and earth and to all living beings.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Daoist aura within the Purple Cloud Palace rippled slightly, like a stone stirring up a thousand waves.

All the great beings have already understood the words that the sage did not fully express.

This is the manifestation of the Heavenly Way, desiring to establish a primordial ruler and seize power over heaven and earth!

In an instant, the expressions of all living beings were revealed in every detail.

Di Jun and Tai Yi's eyes burned brightly like the sun, while Di Jiang and the other Ancestral Witches revealed their fighting spirit, clearly determined to win.

The Three Pure Ones remained calm, Lao Tzu was inactive, the Primordial One was reserved, and the All-Encompassing One was sharp-witted, as if they were observing the situation quietly.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, a barely perceptible glint flashing in their eyes.

Nuwa frowned slightly, while Fuxi remained calm, as if he were deducing the secrets of heaven.

Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun Laozu had peaceful expressions, seemingly detached from the matter.

The Styx Ancestor slightly subsided his blood aura, and the Kunpeng Ancestor's gaze was deep and unfathomable; both appeared indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with them.

However, before everyone could settle their thoughts or even have a chance to recommend themselves, Hongjun Daozu spoke again from the cloud bed. His voice was calm but carried an undeniable power of heaven and earth, making the final decision.