Chapter 3: The Nine Realms of the Universe

Shi Yicheng did not answer directly, but continued to say: "Because the divine seal placed on me by this celestial being uses the innate supreme yin divine power, it can only be undone by encountering the innate supreme yang fire."

It is not because you have hung the cicada on your chest since childhood; I have altered your constitution by emitting some energy through the cicada.

He explained in detail to the police what had happened last night. Of course, Ren Chaofan only mentioned that he had been stabbed and would never say that he had come back to life, as that would likely lead the police to send him to a mental hospital. He registered his ID number, provided his address and contact number, and promised that he would return to testify if the two murderers were found. In short, after several procedures, he finally managed to send the police away. Ren Chaofan immediately closed the door tightly and called out in his heart: "Grandpa Cicada, please come out quickly."

He continued, "To unravel my divine seal, the faint innate energy within you is far from sufficient. Unless you are willing to pierce your heart and apply the purest blood from it onto the cicada."

Shi Yicheng smiled and said: "You belong to the mortal realm, but I do not belong to the demon realm. I do not belong to any of the nine realms."

Shi Yicheng sighed, saying, "Originally, I also had the opportunity to become the source of another universe." He glanced at Ren Chaofan, who was lost in thought, and smiled, saying, "I digressed; let us continue discussing the Nine Realms of the Universe. In due time, all of this will be revealed to you."

Shi Yicheng continued, "With your pure and yang blood, combined with the faint innate energy contained in your blood, I can finally unlock the divine seal"

God is the innate natural deity, existing before the separation of heaven and earth, also known as the Primordial Sage. This true sage has existed since the beginning. A celestial being, on the other hand, refers to those who have cultivated and attained enlightenment in the secular world, thus becoming postnatal enlightened immortals. Demons are the innate natural demons, appearing simultaneously with the gods as their opposites. Monsters are a general term for animals that have acquired superpowers through postnatal cultivation. Spirits are formed from plants that have undergone postnatal cultivation. Lifeless objects that transform into living beings through cultivation are referred to as monsters. After death, the souls of animals (including humans) leave the body and become ghosts. Spirits are the souls of plants, which transform into spirits after the plants lose their life.

Shi Yicheng said with a bitter smile: "If I encounter you again, where else could I possibly find you, kid"

Ren Chaofan expressed skepticism: "Is Brother Shi just boasting? Since you are so powerful, how could you be sealed in the Cold Cicada by a mere minor deity?"

Ren Chaofan only felt a flash of white light in his mind, and before him appeared a tall and handsome young man dressed in traditional Chinese attire.

Shi Yicheng became self-satisfied again: "Even the most powerful gods in the Nine Realms of the Universe cannot grant acquired bodies innate energy. But what am I? My former self is the origin, 'Nothing.' The abilities I possess are certainly not comparable to those of these minor celestial beings"

He continued, "Through my continuous transformation of your body, a faint trace of innate energy has finally begun to flow within your meridians. However, because I cannot disclose the cultivation methods to you, this innate energy cannot be expanded."

Ren Chaofan leaned in to listen, but inwardly he thought: "If it weren't for wanting to expel you, this old monster, from my body as soon as possible, I would have long gone to see those beautiful women at the market, why would I have the time to listen to your rambling here"

Shi Yicheng certainly knew what Ren Chaofan was thinking. He said, "Do not worry. Starting today, I will teach you a method of cultivation. Once you reach a certain level in your practice, your own energy will be able to sustain your life. At that time, I will leave your body."

I have been sealed in the cicada for 10,000 years. For you humans, it may seem like a long time, but for me, it is merely a brief moment

Ren Chaofan felt dizzy and his eyes glazed over: "Is it really this complicated?"

He asked with a smile, "Are you willing to pierce your own heart, you rascal?"

Shi Yicheng said: "Without the maintenance of energy, my remaining consciousness would have long since dissipated."

Shi Yicheng's old face flushed: "This cicada is not my true self; my true self has already turned to ashes. The cicada merely contains my lingering consciousness, which has been sealed within by a celestial being."

Shi Yicheng nodded: "Not only do immortals not exist, but even the clans from the other eight realms are becoming increasingly scarce"

Ren Chaofan shook his head to clear his mind: "That cicada is carved from stone, belonging to an inanimate object. Shouldn't you belong to the realm of the strange? Why do you refer to yourself as the origin of 'nothingness'?"

