Primordial Era: The Only Golden Crow, Starting with the Twelve Earthly Branches

Chapter 3 Establishing the Order of Time, Heaven Bestows Merit

"Buzz!"

The vast starry sky suddenly trembled, and a supreme Daoist aura descended, sweeping across three trillion miles, transforming into a canopy like nine dragons guarding the sky, lying across the heads of Lingxiao, Xihe, and Changxi.

Amidst the purple aura, ten thousand golden lotuses bloomed layer upon layer, their dazzling divine light illuminating the starry river;

One after another, the phantom images of innate deities slowly coalesced, with the Azure Dragon roaring over the sea, the White Tiger guarding the west, the Vermilion Bird soaring through the sky, the Black Tortoise guarding the north, and the Qilin galloping past on auspicious steeds;

Furthermore, the ethereal images of innate spiritual roots such as gourd vines and yellow plum trees swayed, accompanied by the flowing starlight, exuding a natural Daoist charm...

In the blink of an eye, this astonishing phenomenon swept across the entire primordial starry sky, and even the primordial land could see the purple and golden light that stretched across the sky.

"Such a strange phenomenon..." Xihe's clear and beautiful eyes could not hide her surprise. She raised her hand slightly and looked at the Daoist aura filling the sky. She sighed softly, "The strange phenomena that Hongjun Patriarch caused when he quelled the demonic chaos and destroyed Rahu were probably no more than this."

All living beings in the primordial world know that Hongjun Laozu was the one who made the greatest contribution in ending the great calamity of ferocious beasts and quelling the conflict between the demonic and spiritual paths.

After two world-ending catastrophes, the Heavenly Dao bestowed upon him a vast amount of merit, which allowed him to gradually rise to the forefront of the great supernatural beings in the primordial world.

To this day, this ancient and powerful being has long since disappeared into the depths of chaos, never appearing in the primordial world again, and no one knows what level his cultivation has reached.

But thinking about it, they should already be far ahead, and even if they haven't become saints yet, they're not far off...

"The merits of Heaven are about to fall." Ling Xiao gazed at the golden light slowly gathering deep within the purple aura, his tone calm, but his eyes held a knowing look.

When the great god Pangu created the world, he killed many great demon gods and refined them into the primordial world. However, the primordial world was not perfect. Except for the law of power, which was perfect, all other laws were flawed.

Or rather, it's not that it has any flaws, it's just that it doesn't reach the level of the Three Thousand Great Dao Demon Gods.

For example, time, space...

Ling Xiao knew perfectly well—

The establishment of the order of heaven and earth is essentially to define the underlying rules for the flow of time in the primordial world and to make up for the corresponding deficiencies in the primordial order. The significance of this matter is no less than that of ending the struggle between the demonic and the demonic paths.

However, even with the three of them working together, they have only built the basic framework of the time-series system, and have not yet filled in all the flesh and blood.

Therefore, the only advantage of this extraordinary phenomenon lies in its extremely high "quality".

As for the "quantity" of merit, it is far from being perfect.

"Heavenly merit?!" Chang Xi's round eyes lit up instantly, her little face full of excitement and anticipation. "Great! Now we don't have to worry about being burdened by karma and being schemed against!"

"Boom!"

At the pinnacle of the stars, the Heavenly Dao roared, and a vast expanse of golden light of merit poured down from the depths of the purple aura like a celestial river flowing backward, splitting into three streams, each with its own destination.

The first stream was the most magnificent, with nearly 50% of the golden light of merit splitting into fourteen, which then disappeared into the two supreme stars, Taiyin and Taiyang, as well as the twelve Yuan Chen main stars.

In an instant, the fourteen stars trembled together. The essence of the stars was nourished and strengthened by the merit, becoming more and more powerful. The orbits of the twelve zodiacal constellations gradually stabilized, forming a protective circle around the moon and the sun.

From then on, as long as the primordial chaos remains, the moon and the sun will never perish!

