Primordial Era: I really don't want to be the Heavenly Emperor!

Chapter 200 The Path of Creation, A Single Sword Slash Through the Thirty-Three Heavens

On the summit of Mount Tai, Donghua sat quietly atop a twelve-petaled Pure White Lotus. He began to empty his mind, and his three corpses appeared simultaneously, displaying the power of the Three Realms. The Three Thousand Great Daos within his body began to circulate.

His entire being exuded an aura of Taoism, making him appear incomparably sacred; to onlookers, it was as if they were witnessing the Tao itself!

"The cultivation of the divine path, below the Dao Fruit, is no different from the immortal path. It involves refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, refining emptiness to unite with the Dao, and the realm of uniting with the Dao is the end point, where one begins to come into contact with the Great Dao and understand the Dao heart."

"And so, the path of the gods begins!"

The first step in the path of the gods is to become a god, but Donghua is still exploring how to become a god. The main question is what standard to use to measure a god.

Cultivation of the Dao? Fruition of the Dao? Or the Great Dao?

"The first step in the path of immortality is to condense the Dao Fruit and use it to operate one's own Great Dao. However, the path of the ancient gods has no first step. Their starting point is too high. They are born as gods and master the power of the Great Dao. Gods and Dao are one."

While Dao cultivation can measure a person's realm, it cannot be used as the starting point for the path of divinity. Dao fruit is a product of the immortal path and cannot be used as the beginning of the path of divinity acquired later in life. If Dao fruit is taken as the starting point, then the path of divinity is merely an alternative form of immortality.

"Therefore, the starting point of the divine path can only be the Great Way!"

"The essence of God is the Tao, because God and the Tao are one; cultivating God is cultivating the Tao."

"The divine is the Tao! Cultivating the divine is cultivating the Tao, cultivating the mind, and the mind is one's nature!"

"God needs divinity; when divinity manifests, the divine heart emerges, and the divine way is accomplished!"

Thinking of this, a figure began to appear in front of Donghua. It had no magic power, no Daoist aura, and was just a very weak being.

As soon as the creature appeared, it sat cross-legged in front of Donghua to cultivate, refining essence into qi, qi into spirit, spirit into emptiness, and emptiness into the Dao. And the creature did not stop cultivating here, but continued to cultivate.

A great path emerges, and one absorbs the Dao into their body, using it to communicate with heaven and earth, emanating the Dao's essence, or rather, divinity.

At this moment, the figure stopped cultivating, began to comprehend the universe and nature, and focused his divine mind.

At this moment, Donghua spoke up:

"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, and to establish a moral standard for the people!"

"This is my Dao heart, and it should also be my divine heart, which is also your divine heart!"

The figure nodded slightly after hearing this and began to absorb the Dao into his body. At this moment, the Great Dao trembled, and the three thousand Great Daos around Donghua were all absorbed into his body, condensing into a crystal clear divine heart.

"When divinity manifests, the divine heart emerges; this state is the realm of the divine heart, which is also the realm of the Dao heart."

The realm of natural perfection was merely stated by Donghua, while the figure continued his cultivation in the Dao Heart Realm.

Donghua began to contemplate the next realm!

"What is God? What is the Way? What does it mean for God and the Way to be one?"

Donghua closed his eyes slightly, sensing the natural order of heaven and earth, and after a long while said:

"In the primordial chaos, there exists a Way; the divine is one with the Way!"

"The primordial chaos gave rise to time, space, and destiny; the primordial chaos gave rise to the vast wilderness; and all things in the primordial wilderness are the Dao!"

"Mountains and rivers, flowers blooming and withering, the sun, moon, and stars, rising and setting—all these are part of the Way!"

"Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature. The manifestation of the Great Tao is called the vessel!"

"The Way follows nature, and the Way is nature itself. Nature is called the instrument, and all things in nature are instruments, and the Way is hidden in the instruments."

At this moment, Donghua opened his eyes, and golden light flowed within them, manifesting the image of the Great Dao.

"The second realm of the Divine Path is to observe the heavens and earth, and comprehend the true nature of all things; this is called seeing the heavens and earth!"

At that moment, cheers and jubilation resounded throughout the heavens and earth, reaching Donghua's primordial spirit and then transferring to the figure in front of him.

The figure automatically began cultivating, circulating its Dao heart, communicating with heaven and earth, and the three thousand Great Daos appeared.

