Divine Heaven.
First Heavenly Domain.
Aetheria Equinox Domain.
At the center of Aetheria Equinox Lower Realm, high above the ground, floated a massive island. On top of it stood a Grand Palace, glowing with a steady golden aura that shimmered like ethereal sunlight.
Inside the palace, the rooms were decorated with detailed murals and elegant furniture. Every room looked grand, but one gate outshined all the others. Golden light spilled from its frame, thick and ethereal it is not oppressive, just perfectly balanced and harmonious.
The room beyond was empty but beautifully crafted. The walls, the floor, even the ceiling carvings were arranged with immaculate precision.
At the center sat the one responsible for all this divine atmosphere. White hair flowed from his head and touched the ground. His face was unfairly beautiful, the kind of beauty that made the air itself hesitate. He wore a white-and-gold robe, simple but majestic.
He sat on a cultivation mat, completely still. Each breath he released made the surrounding air tremble in delight, as if reality itself admired him. His expression stayed cold, not matching the soft harmony in the room.
This was Jian Wuji.
Sole Deity of this Lower Realm.Supreme Ruler of the Aetheria Equinox Domain.His words were law. His believers treated them as heavenly mandates.
Right now, Jian moved for the first time in a thousand years.
His brows creased in irritation at the disturbance inside his Soul Sea.
Tremble~Tremble~
The air itself recoiled back seemingly frightened.
A strange phenomenon rippled within his Soul Sea. Something he never thought possible for someone at his level. Yet it was happening.
Jian had been cultivating for more than a thousand years when suddenly a memory appeared inside his Soul Sea from nowhere.
He examined it and saw it belonged to a mortal who shared his name and personality but lived in a completely different world with a limited lifespan.
The world was called Earth, a place without cultivation at all. But what surprised Jian most was how this tiny, 43-year memory wasn't being erased by his own 96 million years of memories. Instead, it was slowly gaining presence.
Jian observed it carefully and realized why. Something faint was powering it. And his own Concepts of Harmony were stabilizing it instead of crushing it.
"Heh… fascinating. Truly fascinating."
His calm scoff shook the room.
Jian tried to sense the faint source behind this phenomenon, but it was too subtle. It wasn't Heaven and Earth energy. It wasn't any known force. It couldn't even be categorized.
He didn't focus too long on something he had no control over. He could erase it anytime if he wanted, but he didn't.
This was the first thing that had genuinely entertained him in three million years.
He came to one conclusion: this was a memory from his past life. The spiritual signatures matched. It was faint, but unmistakable for someone at the Divine Spirit stage.
But Jian had abandoned everything related to his past life long ago, back when he stepped into the True Immortal stage while still a puny Immortal. This stage introduces the possibility of getting one's past life memory back. They can leave it or embrace it.
And Jian had chosen to leave it.
Which made this situation even more intriguing. Someone or something strong enough to bypass his senses and mental defenses was awakening his past life memories… and still influencing them?
Jian felt no fear. If a being beyond his understanding wanted something from him, there was nothing he could do anyway. So he simply watched.
He stopped cultivating and monitored the phenomenon with interest.
A month passed.
Jian opened his eyes.
His Concepts of Harmony and Duality had broken through from Minor Deity Concept level Nine to Divine Spirit Concept level One!
Rumble~~Rumble~
Heaven and Earth trembled. Space shook. The ground convulsed rhythmically.
Boom! Crack~
Golden light erupted. The palace walls cracked under the pressure, barely holding. All the glass shattered. Almost all the animals on the island died.
Jian raised his head. The transparent ceiling showed the sky. The gold-tinted sky shifted into countless colors as ethereal particles rained down, merging into his body.
Heaven was congratulating him!!
Energy from every direction surged toward his palace and rushed into his Soul Sea. Heaven and Earth energy grew so dense it turned mist-like.
Jian felt his Soul Force shifting and rising at an incredible pace.
His strength jumped two levels.
