Chapter 438 - 362: Celestial Sacrifice Platform
Core of the Xuanhuang Realm.
After suppressing the remnant forces of the Primitive Saint Sect and reordering the Xuanhuang Realm.
Chen Sheng focused his attention on a major task he had heard of but never seen—the construction of the Celestial Sacrifice Platform.
"The way of sacrificing to heaven requires drawing upon the world’s origin as the foundation, gathering the principles of the void as beams, and linking the celestial constellations as expressions...
Chen Sheng held a scroll of scripture, his Primordial Spirit sweeping over the crimson annotations on the pages.
This was "Essentials of Celestial Sacrifice" found in the deepest part of the Primitive Saint Sect’s Scripture Pavilion, beside which lay dozens of parchment diagrams depicting the hierarchical structure of the Celestial Sacrifice Platform.
From the foundation’s "Origin Gathering Spirit Array" to the top-level "Star Image Soul-Attracting Platform," every rune arrangement and every array hub location was marked with utmost clarity.
In this matter, the Primitive Saint Sect had considerable experience.
Chen Sheng had performed soul searches on those Divinity Transformation Cultivators he had suppressed, refining the subsequent plans.
At this moment, with a flick of his fingers, dozens of streams of Spirit Light shot towards the awaiting Demon Emperors and their descendants, each stream containing instructions for building the platform:
"Red Scale Demon Emperor, lead your demon cultivators to excavate the main spirit vein, channel nine streams of Origin Qi to converge at the altar’s heart."
"Peng Xiao, stabilize the foundation to prevent the spirit vein from rampaging. Green Luan Demon Emperor, use the spiritual feathers of your wings to weave the ’Void Path-covering Net,’ covering the nine layers of the platform..."
Clear instructions were given, and the Demon Emperors and descendants dared not delay.
The Red Scale Demon Emperor transformed into his true form, a hundred-zhang-long red-scaled body burrowing underground, the scorching demonic aura emanating from him sizzling the rock layer.
Soon, nine paths leading to the core of the spirit vein were opened, and the dense Origin Qi gushed forth like magma.
Peng Xiao conjured the Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror, the black and white qi forming a giant net, securely encapsulating the gushing Origin Qi, slowly injecting it into the foundation of the platform.
The Green Luan Demon Emperor plucked out dozens of tail feathers emitting multicolored radiance, and with a hand seal, the feathers wove into a massive net curtain, runes flowing through the mesh, tightly linking the platform to the void of heaven and earth.
...
Time quietly passed amid the busy construction of the platform, and in the blink of an eye, three months had elapsed, the platform’s repairs were complete, and it was time for the heavenly sacrifice.
Core of the Xuanhuang Realm, a majestic platform, divided into nine layers, each constructed with slabs of the "Star Stone" weighing ten thousand jin, its surface densely engraved with runes.
From the base’s "Spirit Gathering Talisman" to the top’s "Heaven Sacrificing Talisman," layer by layer, forming a complete juridical cycle.
At the top of the platform was a round altar!
Below the platform, Red Scale, Green Luan, and other Demon Emperors, along with Peng Xiao and other descendants, stood respectfully, their gazes full of anticipation and reverence.
On the top layer altar, countless Yin-Yang particles suddenly gathered, transforming into a large black-and-white lotus.
The next moment, the lotus slowly bloomed, from which walked out a man dressed in a Yin-Yang imperial robe.
The imperial robe’s left side was embroidered with the sun, moon, and stars, while the right side painted with mountains and rivers, holding a Jade Ruyi transformed from the Treasure Mirror of the Celestial Heavens, his body surrounded by the faint Dao Rhyme of Heaven and Earth, as if the embodiment of the Heaven and Earth Dao Principle.
"Command!"
Chen Sheng spat out a rune imbued with endless might, the rune transformed into a beam of golden light, shooting straight to the altar’s heart.
Simultaneously, he infused a pure Primordial Spirit Power into the platform, activating all the runes on the nine-layered platform.
Instantly, the Xuanhuang Realm underwent a tremendous change!
The ground beneath the platform trembled violently, deep chasms tens of thousands of zhang deep spread open, from which erupted scalding magma and rich Origin Qi, dyeing the sky scarlet.
The sun, moon, and stars unexpectedly shifted positions, the sun and moon appearing simultaneously in the sky, their fiery and cold glows intertwined, casting eerie light.
The Spiritual Qi in the world went berserk, forming countless visible vortices of Spiritual Energy, grinding mountains to dust and evaporating rivers to mist in their path.
Even more terrifying, an invisible pressure emerged from the depths of heaven and earth, enveloping the entire Xuanhuang Realm.
