Chapter 1

At the Beginning of the World a Pixiu Existed

Little by little, a confused Luo Fan stirred from unconsciousness.

“Where is this?”

Concerned, Luo Fan struggled faster to raise his heavy eyelids. But glaring light sifted through them, and only by closing them were they soothed.

At last, they trembled open. But Luo Fan found his wide-open eyes utterly unable to blink.

He knew he wasn’t on Earth.

An immense mountain towered in the distance. Shrouding all thought and vision, it supported heaven and earth like a heavenly pillar.

He knew nothing on Earth could match its existence. Even as his head moved parallel to the ground, its peak remained hidden from view.

“Am I dreaming? Or have I passed through?”

With wonder and incomprehension, a sudden, sharp pain shot through him. It dug at his temples like the strike of numerous hammers, pushing him to the edge of madness.

Countless memories flooded his mind and the remembrance of it all threatened to destroy him.

“Roar.”

Appearing from nowhere, the cry of a monstrous beast erupted from his mouth making heaven and earth tremble.

Then, the ground seemed to twist and buckle under his feet until unconsciousness mercifully reclaimed him.

A long time passed before Luo Fan awoke. Although wrung through and disoriented, he had come to understand.

“Originally, I have already passed through…”

As he said this, colorless memories started flashing through his mind.

“… In a daze, he appeared in the world and for thousands of years, he wandered aimlessly in all directions. He ate, he slept, he slept, he ate, and in this way, he existed. Until one day, he arrived at a pleasant place. And there he lay until sleep took him… Afterward, an awareness burst open… Luo Fan…”

“Eat until satisfied, sleep until fully rested, and then start again. This kind of life really makes one envious.” Luo Fan mused bitterly, swaying with a stature that was as strange to him as countless memories in his head.

His new physique seemed a harmonic blend of various creatures: the head of a lion, a horse’s body, the legs of a unicorn, and the hair of some gray-colored beast.

He was certain he was now a “Pixiu.”

Since this place had Pixiu(s), it was impossible for it to be Earth. He had to be in the world of Great Antiquity!

The world created less than 100,000 years ago by Pangu the Great.

He then realized that immense mountain had to be the northwestern heavenly pillar.

Mount Buzhou, Pangu’s backbone.

“Long ago, the Water God, Gonggong and Zhuanxu, the God of Fire, fought for the heavenly throne. Under the awful wrath of a defeated Gonggong, they slammed into Mount Buzhou. Instantly, the sacred pillars of the sky and the ropes of the ground smashed asunder. As a result, the sky leaned to the northwest bringing the sun, the moon, and the stars along with it. Then, the land tilted and collapsed in the southeast. Water and dust so flowed in the same direction, causing great floods and suffering.”

—[Heaven’s Path Volume (天文訓) of The Writings of the Huainan Masters (淮南子)]

Although surprised to be in the Great Antiquity World, Luo Fan was at peace. Memories worth several thousand years had lightened his mood. He didn’t experience the joy, the pain, and the panic he would have if he merely possessed the memories from Earth. Memories that now seem like an unforgettable yet smoky dream.

……

Luo Fan withdrew from his inner thoughts to look back at Mount Buzhou.

Its boundless, unyielding breath shocked him beyond comprehension. Even from a hundred thousand miles away, he could feel the suffocating pressure. It greatly affected everything around him!

As he continued looking at Mount Buzhou, something indescribable plunged through him. The sort of feeling that made him feel as if he himself had become that mountain…

Four feet on the earth, head touching the heavens!

Immovable and unbending!

He thought he could support both heaven and earth!

“Puff…”

Suddenly… a light noise resounded in his head.

Despite its gentle nature, it was epoch-making; splitting heaven and earth. But it was gone in a instant, awakening Luo Fan from the unimaginable.

“What’s going on?” Luo Fan’s thoughts tumbled in shock.

There was something different about himself; something he couldn’t perceive!

But before he could investigate, Luo Fan immediately became dizzy.

Moments later, his mind was in an inexplicable place encircled by a gray chaos-like mist.

He lowered his head and saw he had become a small, fist-sized Pixiu. His body was illusory; almost imaginary and translucent.

“Divine soul…primordial spirit?” A flash of surprise crossed Luo Fan’s face.

How?…

There were no methods of cultivation in his memory.

It was unnecessary to say that it had come from Earth. But neither had it come from the Pixiu who had merely muddled through the years in an instinctual haze.

Born of heaven and earth, his memory had some information about the world. Still, it contained nothing about cultivation.

The only strange thing about this body has been its instinct to absorb innate vitality.

He also didn’t have the ability of inner vision.

Thus, this dusky, void region was, in fact, not a place the Pixiu had ever been. This kept Luo Fan from finding any news about it from its memories.

He didn’t know if it was a divine soul or a primordial spirit. Whatever it was, it was wondrous. He felt as though he had removed all fetters, making him feel relaxed and comfortable.

Then, his body shook and the space vibrated in tune. The surrounding gray mist started dissipating gradually.

Not long after, a vacant, spherical area, one-meter in size, was revealed. Whenever he attempted to pass to the edge, he seemed to hit an irresistible wall.

Suddenly, a mysterious message emerged in Luo Fan’s mind.

“It turns out that this is my sea of consciousness, and this form represents my divine soul.”

This small, spherical area was the present limit of his sea of consciousness. He was forbidden from the outer areas.

After a dark sigh, Luo Fan’s mind shifted because the illusory, fist-sized Pixiu started rushing into a mysterious direction. Appearing to break some invisible shackle, it penetrated into a beautiful, bright space.

This space was boundless, and the air flooded with an unyielding breath.

Lowering his head, he saw his stature lying below. It looked serene as though it had fallen asleep. Mist surrounded it and the rocks below revealed only a slight outline.

Somewhere in front of him a mountain rose infinitely. Peak piercing the sky, it radiated an exceptionally violent breath…

Before he knew it, it was already outside his body…

Afterwards, a breeze blew and his body continued fluttering free and unsullied.

The world became beautiful and unprecedently clear as it and he drew ever closer. But, in this condition, that peripheral unyielding breath became more evident and intense. Within this breath, Luo Fan once more felt immovable and unbending. Even if the heavens were to collapse, he would remain eternal.

…….

Since the creation of the heavens, 100,000 years have yet to pass. Furthermore, the evolution of the Great Antiquity World has not stabilized.

Besides the endless innate vitalities, there are many unusual places with chaos vitality. Many years ago, he had found one; a burrow constantly sending out rich vitalities of chaos.

It was because of the dissipating chaos that he was able to be born at the the beginning of the heavens and earth.

……..

Mount Buzhou’s boundless and unyielding aura made Luo Fan feel very good, but its breath was too strong. It was so strong that, within 10 minutes, stabbing pains engulfed his fragile divine soul.

His illusory body, originally translucent, started turning transparent. He needed to turn back.

The mind of Luo Fan moved directing his divine soul to return to the top of his head. Once inside, he reentered without much effort into his sea of consciousness.

The severe pain and injuries caused by external air erosion immediately disappeared without a trace, and all over, his divine soul became warm and comfortable.

“Sure enough, this body is necessary before my divine soul is strong enough.” Luo Fan sighed, moving his awareness away from his divine soul.

His eyes trembled open and the dusky mist of chaos vitality came back into view.

All that happened seemed just a dream and it was beautiful…