His aura of Harmony deepened. The air around him trembled like it was excited.
Pulse~ pulse~
The entire Domain pulsed with his heartbeat. Waves of energy shot outward, covering everything.
After a few seconds, the world calmed. Everyone in the Domain felt his breakthrough.
"Huff… haha. I really was stupid, wasn't I?"
Jian's voice carried new clarity. His awareness had sharpened. Like a toddler wielding a nuclear warhead suddenly becoming an adult with the same toy. His common sense had finally caught up.
That sudden clarity was what pushed his Concepts into breakthrough. Only now did he understand things he couldn't before.
An unexpected opportunity. Nothing more, nothing less.
For the whole month, he'd tried to sense the mysterious power behind the past-life memory. He succeeded only at the moment of breakthrough, which meant he sensed it because they allowed him to.
His heart shook in awe and gratitude. The feeling was deep enough to be instinctual.
Like a mortal sensing a divine being… but far more profound.
Jian stood up. Heaven and Earth energy shifted with each small movement.
He stood straight, then bowed ninety degrees toward a seemingly random direction, a deep bow of absolute respect.
He remembered that fleeting sense from the breakthrough… a being that felt infinite yet finite, eternal yet mortal, vast yet impossibly narrow. They felt like…
He didn't finish the thought. He straightened and walked out of the palace.
The floating island around the palace was small compared to others but full of grand wildlife living in perfect harmony. Birds circled overhead. The wind carried a clean, otherworldly floral scent.
They have been revived by the formation. Jian stood there. His eyes closed. Letting the sunlight hit his face. Feeling free after millions of years.
He recalled everything he did and the decisions he had made in the past three million years without every talking to his wives.
Jian still remembered the day he and his beauties first ascended to Divine Heaven. Got familiar with the culture of First Heavenly Domain. It was fulfilling, delightful and happy moments before he became paranoid.
His wives were beauties that can make any man's legs go weak. Especially his first wife.
Thinking about her, his heart ached in pain as he had not only ignored her and thought it was for her own good but also made her watch his slow decent into paranoia and madness.
He owed all his wives a genuine apology. Including the ones he had married as political bargaining chips and influence. He even capped their growth in paranoia.
"Aaaaarrrrrrghhrhrgg~~~"
Jian rubbed his face aggressively. As if trying to wipe out the embarrassing history.
... like what would people think if they heard he married 100,000 women because he panicked?
What kind of excuse was that.
"Argh! Whatever! No more excuses! I need- no! I WILL own up to my mistakes!!... and I need to control my aura so I stop accidentally killing these poor animals every time I have an emotional breakdown..."
Jian look at the garden which now looked like a bloody hell as blood and flesh were splattered everywhere and they were being resurrected by the formation.
This was the reason why there was no servants here. If Jian ever lost control of his aura even for a millisecond, even Immortal Emperors would become meat paste and sustain permanent injury and most positive outcome being their foundation getting permanently crippled...
And beings above that are too proud to normally become servants anyway.
Jian watched the animals resurrect and the garden becoming normal before deciding to go meet his neglected Seraphim wife who now acts cold.
"Hehe~~ Wait for me wify~~ Your husband is coming to melt you~ hehe~"
Jian laughed goofily at that thought and disappeared.
=====
The Spatial Path way to Aetheria Equinox Lower Realm.
A young man with heroic aura stood at the deck of a ship, hands behind his back as he looked to the front. The ship was zooming through the empty space leaving behind a trail.
The ship looked intricate in design. It was small, around a hunder meters. But the the ship was incompassed by a formation that protected and also expanded the space for accommodation.
The young man was Luo Chen with long black hair and eyes with average joi face.
An inner disciple of Divine Thunderstorm Sect! A fairly well known Sect in the Divine Heaven and Immortal Heaven for their destructive attack power. They are a strong force with a cultivator above Immortal Emperor stage cultivator as their backer!
