The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 2: The Blood Battle Legion

Zhou Tianci, who was usually calm, was overcome with wild joy upon forming this hypothesis. Ever since setting out on his journey as a cosmic explorer, his sole goal had been to find a cultivation civilization. His 400-year odyssey through the cosmos had never caused him to lose hope, and to his surprise, he had actually encountered a cultivation civilization in such a bizarre way! After his initial elation subsided, Zhou Tianci made room for himself to sit down and carefully sensed the qi within his body. To his surprise, within half a quarter-hour, he had mastered both the qi within him and how to use it. “It seems that many of the speculations about cultivation civilizations within human society are correct, and the *Changchun Baoyuan Gong* I practiced before is indeed a cultivation technique.” Having mastered the qi, Zhou Tianci slowly opened his eyes and recalled everything he knew about cultivation. Human exploration of cultivation can be divided into three stages. The first stage predated interstellar civilization, when myths were passed down across Earth’s nations, and various civilizations engaged in the study and practice of martial arts and combat. The second stage began 100,000 years after the dawn of interstellar civilization, when humanity attempted to apply scientific and technological methods to the study of cultivation, only to ultimately stray from the correct path. The third stage began with the discovery of the ruins of the first cultivation civilization, at which point humanity finally corrected its course and took its first tentative steps toward cultivation. Zhou Tianci’s understanding of cultivation was the result of this third stage. By this point, humanity had formed a fundamental understanding of cultivation, grasped many basic principles, and subsequently synthesized and innovated various cultivation practices—the *Changchun Baoyuan Gong* being one of them. Zhou Tianci guided the qi within his body along the pathways outlined in the *Changchun Baoyuan Gong*. After completing a single circuit, he felt refreshed and invigorated, with his previous fatigue completely vanishing—a result that was truly immediate. This outcome delighted him immensely, and he once again immersed himself in the study of cultivation. “In my previous life, I practiced the *Changchun Baoyuan Gong* for over 400 years, yet I only ever sensed the presence of qi. But the qi within this body flows like a mighty, surging river—endless and unceasing. The difference is immense,” Zhou Tianci muttered to himself with unwavering conviction. “I am certain of this: this is undoubtedly a cultivation civilization!” Human civilization’s basic understanding of cultivation civilization revolves around qi cultivation, and subsequent events proved this to be true; yet the difficulty of cultivating qi far exceeded human imagination. Zhou Tianci was certain that, throughout hundreds of thousands of years of history, even the most outstanding qi cultivators among humanity could never have cultivated as much qi as was present within his own body. Despite his elation, Zhou Tianci remained vigilant of his surroundings. At that moment, some 5,000 to 6,000 meters away, numerous venomous insects and ferocious beasts were still watching him intently. “I must get out of here as soon as possible, find a safe place to cultivate, and figure out exactly what’s going on here.” Zhou Tianci adjusted his body to peak condition and casually drew a long halberd. He was clad in red armor, clearly belonging to one of the warring factions. “Ssss…” The moment he gripped the long spear, Zhou Tianci felt a chill penetrate his body and soul, nearly causing him to drop it to the ground. Unexpectedly, the concept of “military aura” flashed through his mind. Zhou Tianci was stunned: “These are memories from my original body—I’ve really traveled through time!” As time passed, Zhou Tianci discovered more and more unfamiliar memories surfacing in his mind, and these memories clearly matched the scene before him. Recalling theories about time travel, Zhou Tianci was certain: he had definitely traveled through time. “So the collapse of the universe really did happen. I must have died back then, but why have I been reborn in this world, in this body?” Zhou Tianci gazed up at the starry sky with a grave expression and let out a long sigh. When he first woke up, Zhou Tianci couldn’t be sure whether he had actually experienced the collapse of the universe; now that he was certain he had been transported to another world, even more questions filled his mind. “I must uncover the cause of the cosmic collapse. I hope the cultivation civilization won’t let me down,” Zhou Tianci thought to himself, thinking of his family and friends back in human civilization. “Awoo…” A wolf’s howl rang out, followed immediately by the howls of over a hundred blue wolves. “Damn it, my martial aura is about to dissipate. I must leave as soon as possible.” Zhou Tianci’s expression shifted slightly as he gripped his black halberd and rushed off toward the southeast. From his restored memories, Zhou Tianci came to understand his surroundings. This body of his had originally belonged to a member of the Great State of Yu’s Blood Battle Legion, stationed at the City of Tears and Blood, a crucial frontier stronghold of the Great State of Yu. A month ago, the Great State of Yu’s arch-enemy, the Golden Wolf Empire, had invaded. After half a month of fierce fighting, the Great State of Yu had managed to hold its border defenses. Just as the Golden Wolf Empire was retreating, the Great State of Yu decided to launch a counterattack, with Zhou Tianci’s Blood Battle Legion leading one of the assault columns. Unfortunately, the Golden Wolf Empire had set an ambush as they retreated, and the Blood Battle Legion was wiped out. This incident had occurred just a few hours ago. Zhou Tianci surmised that the City of Tears and Blood was still unaware of the Blood Battle Legion’s fate. Reflecting on the course of the battle, Zhou Tianci felt that the situation was not as straightforward as it seemed. The Blood Battle Legion was no pushover—its combat prowess was formidable, and its commander, Mo Yunjie, was a battle-hardened veteran with vast experience. For such a force