Chapter 187

The Heavenly Dao came into being, and with it countless primordial deities were born; among the most prominent were Ying of Yunmeng Marsh and Taiyi of Kunlun Mountain, etc.

People called this the flourishing of the divine path, yet the deities born under the primordial Dao harbored concerns.

Only because these newly born deities under the Heavenly Dao differed greatly from them, possessing distinct personalities.

For example, Ying of Yunmeng Marsh enjoys pleasure, fine wine and beauties; Taiyi of Kunlun Mountain harbors compassion and benevolent thoughts; Ran Deng of Lingjiu Mountain yearns for the Dao, yet lacks any scruples.

Compared to the primordial deities of old, they possess more humanity, their thoughts far more active; though many seek the Dao, some are hardly divine.

Moreover, in the wilderness, many celestial phenomena have become living beings, gaining liveliness but losing much foundation.

Some omens that previously accumulated essence, hoping to give birth to primordial deities, have changed, choosing to take form themselves, like clear winds and white clouds.

They are not considered primordial deities, yet in foundation they surpass the vast majority of living beings; the outstanding among them even exceed the descendants of the Three Clans, those beast-god heirs.

Moreover, though not primordial deities, they have outstanding foundations, are extraordinary, and are favored by primordial deities; those with exceptional talent often become disciples of the deities, inheriting the Dao lineage.

Yunmeng Marsh.

Qi and Di Jun sat quietly in the central courtyard, playing a game of chess while sipping leisurely tea.

"Do you truly sense something?"

Qi asked, slightly curious.

"Well, the celestial realm is indeed about to emerge; look at the starry sky, the gap between them has completely vanished."

"By then, the starry sky will return to the wilderness heaven and earth, the vital energy will unite with the sky, but there must always be some separation between them; otherwise starlight would pour down directly, and the beings of the wilderness could not bear it."

What Di Jun said is exactly the matter the two are currently concerned with; Di Jun intends to make the celestial realm the base of his power.

Above the celestial realm lies the wilderness' starry sky; below it lies the wilderness' earth; connecting the two, one can command the wilderness with the power of the stars, able to advance and attack, retreat and defend.

Qi nodded slightly and said: "If we can take the celestial realm as our base, this is naturally the best choice; as long as the Heavenly Dao wishes for the starry sky's vital energy to return, the emergence of the celestial realm will be inevitable."

"Based on the momentum of the initial gathering of yunqi and the words of Patriarch Hongjun, its gate must be located at Mount Buzhou."

"However, the only problem now is this: if the Heavenly Dao hides the gate, how shall we enter?"

Di Jun heard Qi's question, his expression full of confidence, and said:

"With just our strength, we naturally cannot open the gate; but if we gather the power of the stars, how then would we proceed?"

Qi heard Di Jun's words, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said:

"What do you intend?"

Di Jun exclaimed excitedly: "I intend to gather all the star deities, set up the Primordial Yunmeng Stellar Grand Formation, and force open the heavenly gate!"

"By relying on the 108 star constellations in the heavens, each being a Luo Tianzun deity, together with 11,556 Taiyi Upper Gods."

"With the power of the stars plus the might of the grand formation, who under heaven could withstand its edge?"

Qi's heart leapt, and he agreed: "If we could wield such power, even the Great God Yangmei would have to retreat three leagues; none under heaven could withstand its edge."

Having said that, Qi raised another doubt and asked: "The celestial realm was originally formed by drawing water to pour down the Undying Fire Mountain, water and fire clashing, the condensed yunqi becoming it; at its birth, the wilderness experienced ceaseless downpours, with over seventy percent of the water falling."

"Those with heavier water returned to the wilderness earth, while what remained was light water, which is weak water."

"Weak water has long existed in the wilderness; for example, beneath the Kunlun hills lies an abyss of weak water surrounding it, its water unable to support even a feather, and ordinary folk cannot cross it."

"The water of the celestial realm is all weak water, difficult for cultivators to cross; if we forcefully break the gate, should we trigger a backflow of weak water into the wilderness, what then?" Di Jun gave no thought, speaking bluntly: "This is precisely why I sought you out; I wish to forcefully break the celestial gate, using it as a base, yet I fear triggering the weak water, causing suffering to all beings."

"I wish to ask you, Qi, to widely invite the water deities of the wilderness to gather in Yunmeng Marsh to discuss this!"

Qi pondered briefly and said: "Inviting the water deities to gather in Yunmeng Marsh is easy enough, but your intentions surely go beyond this, right?"

Di Jun smiled and said: "Indeed, I cannot hide it from you, Qi; I do have other thoughts, but ultimately I must ask your opinion to see if this is possible."

Qi laughed: "Please elaborate."

Di Jun's eyes shone with confidence, allowing Qi to see in him the same vigorous spirit that once belonged uniquely to Taiyi.

For a long time, in cultivation and combat, Taiyi and Qi have suppressed him, thus obscuring Di Jun's brilliance.

Now that he has a goal worth striving for, Di Jun's brilliance can finally shine; the present Di Jun indeed gives a feeling of trustworthiness.

"Once the celestial realm emerges, the starry sky returns to the wilderness, the Heavenly Dao of the Three Powers will be perfected, the sky and the starry sky's vital energy will unite; at that time, our vital energy will surely surpass that of the Three Clans."

"By relying on this, we invite them to jointly undertake a great endeavor; they hold most of the wilderness' water fortunes, and once they join, our share will exceed half of the wilderness."

"In cultivation, their effects in daily practice will surely be unheard-of across the world."

"They, due to sharing vital energy with the Three Clans, will also be affected when the Three Clans suffer defeat."

"If I invite them now, what reason would there be to refuse? Is it not because my vital energy falls short of the Three Clans? What difference is there between them?"

Qi burst into laughter, clapping without cease, and said:

"Good! Since we share the same vital energy, how could there be any difference of fragrance or stench?"

"Soon I will send out invitations, gathering the deities to Yunmeng Marsh; then we shall see your performance."

"But remember, do not be like the Dragon Clan, merely connected by water fortunes; in times of great calamity, most stand by idle; it would be best to let them join our camp."

"Otherwise, should disaster strike another day, it would still be just you and I going alone to enjoy my blessings, and hardly anyone would easily escape calamity."

"What use is there in keeping those who share wealth but cannot share hardship?"

Di Jun nodded and said: "This is natural; the division of vital energy is assessed by office and status; since our circumstances differ, we cannot speak in generalities—this is contrary to reason."

Seeing that Di Jun had considered every aspect, Qi said no more, merely saying: "Since you have given this much thought, I will say no further; let us go play chess."

Having said that, Qi placed a piece, and at its exquisite point it transformed into the momentum of a great python swallowing the heavens.

Phoenix Perch Mountain.

Taiyi, Fuxi, and Nüwa strolled through the maple grove, also discussing this matter, each with their own thoughts.

In the midst of their conversation, they seemed to sense something, fell silent, and simply waited quietly.

Not long after, an azure phoenix landed upon the paulownia tree, then transformed into human form, prostrating itself before everyone.

Nüwa's brows furrowed slightly, not knowing why this was so; she could only avoid its motion and ask:

"I remember you, the azure luan of the phoenix clan; what do you intend now?"

(End of Chapter)