Primordial Era: Starting with the Immortals of the Jie Sect to Prove the Dao of Hunyuan

Chapter 80 Promises of Merit, Lao Tzu's Arrangements

"Disciple Xuanqiong greets Grandmaster Uncle!"

Li Qing felt that Lao Tzu's words seemed to carry some special meaning, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Laozi waved his sleeve and helped Li Qing up: "No need for formalities, please sit down. Jinjiao and Yinjiao, please serve tea."

Li Qing sat down on the futon, drank some tea, and then heard Laozi say, "I already know about your mention of the Five Immortals in the Zhou Tian at Wuzhuang Temple. You did a good job."

Since Zhen Yuanzi has bestowed two-tenths of his virtue upon you as an Earth Immortal, I, as your senior brother, will not take advantage of you. When the time is right, I will establish the Heavenly Immortal Path and also bestow two-tenths of my virtue upon you.

"You have designs on things involving gods and spirits; I have already determined in the river of fate that they are yours, and no one else can take them from you, so don't be impatient."

"Thank you very much, Master Uncle."

Li Qing was overjoyed. Laozi had given him 20% of the merit of the Heavenly Immortal path, which was also an acknowledgment of his status in the Heavenly Immortal path.

In the future, when the primordial spiritual energy recedes and the human race becomes the largest race, he will also be able to share a lot of fortune as he cultivates the Great Dao of Celestial Immortals!

Having achieved one goal, one naturally desires another. Of the five immortals of the Zhou Tian he proposed, four already possessed the fortunes of the heavens. Li Qing couldn't help but think of getting involved in the path of the human immortals as well, to complete the cycle.

Lao Tzu glanced at Li Qing from his cloud bed above with a half-smile, fully aware of his thoughts, but not intending to say it outright.

"Xuanqiong, what brings you to my Shouyang Mountain today?"

"I have come here with some questions that I would like to ask my senior uncle."

Seeing that Laozi had brought up serious matters, Li Qing stopped daydreaming and quickly said, "The Goddess Nuwa has assigned me a task, asking me to go and bring the human race into the Mountain and River Map to deal with the great calamity."

"Your Highness is the leader of the Human Sect. Do you have any instructions or guidance for me?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Du, who was standing to the side, was greatly alarmed.

"What great calamity could it be that even the sage Nuwa could not resolve, and that she had to lead the human race into the Mountain and River Map for refuge?"

Li Qing glanced at Laozi, who said, "The will of Heaven is immutable, but there is some room for maneuver. We saints are too large; if we were to intervene, it would only bring more intense danger. That's why Junior Sister Nuwa asked you to carry out this task."

A Tai Chi symbol hangs in the sky, and the Yin and Yang energies slowly rotate, enveloping Shouyang Mountain.

"Xuandu, if your question is answered, you will soon be entering the tribulation. Do you want to hear this? You are currently only at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, not yet at the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. After entering the tribulation, the danger will be even greater. You should think twice before you act."

"This disciple is also of human origin, raised by the Xuan tribe. How can I stand idly by? Even if it means facing calamity, I will not hesitate!"

Xuan didn't hesitate at all and spoke directly.

Laozi nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Xuandu's choice. Whether Xuandu chose to enter the tribulation or not, he had enough confidence to back him up.

"Di Jun has gone to Nuwa Palace and will soon come to Shouyang Mountain. The demon race has discovered that weapons made from human flesh and blood can be used to break through the physical defenses of the witch race, so they are going to slaughter humans in preparation for the final battle between the witch and the demon race."

If the demon race makes a move, the witch race will surely follow suit, and they will likely also devise a way to exploit the human race.

Now the Witch Clan rules the land, and the Demon Clan rules the heavens. If the two clans join forces to attack the Human Race, it will naturally be a catastrophe.

Upon hearing this, Xuandu turned ashen-faced.

