The Great Yi Heavenly Palace hangs above the Yaoguang Divine Realm, yet it does not belong to any realm or any time.
It was the abode that Logo created after ascending to the Heavenly Emperor, formed from a Law of Chaos —neither gold nor jade, neither light nor darkness, but merely a vague void. Within this void, palaces faintly appeared, stars hanging from the eaves, and the pillars engraved with Heavenly Dao patterns. Each pattern flowed slowly, reflecting the Fate of Endless beings in the Spirit Saint Domain.
At this moment, Logo stood at the highest point of the Heavenly Palace, his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.
Before him were no clouds, no stars, only a vast void, within which the entire Spirit Saint Domain was reflected.
The countless worlds, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, unfolded before his eyes.
Some worlds are newly born, shrouded in chaos, with the Heavenly Net slowly extending within them; some worlds have reached their zenith, with celestial mountains and pavilions dotting the landscape, and spiritual cultivators moving about like ants; some worlds are undergoing pioneering wars, the boundaries between fantasy and reality being broken and reshaped time and again, blood and fire weaving into a magnificent spectacle; and still other worlds have fallen into silence, with sparse spiritual energy and few living beings, awaiting to be refined by the Heavenly Net and returned to their origin.
He has been on the Heavenly Emperor for over ten thousand years. For mortals, this is a long period of time, like the changing of the sea and the transformation of the land; but for Logo, who stands at the threshold of the Realm of Eternity, ten thousand years is but the length of a single breath.
However, these ten thousand years were the ten thousand years in which he made the most rapid progress in his cultivation.
"His Majesty."
A familiar voice came from behind him. Logo didn't turn around, but simply nodded slightly.
Bai Yunzi approached and stopped three steps behind him. This Thunder Department Heavenly Venerable was dressed in a black Daoist robe, and his temples were already frosted with gray—the marks left by witnessing countless births and deaths over the past ten thousand years of wielding heavenly punishment. He was originally a subordinate of Logo before he ascended to the Heavenly Emperor, and had fought alongside him against the three Quasi-Saint, making great contributions. After the establishment of the Heavenly Court, Logo promoted him to Thunder Department Heavenly Venerable, in charge of heavenly punishment, and ranked him first among the Heavenly Emperor's close ministers.
"This war of opening up is nearing its end," Bai Yunzi reported. "The last war zone was breached three days ago by the Seventeenth World-Opening Legion. The Void Beast King was slain, and with the help of the Heavenly Net, one hundred and two spiritual cultivators have achieved immortality."
As Bai Yunzi finished speaking, all the information he wanted to know automatically appeared in Logo's mind.
His eyes remained fixed on that void, Logo murmured to himself, "Chen Laoshi..."
"His Majesty must have noticed this spiritual cultivator as well," Bai Yunzi smiled slightly. "His compatibility with the Heavenly Net is extremely high. As long as he doesn't perish, reaching the Golden Immortal realm is only a matter of time."
"Yes, the people chosen by Heavenly Net are never wrong," Logo said calmly.
One of Heavenly Net's greatest foundations is its Eye of Truth, whose ability to see through things is beyond question. The concept of a hidden gem simply doesn't exist within Heavenly Net.
The Heavenly Net, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. Anyone with talent can be discovered and utilized, which has led to the rapid development of the Spirit Saint Domain over the past ten thousand years.
If Logo's progress in strength was already astonishing, then the overall expansion of power in the Spirit Saint Domain was even more terrifying and rapid.
Bai Yunzi was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, in the past hundred years, 12.73 million Fantasy World have been created and brought under the coverage of the Heavenly Net. There are still 36 million in the process of creation. In addition, more than 80 million Fantasy World worlds have entered the preparation stage for creation, and are taking shape through the Incense Votive Power."
"The number of spiritual cultivators is almost impossible to count." Bai Yunzi shook his head. "In the world covered by the Heavenly Net, the two major systems of Heavenly Immortal and Divine Immortal coexist. The number of new spiritual cultivators added every day is in the trillions. As for mortals—they are truly immeasurable, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, impossible to count, and there's no need to count them. Every moment, countless mortals are born and die."
Logo nodded slightly.
This is exactly what he wanted.
It is not about the dominance of a few strong individuals, but about the progress of Endless living beings.
This is precisely the meaning of civilization.
Ten thousand years ago, he had just defeated three Quasi-Saint, and the Spirit Saint Domain was still recovering from the thick Tribulation Qi, a scene of utter devastation.
And now--
Logo perceived things with his mind as he conceived them.
The entire Spirit Saint Domain, the Endless worlds, seemed like a colossal living entity, slowly breathing. With each breath, new spiritual energy was born from nothingness, infusing every inch of land in every world; with each breath, more beings embarked on the path of cultivation, becoming part of this colossal living entity.
