NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 18: The Zodiac Conference
Tongtian transformed into a silver-gold streak and entered the fragmented world. She bypassed the defense and entered the broken world's core. There, she saw her Past Incarnation.
Shitian nodded to Tongtian and merged with her body. The merge transferred the authority from her incarnation to herself. She didn't delay any longer and placed her hand atop the glowing sphere.
The fragmented Way of Heaven resisted, but it only had the power of a Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament. How could it resist a Quasi-Saint like her who could enter the Primordial Origin Realm anytime she wished?
The broken threads of light within the sphere were the first to go. They disappeared into Tongtian's skin, and her eyes grew brighter with each moment. The threads represented the myriad laws, and although fragmented like the world they came from, comprehending them would allow her to verify her progress.
Disappointingly, the sphere contained less than a hundred of the three thousand laws outlined by the Dao Ancestor. Tongtian supposed she was being greedy. It was already amazing for such a little fragment to hold this many.
It took over a decade for Tongtian to absorb all the fragmented laws. That did not mean she had comprehended them all. Instead, Tongtian stored them inside her body, ready to peruse at her leisure.
Next was the main course.
Tongtian grunted as she felt a chilling sensation overtake her palm and creep up her arm. By chilling, Tongtian didn't mean cold, although it certainly felt so. It was the ice-cold methodology that gave off this glacial sensation.
The fragmented Way of Heaven wanted to devour her to heal itself. Shitian's prudence proved correct. Had she attempted to refine it, Tongtian might have irrevocably lost an incarnation.
Unfortunately for the fragmented Way of Heaven, it was but a shard. It couldn't even compare to a hundredth of the danger Tongtian felt when the Way of Heaven descended into the Dao Ancestor's body. "Submit!"
Under Tongtian's iron will, strengthened by her eons of cultivation and the Mindforce Classic she learned from Yuanshi, she eliminated the remnant will of the fragmented Way of Heaven and replaced it with her own will. The glacial sensation transformed into a cool yet refreshing prickle.
Tongtian closed her eyes as she felt her soul transforming. The energy that composed the Way of Heaven was at least a realm higher than the qi that the Saints of Heaven used. Although limited, the energy was so pure that it elevated her level of existence.
She didn't focus solely on the changes but searched through the records within the fragmented Way of Heaven. Tongtian had to act fast. The more will she eliminated, the more records she destroyed, and it wasn't like Tongtian could stall her actions as that would give the fragmented Way of Heaven a chance to counterattack.
'Found it!'
Tongtian felt the changes of her body. She had transformed into the third planet of the solar system, Earth. She could sense the increasing amount of life thriving atop her, the lush vegetation, the great ocean, and the decaying lands. She could feel it all.
If she focused her senses, she could even increase the range of her senses beyond Earth and fill the entire solar system. However, as her senses reached the end of the Kuiper Belt, she discovered a spatial boundary much like the one surrounding the Three Realms, only much weaker.
She didn't have to wait long as a spatial crack appeared and chaotic energy buffeted the solar system. Not even humanity's scientific instruments detected anything. If they detected anything, they'd likely attribute it to solar flares.
However, Tongtian's senses pierced through the spatial crack. As she had expected, Earth and the solar system were just one of the secondary worlds below the primary world.
Tongtian didn't see one cohesive land like the Three Realms, but four primary worlds: the Eastern Continent, the Southern Continent, the Western Continent, and the Northern Continent. Each continent correlated to the landmarks of the four regions of the Earthly Realm.
Flashes of light and other signs of battle entered Tongtian's senses, but they weren’t clear because she could only sense what the Way of Heaven of the secondary world could. Still, Tongtian knew only battles between Saints could cause spatial cracks. Likely, it wasn't just Earth; other secondary worlds were undergoing the same crises.
Days and weeks passed, and the spatial crack only became more terrifying. Finally, the event the humans called the apocalypse came. The spatial crack fractured to an irreparable degree. Chaotic energy rushed in and eroded the foundation of the secondary world.
