Thirty-Six Heavens

In the Primordial World, where years are unrecorded, Li Fan sat in seclusion comprehending the Pangu's Heaven-Opening Imprint within the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.

This Heaven-Opening Imprint was recorded from the fragments of the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Pearl—traces of Dao and Great Dao Laws left behind when Pangu created Heaven and Earth, all of which were the essence of creation. By comprehending the Heaven-Opening Imprint, Li Fan's Grand Unity Dao Fruit rapidly advanced.

From what Li Fan understood, Pangu's direct lineage and the World-Opening Supreme Treasures also possessed Heaven-Opening Imprints, though each was incomplete to varying degrees—such as Heavenly Emperor Cangli's Chaos Bell, Hongjun's Pangu Banner, and Yinyang's Taiji Diagram.

In the Primordial World, where years are unrecorded, Li Fan's cultivation broke through to Grand Unity Second Heaven, and he could no longer continue comprehending the Heaven-Opening Imprint.

The Dao of Great God Pangu was too powerful, its influence on Li Fan too deep. He feared that if he kept comprehending, he might one day become an other-self of Pangu.

Perhaps this was the limitation placed on the Descendants of Pangu. From Pangu's Heaven-Opening Imprint, Li Fan comprehended a divine ability called "One Sword to Open the Heavens"—his strongest means aside from his Innate Spiritual Treasures.

To continue growing stronger, he had to focus on the Thirty-Six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls and open up thirty-six Great Thousand Worlds.

The divine pearls, possessing the characteristics of a Chaos Supreme Treasure, had already become Li Fan's Dao-Realization Treasure.

Inside the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, everything was gray and hazy—no sun, moon, or stars, no mountains or rivers.

"One Sword to Open the Heavens." The Chaos Qi within the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls began to evolve. The light and clear rose to form the heavens; the heavy and turbid sank to form the earth.

A Medium World was successfully opened, with the Law of Stars as its primary law.

Li Fan consecutively opened thirty-three Medium Worlds, each with a different focus.

He also gained many insights into the laws. After restoring his divine power, he prepared to open the last three Sea-Calming Divine Pearls into Great Thousand Worlds.

With his current cultivation, he was still somewhat lacking, but having three top-grade Innate Spiritual Roots gave him the confidence.

"One Sword to Open the Heavens! One Sword to Open the Heavens..." The power of this divine ability grew greater and greater. As he opened Heaven and Earth, just when his divine power was about to give out, the Great Thousand World was finally successfully opened.

However, the newly opened world was very unstable and could collapse at any moment. Li Fan quickly placed the Innate Spiritual Root "Huangzhong Plum" at the center of the world to serve as the Sky-Supporting Divine Tree. This Great Thousand World was primarily governed by the Law of Earth inherent to the Huangzhong Plum.

After restoring his divine power, he continued opening another Great Thousand World, using the Innate Spiritual Root Enlightenment Tea Tree as the Sky-Supporting Divine Tree. This Great Thousand World had the most balanced laws.

For the last world, Li Fan made thorough preparations. He planned to go big—because the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls were a combined Innate Spiritual Treasure with interconnected origins, he had a new idea.

The thirty-five Heavens he had opened emitted World Power that empowered Li Fan. He felt his body brimming with strength and his divine power inexhaustible.

Strong—too strong. Li Fan's face twisted with exertion. "One Sword to Open the Heavens!" The space within the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls began to shatter.

Earth, fire, wind, and water burst forth, and a Great Thousand World was born. Li Fan quickly placed the degenerated Chaos Spirit Root "Tongtian Jianmu" at the center of the world.

The world immediately stabilized. Li Fan had succeeded. He sensed the profound origin of this world. From now on, the thirty-six Heavens would be led by the Great Thousand World suppressed by Tongtian Jianmu.

After successfully opening the thirty-six Heavens, Li Fan's cultivation reached Grand Unity Triple Heaven. Now, with World Power as his backing, his divine power was inexhaustible, and his Innate Spiritual Treasure provided both offense and defense. Even against Grand Unity mid-stage cultivators at the 5th to 8th Heaven, he dared to clash.

The Minor Worlds he had opened before were now useless. Li Fan took out the Moon Laurel Tree and the Zhou Tian Star Fruit Tree Branch, placing them into the Myriad Worlds. He divided the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil into thirty-six portions scattered across the Heavens, while also merging the Minor Worlds into them.

Li Fan calculated that his seclusion had lasted one Eon. He prepared to emerge and visit Goddess Wangshu for some conversation to relieve his boredom.

Goddess Wangshu sat quietly beneath the Moon Laurel Tree.

"Goddess, has anything interesting happened in the Primordial World lately?"

Wangshu frowned. "The Solar Star God Zhuzhao has begun recruiting gods en masse, accepting anyone who comes. I find him quite unpleasant. I hope he won't disrupt the peace of the Primordial Starry Sky."

"Also, the Three Emperors have been acting more frequently, as if plotting something. Azure Emperor Yang Mei has shown himself, and Great God Hongjun publicly invited Yang Mei to visit Yujing Mountain."

