Deep within the Kunlun Mountains, where spiritual energy was dense and ancient trees towered, their branches obscuring the sky.
There stood a colossal mountain, its shape majestic and its peaks beautiful, wreathed in clouds and mist, resembling a celestial realm.
Its peaks possessed varied forms, like dancing celestial maidens, like ancient elders holding staffs, like monkeys offering peaches, like untamed wild horses.
...
Upon one of these peaks stood a massive cliff. On the cliff face, three clear light vortexes swirled. Beside one of these vortexes, a strand of the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Qi tumbled and rolled.
Intertwined with it was golden light of merit. The Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Qi and the golden light of merit coiled around each other like two golden dragons, locked in a struggle, neither yielding, spiraling together.
Finally, they merged, forming a ball of orange-yellow cloud, within which the laws of the Great Dao churned endlessly.
Suddenly, the cloud began to expand, slowly evolving into a towering treasure pagoda, radiating myriad lights.
Its radiance illuminated the surroundings, causing all myriad techniques to recede. After a while, the light dissipated, and the pagoda shrunk to about a foot high, resting peacefully beside one of the vortexes.
"Oww..." "Oww..." "Oww..."
"My head hurts."
"Huh?"
"Where is this?"
"Didn't I just stay up late reading novels?"
"How did I end up in this desolate wilderness?"
"Why can't I move?"
"Where did my body go?"
"Heavens! Did I die?"
"I don't have any enemies, heavens! Earth! I'm still so young!"
This voice belonged to Li Yi, a contemporary shut-in, fond of reading novels about the Primordial Era. He had stayed up all night, and as dawn broke, exhaustion had overcome him. He never expected to wake up to such a drastic change.
As Li Yi wailed, a stream of information flowed into his consciousness, and immediately, scenes of Pangu separating heaven and earth, and his primordial spirit splitting, unfolded in his mind.
Pangu separating heaven and earth?
I can't believe I stayed up all night and ended up in the Primordial Era. And not just that, my origin is significant. Looking at the small, golden pagoda beside me, it must be the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda, the foremost defensive treasure of the Primordial Era!
Then, I must be Taishang of the Taiqing from the Three Pure Ones, right? And the two beside me are Tongtian and Yuanshi?
This start is absolutely fantastic. I'm definitely going to be a Saint in the future.
Just then, two consciousnesses emerged from the two nearby vortexes and directed themselves towards Li Yi. These consciousnesses made Li Yi feel incredibly close, even a sense of dependence.
This feeling was truly wondrous. Who would have thought that the exceedingly proud Yuanshi and the domineering Tongtian would have such a side to them?
Li Yi was an orphan, and this long-lost kinship made him secretly vow to take good care of these two brothers.
Li Yi was also aware that although he was formed from Pangu's primordial spirit, with an excellent foundation and innate supreme potential, he couldn't stand against the other powerful beings in the Primordial Era. Beings like Luohu, Hongjun, and Yangmei were not easy to deal with. He was currently only at the mid-Great Luo stage, while these figures should have already reached the peak Great Luo stage, and they possessed formidable treasures.
Never mind, I should materialize first!
Then, the nine heavens were filled with dense, oppressive black clouds, signaling the tribulation for Li Yi's materialization.
Given Li Yi's innate supreme potential, his materialization tribulation was bound to be the ultimate Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.
Suddenly, purple lightning as thick as buckets descended from the black clouds, striking towards the vortex Li Yi occupied. Seeing the tribulation begin, Li Yi quickly controlled his vortex to move away from Yuanshi and Tongtian, fearing he might harm his two dear brothers.
Actually, Li Yi was being overly cautious. The three of them were formed from the primordial spirit of the Great God Pangu, possessing inherent merit from the creation of heaven and earth, and Pangu had bestowed great kindness upon heaven and earth. This Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation could not harm them in the slightest.
As the lightning approached Li Yi, golden light erupted from the vortex, and the lightning vanished. The first wave of the tribulation had passed, and its energy was completely absorbed by Li Yi.
The subsequent eight waves of tribulation were all nullified by Li Yi's inherent merit from the creation of heaven and earth, greatly increasing Li Yi's cultivation.
After the heavenly tribulation ended, with a flash of brilliant light, the vortex transformed into a serene Daoist dressed in plain robes.
As Li Yi materialized, the small Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda suddenly flew out, circling Li Yi like a child reunited with long-lost parents.
Li Yi smiled faintly, extended his hand, and the pagoda automatically flew into his grasp. Holding it before him, Li Yi said, "Little one, will you follow me from now on?"
The pagoda buzzed, as if even happier, and continued to circle Li Yi incessantly.
"Alright, alright, no more fuss. You will reside in my divine mansion, the Sea of Violet, from now on!"
With that said, the pagoda transformed into a golden light and shot into Li Yi's brow, disappearing.
Li Yi returned to the two vortexes belonging to Yuanshi and Tongtian, sat cross-legged, and continued his cultivation.