Chapter 7: Journey through the Primordial Wilderness, Apprenticeship at Kunlun
Cough, cough, let me clarify, I do not possess great magical power. Your successful transformation is due to your deep fortune and profound Daoist practices, along with the abundant spiritual energy at the peak of Kunlun Mountain. I merely lent a helping hand. " After saying this, I secretly formed a spell, and the heavenly wind at the peak of Kunlun Mountain suddenly blew over, lifting the two children into the air, who then fell back down after a long while. Zhou Cheng also stumbled and fell, and all three of them cried out in pain.
After completing his cultivation, Zhou Cheng leisurely rode the five-colored auspicious cloud and began to travel through the primordial chaos, experiencing the kind of immortal feeling that he had envied so much in later generations. At first, he hardly encountered any sentient beings, but after wandering for several tens of thousands of years, various remarkable individuals gradually appeared. Although they were few in number, each one was indeed a powerful existence.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Cheng realized that both the bamboo and the stone possessed spiritual essence. The stone was a pile of jade, while the bamboo was a small spotted bamboo, both having been nourished by the spiritual energy of the mountain top day and night, and had become somewhat sentient. The stone pressed down on the bamboo, which appeared to be an accident, but in reality, it was not. It turned out that both the bamboo and the stone instinctively absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. However, one day, it seemed that the bamboo had extended its roots into the pile of stones, and the spiritual energy attracted by the stone was partially siphoned off by the bamboo. The stone could not tolerate this and thus separated a small portion of itself, thereby pressing down on the bamboo. It turned out that both the bamboo and the stone instinctively absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. However, one day, it seemed that the bamboo had extended its roots into the pile of stones, and the spiritual energy attracted by the stone was partially siphoned off by the bamboo. The stone could not tolerate this and thus separated a small portion of itself, thereby pressing down on the bamboo.
"You lead us, and if we take you as our master, wouldn't that mean we have both kinship and friendship?" The two children conferred and said with joy and laughter. Zhou Cheng was quite pleased, thinking his scheme had succeeded, but unexpectedly, the little girl added: "Uncle, why are you not happy about this? But you personally said that our fortune is profound, and we are taking you as our master because we hold you in high regard"
"Are you really that impressive, able to defeat us?" The child in the yellow outfit tightened his fists and said with a childish expression. "Hmph, you little brat, you only rely on your weight to bully others. Do you think you're that great? The one who can help us transform is definitely stronger than you." The little girl certainly does not miss any opportunity for retaliation.
Upon turning his head, one could only exclaim, "Wow, how sleazy." This person is Zhou Cheng, who navigates the world with this sleazy and ugly low-profile visage, revealing his true self only in grand occasions
When Zhou Cheng first set foot on the primordial land, it was still overgrown with thorns, inhabited only by some unconscious plants and animals. Many areas were completely uninhabitable, often consisting of vast stretches of towering mountains, with peaks reaching thousands of feet high. In the early days of the primordial world, there must have been some treasures, and Zhou Cheng was certainly busy with this. Over these tens of thousands of years, he has traveled to many places and, of course, acquired quite a few treasures.
"Little girl, from now on you shall be called Zhu Yu, and you shall be called Shi Zhong. Come along with me." Zhou Cheng pondered, having now seen Kunlun Mountain and traveled through so many places. It was time to consider which of the mountains he had visited resonated most with his thoughts, to establish a base. He also intended to build a proper nest.
The two individuals who had just transformed looked at each other in confusion, and then with a hum, turned their heads away, refusing to look at one another
However, Zhou Cheng found the first banana tree that bloomed after the creation of the world at the mountain peak, and he completely transplanted it into the Qian Kun Ding at https://m.hetushu.com.com. Meanwhile, he also picked all three gourds from the gourd vine when they were ripe, not knowing whether they could later be used to create the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, the Purple Gold Gourd, or the Qian Kun Gourd. Nevertheless, Zhou Cheng's thought was that even if he had no use for them himself, he could not aid the enemy by giving them to outsiders.
"Old man, let's make a deal. Why not take the two of us along? You would be doing a good deed to the end," the young man in the yellow robe said anxiously, suddenly jumping up to block Zhou Cheng.
"Old man, don't go, don't go." Upon hearing Zhou Cheng's blatant threat, the two young ones were instantly filled with dread. At this moment, the wilderness indeed had many ferocious beasts, far beyond what the two little spirits could contend with.
"Who are you, and what are you looking at us for?" The voice of the stone man trembled slightly, and the appearance of the boy in the yellow robe made Zhou Cheng feel quite frustrated. Could it be that his own appearance was so untrustworthy?
When Zhou Cheng arrived at Kunlun, the first thing he did was search for the fragments of the Creation Jade Disc. Unfortunately, the Great Dao had already been established, and the laws of Heaven had been set in place, making the heavenly secrets sometimes less clear. The Creation Jade Disc was originally a significant part obtained by Pangu, who then shared that understanding with Zhou Cheng. Although the portion of the Creation Jade Disc within that primordial spirit imprint was too profound for Zhou Cheng to fully comprehend, it did not hinder his desire to find the remaining small part to complete the whole. However, with the Great Dao reaching its culmination, even the laws of the Great Dao favored Hongjun, ultimately concealing that portion of heavenly secrets. Although the portion of the Creation Jade Disc within that primordial spirit imprint was too profound for Zhou Cheng to fully comprehend, it did not hinder his desire to find the remaining small part to complete the whole. However, with the Great Dao reaching its culmination, even the laws of the Great Dao favored Hongjun, ultimately concealing that portion of heavenly secrets.