Divine Path, Second Realm Achieved!

What is God?

Donghua asked a third question, and the answer immediately came to him.

"The spirit is the primordial spirit!"

"When inner thoughts do not arise and external ideas do not enter, one is solely in control; this is called the primordial spirit."

"Those who are aware of the spirit are thoughtful and deliberate, intelligent and not empty!"

The so-called "consciousness spirit" refers to the spirit of thought and the mental activities of a person.

The primordial spirit is the innate spiritual energy bestowed upon us at birth. It is unknowable yet vibrant and perceptible, just as the intention in one's heart is unclear when it is still.

"The spirit originates from the mind. When the mind is inactive, the nature of the primordial spirit manifests; when the mind is active, the nature of the desire spirit manifests."

"When one's temperament is exhausted, one has no beginning of perception; only when there is no perception can one apply it to affairs."

"This is the third realm of the Divine Path, the Primordial Spirit!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a primordial spirit emerged from the divine avatar. In fact, the primordial spirit had already successfully cultivated during the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage, but at that time it was only a superficial cultivation.

This time, the primordial spirit will dominate everything. The primordial spirit is the foundation of everything and controls everything, including the three thousand great Daos.

What is God?

"Gods are Heaven and Earth!"

"The path of immortal cultivation refers to this realm as the True Immortal, while the path of the divine cultivates the natural order of heaven and earth. The natural order is heaven and earth, and when heaven and earth appear, the path of the divine is achieved."

"The fourth realm of the Divine Path: The Realm of Heaven and Earth!"

The divine body rapidly condensed all things in heaven and earth, evolving into the heavens. At this moment, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged wildly into the human figure's body.

A new world has appeared!

Logically speaking, he should have already succeeded in his cultivation by now, but Donghua was still not satisfied. Since there are 108 heavens in both the immortal and demonic paths, the divine path should also have 108 heavens, totaling 324 heavens, which are equivalent to the three thousand worlds!

The human figure is merely an incarnation of the acquired deity that Donghua evolved, and it is impossible for it to support the evolution of the 108 Heavens.

At this moment, Donghua was indeed in a dilemma. He thought of many ways, but none of them seemed to work.

The evolution of the heavens is not so easy. Only the top-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, can evolve into the twenty-four heavens. To evolve the heavens out of thin air is truly extremely difficult.

However, without evolving the 108 Heavens, his divine path would not be complete, or rather, it would not match his dual paths of immortality and demonism.

This will cause an imbalance!

Donghua was caught in a dilemma. Giving up the evolution of the heavens was absolutely out of the question, but if he were to evolve the heavens, what should he do?

Donghua examined all his magical treasures, but found none of them suitable.

Several magical treasures were displayed, including the Kongtong Seal, the Pure Yang Sword, the Dragon Head Golden Staff, the Twelve-Petaled Pure World White Lotus, the Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler, the Falling Treasure Coin, the Sun and Moon Diagram, and the Hunyuan Cauldron.

However, after some deep thought, it was found that none of them were useful; there was no way to expand the power of the heavens.

"The divine path, the divine path, where does the foundation of the divine path lie?"

Thinking of this, Donghua looked up at the sky, where the Thirty-Three Heavens of Heaven were located, the origin of the divine path.

Whether it's the star field or the celestial realm, both are the strongholds of the divine path, in the past, present, and future.

Donghua's eyes flickered slightly. Although he was very reluctant to do this, because it would definitely lead to a confrontation with Taiyi and the demon race.

But there was no other way; the circumstances forced him to do so. If his divine path was not perfect, then his path would also be incomplete, and how could he attain the Primordial Chaos?

"If you don't seize what Heaven offers, you will suffer the consequences!"

"As the future Heavenly Emperor, I am merely receiving a small advance payment. What right do you, Taiyi, have to disagree?"

"That belongs to the original!"

Whether it's a matter of internal persuasion or simply the logic behind it, Donghua has already decided to take action. There's no room for hesitation on the road ahead; when it's time to act, then act.

Donghua unleashed the Sun and Moon Diagram, which gradually rose into the sky, transforming into a celestial canopy that drew upon the sun, moon, and stars. Endless stellar power slowly descended, enveloping the divine avatar.

The divine incarnation began cultivation, condensing the divine realms.

