Honghuang: My understanding is against the sky, I use the Gu Dao to prove the origin of the universe - Chapter 1

Chapter 1  Primal Heaven Gu – Ascension to Golden Immortal

Deep within a secluded valley, teeming with spiritual energy and the essence of immortality, a humble cave abode stood silently. Outside the cave, a Concealing Mist Formation intricately blended with the surrounding landscape, hiding it from the gaze of most living beings.

Inside, in a simple stone chamber, a young man dressed in a cyan Daoist robe sat cross-legged. He had a handsome face and tightly shut eyes, while mystical Dao rhymes flowed endlessly around him. His aura fluctuated violently, like a volcano on the brink of eruption—poised right at the peak of the Profound Immortal realm.

This youth was named Chu Yuan, a transmigrator from a distant future. By a twist of fate, his soul had fused with a fragment of a primordial innate spirit jade, a relic left behind during the shattering of the Great Desolation. After enduring an unimaginably long slumber, he had barely managed to take form.

This origin could barely be considered mid-tier among the innate devil gods. While it didn’t compare to the top-tier powers, it far surpassed ordinary postnatal creatures.

Since attaining physical form, Chu Yuan had cultivated in seclusion here for tens of thousands of years. In the Great Desolation, there were no sixty-year cycles, no passage of time as mortals knew it—only the endless contest of Daos, where power reigned supreme.

From Earth Immortal upward…

Earth Immortal, Heaven Immortal, True Immortal, Profound Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, Daluo Golden Immortal!

And even the rarely seen Quasi-Sage Realm!

Relying on fragmented memories of his past life and a perseverance beyond the norm, Chu Yuan had arduously cultivated to the peak of Profound Immortal.

Yet, the road ahead remained perilous. With only scattered insights and a less-than-optimal foundation, striving to attain eternal Dao in a world as treacherous as the Great Desolation was akin to climbing the heavens.

But fortunately…

“Wommm!”

A thunderous resonance echoed—like the rumbling of the Great Dao or the primordial sound of creation itself. Chu Yuan’s eyes snapped open, no longer dazed but brimming with unprecedented clarity and wisdom.

Within his sea of consciousness, countless ideas from novels and myths of his past life collided and merged with the Dao insights he had accumulated over millennia. In that moment—they fused, transformed, and sublimated.

“So that’s it… Gu is not merely an insect—it is the essence of heaven and earth, the spirit of all things, the imprint of law…”

Chu Yuan murmured, his eyes gleaming with divine brilliance.

“The so-called Gu arts of later generations grasp only the form and not the spirit—trapped within the bodies of insects, a mere shadow of the truth.”

“In the Great Desolation, an innate spiritual root can be Gu. The dragon vein of the earth can be Gu. Sun, moon, and stars can be Gu. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning—all can be refined as Gu. Even time and space, yin and yang, the five elements—everything can be made into Gu and bent to my will!”

“The Dao of Gu is no minor path, nor is it heretical. It is the supreme Dao of controlling all things, refining the heavens and earth, using the power of all beings to compensate for one’s deficiencies—until all returns to the unity of Primordial Chaos!”

Boom!

As Chu Yuan comprehended his destined path, a melodious voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[You have fused the myriad wild ideas from your past life with the insights gained through ten thousand years of cultivation in the Great Desolation. Innovating upon ancient thought, you have discovered the true essence of Gu. All things under heaven and earth can be Gu. You have created the supreme Gu Dao technique—The Primal Heaven Gu Scripture!]

Countless profound runes and Dao patterns began to manifest, combining and aligning deep within his soul. They formed an unprecedented and uniquely his—divine scripture.

The Primal Heaven Gu Scripture!

This was Chu Yuan’s golden cheat, a heaven-defying comprehension far beyond that of ordinary beings. After ten thousand years of relentless cultivation, he had finally forged his own path of power!

