Chapter 1

What the heck is going on? What kind of world is this? What the heck is this thing?

Ding Yue looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh, shouting with a face full of indignation.

At this moment, he was barefoot, with strips of cloth hanging from his body, covered in dust. His originally flowing hair was now a messy clump, with dust floating around.

He looked at the large egg in his arms and was at a loss.

Why did you drink so much? Was it really necessary? If you were going to drink, just drink. But why did you drive after drinking? That’s like an old man hanging himself because he’s tired of living!

Car accidents are quite common these days, and it seems I’ve run into one.

Ding Yue gave a self-deprecating smile, shook his originally flowing hair, and instantly dust flew everywhere!

Traveled through time? Ding Yue never thought he would encounter such a thing from the穿越 (time-travel) novels. It’s been a long time since he read any time-travel novels. Could it still be popular? Ding Yue pinched himself a few times.

He didn’t become a prince or a rich young master, but instead ended up in this desolate place. He hadn’t seen a single person, and the place was filled with towering trees and exotic flowers and plants. It seemed to be an era of immortals and martial arts.

Ding Yue suddenly thought of the风采 (demeanor) of those前辈 (seniors) in the novels, dominating the world, unbeatable, and lonely.

He felt a surge of excitement.

But the excitement quickly faded. He hadn’t even figured out his current situation, and he was already thinking about being unbeatable? Lonely, yes, because there’s no one around. Unbeatable? Well, if there’s no one, then you’re unbeatable, I guess.

Coming back to reality, Ding Yue began to examine the thing in his arms.

It was about the size of a rice cooker, oval-shaped, like a watermelon, with a dense pattern of black and red lines, and it seemed to emit a trembling aura.

Ding Yue had traveled for two days, walking an unknown distance to reach this massive mountain peak, where he found a cave several dozen meters high and then discovered this large, strange egg.

What the heck is this? Ding Yue scratched his head, confused, and knocked on it, hearing a thud.

It’s very hard! Ding Yue touched his slightly prickly stubble and seriously concluded, but he wondered how it would taste if cooked. Maybe as a fried rice dish?

Standing in front of the cave, Ding Yue looked into the distance. The forest stretched endlessly, with rolling mountains as far as the eye could see.

This mountain was the highest peak in the surrounding area, though Ding Yue wasn’t interested in measuring its height. But he could tell it was much higher than Mount Everest.

Not Earth, then what?

Within a hundred miles, there wasn’t a single animal, only the occasional bird flying by at high speed, too fast to see clearly!

Other than that? Nothing.

The cave was huge, not meant for human habitation. It was about forty meters high, and the inside was even larger, spanning several miles and over a hundred meters high. Who would live in such a large place?

Ding Yue was afraid that the parents or relatives of the large egg might suddenly appear, see him, and then sneeze!

And then? Nothing. There shouldn’t be anything.

The nest was made of large branches, layered and stacked, and the large egg was found inside, bigger than Ding Yue’s previous three-bedroom apartment.

Ding Yue’s mouth twitched, feeling very sad about his hard-earned three-bedroom apartment and the girlfriend he was still pursuing.

Damn, what a good flower, but it can only be given to someone else!

Sigh...

A whip, made of an unknown material, very special, like a rope but seamless, with many patterns, earthy yellow, very tough, about two feet long.

“Snap!” Ding Yue naturally claimed the whip as his own, then found some large, crudely made books, like pot lids!

What kind of writing is this?

Ding Yue almost cursed. The words were very bright, each one glowing with a golden light, but the important thing was that he didn’t recognize a single one. They were all strange and unique, each written in a single stroke, with countless strokes.

In short, Ding Yue couldn’t understand a thing.

“Bang~” Suddenly, Ding Yue’s vision went dark, and he heard a loud noise. He felt a splitting headache, wanting to scream.

But it seemed like an illusion, and the headache quickly passed, his vision cleared, and the noise disappeared.

Ding Yue knew it wasn’t an illusion. He felt something different about himself, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

His mind seemed much clearer. Ding Yue scratched his head, confused!

No choice, his scalp was itchy!

Casually looking down, Ding Yue suddenly widened his eyes. On the ground, the large books were casually spread out, the words on them still glowing with a golden light, strange and unique, just like before.

“Dapeng Fuyao Technique”

“Xuanming Li Tian Technique”

“Fanhai Yushui Technique”

“Yaowen Lu”

“Sanzu Zhui Lu”

“Tingdao Yusi”

“Buhuai Zhen Shen Technique”

“Sitian Claw”

“Zhensha Fa Zhen”

...

Ding Yue suddenly realized that he now recognized all the words he previously couldn’t understand, feeling very strange and surprised.

He was surprised by the meaning of these words. What the heck? Techniques, secrets? Ding Yue felt like he had been buried by a pie.

But then, Ding Yue sat down in shock.

Because he saw four golden words in the lower right corner of each book.

“Yaoshi Kunpeng”

Yaoshi Kunpeng? Ding Yue naturally thought of a passage.

In the Northern Sea, there is a fish named Kun. Kun is so large, no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans. When it transforms into a bird named Peng, its back is also so large, no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans. When it flaps its wings, they are like clouds hanging from the sky.

A demon teacher in the Heavenly Court?

Oh my god!

