"Thinking back to Di Cheng in those days—what peerless bearing he had! With a laugh and a smile, great gods bowed their heads, and ten thousand gods came to pay court..."
In the Near-Spirit Dimension, ancient memories that Jade Origin Daoist had nearly forgotten entirely welled up in his heart.
That period of time had truly been baffling and elusive. Though he had already attained immortality back then, whenever he recalled it, a feeling akin to fear still rose unbidden within him.
"When things reach their prime, they decline; when flourishing reaches its zenith, it must wane. Even eternity has its calamities—much less Shang..."
Great Mystery Daoist said.
He had been born the latest and had not experienced the era of Ancient Shang. He knew only a few things from later records and scattered accounts.
They unified Heaven and Earth under one system of measures! They recorded calendars to bear the passage of time! They established laws to govern the gods! Riding six dragons, they sought to forge the Origin...
It had been an age of splendor never seen again. Even immortals had to abide by Great Shang's rules; even the sun and moon had to revolve according to Great Shang's calendar. Though later ages had also produced nations that ruled Heaven and Earth, the emperors of those nations all stood beneath the immortals.
Before Shang fell, the Emperor was the Human Emperor. All who bore human form, even immortals, were no exception.
But after Shang, the Emperor was the Son of Heaven—and the immortals were Heaven!
As for how Shang had risen from a small state to such terrifying power that even immortals had to bow their heads, no one knew the precise reason. By the time Shang bared its fangs, it had already reached the pinnacle of strength.