Primordial Era: I, the Lamp Burner, intercept the Western opportunity at the outset.

Longevity Hill, Wuzhuang Temple

As soon as Ran Deng approached this area, he was slightly moved by the sight before him. The once solitary and majestic Longevity Mountain, imbued with a restrained spiritual aura, was no longer what it used to be. In its place stood a massive mountain range stretching for tens of thousands of miles.

Looking around, dozens of mountains of all sizes have appeared out of nowhere, some steep as swords and others gentle as platforms. The peaks are layered, shrouded in clouds and mist, with springs and waterfalls everywhere, and exotic flowers and herbs growing all over the place, creating a magnificent and otherworldly atmosphere.

What surprised Ran Deng even more was that on each newly formed mountain peak, a powerful and condensed aura of a Taiyi Golden Immortal was steadily present.

Although these auras varied in strength, each one was pure and stable, far surpassing those of ordinary rogue cultivators. At a glance, dozens of Taiyi Golden Immortal auras intertwined, faintly forming a majestic force that protected the entire Longevity Mountain as solid as a rock.

It seems that after returning from the West, Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi has also come to understand the function of the Earth Book and has formed a considerable force.

Sensing the aura of a Great Luo Golden Immortal flying towards Longevity Mountain, this immediately attracted the attention of the Taiyi Golden Immortals.

As streaks of light rose into the sky, Ran Deng noticed that these Taiyi Golden Immortals were different from those he had seen before.

Their aura was somewhat ethereal, seemingly connected to the mountains beneath their feet.

The leading cultivator spoke first.

"May I ask who you are, and what brings you to Longevity Hill?"

"I am Randeng, a good friend of Daoist Zhenyuanzi. I have come to pay my respects. Please inform him of my arrival."

As Ran Deng spoke, he had already silently spread out his terrifying divine sense, which was at the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, like a large net, silently covering the entire Wanshou Mountain area of ​​tens of thousands of miles.

Wherever his divine sense swept, every blade of grass, every tree, every insect, every beast, and even the flow of the earth's spiritual veins were clearly reflected in his mind.

After a thorough investigation, Randeng immediately noticed an extremely strange phenomenon—the core of the earth veins in these newly formed mountain ranges had all vanished into thin air!

The core of the earth's veins is the foundation of a mountain peak, just like the foundation of a cultivator. Once lost, the entire mountain range will inevitably suffer from the dissipation of spiritual energy, the collapse of rocks, and the desolation of vegetation, turning it into a dead land.

The core of Mount Sumeru's earth veins was destroyed in the past. In just a short while, the mountain collapsed and the earth cracked, leaving it in ruins. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth dissipated, and it became a wasteland.

But the Longevity Hills before us completely defy this common sense.

The mountain range is majestic, with spiritual energy so rich it's almost liquid. Spiritual birds fly and auspicious beasts roam freely. Thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum and ten-thousand-year-old immortal herbs can be seen everywhere. It is full of vitality and extremely prosperous, showing no signs of decay or desolation after losing the core of the earth's veins.

Ran Deng was filled with doubt and surprise. Following the faint and mysterious connection between those cultivators and the mountain range, he focused all his energy on circulating his cultivation, carefully comprehending the connection. After a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding and shock in them.

It turns out that the core of the earth veins of these mountains did not disappear, but was refined and transferred into the bodies of those cultivators!

"This...this is actually the prototype of Shinto?"

A storm raged in the heart of the lamp-burning man.

Extracting the authority of a region, a mountain, and a river, forcibly refining it, and then bestowing it upon a designated cultivator, making them the master of that region, blessed by heaven and earth, and nourished by the earth's veins—isn't this precisely the foundation of the legendary future divine path? With the earth as the foundation and books as the proof, deities are conferred and given control over a region!

No wonder Zhen Yuanzi was later revered by all living beings in the primordial world as the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals. Such methods were unprecedented in the creation of the world. Calling him the Ancestor of Mountains and Rivers and the Lord of the Earth is truly fitting!

With the supreme power of the innate spiritual treasure, the Book of Earth, Zhen Yuanzi could freely condense authority over any mountain or river in the primordial world, bestow divine titles upon it, and create one after another earth immortals who controlled a mountain range.

The auras of these cultivators are so ethereal, which is probably because their strength was enhanced by the power of mountains and rivers, and their foundation is not stable.

