The eighth province was called the Magic and Illusion Fighting Province (Mohuan douzhou).
This place nurtured various magical creatures and held a magical ancestral vein. Species born here were full of magical essence, greatly benefiting practitioners of magic, wizards, knights, and fighting qi alike. The province also produced many unique magical resources, making it extremely attractive to such cultivators.
The last province was called the Undead Disaster Province (Wangling zaizhou). It was said to harbor endless undead spirits and various cold, evil races. It contained an Immortal Underworld Vein, radiating an aura of undeath and darkness. Any living beings in this realm—even if they died—would undergo eerie, ominous transformations, resurrecting as undead. This phenomenon was frequent and commonplace.
Each of the Nine Heavens Provinces was almost like an independent world, surrounding the Primordial Continent, forming nine supreme realms.
According to information, the Nine Heavens Provinces had long been sealed during the process of the merging of the myriad realms.
The entire provinces were under a binding seal.
Until this seal was lifted, no living being, race, or power could enter or interfere with the internal evolution.
In a sense, this was a blank zone untouched by any external forces.
Any force that managed to settle in one of these provinces would gain unparalleled advantages.
Their significance would be vastly different.
Outside the Nine Heavens Provinces lay the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains and the Seventy-Two Spirit Domains.
The Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains were:
Taihuang Tian, Taiming Tian, Qingming Tian, Xuantai Tian, Xuanming Tian, Qiyao Tian, Xuwu Tian, Taiji Tian, Chiming Tian, Ronghua Tian, Yaolang Tian, Huangjia Tian, Lingming Tian, Duanjing Tian, Guangming Tian, Jiyao Tian, Yuanzai Tian, Taian Tian, Jifeng Tian, Shihuang Tian, Taihuang Tian, Wusi Tian, Ruanle Tian, Tanxi Tian, Xiaoqing Tian, Yuantong Tian, Miaocheng Tian, Jinshang Tian, Changrong Tian, Yulong Tian, Fandu Tian, Jiayi Tian, Taichi Tian, Yuyu Tian, Qingwei Tian, Daluo Tian.
The mystery of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains was second only to that of the Nine Heavens Provinces.
Unlike the sealed Nine Heavens Provinces, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains were inhabited by many races.
They represented the current pinnacle realms within the Eternal World.
The Eternal World had the Primordial Continent as its core.
It was structured like a pyramid:
At the base were the Nine Heavens Provinces;
Beyond that, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains;
Further out, the Seventy-Two Spirit Domains.
These formed successive concentric rings.
Beyond these lay countless other realms, collectively called the Chaotic Star Realm Sea by the great powers of the Eternal World—meaning realms as numerous as stars.
It was staggering how vast the Eternal World's domain truly was.
The Great Yi's current territory, the Hanhai Realm, was just an ordinary realm within the Eternal World.
How many such realms existed was unknown; many resided within the Chaotic Star Realm Sea.
The main maps of these realms had been collected by Yi tianxing from the traveling merchants.
True prosperous and bustling places lay within the Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains and Seventy-Two Spirit Domains.
Occupying the Hanhai Realm was only the beginning.
Due to the Eternal Coin and the Eternal Minting Furnace, the Eternal Coin had begun spreading rapidly throughout the Chaotic Star Realm Sea, as well as within the Seventy-Two Spirit Domains and Thirty-Six Heavenly Domains.
The coverage of the Heaven's Favored had become incredibly vast.
Additionally, Yi tianxing had sent a batch of Eternal Minting Furnaces to Jia Chengxin through the Heavenly Star Altar, exchanging them for a large quantity of various resources and greatly accelerating the minting furnaces' spread.
The Eternal Minting Furnace was now circulating among the traveling merchants.
Mastering currency minting was a great advantage for the traveling merchants, enabling them to better control price fluctuations.
The Eternal Coin's expansion and spread had strong support from the merchants.
Even on the Primordial Continent, the Eternal Coin was quietly spreading.
…
In the Chaotic Star Realm Sea, within a vast realm no less grand than the Hanhai Realm, landmasses and islands dotted the surroundings.
Among them, there was a huge continent inhabited by many races, including humans, aliens, and numerous fierce beasts and birds, spreading in all directions.
At this moment, in a forbidden zone on this continent, space twisted and clouds churned.
Shouts echoed constantly, growing from faint to clear, seemingly transforming.
This forbidden zone was called the White Bone Forbidden Zone.
