[Some important Timelines:
~ Before the Four Heavens — [The Era of Primordial Balance]
The Birth of the Elemental Gods
- In the era before the Four Heavens and before the cosmos was divided by the Great Heavenly Dao, the World Essence gave birth to the Elemental Incarnations—primordial entities born not of cultivation, but of pure, unshaped Dao.
- These became known as the Elemental Gods, living embodiments of the elemental laws: Light, Lightning, Flame, Ice, Darkness, and more.
- They do not cultivate. They are the element. Each one represents a self-contained Dao, immutable and eternal.
Spiritual Tablets of the Elemental Gods
- Upon manifestation, each Elemental God formed a Spiritual Tablet, a semi-conscious artifact containing a sliver of their elemental will and divine laws.
- These tablets are legendary relics that grant unlimited access to their element, but only to those who align with its Dao and survive its trials.
- Cultivation Equivalent: Quasi-Saint Realm
- Their presence is terrifying and sacred, but they cannot evolve or transcend. They are eternal but static, like nature itself.
"They do not walk the path of cultivation—they are the road itself."
- Though immortal, the Elemental Gods are not invincible. They can be sealed, shattered across time, or have their essence diluted, but never truly destroyed—for to erase them is to unmake the element from the world.
~800 Eons Ago — [The Birth of the Devil]
(1 Eon = 1 Billion years)
- In a time long after the Elemental Gods slumbered and the world fell under the dominion of the Heavenly Court, a being known only as the Devil was born.
- His origins are veiled in myth—some say he was a remnant of corrupted cosmic will, others claim he was once an orphan raised by celestial beasts.
- What is known: he rose rapidly in power and ascended to the ranks of Heavenly Elders.
~350 Eons Ago — [The Devil's Banishment]
- While holding a seat among the Heavenly Elders, the Devil diverged from the path of virtue and forged his own Dao—the Devil Path, rooted in desire, defiance, and the rejection of karma-based cultivation.
- The Heavenly Court, seeing this as heresy, branded him a threat and cast him out, forever exiling him from the halls of heaven.
- Yet the Devil did not wane—he continued to cultivate, untethered by cosmic law.
~300 Eons Ago — The Great War of Rebellion
- The Devil was later declared a Rebel by the Heavenly Court when they foresaw that he was about to forge a path beyond even the Evil Dao—one capable of defying the heavens themselves.
- The Heavenly Order attempted to forcibly seal him under the guise of righteousness, intending to "gain immense karma by sacrificing him" to great heavenly dao.
- But the Devil, knowing the truth of the Heavenly Elders, chose rebellion.
- Instead of surrendering, he hid within the hearts of all beings, birthing the phenomenon known as the "Heart Demon"—a shadow that devours the Dao Heart of cultivators who falter.
- When cultivators lost control of their will, the Heart Demon would awaken, consuming their consciousness and even devouring their cultivation.
- This act enraged the Heavenly Court, and they declared an all-out war—thus began the Great War between the Devil and the Heavenly Order.
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~17 Eons Ago — [The Great Cataclysm]
The Heaven-Veiling Seal and the Fall of the Elemental Gods
- Heavenly Elder Xuanji—a peerless tactician of the Heavenly Court, known for his ruthless logic and unwavering devotion to balance—came to a dangerous conclusion:
The Elemental Gods, as primordial manifestations of unshaped Dao, existed outside the karmic cycles, unbound by cultivation, rebirth, or causality.
- To Xuanji, they were not just anomalies but threats to cosmic equilibrium. He feared that their quiet presence was already distorting the flow of fate, especially as certain bloodlines and sects began receiving the blessings of elemental affinity from their residual will.
- Knowing that destroying these beings would unravel the elemental fabric of reality, Xuanji instead invoked a forbidden method: the Heaven-Veiling Seal.
"The Heavens must never know that it was not judgment, but fear that moved me." – Elder Xuanji (recorded last words)
- This technique froze the consciousness of each Elemental God into a dormant stone avatar, severing their connection to the world's resonance.
