Chapter 236: The Primordial God of Humanity

“Mount Taibai is located in an extremely frigid region along the border between Yong Province and You Province.

“It is covered year-round in snow and ice that never melts. At its summit, the laws of heaven and earth are even more chaotic. Even a cultivator of the Celestial Phenomena realm risks having his body destroyed and his soul annihilated if he is even slightly careless.

“In the past, the Hundred Schools once joined forces and dispatched their elite experts to attempt a forced exploration. However, halfway through, they encountered a devastating storm of chaotic laws. Fully ninety percent of those sent there perished, buried beneath the glaciers.”

Recalling that tragedy, Kong Changqing could not help but sigh.

“As for the other one, Mount Shisha…”

Kong Changqing paused. His aged face immediately became exceptionally solemn.

“Have you ever heard of the Withered Sands of Time?” Kong Changqing asked in a low voice.

Li Shun nodded slightly and replied seriously, “This junior has heard of it. According to the rumors, it is an endless forbidden land in the western reaches of Great Qian. Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to see it with my own eyes.”

“The Withered Sands of Time are an absolute forbidden zone for all life. The moment any living being dares to set foot within them, the rate at which time passes over its body will instantly accelerate by tens of millions of times. Even if one possesses several centuries of lifespan, it will be completely exhausted within half a day, leaving nothing but withered bones and drifting dust!”

“This curse of time has continuously eroded outward, gnawing away at the territory of Great Qian. It has forcibly carved out a strange region in the northwest known as the Sea of Sands of Time. Although the flow of time there is not as deadly as the core region of the Withered Sands of Time, where merely touching them means certain death, it is still extraordinarily distorted and chaotic.”

“There was once an unfortunate fellow who accidentally wandered into that sea of sand. He had only entered the day before, yet when he finally escaped, his lifespan had already been exhausted. His hair had turned completely white, and he looked like a dying old man.”

“Yet there have also been people who were mercilessly swallowed by that sea of sand and mysteriously disappeared for several decades. When they eventually reappeared in the world, not only did they still look exactly as young as they had been back then, their lifespans had not diminished in the slightest.”

“And Mount Shisha stands deep within the Sea of Sands of Time.”

“Its movements are elusive, and its location is extremely difficult to pinpoint.

“The Hundred Schools have brought out their deepest reserves and joined forces to explore it several times. Yet after going so many times, they succeeded only once by sheer luck. Every other attempt ended in failure, accompanied by extraordinarily gruesome casualties.”

“For that reason, although these three Divine Mountains still remain within Great Qian, only Mount Dai of Qing Province is stable and peaceful enough to be used as the foundation for carrying and opening that primordial illusionary realm.”

“More importantly, there is that deity who once dwelled atop Mount Dai during the ancient primordial era.”

“A deity?”

When he heard that word, a sharp glint flashed through Li Shun's eyes.

Kong Changqing slowly raised his head and gazed toward the towering silhouette of the mountain that could faintly be seen in the distance.

“Cangju.”

“Atop Mount Dai, there dwelled a deity. Its form resembled that of a human, standing a thousand zhang tall, clothed in garments woven from pure radiance. Its name was Cangju. Its voice resembled the thunder of the Nine Heavens. It neither drank nor ate. When it gazed upon something, heaven and earth would become stagnant. When it walked, the stars would fall into disarray…”

With a desolate and ancient cadence, Kong Changqing slowly recited a passage of text.

“This is the record preserved in the ancient classics concerning Mount Dai in primordial antiquity.

“Cangju was one of the few innate deities throughout the boundless primordial wilderness who was born with an appearance virtually identical to that of us ordinary humans. You should understand that the other ancient deities either possessed only a few superficial human characteristics…”

“Or were simply indescribable, utterly inhuman monsters from beginning to end. Thus, there has always been a hidden rumor circulating throughout the world that this Cangju may very well have been one of the ancestors of our human race.”

“But whether this rumor is true or false, Cangju's attitude toward humanity was exceptionally benevolent.”