—Anyone who dares to attack these two supreme stars must first be suppressed by the residual power of Pangu's creation of the world, and then be burned by boundless karmic fire from heaven and earth, never to be freed.

After this battle, the Taiyin and Taiyang were connected with the twelve celestial bodies, which not only protected the supreme star, but also roughly sorted out the order of the entire primordial starry sky.

"Buzz, buzz."

The second beam of golden light of merit split into two, falling on the Fusang tree of the Sun Star and the Laurel tree of the Moon Star respectively.

Two top-grade innate spiritual roots swayed in the wind, and golden merit lines spread among the branches and leaves. From then on, they were untouched by cause and effect, unaffected by karma, and indestructible through countless eons.

The last stream of merit, accounting for about 40% of the total, fell directly upon Ling Xiao and the other two.

The golden light entered their bodies, first cleansing their physical bodies and primordial spirits, nourishing their essence, energy, and spirit. Then, it refined the already incredibly pure Great Luo Golden Immortal power of the three individuals, making it even more condensed and pure. Finally, each of them transformed into a golden wheel of merit, which hung behind their heads and could be used at will.

"Whoosh!"

Just as the golden light of merit completely merged into his primordial spirit, Ling Xiao's consciousness suddenly wavered for a moment.

In a daze, his primordial spirit seemed to transcend endless time and space and the barriers of chaos, and behold an ancient and simple Daoist temple floating in the chaotic currents:

In the center of the temple, on a twelve-petaled golden lotus platform, sat an old Taoist priest with white hair, his head above which floated fragments of a jade tablet pieced together. His body was surrounded by Taoist aura, mysterious and unfathomable.

The moment their eyes met, Ling Xiao caught a very subtle, hidden, yet undeniably present smile in those calm, still eyes.

With a mix of admiration and satisfaction.

"Whoosh!"

It was a fleeting moment.

When Ling Xiao regained his senses, he found himself still standing atop the starry sky. The strange phenomena were slowly dissipating, with only the time-series rules that had merged with heaven and earth faintly resonating.

The primordial wilderness is still the same primordial wilderness, the starry sky is still the same starry sky, yet there are subtle differences:

The rules of heaven and earth are becoming more and more perfect.

The innate spiritual energy in the starry sky became even denser.

Even the workings of the Heavenly Dao seemed to have become a little smoother.

"Wow! So much merit!" Changxi held the golden wheel of merit behind his head, his eyes curving into crescents as he smiled.

These merits are enough to allow her to steadily step into the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

However, Xihe, standing to the side, frowned slightly, a hint of apology appearing on her cool face. She looked at Lingxiao and said softly, "Brother Lingxiao, this time the establishment of the order was originally your responsibility. My sister and I were merely assisting from the sidelines, yet we have received so much merit. Even the Taiyin Star and the Laurel Tree have received tremendous benefits. This..."

She knew in her heart that the benefits gained by the Moon Star and the Sun Star from this merit-making would be almost equal, which made her feel guilty for wanting to help Ling Xiao accumulate merit.

"Ah? Oh right!" Reminded by her sister, Chang Xi, who was usually oblivious, finally came to her senses. Her round eyes darted around, and she immediately said, "Brother Lingxiao, then my sister and I will pull up the laurel tree and give it to you! It's a top-grade innate spiritual root formed from Pangu's eyelashes, which would be a perfect match for your Fusang tree!"

Upon hearing this, Xihe actually lowered her eyes and pondered deeply, seriously considering the feasibility of transplanting the laurel tree.

Ling Xiao had previously stated that the Taiyin Star was the foundation of their fortune and they refused to accept it, but the laurel tree was not an obstacle and could make up for the merit of this sharing.

"Alright." Ling Xiao chuckled and shook his head, raising his hand to press down on the shoulders of the two, his tone gentle yet firm, "What do you mean by pairing them up? The laurel and the hibiscus are not yet sentient, and they have not yet taken human form, so don't try to match them up randomly."

