The primordial era began with the Upper Cave Man.

A sage bestowed a treasure upon him, and this treasure immediately recognized him as its master. Yet, the sage wanted him to avert a calamity. This was truly giving him far too much credit.

"I wonder what your calamity is? Why do you need my help to resolve it?" Luo Zu asked.

The face of the ethereal and otherworldly Dongfang Qinglian Baoseqi revealed a helpless expression. He said with unspeakable bitterness, "I intend to reincarnate and cultivate again, but unfortunately my virtue is insufficient and my spirituality is not yet complete. Therefore, I need your help, fellow Daoist."

What does it mean to lack virtue and have an incomplete spirituality?

Just look at the second half of the sentence, which means that His own practice was insufficient and He could not meet the conditions for reincarnation and rebirth.

The reason for this situation is that He is only one of the five flags of the primordial era, so it is necessary to gather other flags.

But wouldn't it be simpler to ask a sage for help? Why do we have to ask Luo Zu for help? He doesn't have the ability to gather all five innate flags. It's already difficult enough to borrow them from other important figures.

The emperor's reputation is definitely more valuable than his own; which of those banner leaders would dare to disrespect the emperor?

However, if we so easily give away the face of a sage, it will be detrimental to the sage's dignity.

"I'm afraid I can't fulfill your request, fellow Daoist. Perhaps we should ask someone more capable?" Luo Zu glanced at the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner and then at the Sage Zhunti.

The sage's eighteen-foot-tall golden Buddha statue still maintained its smile, while the Eastern Blue Lotus Treasure Banner showed a troubled expression.

"If you are willing to help me escape and reincarnate, I am willing to be at your beck and call for 390 million years." Dongfang Qinglian Baoseqi gritted his teeth and his expression turned fierce.

But Luo Zu looked at Him and felt confused: "If I could really do it, I would not refuse anything. But I don't know the whereabouts of the other four flags, so how can I help you? Why don't you ask the Sage Zhunti and the Sage Jieyin to ask again?"

Luo Zu spoke directly, saying it in front of Sage Zhunti without any attempt to be discreet.

This was originally a difficult problem that the Sage Zhunti suddenly presented to him, and Luo Zu was still able to give him a kind look. If he were not a sage, Luo Zu would definitely have made him pay.

The purpose of the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner may well be the Sage Zhunti.

The Sage Zhunti also wanted the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner to be offered on his own initiative.

Despite their countless schemes and calculations, these two ultimately arrive at the same goal: to "confess their feelings" to each other.

So... Luo Zu discovered that he had become a rather unimportant part of their pleasant conversation, a mere play.

This incident greatly angered Luo Zu. These two really didn't care about keeping their actions private, did they?

"Sage...may I ask the Sage Zhunti about this matter?" The Azure Lotus Banner slowly asked.

Seeing this, Luo Zu had to wait for new information about the Azure Lotus Banner, since this involved matters concerning sages, which was something a mere Great Luo Immortal could not resolve.

"I am sorry to trouble you, fellow Daoist. I originally intended to obtain a fine treasure for you to calm your anger, but I never expected this to happen, and I even had to ask my senior brother to make this trip." Sage Zhunti sighed leisurely.

But the meaning is also very clear: the Sage of Guidance has already truly subdued the Azure Lotus Banner of the East.

Logically speaking, a sage would not need to resort to such roundabout methods to subdue a primordial spiritual treasure. After all, the cultivation level of a primordial spiritual treasure is at most comparable to the Great Luo Limitless Realm, and beyond that is the primordial supreme treasure, which is comparable to the Hunyuan Realm.

The upper limit of innate treasures may be saints, or perhaps quasi-saints, depending on the level of cultivation of the practitioner.

If the holder's cultivation level is comparable to that of a Quasi-Saint of Primordial Chaos, then they can gain an additional Quasi-Saint of Primordial Chaos power; if they are a Saint, then they will naturally gain the power of a Saint.

In Luo Zu's view, the most lethal weapon in the current chaos is the Zhuxian Sword Formation of the Jie Sect leader, Shangqing Saint.

Even if all five of these innate flags were gathered together, they would only be top-grade innate spiritual treasures, far inferior to innate supreme treasures. The sage only managed to subdue one of the five pieces of the set. What is the meaning of this?

Luo Zu did not understand.

Just as Luo Zu was pondering this, suddenly a golden lotus descended from the sky, scattering before Luo Zu's eyes like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

He knew that this was the arrival of a holy man.

So he and the Azure Lotus Banner of the East bowed together toward the chaotic west where the golden lotus was coming.

"This humble Taoist, Luo Zu, pays his respects to the Sage Who Guides Us."

The guiding saint manifested a soft, golden light, and upon feeling its illumination, one immediately felt that one was about to achieve enlightenment and thus entered the realm of awakening.

"Fellow Daoist, you are too polite. This humble monk, Jieyin, greets the Ancestor of Humanity." The Sage Jieyin returned the greeting.

