Qing Ling now viewed the great powers of heaven and earth, even the supreme great powers, as mere ants, capable of annihilation with a flip of his hand. No amount of accumulated magic power could withstand the force of the laws of order.
The Hunyuan realm, or the Saint realm, was the apex of all realms. Beyond it, there was no longer the path of man.
This meant that if a Saint were to ascend another realm, they would cease to be human and become the Dao, akin to Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
Of course, this did not imply that Saints were all equal in strength; any disparity existed within the same realm.
If there were exceptions, it would be the Great God Pangu, who achieved Hunyuan Wuji Daluo Golden Immortal. Even though the Great Dao of Primordial Chaos schemed against and killed Pangu, and Pangu's body perished to transform into all things, Pangu's will was eternal. It simply resided in dimensions imperceptible to sentient beings.
Qing Ling immersed himself in the Great Dao of Hunyuan, entering secluded cultivation and disregarding external affairs.
He still had many tasks to accomplish, for as a Saint, he bore the responsibility for all sentient beings in heaven and earth.
During his seclusion, Qing Ling re-refined all the treasures that accompanied him: the Mi Tian Rope, the Azure Jade Umbrella, the Green Lotus Treasure Banner, the God Slaying Saber, the Ten Tribulations Heavenly Lantern, and other such artifacts.
Concurrently, he forged several acquired spiritual treasures. The Myriad Dragons Gourd, refined from the scales of ten thousand dragons, and the True Sun Fan, refined from the quills of ten thousand birds, were both supreme acquired treasures, crafted from materials unique to the world.
He also fashioned the Profound Sequence Brush from a fragment of ink bamboo spiritual root obtained from the Demon Realm's Heavenly Court, and the Thirty-Six-Layered Profound Yellow Demon Subduing Pagoda, forged with a wisp of his own Profound Yellow merit.
Qing Ling also took the tortoise shell of the ancient Xuan Turtle from the Northern Jiluan Continent. Fusing it with the laws of mountains and rivers, its inscribed Dao patterns were all innate Dao restrictions. Qing Ling guided these into the Great Dao of Stars, refining it into the Grand Cycle Star River Chart. This was the most profound of his spiritual treasures, rivaling some top-grade spiritual treasures.
Furthermore, he acquired the Emerald Light Two-Element Lamp from Taiyi's sleeping chambers and placed it in Floating Luo Palace for illumination, providing eternal light and saving the palace from the need for myriad cumbersome palace lamps and candles.
Qing Ling spent tens of thousands of years re-cultivating his Luo Sheng Divine Eye. With the power of a Saint, this divine ability could now bring misfortune even to unsuspecting Saints.
Upon completing these tasks, Qing Ling emerged from his seclusion.
Thirteen Yuanhui had passed since the tribulation of the Wu and Demon clans.
The Primordial World remained utterly silent, as more than half of its sentient beings were gone. With the creation of twelve plane realms, countless beings had migrated inward. With fewer beings, there were fewer human-land conflicts and resource disputes, thus the four great continents of the Primordial World were relatively peaceful.
The City of All Beings had been established upon the Jian Mu. The Guang Tu land within the city had also built the Hall of All Beings. The once desolate Eastern Wilderness had become the most prosperous region of the Primordial World.
Beyond the Eastern Wilderness lay the City of All Beings, where myriad races traded frequently. Below the city was the transitional zone between the twelve plane realms and the Primordial World, the most prosperous area.
Within the Hall of All Beings, a sacred statue of Qing Ling was enshrined. Flanking Qing Ling were two more statues, representing his two Dao attendants, Hua Ze and Hua Shuo. One held the Grand Cycle Star River Chart, the other the Emerald Light Two-Element Lamp. Further back were the divine statues of Bai Fu and the Tu Guang land officials.
The purpose of the Hall of All Beings was not enlightenment or proselytizing, but heritage and perpetuation. All endangered races could entrust their lineage to the Hall of All Beings, preserving the foundation for their future resurgence.
Additionally, it served to dissuade major forces from initiating further conflicts, acting as a lubricant between various powers and reducing the phenomenon of mass slaughter in the world.
The Hall of All Beings had only these functions: it did not interfere in inter-realm disputes, establish sects, compete for resources, or antagonize any faction.