- The seal mimicked cosmic decay, making their presence fade naturally over eons.
- Though sealed, their Spiritual Tablets remained—echoes of divine will, now scattered, their blessings waiting for a worthy bearer.
- The act divided the Heavenly Court:
- Some defended Xuanji, believing he preserved universal balance.
- Others condemned him, declaring it a violation of the Heavenly Mandate, branding it as a sin against the primordial order.
- Some scholars and immortals believe this act planted the seed of the Devil, or worse—that Elder Xuanji may have secretly collaborated with the Devil, sharing a vision that transcended Heaven's authority.
_____
~600 Million Years Ago — [The Purge of the Devil]
- After millennia of war, rebellion, and corruption, the Devil was finally ambushed and killed by a unified strike force of Heavenly Elders—his physical form annihilated in a final celestial siege.
- But the Devil was never one to act without foresight. Before his fall, he secretly passed on his legacy to a disciple—Gu Xian, known in the present age as Sun Liang.
- Unfortunately, Sun Liang's identity was exposed soon after the Devil's death.
- The Unrivaled Immortal Dynasty, a dominant force of the Four Heavens, led the charge against him.
- Cornered and overwhelmed, Sun Liang too was exterminated, taking with him what remained of the Devil's legacy... or so the world believed.
- In the wake of this cataclysm, Elder Xuanji vanished.
- Whispers claimed he fled due to secret ties to the Devil, others believed he had foreseen the court's hypocrisy and chose exile.
- To this day, his fate remains unknown, his name stricken from Heavenly Records.
~500 Eons Ago — [The Cleansing of the Heavenly Court]
"The Curse of the Heart Devil"
- Though the Devil had perished, his presence never truly vanished.
- With no master to anchor it, the Heart Devil, once controlled by the Devil, was now unbound and autonomous.
- Now, whenever a cultivator's Dao Heart faltered, the Heart Devil would awaken, devouring their consciousness, plunging them into madness, and sometimes seizing their cultivation.
- It was no longer an extension of the Devil's will—it had become a curse etched into the fabric of the mind.
- Even the Heavenly Elders were not immune.
- Several high-ranking figures of the Heavenly Court fell victim to inner demons, their fall concealed behind layers of false glory.
- In response, the Heavenly Court launched a mass internal purge, executing or sealing any who displayed signs of corruption.
- From this point onward, the Heart Devil became a universal threat.
- Billions of cultivators across the Thirteen Worlds now face the specter of inner collapse.
- Only those with unshakable Dao Hearts remain untouched.
- For the rest, the Devil's curse lives on—not in body, but in spirit.
"The Devil is dead, yet every heart still trembles. That is his final victory."
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~1,000,000 to 900,000 Years Ago — [The Era of Celestial Fragmentation]
"The Separation of Worlds"
- The Heavenly Court, in pursuit of greater order and karmic management, initiated the Fragmentation of Reality—splitting existence into the Upper Realm (Immortal World) and the Lower Realm (Mortal World).
- This act created a universal law:
> "No power beyond the True Immortal Realm may exist in the mortal world."
- Those in the Lower Realm would be restricted from ascending past "True Immortal" realm until they ascend to 'upper realm', and any descent from the Immortal World required a forced downgrade to the same level.
~900,000 Years Ago — [The Birth of Tian Yu]
- During this celestial restructuring, a child was born in the Upper Realm—Tian Yu, a prodigy whose comprehension of the Dao defied logic and lineage.
- His cultivation rose like an immortal flame piercing the heavens, and he swiftly climbed to the pinnacle of his era.
~850,000 Years Ago — [The Descent of the Emperor]
- Upon attaining the Quasi-Saint Realm, Emperor Tian Yu shocked the cosmos by voluntarily descending to the Lower Realm, willingly sacrificing his cultivation in accordance with the new law.
