For Huang Tian, the feeling of becoming one with the Dao was wonderfully strange. The Heavenly Dao was not a physical entity, nor did it even have a distinct consciousness. The process was mystery upon mystery, almost impossible to put into words.
After he succeeded, though, his understanding deepened. He could now roam the Earth Immortal Realm's river of time, tracing it back to its source.
And that was exactly what he did. He returned to the moment Heaven and Earth first opened and became the world's first cultivator,
the first to attain the Dao. He passed down countless wondrous teachings to the boundless masses and became the founding patriarch of the three teachings!
Then he continued strolling downstream along the river of time, leaving traces of himself at countless moments. His figure appeared in every age of myth and history, and his name spread throughout the entire river of time—
"Now that I'm one with the Heavenly Dao, I'm practically omnipotent in the Earth Immortal Realm. Not only can I roam the river of time at will, but the so-called tides of destiny turn on a single thought of mine.
"If I wished it, the next great tide could bring the Daoist Sect to prominence, or the Heavenly Court, or even make the Demon Race flourish."
He pondered in silence. *But I'm not much interested in a destiny ordained like that. Let every creature beneath the frosty sky vie freely. Leaving everything to develop on its own might give miracles a better chance to arise—
*Not that I'll leave it entirely alone. Now that I'm one with the Dao, I can watch over the Earth Immortal Realm whenever I wish. Even if there's only a one-in-countless-trillions chance of demons rising and turning the mortal world into Purgatory, I can