Chapter 1

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The Heavenly Emperor, also known as the Supreme Emperor of the Gouchen Palace, has his origin in one of the six stars of the Gouchen constellation within the Purple Microcosm. He oversees the North and South Poles and the three talents of heaven, earth, and humanity. Later, he was appointed by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable to assist the Jade Emperor in governing all the deities and managing the world's military affairs. The Purple Microcosm Emperor was first dispatched by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable to manage the celestial stars, including the Twenty-Eight Mansions, various constellations, and the Nine Luminaries. Later, the Jade Emperor divided the heavens into four regions, implementing a system of checks and balances. He was assigned to govern the North and thus established the Shenshao Sect, whose reputation and prestige rapidly rose, almost rivaling the Jade Emperor, making him the second most powerful deity in the celestial realm. The Seven Northern Emperors, the seven stars of the Big Dipper, were given this title after causing a significant upheaval in the world. Although they were born of the same mother, their personalities and temperaments were vastly different. The Greedy Wolf Star was naturally capricious and often oscillated between good and evil, always regarded as an oddity by the other deities. The Giant Gate Star had a similar disposition to the Greedy Wolf Star, with a tendency towards extremes, often stubborn and obstinate. The Grain Store Star was of a gentle and warm nature, treating people with kindness and humility, but often took on too much, leading to excessive actions. The Literary Star was naturally intelligent, favoring literature over martial arts, able to recite any book he read and speak with eloquence. During the Seven Stars' disturbance in the Heavenly Palace, he transformed from a literary figure to a martial artist, creating a powerful magical technique. The廉贞星 (Lianzhen Star) had a cruel and narrow-minded nature, quick to anger and never letting go of a grudge. The Martial Star was methodical and disciplined, favoring martial arts over literature, and was the best martial artist among the seven stars of the Big Dipper, wielding a purple-patterned dragon spear. People knew that the Martial Star used a spear, so everyone learned spear techniques, considering the spear the king of weapons! It wasn't until the great swordsman Jiaoran appeared in the current era that the notion of the spear being the best weapon for humans was challenged, and more people began to practice swordsmanship. The Breaking Army Star was cunning and known for his ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness in the divine realm; he was also called the Disaster Star because he excelled in various plague techniques, innovating highly destructive techniques from the five elements, capable of drastically changing situations. (This concept is derived from some theories about the symbolism of the Big Dipper.) These personalities inevitably led to a disaster later known as the Seven Stars' Chaos, where the seven brothers caused a great disturbance in the Lingxiao Palace, which even the Jade Emperor, at full power, could not suppress. In the end, the Heavenly Emperor and the Purple Microcosm Emperor had to intervene to mediate, with the Primordial Heavenly Venerable acting as a mediator to restore order. The seven brothers, having offended many deities, realized their unique personalities made it difficult for them to fit in, and feared further disturbances if they remained in the celestial palace. After deliberation, they all resigned from their positions and went into seclusion. They left behind seven disciples—Tianchu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang—to succeed them as the Big Dipper Stars, but these disciples only learned a fraction of their skills, leading to a decline in the Big Dipper's fame. They later merged with other constellations and came under the command of the Five Dipper Stars. During the celestial war that began in the Lion Kingdom, the Seven Northern Emperors were almost entirely wiped out. The Literary Star, severely injured, drifted to Qizhushan in Zitong County, Sichuan, where he was saved by the Zitong Deity. This Zitong Deity was originally a man from the Jin Dynasty, known for his filial piety. During the Jin Dynasty, the world was unstable, with constant wars in the Southern Continent. Zhang Yazi died a heroic death in one of these battles. Due to his mastery of the Five Thunder Spell, he was revered as the Thunder Deity by the local people after his death. The Literary Star's vital energy was scattered, and he was about to lose his powers. Before dying, he passed on all his knowledge to the Zitong Deity. Later, when the Jade Emperor re-established the Heavenly Court, he appointed the Zitong Deity to the celestial palace, granting him the title of Wenchang Emperor, responsible for managing the human world's official records. Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, inspired by a dream, initiated the imperial examination system, which led to the widespread veneration of the Wenchang Emperor by scholars. He was accompanied by two attendants, Tianlong and Deya, who were said to prevent the leakage of celestial secrets. In the Wenchang Palace, there was also a deity named Kui Star, who managed the human world's imperial examinations on behalf of the Wenchang Emperor. He appeared as a red-haired, blue-faced ghost, often standing on the head of a turtle, holding a brush in one hand and a dipper in the other. Despite his peculiar appearance, his power was so significant that the saying "Kui Star points the dipper, standing alone on the turtle's head" emerged, meaning that anyone pointed to by his dipper would become the top scholar of the current year. Under the glory of the Nine Northern Emperors, the youngest son of the Purple Light Lady, known as the Eighth Star of the Big Dipper, seemed to fade into obscurity. He followed the Purple Microcosm Emperor, managing the