Right now, the reason Luo Chen here wasn't of any grand ambition or intent. His goal was to steal some treasures from wilderness in the Aetheria Equinox Lower Realm... yep. Wilderness.
The treasures are something that are almost impossible find else were are like cheap grass here...
Treasures with properties of Yin-Yang, Duality and Harmony. There are droves of them in this Lower Realm. People supply these to outside to make living but not enough for these treasures to become norm.
Why?
These fuckers think the treasures are from their Deity to them as gifts! They won't sell them unless absolute necessary!
... Well, they are wrong as the Domain of a God is influenced by their Concepts. And the Deity of Aetheria Equinox Domain is one of the very few Deity in Divine Heaven with Harmony Concept!
But this Deity went far and beyond and actually has three of the rarest and most difficult Concepts to acquire as their Deity Concept!
Luo Chen couldn't help but curse the Deity! His heart swelled in hate, pain and bitterness! Bitter tear formed at the corner of his eyes.
He was spiteful and filled with hate towards the Deity!
Why?
When Luo Chen first came to Divine Heaven from Immortal Heaven when he was merely a Sky Immortal, confused, overwhelmed and above all hopeful, he then saw her.
Celestial Fairy Altria Wheelheart.
Her beauty and temperament were all top tier. Luo Chen was smitten by her at first glance! He had planned to propose to her after he got strong. Heck, he even planned how many kids he will have with her...
But all changed when one day he heard that Fairy Altria became a vessel to the Supreme Yin-Yang Duality Harmony Deity!
Luo Chen was in denial. He saw his happy family crumble. All the things he had plan gone to waste!
Why?
Just cause some old pervert couldn't keep their hands of young swan meat! That was more then fifteen hundred years ago. But the resentment for what happened to him burned fiercely!
Thus, Luo Chen came here to get some Duality treasures of True Immortal Grade to aid in his breakthrough to True Immortal stage. He wanted to make a point to the Deity. Vent some frustration by steeling few treasures and may be make the Deity feel even small amount of regret for what he did to Luo Chen!!
Luo Chen felt the emotions wailed up again and the bitterness spike. He clenched his fist and bit on it. Tears of frustration spilling as he went into a corner hugged his knees and silently cried for the nth time this whole journey.
Luo Chen once again came to the front of the deck once again. Looking as heroic as ever. There was no air flowing in the deck nor was there any people. All were resting. There were one hundred thousand passengers in this small ship excluding the crews.
Luo Chen looked to his front. Beyond the transplant barrier.
A massive sphere encompassing a colossal landmass. Even though the Lower Realm can be seen from here, it was still two days worth of travel even though the ship was going thirty billion kilometers per second.
The space had many distant spheres. They looked like stars of myriad colors. Few ships shot past the ship Luo Chen was in. They were fast. He would give them that.
Two days later, the ship came near the domain and it now looked like endless. Countless dots where going in and out from a fixed point of the domain.
The destination was a border city.
It was a border city named Twelveth Rim city. The ship got closer and closer until it pierced into the barrier. The barrier didn't provide any resistance.
Schoolers say that the Heavens create these to maintain the environment inside. Using the Heaven and Earth energy as the medium.
The barrier was quite wide. There were golden white mist like environment here. The ship slowed down as further the went. And few moments later, they are almost out.
The moment the ship the true beauty of the Lower Realm came to view. Distant mountain, city landscapes birds flying in droves and wind blowing gently. The wind hit Luo Chen's face as his robes and hair flattered in the air.
Luo Chen was in awe at the scale and spectacle. The border city it self seemed grander then his Sects capital city. The ship slowly descended. Speed lowered when the shipbwas passing through the barrier. The air was fresh and harmonious.
Indicating the active dominance of the Deity in this land.
'!!!'
Luo Chen was shocked!!
The Heaven and Earth energy itself was nourishing! It was active unlike almost all the the other Realms.
"My... my cultivation is increasing...!! What the hell!?"
