The vast blue sea stretched without islands or land, the sky pure and clean like glazed blue porcelain. Far away, the sea and sky met at the horizon line. A handsome young man and a weathered old man walked on the water side by side, in profound silence. The wind blew their long hair, yet their feet stirred no ripples.
Qing Ling smiled faintly, "Perhaps, fellow Daoist, you should go and see the beings we consider mere ants. I once observed mayflies born in the morning and dying by dusk in the Northern Sea, and ants trying to shake a tree."
"I once traveled the Great Wilderness and saw an old steed, though stabled, with aspirations to gallop a thousand li. We old fellows are few and diminishing. Those who can freely enter and exit the mortal world are even fewer. Why don't you go and see this world again? Enter the dust, walk in the mortal realm. The Great Dao is contained in the mundane, truth arises from the minuscule."
A ripple of emotion flickered in Kunpeng's eyes. He shook his head, "I am unwilling to re-enter the mortal world. Once I do, who knows how much karma and strife I will become entangled in."
Qing Ling chuckled, "Do you think remaining in the North Sea will grant you lasting peace?"
"Oh? In this world where no Sage appears, who would dare threaten me?" Kunpeng replied dismissively.
"The Demon Clan!"
"The Demon Clan?" Kunpeng scoffed, "Those two Golden Crows aren't capable of that."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Kunpeng's expression turned cold, "Do you think I will be the next Dong Wang Gong?"
Qing Ling shook his head, "It is not what I think, but whether you decide to become the next him."
Kunpeng's face flushed with anger, and he sneered, "Even if all five Emperors of the Demon Clan appear, what can they do to me? Will you, fellow Daoist, also act on their behalf?"
Qing Ling shook his head, "I will not act, but you underestimate the five Emperors of the Demon Clan. Fuxi and Xihe aside, Di Jun, as the Demon Emperor, will surely achieve your and my realm sooner or later. As for Dong Huang Tai Yi, I say he will be the first person under the Saints. Do you believe that?"
Kunpeng frowned, "The first person under the Saints? You overestimate him."
Qing Ling shook his head, "The Sun God, the Eastern Emperor, the Primordial Supreme Treasure, he is the Demon Clan's War Emperor. Putting aside realms, in terms of combat power, there is no exaggeration. After all, one can cultivate the Dao but not necessarily be skilled at fighting."
"Furthermore, Nuwa fellow Daoist, a future Sage, possesses the Primordial Supreme Treasure. Even now, you and Nuwa are considered evenly matched!"
Kunpeng's anger gradually subsided, replaced by a chilling coldness. "If you have finished speaking, fellow Daoist, then depart."
Qing Ling smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you going to miss an opportunity to become a Sage, and then miss an opportunity for Hunyuan? I have told you that besides the five Emperors and one Ancestor of the Demon Clan, there is another position, making them six in total. If you join the Demon Clan, you will be the teacher of all demons, and billions of sentient beings in this world will regard you as their master!"
"Demon Master?" Kunpeng was startled. Upon hearing the title, his heart trembled, as if fate responded, and he intuitively felt he could not let this opportunity pass.
Qing Ling continued, "If the first two corpses are wind and water, then the third corpse is fire. Your true form is earth. Heaven, earth, wind, water, and fire, the four aspects will merge into Hunyuan!"
Kunpeng's heart sank. The third corpse, fire, the fire of the world, naturally meant the sun as its master. The Demon Clan... his heart quivered. The deeper he pondered, the more profound the Great Dao seemed.
After a long silence, he looked directly at the young man before him, "Fellow Daoist, in your opinion, who will win the war between the Wu and Demon Clans?"
Qing Ling smiled, "If you do not join the Demon Clan today, then the war will be fifty-fifty. However, if you are willing today and assist the Demon Clan, along with me, it will be seventy percent in favor of the demons and defeat for the Wu!"
Kunpeng fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Qing Ling said no more, "Your decision is yours alone. I bid farewell!"
Kunpeng cupped his hands in a salute, seeing him off.
Qing Ling stepped out of the North Sea. Ming He, standing on the shore, rushed forward, asking, "Sect Master..."
Qing Ling said, "Go back for now. Afterwards, either Kunpeng will return the treasure to the Blood Sea, or Kunpeng will personally deliver the treasure to the Blood Sea."
Ming He was puzzled, "Is there a difference?"
Qing Ling smiled, "Naturally, there is a difference. Just wait with peace of mind. Return to the Blood Sea."
Ming He, his heart filled with many speculations, did not voice them. He only asked, "Where is the Sect Master going then?"
"Naturally, I am going to the mortal world to meet all the immortals."
Qing Ling turned. Behind him lay the North Sea shrouded in wind and snow. Before him, the east wind, south wind, west wind, and north wind blew. He tucked away a strand of hair blown by the wind, and the red silk on his head floated up, binding his hair. The young man stepped into the snow and departed, walking into the turbulent great world.
This was a relatively peaceful grand era. The Dao Ancestor's three lectures had not yet begun, and there were still constraints in the world. All immortals and gods were seeking the Dao. This was the last prosperous era of the Primordial World. Subsequent events like the Investiture of the Gods and the Journey to the West were all signs of decline.
In the East, on Kunlun Mountain, Lao Zi stood on the peak, watching Yuan Shi descend the mountain, unstained by dust. He then looked towards the heavens and said softly, "Master, I too will go in search of the Dao."
Yin and Yang arose outside Kunlun Mountain. It was Lao Zi's Taiji Diagram protecting his dojo. Among the Three Pure Ones, Tong Tian was the first to set off, entering the great world to seek the Dao. Then came Yuan Shi, and finally Lao Zi.
In the West, on Sumeru Mountain, Jie Yin calculated with his fingers and said, "My junior brother has been in the great world for three thousand years. It is time for me to go too." White lotuses bloomed on Sumeru Mountain, protecting the Western dojo. The two Sages descended the mountain.
On Mount Lingju, a gloomy-looking middle-aged man also sealed his mountain and entered the mortal world. Inside the Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun set off once more.
...
One by one, Daoists, either alone or in groups, entered the great world to observe the myriad Daos. The Heavenly Dao was too distant, and the Earthly Dao too mysterious. Only the Human Dao of billions of sentient beings, which rose to heaven and touched the earth, contained all three thousand Great Daos and one hundred and eight thousand minor Daos. Therefore, the three thousand guests in Zixiao Palace, after years of enlightenment, chose to act and observe the Dao.
However, a few great powers did not enter the mortal world. Lady Nuwa was one of them. She was the first among those in Zixiao Palace to sever her two corpses. She was already one step ahead of all others. One step ahead meant every step would be ahead! Nuwa did not enter the Human Dao grand world of the Primordial World. Instead, she entered the heavens beyond heavens, heading towards chaos, to explore it.
In the grand world of the Primordial World, the paths of heaven, earth, human, gods, ghosts, immortals, demons, Wu, and Yao all converged. Great Daos clashed, and three thousand Great Daos shone brilliantly, while one hundred and eight thousand minor Daos dotted the luminous galaxy.
The grand era of the Primordial World was a time when Golden Immortals were as common as walking, and Grand Unity Golden Immortals were everywhere. This should describe the prosperity and peak of all the Daos in the heavens and earth, not a mockery of Golden Immortals being lowly or Grand Unity Golden Immortals being ordinary.
There is no single best era in the world, but there is a best era for every seeker of the Dao!