With a single step, Tian’el crossed from Maitreya Palace into the northern reaches of the Heaven, carrying hundreds of thousands of souls with him.
Beneath his feet, a sea of clouds churned, woven in seven interlaced colors.
Suspended in the void hung a celestial pool that gathered the primal origins of the Five Elements and wind and thunder.
Its surface was smooth as a mirror, reflecting the sun, the moon, and the myriad stars.
This was a land of natural creation born during the evolution of the Vast Expanse’s Heavenly Realm.
Within it had settled countless strands of innate origin power from the earliest moments of world formation, before any descent or differentiation had taken place.
It was perfectly suited for shaping the myriad phenomena of existence.
Of course, before officially registering the first batch of citizens for Heaven, Tian’el needed to practice his hand.
At the same time, he would create a few direct-line familiars to help manage the immigrants from the lower world.
After all, the souls he had selected were either ancient heroes or legendary adventurers.
Even if not every one of them was unruly, each certainly possessed a will of their own.
Making them obedient and cooperative would not be an easy task.
“The Five Elements and wind and thunder…
perfect.” The Celestial Emperor nodded in satisfaction.
Standing at the heart of the pool with his hands clasped behind his back, he flicked his fingertip, and seven pillars of origin energy surged skyward from beneath his feet.
Boom—!!
Seven-colored divine radiance intertwined across the firmament, forming a vast creation furnace that spanned thousands of miles.
The furnace walls were carved from starlight.
Upon its surface, dragon patterns, tiger markings, vermilion bird feathers, tortoise shells, qilin horns, oxen motifs, and whale scales lit up in succession, like seven stars igniting one by one.
Tian’el’s expression turned solemn.
With a sweep of his sleeve, the boundless origin energy within the furnace began to collide and evolve, finally transforming into seven streams of light that fell before him into the void.
The first stream took shape.
Azure wood qi transformed into a dragon shadow tens of thousands of feet long.
Its scales gleamed like crystal.
With a flick of its whiskers, a tide of life-force nourished all things.
The second stream took shape.
White-gold qi gathered into the form of a winged tiger.
Its wings stirred killing intent.
With a single roar, clouds across thousands of miles were torn into shreds.
The third stream took shape.
Crimson fire qi condensed into a heaven-burning divine bird.
Nine flaming plumes ignited the void.
As its feathers swept past, the firmament warped like molten glass.
The fourth stream took shape.
Dark water qi manifested as a tortoise entwined with a serpent.
The tortoise bore the netherworld upon its back.
The serpent’s tail swayed lightly, weaving together the energies of life and death into the Yellow Springs River.
The fifth stream took shape.
Yellow earth qi rose into the arched back of a qilin.
Its horn carried all things.
As its four hooves touched the ground, mountain ranges stretching a thousand miles bowed in unison.
The sixth stream took shape.
Primordial wind qi transformed into the dual forms of Kun and Peng.
The Kun bore mountains and seas upon its back.
The Peng’s wings blotted out the sky, and with a single inhalation, the clouds covering the sun were swept away.
The seventh stream took shape.
Violet thunder qi condensed into a one-legged giant ox.
Though hornless, thunder drums resounded around it.
With a flick of its tail, ten thousand bolts roared together, shaking the sky.
Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Qilin, Kunpeng, and Kui.
Tian’el gazed in satisfaction at the seven divine beasts before him—born from the primal origins of the Five Elements and wind and thunder, shaped with reference to ancient mythic legends, the flesh and blood of countless exotic beasts, and even the existential forms of the gods of the lower world.
Though newly born familiars, the aura they emitted already surpassed even the great gods of the lower world.
They were exceedingly close to the superior exotic beasts of the Vast Expanse that had developed over millions of years.
Moreover, because they shared the same origin, when the seven divine beasts stood together, their auras intertwined.
The powers of wind and thunder and the Five Elements circulated endlessly, faintly poised for further sublimation.
It could be said that their future potential was immeasurable.
However, constantly maintaining beast forms would ultimately prove inconvenient.
Tian’el flicked his finger again, sending seven additional streams of light into the spiritual seas of his familiars.
In the next instant, the seven divine beasts comprehended at once and manifested human forms.
Together they bowed in the manner of ministers before their sovereign.
“We pay our respects to the Exalted Celestial Venerable!” Their voices rippled outward in endless waves, sweeping across the entire Heaven of the Vast Expanse.