“It was precisely because of this legacy that, even countless years after the Calamity of Severing Heaven and Earth, despite Cangju's true form having long since vanished, the residual laws of this Divine Mountain he once guarded remain gentle enough for our mortal bodies to climb.”

“The stone in your hand is also no ordinary piece of mountain rock that can be found everywhere atop Mount Dai. It is a Dao-Rhythm Stone, a genuine object imbued with the aura and resonance of Mount Dai's Great Dao that Connects Heaven.”

“As a Divine Mountain that connects the Great Dao of the Azure Heaven with the mortal world below, Mount Dai has, over countless years, been continuously washed and tempered by the aura of the Great Dao. As a result, some of the stones at its summit have gradually become imprinted with traces of the Great Dao's lingering resonance.”

“An imprint of the Great Dao, gathering its aura into stone. Such an extraordinary creation could never be accomplished overnight. It requires countless eras of prolonged gestation.”

“This object would have been considered an extraordinary treasure even during the ancient primordial era. What more can be said of now, countless years after the Calamity of Severing Heaven and Earth?”

“Dao-Rhythm Stones have almost completely vanished from existence. Only a pitiful few remain in the world. Today, this old man is merely lending it to you for a period of enlightenment. You had better not lose it.”

Kong Changqing's expression was solemn as he repeatedly reminded Li Shun.

Li Shun's heart trembled slightly.

He had never imagined that this seemingly dull, gray stone in his hand, which appeared utterly unremarkable, would have such an astonishing origin.

He hurriedly composed himself, bowed deeply, and said solemnly, “Thank you for your generosity, Senior, and for bestowing such a precious treasure upon me.”

Kong Changqing waved his hand indifferently.

“Enough. I won't disturb your cultivation any longer. The first month after entering the Grotto Mystic realm is an exceptionally precious period for cultivating your sensitivity and perception toward the Great Dao. Remember to make good use of it. Do not squander such an opportunity.”

After carefully delivering these instructions, Kong Changqing finally turned around and left the Wen-Dao Pavilion.

Once Kong Changqing departed, Li Shun keenly sensed that several powerful and obscure auras had quietly appeared around the perimeter of the Wen-Dao Pavilion's courtyard.

Clearly, these were top-tier guards secretly arranged by Kong Changqing.

“It seems the value of this stone truly is immeasurable.”

Li Shun returned to the quiet chamber.

He sat cross-legged, tightly holding the Dao-Rhythm Stone in both hands. Holding his breath and calming his mind, he quietly immersed himself in contemplation.

In an instant, deep within his sea of consciousness, that magnificent vision once again emerged uncontrollably.

The towering Mount Dai rose from the earth, reaching all the way to the heavens.

Only this time, Li Shun noticed something different from what he had seen when he personally climbed Mount Dai in the past.

It was no longer the insignificant perspective of a mortal standing humbly at the foot of the mountain and looking upward.

At this moment, his soul seemed to have been elevated infinitely higher.

He was viewing the entire Mount Dai from a transcendent, lofty perspective, looking down upon it from above.

The mountains, rivers, vegetation, and every other detail were all laid bare before his eyes, as though he were observing the lines upon his own palm.

And it was not merely the superficial scenery.

More importantly, Li Shun seemed capable of seeing through to the very essence of Mount Dai.

“Divine Mountain that Connects Heaven.”

Li Shun silently savored the true meaning behind those four words.

“Why exactly can a Divine Mountain connect to Heaven?”

The countless living beings beneath heaven knew nothing of the reason.

They knew only the result.

Li Shun immersed himself in this incredible enlightenment.

In his eyes, the mountain rocks, soil, and every other material manifestation of Mount Dai rapidly faded and became as indistinct as drifting clouds and smoke.

Replacing them was a magnificent network of interwoven lines, resembling the laws of the Great Dao stretching across the firmament.

And this divine mountain happened to be embedded precisely at one of the nodes within that vast network.

It served as a point of connection, linking Heaven and Earth together.

“It is not that the Divine Mountain connects Earth to Heaven.”

“Rather, it is because Heaven and Earth intersect that the Divine Mountain was born.”

Li Shun's heart stirred with understanding.