Luo Zu could not accept such a bow; what if he accidentally converted him?

Fortunately, a wisp of dark yellow light appeared around him, blocking the great karma that the guiding saint had sent down out of nowhere.

However, this wisp of dark yellow color was none other than what the Sage of Guidance sent.

What does the sage mean by this? A look of surprise flashed in Luo Zu's eyes.

"Our ancestor has rendered meritorious service in educating the human race and has been instrumental in opening the way for Buddhism in the West. He deserves a bow from this humble monk," the Sage of Reception then said.

The two Western saints established the Brahma school, and then introduced Buddhism from beyond the heavens. From then on, Brahma transformed into Buddhism, and there are now Buddhas in the heavens. In the future, Buddhism will flourish, and the holy Dharma and holy path of the two saints will also flourish. Therefore, the two saints are extremely grateful to Luo Zu.

"So this is your reason for leading me, Luo Zu, into the Western Buddhist sect?" Luo Zu asked.

"Fellow Daoist Qinglian Baose, this humble monk has come to guide you into my Buddhist path, to practice the Vajra Dharma, as the progenitor of this path. I wonder if you are willing?" The Sage of Reception finally got to the point.

Luo Zu now understood. The reason why the Sage had gone to such lengths to guide the Buddha and why the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner was so cooperative was that the Sage wanted to ask Luo Zu for a "favor" to help Buddhism add a Vajra Buddha Dharma Ancestor. At the same time, the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner's body was handed over to Luo Zu, which could be considered as Buddhism repaying Luo Zu with interest, so that there would be less unwarranted burden when settling karma in the future.

Most importantly, this also allows us to test Luo Zu and see if he is interested in entering the Buddhist order.

Unfortunately, Luo Zu's refusal remained firm, so they resorted to a different approach, trying to gradually convert Luo Zu into Buddhism from another perspective.

"This disciple is willing to accept the Buddha's teachings." As expected by everyone present, Dongfang Qinglian Baoseqi bowed deeply to the Sage of Guidance, her gratitude overflowing.

"Well then, fellow Daoist, please come with me to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to cultivate the Dharma." The Sage of Guidance nodded.

The Sage then immediately severed the spirit of the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner from its body, and a ray of clear light descended simultaneously, guiding the spirit to the Western Paradise.

After doing such a good deed, the Sage of Guidance bowed to Luo Zu again, and then left the place with the primordial spirit of the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha, since my senior brother has already gifted the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner to you, please treat it well," said the Sage Zhunti.

Thus, the remaining body of the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner flew into Luo Zu's hands.

After many twists and turns, this Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner actually ended up in the hands of Luo Zu.

This innate spiritual treasure must be handed over to him.

It's just that these highly skilled people don't speak directly, especially these ancient beings who have lived for hundreds of millions of years; they always beat around the bush.

Their constant back and forth forced Luo Zujie to take on this huge mess.

However, the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner did not take all thirty-five spiritual restrictions from the treasure with it; it only took one.

This might make His reincarnation and cultivation somewhat difficult, but He left Luo Zu with a magical artifact whose cultivation level remained among the top-grade innate spiritual treasures.

However, without the spirit treasure's essence, there are many obstacles to fully mobilizing its power. But Luo Zu has a solution: simply implant an indestructible primordial spirit into it.

In this way, it can be used to assist in cultivation and further promote its evolution.

With a gentle exhale, Luo Zu accepted the gifts from the two saints.

After handing over the remaining body of the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner to Luo Zu, the Sage Zhunti bowed slightly to him, thus bidding him farewell.

This puzzled Luo Zu. Just moments ago, the sage Zhunti had been so aggressive, as if he really wanted to grab him and then instantly convert him, but he just left like that.

Could it be that He is truly lacking a past Buddha from Buddhism, and now that He has introduced the primordial spirit of the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner as a candidate for Buddha, He will simply give up?

But after careful consideration, Luo Zu realized that he couldn't let his guard down. What if the Sage Zhunti found an opportunity to take him to the Western Buddhist sect for ordination? He didn't have the White Snake Lady to flood the Paradise for him.

After watching the Sage Zhunti disappear, Luo Zu immersed his mind in the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner.

This was the first top-grade innate spiritual treasure he had ever actually obtained. He had only handled the Hunyuan Golden Bucket before, and the Ziji Talisman was something he had worked with but not controlled. No other top-grade innate spiritual treasures had ever come into his possession.

Think about it, others already had a full set of top-grade innate spiritual treasures when they were at the Great Luo stage, while he only has one now, and the primordial spirit within it has already been liberated and reincarnated.

Luo Zu could only sigh and say that it was good enough to have something, yet people still complained about this and that.