Therefore, the twelve plane realms all enshrined the Hall of All Beings. Moreover, Qing Ling played a significant role in the creation of the twelve plane realms. Thus, even by allocating only one-tenth, Qing Ling possessed the source of destiny from all twelve plane realms.
As long as the twelve plane realms endured and the Jian Mu stood tall, Qing Ling's destiny would be as vast as the sea, boundless and infinite. It surpassed that of the Six Saints.
This was merely the initial construction of the twelve plane realms. As the beings within these realms multiplied and prospered, Qing Ling's destiny would only increase, eclipsing that of the Six Saints.
Furthermore, every time a Daluo Golden Immortal utilized the Jian Mu to open up a world, Qing Ling's destiny would grow by another portion.
Currently, under the twelve plane realms, dozens of Daluo had already opened up minor and middle-thousand worlds, guiding sentient beings into them.
This had also led to an unprecedented scene in the Primordial World: a scarcity of sentient beings. Beings were treated as treasures, and the dozens of minor-thousand worlds within the twelve plane realms vied to migrate beings from the Primordial World.
Although the Primordial World's area had shrunk by nearly forty percent after its shattering, the addition of the twelve plane realms had effectively expanded it by eight to nine times. Moreover, with each additional Daluo who opened up a world, the Primordial World would expand further.
Qing Ling waved his hand, and the gates of Floating Luo Palace opened. Hua Ze entered and said, "Great Master, a person calling herself the Demon God Shang Yang is outside the mountain gate, requesting an audience. She says the new Demon Emperor of the Demon Realm has invited you to attend the ceremony and the establishment of the Demon Court."
"New Demon Emperor?" Qing Ling chuckled and said, "Is it Little Ten? Bring her in."
Hua Ze respectfully acknowledged.
Outside the mountain gate, Demon God Shang Yang looked at the floating jade plaque of the mountain gate and thought, This is truly a place of tranquil cultivation. No tribal disputes, no ancient enemies, only clear skies, pure waters, immortal scholars poring over texts, and sipping fragrant tea while observing the mortal world.
A jade-colored light curtain parted, and a young girl with two small braids emerged, chirping playfully, "Demon God Sister, Great Master said to let me bring you in. Follow me."
Shang Yang was startled, then nodded with a smile, "Thank you."
Hua Ze smiled and replied, "You are too kind. I am but a young Dao attendant in the mountains. Demon God Sister must have a significant background, right?"
As she led Shang Yang up the long jade steps, she asked with a smile.
Shang Yang shook her head and chuckled, "Where is any significant background? It's merely that a Saint remembers old ties, which is why I have the fortune to behold the Floating Jade Holy Realm."
The statue on the left side of the mountain gate, with a tiger's head and drooping eyelids, noticed that it was Hua Ze, the young attendant, leading the way, and closed its eyes to sleep again.
Otherwise, it had been a long time since it had eaten meat, and it feared breaking its precepts.
Shang Yang followed Hua Ze up the steps. The jade steps underfoot were lustrous and bright, with a faint mist drifting along them. Countless pavilions and halls lined the way. Above these, immortals sat in discussion, or played the zither, sipped tea, and discussed Daoist texts and immortal scriptures, appearing detached from the world, untainted by the mortal realm.
She gazed with admiration all the way and couldn't help but ask, "I heard that the seat of the Saint of All Beings has only one registered disciple and five hall guardians. Where do these fellow Daoists in the mountains come from?"
Hua Ze chuckled and said, "Demon God Sister, you may not know, but these people are disciples accepted by the four hall guardians from the twelve plane realms. They are considered third-generation disciples of the mountain gate. When they cultivate to the Golden Immortal realm, they will be dispatched to serve in the Halls of All Beings in various realms. There are about a hundred or so of them in total."
Shang Yang finally understood and nodded, "So that's how it is. I see that most of these individuals are at the Heavenly Immortal or Profound Immortal realm. They must have been accepted when they were at the mortal level, right?"
Hua Ze covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Demon God Sister is correct. Some were even beasts when they first arrived at the mountain. Great Master says that one should teach from the lowest level to forge a perfect Dao heart."
Shang Yang smiled and said, "The Saint possesses great wisdom."
Hua Ze smiled and said, "We have arrived at Floating Luo Palace. Demon God Sister, please enter."