1 Prologue

Heaven was regarded divine by man, ruling over all life and the pinnacle of all cultivators, human, demon, or beast. All treasures were dropped from heaven, and the Gods were the overseers of all beings.

Dressed in celestial robes, with white, billowing clothes so pure and untainted that no man could see the holy being under the clothes, these Gods presided over mortals, yet lived among them.

Sects would rise and fall under their finger, eras would arrive and depart by a sweep of their arm, and life and death walked hand in hand whenever these divines made their move in the mortal world. Blood could not stain their robes or body, nor could the wails and screams of the suffering reach their ears; these Gods killed without mercy, while giving out benevolent blessings to others.

Such contradiction seemed odd for these holy beings, as the mixture of defining traits was commonplace among mortals and regarded "unclean" by those on the cultivating path, for many were required to dispose of any worldly attachments to improve in their journey to immortality. Nobody complained about these Gods, however. Blessed, they worshipped. Slain, they died with smiles even if unjustly wronged. These beings were too powerful, and people only listened to the strong, never to the weak. Power was justice, power was the morality of life.

Over time, however, man had come to realize that these Gods may not be from heaven, for if they were truly descended from heaven, how can they die? Wars and conflicts among these Immortals always resulted in both mortal and immortal deaths, with mortal cultivators and Gods dying in massive quantities, usually ending with no solution, only loss.

And if they were truly Gods, why would they leave such a paradise in Heaven for the earth, a place regarded as the disposal zone of the universe's evils and flaws?

And just why, why did these Gods act so much like mortal cultivators – enraged when provoked, fearing the strong and preying on the weak? Could it be that they weren't truly Gods as they claimed to be?

Man dominated over animals and plants, demons prevailed over men, Gods were above all else, perhaps, this was the initial relationship in the embryonic world.

Those who gained power first, would do their best to prevent others from obtaining similar types of power, by crippling spirit channels, deforming meridians, and doing their best to present a deficient cultivation method to all other mortal creatures, one bound to achieve less than that of the Gods and demons.

As time passed, many cultivation eras fell, as geniuses rose, discovering new paths in cultivation, slowly removing the flaws in their methods one by one, gradually obtaining the original method of cultivation utilized by these Gods. Thousands of years passed, and man could reach higher realms of cultivation, from Body Tempering to Foundation Establishment as its peak, then to Spirit Building, Nascent Core, Mortal Tribulation, Mortal Life, Mortal Death, then currently, Divine Dao.

Millions of years after the first mortal cultivator, the first God was slain by someone not an Immortal.

Once one started, others followed. Soon, within mere decades, mortal sects rebelled against these Gods, triggering massive wars that claimed billions of lives among both mortal and immortal cultivators, with conquests lasting hundreds of years that ruined the boundaries among Gods, Demons, and Man.

The title of "God" was removed, and came the rise of half-breeds, the Divine Beasts: The Wolf-Men, Bird-Men, and so forth. Gods seemed to have been slain by man, and mortals had reached the highest peak in their cultivation.

All seemed to have been finished, with the conclusion that these Gods were not actually true Immortals, until the heavens sent forth their rage, in the form of one being.

-

Provoked by the challenge of another "Immortal", mortal cultivators from all regions and races rose up to remove this God, to maintain their supremacy in the world, as the new "Gods" of the martial path. Many sects formed alliances disregarding former feuds, and soon, the greatest army of cultivators rushed towards the divine figure hovering in the air; many expected a massive, bloody battle, just like the ones chronicled, the stories of man triumphing over the "Unspeakable" race.

They could not be any more wrong, for this was no bloody battle, or even a battle in any form.

The divine being swept its arm once, and all inbound attacks disintegrated into the air with no trace of their existence. Dao Laws ripped apart by themselves, and the earth groaned as spirit qi rapidly departed from the spiritual veins within, leaving deep, immeasurable ravines.

The attacking mortal cultivators completely disappeared, with no screams of pain or misery, or of battle intent; there was no traceable mark left, nothing to prove that the cultivator army was ever there, preparing to attack this figure.

Watching their prided, hidden and prominent experts all vanishing into thin air without managing to launch their best abilities and techniques, the world fell into silence and despair. How could they have lost, wasn't their experts not at the peak of this world?

Did they not pride themselves as the best of the best, that nobody could make any further achievements in the Dao, that this was the true extreme of cultivation, the extreme that slayed the former "Gods"? Then what was that scene just now then? Who was that divine figure, and just what did it want?

