Enlightening Star Gods, the Two Modes, Three Forces Sword Formation

Beneath the Fusang Tree on the Sun Star.

Golden Great Sun Divine Light and clear Lunar Moonlight intertwined. Three figures moved back and forth as the power of the surrounding stars circulated around them, jointly performing a profound formation.

"Yin-Yang draws the luminaries, sun and moon condense the astral essence."

"The Three Forces stabilize the pivot, the Two Modes transform into mystery."

"The stars bear spirit; the sword suppresses the eight wilds."

Lingxiao stepped upon the Innate Heavenly Stride, chanting sword formulas as Sword Qi surged from the Sun God Sword in his hand.

Xihe and Changxi accompanied him on either side. Their two Lunar Divine Swords rang out in harmony as Lunar Divine Water merged with Solar True Fire, transforming into a phantom image of a Yin-Yang Taiji that revolved without cease.

The swords drew upon the essence of sun and moon, borrowed the stellar power of the Twelve Time Markers, and gathered the light of heaven, earth, sun, moon, and stars—the Three Forces.

The three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit resonated together; humanity's Three Forces complemented one another, forming the Three Forces formation.

Attack and defense relied upon each other, Yin and Yang complemented one another, each making up for the others' shortcomings. Once all were fused together, their power naturally surged tremendously.

"The foundation of the sword formation has been established. It evolves through the wondrous methods of the Two Modes and bears the momentum of the Three Forces, so let it be called the Two Modes, Three Forces Sword Formation."

Lingxiao sheathed his sword and spoke with a faint smile.

Though this formation was not yet complete, it was already extraordinary.

With three Middle-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Realm cultivators joining forces, they would be invincible among those of the same realm. Even against a late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, they could contend calmly!

So long as no Primordial Golden Immortal appeared, they could roam free without worry.

"Two Modes and Three Forces, Yin and Yang giving birth to one another—this name is fitting." Xihe nodded slightly, her gaze gentle.

"Brother Lingxiao, does that mean we can leave the Sun Star and go traveling?" Changxi's eyes sparkled, her face full of expectation.

"You little girl, can you really not bear tranquility for even a moment?"

Lingxiao laughed, raising a hand to rub her hair. A few traces of warm indulgence filled his eyes. "Since you have long been unable to wait, we shall depart today. Our first destination will be the Divine Queen Star."

As his words fell, he spread his arms and wrapped them around the slender waists of the two women. With a flash, his form became a brilliant fiery rainbow stretching across the river of stars.

He had used the supreme escape art, Golden Crow Rainbow Transformation, tearing through the void as he sped directly toward the northern heavens.

At the farthest edge of the northern heavens, the Divine Queen Star hung alone amid the sea of stars.

This star was the first of the Twelve Time Markers. It fixed the Rat position among the twelve Earthly Branches, governed the hours of dawn and dusk, oversaw the four seasonal periods from Major Cold to Rain Water, and served as the root of northern temporal order and the source from which the Earthly Branches came into being.

Within the star field, dark waters stretched without end, cold radiance hung heavy, fierce winds circled like city walls, and frost mist spread across the wilderness.

Cold jade grew from the earth, clear frost covered the soil, and the spirits of stars and moon gathered thickly here.

Ancient chill endured for eternity; all was solemn and desolate, concealing the foundation of temporal order.

Whoosh—

A golden-red rainbow suddenly tore through the black curtain of the northern heavens and stopped above the Divine Queen Star. As its rosy light faded, it revealed three figures: one man and two women.

"Brother Lingxiao, did we come all this way because there is an Innate Spiritual Treasure, a spiritual root, or some other opportunity hidden within this star?"

Changxi clutched Lingxiao's sleeve, her eyes full of curiosity. The more Innate spiritual objects and opportunities, the better, naturally.

"We are not here to seek treasure." Lingxiao slowly shook his head, looking down at the core of the Divine Queen Star below. "We came to enlighten the twelve Earthly Branch Star Gods, settling each into their proper position. They will watch over the temporal order of the Primordial World, complete the laws of heaven and earth governing temporal order, and stabilize the foundations of order."

The Twelve Time Markers were also known as the Twelve Month Generals and the Twelve Zodiac Lords.

They were Innate Sacred Beings tied to the twelve Earthly Branches, the seasons and monthly ordinances, and the hours of day and night. Alongside the Sun God and Ziwei Star Lord, they occupied the proper positions of Star Gods and bore inborn stellar destinies.

Yet the Primordial World had only recently settled, and the Dragon-Han Calamity had only just ended. Most Star Gods of the heavens had not yet been born, while the spiritual awareness of the twelve Earthly Branches remained muddled, still unable to take form.

Had Lingxiao not previously established temporal order through the sun and moon and brought down Heavenly Dao Merit, these Twelve Time Markers Star Lords would have needed immeasurable ages before taking their places one by one.

"Once temporal order is stabilized, it can continuously draw forth Heavenly Dao Merit. Like a thin stream flowing long, it will nourish our path of cultivation. It truly is a long-term course." Xihe's eyes shifted slightly as she nodded in understanding.

