NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: The Seven Luminaries
Shitan's figure materialized in front of a small sphere. A smile floated across her face as she grasped it within her palm. Within the small sphere swam numerous threads of light. "The Way of Heaven. Well, to be more precise, it's a tiny shard of the Way of Heaven."
The Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification appeared beneath the shard of the Way of Heaven. Its petals slowly closed around the sphere and sealed it within. With that act done, the white lotus became the broken world's new core. With its power of purification, the chaotic energy would no longer harm the world but become a boon.
"Although I really want to refine it and peek into the truth of the matter, it's better to let Main Body absorb it for the most benefits," Shitian muttered.
Under her control, the broken world slowly moved toward the Great Desolation. No one, not even the most powerful spiritualist, Grand Priest Kuming, detected this. By the time the broken world reached the Great Desolation, hundreds of generations may have already passed.
Atop the Throne of Heaven inside Eminence Heaven, Tongtian opened her eyes. For a moment, her eyes were silver with golden cracks before returning to their original color. Her eyes pierced through the layers of the Thirty-Three Heavens and saw that over fifteen thousand empyreans had been born.
'It's still not enough,' Tongtian thought, but she couldn't delay it any longer. Humanity had already reached the peak of its prosperity, and the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors would arrive soon. Heavenly Court must be established before the birth of the first sovereign.
Tongtian rose from her seat and disappeared, reappearing inside the Empyrean Eden. More than a thousand fruits were maturing, and another thousand flowers started to blossom. Of the seven fruits she had imbued stellar quintessence in, only the one imbued with the Mercury Star Quintessence remained unborn.
She waved her hand, and a silver sheen appeared on the black empyrean fruit. The black empyrean fruit began maturing at an increased rate. A thousand years later, the fruit fell off the Allheaven Jianmu Tree and into Ninth Heaven, or Luminary Heaven as Tongtian renamed it.
When Tongtian appeared in Luminary Heaven, six other figures had already gathered around the black empyrean fruit.
Tongtian christened the empyrean born from the fruit imbued with the quintessence of Supreme Yang the Solar Luminary and named him Taiyang. He had two wings resembling a golden crow’s sprouting from his head and exuded a warm aura resembling sunlight.
The second empyrean fruit born was the fruit imbued with the quintessence of the Supreme Yin Star. She bore a striking resemblance to Changxi and Xihe, the lunar goddesses. Tongtian christened her with the title of Lunar Luminary and named her Taiyin. Instead of feathers, her wings were covered in fur like the jade rabbit, a creature unique to the Supreme Yin Star. Taiyin exuded an ethereal aura that made her seem detached.
Jinxing was the third to be born. He was imbued with the Venus Star Quintessence, and Tongtian christened him the Metal Luminary. He wore all white, and his wings had black stripes all over them.
The fourth was Huoxing, and he was the fruit imbued with the Mars Star Quintessence. Tongtian bestowed him the title of the Fire Luminary. He wore a fiery red robe and possessed wings as hot as his aura.
Fifth was Muxing, who was imbued with the quintessence of the Jupitar Star. Tongtian christened him the Wood Luminary. Unlike most empyreans, his wings did not have feathers but azure scales. He wore a green robe and exuded a powerful vitality.
Sixth was Tuxing; the empyrean imbued with the Saturn Star Quintessence. Given the title of Earth Luminary, he possessed wings resembling dragon whiskers.
All six came forward and bowed to Tongtian, their creator. """Your Eminence."""
"Rise." Tongtian waved her hand and continued to observe the black empyrean fruit.
The six luminaries stared at their seventh sibling with anticipation, especially Tuxing, the youngest luminary. Furthermore, they could feel that their ancestor treated the last luminary differently.
A thin crack appeared from the top of the empyrean fruit and slowly reached the bottom. With a snap, the fruit fell apart, and a chubby but cute boy with the appearance of an eleven or twelve-year-old appeared. He wore a black robe with a tortoise embroidered on it, and two fin-like wings sprouted from his head.
The boy yawned and glanced at Tongtian and his six siblings. Then, to their shock, he lay on the ground and started to sleep.
