Volume One: The Calamity of the Lich Chapter 109: Qingxuan’s Decision, the Fall of Taiyi

Watching Houtu and Jumang, Qingxuan felt deeply gratified.

“Very good, the two of you have done well. Houtu, you are nearing perfection in the Great Way of Earth. Take this item. From now on, focus your comprehension on the laws and the Great Way contained within it. Though you were born from the laws of earth, I do not wish for this to become your primary path.”

With that, he handed Houtu the Wheel of Reincarnation obtained from the Reincarnation Demon God. Houtu asked no further questions, trusting that Qingxuan would not harm her.

“Jumang, you have also delved deeply into the laws of wood. Continue to comprehend these, and make them your main path in the future. However, this item is only lent to you for study—it remains useful to me.”

Qingxuan said no more, simply telling the two to go and meditate upon the laws.

Now, this place was no longer the primordial world. The moment the two began their meditation, they found their insights into the laws of reincarnation and life came even more swiftly and clearly than their previous understanding of earth and wood in the primordial world. What they did not realize was that the items in their hands were nurtured by the very source of the Great Way, and here, within the chaos, they were much closer to the origin itself. In the primordial world, their comprehension was blocked by both the Heavenly Dao and the barrier of heaven and earth.

“Who would have thought? The one called Life has already returned to the Great Way, and yet this world still exists!” Yangmei gazed at the world before him, speaking with sudden emotion.

Qingxuan immediately understood that Yangmei was thinking of the Life Demon God. From what Qingxuan knew, Life must have been a gentle and kind demon god. Yet he did not expect, as he shared these thoughts with Yangmei—

“Hahaha! To think you, Qingxuan, would say such a thing. If that one called Life heard it, who knows how she would feel? Old Daoist here is quite curious.”

“But the Life Demon God is already gone; whatever we think, she will never know.”

Qingxuan realized from Yangmei’s reaction that he must have misunderstood something. He cared little, however, and retorted directly.

“You’re still too naïve. The children of the Great Way are never as simple as you imagine.”

Qingxuan found Yangmei rather annoying at times—just like now. He had piqued Qingxuan’s curiosity but refused to reveal the truth.

“By the way, why is the world created by the Life Demon God so different from this? By all rights, even if her power fell short of the great Pangu, the world she opened should not be so far removed from the primordial world!”

Seeing that Yangmei had no intention of sharing those secrets, Qingxuan instead asked about the nature of this world.

At this, Yangmei replied, “Then tell me—do you know the difference between Pangu and the three thousand demon gods?”

Qingxuan honestly did not know how to answer.

“Daoist friend Yangmei, that’s a bit difficult for me! Surely you know I was born of the primordial world, much later than you all.”

Qingxuan looked at Yangmei with some bitterness.

“Daoist, you’re rather good at pretending, aren’t you? Don’t you know I’m aware you can access all the knowledge of your avatars?”

Yangmei raised an eyebrow and continued.

“But what difference does it make between the two?”

“Think, Daoist—how was Pangu born?”

Those words struck Qingxuan like a revelation, and in an instant, he understood far more. After all, everyone in the primordial world knew that Pangu was nurtured by the Chaos Green Lotus. Qingxuan also recalled what the Chaos Green Lotus and other supreme treasures of chaos represented.

It was then that he finally realized why the world created by the Life Demon God was as it was, and also that Yangmei’s words hinted at great ambitions on Life’s part.

“I see now—I was thinking far too simply.”

Qingxuan laughed self-deprecatingly. He hadn’t paid much mind to Yangmei’s words before, but the more he pondered, the more plausible they seemed.

“Enough, I’d best not dwell on such matters. Daoist Yangmei, I must trouble you to watch over my two juniors for a while.”

Yangmei, seeing Qingxuan’s manner, realized he had pressing matters to attend to and agreed.

“Very well, since you have business elsewhere, I will watch over them for you.”

With a wave, Yangmei sat not far from where Houtu and Jumang were meditating, joining Chen Rui in contemplation of the Great Way.

Qingxuan was reassured by this, and proceeded beneath the Chaos Spirit Root, arranging a great array of concealment and countless prohibitions before entering the space within the Chaos Pearl in secret.

“The Tree of Life has been fully restored, a perfect Chaos Spirit Root at last.”

He then turned his gaze to the Flower of Reincarnation.

“It’s still lacking something, but time is running short. This will have to do—there may be another chance for advancement later.”

Indeed, in recent years, Qingxuan had both guided the world of the Life Demon God toward the primordial world and, after achieving enlightenment in the laws of life, used both the source of the Reincarnation Demon God and the Wheel of Reincarnation to master the Great Way of Reincarnation. Now, he intended to use the Flower of Reincarnation and the Tree of Life to create an avatar.

Originally, he planned to wait until the Flower of Reincarnation reached the level of a Chaos Spirit Root, but Yangmei’s recent words had given him a sense of urgency, forcing his hand. What Qingxuan did not know was that many changes were afoot in the primordial world as well.

At Mount Zhou, the Celestial Lotus Academy—

On Qingkong’s orders, Ao Qing brought back the Innate Plantain Tree, which Qingkong then planted beneath the body of the Creation Green Lotus.

“Sigh, I wonder how I should compensate Taiqing and Minghe for this?”

He then looked at the gourd in his hand—the last purple-green gourd from the original Innate Gourd Vine.

“This item has something in common with the Cauldron of Creation, though it is far less effective.”

Indeed, due to Qingxuan’s interference, the purple-green gourd had matured normally and was now a supreme innate spiritual treasure, imbued with forty-eight innate prohibitions. It could be used to store spiritual materials and, with time and spiritual energy, raise their grade—or even transform the mundane into the innate.

“Still, its limitations are too great. Its upper limit is only supreme innate grade. Truly tasteless food—hard to eat, yet a pity to discard! With the Cauldron of Creation in hand, do I really need this thing?”

For Qingxuan, with the Cauldron of Creation, this treasure was rather superfluous.

“Never mind, I’ll give it to Ao Qing as a functional magic treasure. It’s still useful in its own way. And it’s about time to see to his affairs.”

With that, Qingkong made his decision.

But just then, he sensed a disturbance within his domain. Emerging at once, he heard a constant clanging.

“What is going on?” Qingkong asked Ao Qing, his expression turning serious.

“Master, it’s that golden crow from the Sun Star. You’ve been cultivating in seclusion these years and may not know what has been happening outside. Those two have founded some sort of demon race, and now Taiyi himself has come, demanding you return the Sun Star’s authority and its spiritual root.”

“Such audacity! Does he really think I’m made of clay?”

With that, Qingkong’s aura surged, and the space atop Mount Zhou fell entirely under his control.

“You little chick, who gave you the courage to cause trouble at my domain? Do you not know, in all these countless years, you are the first to dare make a scene atop my Mount Zhou?”