Long, long ago, the Coffin Master died. But he stood Beyond the Sacrificial Path, a towering existence transcending all things. True death did not exist for him; this was merely localized necrosis.
The Coffin Master was in a state of being dead, yet not entirely dead. The Plateau Land of Calamity was the bone ash of his fleshly body, while the myriad living beings were extensions of his spirit. His hazy consciousness observed the vast universe.
Anything—any action or existence—that conformed to the Coffin Master's subconscious could proceed smoothly and enjoy immense fortune. Examples included Red Dust Immortals and rebirth through nirvana. Those who resisted, however, would encounter all manner of ill omens, such as Red-Haired and Black Blood.
The people of the world called this state of affairs the Heavenly Dao, Heaven's will, and destiny.
The course of Heaven was constant. It did not endure because of a Heavenly Emperor, nor perish because of an Ancestor—until one man appeared.
A spatial leap across the vast worlds shattered the predetermined fate, creating the faintest ripple in what had once been an utterly calm certainty. Thus, Heaven's will cast down its gaze and fixed upon the thirty-first person who had appeared atop Jade Emperor Peak.
Then Lin Xian started pulling stunts—a huge one at that. His methods defied all convention, drawing more and more attention from Heaven's will.
The Coffin Master said: This is hilarious.
Thus, the Dao Heart that had been numbed by loneliness began to stir. No longer immersed in a state of lost selfhood, he regained a trace of autonomous awareness and began to watch closely.
His gaze crossed existence and nonexistence, spanning two worlds. It traveled from one Earth to another, from Shrouding the Heavens to The Outcast. His perspective rose without end until it reached infinite