"Please do not blame Seventh Brother, he has just been born and doesn't know any better," Jinxing, the most eloquent of the siblings, quickly said.
Tongtian didn't say anything. In fact, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry in response to the newly born empyrean's first act. 'Should I say, as expected of Daoist Xuangui's reincarnation?'
"No worries, I already expected something like this," she said.
Jinxing shared a look with his siblings. What did their creator mean by she already expected this? Why did it seem like she was extremely familiar with their seventh brother?
Tongtian ignored them and walked in front of the sleeping empyrean. With a flip of her hand, a turtle shell that fit perfectly in her palm appeared. The shell was completely black except for the numerous words in Dao Script that flickered all over it. It exuded a water aura remarkably similar to the seventh luminary.
As if sensing the shell, the boy opened his eyes and stared unblinkingly at it. Tongtian smiled. "Do you know who I am?"
The boy nodded and said, "You're our race's great creator, Saint Tongtian."
Tongtian shook her head. "Wrong. I'm your master."
The boy blinked as if not understanding what she meant, but the other luminaries did. They couldn't help but look at the boy in envy. Taiyang said, "Hurry and kneel to Her Eminence and give your thanks!"
He wasn't the only one anxious. The other luminaries also wanted to speak, but a glance from Tongtian silenced them.
"Master?" the empyrean repeated. Then, he nodded. He kneeled to Tongtian. "Disciple greets Master."
Tongtian nodded. "Since you have called me Master, I will bestow upon you three gifts. First, I shall bestow you your name. You and I were once fellow Daoists, but because Buzhou Mountain shattered, your legs were turned into four heavenly pillars to help the Allheaven Jianmu Tree support heaven and earth."
The six luminaries showed shocked expressions. They never expected the Profound Turtle, whose legs supported heaven and earth, to have reincarnated as their youngest brother.
"The name of Xuangui will never appear in the world again," Tongtian continued. "Thus, I give you the name, Shuixing."
"Shuixing thanks Master," the boy, no, Shuixing said.
Tongtian nodded. "In relation to your first gift, I shall bestow you the title of the Water Luminary. Even if you don't have endless merit from your previous life, this title can grant you a steady flow of merit."
"As for the third gift," Tongtian glanced at the turtle shell before shaking her head. "It can't really be considered a gift. Since your soul entered the Six Paths of Reincarnation, I held onto the last remnant of your former body, your shell."
Shuixing's eyes brightened. No wonder he felt so familiar with the turtle shell. Tongtian waved her hand, and the turtle shell flew in front of him.
"After I became a Saint of Heaven, I refined your shell into a spiritual artifact. Owing to your previous Peak Quasi-Saint Realm cultivation base, the law engraved on the shell, and the Qiankun Cauldron, it has become a top-grade innate spiritual artifact, the Profound Turtle Shell. As long as you spend enough time and infuse enough Karmic Merit into the shell, it shall become a top-grade meritorious spiritual artifact, not one whit inferior to a cardinal spiritual artifact."
Hearing this, the six luminaries once again showed envy. When they were born, they were only bestowed with a top-grade acquired spiritual artifact. Although both were top-grade, an acquired spiritual artifact was still less than an innate spiritual artifact. And now, they were told that Shuixing's artifact had the potential to rival a cardinal spiritual artifact. It would be stranger if they didn't feel any jealousy.
The Profound Turtle Shell enlarged until it fit perfectly on Shuixing's back. Immediately after, he plopped onto the ground and fell asleep even faster. Before falling completely asleep, Shuixing nodded. As expected of his shell, it felt more comfortable sleeping like this.
Unaware of his thoughts, the six luminaries' shocked expressions turned fearful as they felt the fluctuations of Shuixing's cultivation base. As empyreans reincarnated with great merit and imbued with quintessence by Tongtian, each one was born at the Golden Immortal Realm, but Shuixing was already in the Great Unity Realm. Even Taiyang, the most powerful of the six, was only at the Peak Golden Immortal Realm. With the Profound Turtle Shell, Shuixing had the power of a Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament.
