Chapter Two: Secrets of the Three Realms

“Heh, I know you have many doubts and questions in your heart.” Fuxi had already seen through Liu Fan’s thoughts, and continued slowly, “This place is the spatial realm within the River Diagram and the Luo Book. The River Diagram and Luo Book are innate spiritual treasures born alongside the ancient Demon Emperor Dijun. They contain endless mountains and rivers, can trap all things, embrace heaven and earth, and conceal wind and thunder—their power is extraordinary. During the great calamity between the Wu and Demon clans, when Demon Emperor Dijun fell, the River Diagram and Luo Book came into the hands of the Human Clan’s Holy Mother, Nuwa.”

“At that time, by chance, a lesser demon discovered that devouring humans could rapidly increase cultivation. When this news spread, countless demons swarmed in, madly preying on humans. Later, Demon Emperor Dijun found that human essence blood could break the Wu Clan’s true form. The conflict between the Wu and Demon clans escalated; in their struggle for supremacy, they used human blood as a crucible to forge the Demon-Slaying Sword. This was the beginning of the human race’s disaster.”

“Afterward, in battles between Wu and Demon clans, the Demon-Slaying Sword killed countless Wu warriors. Having suffered defeat, the Wu Clan reflected and realized that human essence could harm the demons’ souls. The Wu Clan ancestor, Emperor Jiang, ordered the collection of human essence to forge the Demon-Slaying Sword to counter the demons. Thus began a grand massacre targeting humans, who, being newly born, had no power to resist and became victims beneath the Wu Clan’s blades.”

“Through this catastrophe, the human race was hunted by the Wu and Demon clans until not even one in a hundred remained. From then on, humanity swore a mighty oath, vowing never to coexist with the Wu and Demon clans. This is why, in later generations, human cultivators would slay demons on sight—a test set by the Heavenly Dao for humanity.”

“Humanity was destined by the Heavenly Dao to flourish, so the three Sovereigns of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity came into being. To lead the humans through calamities, Lady Nuwa bestowed the River Diagram and the Luo Book to me, so I could divine the heavens and guide humanity through fortune and misfortune. Thus, the widely known Sixty-Four Hexagrams of Fuxi were born, and I attained the supreme position of Human Sovereign, becoming an undying demigod. The River Diagram and the Luo Book then became sacred artifacts of the human race and remained in the mortal realm.”

“Later, Shennong and Xuanyuan, the two imperial brothers, also attained the Dao of the Human Sovereign. Bound by the majesty of the Heavenly Dao, after the three Sovereigns took their places, they could no longer remain in the world and secluded themselves in the Fire Cloud Cave in the Thirty-Third Heaven, only returning in times of great tribulation. Fearing our teachings might be lost, the three of us set up an enchantment on Dragon Mountain, left strands of our divine sense, and sealed the River Diagram and Luo Book here, waiting for a destined successor. And you are that person.”

“You possess an innate pure-yang body, frail since childhood, and without a stroke of fortune, you would not have survived past eighteen. By chance, you entered the Temple of the Three Sovereigns and, with your blood, activated the River Diagram and Luo Book. The spiritual treasure recognized you as its master, which is why you have now entered its spatial realm—do you understand?” Fuxi explained all this in one breath, while Liu Fan listened as if hearing a storyteller, his face full of disbelief.

“Are you telling me tales? Are there really immortals in this world? Where do they live?” Liu Fan grew even more curious.

“Heh, aren’t the three of us what mortals call immortals? Heaven and earth are divided into the realms of humans, ghosts, and gods. The ghost realm splits into the Netherworld and the Asura Realm; the god realm includes the Immortal, Buddhist, Demon, and Monster Realms, thus making seven realms in total. In the past, after the Wu and Demon clans battled to mutual ruin, they left the Great Desolation. The Six Paths of Reincarnation were created by the Wu Ancestor Hou Tu, so the surviving Wu clan hid in the Netherworld. Nuwa, as the Demon Clan’s sage, opened the Monster Realm for her people. The Buddhist Realm was established by the Western Preceptors, Reception and Zhunti, after attaining sainthood, while the Demon Realm was formed from the fallen body of Demon Ancestor Luo Hou, who was defeated by Dao Ancestor Hongjun in their struggle for the mantle of the Heavenly Dao.”

“In those days, the three Pure Ones divided over doctrine, creating the Chan and Jie sects, which led to the War of Investiture of the Gods. The battlefield was the mortal realm, and the outcome shattered the Great Desolation, creating the current universe and star systems. Your world is a fragment of the Great Desolation, the birthplace of humanity, called the Ancestral Star by the gods, which is why immortals frequently visit from the Immortal Realm.”

“Then why are there no immortals now, and why is the spiritual energy dwindling?” Liu Fan asked, enthralled.

Fuxi stroked his long beard and replied, “Mm! At the end of the Tang Dynasty, in the war between Buddhism and demons, the demons rose under the Heavenly Dao, ruling the Three Realms and Six Paths for thirty-three years. Demons and monsters ran rampant, and the mortal realm was plunged into misery. Later, the demon leader Mara was defeated by the Fighting Buddha Sun Wukong, and the Three Realms returned to righteousness, but they had already been devastated by calamity.”

