"Open a Great Thousand World?"
Having calculated what the three Golden Immortal-level human cultivators would do next, Lu Yang's state of mind rippled slightly.
Creating heaven and earth was not uncommon in the Primordial World.
Many could open Cave Heaven Worlds, but far fewer could create Lesser Thousand Worlds.
Opening a Middle Thousand World was undoubtedly far more difficult.
As for opening a Great Thousand World, even those at the Grand Unity level would have to expend considerable effort—and that was within the Primordial World.
If one wished to open a Great Thousand World in the Outer Chaos, even Quasi-Saints would find it difficult. Only Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortals could accomplish it.
Creating a small world within the Great World Pangu had opened was naturally much easier.
If one opened a world in the chaos and then merged it into the Primordial World, it would earn considerable Merit.
As for opening a world within the Primordial World, one had to manage it carefully before gaining even a little Merit. If the world one created harmed the Primordial World, it would instead incur Karmic Power.
Therefore, opening a world within the Primordial World required careful consideration.
It was not as though opening numerous worlds in the Primordial World would automatically grant boundless Merit.
One had to know that opening a world required primordial energy.
The higher the level and dimension of the world created, the more primordial energy it required.
Using a great deal of the Primordial World's primordial energy to create a world meant first incurring a "debt." One had to slowly "repay" it, and only after clearing that "debt" could one speak of Merit.
Opening a world in the chaos was different.
The chaos contained inexhaustible primordial energy. One could even create countless Primordial Worlds like this one.
Yet even someone as powerful as Pangu had exhausted himself to death after opening a Primordial World in the chaos.
Though opening a Great Thousand World in the chaos was much easier, one should forget about it without the mana of an Immeasurable Calamity.
What? Opening a Middle Thousand World or Lesser Thousand World in the chaos?
The difficulty was lower, but making a Middle Thousand World or Lesser Thousand World endure in the chaos for a long time was difficult. It was like trying to keep a bubble from bursting in a vast ocean—the difficulty was obvious.
A Great Thousand World in the chaos was like a great ship upon the sea.
A Primordial World, meanwhile, was like a colossal warship in the sea, riding the winds and waves and able to withstand towering breakers.
Thus, opening a Middle Thousand World in the chaos was difficult, while preventing the opened world from perishing was even harder. The cost vastly outweighed the gain, so it was not worth doing.
According to Lu Yang's calculations, the three Golden Immortal-level human cultivators would join forces to open a Great Thousand World, only to fail because a Fierce Beast appeared.
A surviving remnant of the Fierce Beasts would ruin humanity's great undertaking.
Opening a Great Thousand World consumed most of Cang Li Shi and the others' strength. When the opening failed, the backlash injured them. They fought the Fierce Beast and drove it away, but Yue Jian Shi died, Cang Li Shi was severely wounded, five of Jiutou Shi's brothers perished, and half of humanity's largest tribe was destroyed, with over a hundred thousand dead and injured.
Tragic!
Heroic!
Humanity's strength would sharply decline, and much of its Fortune would also be lost.
Without outside interference, this would be humanity's future.
Help humanity?
This would mean changing humanity's future. The karmic consequences would not be small.
First calculating the Heavenly Secrets to see the future, then changing it, was a great taboo.
"Teaching humanity the Totem Method already formed karma. A little more makes no difference," Lu Yang thought.
With the Merit he possessed now, coupled with his status as the Sun Star, the Heavenly Dao would show him some "leniency."
Above humanity's great tribe in the center of the Nine Provinces.
Cang Li Shi, Yue Jian Shi, and Jiutou Shi, the eldest brother, stood a thousand zhang above the ground. In the Primordial World, even ten thousand zhang could only be considered low altitude.
Once they were ready, Cang Li Shi and the other two would open heaven and earth.
Their goal was to open a Great Thousand World with a dimension equal to the Primordial World.
However, just as Cang Li Shi was about to join forces with the others to open heaven and earth, the sunlight overhead seemed to flicker.
Cang Li Shi and the other two narrowed their eyes at the same time, seized by an ominous premonition.
Though none of them could Calculate Heavenly Secrets, they all felt uneasy.
Suddenly inspired, Cang Li Shi raised his head and stared directly at the sun high in the sky.
Although his eyes felt uncomfortable as he stared at the sun, Cang Li Shi did not blink.
When you stared into the sun, the sun also stared into you.
With Cang Li Shi's current cultivation, staring at the sun for too long would continuously damage his eyesight until he eventually became blind.
