After leaving the Ziwei Northern Sea, He Mu traveled along the Golden Light Avenue, heading straight for his next destination: the Divine Self Headquarters at the center of the universe, Faith Divine Heaven.
Faith Divine Heaven lay at an immeasurable height above the very center of the universe, and its wondrous uses were virtually endless.
At present, it served two primary purposes.
First, it gathered the power of faith directed toward Immeasurable Heaven Venerable from across the universe, serving as a relay station where He Mu processed that faith.
Second, through the Wuliang Shrines scattered throughout the universe, it formed a supreme formation capable of surveying all the heavens. Encompassing the entire universe, it enabled the divine self to govern the world.
Now, with this formation, He Mu could trace Longevity Heavenly Venerable's movements over the past thousand years.
Such an investigation would help He Mu determine whether Longevity Heavenly Venerable had already joined forces with the black qi and the forbidden zones, or whether he could still be considered the Dao companion He Mu had once known.
While visiting Faith Divine Heaven, He Mu could also check on Pan, who presided over it, and guide his cultivation.
As his divine self, Pan had kept the entire universe in order on He Mu's behalf for a thousand years. His toil and achievements deserved a reward.
Since Pan could already be considered an independent living being, he could naturally cultivate as well. It was only fitting for He Mu, his creator, to offer him some guidance on this visit.
When He Mu arrived at Faith Divine Heaven, Pan had already sensed his aura and come outside to welcome him.
"Greetings, original self."
At this, He Mu smiled, nodded, and said,
"No need for formalities. I came to investigate Changsheng's movements, and also to guide your cultivation."
Then He Mu had Pan stand guard nearby while he sat cross-legged, formed a Dao Seal with his hands, and merged himself with Faith Divine Heaven.
The next instant, He Mu stirred the boundless power of faith. Immortal light blazed forth, illuminating myriad worlds.
It was as though a Heavenly Dao Eye had opened in the unseen depths, looking down upon the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, gazing across past, present, and future, and taking in everything in the universe.
As he continued to channel divine power, the immortal light of faith grew ever more magnificent. Fragments of the universe's past emerged one after another, their images becoming increasingly clear.
At last, the immortal light slowly faded, leaving only a single fragment of time before He Mu for him to examine closely.
As expected, the central figure in the scene was none other than Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
In the images, Longevity Heavenly Venerable seemed to have begun preparing something after He Mu's departure. He absorbed the life essence left in the North Sea Eye and even consumed those few drops of White Tiger Divine Medicine Liquid, continually adjusting his condition and remaining awake at all times, as though he were about to undertake something momentous.
Finally, three hundred years after He Mu's departure, Longevity Heavenly Venerable emerged into the world.
No one had sought him out, nor was he seen devouring the life essence of myriad living beings and wreaking havoc upon the universe. He had not even broken out of his immortal source during this journey.
At last, in the images, Longevity Heavenly Venerable reached his destination.
It was a peculiar place, unexpected yet perfectly understandable.
The Underworld!
The moment Longevity Heavenly Venerable entered the Underworld, everything suddenly seemed much easier to explain.
The Underworld was the most distinctive Life Forbidden Zone in this universe. Strictly speaking, the Underworld of this time was more like a Supreme Dao Field.
This strange land had an exceptionally long history. Its existence could certainly be traced back to before the Mythological Era.
In the current era, however, the Underworld had been established by Netherworld Venerable Duan De, the Second-Life Enlightened Dao Body of the first venerable of the Mythological Era, Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable Cao Yusheng.
This Netherworld Venerable possessed attainments that reached into the mysteries of creation. Not only had he founded the Underworld Lineage, but with his great wisdom, he had also opened an alternative Road to Immortality: gathering the Nine-Life Reincarnation Seals to become an immortal.
Millions of years later, Netherworld Venerable would indeed achieve mortal world immortalization through this path, becoming an unparalleled master rarely seen in this universe.
Under Netherworld Venerable's influence, the Underworld had pursued attaining the Dao through corpses and becoming immortal through reincarnation since ancient times. Most of its members paid little attention to external affairs, making it a true outlier among the forbidden zones.
By now, Netherworld Venerable had long since left the Underworld, his whereabouts unknown. Yet there was no doubt that he had not perished and remained active somewhere in this world.
Barring any surprises, he would later become something of a teacher to Emperor Venerable. This life of his likely would not draw to a close until the end of the Mythological Era.
Even with He Mu's disposition, he could not help feeling rather wistful when he considered the treatment Netherworld Venerable enjoyed.
But after all, Netherworld Venerable's first incarnation, Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable Cao Yusheng, was a brother of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, whose Sole Ruler of Eternity had spanned the ages.
And Desolate Heavenly Emperor Shi Hao could be called the most formidable backer in all the heavens above.
Thus, in this universe, Netherworld Venerable inevitably enjoyed latitude and preferential treatment beyond the imagination of ordinary people-an advantage no one else could match.
And now, during this period when Netherworld Venerable had departed and the Underworld had no master, Longevity Heavenly Venerable had entered it and become one of the rulers of this unusual forbidden zone.
In fact, recalling his previous discussion of the Dao with Longevity Heavenly Venerable, He Mu understood perfectly why he had made this choice.
Now that Changsheng had chosen this path, he would not affect He Mu and Heavenly Venerable Lingbao's plans in the short term.
However, carefully recalling the descriptions in the original work, He Mu felt certain that Longevity Heavenly Venerable had entered the Underworld earlier than he should have. Could this have been caused by my influence?
He Mu could not yet be sure. After turning the matter over in his mind, he ultimately decided to visit the Underworld later to assess Longevity Heavenly Venerable's situation and true intentions.
For now, however, there was no rush. Since he had already come to Faith Divine Heaven and met Pan, he might as well first offer his divine self some guidance, adding to their chances of victory in the great battle to come.
With that thought, He Mu summoned Pan before him and began expounding the Dao.
For a time, heavenly flowers cascaded down and golden springs welled up from the ground, immediately filling Faith Divine Heaven with vibrant activity.
A new author with a new book-please support me, add it to your collection, keep reading, and send monthly and recommendation votes. Your support is the author's greatest motivation!
Before you continue