Chapter 1002: Heavenly Realm

On an autumn night in the fifteenth year of Jianchang in Dazhen, the rice and wheat fields of Bing Province had all been harvested. The landscape was dotted with freshly stacked, solid straw sheds, perfectly square like small huts across the fields.

It was another year of abundant harvest. In their leisure time, farmers often lay on these straw piles, gazing at the stars above. This had become an increasingly popular pastime for the people of Bing Province in recent years.

Children lay on the straw sheds, watching the bright stars in the sky. The beautiful Celestial River was utterly captivating. They counted stars, marveled at the silvery glow in the heavens, and searched for their own star, as the elders had told them.

“Is there a boat sailing on that great river in the sky? If I could get on that boat, I’d be able to find my own star!”“Even if there were such a boat, it would be for immortals, not you!”“Where do you think our stars are? Are they in that Celestial River?”“My star must be the brightest one in there!”“No, mine is! Yours isn’t as bright as mine.”“Mine is the brightest!”

The children playfully bickered and argued, but soon quieted down again, looking at the beautiful sky. There had been signs of celestial changes before, but in recent years, a Celestial River had become increasingly prominent, gradually extending from Bing Province across most of Dazhen.

“Hey—Xiao Liang, it’s getting late, time to go home!”A grown-up called from the edge of the field, and one of the children on the straw shed immediately sat up.“My mom called me, I have to go first.”“Then I have to go too.” “Are you all leaving?”“How boring!”

After the first child left, the other parents seemed to arrive in a tacit understanding, one after another, leading their children home. Although it was night, the clear weather, brilliant Milky Way, and bright moonlight provided ample visibility on the paths. Farmers were diligent in maintaining their fields, keeping them free of weeds, so there was no fear of children being bitten by snakes or insects.

Finally, only one child remained, watching the sky. This was his family’s field, and their courtyard was just twenty paces away. At that moment, his mother called out from the doorway.

“A’yu, aren’t you coming back soon?”“Oh…”The child replied, but his eyes were fixed on the Milky Way in the sky, as if the shadow of a boat was truly sailing there.

Inside the Old Hall of Yunshan Temple, Ji Yuan, who should have been meditating there, was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the Mountain Conferral Talisman, which should have been suspended above, nor the human-form deity Huang Xingye. Just like the seven years in the Southern Barrens, Ji Yuan and the human-form deity had vanished without a trace. Of course, the people of Yunshan Temple were different from the Li family and Zuo Wuji back then; they knew that Mr. Ji had not simply left without a word, and no one would disturb the Old Hall at this time.

In reality, the Celestial River in the sky couldn’t simply be attributed to Yunshan Temple’s Grand Formation of Nine Heavens Star River. Besides the formation and the Celestial River interacting and even tending to merge, it was also due to Ji Yuan’s methods of 'Creation of Heaven and Earth' and 'Dream-Wandering Realm Transformation' that such a magnificent starry sky appeared.

At this very moment, a small golden boat was sailing within the Celestial River, high above the nine heavens. Surrounded by brilliant starlight and shimmering stars, there were three individuals on the boat: the human-form deity Huang Xingye, who was of normal human size; Lord Qin Zizhou, the Realm-Wandering Deity; and Ji Yuan.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still breathtakingly beautiful!” Huang Xingye exclaimed, and Qin Zizhou, standing beside him, couldn’t help but nod.

“Combined with the wonder of Mr. Ji’s realm-transformation method, this is truly a magnificent and rare sight, visible to so few in this world!”

Ji Yuan shook his head. “That’s both true and false. It certainly is a magnificent spectacle, but it’s not something few in the world can see. Don’t farmers see it clearly when they lie on their straw sheds?”

“Hehehe, that’s true. I imagine many fellow cultivators, driven by curiosity, have flown up to seek this place out, haven’t they?” Huang Xingye said with a laugh.

“Oh, countless of them!” Qin Zizhou replied.

Huang Xingye said this with a laugh. Unlike the mortal Huang Xingye, the human-form deity was completely uninhibited when speaking with Qin Zizhou and Ji Yuan, conversing with them freely as close dao friends.

The golden boat carrying the three of them subtly bore some engraved characters. Though called a small boat, it was more like a raft. Upon closer inspection, one would realize it was actually a partially unfurled fragment of the Conferral Talisman.

