The depths of the Zimu River were very cold, but the feedback to Shen Lian’s mental state was that of warmth and abundance with Yang Qi. All that Yang Qi was like countless of fireflies, floating in the waters of the Zimu River.

　　Today, however, it was as if the fireflies had the same target – Shen Lian’s ‘spirit’.

　　They were the river’s Qi of the essence. Any of them could cause a mortal virgin woman to conceive, creating new life out of nothing, to be born into the world.

　　Presently, they adhered themselves to Shen Lian’s spirit, integrating with it, forming a new Primordial Spirit.

　　The pressure that originated from the Register of Life and Death was still present, but Shen Lian was able to experience the new ‘Primordial Spirit’ becoming more durable and firm. His Primordial Spirit even started to transform into properties. Now it had flesh and blood as well as muscles and arteries. The transformation even caused orifices to begin taking shape. Finally, the shape of a human being was born in the deep waters of Zimu River, continuously absorbing the essence of the river, perfecting its own body.

　　It was derived from the purest and concise of flesh that was constructed from Yang within Yin. The creation of every inch of skin, every single orifice, even each strand of hair, and each drop of blood – everything was completely and unequivocally controlled by Shen Lian’s ‘spirit’.

　　This was a complete process of creation. The new body could be said to be his Primordial Spirit and the entirety of him in the mortal world. As of now, he was thoroughly different from any living being that was intrinsically present in any other world. He was special, one of a kind.

　　As the days passed, the essence present in the waters of Zimu River became lesser and lesser, while Shen Lian’s new body gradually solidified. The depths of the Zimu River contained a pressure equivalent to at least millions upon millions of kilograms. Regardless, his body did not suffer any pressure.

　　Shen Lian was able to profoundly experience the storing of his own spirit by his flesh and blood, continuously taking in and sending out the bizarre energy present in the heavens and earth. There was not a time where his mana had not increased.

　　From this, he could feel a deeper connection with the evil of the Netherworld. The pressure started to mount.

　　Up until the point where Shen Lian felt the pressure was too hard to bear, he disconnected the mind from the body. The pressure became constant and the universe of nothingness that was present in his heart of Dao started to solidify. Finally, it turned into a seed.

　　Yet, Shen Lian was filled with joy. Today he truly achieved the State of Taiyi. The seed lay between what was true and what was false, nevertheless, it was the most important part of his whole body.

　　The seed slowly floated, finally reaching the space between Shen Lian’s eyes. Every square inch of his bier was dense with rising vapor. If an outsider had seen this, he or she would only be able to see a small point of light red cinnabar between Shen Lian’s eyes, as if made by heaven.

　　Only Shen Lian and Shen Lian alone could truly fathom that the seed his red cinnabar was akin to an embryo, continuously absorbing the Qi of essence from every single part of his blood and flesh, gradually strengthening itself.

　　The embryo will grow, but what it became in the end, would not be a person.

　　Strictly speaking, the traces of the red cinnabar represented the Placenta of Heaven and Earth. As time passed, it would grow to become and new world.

　　Up until now, Shen Lian did not truly understand why the three persons of the Netherworld were dissatisfied at the State of Taiyi. Now he did. It was because each of them represented an embryonic form in the world, continuously drawing nutrients from the Netherworld. If one day the world truly was born, the process would be identical to a woman who finally gave birth after being pregnant for ten months.

　　The difference was that the Netherworld did not have the motherly instincts inherent in every living being. It would be bitter and hateful towards those who took their essence away.

　　After all, when the world was truly formed, the end result would be detachment from the Netherworld. It would become its own body.

　　It would either exist like the formation of the Qing Xuan Star, or it would be like the Netherworld, possessing extraordinary properties and concealing many unknown places. However, after all, what was said and done, Shen Lian himself could not properly estimate how much Qi of vitality the world really possesses. In all seriousness, it required an amount so vast as to be completely unfathomable.

　　Even so, Shen Lian understood one thing from this – the cultivation of the State of Taiyi may not have any limits. Even if there was no breakthrough in the state, the mana that was accumulated will unceasingly continue to increase.