Tian’el inclined his head slightly.
The beads of his crown swayed gently, and he appeared thoroughly pleased.
After descending upon the Vast Expanse for so many days, his home finally carried a trace of human presence.
With familiars capable of suppressing even the great gods of the lower world, he no longer needed to worry that as more immigrants from other worlds joined, he would be forced to personally handle every matter without trusted aides.
Next…
First, Tian’el exercised the authority of the Celestial Emperor to adjust the stratification of Heaven’s primordial qi.
Henceforth, citizens of each realm would encounter only the level of energy appropriate to their own cultivation in daily life, receiving nourishment without the risk of being crushed to death by power far beyond their tier.
This was crucial.
Life was both resilient and fragile.
On a single planet, even a mere change in oxygen concentration could trigger a mass extinction event.
Let alone now, when mortals from another world were immigrating into Heaven of the Vast Expanse.
With that done, all preparations were complete.
Tian’el raised his hand once more and closed his five fingers slightly.
Boundless primordial qi poured down like an inverted galaxy, transforming into billions of bands of light that surged into the now-dried seven-colored celestial pool.
Rumble— The pool water swelled violently, forming a seven-colored waterfall that connected heaven and earth.
Within the waterfall, bones condensed into jade-white brilliance, meridians wove themselves from golden threads, flesh and blood formed, skin layered over them.
Each body radiated an aura indistinguishable from that of its former life—yet stronger, younger, and more perfect.
With a flick of his sleeve, Tian’el swept the hundreds of thousands of soul-lights into the waterfall.
Like fireflies returning to their nests, they sank one by one into their corresponding bodies.
As far as the eye could see, an “army of resurrection” composed of ancient heroes, favored children of the gods, and legendary adventurers was rapidly taking shape.
Some wore heavy armor.
Some donned mage robes.
Some carried longbows upon their backs.
Their auras rose from weak to strong in steady succession, ultimately restoring each to the peak of their former strength—some even showing signs of advancing further.
Half an hour later, the first row of resurrected individuals opened their eyes— “Where…
is this?” “I…
wasn’t I dead?” “This body…
fascinating.
I never expected death to bring such a wondrous experience…” The only Level 9 in Orario’s history, the Empress of the Hera Familia.
Alfia of the Hera Familia as well, known as the embodiment of talent—a monster cursed by her own brilliance—who at Level 7 could rival the Empress.
Maxim, captain of the Zeus Familia, who had once led his familia to complete the Three Great Quests and successfully defeat the King of the Land and the Tyrant of the Sea.
Zald of the Zeus Familia, who joined forces with Alfia and Erebus to instigate the Great Feud, turning himself into experience for the next generation’s growth.
And many members of the Astraea Familia—who had served as Orario’s primary combat force during the Great Feud, all leveled up after its conclusion, yet two years later fell into a trap laid by Evilus, leading to near annihilation—Alise Lovell, Gojouno Kaguya, the pallum Lyra…
Because a soul’s will gradually dissipates over time, those who opened their eyes in this first batch were all individuals who had died within the past century.
In other words, the circle at the pinnacle of the lower world was small.
Even if they were not personally acquainted, they were never far removed from one another.
The entanglements of grudges and bonds among them could not be explained in a few short words.
Tian’el observed with interest the kaleidoscope of expressions crossing their faces—some embracing old comrades who had died even earlier, some startled by the sudden reappearance of former enemies, some weeping with joy at their rebirth.
More, however, looked around in confusion, gripping their weapons as they remained wary of the unfamiliar surroundings.
They remembered death.
They remembered the cries of their comrades.
They remembered the unwillingness in their final moments.
Only the memory of why they had appeared here was missing.
Naturally, some immediately focused their attention on the Celestial Emperor, who was clearly no ordinary being.
But Tian’el merely waved his hand, and the noisy clamor was erased with a single thought.
“Wait a moment.
Most of them have yet to awaken.” As the decree fell, the second row, the third row…
like dominoes, the tide of resurrection swept across the entire celestial pool.
Confusion, shock, ecstasy, utter bewilderment…
countless expressions played simultaneously across hundreds of thousands of faces, as though a grand performance art piece were unfolding.
In the air, Tian’el flicked his finger.
His voice rode upon the wind into the ears of every resurrected soul: “Very well, legends long turned to dust—welcome to the Heavenly Realm of the Vast Expanse”