The divine being raised its arm once more and pointed out with one finger. Martial sects instantly disappeared once that finger was outstretched, and the earth shook once more.

The ravines created by the departing spiritual qi became even deeper and wider as the veins themselves were pulled out then disintegrated, and all cultivation stopped. Those in the process of a breakthrough suddenly couldn't amass the necessary qi, and those attempting to revolve qi through their meridians became unable to do so.

Those with cultivation felt their strength disperse in an instant, and what used to form a cultivation-based society was forcibly remade into that of all mortals, with no distinction, no pride, no honor, no glory. Perhaps, these prideful former cultivators felt a little shame at their past behavior, just a little. And facing the horror filled mortals, with their eyes filled with endless despair and hatred, the divine being opened its mouth, and a heavenly voice resounded.

The voice could not be attributed to any gender or age, nor did it have any identifiable emotion; it seemed both male and female, young and old, angry and happy. Mortals were simply unable to hear the voice and understand, yet the information was forcefully engraved into their consciousness; among the painful sensations of an unbearable weight slammed down onto their minds, man were forced to realize that they were truly fools, fools for believing that they could transcend heaven by cultivating the mortal Dao.

Though they wished to never remember, never acknowledge, one sentence resounded throughout all history following that point.

"I, on behalf of the Divine Palace, hereby condemn. This world, is forbidden from the privilege of spiritual cultivation."

-

A young girl looked up towards the massive, grandiose structure in front of her. The building extended for several kilometers, made of the highest quality jade, gold, and spirit materials; the entire courtyard gave a heavenly aura, one that refreshed the mind and spirit, lightened the body, and gave a feeling of comfort.

The arches and tiles could not have been placed and structured any better, and even non-Feng Shui experts could instantly realize that this place was an excellent location for anything, be it house, dojo, or a cultivation ground. The grasses and herb plantations all emitted a divine aura, with any random herb possessing the ability and function to cure all wounds, serve as the antidote to all poison, and promote any mortal cultivator to the peak regardless of their talent.

Such a heavenly place, and yet this girl only displayed a sad smile, one full of desolation, sorrow, and resignation.

Facing the entrance of the divine courtyard, the girl knew that one step forward would cement her entire future; a future as the mistress of this heavenly courtyard, as the wife of one of the peak generals under the World Tree's domain. She would gain endless prestige as the general's wife, for the general had conquered the Soul-Rift Palace into submission, oversaw millions of mortal worlds, and most of all, had survived hundreds of exchanges against a Progenitor before falling into slumber.

She gave a wry smile; such a glorious being, and yet he couldn't even come to greet her into her new home, nor did she have any servants or sedan to assist her in. She was told that the general was not finished with a conquest, and would not return for a long while; she accepted it as truth, yet could not hide the sparks of resentment which she quickly quelled as fast as possible. Must not get the husband angry on their first meeting, or she would not live a happy life!

But where was anyone? No servants to greet her, not even the jeering laugh of any present concubines, the entire courtyard was filled with such vitality, but not a soul could be seen except for that young girl standing in front of the gates.

It was a good thing that there were no onlookers or bystanders standing nearby to watch such a lonely wedding event, otherwise she would truly die of shame, even if her soul was now immortal. Truly lucky, ah! If there was anybody nearby, she would immediately act like a messenger of a neighboring Pavilion or Palace giving news on some random event that may or may not have occurred, and she wasn't even wearing wedding clothes anyway. Should be fine, right? Even though her robes were greyed and shabby compared to those immaculate dresses worn by the Divine, she shouldn't be criticized for that, since she just ascended, and not even of her own will, no?

With a light sigh, a shake of the head, the girl pushed open the gates, and walked into the courtyard. Quickly turning around, peeking out of one of the gates, she looked left and right to see if there was any presence or being staring back at her. Confirming that there was none, she hastily shut the gates, and walked towards the main entrance of the center hall, one she assumed to be her new residence.

All her worries of any watching bystander disappeared, along with her resentment towards her unknown husband and the confusion about the odd lack of any other communicable spirit. All that remained was resignation of her fate, and one condemnation:

"Since you desired to take upon your brother's sins, so be it. Five million years of unimaginable suffering meant for the highest of mortal sins, you shall experience in five years. Your soul shall be forbidden from dissipation, and it shall be ingrained within you, that transgression against the World Tree is forbidden, and punishable by death, be it Mortal, Divine, or even the Forefather Himself!"