Furthermore, the classification of spiritual treasures is based on the spiritual restrictions they possess. Those with six or fewer spiritual restrictions are considered minor, those with twelve or fewer are considered medium-grade, those with twenty-four or fewer are considered superior, and those with thirty-six or fewer are considered top-grade. Thirty-six spiritual restrictions represent the limit for spiritual treasures.

The Hunyuan Golden Cauldron has thirty-six spiritual restrictions, so theoretically, its cultivation level is above that of many top-grade innate spiritual treasures.

"From now on, you will cultivate with me." Luo Zu's thoughts enveloped the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner and absorbed it into his primordial spirit.

This treasure has excellent defense. It can form a solid barrier across the material, spiritual, and spatial dimensions, preventing any external attacks from harming its owner.

Since it was the first top-grade innate spiritual treasure, Ancestor Luo naturally cherished it. He first introduced the Undying Primordial Spirit Brain into it, and then assisted many Primordial Spirit Brains to draw in a lot of deductive calculation power, refining all thirty-four spiritual restrictions within it. Only then did he take it into the Primordial Spirit Multiverse to transform it into one of Ancestor Luo's Dharma bodies, sitting in the Primordial Spirit Multiverse.

After Luo Zu finished doing all this, there was a new commotion in Nuwa's palace: Nuwa had awakened again.

The Empress remained the same, captivating Luo Zu with the beauty of all things in the world.

"This humble one, Luo Zu, pays his respects to Your Majesty." Luo Zu bowed deeply once more.

The empress stared at him intently for a moment, as if he were a stranger, but the next moment she came to her senses.

"Since Fellow Daoist Jieyin and Zhunti have gifted you the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner, I will also temporarily bestow upon you the Northern Profound Origin Water Control Banner." After looking at him, Goddess Nuwa said these words, which surprised and delighted Luo Zu.

Is this treasure something you can't have when you want it, but once you have it, it becomes as common as cabbage?

However, how did the Northern Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag end up in the hands of the Goddess Nuwa? And shouldn't this flag be renamed the Zhenwu Zao Diao Flag and fall into the hands of the Zhenwu Emperor?

It's impossible for Luo Zu to play the role of Zhenwu the Great once in "The Supreme Being of the World" and then actually become the Xuantian Emperor in the future.

However, no one can explain the cause and effect of things, and it is possible that he will actually have such an incarnation in the future.

Furthermore, the implication in Nuwa's words that it was a temporary gift suggests that this flag will eventually belong to someone else.

"Luo Zu, do you intend to take up a post in the Nuwa Palace?" Nuwa asked, uttering another earth-shattering question.

Luo Zu looked up at Nuwa's kind and gentle face. Was she testing him to see if he harbored any rebellious intentions? Well, that was a joke.

Luo Zu was simply piecing together the events that had happened recently, and he had quite a few ideas in his mind.

The two Western saints, Zhunti and Jieyin, then gave him the Eastern Azure Lotus Banner. Nuwa then gave him the Northern Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner. In the future, will the Taiqing Saint also bestow upon him the Southern Li Di Yan Guang Banner? Yuanshi Tianzun also gave him the Central Wu Ji Apricot Yellow Banner. Finally, the Queen Mother of the West gave him the Western Plain Cloud Banner, thus completing the Five Banners of the Primordial Heaven.

Of course, Luo Zu valued the reasons behind it even more, as it seemed that all the saints intended to remove the various spiritual treasures of this chaotic world.

The goddess Nuwa even wants to spread her teachings far and wide. What kind of signal is she sending?

Are they going to "run away" with Hongjun Daozu?

It's not impossible, but the Dao Ancestor has long since attained sainthood, while you saints have only recently attained sainthood. Are you so eager to transcend?

Besides, the Three Pure Ones seem to have already transcended once; do they really need to transcend again?

Moreover, transcendence is still pending reversal. Is this half-step transcendence or full-fat transcendence?

Even Luo Zu couldn't see clearly or explain it clearly; all he could say was, "Whatever makes you saints happy."

As for Nuwa's sudden desire to abdicate the position of Nuwa Palace, Luo Zu had no intention of inheriting it. After all, he also had his own temple to take care of. Besides, the position of Nuwa Palace was too important, and Luo Zu was afraid that he could not hold onto it.

He then politely declined, saying, "I lack the virtue and talent to be able to take charge of the Nuwa Palace."

That's the truth. He's just a minor Grand Luo, yet he wants to sit in the sage's dojo. How do you expect those Grand Luo and Wuji to look at him?

With so many capable people under Nuwa's command, how will she view you?

Nuwa seemed to have asked the question casually, and seeing that Luo Zu refused, she did not discuss the matter further.

"A great calamity is about to befall beyond the Chaos. If you wish to avoid it, you may enter my Nuwa Palace or go to Zixiao Palace. However, the Demon Ancestor now intends to take control of Zixiao Palace. You would be better off going to Doushuai Palace, seeking out the Supreme Lord, and asking him to subdue the demon and thus avoid the calamity." (End of Chapter)