Spiritual energy concentration.
This is the fundamental indicator for measuring the strength of a world, and also the standard for distinguishing between the great world, the medium world, and the small world.
Ten thousand years ago, the vast Spirit Saint Domain, also known as the Divine Realm, was extremely rare, but now—
Logo's mind sank into the Heavenly Net, sensing every corner of the realm.
Deep within the Heavenly Net, Endless torrent of data surges silently.
Logo's mind sank into it, and he saw countless points of light like a vortex of stars. Each glimmer of light was the breath and pulse of a world, a civilization, and billions of living beings. Ten thousand years ago, when he first ascended to the Heavenly Emperor, this star map was still relatively sparse, with the Middle Thousand Worlds scattered in the Multi-Cosmic Sea; the Great Thousand Worlds were even fewer. But now, the points of light representing the Middle Thousand Worlds had become so dense that they were almost fused into one, so dazzling that it startled even the gods.
This is the accumulation of thousands of years.
Bai Yunzi spoke up from the side, "Ten thousand years ago, there were only three hundred and sixty-five worlds, corresponding to the number of stars in the celestial sphere. But now..."
He paused, his tone filled with undisguised shock. "The number of Great Thousand Worlds has exceeded 18,000, and the number of Middle Thousand Worlds, Lesser Thousand Worlds... is impossible to count precisely. New worlds are being born every moment. Within the coverage of the Heavenly Net, the spiritual energy concentration of any Lesser Thousand World is comparable to that of a Middle Thousand World ten thousand years ago. And the spiritual energy concentration of the Divine Realm in the Great Thousand World is more than three times that of the Heavenly Emperor's Palace back then."
Logo nodded slightly.
Spiritual energy does not arise from nothing. For thousands of years, the Heavenly Net has continuously extracted the origin from chaos, refined the essence from the cultivation and creation of Endless beings, and used the war to refine the corpses of Void Beast and the Incense Votive Power to condense the prototype of the world. The entire Spirit Saint Domain is like a huge furnace, tirelessly refining chaos into order and forging nothingness into reality.
"The methods of cultivation are also completely different from those of ten thousand years ago," Bai Yunzi remarked.
Ten thousand years ago, spiritual cultivators who wished to attain immortality had to seek out sacred mountains, visit renowned masters, obtain cultivation techniques, and find elixirs. Every step was fraught with peril, and they faced nine deaths and one life. Talent, opportunity, perseverance, and good fortune were all indispensable. At that time, it was a rare event, perhaps only once in a thousand years, for a single Manifestation to appear in a middle-thousand world.
now--
Chen Laoshi, a spiritual cultivator in the Seventeenth World-Opening Legion, was originally a mortal blacksmith from a minor world. He was temporarily conscripted by the Heavenly Net during a Void Beast invasion and unwittingly participated in the pioneering war. On the battlefield, he simply followed the instructions projected into his sea of consciousness by the Heavenly Net, wielding his axe step by step, carrying out tasks, and receiving feedback. Unbeknownst to him, he found himself having crossed the gap between immortals and mortals and attained immortality.
"It takes no more than a hundred years for a mortal to become an immortal or a god," Logo said calmly. "Ten thousand years ago, that was just wishful thinking."
The "immortal" that Logo Ge mentioned was the Divine Fire Realm he had previously reached. This was a name he had chosen, derived from the myths and Legend of his home planet, Blue Star. In Logo's view, human cultivation was about climbing over mountains, and once a person had climbed over a mountain, they became an immortal. The path and system of spiritual cultivators were very much in line with the word "immortal."
Bai Yunzi smiled wryly, "It's more than a hundred years. Nowadays, newly promoted spiritual cultivators take an average of no more than a thousand years from embarking on the path of cultivation to becoming Heavenly Immortal. Ten thousand years ago, a thousand years wasn't even enough to reach the Manifestation Realm."
This is the change brought about by Heavenly Net.
Where the Heavenly Net covers, cultivation techniques are no longer hidden in secluded mountain pavilions, but are automatically deduced and adjusted in real time according to each spiritual cultivator's aptitude, temperament, and opportunities. Elixirs no longer depend on the accidental success of alchemists, but are mass-produced through standardized processes by the Heavenly Net, which coordinates resources and optimizes proportions. Magical artifacts are no longer the masterpieces of a few weapon refiners, but the collective wisdom of countless spiritual cultivators who nurture them with their minds and spirits and forge them using the Heavenly Net as their furnace.
Even more frightening is the use of Incense Votive Power.
Ten thousand years ago, the Incense Votive Power was merely a tool for gods to draw upon faith, inefficient and costly. Now, the Heavenly Net collects, purifies, and weaves the power of Endless mortals' prayers, directly using it to condense the prototype of Fantasy World. Those unexplored worlds are conceived and formed in the dreams and desires of countless mortals, and then the pioneering legions invade them, turning fantasy into reality.
