Sima Nan did not leave. After finding the statue of Bai Xiaochun, which he understood to be God, he chose to stay behind and stand guard over it. In fact, he went so far as to officially declare that location hallowed ground within the starry sky.
He soon found that there were mysterious properties to the area that aided his cultivation. Time seemed to flow differently there. These facts prompted Sima Nan to excitedly kowtow in worship to the statue.
As years passed in which he worshipped Bai Xiaochun and stood guard, he became a much calmer and more peaceful person. However, whenever he looked at the statue, his eyes would burn with unmatchable fervor.
And thus, time passed. Eventually, another archaean appeared from within the 1,080,000 worlds, and then a third, and a fourth….
Archaeans began to appear from within all of the peoples that inhabited the starry sky. Although not every archaean would choose to journey through the starry sky, many did.
None of them were able to conquer numerous other worlds like Sima Nan had done back when there were no other archaeans. However, they were very excited to travel the stars and visit new places.
Eventually, a second archaean felt a calling within his soul, and found the same location as Sima Nan. His appearance was dramatically different from Sima Nan’s. He looked almost like an enormous boulder. However, as soon as he saw the statue of Bai Xiaochun, he also trembled, and began to offer worship.
Eventually, a third archaean came, and then a fourth…. Eventually, more than twenty found Bai Xiaochun’s statue. And soon, from that very location, myths regarding the most ancient of times began to spread through the starry sky!
As more and more worlds learned of Bai Xiaochun, increasing numbers of cultivators began to study the ancient records, in which they found descriptions of a history long past. As cultures made contact with each other, and shared knowledge, they were shocked to find that similar myths were present everywhere in the starry sky.
The Sun God, the Moonlight Immortal, the Creator, the Wind Spirit, the Stone Ancestor, the Almighty…. As the peoples of the starry sky came to realize the true name behind all of the titles of their deities, it led to a storm of astonishment.
“God… actually exists!”
“He created our world, and life itself!!”
“It was him! He… founded the cultivation world!!”
The legends and myths were turning out to be reality, causing a massive uproar in the cultivation world. More archaean experts began to make the pilgrimage to the statue of Bai Xiaochun, to bask in its light, and to experience the holy aura of the area. Eventually, it was considered a great honor to be able to travel to that land.
At the same time, Bai Xiaochun earned a new title.
Origin of the Starry Sky.
The wonderment of myth becoming reality did not fade with the passage of years. Eventually, Sima Nan passed away, as did all of the original archaeans who had discovered Bai Xiaochun and stood guard over him. A new generation of archaeans came, following the call within their souls, hoping to draw closer to God. They also chose to stand guard over Bai Xiaochun.
However, not all living beings have the same temperament, personality, and way of thinking. Among the 1,080,000 worlds, there were some powerful experts who did not feel reverence for Bai Xiaochun. Some… wished to usurp him.
“Kill God, and we can become immortal divinities!” That became the new focus and obsession of many. Years later, as the archaeans grew stronger and more powerful… a sovereign finally appeared within the starry sky!!
Sovereigns existed on a completely different and higher level than archaeans, so as soon as one appeared, it shook the very fabric of the starry sky. Furthermore, this sovereign was not interested in peace. And therefore, the people he encountered had two choices: submit to new rulership, or die in the flames of war.
After subjugating the majority of the starry sky, the sovereign’s subjects were as vast as the grains of sand in a sea. And at that point, he made a decision.
He traveled to the very center of the starry sky, to that legendary hallowed land, where he stood in front of the statue of Bai Xiaochun… and challenged him to a fight to the death!!
It was an event that was profoundly shocking to all of the various peoples who inhabited the starry sky. And yet, before anyone could travel to watch the battle be fought… it was over.
The archaean experts who were standing guard in the hallowed land at the time were able to record the battle in jade slips. Those images were later spread among cultivators, all of whom were flabbergasted by what they saw, and were prompted to immediately drop to the ground and offer obeisance in the direction of the hallowed land.
The images in the jade slips showed that sovereign flying like a meteor toward the statue, radiating the power of Essence, causing everything around him to shake violently. As he neared the statue of Bai Xiaochun, the statue didn’t even move. And yet, the sovereign crumbled into pieces, erased out of existence, leaving absolutely nothing behind….
No one knew what level of power could do something like this, and thus, they simply called it… the power of God!
And no one dared to challenge the power of God. More years passed, and the starry sky entered an age of sovereigns. The story of God wiping a sovereign out of existence became a legend, and the will of the numerous worlds in the starry sky gave approval for more cultivators to become sovereigns.
Eventually, a sovereign appeared amongst the other sovereigns… who was supremely powerful, and whose Dao differed from all other sovereigns. He devoured other entities, almost like a black hole, and eventually, he became the second cultivator to challenge God!
He sought to devour God, and thus become a God himself. The guardians of the hallowed land of the statue were shocked, but could do nothing to stop him. They could only watch as the most powerful sovereign of the era strode toward the mountain on which the statue stood, his hands clasped behind his back.
“God… I believe in your existence, but even more so, I believe… that you are a relic of the past. Who cares that you’ve existed down to this day? Instead of sticking around uselessly, why not become a stepping stone for me!?” He slowly strode up to the top of the mountain, which was when he suddenly shivered. Breath sticking in his throat, he tried to take a step back, but before he could, he simply faded out of existence. All of the surrounding guardians were shocked….
Deathly silence resulted. This challenge to God had played out exactly like the legend of the first sovereign who had challenged him…. Then, to the complete astonishment of the guardians, the statue… opened its eyes!
Simultaneously, the multitude of suns that filled the starry sky blazed with unheard-of radiance, and the moons sparkled more dazzlingly than ever!
The living beings that populated the 1,080,000 worlds were shaken to the core as they then heard a warm yet ancient voice speaking to them.
“How careless of me…. With a stir of Will, let tribulation appear.”
In response to the words, everything in the starry sky that contained Essence or magical law… stirred. A new thought seemed to enter all minds, and within the vast starry sky… a new natural law came into being.
It was the natural law of heavenly tribulation!!
Henceforth, heavenly tribulation existed, and any who challenged it were essentially challenging Bai Xiaochun!
Bai Xiaochun did not reject challenges, and yet, wanted to seek enlightenment in peace. In conjunction with his words, the guardians who stood watch around his statue vanished, reappearing in the worlds that they came from.
In that instant, all descriptions and recollections regarding Bai Xiaochun that existed within the various ancient records… faded away. From then on, Bai Xiaochun did not exist within the histories of any of the peoples of the starry sky.
The hallowed land of the statue also disappeared, never again to be discovered by any cultivators. From that point on… the peoples of the starry sky developed on their own. People still arose who challenged the heavens, but the legends of Bai Xiaochun, and the myths of the Origin of the Starry Sky, were eventually forgotten.
Time continued to slip by….