Innate spiritual roots can also be used as innate spiritual treasures for combat, but Ling Xiao has not yet fallen to that level.

The best use of laurel and hibiscus is to take root in the supreme stars and gather and stabilize the energy of the moon and the sun.

As the saying goes, when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless.

Although luck is intangible and elusive, it is sometimes even more important than merit.

In the later Investiture of the Gods, the Human Sect, the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, and the Western Sect all entered the fray. Why did the Jie Sect, led by Tongtian Jiaozhu, suffer the most severe losses in the end?

The main reason is the difference between the real and the illusory aspects of fortune.

The Western religion possesses supreme innate spiritual treasures such as the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit, the Eight-Treasure Merit Pool, the Six-Root Purification Bamboo, and the Seven-Treasure Wonderful Tree to suppress the Western fortune.

The Humanist sect possesses the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda, a treasure of acquired merit, and the Taiji Diagram, a treasure of innate merit, to suppress the sect's fortune.

Even the Chan Sect, although the Primordial Heavenly Venerable's innate treasure Pangu Banner is inclined towards killing, still has the supreme innate spiritual treasures Three Treasures Jade Ruyi and Jade Void Glazed Lamp.

And what about the Tongtian Sect Leader?

The "Zhu Xian Sword Formation," formed by combining the Four Swords of Zhu Xian with the Zhu Xian Formation Diagram, is indeed powerful, but it is filled with murderous intent and is good at attacking rather than suppressing or stabilizing the Daoist tradition and destiny.

In addition, the same applies to other treasures such as the Purple Lightning Hammer, the Fishing Drum, and the Green Lotus Sword.

Therefore, the Tongtian Sect Leader was the most aggressive among the Three Pure Ones, and also the one who did not last long.

In short, the Western Sect benefited the most from the Investiture of the Gods, followed by Laozi, who converted barbarians to Buddhism. As for Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu, they both suffered losses.

Among the Twelve Immortals of Jade Void under the former's command, Cihang Daoren, Puxian Zhenren, Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun, and Julusun were all converted to Buddhism, and even the deputy leader, Randeng Daoren, also joined the Buddhist sect.

Of course, compared to the complete collapse of the Jie Sect, the Chan Sect fared much better.

The four religions are in different situations, and behind this, the treasures that suppress destiny probably played a significant role.

The two Western Saints possess the most treasures for suppressing fortune, and therefore reap the greatest rewards.

The Tongtian Sect Leader did not possess any proper treasures to suppress the flow of fortune, so he suffered the greatest loss.

"Besides, why be so formal between us?" Ling Xiao suppressed his distracting thoughts and continued.

"The Taiyin and Taiyang are the transformations of the eyes of the great god Pangu. They are the two sides of Yin and Yang in the universe, and their value lies in their balance and mutual assistance. They should share this merit together."

"If the sun were to dominate, the order of the stars would be disrupted, and even if it gained temporary power, it would ultimately be difficult to sustain it."

He understood all too well the principle that prosperity inevitably leads to decline.

Di Jun and Tai Yi established the Heavenly Court of the Demon Clan, gathering the fortune of most of the stars with the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou Da Zhen". One was the Demon Emperor and the other was the Eastern Emperor. They were truly magnificent!

However, even with the union of the Moon Star, the Sun Star still reigned supreme, causing an imbalance of Yin and Yang and an unstable fortune. In the end, the Sun Star suffered a tragic fate of mutual destruction and death in the war between the Lich King and the Demon King.

Even the Chaos Bell, a supreme innate treasure for suppressing destiny, was used by the Great God Pangu to suppress the entire primordial starry sky, not just a single sun star.

Therefore, the longevity of the starry sky has never depended on the strength of any individual entity, but on the overall balance and mutual promotion.

Now, the energies of the moon and the sun are connected, and yin and yang are in harmony; this is the true way to achieve stability.