"It seems the Five Elder Lords are feeling the pressure too. Only Goddess Taiyuan, carefree as ever, is either fighting or on her way to a fight."

Wangshu looked utterly speechless. Goddess Taiyuan was truly too thick-headed.

Li Fan teased, "Maybe one day Yang Mei will join the Five Elder Lords, and your Five Divine Emperors will disband."

"Goddess Wangshu, you need to step up. The leader's seat rotates—this year, it could be yours. Make the Five Divine Emperors bow to you."

Wangshu's cold face broke into a roll of her eyes. "You're just stirring up trouble. If you said these things to White Emperor Luohu, he'd definitely be interested."

Li Fan asked urgently, "Goddess, is there any way to increase my cultivation speed again? I have a vague feeling that this era will see a brutal war."

This was a well-intentioned warning—a storm was brewing.

Wangshu circled Li Fan once. "Your cultivation speed is already astonishing. Grand Unity Triple Heaven, tsk tsk. Li Fan, you've made it."

Li Fan had just broken through, and his powerful aura hadn't fully subsided. Wangshu sensed that his presence was far stronger than before his seclusion.

Li Fan chuckled. "Low-key, low-key. It's nothing."

Wangshu cautioned, "Don't rush your cultivation. Be steady. You're already very fast."

"What is most precious in the Primordial World? Fortune. The fortune carried by innate objects, the fortune you possess yourself, and the fortune gained by establishing forces—there are many ways to acquire fortune."

"This is the era of the Divine Path. Gods hold authority. God and Dao are aligned. Besides comprehending the laws of authority, the most important thing is the fortune that authority brings."

"The moonlight of Taiyin Star shines continuously, providing me with a steady stream of fortune. Of course, breaking through to Hunyuan Grand Unity is not so simple."

"The value of authority also varies—some are great, some small. The powerful authorities have already been divided up."

"Fortune in the Primordial World is not omnipotent. True strength comes from within."

Li Fan thought to himself that without strong fortune, nothing was possible. He had cultivated so quickly before because he obtained a large number of treasures on Five Immortals Island. After that, he felt his cultivation slow down, which was quite uncomfortable.

Still, Li Fan was satisfied. He would develop steadily and not take risks.

Li Fan drank tea and discussed Dao with Goddess Wangshu. After a hundred thousand years, he left Taiyin Star to visit Doumu Yuanjun.

Vast Horizon—a single step spanned billions of billions of miles. Before long, the massive Ziwei Star appeared before Li Fan.

How unpredictable life is. The last time Li Fan traveled to Ziwei Star, he was still a Venerable God. This time, he visited as a Da Luo Venerable God, and not a newly ascended one—he was at the Grand Unity Triple Heaven realm.

Li Fan arrived at the Ziwei Palace and met the peerlessly elegant Ziwei Star Lord.

"This Humble One, Li Fan of Taiyin Star, comes to pay respects to Goddess Ziguang."

Goddess Ziguang's face was full of shock. "I was in seclusion just once, and you've already become a Da Luo Venerable God. Li Fan, your cultivation speed is truly fast."

Li Fan looked smug. "Not as vast and mighty as Goddess Ziguang's divine powers."

Ziguang shot Li Fan a glare. "Alright, enough mutual flattery. What business do you have with me?"

"I've come to offer the goddess some tea leaves and spirit fruits, as thanks for your help. Allow me to brew the tea myself—Goddess Wangshu herself praised my tea-making skills."

Samadhi True Fire swirled around Li Fan's hands as he began to brew the tea, controlling the heat with exquisite precision. The Three Lights Divine Water slowly came to a boil, and the tea was ready.

"Please, taste the tea."

Goddess Ziguang's purple lips drank it all in one go, sinking into a state of Dao comprehension. The first taste of this Dao Comprehension Divine Tea yielded the best effect.

A hundred years later, Goddess Ziguang's starry eyes slowly opened. "Excellent tea and excellent water—rare divine treasures in this world."

Afterward, Li Fan stayed for a time in Ziguang's palace, chatting and discussing the Dao, passing the days in great delight.

Li Fan's understanding of the laws governing the Zhou Tian Stars deepened, though the effect of the Enlightenment Tea Tree on him had greatly diminished—better than nothing, at least.

Ten thousand years later, Li Fan returned to Taiyin Star.

In the Primordial World, strength reigns supreme. Li Fan was on good terms with Taiyin Star Lord and Ziwei Star Lord, while Wangshu and Ziguang were at odds with Zhuzhao.

Taiyang Star Lord Zhuzhao had recently begun to stir restlessly, organizing his forces. Li Fan cast a glance at the Solar Star—chaos creates opportunity.

From the moment Li Fan had crossed over into the Primordial World, the butterfly effect had already been set in motion.

Just think of the Zhou Tian Star Array of the Later Generations' Witch-Demon Era—a formation at the Hunyuan Grand Unity level.

"Heh heh heh, Solar Star God, you already have the path to your own death!"