If only one race takes action, then the other can provide protection. But if two races fight, how can the human race escape unscathed unless a sage intervenes?

However, the conversation between Li Qing and Laozi earlier had made it clear to Xuan that the Sage could not possibly make a move!

"I humbly request that Master permit me to travel to the ancestral land of the human race and inform the human leader of this matter!"

Xuan didn't ask why the sage wasn't taking action; he simply asked Laozi to allow him to leave the mountain.

"Foolish child, if it were that simple, why would Nuwa have gone to such lengths to have Xuanqiong intervene!"

Laozi sighed, but did not reprimand Xuandu.

When he saw the secret of heaven, a surge of anger rose in his heart. The primordial world was transformed from Pangu's body, so that all creatures could compete freely under the frosty sky.

Humans are born similar to Pangu. After Laozi established the religion of humanity and became a saint, he also had a heart to protect the human race. However, there is still the Heavenly Way above the saint, and there is the lesson of Nuwa.

Later, Lao Tzu realized something: prosperity inevitably declines, things reach their extremes and then reverse, and adversity leads to prosperity. This is the operation of the Way of Heaven, the inevitable result of understanding the Way of Change, and also his attempt to break free from the cycle of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness. If a sage dares to obstruct the Way of Heaven, the Way of Heaven will inevitably take action to suppress him, which is why he did not take direct action.

But Lao Tzu also made preparations for the catastrophe of humankind. He turned his light to Li Qing and said, "Heavenly Dao will forcibly shorten the maturation time of the human system by sacrificing countless human lives, and will also use this to send the Wu and Wu tribes to dust. This is the general trend, and we sages cannot change it."

Xuandu looked sad and then looked at Laozi.

"When I sensed this, I added a rule to the grand scheme of things: during the great calamity, anyone who recites my name in their heart or mouth will be unharmed by weapons and have their supernatural powers rendered ineffective. They will experience all sorts of incredible wonders and can be teleported to the Great Thousand World that the Six Sages jointly created!"

Laozi stroked his long beard and said, "Xuandu, when the great calamity of the human race occurs, you should take my supreme treasure and go to stop it. The human race is the future protagonist of the world and should not be exterminated. You were born of the human race, so even if you intervene during the calamity, it will not cause a greater disaster."

Xuandu hurriedly replied, "Disciple obeys!"

Laozi looked at Li Qing: "Xuanqiong, since you have received Nuwa's guidance, then follow her instructions. Of the five immortal destinies—Heaven, Earth, Man, God, and Ghost—you have already occupied four. If you desire the destiny of the Human Immortal, then begin from there."

"Disciple understands."

When Li Qing's previous thoughts were pointed out, he agreed without hesitation.

"Good, I will lend you the Taiji Diagram. You will then possess the will of three sages, allowing you to maximize the effectiveness of the Mountain and River Map."

Laozi nodded, took out the Taiji diagram from his sleeve, and handed it to Li Qing.

"With the prestige of a few of our sages, humanity should be able to survive by ten percent. If more than ten percent survive, Heaven will issue a warning. Xuanqiong, you must seize this opportunity."

Lao Tzu sighed. The human race has developed for so many years to reach its current size, and now it is about to return to the size it had not long after its birth!

Li Qing respectfully accepted the Taiji diagram, bowed to Laozi again, and then left Shouyang Mountain for the ancestral land of the human race.

At this moment, among the Wu tribe, the ancestral Wu Zhu Jiuyin let out a long roar, filled with joy.

"I've finally found a way to enhance the power of the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation! You demon brats, you'd better wash your necks and wait for me!"

Zhu Jiuyin emerged from the river of time, exhausted but extremely excited.

In those buried times, Zhu Jiuyin comprehended a method to refine the Dutian Mingwang Banner with endless souls and add the essence blood of the Ancestral Witches. This method can greatly enhance the power of the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation and suppress those who cultivate the Primordial Spirit Immortal Dao!