"But..." Chang Xi wanted to say something more.

"Don't mention transplanting laurels again," Ling Xiao interrupted her, his tone gentle yet authoritative. "The moon gives birth to the laurel, and the sun gives birth to the hibiscus; they are the foundation of the yin-yang balance in the celestial sphere, and should not be disturbed lightly."

"Besides, we're family, so what's the difference between yours and mine?"

"Of all the merits I have earned, I will receive 20%. The two of you combined will only receive 20%, which is already the majority. There is no need to argue further."

He knew in his heart that establishing a timeline was not a one-off deal.

This time, Heaven has only bestowed the merit of establishing the order of time.

From then on, the twelve Earthly Branches and the sun and moon will rotate, maintaining the operation of the primordial order. Every moment, drops of merit will accumulate. Although it is a slow and steady stream, it is inexhaustible, which is the real long-lasting benefit.

"Oh well."

Upon hearing this, Xihe and Changxi exchanged a glance, their pretty faces flushing slightly. They lowered their eyes, speechless, but a sweet feeling welled up in their hearts.

"Now that I have the merit, I plan to go into seclusion to improve my cultivation and refine the treasure. What do you think?" Ling Xiao asked the two sisters.

The resonance between the Yin and Yang, and the harmony of Yin and Yang energies, make cultivation or the refining of treasures more than ten times more efficient than doing it alone.

"I am willing to go into seclusion with you, fellow Daoist." Xihe stepped forward, gently grasping Lingxiao's right hand with her delicate hand, her cool eyes filled with tenderness.

"Me too! Me too! I want to be with Brother Ling Xiao too! Hehe." Chang Xi quickly came over, grabbed Ling Xiao's left hand, and smiled with her eyes crinkling like a little rabbit that had stolen candy.

……

In the Purple Mansion Continent of the East Sea, Emperor Donghua gazed at the dissipating golden light in the starry sky, his eyes filled with envy. He clapped his hands and sighed, "Establishing the Twelve Yuan Chen can actually obtain Heavenly Dao Merit? Hiss! Such a massive amount of merit is truly enviable. If I could obtain this much merit, I would surely become a mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal."

On Mount Sumeru in the west, Jieyin and Zhunti gazed at the starry sky, their faces filled with even deeper sorrow.

Jieyin sighed, "Excellent, excellent. This Fellow Daoist Lingxiao truly doesn't follow the usual path. Back then, during the demonic conflict, the Western lands shattered, and countless powerful beings perished. Even the merit gained by Ancestor Hongjun was only equivalent to this. When did merit become so easy to obtain?"

Zhunti clasped his hands together, but a glint of shrewdness shone in his eyes as he secretly plotted how to forge a good relationship with the new master of the Sun Star. It would be even better if he could ask him for some guidance.

On Mount Kunlun, Tongtian gazed at the starry sky, a look of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Fellow Daoist Lingxiao, you are truly a remarkable person!"

Lao Tzu, standing to the side, kept his eyes slightly closed, seemingly oblivious to the commotion, only gently fidgeting with his fingertips, remaining silent.

Yuan Shi's expression kept changing.

In an instant, throughout the primordial world, numerous powerful beings witnessed this scene in the starry sky, and each one of them was filled with envy.

In other words, merit is something that cannot be stolen; otherwise, powerful beings would have already been unable to resist.

However, in secret, many highly skilled individuals, with the idea of ​​trying their luck regardless of the outcome, attempted to establish various things.

Believe it or not, some of them were really lucky; they stumbled upon some merit by sheer chance.

For example, Zhulong of the East Sea cultivated the Great Dao of Time, fused the Law of Time, and aligned with the order of heaven and earth. He then added a "kilometer" to the year, month, and day system.

The word "moment" was thus coined.

Although the merit gained is far less than what Ling Xiao has achieved this time, it is still quite good.

These powerful individuals also felt some gratitude and goodwill towards Ling Xiao.