Tongtian's lips twitched upon seeing this. She shook her head and looked at the other luminaries. "Henceforth, the Seven Luminaries representing yin, yang, fire, water, earth, wood, and metal are established. The time for the re-establishment of the Heavenly Court is nigh, you should prepare yourself."
"As Your Eminence commands," Taiyang and the other luminaries said, saluting Tongtian.
Tongtian nodded and disappeared. Along with her disappearance, so did Shuixing. The luminaries could only sigh at their seventh brother's impossibly good luck. Being the disciple of Tongtian, even the Six Great Emperors had to treat him courteously in the future.
Tongtian reappeared inside Eminence Heaven Palace, and Shuixing lay at her feet. She sighed. "Why does he seem lazier than when he was a turtle?"
She shook her head and sat back down on the Throne of Heaven. She opened her mouth, and words written in Dao Script filled the throne hall. Those words transformed into streams of light and merged into Shuixing's body.
What Tongtian recited was the cultivation method that used Karmic Merit as an energy source. She called it the Celestial Path, and the moment she created it, merit descended from the heavens, but compared to the Martial Path or the Immortal Path, the amount was only a fraction. The Immortal Path benefited all beings, while the Martial Path benefitted the humans, who would become the world's protagonists. In contrast, the Celestial Path only benefited the Heavenly Court.
After reciting the whole method, Tongtian waved her hand and teleported Shuixing back into Luminary Heaven. Moments later, footsteps echoed in the throne hall, followed by the sound of a knee hitting the ground.
"Disciple Wutian greets Master," Wutian said.
Tongtian observed Wutian and nodded with a satisfied smile. "Good, very good."
From Wutian's body, she sensed the aura of a Quasi-Saint. Instead of resembling the detached aura of a Quasi-Saint of the Immortal Path, he resembled Quasi-Saint titans more. That was fine. Humanity was mired in seven emotions and six desires. Hongjun's Way of Three Corpses was not necessarily suited for most of humanity.
"Thank you, Master, for your praise," Wutian said. He didn't disclose the Martial Path's method to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm, nor did Tongtian inquire.
"Do you know why I summoned you?" Tongtian asked.
"Does Master have any instructions for me?" Wutian asked.
"Not instruction, but two pieces of information I thought you should know," Tongtian said. "You have a junior brother now."
Wutian raised an eyebrow. Who had caught Master's eye? She wasn't like Laozi, who didn't care for worldly affairs and accepted a disciple as a duty. Many people came to apprentice themselves to Tongtian, and a few had caught her eye, but she had accepted none of them.
"His name is Shuixing, an empyrean I imbued with the Mercury Star Quintessence," Tongtian said. "But he has another identity. He is the reincarnation of Xuangui."
Now, Wutian really was surprised. Even if Shuixing didn't cultivate, no one would dare to kill him. Not even a Saint would easily take action against him. Shuixing's karma was linked to the stability of the world. Any action taken against him would incur the wrath of the Way of Heaven.
"Go meet him if you have some time," Tongtian said. "As for the other matter..."
Wutian tensed, sensing that he didn't like where the conversation was heading.
"I'm going to offer Luya the position of North Great Emperor of Polaris," Tongtian said.
"What, no!" Wutian immediately rejected. Not only did Luya and his brother's rampage kill many humans, but he was a demon, the eternal enemy of humanity. Not to mention he was Di Jun's sole remaining son. "I won't agree."
Tongtian's expression didn't change, having already expected this. "This is not a decision up for debate."
Seeing Wutian's fury, her expression softened. With a wave of her hand, the Eastern Emperor Bell appeared above the Throne of Heaven. "You should know what this is, right?"
Wutian suppressed the fury on his face and nodded. "That's one of the three Heaven Opening Treasures, the Chaos Bell."
Tongtian shook her head. "It's no longer called the Chaos Bell but the Eastern Emperor Bell. As the artifact that anchors the Karmic Luck of the Heavenly Court, Luya is tied to it by karma, even if I am its master. Because Taiyi gave it to me, I owe him karma, so I will offer his nephew the position of one of the Six Great Emperors."