“Solitary yin cannot grow, solitary yang cannot be born. I originally thought this step would take at least a hundred years or more. But with the two sides of the Star Pennant and Lord Qin’s powerful assistance, a considerable amount of time was indeed saved. Now, with Daoist Huang and the Conferral Talisman, we have enough to achieve that crucial step.”

Huang Xingye looked at the brilliant starlight around them, then down at the myriad lights of Bing Province below. Though they were within this realm, they seemed to be outside of heaven and earth, yet they could still see the lights of the lower realm.

“Mr. Ji, you understated it. Without your extraordinary talent in governing heaven and earth and your boundless, profound magical power, this endeavor wouldn’t even be conceivable.”

Huang Xingye was still a deity; calling him a 'human-form deity' might no longer be entirely appropriate. Yet, he still had no official duties or affiliations. He knew he would eventually take charge of Mount Wuliang and possessed keen insight into the affairs of heaven and earth and the people and things he encountered. Qin Zizhou fully agreed with this, but upon hearing Ji Yuan mention that crucial step, he still felt a tinge of regret.

“Alas, it’s a pity, a pity that time is still insufficient. If we had another one or two hundred years, we wouldn’t be without the time to establish the framework of a Heavenly Court. It’s truly a blemish on an otherwise perfect endeavor!”

Ji Yuan, however, didn’t mind this at all. He seemed to be in a very cheerful mood, even having the presence of mind to crack a joke. “Lord Qin, could it be that you regret not being able to directly become a Heavenly King, ruling over all celestial deities?”

“Hahahahaha… Mr. Ji, please don’t tease me. Even if the Heavenly Court were complete, I would only appear occasionally. It would be much simpler to just conjure up a Heavenly Emperor. As for me, I’d rather have leisure to research wondrous medicinal principles. Oh, since we’re on the subject, Mr. Ji, when will you write a celestial book on alchemy and pharmacology? All your great works are wondrous beyond compare!”

Ji Yuan was somewhat amused and exasperated. “Lord Qin, do you really think I know everything? All right, no more talk. We’ve arrived. Let’s begin.”

While they chatted, the golden boat had already sailed to a special location on the Celestial River. Although nothing was discernible from the ground, in the eyes of the three, this spot was subtly the center of Yunshan Temple’s Star River Grand Formation’s projection. It was also the very core of this created realm, where all starlight and the cosmos subtly revolved around it.

“This is the place!”“Daoist Huang, be mindful of your measure; don’t over-expend your vital energy!”“I know my limits!”

With a word each, the three stepped off the golden boat. Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou had yet to make a move, but Huang Xingye swept his hand across his forehead. Instantly, a beam of purple light shot out from it, illuminating the Mountain Conferral Talisman and tinging its golden-yellow hue with a purplish-gold.

“Both fellow Daoists, please make your move.”

As Huang Xingye finished speaking, Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou immediately began to cast their spells together. The latter formed hand seals and struck forward, causing a wave of starlight to ripple around the golden boat. Ji Yuan, with a flick of his sleeve, reached up to the sky and gently pulled downwards, then unfurled his sleeve opening. Under their combined efforts, an endless torrent of starlight from the higher heavens poured down like mercury, not just over a small area, but encompassing the entire celestial expanse.

In other parts of heaven and earth, the night sky seemed to dim instantly. However, over Dazhen, especially Bing Province, the starlight appeared to be growing brighter and more dazzling. Countless beings with cultivation, through various divination methods, sought to understand what the celestial changes signified, and countless people found themselves sleepless that night. Not only cultivators, but also princes, marquises, and generals of various mortal dynasties were equally sleepless, for major celestial changes inevitably reflected grand trends in the world. Consequently, officials like those in the Bureau of Astronomy were utterly swamped.

Ji Yuan and the others were not concerned with how outsiders thought or reacted. In the past few years since Ji Yuan arrived at Yunshan Temple with the Mountain Conferral Talisman, their preparations had naturally not just been about Huang Xingye gradually attuning himself to the talisman’s power. The most important matter was what was unfolding this very night.

