"Transmigration, the Primordial World, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Dijiang?"
Deep in a valley of Mount Buzhou, Lin Fan stood stunned, staring at his eleven younger brothers and sisters as they frolicked and teased one another.
He had been out partying with friends at a club just last night. How had he woken up to find himself transmigrated? Worse still, he had transmigrated into Dijiang, the leader of the Twelve Ancestral Witches in the Primordial World.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches—how could Lin Fan not know their eventual fate? Aside from Houtu, who eventually sacrificed herself to create the cycle of reincarnation and barely clung to existence, the others were all doomed to perish. As for the man whose body he had inherited, Dijiang had met the most miserable end of all, detonating his own essence to take the Eastern Emperor Taiyi down with him.
And now, here he was, trapped in this ill-fated body!
Even though it was currently only the early stage of the Longhan Tribulation and the Twelve Ancestral Witches were still protected within the Pangu Temple by an innate grand formation—far from the Wu-Monster Tribulation—Lin Fan was still gripped by panic. In the Primordial World, nothing was as worthless as Time.
"Sigh, forget it. Since I’m here, from now on, I am Dijiang, and Dijiang is me."
"The most important thing now is to cultivate and raise my strength. If I can, I’ll change the fate of the Wu Clan when the Great Tribulation arrives!"
But shortly after, Lin Fan sighed again. There was no way back, so he might as well resign himself to his fate.
*Hum!*
The moment this thought crossed his mind, his soul shivered. Everything that had belonged to the original Dijiang suddenly grew clear, as if the host himself had accepted him. A mechanical voice rang out: "Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the transmigration. The Strongest Cultivation Assistance System is now activated. A novice gift pack has been issued. Would the host like to open it?"
"A System?"
"Hahaha, I knew it! The golden finger essential to every transmigrator—others have them, so I wouldn't be forgotten!"
Lin Fan—no, Dijiang—was thrilled, grinning from ear to ear. "System, tell me about your functions."
"This system is the Strongest Cultivation Assistance System, designed to aid the host in cultivation. Aside from special hidden missions, the host will receive corresponding rewards for every year of cultivation. Does the host wish to claim the novice gift pack?" the system replied.
"Haha, yes, of course I do!" Dijiang laughed excitedly.
He wasn't about to act like those "noble" protagonists in his past life who, faced with a girl who had already stripped down and hopped into bed, would insist on "saving it for marriage." A lifetime of Dijiang meant never being a fool!
"Ding! Response received. Issuing novice gift pack."
"Ding! Novice gift pack 1 issued: Congratulations to the host for obtaining the supreme cultivation technique, 'Hongmeng Golden Canon' *1."
"Ding! Novice gift pack 2 issued: Congratulations to the host for obtaining a fragment of Pangu's Primordial Spirit *1."
"Ding! Novice gift pack 3 issued: Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Great Dao-tier Portable Array for Shielding Heavenly Secrets *1."
"Ding! Novice gift pack 4 issued: Congratulations to the host for obtaining one million units of Great Dao Merit."
A series of notifications echoed in his mind, and Dijiang saw the rewards stored within his system space.
"Hahaha, this system really knows exactly what I’m missing!" Dijiang was overjoyed as he scanned the items.
After Pangu opened the heavens, the Great Dao retreated and the Heavenly Dao was born. While the Heavenly Dao contained three thousand Laws, they were incomplete—mere "minor paths" that made proving the Dao through them nearly impossible. The 'Hongmeng Golden Canon' provided by the system, however, contained the complete three thousand Great Dao Laws and dozens of methods for proving the Dao. It was a heaven-defying treasure!
Furthermore, the fragment of Pangu’s Primordial Spirit was invaluable; it would allow an Ancestral Witch to manifest a Primordial Spirit. The reason the Ancestral Witches were often seen as simple-minded was precisely because they lacked Primordial Spirits, leaving them unable to grasp the movements of the Heavens or calculate stratagems. This item was the perfect remedy for their greatest shortcoming.
As for the Portable Array for Shielding Heavenly Secrets, it was a Great Dao-tier treasure. It would be perfect for concealing his secrets. The Great Dao Merit, while slightly less impressive than the other rewards, was something impossible to find anywhere else in the Primordial World.
"Ding! Detected that the host is located at Mount Buzhou. Would you like to begin cultivation?" the system asked.
"Yes, start cultivation. Let me make some arrangements first."
Dijiang nodded. He found his eleven brothers and sisters, told them he was going into seclusion, and urged them to look after the clan before returning to his cave.
With the 'Hongmeng Golden Canon' in his hands, he knew the cultivation stages of the Primordial World: Celestial Immortal, True Immortal, Mysterious Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, Daluo Golden Immortal, Hunyuan Golden Immortal (Quasi-Saint), and Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal (Saint). Each stage had early, mid, and late stages, and even completion. Beyond the Saint level, there were further tiers from one to twelve.
With his current strength at the early stage of Daluo Golden Immortal, he was nowhere near ready to face the future Tribulations or the greatest schemer behind the scenes, Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
*Boom!*
As soon as he began circulating the 'Hongmeng Golden Canon' in his cave, the Space Law of the Heavenly Dao within him began transforming into the Space Law of the Great Dao. Simultaneously, other laws he hadn't yet mastered began to sprout. Even the Pangu Primordial Spirit fragment he had integrated into his body began to take shape as his own Primordial Spirit.
Although the newly formed Primordial Spirit was currently only at the level of a Celestial Immortal, Dijiang was confident that with constant cultivation, it would eventually match the strength of his physical body.
...
Time flashed by. One year passed in the blink of an eye.
"Ding! Detected one year of cultivation. Total time cultivated: one year. Congratulations, host, for obtaining one Three-Turn Golden Pellet!"
Dijiang murmured to himself, remaining cross-legged as he continued to cultivate.
Soon, a million years had passed.
"Ding! Detected one year of cultivation. Total time cultivated: one million years. Strength has reached the early stage of Hunyuan Golden Immortal. Congratulations, host, for obtaining the merit treasure, the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler. Do you wish to end cultivation?"
"The Hongmeng Measuring Ruler? A fine treasure indeed!" Dijiang opened his eyes, surprised.
When Pangu opened the heavens, the resulting merit was divided: thirty percent to the Three Pure Ones, thirty percent to the Ancestral Witches, twenty percent into the earth, ten percent formed Laizi’s Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Pagoda, and the final ten percent manifested as this very treasure, the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler. Because of its origin, it carried the attribute of killing without incurring Karma.
"System," Dijiang asked, "is it time to stop?"
"The host has reached the stage of Hunyuan Golden Immortal. Do you wish to end cultivation?"
"A Hunyuan Golden Immortal? I might as well keep going."
Dijiang pondered. A million years had passed, so the war between the Dao and the Demon was likely over, Hongjun had just attained sainthood, and the lectures at Zixiao Palace were beginning. While the Wu and Monster clans had friction, they were minor issues—nothing requiring his direct intervention.
If he could reach the Hunyuan stage before the Great Tribulation began, he would be able to make Hongjun call him "Daddy." Of course, he knew that was wishful thinking. Proving the Dao to reach Hunyuan was incredibly difficult.
Still, Dijiang dived back into his cultivation, his strength growing with every passing moment...