"Mortals are no longer merely bystanders in the cultivation process." Logo's gaze pierced through the void, landing on the densely packed specks of light. "Every prayer, every dream, every obsession they hold adds a new world to the Spirit Saint Domain."
Bai Yunzi remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Your Majesty, sometimes I wonder—can this still be considered cultivation?"
Why not?
"Cultivation is inherently defying the heavens, a solitary path to enlightenment. But now..." Bai Yunzi carefully chose his words, "It's like countless ants building a giant tower, each ant unaware of where the summit is, merely mechanically moving and piling things up."
Logo turned around and looked at his old subordinate who had followed him for ten thousand years for the first time.
"Bai Yunzi, do you know what my greatest realization has been over the past ten thousand years?"
Bai Yunzi bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
"Spiritual practice is never a solitary journey," Logo said calmly. "To cultivate together is the greatest path in the world."
He raised his hand and pointed to the dazzling star map.
"Now, the Heavenly Net has systematized, scaled up, and made all of this continuous. The progress of every spiritual cultivator provides experience for other spiritual cultivators; the opening of every world infuses other worlds with spiritual energy; and the dreams of every mortal add possibilities to the entire realm."
"This is not the Termination of spiritual practice, but the true beginning."
Bai Yunzi listened intently, a sense of understanding gradually appearing in his eyes.
"Ten thousand years ago, cultivation was the privilege of a few; now, it's an instinct for billions of living beings," Logo said slowly. "This is the change of the times—from an ancient elite tradition to modern universal progress."
Progress for all.
These four words landed in the void of the Great Yi Heavenly Palace, as if stirring up invisible ripples.
Bai Yunzi suddenly recalled the scene ten thousand years ago when he led the Thunder Department Gods to fight against the Three Sects under the Three Quasi-Saint. At that time, their power was relatively weak, but they were facing an ancient existence that had occupied the Spirit Saint Domain Saint Realm for hundreds of millions of years. Every battle had to pay a heavy price, and every victory was tinged with the aura of blood and fire.
Nowadays, the pioneering legions often number in the millions or tens of millions, and even beings at the level of Void Beast King cannot last more than three days against the Seventeenth Legion.
It's not that they've become weaker, but rather that the Spirit Saint Domain has become stronger—strong enough to crush their former nightmare with both quantity and quality.
"Your Majesty," Bai Yunzi suddenly said, "May I ask—what level have you reached in your cultivation?"
Logo was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know either."
He truly didn't know.
Ten thousand years ago, when Logo defeated the three Quasi-Saint, his realm was still describable. However, in the ten thousand years that followed, the Heavenly Net and the entire Spirit Saint Domain progressed together, and as the ruler of the Heavenly Net, he received the insights, wisdom, breakthroughs, and transcendences of Endless beings every moment. This information flowed into his mind like rivers flowing into the sea, causing his realm to rise continuously, far exceeding the scope of description in the traditional cultivation system.
It has even transcended the scope of the Astral Realm cultivation system.
According to the Astral Realm classification standard, Logo's realm should be that of Peak Supreme God. However, even without the blessing of the Spirit Saint Domain, Logo could easily overpower a Peak Supreme God.
"Or, you could understand it as..." Logo gazed into the depths of nothingness, "My realm is the realm of the entire Spirit Saint Domain."
Bai Yunzi was startled.
He finally understood why Logo had hardly taken action for thousands of years, why most of the affairs of the Heavenly Court were handled by the various Heavenly Venerable, and why this Heavenly Emperor mostly stood with his hands behind his back at the Great Yi Heavenly Palace, quietly gazing at that void.
Because he was waiting.
He waited for the entire Spirit Saint Domain to grow to a level sufficient to support him, for the collective progress of billions of living beings to propel him to unprecedented heights, and for a future that even he himself could not foresee.
"After the war ends, speed up the preparations for the next batch of Fantasy World," Logo suddenly ordered.
Bai Yunzi composed himself and replied, "Yes."
"Also," Logo paused, "That Chen Laoshi, keep a close eye on him. Those chosen by Heavenly Net often bring surprises."
"Your subject understands."
After Bai Yunzi took his leave, Logo stood with his hands behind his back once more.
In the void, the star map of the Spirit Saint Domain continues to slowly rotate, like a giant living organism breathing, growing, and evolving over tens of thousands of years.
From ancient cultivation civilizations to a new cultivation civilization formed by the integration of modern spiritual energy—this is not only a change of the times, but also the first step taken by hundreds of millions of living beings on the Eternity path.
Logo gently closed his eyes.
He can hear.
One can hear the breaths and heartbeats of countless beings in the Endless world, converging into a vast tide that propels the entire Spirit Saint Domain toward the unknowable future.