Luo Chen couldn't comprehend it! How was this possible? He had heard of this but never imagined to this degree. The Heaven and Earth energy, which is passive is not only active but also trying to bring harmony into his cultivation.
"Ah..."
Luo Chen realised that it was the Deitys Concept of Harmony at work.
"Huff~~"
Luo Chen took a deep breath. Taking in the abundance of energy. The ship finally settled down. He got down and started explored the city.
The city was bustling with activity of merchants and visitors. Luo Chen saw many different types of races he had no idea about. Rows and rows of neatly designed buildings where every where. And few things is common is that most buildings are three-story in this street and all the buildings had golden-brown colour painted.
Luo Chen felt irritated for some reason he couldn't tell seeing all this.
Luo Chen explored the city before deciding that he will go to the capital city, Equinox city. Luo Chen watched the landscape as he borded on the local transport. The landscape was breath takingly beautiful!
Gold tinted blue sky with clouds floated about and greenery that brought peace to his soul and made it relaxed. The scene looked nothing more then a painting.
Luo Chen closed his eyes before he felt the ship slow down and his heart almost jumped out of his mouth.
'!!!'
He felt a dense aura that he only felt from Sect elders and this aura was as strong as the Sect Maater or maybe even stronger!!
'Immortal Emperor!!'
Alarms rang inside his head as he looked to his right and saw a massive porcupine like Magical Beast sleeping. Each breath shook the land and the air trembled!!
Luo Chen felt pressure on his optic nerves just looking at it because of their cultivation desperity!!
Luo Chen was sure as hell that they were all dead but no one reacted!! Everyone was calmly looked ahead some even mildly annoyed like facing an Immortal Emperor stage Magical beast was Tuesday inconvenience!!
'What the fuck!? Are these people retarded!? Are they frozen in fear-!!!- whaaaaa that fuck is that guy doooinggggg!!!!'
Luo Chen was scanning the deck when he saw the captain an Immortal Saint stage dude walk in front of the deck and-
"HEY YOU STUPID BEAST!! HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO SLEEP SOMEWHERE ELSE!! ARE YOU TRYING TO SABOTAGE MY BUSINESS!?!?"
Over. It was all over. They were all dead!! Fuuuuckkkk!!
Luo Chen regretted ever coming here and when all hopes were lost something completely out of his expectations happened!!
The beast opened its eyes, snorted which made the ship sway like it was in deep ocean before it got up and went somewhere else...!?
The captain huffed and the ship started to move again. Luo Chen just stood there with his eyes and mouth wide. His clothes looked like he was playing wrestling with another dude inside a bed-cough!
...Luo Chen looked at the dude beside him that was smoking like they didn't just encounter a hunder kilometer tall porcupine!!
"Huhhh... Um. Excuse me brother from another mother. What in the fu- Heaven just happened?"
The dude looked at Luo Chen like he was an idiot. And Luo Chen felt like he was an idiot as well!!
"You don't know brother? ... I guess there are still people that practically live under rocks... No worries. I've gotcha! What happened was simple. The captain told the beast to move and it did."
The guy said with a smile then went back to smoking.
Luo Chen felt like he had become some idiot that couldn't understand what people was saying.
"I know that and I saw it too!! What I meant was why it did!? Why it didn't kill us!?"
Luo Chen said taking a step forward, his voice rising a notch in desperation. The man looked back at Luo Chen and gave a pitying gaze for no apparent reason!!
"Well brother. It seems you don't know but Aetheria Equinox Domain is considered safest Domain ON aaaall of the First Heavenly Domain for a reason. Nothing attacks each other without a reason and mostly everything is harmonious.
And because of the passive effect of our cultivation increasing and the Heaven and Earth energy actively nourishing everything because of our Deitys Concept, every magical beast becomes stronger as they live on and that is also the reason that they don't feel hungery as the Harmony in the air is constantly nourishing us.
Making hunting meaningless so they are mostly passive and humans don't hunt because there are abundance amount of resources our Deity has given us as gifts!! ... That's why every thing is the way you see it! Praise the Lord!!"
