The great calamity of heaven and earth had taken advantage of the changing dynasties in the Mortal Realm. As Zhou rose and Shang declined, cultivators across heaven and earth completed their tribulations of slaughter. By the Battle of Muye, the great calamity had gradually run its course. After the Immortal-Mortal Separation, there were no more cultivators or Qi Practitioners in the entire Mortal Realm. In the early stages of the Mortal Realm's evolution, vague laws had already existed to restrict living beings from cultivating. Later, the Daoist scriptures appeared, bringing countless immortals and demons who fundamentally changed the rules of the entire Mortal Realm. But after this battle, heaven and earth once again entered a world without Daoist arts or spiritual power. Was this not a kind of cycle?
The cultivators of the Mortal Realm had either failed to survive the tribulation of slaughter, returning to the cycle of reincarnation if their innate nature was shallow; attained the Divine Path if it was ordinary; or achieved the Immortal Path if it was profound. Following the talismanic edict of Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Jiang Ziya conferred titles upon the gods. This was a way to complete the Heavenly Court—and was it not also a means for heaven and earth to purge the Mortal Realm of its cultivators?
Before Xiqi's Heaven and Earth Altar, a platform was built. It stood three tiers high, according to the Image of Three, and was divided into the shape of the Eight Trigrams. At its center was the "Position of Emperor Heaven and Empress Earth." On either side stood the "Gods of Mountains, Rivers, and Soil," with banners for the "Twelve Primordial Spirits" arranged in their places according to chou, yin, mao, chen, si, wu, wei, shen, you, xu, and hai. Before and behind them stood banners