to be ambushed and wiped out without a single survivor was highly unusual. With this in mind, Zhou Tianci wanted to investigate further, but unfortunately, his current status in this body was low, and he had limited access to information. “War in the cultivation world is truly brutal,” Zhou Tianci sighed, unable to help himself as he recalled the course of the battle. The Blood Battle Legion was the elite force of the Great State of Yu; even when ambushed, they did not panic. Led by Legion Commander Guo Huang, the Blood Battle Legion mounted a fierce counterattack, pitting 5,000 men against the Golden Wolf Empire’s 30,000-strong force. Though the entire legion was wiped out, they left more than 5,000 enemy corpses in their wake—a truly heroic feat. After annihilating the Blood Battle Legion, the Golden Wolf Empire withdrew. The Grassland Empire had no tradition of recovering the dead, as the wild beasts of the steppe would cleanse the battlefield. However, although the war had ended, the “military aura” generated by the fierce fighting between the two sides had not yet dissipated. This aura, born of the soldiers’ bloodshed, exerted a powerful deterrent effect on the wild beasts, so they dared not approach and could only wait quietly for the aura to fade completely before feasting. This also bought Zhou Tianci some time to escape. “By midnight at the latest, the martial aura will no longer be enough to deter these wild beasts—I don’t have much time left.” Having absorbed the memories of his new body, Zhou Tianci was no longer completely unfamiliar with this world. He quickly mapped out his escape route: heading southeast from the battlefield all the way to the City of Tears and Blood. Zhou Tianci surveyed his surroundings. He estimated there were several hundred, perhaps even close to a thousand, ferocious beasts lurking nearby, with the majority to the Northwest. To the southeast, there was a pack of short-tailed hyenas and a few red-eyed vultures. “The red-eyed vultures aren’t very aggressive, so I don’t need to worry about them. The real threat is that pack of short-tailed hyenas.” Zhou Tianci couldn’t make out exactly how many short-tailed hyenas there were, leaving him feeling uncertain. The ferocious beasts in this world were far more savage than those on Earth, which aligned with human civilization’s speculations about cultivation. Take the short-tailed hyenas, for example: these canine predators resembled Earth’s wild dogs in appearance, but were twice as large and immeasurably more aggressive. Zhou Tianci slowly made his way toward the southeast, his movements drawing the attention of the surrounding beasts. However, aside from the short-tailed hyenas to the southeast, the other beasts showed no intention of pursuing him. “Now is not the right time to leave. If I break out now, I might attract the pursuit of other beasts. It will be safest to break out only after the military aura has dissipated and those beasts have begun to feast,” Zhou Tianci weighed his options in his mind and decided to wait a little longer. Seeing that the short-tailed hyenas showed no intention of charging at him, Zhou Tianci found a spot to sit down and began cultivating. Although he couldn’t devote himself entirely to cultivation at that moment, he still thoroughly enjoyed it. Amid this battlefield reeking of blood, Zhou Tianci could feel the energy within his body growing stronger with every passing moment. “This body originally cultivated the Blood Battle Legion’s *Blood Battle Art*, which is considered a fairly ordinary cultivation technique in the Great State of Yu. In terms of subtlety, it doesn’t compare to my *Eternal Spring Embrace the Primordial Energy Art*. However, when it comes to combat, the *Blood Battle Art* is far beyond what the *Eternal Spring Embrace the Primordial Energy Art* can match…” Zhou Tianci compared the two cultivation techniques and quickly decided to switch to the *Blood Battle Art*. Back when cultivators in human society first created the *Eternal Spring Embrace the Primordial Art*, their primary goal was to extend lifespan; therefore, the technique’s main function was nourishment and preservation. In an era where cultivation held little hope, the *Eternal Spring Embrace the Primordial Art* was well-suited for humans, but for Zhou Tianci, who had now entered the world of cultivation, it was no longer appropriate. Zhou Tianci channeled his true qi along the pathways outlined in the *Blood Battle Manual*. Even during a routine cultivation session, he could feel the killing intent within him growing. As the primary cultivation technique of the Blood Battle Legion—the most elite force of the Great State of Yu—the Crimson Blood True Qi cultivated through the *Blood Battle Manual* possessed immense destructive power. This manual was particularly suited for soldiers on the battlefield; not only did it enhance the practitioner’s physique, but it also intensified their killing intent. “It truly lives up to its reputation as a cultivation civilization—even the basic *Blood Battle Manual* is this powerful. According to this world’s cultivation tiers, I am currently a warrior at the peak of the Bone Refining Realm. With one more breakthrough, I’ll reach the Marrow Refining Realm and attain the peak of the Post-Heaven Realm,” Zhou Tianci thought with delight. From the memories of his original body, Zhou Tianci had gained a general understanding of cultivation tiers. In this world, cultivators begin at the Post-Heaven Realm, progressing through the Physical Realm—which encompasses the Tendon Refining, Bone Refining, and Marrow Refining stages—to forge their bodies into extraordinary strength. From there, they generate qi and blood from the outside in, reaching the Pre-Heaven Realm. Above the Pre-Heaven Realm lie the legendary Divine Abilities, and as for the powerhouses beyond that, they were far beyond the comprehension of a mere foot soldier like his former self. The body Zhou Tianci had taken over served as a squad leader in the Blood Battle Legion. According to the Legion’s rules, a squad leader must possess the Bone Refinement Realm cultivation level—a stroke of luck for Zhou Tianci. As for the energy he sensed within his body, it was not the True Qi of the Innate Realm, but rather Spiritual Qi used to temper the physical body during cultivation.