- His power was forcibly sealed down to the True Immortal Realm, a punishment not even the rebellious dared to accept.
- The Heavenly Court branded him with the Mark of Descent, barring him forever from re-entering the Four Heavens.
"I seek not Heaven's favor, but the truth hidden beneath it." – Tian Yu
~800,000 Years Ago — [The Covenant of Light]
- Though exiled, Tian Yu bore no regret. Instead, he sought higher wisdom, and during his earlier years in the Four Heavens, he had made contact with a silent, forgotten deity—Yuan Shen, the Elemental God of Light, sealed in stone by the Heaven-Veiling Seal.
- Yuan Shen, though impartial, began to bless those who suffered injustice. Seeing Tian Yu's heart, he gifted him the Light Tablet, a fragment of divine law.
- With the Light Tab and divine guidance, Tian Yu's cultivation soared anew. But when the world fragmentation neared completion, Yuan Shen warned him:
> "The heavens now watch with sharper eyes. Go below... and be free."
- Tian Yu descended. In return, Yuan Shen granted him a unique Divine Domain—one that allowed Tian Yu to summon the Light God's statue into the Lower Realm.
Founding of Light City
- On the southern ridge of the Immortal Rain Valley, Tian Yu built Light City—now remembered as the Forbidden or Lost City.
- Here, he established the first Temple of Silent Light, spreading Yuan Shen's Dao of purity, clarity, and inner illumination.
~460,000 Years Ago — [The Era of the Northern Heaven]
- Emperor Tian Yu rose to unify the Northern Continent—now shattered into the Baihua Plains—and forged alliances across the Southern Ridge.
- In this era, he met Yue'er, a mysterious woman suffering from a rare affliction caused by her inherited Moon Fox bloodline—a divine beast line not meant to exist in the Lower Realm.
- Their bond was profound. Together, they created two legendary artifacts:
- The White Jade Sword – symbol of judgment and purity.
- The Golden Bow – a divine weapon forged to pierce through Heaven's illusion.
- But their love bore a cost.
- The first arrow fired from the Golden Bow shattered the Northern Continent, an event that would forever change the land's fate.
~450,000 Years Ago — [The Birth of the Yunmu Clan]
Creation of a Hopeful Legacy
- In the aftermath of unifying the Northern Continent and witnessing the tragic suffering of Yue'er, whose Moon Fox bloodline threatened to consume her, Emperor Tian Yu grew desperate.
- Knowing he could no longer ascend due to his Heavenly Mark, and needing someone of Desolate Saint Realm to heal her, he turned once more to his old ally—Yuan Shen, the Light God.
- But even the Light God was powerless. Their shared efforts failed.
- The Emperor, heartbroken and bitter, blamed Yuan Shen, accusing him of false hope and abandonment.
- In a final effort, and with the Light God's reluctant guidance, Tian Yu created a new race: the Yunmu Clan.
The Yunmu Clan – Children of Light and Earth
- The Yunmu were a symbiotic humanoid race, born of cultivation-engineering and divine blessing.
- Designed to possess unnaturally high talent, they were meant to never encounter bottlenecks in their cultivation path—so that one day, one among them might ascend to Desolate Saint Realm and heal Yue'er's cursed bloodline.
- The Emperor compiled all his research, techniques, and theories into a single institution—the Heaven-Seeking Library.
- Yuan Shen, as a being from the Primordial Era, contributed forbidden wisdom, making the library one of the most comprehensive repositories of cultivation and divine studies in existence.
- But fate was cruel. Yue'er perished, consumed by her bloodline before any salvation could be reached.
"I gave everything, and the heavens still took her." – Tian Yu, before retreating into seclusion.
- In grief and rage, Tian Yu cast away the Light Tab, calling it "a false light unworthy of truth."
- He abandoned his creations, his temple, and the teachings of light—leaving behind only silence.
~80,000 Years Ago — [The Great Withering]
The Sin of Light and the Curse of Corruption
- The Yunmu Clan, orphaned by their creator, continued to thrive independently.
