Primordial Era: The Great Celestial Venerable on the Road to Mythology

Chapter 3 Taibai Arrives, Realm Division

Just as Haotian was fretting, he suddenly saw a streak of light fly out from the depths of the ancient stars, piercing through the clouds and mist, and arriving outside the Heavenly Court in a short while.

The stream of light stopped abruptly, transforming into an elderly man with white hair and beard, possessing an air of otherworldly wisdom. He stood respectfully outside the South Heavenly Gate and proclaimed in a clear voice:

"The spirit of the morning star requests an audience with the Great Heavenly Venerable."

Upon hearing this, Haotian was overjoyed—the person had arrived!

Others may avoid the Heavenly Court like the plague, but for these star spirits born from the ancient stars, the Heavenly Court is precisely the best place to belong.

Ultimately, they had no choice—their original star was within the Heavenly Court's sphere of influence. What else could they do but join the Heavenly Court? Were they supposed to side with another faction and let the Heavenly Court make things difficult for them?

Upon hearing the sound, Yaochi instantly moved to Haotian's side, her beautiful eyes gazing out of the hall.

"Come in," Haotian said, his voice calm yet carrying the majesty of a Heavenly Emperor.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Star Spirit stepped into the hall, walked up to Haotian, and bowed deeply.

"This humble immortal, Li Changgeng, pays his respects to His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West."

The newcomer had snow-white hair, a long beard reaching his chest, and a kind face, appearing to be a benevolent old man. However, his cultivation level was that of a true Great Luo Golden Immortal, no less than that of Haotian or Yaochi.

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Venus, the planet of Venus, governs warfare and is located in the west, ruling over the planet Venus. How could someone who survived the great war between the Lich King and the Demon King be weak in cultivation?

In the past, the demon race roamed the primordial world, setting up the Zhou Tian Star Array, which borrowed power from the ancient stars. Without the tacit approval of the star spirits, how could that array have been formed? Now that both the demon and witch races have declined, the star spirits have lost their protection and naturally need to seek other support.

As for Li Changgeng's kind appearance, it's mostly because of the need to slay corpses. The spirit of Venus, born with a murderous aura, is easy to slay evil corpses, but much more difficult to slay good ones. Therefore, it manifests this kind and benevolent appearance to cultivate good intentions.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need for such formalities," Haotian smiled slightly and asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"

Li Changgeng cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, as a Star Spirit, I have long cultivated in the ancient stars. Seeing the turmoil in the primordial world and the suffering of all living beings, I cannot bear it. Now that I hear that the Heavenly Court has been established and the Dao Ancestor has personally ordered it, I am willing to serve the Heavenly Court and do my best for the primordial world."

These words were spoken sincerely, but Haotian knew perfectly well that Li Changgeng had his own calculations for this action.

The Star Spirits are bound to the stars, and the Heavenly Court, which controls the movement of stars in the Three Realms, is rightfully so. Rather than waiting for the Heavenly Court to grow stronger and then adding to its glory, it is better to provide timely assistance during its initial stages.

Moreover, although this Heavenly Emperor has only recently ascended the throne, his background is truly profound. He was personally appointed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, and even the Six Sages dare not openly disobey him.

Even if Haotian cannot become the true ruler of the world, his safety is certainly not in danger. After all, who would dare to provoke someone supported by the Dao Ancestor?

For Li Changgeng, joining the Heavenly Court at this time was an excellent choice.

Upon hearing this, Haotian nodded and smiled, "In that case, I truly couldn't ask for more."

After a moment's thought, he said, "From this day forward, I hereby appoint you as Venus, to assist me in ruling the Three Realms, and to be in charge of the promotion and assessment of mortals and the announcements of the Heavenly Court."

Li Changgeng bowed again: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

Haotian nodded, then changed the subject: "Taibai, the Heavenly Court has just been established, and everything is in need of rebuilding. What we lack most is manpower. I will entrust this matter to you. Be kind to others, make more connections, and build good relationships. This will also benefit your efforts to sever your good corpse."

Li Changgeng was slightly taken aback, then smiled wryly, not expecting that this Heavenly Emperor had seen through his thoughts at a glance. As expected of someone who served the Dao Ancestor, his insight was indeed remarkable.

"Yes, Your Highness obeys." He replied respectfully.

It's just finding someone; how could he refuse such a small matter? He couldn't persuade those powerful figures with deep backgrounds and high cultivation levels, but the prehistoric world is vast, with countless independent cultivators. Surely he could find a few who were willing to serve the Heavenly Court?

The Heavenly Court, after all, is the legitimate authority of the Three Realms, appointed by the Dao Ancestor. For those wandering cultivators with no one to rely on, this place is rich in spiritual energy, teeming with spiritual roots, and possesses rare treasures like the Peaches of Immortality—truly a blessed land for cultivation. As long as one sincerely invites them, there's no shortage of people coming to seek refuge.

Haotian was very satisfied with this and was about to dismiss the two when he suddenly heard Yaochi speak beside him.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten about Yao Ji? It's time to recall her."

Upon hearing this, Haotian's expression shifted slightly.

Yao Ji was his sister, a sibling, and a true relative.

