Chapter Twenty-Three: The Celestial Realm

“Alright, enough with the teasing.” Fuxi waved his hand helplessly, then grew serious. “This time, I must congratulate my sister and Daoist Wushang for becoming disciples of the Saint.”

“I had no idea that snatching a seat would make me a Saint’s disciple. Otherwise, I would’ve dragged you along, brother, and not let Zhunti benefit instead!” Nuwa pouted.

“It doesn’t matter.” Fuxi smiled. “It’s enough that you two have become Saint’s disciples. Whether I do or not is of no consequence.”

“That seat represents more than just a Saint’s disciple.”

Li Tian shook his head, intent on explaining lest Fuxi later resent knowing the seat’s true significance. After all, he could have brought both Nuwa and Fuxi onto the dais, but he chose only Nuwa.

“You’ll understand in time. The seats are ordained by Heaven; those without fate, even if they sit, will be forced off for various reasons—and disaster may follow, like Hongyun… You’ll see for yourselves.”

“As for Zhunti, it’s because Luo Hou destroyed the West, and my teacher shares responsibility, thus owing karmic debt there… If I hadn’t schemed against Jieyin back then, who knows…”

He stopped abruptly, fearing to continue. While speaking, he kept his senses alert for any impending danger, ready to halt instantly. Luckily, nothing happened, but he dared not say more.

“So your scheme against Jieyin was for this reason… You foresaw today?” Nuwa asked in surprise.

“Unspeakable, unspeakable,” Li Tian replied, shaking his head.

...

Within the Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun quietly opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the grand hall toward the outside. But soon he shook his head, sighed for fate’s workings, and left the matter alone.

The three spent twenty years returning to the Primordial World, heading straight for Buzhou Mountain. Hongjun’s first sermon had ended, and by the timeline of the world, it was now about time for the Heavenly Court to emerge.

Li Tian guessed that the consciousness of Pangu atop Buzhou Mountain must have faded by now, so he resolved to ascend the peak and see for himself what the legendary Heavenly Court looked like.

---

As they traveled, the myriad tribes of the world seemed to have returned to the era of the three clans’ rule, though this time the oppressors were the Wu tribe. Li Tian hadn’t expected that in just three thousand years, the Wu tribe would have grown so formidable.

Nuwa felt uneasy, but knowing there was little she could do, she chose not to look. Li Tian and Fuxi were less affected, and out of concern for Nuwa’s mood, they hastened their pace, so the three arrived at Buzhou Mountain in under two years.

As Li Tian had foreseen, the consciousness of Pangu atop the mountain had indeed dissipated, and from the look of things, it had vanished long ago. The area was no longer as desolate as before; the mountain brimmed with spiritual energy, and everywhere grew spiritual herbs and medicines, drawing countless living creatures.

Li Tian surmised that Pangu’s consciousness had vanished during Luo Hou’s self-destruction, for that catastrophe nearly destroyed half the world. Pangu’s consciousness could not have remained unmoved; likely, it sacrificed itself to protect the world… Of course, that was only his guess.

“I never imagined that after a few thousand years, so many creatures would appear here.”

Nuwa gazed at Buzhou Mountain in surprise. Yet seeing her birthplace so bustling filled her with happiness, and she temporarily forgot the gloom of their journey.

The three found their old valley, its formation still intact, indicating no one else had entered. But when they walked in, disappointment settled over them.

After thousands of years, the wooden cabins of Nuwa and Fuxi had rotted to piles of debris. Only the old stone table and chairs remained; nothing else was left.

They stood quietly for a while, but none wished to linger. At Li Tian’s suggestion, they flew toward the summit, intent on glimpsing the legendary Heavenly Court.

Without Pangu’s consciousness suppressing them, their flight was swift, and after only a few months, they reached the mountain’s peak. With magic, they parted the clouds and entered a vast expanse.

When Pangu split heaven and earth, turbid energy fell to form the earth, while pure energy rose to create the sky.

What people called the Celestial Realm was actually a small space formed amid layers of pure energy.

The three landed on a floor made of clouds and gazed around, entranced by the scenery.

“What beautiful clouds,” Nuwa said, catching a rainbow-hued cloud in her hand. But as soon as she grasped it, it dissolved into a swirl of colored mist and vanished.

---

Li Tian smiled, soared aloft, and scanned the space with his divine sense.

The area spanned hundreds of thousands of miles. Compared to the vastness of the Primordial World, it was neither large nor small. On Earth, there’s a saying: “Travel eighty thousand miles in a day,” meaning Earth’s circumference is about eighty thousand miles—yet this space was dozens of times larger!

No living creatures resided here. Only a river crossed the entire realm, its waters extremely concentrated—according to later legends, this was Weak Water. Li Tian guessed it was formed from primordial pure energy clouds when this space came into being.

There were also three thousand six hundred peach trees, the Flat Peach Tree, counted among the ten great innate spiritual roots. Some said they were transformed from Pangu’s hair, and Li Tian found this plausible. The space lay at Buzhou Mountain’s peak, which was said to be Pangu’s backbone, so the location would correspond to his head. It made sense that his hair would become peach trees here.

However, there were no celestial palaces, not even a single tile. This was understandable; no one had come here before, so how could there be any buildings?

Though this was a world of myth, palaces would not build themselves.

Li Tian decided to make some simple plans. First, he took out various spiritual materials and erected a towering, majestic gate at the entrance to Buzhou Mountain, inscribed with “Southern Heavenly Gate!”

Next, he gathered the scattered peach trees and created a garden, naming it “Peach Orchard.”

Recalling the ginseng fruit tree he had kept inside the Chaos Bell for many years, he built a “Spiritual Fruit Garden” beside the Peach Orchard and planted the tree at its center.

Looking at his handiwork, Li Tian felt quite satisfied, though limited by materials, he could build no more for now.

He still had many items in his storage treasure, though most were rare innate spiritual materials, and it would be wasteful to use them for palaces.