Although he did not find the Creation Jade Disc, Zhou Cheng felt very frustrated, extremely frustrated. It seems that in the future, he can only go to the Zihe - Tu - Shuxiao Palace to listen to lectures. He is unsure how much he will comprehend of the remaining content of the Jade Disc as narrated by Hongjun, the Great Dao of Hongjun
"Well, it seems you are not that impressive either, but you do seem to be much stronger than us," said the young girl in the green attire, brushing off the dirt from her clothes while pouting at Zhou Cheng. The child in the yellow outfit remained silent, squatting down on the ground and watching the other two converse.
Zhou Cheng smiled gently, gazing meaningfully at the bamboo and the stones, and with a thought, he suddenly had an idea
Zhou Cheng pointed at the stone and bamboo, and immediately, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged towards them. A mist appeared, dispersing the smoke, and on the ground, a pair of young boy and girl suddenly materialized, one in blue attire and the other in yellow. At that moment, the sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds, as if it were about to thunder and rain, yet within the clouds, there seemed to flash a yin-yang eye. Zhou Cheng speculated that this was the heavenly tribulation. However, it was likely that the two figures were manifestations created by external forces, rather than true embodiments of profound magical power, and thus they soon dissipated. The sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds again, as if it were about to thunder and rain, yet within the clouds, there seemed to flash a yin-yang eye. Zhou Cheng speculated that this was the heavenly tribulation. However, it was likely that the two figures were manifestations created by external forces, rather than true embodiments of profound magical power, and thus they soon dissipated.
After just a moment, they realized that their transformation seemed to rely heavily on the outsider beside them. Instantly, they both turned to look at Zhou Cheng, who, dressed in a Daoist robe, was leering at them with a playful expression on his face.
Among these powerful beings are the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery, the Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Emperor Jun of the demon clan, Nuwa, Fuxi, Hongyun, the River of Darkness, Kunpeng, as well as figures like Zhunti and Jieyin, totaling several dozen individuals, all of whom are destined to become great deities in the future. However, everyone is still in their infancy, lacking understanding of this world, and there is little conflict; they are all quietly cultivating. Even the Daoist Hongjun, associated with the *Tushu*, is still unknown as to where he sits in silent meditation on the Dao.
Well, there is nothing more for me to do here, so I shall take my leave. However, you all must be cautious, as there are many fierce beasts on the mountain at night. Tsk tsk, those primordial beasts have a penchant for tender things.
Cough, cough, I am a wandering little practitioner. Today, seeing the two of you scheming against each other, I truly cannot bear it. Therefore, I shall use my humble magic to transform you both. Zhou Cheng pretended to be a bit foolish, instantly combining foolishness with lewdness, resulting in a vulgar demeanor that made the two young ones laugh heartily
On the summit of Kunlun Mountain, atop a sheer cliff, a man stands against the wind, gazing at the vast expanse of Kunlun stretching over millions of miles. Amidst the boundless sea of clouds, numerous majestic peaks rise abruptly. The man's silhouette appears ethereal, as the mountain breeze caresses his long hair, and the flowing clouds below seem to pay homage to him, as if he could ascend into the sky at any moment. At this moment, Kunlun Mountain is truly enveloped in auspicious clouds, with spiritual energy flowing like water, and various spiritual entities roaring and tumbling in the sea of clouds and mountain ravines. The man’s silhouette appears ethereal, as the mountain breeze caresses his long hair, and the flowing clouds below seem to pay homage to him, as if he could ascend into the sky at any moment. At this moment, Kunlun Mountain is truly enveloped in auspicious clouds, with spiritual energy flowing like water, and various spiritual entities roaring and tumbling in the sea of clouds and mountain ravines. The phoenix spreads its wings chasing the golden clouds, and the dragon sways its tail playing with the tides, a magnificent primordial fairyland.
I can't believe my bad luck, but let me make it clear first: I don't have any profound spells to teach you. Therefore, in the future, you should keep a low profile. If someone ambushes you, don't mention my name. Zhou Cheng knows that the future world is particularly chaotic, and he doesn't care about qualifications or talent when taking on disciples. In the face of absolute power, everything else is nonsense; only by being low-key can one truly benefit. Of course, if one can find opportunities to strike a few times, that would be even better. What he values most is fate; if he is in a good mood, he will accept disciples, or if he encounters interesting individuals like jade or bamboo, he will take them in. For them, it would be as if they stumbled upon a cheap and lewd master on their journey. Qualifications and talent are all nonsense. After the chaos of the world, countless great beings have turned to dust. No matter how good the qualifications are, without fortune and without a saint to guide them, they are just mediocre. As for the future development of the disciples, with Zhou Cheng's abilities, who would they fear? And as for the idea of having all disciples become saints, that's even more absurd. Even if they have great qualifications, just becoming a quasi-teacher would be the best they could achieve.
As he walked, Zhou Chengxin felt a sudden awareness, as if he sensed something. He slowly approached a pile of scattered stones nearby. To his surprise, a heap of stones had unexpectedly collapsed, burying a bamboo that had originally been growing next to them. The bamboo had lost its green hue, appearing somewhat withered, yet it remained resilient, with its exposed branches and leaves still absorbing the spiritual energy from the summit of Kunlun Mountain, vibrant and full of life.
"What a fallacy, what a fallacy! We are mere acquaintances, with no kinship or ties; on what basis should I take you with me?" Zhou Cheng forcefully emphasized the phrase 'no kinship or ties'.
Greetings, Master! The two young ones are quite straightforward; since the agreement has been reached, they have promptly taken the step to become apprentices.
"You seem quite bad, but why did you just help us transform?" Before Zhou Cheng could respond to the child in the yellow robe, the words of the young girl in the green attire almost made him choke. However, he soon felt pleased, as it seemed his image was quite successful; this was indeed low-key and rather vulgar.