Donghua was not idle either, because the demon race would find out sooner or later that such a large-scale movement of the stars was happening. It would be better to take advantage of the situation and absorb a portion of the primordial power of the heavens to refine it into the power of all heavens.

He casually grasped the spiritual treasure embryo, which was the Heavenly Emperor Sword, and slashed towards the Heavenly Realm. The three thousand Great Daos moved in unison, and the sword energy was like a dragon, instantly piercing through the thirty-three heavens.

A single sword strike pierced straight to the heavens, and boundless primordial power of the heavens descended, slowly settling upon the divine incarnation.

At this moment, countless heavens instantly formed within the divine body, and the pure power of the divine heavens shook Mount Tai.

But not long after, the power of the stars and the power of the heavens stopped descending, and all the demon star gods in the sky exerted their power and mobilized the stars.

Holding the Chaos Bell, Donghuang Taiyi suppressed the Heavenly Realm with a single stroke, then slowly turned his gaze to Donghua atop Mount Tai.

Their eyes met, and they remained silent for a long time, seemingly with a thousand words to say and a lot of hatred between them, yet both remained calm.

There was no cursing, no mockery!

"Long time no see, Donghuang Taiyi. No, it's not quite right to call you Donghuang now. You should be called Demon Emperor Taiyi."

Taiyi said calmly, "It's just a title. It all comes down to strength. Whether it's the Heavenly Emperor or the Demon Emperor, it all depends on strength."

Donghua nodded, then shook his head, and slowly said, "Strength is certainly important, but without virtue, one can never become the Heavenly Emperor."

"Taiyi, this is the difference between you and me, and it's also the reason why you and Dijun can never become the Heavenly Emperor."

Taiyi neither refuted nor got angry, but simply said, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together!"

Donghua didn't say much, because it was pointless. Everyone's path is different, so how could he easily persuade others?

They then stepped up, reaching the celestial realm, and stood opposite Taiyi. The two looked at each other, but neither made the first move.

"It seems like we haven't had a proper conversation since we met. How about we sit down and play a game?"

Taiyi did not refuse. With a wave of his right hand, a divine platform appeared, and he then sat on it.

Donghua glanced at it and thought, "The Heavenly Court is still quite wealthy when it comes to low-grade innate spiritual treasures!"

Taiyi waved his hands, and a chessboard appeared. The power of the Great Dao condensed, and a black chess piece was placed, which was the center position.

Seeing this, Donghua didn't rush to play chess. Instead, he took out a Da Hong Pao tea and a tea set, and calmly brewed the tea.

Before long, the aroma of Da Hong Pao tea filled the sky, exuding a Taoist charm that refreshed the mind and spirit, immersing one in the profound understanding of the Great Tao.

A cup of tea was offered, and it was said, "Try it. This is something I obtained from a primordial spiritual root. It tastes very good, and I quite like it!"

Taiyi didn't hesitate or worry about whether it was poisoned. He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

He couldn't help but nod and say, "Good stuff, good tea, not bad!"

"Do you like it? If you do, I'll give you some, but not too much."

After Donghua finished speaking, he casually waved his hand, and a jade jar landed in front of Taiyi, who then took it, opened it, and smelled it.

"It is impolite not to reciprocate. This is a Star Fruit from the Star Tree in the Star Domain. You can try it; it tastes sweet."

"This is a fine wine brewed in my celestial realm, which I greatly admire. I hereby give you two jars!"

Taiyi took out three fruits and two jars of fine wine and handed them to Donghua, looking quite proud and confident in his gift.

Donghua took a look at the Star Fruit and immediately understood its effect. He didn't care and casually put it away, since even the most powerful fruit was useless to someone of his level.

Instead, he was quite interested in the Qiongjiang Yuye wine, since it was very famous in later generations. So he opened a jar and asked about it.

A refreshing aroma wafted over, prompting Donghua to take a sip without chuckling.

"Fine wine, fine wine! It truly deserves the name of a divine nectar, it is worthy of it!"

"But you're too stingy. What can two jars even be enough to drink? Bring more, bring more, the more the better."

Taiyi didn't say anything more, and took out ten more jars and placed them in front of Donghua.

Donghua happily accepted it and put it into his inner world!

……

P.S.: I really want to write about Taiyi and Donghua; they're so similar and have so many things in common. Please give me some monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)