The faces of the Demon Emperors below the platform changed dramatically, even the Great Demon Emperors of the Late-stage Nascent Soul felt suppressed, as if targeted by the entire world, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Stop!"
Chen Sheng slightly raised his hand, his broad imperial robe sleeve gently waving.
This seemingly casual wave of the hand contained mysterious power connecting heaven and earth.
The berserk Spiritual Energy vortices instantly halted, transforming into gentle streams of spirit, slowly entering the platform.
The spreading chasms ceased to expand, magma and Origin Qi were redirected into the foundation of the platform.
The sun and moon in the sky returned to their positions, the scarlet sky cleared up, and the pressure suppressing the Demon Emperors also vanished with the wave of the sleeve.
The chaos over an area of millions of miles settled completely in that instant, as if the upheaval just now had never occurred.
"The Demon Venerable’s divine might is boundless!"
The Demon Emperors and descendants below the platform awoke as if from a dream, they all bowed in salute, their voices echoing through the clouds.
Their eyes were full of fervor, when have they seen such an effortless means, stabilizing the celestial upheaval with just a wave of the hand.
Chen Sheng merely nodded slightly, his attention now fully concentrated on the spot between his brows.
As the Celestial Sacrifice Platform operated, a vast divine will from the Celestial Abyss Realm crossed the barrier between realms, slowly bestowing upon him.
The means he used just now to stabilize the chaos was precisely by borrowing this divine will.
At this moment, he was like a bridge connecting the Celestial Abyss Realm and the Xuanhuang Realm, allowing the former to begin slowly harvesting the latter’s origin.
What delighted him even more was that, as the origin flowed, the core laws of both realms presented themselves clearly in his sea of consciousness.
Core laws, not the outer layer Heaven and Earth Dao Principle!
In the past, as a native Celestial Venerable of Divinity Transformation of the Celestial Abyss Realm, he could at most merge his Primordial Spirit into heaven and earth, sensing the operation of the superficial Dao Principle, never touching such core jurisprudence.
At this moment, the jurisprudence of the Xuanhuang Realm unfolded like a magnificent painting:
"The principles of time’s flow, the laws of age’s sedimentation, the Dao of the universe’s bearing, the rhyme of infinite inclusivity... What grand principles, embodying myriad phenomena!"
He compared them with the principles of the Celestial Abyss Realm, and suddenly understood:
"The principles of the Celestial Abyss Realm are indeed simple and pure, comprising only the cosmic rotation principle and the creation evolution Dao."
Aside from the Termination Law of the star magnetic field in Dharma Master Hong Jue’s starry world, this was his first encounter with the core principles of other worlds.
With his current realm, though difficult to measure the depth of these principles, the principles of the Xuanhuang Realm undoubtedly suited him better.
Among them, the derived principles like Five Elements’ mutual generation, Yin Yang complement each other, annihilation rebirth, termination renewal, perfectly aligned with his Yin-Yang Dao Domain.
If he could grasp even some of their mysteries and integrate them into his own Dao Domain, the power of his domain would surely increase several times over.
Chen Sheng summoned everyone and briefly explained, then closed his eyes on the Dao Platform, quietly comprehending the integration of the principles of the two realms.
...
In the blink of three years, the structure of the Celestial Abyss Realm had undergone a dramatic transformation.
At the core of the Great Wilderness, an imperial court palace arose, built with Star Stones, the walls covered with gilded tiles, the whole palace shimmering with faint starlight.
Above the main entrance hung a dark plaque — Celestial Abyss Imperial Court!
The construction of the imperial court did not require Chen Sheng to personally handle it; leading offspring by Peng Xuan, along with the many Demon Emperors left by the Demon Court.
The remaining influence of "Peng Venerable sweeping the Xuanhuang Realm" three years ago was enough to bring all forces within the Four Domains under its command.
The Four Domains submissively paid tribute, and ten thousand sects came to court!
Though Peng Xuan’s comprehension was slightly inferior, he managed worldly affairs with ease, distributing spiritual ore and clearing remnants, screening Xuanhuang Realm quotas to sect ratings, handling all flawlessly.
For local Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Celestial Abyss Realm, the most exciting was the opening of Xuanhuang Realm quotas.
Though there were many passages between the two realms, the other end led directly to the original Nine Grotto Heavens, under imperial court control; attempting to sneak across meant certain death.
The imperial court periodically announced approved lists, and any who contributed to the imperial court or whose sect had profound foundations had the chance to enter the Xuanhuang Realm via the lowering realm passage.