Tongtian’s senses grew dull as her mind slowed. It seemed that the secondary world's Way of Heaven was rapidly weakening. Before it entered a dormant state, she heard the furious roar of several Saints.
"""HONGJUN!!!"""
-line break-
Tongtian's eyes snapped open before immediately narrowing. Was the Dao Ancestor the cause of the previous Great Desolation's destruction? Or did he try to stop the Saints from destroying the Great Desolation?
She didn't know. She didn't have too much information to go off except for the Saint's furious roars. Noticeably, she only heard five voices: Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa. Her counterpart's presence was suspiciously absent.
So, the time of events had already likely passed the Conferred God Tribulation. And judging from the legends on Earth, Journey to the West had already happened. She just didn't know if another tribulation had occurred.
Tongtian's eyes widened as she realized a suspicious fact. None of the Saints addressed the Dao Ancestor as Master, calling out his name directly. Even if one of the Saints wanted to destroy the world, causing the Dao Ancestor to take action against all of them and seal them like the Tongtian from mythology, some of them should still address him as Master.
So, was the Dao Ancestor really the cause of the previous Great Desolation's destruction? All the clues certainly pointed to this conjecture.
'But why?' Tongtian asked herself.
Since the first appearance of the Dao Ancestor, he had been nothing but altruistic. Defeating Rahu and preventing the rise of the Devilish Path, inviting three thousand guests to Violet Heaven Palace to entrust the Immortal Path, distributing the Grandmist Violet Qis to consecrate the future Saints, merging with the Way of Heaven to make up for the world's deficiencies.
Tongtian's eyes narrowed as she recalled one suspicious point. Why did the Dao Ancestor prevent the Titan Tribe and Demon Clan's second war? Had he allowed it, then the two's strength would have not reached the point of nearly causing the Great Desolation's destruction. Buzhou Mountain would not have weakened to the point that Gonggong could shatter it in one strike.
The more Tongtian scrutinized the Dao Ancestor's actions, the chill crawling up her spine became glacial.
The Dao Ancestor defeating Rahu could be something he had to do to end the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation. Or, it could have furthered his path. If he failed, the Immortal Path would likely become the current Devilish Path, and Rahu would have become the first Saint. What if he had some ulterior motives for inviting the three thousand guests or merging with the Way of Heaven?
Tongtian thanked her blessing that she used her Corpse to become a Saint. What if he had done something to the Grandmist Violet Qi he distributed?
A sense of urgency, like never before, assaulted her. She wanted to inform Yuanshi and Laozi of her suspicions, but she clamped down on that impulse. Since the Dao Ancestor merged with the Way of Heaven, it was practically impossible to hide any action from him.
She thought about inviting her brothers to the chaos but dismissed it. If she didn't give a good reason, she might incur his suspicions instead. 'It seems that I can only wait for an appropriate time when the Way of Heaven is tied up or weakened before telling them. Until then, I have to increase my power as fast as possible.'
The Immeasurable Tribulation became more daunting after Tongtian learned that the Dao Ancestor was likely a pig teammate dragging them back.
And that wasn’t the last of her worries. Strangely, the broken world had no karmic ties to the primary world that it should have been a part of. Even more confusing, the people of the broken world had no knowledge of gods like Zeus, Odin, Ra, and the like.
With a heavy heart, Tongtian exited the broken world. Although she had left, her will still controlled it. She had become the broken world's new Way of Heaven. Still, she didn't want to keep it in her body, so she brought out the Sealed Treasure Stone and placed the broken world inside of it. Then, she left the chaos.
Tongtian returned to Eminence Heaven Palace in Supreme Purity Heaven. Once she sat upon the Throne of Heaven once more, she began to inspect herself for any changes that resulted from absorbing a secondary world's fragmented Way of Heaven.