Ding Yue was truly stunned, a bit crazy, pulling at his messy hair, his eyes unfocused and a bit manic.

Although he had traveled through time, and although he had thought about the world of immortals and martial arts, the ancient chaotic era wasn’t necessarily a good thing. What about the Heavenly Dao? The predestined fate? The anomalies?

Ding Yue naturally thought of a classic phrase: “To hell with it!”

Hmm? And another one: “Please stay, Daoist friend! Or perhaps we are destined to meet!”

Ding Yue couldn’t help but shiver!

If the chaos hadn’t yet opened, he could still mingle and chat with Pangu; or if the world had just opened, he could become a disciple of the Daoist Master Hongjun and become a sage.

But now, with the Heavenly Court already established and demon teachers appearing, the witch clans must be widespread.

A great calamity!

Ding Yue really wanted to travel through time again, to a better era, where he could thrive.

After a while, Ding Yue gradually calmed down and, like grabbing a lifeline, dove into the books.

After a while, Ding Yue suddenly threw the books aside and cursed, “Damn, why are there no cultivation techniques? Without magical power, what good are these techniques? I’m telling you, it’s useless!”

He didn’t realize that techniques couldn’t overcome fate!

Ding Yue looked up to the sky and shouted, tears streaming down his face.

After calming down, Ding Yue began to organize the books. There were many techniques, seemingly very powerful, like the demon teacher’s specialties, but now they were just nonsense without any magical power, useless.

“Yaowen Lu”

“Sanzu Zhui Lu”

One was a primer, the other a storybook, both useless.

“Tingdao Yusi”

Hmm, it seemed to be about enlightenment, but just one look made him dizzy and blurry, so he threw it aside. It was too advanced, to be left for later.

As Ding Yue flipped through the books, he was left with the last one. With a final hope, he opened the book titled “Miscellaneous Notes,” which recorded some minor techniques and secrets.

Suddenly, a passage caught Ding Yue’s eye. It was only a few hundred words, but the title made him excited.

“Qianqi Xiaojì”

“The world has spirit, breathing is qi, the qi of heaven and earth; the qi of heaven and earth nurtures all things, which have spirit, and all things consume it...”

Ding Yue read it carefully, word by word, over and over again. Gradually, he immersed himself, closed his eyes, and muttered the few hundred words repeatedly.

A faint breeze stirred in the cave, and invisible threads of qi drifted toward Ding Yue, merging into his body.

Ding Yue’s body trembled, feeling a cool sensation that refreshed his spirit, and the irritability of the past few days vanished.

After a long time, Ding Yue opened his eyes, his gaze clear, a hint of joy on his face.

“Ha, I’ve become an immortal...”

Ding Yue rolled on the ground!

Although he was worried that the large egg’s relatives might return, he didn’t dare to wander around. At this time, he was truly helpless, and any encounter could lead to his death.

Even a grasshopper could crush him with a single leg.

The parents of the large egg seemed very powerful, and within hundreds of miles, there was no living thing, likely a forbidden area. So, for now, it was safe.

“Qianqi Xiaojì,” though short and incomplete, was a key for Ding Yue, a key to the door of cultivation, its importance self-evident.

Ding Yue studied “Qianqi Xiaojì” daily, occasionally recalling the Daoist and Buddhist classics from his past life, such as the Dao De Jing and the Diamond Sutra.

Thus, his cultivation began. Although the Daoist and Buddhist classics from his past life didn’t provide specific cultivation methods, they helped him understand the Dao and the great principles. Combined with “Qianqi Xiaojì,” Ding Yue absorbed more and more of the qi of heaven and earth, and his body began to generate a faint gas, which was magical power.

With cultivation, Ding Yue understood that the qi of heaven and earth he absorbed was likely the innate spiritual qi, much better than the postnatal spiritual qi of later times.

Moreover, in later times, there seemed to be very little postnatal spiritual qi, mostly car exhaust!

Here, let’s criticize the car sellers. Damn, who can afford a car?

Innate spiritual qi, not only the essence of heaven and earth, but also with innate spirituality, was very beneficial for condensing magical power and cultivation.

Thinking about the immortals of this era compared to those of later times, it was like comparing heaven and earth. One absorbed innate spiritual qi, the other postnatal spiritual qi, with no comparison.

With this understanding, Ding Yue’s cultivation became even more arduous. He spent his days picking wild fruits on the mountain to satisfy his hunger and the rest of the time cultivating in the cave.

Gradually, as his magical power increased, his need for food decreased, almost reaching the legendary state of abstaining from food.

Thus, his cultivation time increased.

Ding Yue’s worries didn’t come true. After three months, the parents or relatives of the large egg didn’t return, and the egg didn’t hatch.

So, Ding Yue cultivated more confidently. His body, washed by the innate spiritual qi, became cleaner and whiter as many toxins were expelled.

After three months of cultivation, Ding Yue could levitate to a height of four or five meters. He was visibly pleased, finally experiencing the joy of cultivation, something he had never imagined in his past life.

According to Yaoshi Kunpeng’s records, the cultivation realms were True Immortal, Earth Immortal, Heaven Immortal, Mystic Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, and Dalu Golden Immortal. Ding Yue’s goal wasn’t that high; becoming an immortal was enough!

Thus, his motivation became even stronger.