“With no other choice, the saints used great supernatural powers to seal the space between the Immortal and Mortal Realms. To preserve balance, mortal cultivators began a great migration, and from then on, cultivators vanished from the human world. The three of us remained to preserve our teachings and protect the Chinese people. We waited for a million years; fortunately, heaven showed mercy, and at the last moment of our divine sense, we finally met the destined one. Tell me, are you willing to become a disciple to inherit our legacy?” As Xuanyuan spoke, he smiled and began recounting secrets of the Three Realms to Liu Fan.

Upon hearing Xuanyuan mention accepting him as a disciple, Liu Fan grew excited and hurriedly replied, “R-really? I—can I really become immortal? I am willing! Disciple Liu Fan greets the three masters!” With that, he hurried down and kowtowed three times, inwardly fantasizing, “Heh, now I’m going to be a big shot!”

The three Sovereigns saw through Liu Fan’s thoughts but did not expose him, merely allowing him to complete the ceremony. “Rise. Remember, once you’ve mastered your studies, you must never bully the weak or do evil, or I will show no mercy.”

At Xuanyuan’s words, Liu Fan shrank his neck, not daring to fantasize further, and respectfully said, “I will obey my master’s teachings.” Liu Fan still held a certain awe for Emperor Xuanyuan, so he didn’t dare entertain any other ideas.

“Very good!” Xuanyuan was satisfied with Liu Fan’s attitude. One must respect their teachers and elders; as the ancients said, ‘Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, and Teacher’—this is both filial piety and loyalty.

“Now that you are our disciple, I will teach you the ‘Nine-Turn Dragon God Technique.’ This cultivation art was created by the three of us, drawing on the ancient Wu Clan’s ‘Nine-Turn Profound Art,’ Buddhist techniques, and our insights into the Heavenly Dao. It is divided into the realms of Rising Dragon, Scaled Dragon, Coalescing Dragon, Transforming Dragon, Immortal Dragon, Reversing Dragon, Divine Dragon, Exalted Dragon, and Void Dragon—nine major stages, each with four sub-levels: early, middle, late, and peak.”

“This technique divides realms differently from other cultivation arts. As you know, the common knowledge of cultivation realms is: Foundation Building, Core Condensation, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Projection, Divided Spirit, Unity, Tribulation Crossing, and Great Ascension—nine stages. Beyond these are the immortal realms: Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, Celestial Immortal, Golden Immortal, Supreme Celestial, Great Golden Immortal, Quasi-Sage, Demigod, Primordial Sage, and Infinite Sage. Each stage also has early, middle, and late phases, with a peak realm after achieving immortality.”

“With every level in the ‘Nine-Turn Dragon God Technique,’ your power multiplies. Upon breaking through to the Transforming Dragon stage, you can become a five-clawed Divine Dragon, cultivating the ultimate pure-yang dragon qi, whose might is no less than a Human Immortal. If you reach the eighth level, the Divine Dragon Realm, its power rivals that of a sage. As for the highest Void Dragon Realm, even we have only theorized about it; its power may well approach that of Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Here is a jade slip containing the technique. Study it well and cultivate diligently.” Emperor Xuanyuan explained the origins and stages of the cultivation method to Liu Fan with gravity, finally encouraging him.

“Huh…” Though Liu Fan was thrilled by how amazing the technique sounded, he was dumbfounded when he received the jade slip. He had no idea how to use it. Having read quite a few online cultivation novels, he knew one was supposed to use spiritual sense to read it, but as a complete beginner without any cultivation, he didn’t have any spiritual sense at all.

Now he panicked and asked Emperor Xuanyuan urgently, “Master Xuanyuan, um, how do I use this jade slip?”

Xuanyuan saw Liu Fan’s expression and felt a touch of embarrassment. It wasn’t his fault—back in the ancient times, Celestial Immortals were everywhere, Golden Immortals were nothing, and only Great Luo Immortals barely passed muster. Which cultivator didn’t know these common things? But Liu Fan was just an ordinary mortal. Xuanyuan sighed, “Ah, I failed to consider this. In those days… Well, never mind. This should be handled by your Master Shennong.” With that, he turned the matter over without looking at Liu Fan.

Liu Fan had no choice but to turn to Shennong with pleading eyes. “Master Shennong…”

“My child, there’s no need to worry. I have already thought of everything for you. This is a Hundred Herbs Pill, which I left behind when I departed. It was refined from over a hundred innate spiritual herbs in the Medicine God Cauldron over eighty-one years. It can grant someone without any cultivation foundation the power of a Golden Immortal in an instant. Of course, you’ll need someone of great cultivation to protect you during the process, otherwise the immense energy could make you explode, body and soul destroyed, never to reincarnate.”

Hearing Shennong’s explanation, Liu Fan’s eyes sparkled like a starving wolf, and he began to drool.

But hearing the warning about the consequences of misusing the pill, Liu Fan shivered, and his outstretched hand paused in midair.

“There’s no need to worry. With the three of us here, you can rest easy,” Fuxi soothed him from across the table.

“Oh, so that’s how it is. Then I thank all three masters. Please accept my three bows.” Rising, Liu Fan bowed three times to his teachers, and the three Sovereigns were gratified by his sincerity.

“Heh, you may dispense with formalities. Here is the Hundred Herbs Pill—take it quickly. We will protect you. Sit cross-legged, calm your mind, and focus your intent at the mysterious gate.” Following Shennong’s instructions, Liu Fan took the pill and promptly sat down on the ground.