"Hahaha. I wondered which great master had graced my Longevity Mountain with their presence. It turns out to be Fellow Daoist Ran Deng. It's been a long time. Please come in quickly."

Just as Ran Deng was pondering, a hearty and familiar laugh came from within the Wanshou Mountain formation.

Following closely behind was Hongyun, dressed in a red robe, who also bowed to Randeng.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Ran Deng!"

"It's been a long time since we last met, fellow Daoists. Longevity Mountain has become even more magnificent and imposing."

Randeng joked that, as expected, Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun had both broken through to the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and were only one step away from the middle stage.

"How can I compare to Fellow Daoist Ran Deng? Every time we meet, I can't see through your cultivation level. As for the Earth Immortal Path that I tinkered with, it was inspired by you, Fellow Daoist, to condense the power of mountains and rivers with the Earth Book."

Although Zhen Yuanzi was ahead of Randeng in understanding the laws of the earth, some of Randeng's ideas were wildly imaginative and gave him a lot of inspiration.

It wasn't until he broke through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and gained a deeper understanding of the Earth Book that he was able to begin to realize his original vision of establishing the Earth Immortal lineage.

Randeng followed Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun into Wuzhuang Temple. Along the way, Zhen Yuanzi also told Randeng about the drawbacks of the current Earth Immortal lineage.

Because of the influence of the size of the mountain range and the power of the earth's veins, it is difficult to break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm simply by condensing the divine essence of mountains and rivers. Therefore, most of the cultivators recruited by Zhen Yuanzi are of poor aptitude and have difficulty breaking through to the Great Luo realm.

The three sat down cross-legged, and a young boy came forward to brew some spiritual tea. Although it couldn't compare to his Enlightenment Tea, it still had a unique flavor.

"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, I wonder, in the three thousand years since Hongjun Sage attained enlightenment, have any major events occurred in the prehistoric world?"

Ran Deng finally revealed the purpose of his visit.

Zhen Yuanzi was slightly surprised.

"Fellow Daoist, have you been in seclusion for the past three thousand years?"

After all, many important things happened during this period, and one could know about them without leaving home.

"Indeed, I have been in seclusion. When I came out, I found that the prehistoric world had changed drastically, and it was somewhat like the prosperous scene of the dragon, phoenix and qilin clans living together in the past."

Ran Deng nodded, without directly stating that he had been in a state of chaos for thousands of years.

"No wonder you are unaware of the situation in the Primordial World. In fact, you are right. The Primordial World today does resemble the state before the Great Calamity of the Dragon and Phoenix, with all races flourishing and full of vitality."

Zhen Yuanzi sighed with emotion. Hongjun's ascension to sainthood acted as a catalyst, with Taiyi Golden Immortals constantly emerging in various places, and even several Daluo Golden Immortals appearing.

"What is the current situation of the demon race?"

Ran Deng inquired about the situation of the demon race, which was of utmost concern to him. He reasoned that the other races' enthusiasm was likely solely for preparing for the sermon at Zixiao Palace.

"A thousand years after the sage Hongjun attained enlightenment, the demon race was officially established by announcing to the Heavenly Dao. It consisted of four Great Luo Golden Immortals and more than ten Taiyi Golden Immortals, and its influence spread throughout the northeastern part of the prehistoric world."

Zhen Yuanzi recalled the information about the demon race. He controlled the Book of Earth and had contact with many mountain and river lords in the prehistoric world, so he had many sources of information.

"Have the demon race never had conflicts with other forces?"

Ran Deng found it hard to believe that the demon race was so honest.

Zhen Yuanzi pondered for a moment and said:

"Aside from occasional frictions with the Wu tribe during expansion, I haven't heard of any conflicts with anyone else."

"I heard from some fellow Daoists in the east that several cultivators at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm from several races around the demon race have mysteriously disappeared."

Hongyun suddenly interrupted, saying that he had many friends and loved to travel in the prehistoric world.

A bright light shone from the lamp's eyes.

"That's right. Now that the demon race has just been established, they certainly won't openly target cultivators who are at the level of Grand Luo Golden Immortal. Cultivators who are at the level of Taiyi Golden Immortal are their targets."

Having understood the strength and thoughts of the demon race, Randeng had a plan in mind.