The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 12: The Seed on the Spirit Platform

Urged on by the newcomer, Zhou Tianci bid farewell to Hu San and followed him to a slaughtering platform inside. “According to the rules of Wanhai Pavilion, since you’re not a professional beast butcher, you’re not qualified to slaughter beasts. If you want to try your hand at it, you can slaughter two beasts for one gold coin. Don’t complain that it’s expensive—since you’re not a professional, we’ll still have to assign someone to handle the cleanup afterward,” the man said. For most people, this was a deal almost no one would accept. After all, buying a short-tailed hyena here cost only one gold coin—and that was already butchered. Zhou Tianci, however, would merely be doing the slaughter, and the beasts he killed would still belong to Wanhai Pavilion. In essence, he’d be putting in the effort and getting nothing in return—and he’d even have to pay Wanhai Pavilion. What ordinary person would agree to such a deal? Yet Zhou Tianci agreed without hesitation. “Sir, may I choose which wild beasts to slaughter?” Zhou Tianci asked. The man was somewhat surprised by Zhou Tianci’s willingness and, after a moment’s hesitation, replied, “Well… all right.” Zhou Tianci’s heart leapt with joy, and he said, “I’m here to build up my courage—the fiercer the beast, the better.” The man thought for a moment. “I’ll bring the Fenshui Python over in a bit,” he said before leaving. “A Water-Splitting Python?” Zhou Tianci thought for a moment and finally recalled that it was a colossal beast of the Wild Forest. When fully grown, it measured a full 10 zhang in length, weighed ten thousand jin, possessed immense strength, and had combat prowess comparable to that of a peak Post-Heaven cultivator. “It seems the Wanhai Pavilion is actually quite fair. Although they charge a hefty fee, their service is excellent.” Zhou Tianci was very satisfied with this; the Water-Splitting Python was in a completely different league compared to the Short-tailed Hyena, and the energy it could provide him would surely be immense. However, Zhou Tianci didn’t dare to devour it without restraint. What if he sucked the Water-Splitting Python—which had been entrusted to him for slaughter—down to the size of a twine? How could he possibly explain that to them? Wanhai Pavilion was highly efficient; within two or three minutes, someone pushed over dozens of cages. These cages were several times larger than the ones used for short-tailed hyenas, and Water-Splitting Pythons were coiled inside them. “These are all the Water-Splitting Pythons we have. You can slaughter them as you please, but be careful to collect the snake blood and don’t cut off their heads. After you’re done, just drop them into the pool out back—someone else will come to clean them up,” the man said. “Thank you very much, sir. Please do me another favor and send some more fierce beasts my way. Here are five Black Gold Coins,” Zhou Tianci said, handing over half the money he had on him. The man took the black gold coin, weighed it in his hand, and wore a strange expression. “There are still over forty Mountain-Pushing Beasts over there. I’ll give you those as well.” Zhou Tianci glanced at the cage in front of him—it contained roughly forty Water-Splitting Pythons. With the other party adding over forty Mountain-Pushing Beasts, the total still fell short of the 100 beasts he was entitled to. Fortunately, the shortfall wasn’t significant, so Zhou Tianci didn’t make a fuss and simply nodded in agreement. The man looked pleased, extremely satisfied with Zhou Tianci’s understanding. “Do with them as you please. I’ll have the Mountain-Pushing Beasts delivered immediately. Once they’re slaughtered, you’re free to leave whenever you like. If you come back next time, you can find me again—I’ll make the arrangements for you.” Watching the man’s retreating figure, Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but shake his head: “It really does make things easier when you have money… Over 80 beasts should boost my cultivation quite a bit.” Zhou Tianci opened a cage, grabbed the Water-Splitting Python by the head, and dragged it out. The Water-Splitting Python was entirely green, its body covered in tiny scales; scales of different colors formed a unique pattern. Although the Water-Splitting Python had been drugged and lacked the strength to move, its sheer size alone was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart. And its blood-red eyes radiated a primal, savage aura. “It truly lives up to its reputation as a massive creature nurtured by spiritual energy. With a head and body like this, if it were on Earth, it would be an absolute ruler—it could probably even swallow an elephant whole,” Zhou Tianci mused as he placed the water-splitting python’s head on the butcher’s block, gazing at the bulk of its body still trapped inside the cage. Meanwhile, Zhou Tianci’s hands weren’t idle either; with a swift motion, the butcher’s knife appeared in his right hand. “Ssssh…” Zhou Tianci ran the tip of the butcher’s knife along the Water-Splitting Python’s neck, instantly creating a two-chi-long gash. At the same time, the python’s green blood trickled down the gash, pooling at the right end of the butcher’s block. Zhou Tianci quietly slipped his hand into the gash while silently channeling the *Blood Battle Art*. A peculiar current of energy flowed from the Water-Splitting Python into his palm, swiftly merging with his body, causing Zhou Tianci’s entire body to tremble. This sensation was not unfamiliar to him; he had experienced it before when he devoured the Short-tailed Hyena. However, at that time, Zhou Tianci’s focus had been entirely on the battle, so he hadn’t fully appreciated it. “This is what devouring feels like!” Zhou Tianci felt as if he’d taken a tonic; every cell in his body came alive. The euphoria of devouring had Zhou Tianci intoxicated, but he dared not let his guard down for a moment, keeping a constant watch on the changes in the water python on the slaughtering block. After all, he certainly didn’t want his ability to be exposed. Five seconds… ten seconds… fifteen seconds… Zhou