Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Clan of the Great Spirits

The innate karmic dilemma that had plagued Qingxu for so long was finally resolved. Instantly, he felt clarity within Heaven and Earth; the oppression in his heart dissipated, and he raised the matter of his task to the forefront of his mind.

Through the information provided by the Investiture of the Gods system, he now understood the mission: to assist humanity in repelling the Four Ferocious Beasts. This was no simple undertaking.

The origins of the Four Ferocious Beasts were shrouded in mystery, their cultivation profound. Even amidst the mighty of the primordial world, they held their own, far stronger than Qingxu himself.

“Human race? Perhaps this is the butterfly effect caused by my transmigration,” Qingxu mused. He was the soul of Wang Xuan, belonging to the human race; if he sought to attain the Dao, he must resolve the karmic entanglements of humanity.

As Qingxu pondered, he noticed another discovery in the system’s task rewards. The rewards were divided into two main parts. The first was the manifest stream of merit and incense; as for the second, no information could be viewed yet. This piqued Qingxu’s curiosity—what other rewards might there be?

Since the goddess Nuwa created mankind, the human race had developed rapidly. In less than a century, their population exceeded one million, ranking as a mid-tier clan among the hundred tribes of the primordial world. Yet, in terms of strength, they were lacking. Though innately gifted and quick to cultivate, humans were too weak. Not only were they threatened by demons and monsters, but even ordinary beasts posed danger. Their situation was precarious; if not for reverence toward Nuwa, they might have been exterminated long ago.

“I wonder how powerful those Four Ferocious Beasts truly are?” Qingxu was determined to complete the task—not only for the benefits, but also influenced by his past life as Wang Xuan.

Chaos, Glutton, Qiongqi, and Taowu—the Four Ferocious Beasts were savage and cruel, their cultivation unfathomable. Countless lives had fallen to their claws and fangs, becoming blood food in their bellies. Compared to the old demon of Bashan, Ba Liming, they were ten, a hundred times more ruthless. Their notoriety in the primordial world invoked grievance and hatred among many beings, yet none dared stand for justice, intimidated by their power.

Qingxu did not believe that the Four Ferocious Beasts had never provoked the demon or witch clans. Clearly, there was more to the story.

With these thoughts, Qingxu began journeying toward the eastern coast, collecting every immortal herb and spiritual medicine he encountered, leaving none behind.

With the Investiture of the Gods system’s pill-refining function, each herb instantly transformed into a spiritual pill. Golden light flashed in his hands, his mana decreased slightly, and a Grade-One pill appeared from nothing—truly miraculous!

More delight came from the ability to control the quantity of pills produced, a feat unparalleled in the current primordial world. No cultivator, not even a Hunyuan Saint, could completely control pill quantities. Otherwise, why not refine a single pill, instead of a handful or dozens?

[Materials sufficient, Three Pure Immortal Power meets requirements. Foundation Establishment Pill can be refined. Please enter a value (1--3)]

[Materials sufficient, Three Pure Immortal Power meets requirements. Nourishing Pill can be refined. Please enter a value (1--7)]

[Materials sufficient, Three Pure Immortal Power meets requirements. Bone-Washing Pill can be refined. Please enter a value (1--5)]

...

To precisely control pill numbers was utterly extraordinary. Imagine—using the same materials, the system refines a single pill with maximum efficacy, while others might produce several, diluting the effect. The system’s pill-refining could not be matched.

Qingxu swept up all the immortal herbs and medicines he found, regardless of age, refining each batch into a single pill so the effects were maximized.

Time passed swiftly; half a month slipped by. During these days, Qingxu frantically utilized the system to refine Grade-One pills, always producing just one at a time. Aside from taking thirty Foundation Establishment Pills, thirty Nourishing Pills, and thirty Bone-Washing Pills at dawn, noon, and dusk each day, the surplus was stored in his Qingxu Tower.

