THE LAND OF COUNTLESS PLANES (3/6)
The Endless Slaughter.
Consensus has it, the better part of all the greatest existences to have ever lived rose to prominence during this period, only to fall amidst the nonstop war and slaughter. An age of ascent and oblivion.
And very much like those few that we have reliable sources on from witnesses and records, there is an untold amount more who are lost to time. Countless other Primordial Beasts who rose across the millions of years of the war, but simply died; moths, drawn to the flame of ambition and cindered by it.
Countless stragglers hanging on to dear life, as one would hold onto a rotting boat that's caught in a never-ending rapid. Nature -unending, unfeeling and uncaring cycle of struggle, victory and defeat- and its purest Law;
The Law of conflict, of the strong as mere stepping stones for the stronger, had held steadfast for those countless, millions of years.
That is, until, the undisputable Strongest came.
< Hundredth Xū >
Other moniker/s: "Jade Emperor", "Him", "The Circle encompassing All".
Out of nowhere, a young boy with red eyes and an inexplicable mark on his forehead joined the bloodiest war.
A single triangle was inscribed into a square, and that same square was inscribed into a circle: this strange mark was right above his eyebrows.
It represented the Underworld below the Earth and the Heavens above them both. The Heavens above all.
His single finger was all it took for Him to separate the True Heavens from the True Earth, and the True Earth from the Underworld.
Following unknown laws of cause and effect, the scission of the True caused the countless Heavens to rescind from their Earth and merge into the True Heaven. A single finger shaped the lands of countless planes, leaving behind countless worlds but only one, grand Heavenly Realm.
At once, the countless rulers who had established their own realm in their corresponding Heaven magically found themselves gathered together at His feet as the Heavens had merged into one.
The unimaginable power of that one finger, the visible rift that had now appeared between them and their kingdoms, an insurmountable chasm that couldn't be mended back together if not by his will: it marked the end of all conflict as countless existences belatedly held their breath.
The red-eyed youth thus lifted his head, his voice reaching each and every being in any plane and every corner of any and all worlds:
"You all slaughter each other, bewitching yourselves into believing that power is the answer, and that slaughter is the key to having more. Now, you have all witnessed my power, and it is out of your reach, even given an eternity. I am the answer of that spilt blood. Despair! Fear! Hate! Be relieved! To bring an End, and to guide you all as we experience an eternal epilogue together. This is what I, Hundredth Xū, have come to be in this world for!"
Hearing that voice as it spread to even the most remote corners of existence, the four reclusive Primordial Emperors reappeared into the world. In reverence, they famously acknowledged the power of the One as being:
"The belief that moves the Qi; the Qi that moves the world; the world that that is but a gullible dreamer."
"Insurmountable, perfect; a true body in the face of our illusion. To this world, He has truly reached the apex, whereas to Him, this world is but a daydream."
"Let Your wishes be known, oh Lord. The Square shall serve the one Circle."
And not too long afterwards, King Yama similarly emerged before the countless existences for the first time in a long while. For most, this would be the first they saw of the lone Fifth. The beyond's herald appeared wearing a pitch-black ceremonial dress, with a diadem of deathly shadows obscuring the features and only revealing his eyes. His strikingly long, white hair fluttered behind him like a cape, whereas his pupils had darker than night triangles hidden in the black.
Like so, the Fifth bowed before the youth and expressed his utmost subservience:
"The Gates of Hell speak of a world where countless resentful spirits can finally be put to rest, and the living shall follow the new Law indicted by Your one finger. The Separation shall forever be remembered as a new beginning, a peace amongst the living and the dead."
"The Underworld opens to You, and Your will. The Triangle beneath the Square shall serve the one Circle."
This was how the Four, the Fifth, and the One had their first meeting.
End of "Hundredth Xū", an excerpt from "Records of the Olden Era", the historical masterwork penned under the combined efforts of a thousand nameless scholars.
...
After Yama returned to the Underworld, the Four helped give guidance to this youth, and not much time would have to pass before they would crown him Jade Emperor.
He had gained their respect and friendship, becoming closer than family: soon, they became companions in the Dao. Such bond is to this day viewed as the closest connection between cultivators, and especially so to the Primordials who were blessed with especially long life, virtually impervious to age as they were. Far more precious than even family bonds or love, it was a dedication to eternity, a union in spirit and their eternal Paths.
His descendants that would one day come to be by His Word, the Ancients forefathers to humanity, would soon populate the lands. Together with them, countless more of the Primordials and their kin would descend to the many Earths to procreate. With their efforts and the passage of time, the scarred, barren lands would soon come to bear life, as many different races were born and prospered.