Chapter 486

485. Chapter 480: The Distribution of the Nine Heavens

I'm actually quite interested in this Ding Huan: "Tell me more."

"Back then, the Pangu Great World was a single whole—where were there any separate regions for immortals, demons, or monsters?"

"Only later, when the Heavenly Emperor vanished and the human race lost its leader, coupled with other reasons, other races rose, and the Pangu Great World split into several major regions, each dominated by a different race."

"By the time I became one of the Five Emperors of the Immortal Realm, the Pangu Great World had already been divided among the races. The human race held the Heavenly Court and the Great Immortal Realm."

"The human race needed a Heavenly Emperor to emerge; logically, this future Heavenly Emperor should be chosen from among our Five Emperors."

"My strength far surpassed theirs, and I received the greatest support, so I was chosen as the next Heavenly Emperor."

"They all proposed separating the Great Immortal Realm from the Heavenly Court and installing defensive arrays between them—I knew full well their petty schemes, and I immediately refused."

"I believed the Great Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Court were one whole, inseparable. In the future, even the lands held by demons, gods, and dragon clans must be reclaimed, restoring the Pangu World to its full glory…"

Ding Huan nodded inwardly—he had held the same mindset on Earth. But here, he no longer held such thoughts.

The Pangu Great World was meant to embrace all things; all races should be allowed to exist.

Although Ding Huan no longer held that thought, he felt one race must rise to control the whole—and that race must be the human race.

Brother Xingpan sighed deeply here: "But they disagreed. They believed the Great Immortal Realm was merely a defensive line, its sole purpose to shield the Heavenly Court from other races… just as it is now."

Ding Huan fell silent. This selfishness of the human race had long existed—it could not be changed by any single individual.

"At that moment, the Nine Heavens shattered, and the Dao Ancestors and several Holy Ones of the Nine Heavens, along with a group of followers, arrived in the Pangu Great World…"

"Wait…"

Ding Huan halted Brother Xingpan: "You say the Dao Ancestors of the Nine Heavens came? Where are they now?"

Brother Xingpan chuckled bitterly: "They stayed here for a while, then left. I don't know why—rumor says the Pangu Great World isn't truly the Realm of the Ultimate Dao."

"Emperor Brother Xingpan, could you tell me how the Dao Ancestors arrived? Where did they go afterward? What did they do here?"

Ding Huan's interest in Brother Xingpan's lost throne clearly paled beside his curiosity about the Dao Ancestors' whereabouts.

Brother Xingpan frowned slightly, then replied: "They arrived using the Cosmic Position Disc."

"What is the Cosmic Position Disc?" Ding Huan pressed urgently.

Ding Huan knew of the Cosmic Position Disc—Liu Liu had mentioned it to him before.

But Liu Liu's knowledge was limited; he had no idea what the Cosmic Position Disc truly was.

Ding Huan realized that if even Brother Xingpan knew nothing of its history, he would struggle to find answers.

"It's said to have formed when one of the Dao Ancestors' Creation Treasures fused with the shattered Nine Heavens."

"To what extent was the Nine Heavens shattered?" Ding Huan pressed again.

After a moment's thought, Brother Xingpan said: "It's said only four Heavens remain. The first and second Heavens, the Mortal World realms, have already shattered. The third Heaven was abandoned after its rules fractured."

"The fourth and fifth Heavens, with their muddled Dao rhythms and incomplete Immortal Qi rules, were also abandoned—only the intact fourth Heaven remains."

Ding Huan's mind began to form a rough outline.

If he guessed correctly, the star system where Earth lay must have formed from the shattering of the first and second Heavens.

The Third Heaven's starlands and surrounding star systems must have formed from the shattering of the third Heaven.

The Fourth Immortal Realm, Fifth Immortal Realm, and all surrounding star systems were formed from the shattering of the fourth and fifth Heavens.

The remaining four Heavens departed with the Dao Ancestor's Creation Treasure from this plane.

The Dao Ancestor used the Cosmic Position Disc to reach the Pangu Great World, intending to remain here.

Perhaps the Dao Ancestor—or someone else—sensed that the Pangu Great World would eventually meet the same fate as the Nine Heavens, so after arriving, they abandoned it and moved on.

Their goal in moving on was most likely to seek the third part of the original Chaotic World.

Long ago, the Chaotic World split into three parts: one became the Nine Heavens, the second became the Pangu Great World, and the third vanished.

It was natural for the Dao Ancestors to seek the third part.

Of course, another possibility existed: the Dao Ancestors, accompanied by many great figures, discovered a cosmic plane far superior to the Nine Heavens, and went there.

"Do you know what the 'position' in Cosmic Position Disc means? Must one have a 'position' to board the Disc?" Ding Huan recalled Liu Liu's words.

This time, Brother Xingpan answered bluntly: "I don't know."

Ding Huan understood—it meant there were still hidden truths. When the Dao Ancestors passed through the Pangu Great World, they only paused briefly, revealing nothing more.

"Emperor, please continue," Ding Huan said, no longer asking. The Cosmic Position Disc was too mysterious—Brother Xingpan, even as an Emperor, could only perceive surface phenomena.