　　Regardless of how much Qi of heaven and earth was taken in and sent out when merged with the seed, it could still be completely absorbed. There was simply no limit.

　　In the past, much was said about how those among the deities were borderless. That actually meant that they and the heavens were one, able to manipulate the vast powers of heaven and earth. It was not because of genuine accumulation of mana did they become boundless.

　　However, when released in specific places, these advantages became absolutely meaningless. Just like the crossover of a void, if it was discovered midway that there was a star capable of being replenished, it was similarly possible for a heavenly immortal to finally meet a dull and lonely demise in the emptiness of the void.

　　With this Placenta of Heaven and Earth, however, the mana assimilated with those bearing the State of Taiyi could be without boundaries. Along with the added depth in age limit for cultivators, there would be more and more advantages associated with it.

　　Shen Lian even thought that if a person could open up the beginning of a universe, it would mark the achievement of the State of Taiyi. If throughout the course of everything there were no disasters or calamities, one could only imagine how tremendous one’s mana could be if one continuously cultivated. The mere thought of this was frightening for Shen Lian.

　　Even without cultivating any exquisite supernatural powers, that kind of person could cause every enemy to yield with only the mere raising of a hand or the lifting of a foot.

　　The reality was that such a person did exist. He commanded the attention of Daoist Master and Buddha, even though he did not reach either of the states.

　　Even during the time where pressure was unexpectedly exerted by Emperor and the Lord Emperor, that person could still maintain his independent nature.

　　…

　　Yinshang’s capital city was called Zhaoge. It was bigger and grander than the city of Diqiu. It was also the largest trade hub in all of the Netherworld. Day and night, Daoist cultivators from various sects came to the heart of the city. They bartered Dao formulae and spiritual items, as well as various important ingredients needed in the process of cultivation.

　　The largest attraction in Zhaoge was a Simuwu ding. It was Zujia of Yinshang’s royal bloodline who spent his whole life’s savings to create it. Nobody knew how heavy the Simuwu ding was. It stood silently at the core of Zhaoge City. Day and night, a Universal Qi of Virtue wound and encircled it.

　　It was rumored that if the Universal Qi of Virtue was absent, the Simuwu ding would sink into the ground, so much so that it would pass through the Netherworld.

　　Zujia once tried to test the strength of the Simuwu ding. He invited twenty land immortals to attack the Simuwu ding with a display of their spells. This lasted for about a year. In the end, there was not even the slightest scratch on the Simuwu ding.

　　If anyone was put down inside the Simuwu ding, they might not even be able to turn their body for the rest of their lives – this was a common understanding held by many.

　　Twenty years prior, Zujia, the creator of the Simuwu ding, did not leave the Simuwu ding even by a step. Even when Tianyi was forced into Diqiu to become its prisoner, Zujia did not budge.

　　Tianyi was the only one who understood what Zujia wanted to do – refine the Simuwu ding to become his own Lingbao. By then, any strong enemy could easily be suppressed by calling upon this treasure.

　　Refinement of the Simuwu ding depended on the Universal Qi of Virtue. Twenty years on, Zujia still only managed to incorporate only a fraction of the Universal Qi of Virtue into his body.

　　“Never in my life have I ever seen a person with such an unstable mind and spirit as you. Tell me, why is that?” Vicissitude could be heard in Zujia’s voice, and yet he looked just like a person that just entered his fifties.

　　The person who walked to face him was Yinshang’s Monarch: Tianyi – one of the greatest and strongest persons of this world.

　　Tianyi spoke, “You should know, the likes of you and I can ‘die and be reborn’ in this marvelous world. After all, how precious is it, really? Of course, if the mission cannot be completed, you and I would not have the opportunity to relive another life. In fact, life and death are things both you and I have already understood clearly since a long time ago. However, neither you nor ‘I’ can ever let ‘Yinshang’ go because the both of us understand that its existence bears more ‘significance’ than ours. And yet today, Yinshang may well be eliminated by my hand and yours. How could I be at peace, then?”