It was said that within this zone lay a terrifying ancient battlefield, unimaginably vast, filled with countless white bones and corpses.
The air was thick with death aura, hiding many horrifying undead creatures and terrifying undead mists.
Anyone approaching would have their physical body corroded and instantly turn into white bones, perishing on the spot.
Thus, no race dared approach it lightly, treating it as a forbidden zone to be feared, avoiding any taboo that might bring disaster.
At this moment, anyone entering the zone would witness strange changes.
At the core of the forbidden zone was a huge dark cave.
Inside, eerie black energy constantly churned, attempting to break free but restrained by some force, trapped inside indefinitely.
Suddenly, a giant fiery bird burst forth from the cave.
Once appearing, it rapidly expanded to a size that blocked the sun and sky, endless flames seeming to ignite the entire void.
This fiery bird even broke through the forbidden zone's restraint and appeared in the void.
"What is that?"
"Such a huge fiery bird."
"Not a fiery bird. That's a Xuanniao (Black Bird). A legendary divine beast. Where did the Xuanniao come from?"
"A Xuanniao flew out of the White Bone Forbidden Zone. Why do I have a bad feeling that something huge is about to happen? What's going on?"
Nearby cultivators from various races could not help but show expressions of shock.
The forbidden zone was changing—no one knew what would happen.
"Shang! Shang! Shang!!"
Suddenly, shouts echoed from the forbidden zone.
Those voices contained a kind of faith and unyielding conviction, like ancient soldiers crossing time and space.
In the cave, a black vortex appeared, filled with countless red flames.
From the vortex, an ancient city materialized.
The city was built with unknown stone bricks, seeming battle-worn after countless wars, bearing various scars of combat.
At the city gate, huge characters appeared: Chaoge (朝歌)!!
Just these two characters evoked a sense of ancient vastness.
Chaoge City.
After appearing from the vortex, the city rapidly expanded to cover the sky and land above the White Bone Forbidden Zone.
"That's such a huge city."
"Chaoge is a human immortal city. Why did it appear inside the White Bone Forbidden Zone? It's so massive, completely covering the forbidden zone."
"Oh my god, what's going on? There are armies on the walls—human forces. When did such a powerful human force emerge here?"
"Look at the Xuanniao above the city! And that massive cloud of merit and virtue! My god, I've never seen so much before. How is this possible?"
"That Xuanniao is the city's fortune True Spirit. This is a human fortune dynasty. My god, what was done to gather such an immense cloud of merit and virtue, nurturing the fortune True Spirit to this level?"
The strong cultivators of various races involuntarily gasped.
The city emerged from the forbidden zone, showing such a vast cloud of merit and virtue and a huge fortune True Spirit—it was beyond imagination.
This was definitely no ordinary force.
On the city walls stood millions of soldiers clad in black armor, wielding swords, spears, and halberds.
Each carried an overwhelming bloodthirsty aura, clearly battle-hardened, having recently experienced fierce bloodshed.
One could feel their cultivation and strength, comparable or even surpassing any Dharma Realm.
Their bodies contained endless power, seeming ready to explode at any moment.
"Shang! Shang! Shang!!"
The clash of weapons on the walls echoed with a desolate sound, as the soldiers shouted battle cries.
Millions were on the walls alone, not counting the civilians and more soldiers within the city.
Inside the city, in the inner palace, stood a tall tower called the Star Plucking Tower.
It soared like one could reach out and pluck stars from the night sky.
A towering, imposing middle-aged man wearing imperial robes ascended the tower and stood atop.
His aura radiated imperial majesty.
"The Heaven Dao above, for fifty years our Great Shang has spilled blood, slain enemies, and suppressed the demon lairs.
Today, it is time for our Great Shang to emerge.
I, Emperor Xin, call on heaven and earth to witness:
Today, I reestablish the Great Shang Empire, with the Xuanniao as our national beast and Chaoge as the imperial city.
We open the Great Shang Empire!
Great Shang, rise!"
Emperor Xin raised his voice in declaration.
This time, he aimed to found a fate dynasty, to reestablish the country and revive Great Shang.
And right from the start, it would be an empire.
He had no intention of following previous kingdoms or Imperial.
He was opening the Great Shang Empire.
In the void, a golden eye appeared.
It glanced once but made no move.
Simultaneously, across the Eternal World, the image of Great Shang's Chaoge City appeared.
Even Emperor Xin's declaration echoed throughout.