The man said with same laid back tone and turning more firm by the end even clasped his hand and prayed.
Luo Chen felt chills. These people were crazy! How can they revere that old pervert like that!!
But Luo Chen didn't dare to show it at all as he knew he wouldn't even find his bones if he said anything wrong. He just cupped his fists and excused himself to somewhere private to cry again!
The world was unfairly!!
'T...T'
Time passed and Luo Chen reached the city and it was even more grand. The city itself seemed endless. Sacred. Ethereal. And Harmonious. The city was peaceful and the air had feeling that even thinking about breaking it felt wrong. He got why there was no conflict in the open. The environment itself makes conflict feel like a taboo thing, an embarrassing thing!
Luo Chen almost felt at ease but thinking about the what the old pervert had done to him. He seathed in rage again!
Luo Chen got to work. Trying to find the treasure he was looking for and soon enough he got information about it.
Their wasn't just normal Duality treasures but with energy's inside that could help his cultivation. His target of Thunderstorm Grass. It was a True Immortal Grade treasures that will surely help him breakthrough!!
Luo Chen got ready and started his journey. The native said the place was close by and it was fairly easy to find as the treasure was in storm region on the east side of the capital.
"Fucking people!! Messed up like their Deity!! How da fuck is this close by when it took me ehole fucking MONTH!?!?!"
Luo Chen felt wronged once again and his hate for the old pervert increased! But he consoled himself thinking he can make the Deity feel the bitterness if he stool enough... or so he thought.
'...'
Luo Chen was no questioning his sanity. He watched as a field full of grass was being munched on by some cows while Thunderstorm went on in the background which can crush any Sky Immortal like bugs! The gust of wind was that strong but everything in this empty snowy mountain range was strong enough to with stand it with ease.
The cows were knows as Strom Cows. But that's not the point!!
"Are these thing feeding on True Immortal Grade treasures like cattlels!?! You got-!"
Luo Chen didn't finish his thoughts as he was faced with the truth he had been avoiding all along. The Deity doesn't care about some loly Empyrean Immortal!!
Luo Chen felt his eyes brun as he bit his first and curled into a ball.
The pain was too overwhelming!!
Mow~~
Suddenly a Storm Cow came and offered some Thunderstorm Grass. Luo Chen sniffed and looked at the Cow. It nodded them went away. Luo Chen looked at the grass the Cow offered. It was green with black and white outline, shining like jade crystal. Undulating True Immortal Grade aura.
Luo Chen took at and shoved it in his mouth without thinking about safety at all. Chewing as he looked down cast as if all hope was lost. Hands on his head, crouched. The sap went into his stomach and burst thorough his body.
Luo Chen was an Essence Cultivator. He was a Peak Empyrean Immortal. About to breakthrough. The energy from the sap sipped into his Thunderstorm Essence core in his middle dantian. The energy inside him were like tidal waves of ocean. Uncontrolled. Luo Chen felt like he was about to explode. Dread filled his heart as he realised his mistake!
He shoved a fist full of grass inside his mouth when even one strand would have been enough!!
Suddenly, golden particles materialized from the air and slowly calmed down the raging energy. Luo Chen got to work as well. He sat cross legged and started to cultivate but most of the work was down by the golden particles.
Luo Chen realised why monks like to come here. Everything was so Fucking Harmonious but why was he the only one suffering!?
Luo Chens cultivation rose rapidly until it hit a bottleneck before bursting thorough it too.
Boom~~
The surrounding air trembled slightly. Luo Chens aura rose again and the clouds in the sky acted abnormal. It was spiraling over his head. Luo Chen look at it with a defeated look.
Rumble~~~
"Heavenly Tribulation..."
The clouds formed and lightning gathered.
'!!!'
But it was at this moment that the sky changed colour. The sky turned constantly shifting show of colors that looked mythical and divine.
