Golden light shimmered. The long sword looked like a shard of light, pointing diagonally at the azure sky. Gao Lan circled the Seal Heaven Platform three times, his expression growing more solemn with every step. Then he spoke in a clear, ringing voice:
"In the beginning, the Great Dao split apart. Gods and Devils stood above, while the living beings of all worlds were nothing but fish on a chopping board, left to be slaughtered at will. Though they heard of the ultimate Dao, few could glimpse the Great Luo. Thus, the Heavenly Court was established first, to bind the immortals and gods, lay down rules, separate the pure from the turbid, open the path to immortality for all living beings, and create the road by which all spirits could be granted godhood. And so the ancient world flourished, with demons and humans spread across the lands, each striving for the immortal path. But when the Heavenly Court fell, its laws ceased to hold. Demonic chaos swept across Earth, and the affairs of immortals and gods were confined to the mortal realm, unable to reach the heavens. This continued to the present day, until rain and wind could no longer be regulated, thunder and lightning ran rampant, and the authority of the Great Dao fell into disorder."
"Today, I establish this Seal Heaven Platform, gathering the countless living beings of Great Zhou and the territory of the Twenty-Seven Prefectures. I shall raise the radiance of the Human Way and appoint gods in Heaven's stead, so that immortals and gods may take their proper places, each authority may be settled, the people may receive protection, and calamities may be dispelled."
As he spoke, the Seal Heaven Platform trembled gently, as though it had come to life. First, the red, blue, yellow,