- They honored the Light God, integrated botany and alchemy, and lived as respected spiritualists.
- Yuan Shen, now mute and dormant, remained in the Temple of Silent Light, offering no guidance.
- In a desperate attempt to awaken their divine patron, the Yunmu committed a sacrilegious act:
- They used the Light Tab to attract and bind the Dark Tab, seeking to merge light and shadow for a forbidden alchemical breakthrough.
- This act sparked a cosmic backlash—Yuan Shen awoke in wrath.
- The unnatural mingling of Light Qi and Dark Qi corrupted the land, turning once-verdant regions into cursed wildlands filled with toxic spiritual turbulence.
- Yuan Shen cursed the Yunmu Clan, severing their connection to Light Qi.
- The once-blessed race became tainted, unable to cultivate their birthright.
The Fall of Trust and the Curse of the Elves
- During this crisis, the Nalan Empire of the Elves—close allies of the Yunmu—formed a great barrier in the Cloudwood Forest, using the Ten Thousand Trees Formation to halt the spread of corruption.
- But their aid would cost them dearly.
- For sheltering the Yunmu, Yuan Shen's curse extended to the elves, and they too lost access to Light Qi, a foundation of their spiritual power.
- Their empire fell. The elves, now weakened and furious, exiled the Yunmu into the Misty Vale Basin, pushing them to the edge of survival.
- The Yunmu, now cultivating Dark Qi, became scapegoats.
- Their noble history was erased, rewritten by fearful races as alchemists of corruption, beings of darkness.
- Their image—once sacred—was whitewashed into shadow.
"We were born of light... yet the world sees only our darkness." – Last High Alchemist of Yunmu
The Disappearance of the Light Tab
- Seeing the ruin and betrayal that followed his former disciples, the Light God cast the Light Tab away, ensuring it would never be found within Immortal Rain Valley again.
- It later resurfaced in the hands of a woman deemed worthy:
- The founding ancestor of the Jade Nation.
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~10,000 Years Ago — [The Hero and the Jade Queen]
- Within White Cloud Star, during an era of unrest and fractured nations, a man rose like a blazing sun—a wandering cultivator whose spirit burned with justice and ambition.
- This rising hero convinced Yue Xiuying, the then ruler of the Jade Nation, to lend him the Light Tab, an artifact revered as the sacred token of their founding matriarch.
- It was the first time in tens of thousands of years the tab changed hands openly.
- The man's name was lost to most... but his legacy would soon shake the continent.
~5,000 Years Ago — [Rise and Fall of Tianjian Xun]
- That man was none other than Tianjian Xun, the cultivator who ascended into Immortal Rain Valley and founded the Tianlong Dynasty on the Soaring Dragon Continent.
- Under his rule, the dynasty flourished, unifying many sects and families under a single immortal banner.
But fate is ever cruel to those who carry divine light—Tianjian Xun died mysteriously, his cause of death sealed in imperial records, and his soul never seen again.
- Upon his death, the Light Tab vanished, returning to the Immortal Rain Valley where it wandered lost... until it fell into the wrong hands.
~4,000 Years Ago — Discovery by Xiantian Sect's Ancestor
- A thousand years later, the founding ancestor of the Xiantian Sect discovered the Light Tab among the possessions of a corrupted cultivator, whose mind had collapsed under the weight of ambition.
- It was only after his disciple, Bai Yujian, killed him—after he had lost his Dao Heart—that the truth came to light.
In his sealed stash lay the Light Tab, still pulsing faintly with the ancient will of Yuan Shen.
- Bai Yujian, recognizing its divine origin and dangerous potential, sealed it within the sect's deepest treasury, hidden away from both enemies and the curious.
She never understood how her master obtained it—only that it had once belonged to the first emperor of Tianlong Dynasty, and thus must never be revealed lightly.
"This is not an artifact. It is a burden forged by light, carried by fate." – Bai Yujian