Nether light shot into the heavens, and a slender book hung across the sky.
The Book of Life and Death hovered in the Great Void. As its pages turned, countless names rose and fell, flickering into and out of sight, as though the lifespans and fates of every living being in the world were recorded within.
A lingering voice of the Dao echoed between heaven and earth, spreading throughout Fuli and beyond like tolling bells and booming drums:
"The Netherworld has a Dao, given form as a ledger; all beings have their fates, recorded within its pages."
"I hold a volume of the Book of Humanity and govern the lifespans of all spirits. When vermilion falls, mortal life ends; when ink writes, blessings endure. The fortunes, calamities, and lifespans of all beings-immortals, mortals, ghosts, and specters-are recorded in this ledger..."
"Today, I, Primordial Beginning, integrate with the Dao and ascend as a Venerable-the Primordial Beginning Fate-Recording Dao Venerable!"
As his words fell, a shadowy apparition slowly rose behind Primordial Beginning, as though the Netherworld Court had manifested and reincarnation had begun to turn. With nether radiance as his robe and the azure heavens as his crown, he displayed the formidable majesty of a Netherworld sovereign.
Then the Book of Life and Death shuddered as well. Its pages flipped rapidly before finally stopping at a blank page. Lines of golden characters slowly appeared, expounding the principles of Netherworld law.
Primordial Beginning opened his eyes. Nether light flowed through them, and his aura climbed higher and higher.
At this moment, his Dao Integration was complete.
Feeling the profound Dao resonance flowing within him, he was overcome with emotion. From rogue cultivator to Spirit Transformation, then from Spirit Transformation to Dao Integration, he had spent more years than he could count.
His gaze