After staring at the sun for a long time, Cang Li Shi's face turned pale.
Yue Jian Shi and Jiutou Shi both looked at Cang Li Shi in confusion.
After a long while, once his eyesight had worsened slightly, Cang Li Shi finally lowered his head.
"The Heavenly Secrets have revealed themselves. If we open a Great Thousand World, a Fierce Beast will emerge. It must be a calamity sent down by fate. If we cannot overcome it, opening this world will be nothing but an illusion," Cang Li Shi said gravely.
"A Fierce Beast?"
Cang Li Shi and the other two prepared for several more days.
Boom!
Three Golden Immortal-level powers combined and tore open a stretch of void.
A massive mass of primordial energy surged forth.
Gray and hazy like chaos, it was blurred and indistinct.
After exchanging a glance, they concentrated their power into the Stone Axe in Cang Li Shi's hand. Though crude, the axe was made of Innate Material.
With one swing of the axe, the primordial energy split apart. Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind raged within it, while Yin-Yang Two Qi circulated and clear and turbid energies intertwined.
In truth, there were many ways to create a world. For example, through Words Manifested as Law: one could speak a few words amid primordial energy, and it would evolve into a world. For instance, "Let there be light," and light would appear.
One could also open heaven with a single stroke.
Cang Li Shi and the other two chose to imitate Pangu.
This was only natural. Too many living beings in the Primordial World revered Pangu.
At the mention of Pangu, countless beings would become solemn and respectful.
That single axe strike consumed much of Cang Li Shi and the others' strength.
After catching his breath, Cang Li Shi swung the Stone Axe and struck again.
Axe strike after axe strike—after only several blows, Cang Li Shi and the other two were exhausted, with over half their strength depleted.
At that moment, a Fierce Beast abruptly appeared.
This Fierce Beast resembled a bear. It was covered in grayish-white fur, with one eye and four ears, stood over a hundred zhang tall, and was surrounded by astonishing Baleful Qi.
It was a Golden Immortal-level Fierce Beast.
This Fierce Beast had long been lurking in the void. When it discovered Cang Li Shi and the others opening a world, it waited for its chance.
Had Cang Li Shi and the other two been at their peak, any one of them could have matched this Fierce Beast. But they had all expended most of their strength.
In their current state, Cang Li Shi and the others were no match for it.
Moreover, they were at the critical point of opening the world.
Cruelty and cunning filled the Fierce Beast's eye.
Yet a sudden change occurred. Dense streams of blood and qi stretched through the void, binding the Fierce Beast.
"How... could this be?" The Fierce Beast was stunned.
Once it recovered, the Fierce Beast struggled with all its might, but the streams of blood and qi remained firm.
The Fierce Beast was now tightly bound and could not break free anytime soon.
Cang Li Shi and the other two could continue opening the world without distraction.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Together, Cang Li Shi and the others opened a Great Thousand World, though its dimension was still lower than that of the Primordial World.
It would still need to be carefully nurtured for a long time.
Both Cang Li Shi and Yue Jian Shi had fallen from the Golden Immortal level to the True Immortal level.
Only Jiutou Shi remained at the Golden Immortal level, though he too had suffered grave damage to his primordial energy.
This price was already very small.
How could three Golden Immortal-level cultivators join forces to open a Great Thousand World without paying some price?
As they looked upon this newborn Great Thousand World, a world belonging to humanity, Cang Li Shi and the other two were filled with joy.
Although this Great Thousand World was still very "rudimentary," it could be gradually perfected.
They had gained many insights from successfully opening a Great Thousand World.
They looked up at the Sky Dome and down upon the earth.
Between the Six Harmonies and within the Four Seas, illuminated by the sun and moon, measured by the stars, marked by the four seasons, governed by Tai Sui—where spirits were born, all things took different forms.
"Though heaven and earth are vast, their transformations are uniform. Though the myriad things are many, their governance is one," Cang Li Shi said.
"It bears and carries all things—how boundless and magnificent!"
"Look into the dark and silent depths; within the darkness alone, clarity can be seen, and within silence alone, harmony can be heard. Thus, by being deeper than deep, it can give rise to things; by being more divine than divine, it can refine essence."
"It does not end in greatness or overlook smallness. Thus, all things are complete. Vast indeed, nothing is excluded; deep indeed, it cannot be fathomed."
All manner of insights arose in their hearts, bringing Cang Li Shi and the other two no small benefit.
But they had no time to properly comprehend them. Next, they had to deal with the Fierce Beast.
Before you continue