Chapter 158: The Old Turtle Burrowing into the Soul

Heavenly Respect felt terror creeping into his heart, sensing he’d lost something vital. The “presence” he once detected in the Sealed Land had now completely vanished—even using his celestial powers yielded no trace. This disturbance affected not just him, but Earthly Lord and Human Respect too, leaving only the newly ascended Mystic Lord silent.

The island kept falling through clouds until the azure sea came into view below.

Just as Heavenly Respect braced for total destruction, the descent suddenly slowed. A tremendous impact carved a bowl-shaped depression into the ocean’s surface, leaving the island hovering above water.

Having met Creator Zuo Meng once, Heavenly Respect retained enough goodwill to survive this expulsion—his domain remained intact though banished from the skies.

“It stopped?”

Emerging from the island he’d cultivated for centuries, Heavenly Respect found his former floating sanctuary transformed into a deep-sea buoy. All extraordinary phenomena had disappeared, leaving mundane scenery behind.

“Has the world changed?”

Standing on the rippling sea, Heavenly Respect stared blankly at the altered sky.

‘Cultivation stages: Postnatal, Prenatal, Master, Great Master, Shatter the Void. Non-Masters cannot fly.’

Zuo Meng stood in emptiness, weaving rules absorbed from the Origin World into the small world’s fabric. These foundational principles—once deemed trivial—now revealed their crucial role as civilization’s bedrock, much like invisible supports making buildings sturdy.

Every martial artist instantly gained this knowledge as innate truth. None questioned it, not even the Three Great Lords. Worldly beings couldn’t perceive higher powers manipulating their reality.

After establishing basic laws, Zuo Meng paused his modifications—the lower realm would suffice for now.

Turning from the mortal plane, he addressed the vacant sky:

“Let there be a Celestial Palace.”

Clouds solidified underfoot as his words conjured soaring towers. Divine cranes circled while rows of celestial soldiers materialized—preprogrammed beings surpassing small world’s power but frozen in growth unless Zuo Meng willed otherwise.

“Celestial Emperor.”

The throne answered Zuo Meng’s call with a radiant silhouette. Though born at the small world’s power ceiling, this sovereign remained bound to guard the Celestial Realm per Creator’s decree—no Ascension permitted.

“Guide this world.”

Zuo Meng departed after the curt order, no longer micromanaging creations unless amused.

“Your will be done.”

The Celestial Emperor bowed deeply toward vanishing footsteps.

Dream Realm

Unlike the clan-structured small world, this barren dimension showed only primitive beasts since Zuo Meng’s last era-ending purge. His renewed attention revealed stagnant evolution—no intelligent species except…

“Not entirely wasted.”

Zuo Meng’s lips twitched near a chasm where semi-intelligent monkeys clustered. Tribal elders offered wild fruits and bark in crude sacrifices to their deity—an ancient turtle.

This was the original Xuan Gui from Creation’s first epoch, outliving all contemporaries. While Zuo Meng had recycled other Chaotic Beings into stone, this survivalist turtle endured countless apocalypses.

*Thud! Thud!*

Pre-linguistic monkeys kowtowed fiercely, foreheads smacking ground.

“Hopeless! Centuries of teaching and still half-savages.” The turtle sighed. Past races built empires swiftly, but these dim simians lingered in semi-awareness—whether abandoned by gods or born stupid remained unclear.

Other species fared worse. This era’s only “achievement” was selecting these moronic apes from hundreds of beasts.

“Interesting.”

The voice made the dozing turtle jerk limbs and head inside its shell instantly.

Zuo Meng almost chuckled—this eternal survivor still hid reflexively despite being Dream Realm’s apex being after eons of outlasting rivals.

“Xuan Gui pays respects to Tai Chu Immortal!”

Recognizing the Creator, the turtle emerged to press its belly flat against earth—a perfect bow without daring eye contact. Centuries of caution shaped its impeccable etiquette.