56 sections, 42 tastings of hundreds of herbs, clouds on the horizon
Thousands of years of waiting, thousands of years of arduous cultivation, My Goddess, do you know the pain and helplessness in my heart...? Today, many more sages have come, some I've seen before, some I haven't... I understand their purpose in coming here—for me, to take me as their disciple. A disciple of a sage, how noble, how enviable! But... my heart is not there, my heart is dead... Day and night, I watch one after another of my people starve to death, die of disease, and I am powerless to do anything. How many humans there are in this primordial world! Yet, hundreds, even tens of thousands, die every day... Where are those sages then?
Although the Holy Master possessed great magical power and cultivation, he couldn't control the birth, aging, sickness, and death of his people... Watching one life after another disappear before my eyes, I was so heartbroken, so saddened... Once, Sister Bai, the Most Benevolent Goddess, named me Shennong, saying I would surely achieve great things in the future, but thousands of years have passed, and I am still the same, without any great accomplishments... I looked at the assembled saints and said, "I know you want to take me as your disciple, tell me, what cultivation techniques do you possess?"
Taishang laughed: "I have the 'Taiqing Immortal Technique'"; Yuanshi said: "I have the 'Pangu Jade Purity Technique'"; Tongtian said: "I have nothing to teach you." Everyone was stunned. Wasn't it obvious you didn't want to take on a disciple?
Hearing what the Tongtian Sect Leader said, I was shocked and looked at him... Zhunti said proudly: "I have the Golden Lotus and the Bodhi." Nuwa: "This palace has the Supreme Sage's Heart Manual. If you cultivate it to perfection, you can become a sage." Kunpeng: "This Heavenly Venerable has the Heavenly Demon Slayer Manual." Kong Xuan smiled, looked at the young Shennong, and took out two books. One was the Divine Elixir Treasury, and the other was the Primordial Herbs Classic... The sages looked at Shennong excitedly, hoping to win the prize, but... The moment Shennong picked up Kong Xuan's two books, the two books emitted ten thousand golden rays, which turned into two thin golden lines and merged into Shennong's body. Instantly, Shennong's spiritual aperture opened, and he pointed to the heavens and the earth, saying: "My name is Shennong. I am willing to use my mortal body to taste all the herbs and flowers of the primordial wilderness and refine elixirs to relieve the suffering of my people from hunger and disease. If this is not accomplished, I will never become a sage."
Shennong made a great vow, and Heaven, moved by his sincerity, bestowed boundless merit upon him. The merit was so great that Shennong's cultivation level rose from that of a Celestial Immortal to the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal. However, in an instant, he lost all his cultivation and became a mortal, an eighteen-year-old boy.
As boundless merit descended upon the world, a strange beast flew in from the horizon. It had the body of a lion, the tail of a tiger, wings sprouting from its ribs, a single, shimmering green horn on its head, and eagle claws on its feet, treading through the air… “Shennong, I now bestow upon you the Poison-Defeating Sacred Lion to lend you a helping hand,” the sweet voice of Sister Bai echoed in the Heavenly Palace, reaching the ears of the Sages and Shennong… Shennong, tears streaming down his face, knelt down and kowtowed three times and nine times to thank Sister Bai, the Most Benevolent Goddess. Then, the Poison-Defeating Sacred Lion carried Shennong towards the primordial world… Shennong's apprenticeship saddened all the Sages, but they could only exchange helpless smiles, intending to return to their own dojos—to cultivate, and perhaps ponder their future plans.
Just as the saints turned around, a purple cloud, hundreds of feet long and exuding a chaotic aura, drifted leisurely over. It stopped a hundred feet away from the saints and ceased its advance, emanating an alluring chaotic aura.
The Supreme Celestial Venerable said, "Chaotic Purple Clouds."
The saints were about to step forward and fight.
Why do you know? It turns out that the Chaos Purple Cloud was born from chaos, and it only turned purple because of the infusion of Primordial Purple Qi. Therefore, possessing the Chaos Purple Cloud means possessing a wisp of Primordial Purple Qi and a saintly position.
The Great Sage Equaling Heaven looked at the purple cloud and said softly, "My disciple Zhenyun, you're back."
The chaotic purple cloud twisted and rolled before the saints, emitting hundreds of purple lights. After the purple light flashed thirty-six times, the chaotic purple cloud disappeared, and a person appeared. He was wearing a purple Taoist robe, with a large red gourd tied around his waist, and his long, flowing hair danced in the wind. He looked like a Taoist immortal with a refined and otherworldly air.
The purple-robed Taoist, gazing at the assembled saints and hearing the familiar call, felt a moment of confusion in his eyes. A struggle and a hint of helplessness flashed in his deep purple pupils. His immortal energy surged, causing the surrounding space to hiss and shriek... The Great Sage Equaling Heaven roared, "Foolish child, if you don't wake up now, when will you?"
With the Monkey King's roar, the purple-robed Taoist, whose eyes were glazed over and whose body was surging with immortal energy, unleashed a foot-long purple light from his eyes, exuding endless mystery.
The purple-robed Taoist shouted to the heavens, "Heavens! I, Ancestor Hongyun, have returned! I've returned!" The purple-robed Taoist roared madly... Ancestor Hongyun's earth-shattering roar echoed back and forth between heaven and earth, filled with sorrow and anger.
After a long while, scenes from the past flashed through the purple-robed Taoist's eyes. Looking at the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who was so close, he knelt down in mid-air, kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, saying, "Master, your disciple has returned, Zhenyun has returned."
Upon seeing the chaotic purple clouds, meeting the purple-robed Taoist, and hearing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven call him "Disciple of Zhenyun," the memories of the saints, dormant for millions of years, were awakened by Zhenyun's appearance, and they finally understood the cause and effect. Who was this person? This was none other than the great sage of the primordial world, the venerable Ancestor Hongyun, who had almost perished in the underworld. All the saints were frustrated. Hongyun, who had almost been annihilated and lost all his cultivation, had once again set foot on this chaotic prehistoric land. However, the Hongyun of the past had cultivated for millions of years to reach the early stage of Quasi-Saint, but today, he had transformed into a peak Quasi-Saint, and with the addition of the Primordial Purple Qi, it was feared that if the opportunity arose, the prehistoric world would gain another saint. The Hongyun of the past was full of peaceful and serene aura, but now he was replaced by a violent and frenzied aura. All the saints sighed, because a normal Hongyun was easy to deal with, but a frenzied Hongyun was not so good. Everyone regretted that if they had saved Zhenyun before, everything would have been different... The Great Sage Equaling Heaven looked at Hongyun and said: "Today, let all the saints be my witnesses. I accept you as my disciple, my fourth disciple, and bestow upon you the Daoist name 'Zhenyun'. I also bestow upon you the twenty-fourth grade Karmic Red Lotus for protection. But don't worry, someone else will also give you spiritual treasures."
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