Wutian looked down, his expression betraying nothing. However, he still couldn't prevent his nails from digging into his palms, nor could his thoughts be wholly hidden from Tongtian despite entering the Quasi-Saint Realm.
"Why do you think I'm betraying humanity?" Tongtian asked. "I protected humanity for you and some sentiment. Strictly speaking, I have no real connection with humanity."
Wutian's eyes widened, and he looked at Tongtian. Grief and sadness appeared on his face, and he looked back down.
Tongtian sighed. She already knew that the relationship between master and disciple had irrevocably changed. But so what? Wutian wasn't a child, and she wasn’t obligated to coddle him, nor was she willing. Repaying Taiiyi's karma was also related to her cultivation, and she wasn't willing to suffer a setback for Wutian's emotions.
"You can leave now," Tongtian said upon seeing Wutian staying silent.
"Disciple will leave now," Wutian said as he saluted Tongtian. His voice was terrifyingly calm, without a hint of emotion.
Before he left, Tongtian gleamed at a part of his surface thoughts. Wutian wanted strength, enough strength that even a Saint of Heaven could not ignore his opinions. But that was impossible. If Wutian entered the Primordial Origin Realm, humanity would no longer be the protagonist of the world.
Tongtian stood up. It was time to visit Yuanshi. She wanted to offer two of the Six Great Emperors to his disciples. As for Nuwa, she would send her Saint Corpse.
Although Yuanshi and Laozi both claimed the Second and Third Heavens, that did not mean they were present constantly. Most of the time, they spent their days on Kunlun Mountain.
In front of Wa Outer Heaven, a cyan-robed man sitting atop a white deer with crystalline antlers appeared out of nowhere. He smiled and said, "Junior Sister Nuwa, are you not going to welcome me?"
Inside Wa Palace, Nuwa looked away from the Fuxi Qin she used to store her brother's soul and furrowed her brows. "Why is Tongtian's Saint Corpse here?"
Nuwa turned toward the qin and said, "Wait here a bit, Brother. I'll be back. Maybe I can find a method to revive you from him."
She opened Wa Outer Heaven and Wa Palace to allow Lingbao passage. Moments later, she appeared atop a prayer mat in the main hall of Wa Palace. Across from her, a prayer mat on the same level appeared.
Moments later, a cyan-robed Daoist walked in. His mount, Ji Meng, formerly one of the Demon Clan's ten sages, waited outside. "I hope you aren't offended by my abrupt visit, Daoist Nuwa."
"How could that be?" Nuwa replied with a soft smile. She secretly observed Lingbao and her pupils turned into needlepoints.
She had always felt that the Three Purities had an unfair advantage. Not even the titans were as blessed as they. She even suspected that had Hongjun not been consecrated as the first Saint of Heaven, one of the Three Purities would have attained that honor.
Nuwa became a Saint of Heaven first and started at the First Heavenly Layer. However, when Yuanshi became consecrated, he directly entered the Fourth Heavenly Layer and became an intermediate Golden Immortal of Primordial Origin.
She sighed in relief when Laozi, Jeiyin, Zhunti, and Redcloud Ancestor all became Saints of the First Heavenly Layer. However, she was happy too soon. Laozi turned his Corpse into a Saint Corpse while his original body became a Golden Immortal of Primordial Origin, untethered by the world.
Just the Three Purities represented over half of the Great Desolation's Primordial Origin Realm level experts.
Through arduous cultivation, Nuwa managed to enter the Second Heavenly Layer, but when she saw Lingbao, she knew she had celebrated too soon. Despite being the last Saint of Heaven, Lingbao had also entered the Second Heavenly Layer.
"I wonder if Daoist Lingbao can answer a question of mine?" Nuwa asked.
"Go ahead," Lingbao leisurely said.
"Why are you a man while Senior Sister Tongtian is a woman?" Nuwa asked. She suspected that Tongtian and Lingbao's differing gender held a great secret!
Lingbao's expression stiffened.