Once the message spread, cultivators of the Four Domains flocked eagerly; the previously distant Divinity Transformation threshold seemed within reach due to the ample origin of Xuanhuang Realm, further solidifying the prestige of the Celestial Abyss Imperial Court.
On this day, the lowering realm passage to the original Grotto Heaven of Xuanhuang Realm suddenly illuminated, and a group of cultivators in purple-patterned Dao robes emerged, led by Chen Fengxing from the Three Elements Dao Sect.
On the plaza outside the passage, the Seven Kills Demon Monarch had already brought several imperial court attendants, dressed in a black imperial court uniform, with a fitting smile, stepped forward and clasped hands:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, such a long journey, the imperial court has prepared a welcoming feast, just waiting for all of you."
The accompanying Chen Clan Nascent Soul True Monarchs stepped out of the passage and couldn’t help but take a deep breath, their faces showing surprise.
This place was filled with pure Spiritual Qi, entering the body directly nourishing the meridians, several times more concentrated than the most supreme Spirit Vein areas of the Celestial Abyss Realm.
But their cultivation was still shallow, only feeling the abundant Spiritual Qi, unable to perceive deeper mysteries.
Chen Fengxing, however, was different; as a Nascent Soul Great Perfection Cultivator, he had been instructed by Chen Xihua and had a far superior perception of Heaven and Earth Dao Rhyme than his peers.
As soon as he entered the Xuanhuang Realm, he felt his surrounding Dao principles awakened, and his previous insights stuck at bottlenecks had a slight loosening.
He closed his eyes to concentrate for a moment, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with shock:
"Such strong world origin! The Dao principle operations here are more than three times as active as the Celestial Abyss Realm, no wonder this realm can nurture over a dozen Celestial Venerables of Divinity Transformation, such profound foundations are beyond our realm."
The Seven Kills Demon Monarch approached with a smiling expression, lowering his voice:
"Sect Master Chen has sharp eyes."
"However, the numerous Celestial Venerables here are not just due to abundant origin alone."
Chen Fengxing felt moved, and nodded in understanding.
Over the past three years, secrets had been made public with the imperial court’s clearing of the remnants of the original Saint Sect.
The original Saint Sect cultivated many Celestial Venerables mainly with the aid of the ’Origin Pearl’, forcibly elevating cultivation and enhancing Dao principle realm with it.
The speed at which the Celestial Abyss Imperial Court consolidated people was driven by Peng Venerable’s divine might, and this ’Origin Pearl’ was the most practical "carrot".
Following the example of the original Saint Sect, they might also have the chance to ride the imperial court’s great wind and ascend rapidly.
Chen Fengxing adjusted his Daoist Robe and asked the Seven Kills Demon Monarch:
"This time coming here, we aim not only for origin insight but also to meet the imperial sovereign. Is the imperial sovereign available?"
The Seven Kills Demon Monarch responded, his smile increasingly modest, though gently shaking his head:
"Dao friend may not know, but since suppressing the Xuanhuang Realm three years ago, the imperial sovereign has been in seclusion cultivating on the Celestial Sacrifice Platform."
"It is said that during the celestial sacrifice, the imperial sovereign had insights, and upon emerging, may directly break through to the Refining Void Great Power realm!"
"Refining Void Great Power!"
The accompanying Nascent Soul True Monarchs exclaimed in unison, with faces full of incredulous enthusiasm.
Divinity Transformation was already the pinnacle in the Celestial Abyss Realm, and the Void Refining realm exists only in ancient records; if Peng Venerable could achieve this realm, it would be regarded as a legend among all.
Chen Fengxing also felt his heart spirit stirred; he gazed toward the direction of the cloud-covered Celestial Sacrifice Platform, eyes full of longing, heart sighing:
"Our realm is fortunate to have such a peerless figure as the imperial sovereign, sheltered under the imperial sovereign, how fortunate it is!"
Following closely, the Seven Kills Demon Monarch spoke:
"Fellow Daoist Chen need not regret, for the imperial sovereign, before entering seclusion, issued a decree allowing Nascent Soul True Monarchs to experience the Dao Rhyme at the periphery of the Celestial Sacrifice Platform."
"Follow me, let’s settle down first; tomorrow I’ll lead you to the Dao Platform, perhaps you can share in some of the imperial sovereign’s cultivation blessings."
A grand procession moved towards the inn within the Grotto Heaven, along the way imperial court cultivators and demon cultivators fulfilled their roles with order and efficiency.
Chen Fengxing looked at this flourishing and orderly scene, his heart completely assured — with Peng Venerable overseeing, with the imperial court coordinating, the future of the Chen Clan, and the future of the Celestial Abyss Realm, were bright and promising.