1 *PROLOGUE: About the world
In the celestial expanse of Heaven Glave, a realm shrouded in enigmatic splendor and grandeur, a harmonious coexistence unfolds between cultivators and divine beasts. Empowered by the very essence of heaven and earth, they yearn to transcend the shackles of mortality and karma, striving for the elusive realm of true immortality.
Heaven Glave, a jewel among the Twelve Worlds, once served as the gateway to the realm of the Gods during a golden age of prosperity. Immortals and mortals dwelled side by side, and the pursuit of genuine immortality was not a mere dream but a tangible ambition. However, tragedy would soon cast its shadow upon this idyllic existence.
The immortal known as the Ancient Emperor harbored ambitions of dominion over the very fabric of heaven itself. His relentless quest for power led him to reshape the dimensions, relentlessly refining them to bolster his might. Thus ignited the flames of the Emperor Killing War, a cataclysmic conflict that reverberated through the heavens.
This war, a tempestuous clash of immortals, threatened to sunder the upper dimensions and even the sacred realm of the Gods. In the end, the Ancient Emperor was vanquished, yet his immortality made him invincible. In a desperate gambit, the immortals divided his essence into thirteen fragments. Twelve of these fragments were entwined with the Twelve Worlds, while the thirteenth was sealed within the hallowed sanctuary of the Gods.
In their bid to thwart the Ancient Emperor's resurrection, the immortals isolated the Twelve Worlds from the Gods' realm and the upper dimensions, severing the once-intimate bond between mortals and immortals. Fearful of unleashing the ancient tyrant's minions, the gates to the Gods' realm remained sealed.
The path to immortality had been barred, plunging the inhabitants of the Twelve Worlds into despair. Yet, mercy shone through the immortals' decision. "Every century, the Heavenly Dao shall manifest in the form of the Immortal Crown," proclaimed a divine decree that resonated across the Twelve Realms.
Henceforth, the coveted dream of every cultivator and divine beast in the Twelve Worlds became the attainment of the Immortal Crown—a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao and the key to true immortality. However, only one could claim this revered prize.
All were permitted to contend for the crown, but the attempt was granted but once. Failure meant permanent exclusion from the competition, for it would take a century's passage to birth the crown anew. Thus, with every passing century, a new Immortal Emperor would emerge to rule over the Twelve Worlds, and, ultimately, to tread upon the realm of the Gods.