Tianci counted silently in his mind, and when he reached thirty seconds, he decisively stopped devouring. “The Water-Splitting Python’s flesh has lightened in color, and the flesh around the incision is beginning to wither,” Zhou Tianci observed. He pulled the remainder of the Water-Splitting Python’s body onto the table, slit open its tail with a knife, and examined the changes in the flesh. “The flesh in the tail seems unchanged—that’s a relief.” Zhou Tianci estimated that if he wanted to leave no trace, this was the absolute limit of how much he could devour. Though he was greedy, he acted with extreme caution, so he decisively stopped devouring this Water-Splitting Python and began slaughtering the next one. Armed with the experience from the first one, Zhou Tianci had a clear plan in mind, and his devouring speed increased steadily. In less than one hour, he had slaughtered all 43 Water-Splitting Pythons. The staff of the Wanhai Pavilion then transported the corpses away for final disposal. Zhou Tianci pressed on, spending another hour dispatching the Mountain-Pushing Beasts. The Mountain-Pushing Beast was another colossal creature, slightly smaller than the Barbarian Elephant but possessing boundless strength—hence its name. This ferocious beast provided Zhou Tianci with even more energy than the Water-Splitting Pythons, taking him 35 seconds to devour each one. After slaying nearly 90 beasts, Zhou Tianci walked out of the Wanhai Pavilion with a sense of satisfaction. “I made the right decision to come here—I never expected such a bountiful harvest!” Although he had spent half his savings, Zhou Tianci felt deeply satisfied, and his steps grew much lighter. “Master Zheng, I’d like to ask you to handle these Water-Splitting Pythons and Mountain-Pushing Beasts.” After Zhou Tianci left, the carcasses of the Water-Splitting Pythons and Mountain-Pushing Beasts he had slain were carried to another butchering station. Master Zheng nodded and motioned for his assistant to place the carcass of a Water-Splitting Python on the table. “Was this just slaughtered?” Master Zheng asked with a frown. “The technique is too amateurish. Who on earth did this?” “Don’t ask so many questions. Whether it’s alive or dead, just process it.” Master Zheng muttered a few complaints under his breath and began the work. However, as his knife sliced through the Water-Splitting Python’s carcass, something felt off. “Why are these water-splitting pythons so easy to cut up? The bones, tendons, meat, and skin—they’re all far inferior to the water-splitting pythons we used to get. What on earth is going on?” Master Zheng couldn’t figure it out. Before sunset, Zhou Tianci returned to the military camp. Instead of going to eat, he went straight back to his small courtyard and began his cultivation practice. “Although I only absorbed a portion of the energy from each Water-Splitting Python and Mountain-Pushing Beast, the gains are still far greater than what I’d get from devouring a Short-Tailed Hyena. So this was a really profitable deal.” Zhou Tianci sat cross-legged on his bed. He first banished his feelings of elation, then focused his mind and sank into deep contemplation, sensing the changes within his body. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when Zhou Tianci had fully immersed his mind and spirit within his body, his entire being suddenly became dazed. “Thump… thump… thump…” Zhou Tianci felt a continuous drumbeat ringing in his ears, and immediately afterward, he saw countless red threads of varying thicknesses intertwining and quivering. Zhou Tianci pondered for a while before finally realizing: These are my heartbeat and the blood vessels within my body! Zhou Tianci felt his field of vision shifting; it felt as though his entire body was rising. Finally, he arrived at a vast expanse—a place devoid of color, chaotic and void, yet one that felt infinitely vast and boundless. “The Spirit Platform!” Zhou Tianci found himself inexplicably filled with new memories. The Spirit Platform is where a human’s Primordial Spirit resides. The Primordial Spirit is not exclusive to cultivators; even ordinary people possess one, though they are simply unable to perceive it. The Spirit Platform is the dwelling place of the Primordial Spirit. Unlike ordinary people, a cultivator’s Primordial Spirit is far more powerful. Once their cultivation reaches the Innate Realm, cultivators can sense their Primordial Spirit and use it to look inward, thereby seeing the Spirit Platform. Inner vision of the Primordial Spirit and the ability to sense the Spirit Platform—these are the hallmarks of the Xiantian realm. Zhou Shi didn’t know much about the “Xiantian” realm, but he was aware of these two points. So, when Zhou Tianci finally realized what was happening, his inner joy went without saying. Having reached the “Xiantian” realm, he could gain access to deeper cultivation secrets from the Blood Battle Legion and could also apply for discharge to fully explore this mysterious world. For Zhou Tianci, what could be more enticing than that? After his initial elation subsided, Zhou Tianci began to appreciate the wonders of his Primordial Spirit and Spiritual Platform—sensations no one in his previous life had ever experienced. He could sense that his five viscera, six腑, twelve meridians, and three hundred sixty-five acupoints were all clearly projected within his mind. This projection was far clearer than the vague sensations he’d felt before; he could now precisely pinpoint their exact locations. “This must be true inner vision,” Zhou Tianci thought to himself. After the inner vision, Zhou Tianci focused his mind once more on the Spirit Platform—a realm accessible only to cultivators at the Innate Realm and above. Based on the information fed back by his Primordial Spirit, the Spirit Platform existed between nothingness and existence: formless and substance-less, boundlessly vast yet utterly empty—truly wondrous. However, when Zhou Tianci’s spiritual essence swept over the Spirit Platform, he was so startled he nearly had an out-of-body experience. “This is that thing the Star Spirits call the ‘Seed’—how did it end up on my Spirit Platform!”