Brother Xingpan, puzzled by Ding Huan's tone, continued:

"The Dao Ancestors of the Nine Heavens had mastered Creation, their power peerless. As the Emperor destined to become Heavenly Emperor, I begged the Dao Ancestors to restore the original order of the Pangu Great World…"

Ding Huan understood Brother Xingpan's meaning: he hoped the Dao Ancestors would reestablish human dominance, expelling or scattering the other races.

But Ding Huan knew Brother Xingpan's words were meaningless—the Dao Ancestors would never do such a thing. Indeed, Brother Xingpan sighed: "The Dao Ancestors said, all beings are equal; existence itself is reasonable… sigh…"

Ding Huan internally scoffed: All beings equal?

Then why, when the first and second Heavens shattered, did countless beings fight over a single 'position' on the Cosmic Position Disc?

Excluding the final four Heavens, how many lives perished when the first five Heavens shattered during the cosmic cycle? Back then, there was no equality.

Though Ding Huan had long sought the whereabouts of the Cosmic Position Disc and the fate of the ancient deities from Earth's myths, he knew clearly: whether immortal, god, or human, all lived for themselves.

All lamentations for the world, all claims of equality, depended on one condition: one's own Dao must exist.

"Before the Cosmic Position Disc departed, the Dao Ancestor appointed Wu Chang Emperor as Heavenly Emperor—but he was not a cultivator of the Pangu Great World…"

Ding Huan froze, then asked: "Emperor Brother Xingpan, are you saying Wu Chang Emperor came from the Cosmic Position Disc?"

Ding Huan had not expected Wu Chang Emperor to be from the Nine Heavens.

Brother Xingpan nodded: "Yes. Wu Chang Emperor was originally a page boy of the Dao Ancestor, left behind by him to serve as Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court."

"You must feel some resentment," Ding Huan asked.

He didn't care about such matters—the Heavenly Emperor's seat could be occupied by anyone. Wu Chang Emperor had powerful backing; his claim was natural.

The Heavenly Emperor's position had no rule requiring it to be held by a cultivator of the Pangu Great World.

Brother Xingpan shook his head: "No, I'm not resentful. I merely believe that since the Dao Ancestor ignores the division of the Pangu Great World, those of our human race who have always lived within it should take charge."

We should not split the Immortal Court and the Great Immortal Realm apart—we must strive to reclaim the territories of the other major races and return them to the Pangu Great World."

But Wu Chang the Great Emperor and the others disagreed with me, saying my bloodline also contains Wu clan blood—I'm an alien race too…"

Even Ding Huan could feel Brother Xingpan's bitterness.

Ding Huan helplessly patted Brother Xingpan's shoulder: "Try to let go. I think the Dao Ancestor is right—existence is reasonable."

Even if you became the Heavenly Emperor and brought all other races under human rule, could you be certain you'd remain on the throne forever?"

Besides, could you ever maintain this situation unchanged? And if one day you vanished like the previous Heavenly Emperor, could you still control the fate of the Pangu Great World?"

Brother Xingpan took a deep breath: "I know. I've thought this way, and comforted myself with it, more than once—but I still can't let go."

Ding Huan said calmly: "Do your best. Even if you fulfill your vision and unify the Pangu Great World, who will thank you?"

And even if you accomplish this, will the human race necessarily live better than now?"

Survival of the fittest. If one day humanity grows strong enough to require expansion, it will inevitably once again dominate all other races."

Brother Xingpan fell silent.

Ding Huan didn't bother to persuade him further. He was considering whether to heal Brother Xingpan and leave when the communication bead suddenly flickered.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense landed on the communication bead; He Lian Aodong's urgent voice came through: "Ding Huan, don't come to the Immortal Court—Wu Chang the Great Emperor knows you're Lu Renjia…"

Wu Chang the Great Emperor knows I'm Lu Renjia? Where did I get exposed?

Ding Huan quickly realized where his mistake lay—he and Lu Bosi had gone to Tianjie, then traveled to the Pangu Dao Court without changing their appearances to receive teachings…

Later, he was fired, and He Lian Aodong warned him to leave Tianjie.

The problem was right there.

After leaving Tianjie, he didn't go far—he instead changed his form and went to the Immortal Court Square.

It seems Wu Chang the Great Emperor really went to great lengths to find him.

He must have examined every surveillance array along the periphery of Tianjie and the Immortal Court Square, concluding that Ding Huan had vanished without explanation.

After his disappearance, Lu Renjia appeared and entered the Immortal Farming Department to cultivate Immortal Spirit Rice.

Coupled with Ding Huan's mastery of the Five Elements principles, such a person was perfectly suited to grow Immortal Spirit Rice.

At this point in the investigation, even if Wu Chang the Great Emperor were Bai Chi, he'd realize Ding Huan was Lu Renjia—one of the people the Heavenly Emperor sought.

Ding Huan frowned.

Wu Chang the Great Emperor's cultivation was undoubtedly extremely strong—perhaps even not far from a Semi-Primordial Saint.

Now that Wu Chang the Great Emperor knows Ding Huan is Lu Renjia, he will surely come to find him to grow Immortal Spirit Rice.

It's not just that he can't go to the Immortal Court—even the Great Immortal Realm isn't safe.

Even though the Great Immortal Realm is now ravaged by other races, stopping a single Immortal Emperor from coming here to search for someone? Impossible.

As for the Chaos Zone, not only have some races there already emerged seeking refuge, but Wu Chang the Great Emperor will surely station people to guard it.