The Taoist priests of Yunshan Temple were wide awake, all standing atop Yanxia Peak, gazing at the Celestial River above. Bai Ruo and Sun Yaya were, of course, among them. Inside Ju’an Pavilion, Zao Niang stood beneath the date tree, looking up at the sky, holding Hu Yun, who had transformed into a red fox. Across the vast ocean, thousands of aquatic creatures traveled together. The Old Dragon, his son, and daughter looked back at the distant celestial glow. In the Yin residence within the capital city of Dazhen, the Yin family likewise gazed at the sky in silence.

Whether it was immortal cultivators like Ju Yuanzi, Zhao Yu, and the Old Beggar from Yuwai Mountain, Jiufeng Mountain, and Qianyuan Sect; or the Bright King in the Buddhist realm; or Xin Wuya in the Netherworld; or even A’ze, who was out alone; and all of Ji Yuan’s adversaries and those who observed the celestial phenomena—as long as they noticed the Celestial River’s starlight, people couldn’t help but look up at that moment. Because the center of this starlight was located in Dazhen of Yunzhou, many people, whether informed or not, inevitably thought of Ji Yuan at this moment, speculating about what was happening. Of course, some cultivators were already approaching Bing Province by cloud or wind at that very moment, but they couldn’t get close to the Celestial River in the sky, nor did they dare to approach too closely.

The Celestial River in the sky grew brighter and brighter, finally reaching its limit. The stellar power of the myriad stars seemed to pour endlessly into a bottomless pit, falling without cease.

“Be done!” Ji Yuan let out a soft cry, his sleeves fluttering as he formed a hand seal with both hands, and with a final finger, he pointed at the Mountain Conferral Talisman.

“Boom—”

As that finger descended, it unleashed an infinite ripple of purplish-gold light. The Celestial River in the sky, for an instant, bloomed with a faint purplish-gold radiance before immediately vanishing. At that moment, a muffled thunderclap echoed across the sky. Regardless of where they were in the world, whether there were clouds or not, anyone with a certain level of cultivation heard this muffled thunder.

And high above in the Celestial River, where only Ji Yuan and the other two were, they all let out a long breath of relief.

A pale golden stone platform appeared where the golden boat had been. On top of it stood a square stele, no taller than a person. Both the stone platform and the stele were densely engraved with characters, some legible, others irregular celestial symbols, with constellations covering every surface.

“I just hope this doesn’t prevent me from being able to confer the title of Mountain God of Mount Wuliang.” Huang Xingye said with a frown, still a bit worried.

Ji Yuan shook his head. “It won’t.”

Qin Zizhou, silent, approached the stone platform and the stele. On one side, there were several patterns different from ordinary characters, forming four large words: 'Heavenly Realm'.

“Mr. Ji, how much does this resemble the foundation of the ancient Heavenly Court?” Qin Zizhou asked.

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment. Although he had no memory of the ancient Heavenly Court, he presumed it would be absolutely different from the present. “Perhaps not even an iota. In that era, it was merely palaces suspended in the sky. Now, it’s a unique realm adrift in the heavens; though merely an empty shell, it now possesses a cornerstone.”

Huang Xingye’s face was slightly pale. For this stele to connect with heaven and earth and turn the ethereal into the tangible, besides Ji Yuan’s great divine power, Huang Xingye had contributed no small amount of vital energy. Yet, he still smiled. “In that case, as long as a response can be obtained, those virtuous great deities, with the assistance of the Celestial River’s power, will also be able to transcend the limitations of the earthly realm!”

Even Ji Yuan, as he was now, couldn’t quite suppress his triumph at this moment. This Heavenly Realm was extremely wondrous, yet at its core, its principle was not complicated. Ji Yuan had conceived of it long ago, when observing the moon during Emperor Yuande of Dazhen’s Water and Land Assembly. For powerful deities, for example, limited by the earthly realm, they might be unable to leave their domain too far, or simply unable to leave at all. But with the Celestial River Realm in place, this problem could be somewhat alleviated.

Firstly, because the power of the celestial stars descends, it has the effect of shifting stars and altering constellations. Secondly, and most crucially, since the Celestial River is a river, it also has a reflection. Although this reflection might be invisible amidst the starlight, wherever the Celestial River’s starlight can reach, the reflection of the earthly realm, projected with the stellar power, can circumvent the earthly limitations of those great deities. Of course, the fundamental prerequisite was that those great deities themselves had to be willing.