The starry sky was eternal; it could never be maintained by one or two stars alone.

Only when the myriad stars each fulfilled their duties, supported one another, and kept Yin and Yang in balance could it endure through the ages.

The sun and moon controlled the greater whole and guarded the foundations of the two poles. The remaining details of temporal order should naturally be entrusted to the Twelve Time Markers and the other Star Gods of the heavens to govern and supplement.

"Then how do we enlighten Star Gods?" Changxi blinked, her heart filled with novelty. Since her birth, she had never experienced enlightening living beings.

Not only had she never done it herself, she had never even seen it done.

"This is not difficult." Lingxiao spoke calmly. "The Twelve Time Markers have already been nourished by Heavenly Dao Merit, and their origins are complete. They lack only the final step of condensing themselves and taking form. The three of us need only join forces and use the Sun-Moon Origin to draw upon stellar spiritual qi, and we can help them break their shells and emerge as gods."

Having said this, he condensed a wisp of utterly pure solar qi at his fingertips and slowly sent it into the core of the Divine Queen Star.

Xihe and Changxi followed at once, sending two streams of gentle, pure lunar qi into it as well.

The Innate solar and lunar qi fused and entwined, flowing deep into the star core. They enlightened the stellar power and Heavenly Dao Merit accumulated within the Divine Queen Star, finally gathering into an enormous golden-silver egg that quietly nurtured a divine embryo.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, three thousand years passed.

Crack...

On this day, fractures spread across the egg, and the golden-silver divine egg suddenly shattered.

A divine rat covered from head to toe in star-lit spiritual fur, with temporal order dao patterns upon its back, broke free from the egg. Behind its head floated a faint Merit Golden Wheel, its dao charm restrained within.

Whoosh.

With a flash of spiritual light, the divine rat transformed into human form, save that its head retained the rat's original appearance and could not fully transform.

—The heavens and earth of the Primordial World had been opened by Pangu, with Pangu's human form established as the supreme innate dao body, the one most suited to cultivation and comprehending the Dao.

Thus, Innate Sacred Beings and great powers of the Primordial World usually took human form when traveling the world, revealing their original forms only in battle.

And this laid the foundation for the demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters of later generations to transform into human form or reveal their true bodies...

The Divine Queen Star Lord could not shed its beast head completely. First, it had only just taken form and possessed merely the dao foundation of the Golden Immortal Realm, its mana insufficient.

Second, it bore the destiny of the Rat Earthly Branch and was bound by the innate divine position of the Zodiac, making it difficult to transcend its original form.

The Divine Queen Star Lord bowed down in prostration, its entire body pressed to the ground, its expression incomparably respectful. "Rat Star Lord pays respects to Father God of the Sun and Mother God of the Lunar Yin."

"A Golden Immortal dao fruition, with a decent foundation. Rise." Lingxiao flicked his sleeve, and a gentle force lifted it up.

It had been born as a Golden Immortal. Though it could not compare to the foremost Innate Sacred Beings, it was not weak either. Moreover, the merit accumulated within the Divine Queen Star had not yet been fully refined. Once it was refined, reaching the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Realm would be as natural as water flowing into a channel.

"Ah? M-Mother God?"

Changxi froze upon hearing this, and her cheeks suddenly flushed red. She secretly lifted her eyes to glance at Lingxiao beside her, her heart stirring. She hurriedly lowered her head again, lightly twisting the hem of her dress with her small hands as she remained bashfully silent.

Xihe's cheeks also warmed slightly, and her gaze became ever more gentle and tender. After a moment of silence, she took out a lustrous white lunar pearl from her sleeve and bestowed it upon the Star Lord.

This was one of her accompanying spiritual treasures: a set of twelve Lunar Pearls corresponding to the twelve lunar phases.

A single pearl was a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, while all twelve combined were equivalent to a high-grade one. They could draw upon the Lunar Star's power for reinforcement and suppress the fortune of the starry sky.

However, times had changed. Xihe now controlled the Lunar Origin and could call upon the Lunar Star's reinforcement with a mere gesture, without need for a treasure's aid. This treasure had become of little use, like tasteless chicken ribs.

Bestowing it upon the Divine Queen Star Lord now was just right. It could stabilize its foundation as a Star God and suppress the temporal fortune of one region.

"Thank you, Mother God, for bestowing this treasure!" The Divine Queen Star Lord kowtowed again in gratitude. The instant the lunar pearl entered its hand, it resonated with its Primordial Spirit in the unseen depths, with no hint of rejection.

This was because the Twelve Time Markers governed monthly ordinances and temporal order; their destinies connected and their divine offices aligned, making this treasure well suited to them.

Afterward, Lingxiao gave further instructions, ordering the Rat Star Lord to guard the Divine Queen Star, faithfully uphold its Earthly Branch divine office, and stabilize the foundation of temporal order.

Once all matters had been settled, the three transformed into a streak of light, bid farewell to the Divine Queen Star Lord, and set off for the second of the Twelve Time Markers, the Great Fortune Star.

Once born, twice familiar; the remaining eleven stars would go even more smoothly.