Qingwei, Yuyu, and Dachi heavens, specializing in subduing various evil spirits. Later, when Zhu Bajie was reinstated as the Heavenly Marshal in the Qinghua Palace, he was appointed as the Great General of the Nine Heavens. The birth of the celestial deities led to a rapid increase in the number of deities in the universe. First, the Six Southern Dipper Stars were born, followed by the Four Directions Deities, then the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and finally the Nine Luminaries. For a time, the heavens were filled with stars, and the Thirty-Three Heavens entered their most prosperous era. The Four Directions Deities are the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, each managing the affairs of the East, South, West, and North, respectively. Since they are animal deities, their magical abilities are relatively weak. As other celestial beings were born, their status declined, and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger eventually became the guardian deities of Daoism, while the Vermilion Bird became a mere reference when people talked about the Four Directions Deities. The Black Tortoise, however, became extremely powerful, known as the Black Tortoise Emperor, and was venerated by humans on Wudang Mountain. During the Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong of Song renamed him the True Wu Emperor, claiming him as an ancestor. The origin of the True Wu Emperor has always been a mystery. Some say he was a reincarnation of a star, while others claim he was a three-legged turtle that became a deity after Gun's death (though the common belief is that Gun transformed into a large yellow dragon after his death). The most official version is that the Jade Emperor, to strengthen his control over the heavens, sent one of his souls to be reborn in the human world. However, this reincarnation failed to achieve enlightenment and was eventually reborn as the son of Empress Shansheng of the Jingle Kingdom. After fourteen months of pregnancy, she gave birth to him through her armpit. The True Wu Emperor, upon his second reincarnation, was exceptionally wise. Due to his memories from his previous life, he could recite Daoist classics at a young age. At fifteen, he left home and, guided by the Purple Void Venerable, learned the Supreme Dao. He crossed the East Sea to the Purple Cloud Peak of Taihe Mountain, where he practiced in the Purple Cloud Cave for forty-nine years, eventually achieving immortality. The Jade Emperor immediately appointed him as the "Great General of the Supreme Dao," responsible for managing the human world's demons and ghosts, and he was revered as the Great Ancestor of the Nine Heavens. In reality, the True Wu Emperor was not as illustrious as Daoist legends suggest. He was actually a monstrous offspring of the Six Celestial Generals, Xushé and Jiuying, and a brother to the Beast Emperor, the king of all beasts. He was born as a creature that looked like a turtle entwined with a snake, so different from other beings that his life could only be sustained by Jiuying's demonic powers. When Jiuying was killed by Houyi, he nearly died. At this time, the Lingbao Venerable happened to pass by Jiuyin Mountain, hearing his subconscious plea for survival. A thought struck him: "Can demons be reformed?" To conduct this great experiment, he began to transform the True Wu. After a thousand years of arduous cultivation, he was reborn. The Lingbao Venerable erased his memories of the past and recommended him to serve under the Jade Emperor, where he was appointed as one of the Four Directions Deities, alongside the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird. The last of the Three Pure Ones, Laozi, was born when the heavens were already overcrowded with deities. His birth can be traced back to the time when the Primordial Heavenly Venerable (Pangu) created the universe. At that time, Laozi had a basic form but could not develop into a conscious deity despite continuously absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. Time passed, and after millions of years, a meteor fell near him, causing him to be thrown into the human world, where he was reborn as Li Er in the Li family. He grew up to become a librarian in the Zhou Dynasty. As the Zhou Dynasty weakened, he decided to resign and find a good mountain to practice Daoism. However, when he passed through the Hangu Pass, the gatekeeper, Yin Xi, who was a fan of Laozi, stopped him, asking for his signature and a piece of writing before letting him go. On that day, in the 23rd year of King Zhao's reign, Laozi was riding a blue ox and was stopped by Yin Xi's subordinate, Sun Jing. Laozi, despite his vast knowledge, found himself in a difficult situation with Yin Xi, who insisted on becoming his disciple and learning Daoism. Laozi, unable to refuse, decided to test him. Yin Xi, delighted, agreed to the test. Laozi asked, "How did you know I would pass through the Hangu Pass?" Yin Xi replied, "Last October, I saw the Heavenly Principle Star move westward, and this month, the true energy from the East moved westward, indicating the presence of a great sage!" Laozi, impressed by Yin Xi's flattery, was about to agree when Yin Xi asked, "May I know the sage's name?" Although Laozi could make any deity's name sound more impressive, he felt uncomfortable boasting about himself and said, "My name is insignificant, spanning from one era to another, too numerous to count..." and then changed his answer to, "I am Li Boyang, also known as Laozi." Laozi stayed at the Hangu Pass for three months, writing the "Five Thousand Characters" (the "Tao Te Ching"), before leaving. Before he left, he told Yin Xi to find him at the Qingyang Market in Sichuan. Yin Xi followed Laozi in his Daoist practice and eventually achieved immortality, becoming a Supreme True Person, ranking above the Four Heavenly Kings and leading 80,000 celestial beings. The "Five Thousand Characters" became the foundational text for Daoism, which was established by Laozi's disciples. After the establishment of Daoism, they began to deify the celestial beings, but with so many deities, it