It's a long story. Haotian's original body was composed of chaotic jade, but for some unknown reason, a piece of it broke off. Over the years, that piece of jade gradually developed sentience and eventually took human form, becoming Yaoji.

At that time, Hongjun had not yet become a saint, and the three of them lived together on Jade Capital Mountain, spending every day together. Later, Hongjun attained sainthood and moved Jade Capital Mountain into the depths of chaos, but Yaoji did not go with him and remained in the prehistoric world.

Before parting, Haotian and Yaochi, mindful of the perils of the prehistoric world, specially requested Hongjun to set up an array at Yaoji's place of cultivation. Since it was set up by a sage himself, it was thought that no one could break it.

Now that the Lich Wars have passed and the primordial world has returned to peace, and the two have taken charge of the Heavenly Court for the first time, it is time to recall Yao Ji.

Haotian pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Yao Ji and he are bound by fate and blood. Leaving her outside is ultimately a hidden danger; if she falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, she could become vulnerable to their control. It would be better to recall her to the Heavenly Court and keep her by his side, so that they can look after each other.

"Yaochi, I'll leave this matter to you," Haotian said.

"Yes, I understand," Yaochi replied, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.

She and Yao Ji were like sisters, and she was very much looking forward to their long-awaited reunion.

Haotian then sent Venus to recruit talented individuals, while he himself turned and entered the Lingxiao Palace.

The magnificent palace, resplendent in gold and jade, was utterly empty. Haotian sat alone on his throne, eyes closed, concentrating as he began to examine his own cultivation level and, at the same time, carefully comprehend the wondrous uses of the primordial ancestral energy.

Although he has only been in this world for a short time, he has already thoroughly mastered the cultivation system.

The realms in this realm are divided from bottom to top as follows: Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, True Immortal, Mysterious Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, Daluo Golden Immortal, and Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal. There may be even higher realms beyond that, but Haotian's knowledge is limited, so he will not discuss them for now.

In his view, all those before the Golden Immortal stage can be referred to as "Qi Refining".

Whether one cultivates immortality, demonic cultivation, or Buddhist cultivation, before reaching the Golden Immortal level, it is nothing more than refining spiritual energy and honing one's foundation. Only upon reaching perfection can one attain the position of Golden Immortal—at this point, the golden nature is immortal, transcending life and death, and no longer bound by the primordial lifespan limit, truly achieving longevity and enduring vision.

Haotian prefers to call the stage from Golden Immortal to Great Luo Golden Immortal "Foundation Building".

The Taiyi realm is where the Five Elements converge; the Daluo realm is where the Three Flowers gather at the crown. These are all forging the foundation for the Great Dao, paving the way for future comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth.

Only after reaching the Great Luo realm does one truly begin "cultivating the Dao." This involves comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, forging one's own Great Dao, and progressing step by step until one pushes a particular Great Dao to its ultimate limit.

A Primordial Golden Immortal is one whose own Great Dao has reached the end of the world, transcending the boundaries set by the world, and becoming the sole master of that Great Dao.

As for sages...

Haotian shook his head slightly.

The path of the sages, in essence, is a shortcut. They did not truly attain the status of a Primordial Golden Immortal, but rather, through the aid of primordial purple energy or immeasurable merit, entrusted their true spirit to the Heavenly Dao, the aggregate of world rules. From this, they could mobilize the power of the Heavenly Dao and, within this world, unleash combat power comparable to a Primordial Golden Immortal.

However, while the power is there, the realm is not. Outside of this world, the power of a sage is greatly diminished.

As for Quasi-Saints and the Three Corpses Path...

A faint hint of disdain appeared on Haotian's lips.

The so-called Three Corpses Quasi-Saint is nothing more than a trick. With the cultivation of a Great Luo Immortal, using an innate spiritual treasure to sever three bodies—good, evil, and self—certainly increases combat power greatly, since the innate spiritual treasure contains the laws of heaven and earth, and the avatars created inherit this part of the power of those laws. However, if it is said to have any benefit to proving the Dao, it is actually negligible.

Even if one were to gather three innate spiritual treasures of the same origin, and the laws they contain together account for exactly 10% of the total amount of the universe, and then unite the three corpses into one, the laws of the universe that one comprehends could not possibly surpass the total amount of the world.

Because from the moment of its birth, the laws governing a primordial spiritual treasure are fixed and cease to grow. In contrast, the laws governing the universe are dynamic, constantly expanding as all beings comprehend them and as the world evolves.

To seek change with an unchanging tool is tantamount to marking a boat to find a lost sword. To attempt to attain the Great Golden Immortal realm through such means is virtually impossible.

Of course, the path to sainthood does not require such trouble, but it does require primordial purple energy and is subject to the laws of heaven.

Haotian closed his eyes and sank his mind into the depths of his primordial spirit.

That three-colored aura—the primordial ancestral energy—suspended quietly, unchanged since time immemorial.

The path he seeks is neither the way of the sages nor the method of the Three Corpses. Those paths are too narrow, too remote, and will not lead to the true other shore.

The path of the Great Luo in mythology is the supreme and righteous path.

On this path, there are no ready-made methods, no precedents. Everything must be pioneered by himself.