Ten thousand years after Nuwa dispersed her Dao, the Great Dao fell utterly silent.
The universe entered an unprecedented age of Dharma decline.
The vital essence of heaven and earth grew outrageously thin, and the threshold for cultivation rose beyond reach.
The Wheels of Life within the Wheel Seas of living beings became harder than immortal gold and divine iron.
Even with scriptures that pointed directly to cultivation laid before them, mortals could hardly open their Bitter Seas and set foot on the path of cultivation.
The ceiling of combat power in the universe fell back to the realm of ancient Saints.
Cultivation became the privilege of a tiny minority.
A mortal's hundred years passed in a rush of birth, aging, sickness, and death. They could scarcely ever see cultivators soaring through the skies or burrowing through the earth again.
Yet strange changes quietly began to unfold.
Feixian Ancient Star.
This ancient star of the Arcane Gate, where qi refinement had once flourished, was dotted with temples to Heavenly Venerables left over from the Mythological Era.
At some unknown point, the clay statues and wooden idols of the four Heavenly Venerables—Moral, Wuliang, Lingbao, and Primordial—began to display supernatural powers.
In the east of the city stood the temple of the Moral Heavenly Venerable.
"O Moral Heavenly Venerable above."
The mortal Wang Da knelt on a prayer cushion, holding three sticks of incense high in both hands. He pressed his forehead against the cold bluestone tiles. "Your disciple Wang Da sincerely burns incense and bows before you today.
"I thank you for your compassion, Heavenly Venerable, and pray that you protect my entire family, young and old. May we be healthy, free of illness and disaster, safe in our home, spared hardship and pain, and blessed with harmony and good fortune."