Heaven and earth were green.
Boundless fertile soil manifested here, yet it carried an air of decay. Though rich, it held no life; instead, the stench of corpses rose from it.
[Azure Loam Mysterious Realm]
Xu Fayan stood there, his emotions surging violently. All manner of voices seemed to rise from beneath the ground, murmurs devoid of any meaning.
Tao Zhennan stood on the stone steps behind him, not daring to set foot in the mud.
"This was where [True Lord Azure Loam Abundant Years], Youchao Ju, fell. Back then, he entered the blessed land, but his hold on his position was unstable, and so he perished here-"
"His hold on his position was unstable?"
Xu Fayan slowly turned around, his murky-yellow eyes flickering. Only then did he say, "Rather, he overstepped his bounds."
"The two were cause and effect to each other, nothing more."
Tao Zhennan was a veteran Attendant Envoy and had witnessed that True Lord Nurturing Earth's entry into the blessed land. Now, he recounted the story at an unhurried pace. "When Nether Sheep fell, his nature split into three, becoming the distinct natures of Great Wilderness, Green Mud, and the primordial path. The Great Wilderness nature reincarnated as Wei Huang, who was Grave Sheep. But the Green Mud nature fell all the way into the sacred land of the Nest-Builders Clan, becoming Azure Goat. Only through Vast Wood's transformation did he take human form."
The Right Historian sighed. "He entered the world, named himself Youchao Ju, and sought Heavenly Thunder. Only then did he attain a Fruit Position through four Essences and one Firmament. Yet he... should have sought a Nurturing Earth Retainer Position."
"Right Historian, do you mean [Abundance], the path that reveres and serves Sheji?"
Xu Fayan had naturally heard his master speak of