Luo Chen was confused. His heart hammering against his chest as an ambiguous feeling dominated his heart. Before long, the phenomenon stop and some how the intensity of the tribulation lessened as well.
Pulse~~
Then, Luo Chen heard a pulse of heart. The reverted from all directions. It sounded mythical and ancient like something has broken through.
Then came the wave few seconds later. Luo Chen slowly stood up. Looked at the horizon in awe. The wave came from the direction of the Equinox city. A massive wave of golden particles was speeding towards him like celestial tsunami.
Swish~~~ sparkle~~Sparkle~~~
The wave massed by and left behind a kind of freeing and harmonising feeling. Golden Ethereal particles everywhere before they disappeared. The quality of Heaven and Earth energy increased and the passive effect became more potent.
Another wave came and the same effects happened.
And the Divine Phenomenon ended after the third wave. Luo Chen stood there. Eyes closed. Feeling grounded and clear foe the first time in ages. The Heaven and Earth energy subtly sipped into his being whichade him feel good and energised.
The surrounding air trembled again and Luo Chen entered a trench. The Heavenly Tribulation going on and the lighning falling on Luo Chen but did no damage as his strength was already very diminished greatly by the phenomenon.
Nine strikes later the clouds disappeared and Luo Chen broke through to True Immortal stage!! The cultivation that was capped before started rising as his cultivation rose to level two True Immortal stage in one go!!
But he was in a trench so he couldn't consolidate his cultivation base. But it didn't matter now.
Luo Chen stood standing for a long time before Luo Chen opened his eyes again in new found clarity.
"Huff~~ I see... so that's how it is..."
Luo Chen murmured. Feeling enlightened.
Burst ~~
A wave of energy Burst from him indicating his Law comprehension has broken through as well. It went from level seven Golden Immortal Laws to Level Nine Golden Immortal Laws!!
Luo Chen then sat down then and there to consolidate his cultivation. Luo Chen couldn't help but think that he now knew why monks treat this place some kind of holy land of, harmony, duality and balance.
Because it really is. Luo Chen practiced and the with suitable environment, it was a piece of cake.
Luo Chen opened his yes. Night had fallen. Luo Chen looked at the countless star in the gold tinted night sky that can take breaths away. Distant animal sounds and wind rustling sound ringing out.
Luo Chen looked... peaceful. Like he'd had stopped fighting himself and his clinging to his bitterness. Luo Chen felt freer then every mentally.
"Huff~~~ Haha~~ I was so delusional wasn't I? Thinking I will make them regret something while they don't even know my existence? Haha~ foolish. Truly foolish."
Luo Chen shook his head. Embarrassed at his previous thoughts. He felt like he could finally let go of his love of life and move front.
He looked at them sky- wait! Sky?
Luo Chen frowned. Looked around before his eyes widened like a ball!! He sprang to his feet looking around like a mad man.
The sky was clear but the thunder storm was still going!! There was no cloud but wind and thunder was raging!! Nothing out of place, nothing out of balance. Everything in harmony!!
Luo Chen looked at the impossible site which probably couldn't be found anywhere else in the First Heavenly Domain!!
Storm and nature was in harmony, both giving each other space to exist in [Harmony]. But in different nature but existed like [Duality] and [Balance].
Luo Chen felt his heart fill with awe. He now understood what those phenomenon were. And he couldn't help but shuddered in response. A being who can bring Duality, Harmony and Balance to nature just by existing isn't someone he could even imagine to face!
Luo Chen stayed standing, imprinting the odd but beautiful sight into his memories before decided that he will cultivate here until his foundation is solid. It rose too fast. He took out a sword and used sword flight to look around as the space was too dense for a mere Empyrean-wait! He is now a True Immortal!
Regardless. It only made him able to float a bit and that's it. He needed treasures that could fly. The terrain was un even and a barrain mountain range with snowy top and obsidian body and no trees.
After looking for a while, Luo Chen found a cave. Took out formation discs and set up protective formation. He set up few more before starting cultivation.