The state of her qi only marginally improved, a far cry from the qi of a Golden Immortal of Primordial Origin, and her flesh was still at the eighth revolution of the Nine Revolution Arcane Art. What truly changed was her soul.
After comparing it to the soul of her Saint Corpse, Tongtian judged that the purity and power of her soul should be in the Half-Primordial Origin Realm. It didn't add much to her combat prowess aside from more precise control of her qi, but, like the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification, its strength lay in its auxiliary capabilities.
Although her Saint Corpse possessed a soul in the Primordial Origin Realm, its foundation was weaker than her true body's, making it smaller and feeble in comparison. As a result, Tongtian's comprehension speed equaled her Saint Corpse's.
It couldn't have happened at a better time. With this, Tongtian had a higher chance of grasping the Law of Time during the Zodiac Conference.
Dishitian stood behind Zhunti and Jieyin at the foot of Mount Sumeru. Next to and behind them stood twenty-three other disciples, including Ksitigarbha and Maitreya. Unlike when she still lived in the Blood Sea, she was now clad in a Bharatanatyam-style dress.
Nearly nine thousand years ago, they received an invitation. The messenger had been Ji Meng, the Jade Emperor's celestial Quasi-Saint mount.
When Jieyin and Zhunti heard that Flat Peaches would be available at the Zodiac Conference, they wanted to bring every disciple under them. Although the peaches could only produce Earth, Sky, and Profound Immortals, the energy within them was still effective for saving thousands of years of cultivation.
However, the invitation clearly stated that each Saint could only bring twelve disciples. Tongtian clearly understood the West's situation and Zhunti's shamelessness. Thus, each one bought the twelve most outstanding disciples.
A pity that among the twenty-four disciples, only Ksitigarbha, Dishitian, and Maitreya were in the Golden Immortal Realm. The rest of the disciples were still in the Profound Immortal Realm except one that was even still in the Sky Immortal Realm.
"Remember, don't eat the Nine Thousand Year Flat Peaches," Zhunti cautioned the Sky Immortal. “Although you will instantly be promoted to the Profound Immortal Realm, it is still an external means. Cultivating to the next realm will become much more difficult without relying on more external means."
"Disciple heeds Master's teachings," the Sky Immortal said.
Zhunti nodded with satisfaction. He shared a look with Jieyin and said, "Let's go."
A giant golden lotus appeared under the group's feet as they flew toward the Thirty-Three Heavens. Along the way, Jieyin exuded the Exquisite Golden Light of Eightfold Resplendence, and Zhunti released the Sublime Golden Light of Liberation, causing all life which saw their light to develop a yearning for the West and its teachings.
Dishitian sighed. She thought about how glamorous Buddhism, or as it was called now, the West, was in her previous life. They were one of the greatest religions in the world, yet now, the two founders had to stoop so low to bewitch new followers.
So pitiful.
She sighed again. Dishitian was too weak to change the West's circumstances, but she knew that the Liberation Sect's fortunes would improve in the future. Until then, she could only patiently persevere.
When the group reached the South Heaven Gate, Jieyin and Zhunti weakened the golden light they exuded. Had Tongtian been weaker, they didn't mind recruiting in her territory, but she was a Saint of Heaven, and more importantly, she had Saints of Heaven as brothers!
"Welcome, Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti."
Dishitian observed the man welcoming the western entourage. He was a middle-aged man with white hair wearing white furred robes and two crystalline horns sprouting from his head. She recognized him. He was Ji Meng, the Quasi-Saint deer demon that delivered the message. She had only seen him in his demon form, and this was the first time she saw him humanized.
"I'll be troubling you to lead the way," Jieyin said.
"It's no trouble at all. It's my honor to serve Her Eminence," Ji Meng said as he led them through the layers of heaven.
The group from the Liberation Sect didn't go far, stopping at the Twenty-Fourth Heaven, now renamed Zodiac Heaven. Zhunti couldn't help but ponder why Tongtian hosted the banquet here and renamed it the Zodiac Heaven. Did she mean to make this a recurring event?
