Chapter 29 – Let the Three Realms Dance
Ximi looked at Fan'en with eyes full of happiness. She did not know that Fan'en had already found a way to solve the problem.
Straightening her sari, Ximi's voice carried out from the palace.
"Come in, all of you."
All the gods of the Earth lineage entered the grand hall, bowing reverently to the Earth Goddess Ximi and Fan'en.
"The great Vishnu has already abolished the titles of Heaven. The evil Sky God Dyaus has been nailed to the Gates of Heaven by the great Lord Fan'en."
"From today onward, the gods of the Earth lineage will no longer be bound by the heavens. You need not fear the celestial gods."
Ximi's solemn voice rang through the hall, her words filled with both reverence for Fan'en and the majesty of a ruler.
"Praise the great God of Consciousness, Lord Fan'en!"
All the gods of the Earth lineage shouted in unison.
They understood clearly: the Earth Sovereign was rallying power for Fan'en. Yet, after everything that happened in the city of Shanjian, they were already convinced in their hearts.
Whether or not Fan'en was truly the one who nailed Dyaus to the Heavenly Gates didn't matter anymore.
After all, Fan'en had nearly killed Dyaus—that much the entire Three Realms had witnessed.
Fan'en only smiled faintly, already knowing what Ximi was doing.
He did not wish to become some "King of the Earth."
What he sought was to break free from the unconscious cycle of samsara, to gain mastery over his own energy.
"Because of the evil Dyaus, the mortal realm has been flooded, life extinguished. Now, I will join with the mighty Sovereign Ximi and the beautiful Goddess Manlina to govern the floodwaters. You all, meanwhile, shall tend to the aftermath in the mortal world."
This was a deed of great merit for the Three Realms, one that would be blessed by the Supreme Spirit. Naturally, Fan'en did not forget Manlina—she too was his woman.
Hearing his words, the gods grew excited. They were not fools; they knew that this act would grant them supreme blessings.
Even if they only handled the aftermath, they would still earn recognition from the Supreme Spirit—like holding a talisman of protection.
Fan'en departed the palace with Ximi and Manlina. He had no interest in listening to endless praise.
From the peak of Mount Sumeru, he gazed at the boundless, black ocean.
Even the endless cosmic sky had been filled with the black floodwaters.
The Vessel of Life was a primordial artifact, and the black flood it contained was inexhaustible.
Had Creator God Brahma not retrieved the vessel in time, the black deluge would have drowned all Three Realms.
"What should we do now, my love?"
Ximi frowned, her eyes revealing sorrow.
Since the earliest age of Brahman, the mortal realm had already birthed many animals and spirits.
Those were countless living beings!
"You only need to blow the Sacred Conch and lead the black floodwaters into Brahma's realm, my dear Ximi."
Fan'en replied with a gentle smile.
"Lead them into Brahma's realm? Wouldn't that flood Brahma's domain? Won't this draw punishment from the Creator God?"
Manlina cried in shock.
"The black flood came from the Vessel of Life. Naturally, it must return to it. Otherwise, where could waters vast enough to fill a thousand mortal realms possibly go?"
Fan'en countered calmly.
Ximi and Manlina thought carefully and nodded.
Indeed—where else could such a vast deluge be placed?
Only by sending it to Brahma's realm.
The rest would be for the Creator God to deal with.
In other words: they would claim the merit, while Brahma would do the work.
"The Sacred Conch is a primordial artifact. Once blown by a god below the Trinity, it cannot be stopped. Manlina, stay and guard Ximi while she performs the rite."
Fan'en instructed firmly.
The Goddess Manlina obeyed his words without hesitation.
But Ximi asked in puzzlement: "Where will you go, my love?"
"To find a way to revive the lost beings."
Leaving those words behind, Fan'en soared out toward the endless black waters.
"The great Lord Fan'en is truly merciful. Though those lives have already returned to the embrace of Brahman, still he seeks to revive them. Praise the great Lord Fan'en!"
Manlina looked toward his departing figure, her gaze full of devotion, bowing deeply in reverence.
"My great husband…"
Ximi too grew entranced. But when she looked at the endless black flood, determination returned to her eyes.
"Manlina, my child, protect me."
With that, Ximi drew out the primordial Sacred Conch bestowed by Vishnu.
The next moment, a wondrous music resounded throughout the Three Realms.
The endless black flood seemed to receive a command, flowing down from Mount Sumeru toward the heavens—through Shanjian City, the Celestial Heaven, the Immortal Heaven… until at last it poured into Brahma's realm.
"What marvelous music!"
At that very moment, in the Supreme Heaven Kailasa, Shiva rose from meditation upon hearing the conch's melody.
He began to dance, a new style of movement. His dance and the sacred melody resonated together, unleashing a strange power that spread across the heavens.
In the minds of all gods appeared Shiva's dance. They could not help but dance with him.
Uncontrollably—the third cosmic dance.
(The first was the Dance of Destruction, Tandava. The second, the Joyful Tandava.)
The divine melody, the joyous rhythm—it drew smiles upon every god's face.
Even as the black flood surged past them, they could not stop dancing.
On Mount Mandara, a colossal peak shaped like a lingam, Fan'en stood at the summit, just above the floodwaters.
This showed how vast the deluge truly was.
(According to Indian mythology, this was the first great flood, called Kalanashtakarna, the Black Destruction. The second flood was when Vishnu saved Manu, the ancestor of mankind.)
With his divine senses, Fan'en perceived the heavens. That dance full of rhythm almost swept him along—indeed, for a moment, he too moved with it.
But in an instant, he regained clarity.
"Shiva's dance is too infectious."
Fan'en praised softly.
Then his gaze returned to the boundless black flood. With the beautiful melody Ximi blew, he saw the waters receding.
At this rate, in eight thousand years, all the black flood would be drawn into Brahma's realm.
"There it is."
Fan'en spotted something submerged in the black sea—an enormous bone, the remains of an animal.
It was vast, over ten zhang in length, yet perfectly preserved amidst the flood.
From its great white tusks, he knew—it was the skeleton of an elephant.
"Maharishi's son, the Elephant God Ganeva. The first elephant of the Three Realms, also called the Ancestor of Elephants. He perished in the first great flood. Ten thousand years later, the Asuras of the underworld obtained his remains, and from them meditated the power of reincarnation."
Fan'en drew forth the Lingam, radiating divine brilliance. Then he leapt from Mandara Mountain into the black ocean.
The floodwaters carried a dreadful corrosive force, but the divine light from the Fire Lingam's mark held them back