The Qingxu Tower was his personal spiritual treasure, a lower-grade innate artifact with boundless wonders: defense, trapping enemies, smashing foes... Since attaining the Earth Immortal realm, Qingxu had first opened the Mustard Seed Sumeru space within the Tower’s first layer. This brought great benefits—safer than opening space in the void, harmonized with the Tower, and the space itself was twice as large as a typical Earth Immortal’s, nurtured day and night by his primordial spirit.

“Ten thousand five hundred and twenty Foundation Establishment Pills, eleven thousand and fifty-five Nourishing Pills, ten thousand nine hundred and eighty-five Bone-Washing Pills—over thirty thousand Grade-One pills in just half a month! Such efficiency—terrifying!” This didn’t even count the pills Qingxu consumed during the period: ninety per day, over a thousand in fifteen days.

Unlike other cultivators’ Grade-One pills, Qingxu refined only one at a time, concentrating the medicinal power. Their efficacy could rival Grade-Two pills.

After consuming over a thousand pills, each comparable to Grade-Two, Qingxu’s immortal foundation and Dao bones were fully consolidated, his mana greatly increased—at least fifty percent above his strength when he first entered the mid-Earth Immortal stage, equivalent to ten years of cultivation.

The gains were immense, but so were the dangers. As Qingxu ventured ten thousand miles from Kunlun Mountain, he encountered countless beings from the hundred tribes, including many Earth Immortals, Celestial Immortals, and even Mystic Immortals. He even came across a demon king with the cultivation of a Taiyi True Immortal. Thanks to Qingxu’s caution, his innate stealth ability, and his Jade Purity magic, he managed to avoid conflict. The Jade Purity Divination Art was invaluable—whenever danger approached, he sensed it in advance and prepared, thus averting disaster.

One day, Qingxu arrived at a hilly region where vegetation was sparse and life absent—a desolate scene. Most peculiar was the blood-red color of the endless hills, as though stained with fresh blood, striking awe and hesitation in the heart.

“Red Rock Hills?” Qingxu exclaimed in surprise at the sight. He had heard of this place—it was the breeding ground of the Giant Spirit clan, strictly forbidden to outsiders. Violators were executed without mercy, and even escape would mean relentless pursuit across the primordial world by the Giant Spirits until death.

The Giant Spirit clan was among the renowned upper-tier tribes of the primordial world. Their numbers were not large—tens of thousands—but each member was formidable. An adult Giant Spirit stood over thirty meters tall, able to carry mountains and shoulder peaks, strength rivaling the early stage of Taiyi True Immortal. Consider: among tens of thousands, at least ten thousand adults, all at that level? What concept was this?

Though cultivation varied greatly, unless one attained sainthood, numbers still mattered. Four or five thousand Giant Spirits gathered as a torrent could grind even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal to dust, body and spirit destroyed, and could even heavily injure a Hunyuan Loose Immortal Quasi-Saint.

In later generations, the Giant Spirit name faded, leaving only the Giant Spirit God General of the Heavenly Court—a mere imitation, not authentic. Yet if one mentioned their other title, it was extraordinary.

Yellow Turban Warrior!

From Qingxu’s memory, only Saints could command the Yellow Turban Warriors; even Quasi-Saints struggled.

True Giant Spirits represented status and authority. To have one or two obeying you meant standing above others—provided the Saints did not object, for in their eyes, this was their exclusive privilege; how could ants be equals?

“Alas! If only my cultivation were sufficient, I’d subdue some Giant Spirits as subordinates and boast of them in days to come!”

The Primal Lord of Heaven at Kunlun Mountain had four Yellow Turban Warriors beneath him; the Supreme Dao Lord and the Spirit Treasure Dao Sovereign each had four as well. Whether other Saints had them, Qingxu did not know.

“Tens of thousands of Giant Spirits—why didn’t the Three Pure Ones recruit more?” Suddenly, a question arose in his mind. Instinct told him it was not simple. Saints would never act without benefit; if there was profit to be gained, they would not let it slip. Even if they had no use, bestowing them upon disciples would enhance their sect’s destiny.

How could one pass up such an opportunity?