As soon as the scripture was formed, the spiritual power in Chu Yuan’s body began to circulate along entirely new meridians and patterns. His once-pure spiritual energy started to undergo a strange transformation.

Within the vast sea of his power, countless indescribably tiny light shadows began to emerge. Each had a unique shape—some like dragons or phoenixes, some resembling plants or mountains, others akin to wind, thunder, water, and fire…

These were the embryonic Gu Shadows, condensed from Chu Yuan’s power. Though intangible for now, they each contained the essential qualities of the corresponding laws or elements of creation.

As the scripture circulated, these shadows continually appeared and dissolved, moved and reformed—like a miniature cosmos evolving within the sea of his power.

What was even more wondrous was that Chu Yuan sensed he could, through specific methods, refine external creatures, objects, energies—even laws themselves—into these Gu Shadows. Transforming illusion into reality, creating true “Heavenly Gu” to wield as his own!

To treat heaven and earth as Gu, to refine all things for his use!

To wield the power of myriad Gu to nourish his own cultivation!

“Crack!”

A crisp sound echoed from within his body—that was the shattering of the bottleneck at the peak of the Profound Immortal realm, shattered the moment the Primordial Heavenly Gu Scripture was created. The long-standing bottleneck that had plagued him for so long crumbled in an instant!

Vast and boundless spiritual energy from the heavens and earth surged into the cave abode, as if summoned by an invisible force, pouring into Chu Yuan’s body. His aura climbed steadily higher; his mana grew and transformed at an astonishing rate. His primordial spirit radiated dazzling golden light, exuding a sense of indestructibility and immortality.

Golden Immortal—achieved!

After ten thousand years of bitter cultivation, in a moment of enlightenment, he had finally become a Golden Immortal!

From this point on, he had broken free from the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, and was no longer bound by lifespan!

Had a great power at the peak of the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm been present, they would surely have been shocked. The Dao Rhyme exuding from Chu Yuan’s body, while not yet touching upon the true Laws, could already be considered as having grasped their nascent form.

One must know—at this time, even Hongjun had yet to attain the Dao, and the method of severing the Three Corpses had not yet been spread. The paths taken by the top powerhouses of the current Great Desolation were still in the stage of comprehending the Laws.

Once a Law is fully formed—one becomes a Quasi-Saint.

Comprehend thirty percent—Quasi-Saint, mid-stage.

Fifty percent—late-stage Quasi-Saint.

Seventy percent—achieve Hunyuan (Primordial Unity).

Thus, typically, only Quasi-Saint-level powers were qualified to comprehend the Dao of Laws.

Even at the peak of the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm, those with insights into Laws were rare. But if one managed to grasp them, their combat power would instantly surpass their peers.

As for touching upon the threshold of Laws and nurturing their embryonic form at merely the Golden Immortal level…

That was something unheard of—never seen or known before!

…

Chu Yuan slowly stood, feeling the surging power within him. As his mana circulated, countless Gu shadows moved according to his will—profound and mysterious. Even an ordinary Golden Immortal was more than ten times stronger than he had been at the peak of the Profound Immortal realm. Such was the benefit of a top-tier cultivation technique!

He slowly withdrew his aura. The joy in his eyes gradually settled, replaced by a deep and composed look.

Now that I’ve become a Golden Immortal, I finally have the means to barely protect myself in the Great Desolation.

Chu Yuan’s thoughts raced.

However… I do not know what time it is now.

The Primordial Heavenly Gu Scripture, using Gu as the Dao, evolves into myriad forms. Coupled with ten thousand years of accumulation, while he was not yet like top-tier great powers whose hearts reflected all manner of karma, he still possessed basic divination capabilities.

He calculated with his fingers—but the heavenly secrets were in utter chaos, clearly indicating that a great calamity was underway. Combining his fragmented sense of the outside world over millennia of cultivation, and the faint insight into the heavenly laws gained after creating the Primordial Heavenly Gu Scripture, Chu Yuan swiftly arrived at a conclusion.