Upon entering, Jieyin, Zhunti, Dishitian, and the rest were greeted by an opulent banquet. The air shimmered with the abundant essence of heaven and earth. Even the tables, plates, and cups exuded the aura of artifacts. Seeing this only reminded them of how destitute the West was.
Still, Jieyin and Zhunti didn't show any of their thoughts on their faces. Instead, they greeted Haotian, who walked over and greeted them. Zhunti smiled. "So, it's Junior Brother Haotian."
Haotian paused, not expecting Zhunti's warm reception, but he quickly calmed down and laughed. "It looks like Senior Brother Zhunti and Senior Brother Jieyin had to travel quite far. You're the last to arrive."
"Oh?" Zhunti looked up at the highest seating to see that the Three Purities had all gathered. In addition, he saw that Redcloud Ancestor had already arrived. The two exchanged gazes, but the former glanced away, refusing to acknowledge him.
Zhunti pretended nothing was wrong and asked, "Where is Daoist Nuwa? We can't be the last if she hasn't arrived."
Haotian pointed at a boy no older than ten at the second level of seating. The boy constantly looked around with excitement, striking up conversations with the Saints' disciples and the great emperors also seated at the second level.
"That boy is Lingzhu, Senior Sister Nuwa's attendant. She didn't have time, so she sent him in her place," Haotian explained.
Both of them knew that Nuwa not having time was an excuse. Who else was freer than her in the Three Realms? She likely didn't want to see a banquet held in the Demon Clan's previous headquarters.
After Haotian seated Jieyin, Zhunti, and their disciples, he returned to his seat on the second level next to Yaochi. Only the Saints had enough prestige for Haotian to personally receive them. Everyone else would be left to the other heavenly officials.
Ji Meng also didn't leave. He transformed back to his demon form and stood obedient under Tongtian.
Dishitian snuck a peak at Tongtian while her master and the rest of the Saints exchanged greetings. She wondered what the greatest anomaly that went against every legend she knew looked like.
She was instantly struck with awe. Dishitian had never seen a more perfect woman. She could feel her heartbeat thump against her chest, and she almost threw herself onto her knees and begged Tongtian to accept her as a disciple.
"Disciple."
Her master's transmission broke Dishitian out of her trance, and cold sweat dripped down her forehead. She had always thought her master and uncle-master were skilled at bewitchment, but it seemed that Tongtian was even more skilled.
"Please excuse my disciple's behavior. She has only visited the Blood Sea, so she was dazzled by Senior Sister's aura," Zhunti apologized.
"No need to apologize. It's understandable," Tongtian said with a chuckle. "Since everyone has arrived, let the Zodiac Conference begin!"
Immediately, all sorts of immortal wine and dishes appeared on the empty plates in front of the guest. The most eye-catching addition was naturally the Flat Peaches.
Nine Thousand Years Flat Peaches were the most precious, and so the Saints of Heaven, their disciples, and great emperors' plates were filled with only those types of peaches. As for everyone else, it depended on their prestige and strength.
Zhen Yuanzi, for example, also received Nine Thousand Years Flat Peaches, more than Jinchi, the Golden-Winged Great Roc. Speaking of which, Kong Xuan was not present, and neither was Minghe.
Still, everyone agreed to tactfully not mention it.
For those below the Quasi-Saint Realm, they could only receive Six Thousand Years Flat Peaches. The weaker the guest was, the less valuable peaches and amount they received.
As the banquet commenced, Tongtian suddenly spoke. "It's a bit boring to just talk and enjoy the food. How about a little entertainment?"
Tongtian's following words echoed throughout the Three Realms. "We are the Jade Emperor of the Three Realms. Hear Our decree. Twelve years shall form a cycle, and an auspicious beast shall represent each year. We hereby announce that the first twelve creatures that arrive at South Heaven Gate shall become an auspicious beast, the Twelve Zodiacs, receiving innumerable merits!"