Ren Chaofan said: "Brother Shi, could you please spare some time to speak in front of me? You always talk in my mind, and I am starting to doubt whether I have developed schizophrenia."

Shi Yicheng hesitated and said: "I will tell you about this later." He continued: "After the celestial being sealed my consciousness within the cicada, it left the cicada to her brother's followers. After thousands of years of transmission, it finally reached your great-grandfather's hands."

Ren Chaofan said: "Have you not encountered the Primordial Yang Fire in these ten thousand years?"

In one sentence, Ren Chaofan was embarrassed to the point of turning bright red; indeed, in this society, it is not easy for a twenty-four-year-old man to remain a virgin.

Ren Chaofan, with a mournful expression, said: "Do you, as a residual consciousness, also possess energy?"

Shi Yicheng chuckled, "Fortunately, those two shadows helped me out by stabbing you in the heart."

Ren Chaofan thought: "Damn, I'm already over a thousand years old and still not allowed to call https://www.hetushu.com 'I call you grandpa', why should I be called 'big brother'? How ridiculous!"

Shi Yicheng smiled and said, "What is so difficult about this?"

Ren Chaofan curiously asked, "What kind of celestial being is that?"

Shi Yicheng said: "I do not even belong to this universe. I am one of the two points that existed before the birth of the universe"

However, at this moment, your blood has almost drained away. In order to save you, I had no choice but to use the cicada to seal your wound. Since the cicada contains the energy of primordial yin, when it encounters your primordial yang energy, the two will merge, ultimately becoming one with your body

Although he said so, Ren Chaofan was not very certain in his heart: "If this old man Shi is truly ungrateful and someone who burns bridges after crossing them, wouldn't he be sealing his own fate?"

Shi Yicheng said: "In fact, there are two points, one origin called 'Source', which is the origin of the universe. The other point is called 'Nothingness', which is my former self"

Ren Chaofan recalled the two shadowy figures who had attacked him, and he was filled with rage, nearly jumping up. Shi Yicheng reached out to gesture for him to calm down: "Don't jump up just yet; you, my friend, have turned misfortune into fortune. Can you let me finish speaking?"

Ren Chaofan sat down with a huff. Shi Yicheng continued, "In fact, I also have to thank you. Fortunately, you are a pure yang male; otherwise, even if you possess innate true energy, your blood would no longer be of the utmost purity and positivity."

Shi Yicheng smiled and said, "For you, it is temporarily a bit complicated"

It is precisely so

Ren Chaofan said: "Second Uncle is a Taoist priest from Wangwu Mountain, which is reputed to be the foremost cave heaven in Taoism. Could it be that the brother of this celestial being is someone from Taoism?"

Shi Yicheng ignored Ren Chaofan and continued to speak: "Before I teach you cultivation, let me first briefly introduce my background and some other relevant knowledge about cultivation."

Ren Chaofan touched his head and said, "Of course, it is because my constitution has improved"

During that time, I encountered countless practitioners, yet I could not find the person I needed. Until I met you, kid

Ren Chaofan shivered

Shi Yi immediately said: "What do you mean by thousands of years? I existed before the universe was born. By your human method of calculating age, I am already several billion years old."

Ren Chaofan was skeptical, but since the matter had come to this point, there was no other choice. He would do as Old Man Shi said.

Shi Yicheng nodded in satisfaction, thinking that his appearance was quite good, especially since even Ren Chaofan praised him profusely. He approached the chair and sat down, pretending to ponder for a moment before speaking: "Let me first share some knowledge about cultivation with you, so you can have a general impression."

Ren Chaofan became even more curious: "Origin? Isn't there only one point of origin for the birth of the universe?"

Ren Chaofan, puzzled, said: "Did you not mention earlier that only the divine race possesses innate energy? How can I, as a postnatal being, obtain innate energy?"

Ren Chaofan was greatly astonished: "Are you saying that there were no gods on Earth ten thousand years ago?"

Ren Chaofan immediately fainted

Shi Yicheng smiled triumphantly: "You have never been cared for since childhood, yet you have never fallen ill. Don't you find that strange?"

Shi Yicheng was very pleased with Ren Chaofan's humble and eager-to-learn attitude, and said: "The universe is divided into nine realms, namely the Divine Realm, the Demon Realm, the Immortal Realm, the Monster Realm, the Strange Realm, the Spirit Realm, the Soul Realm, the Ghost Realm, and the Mortal Realm"

Although I have broken the divine seal, the energy of my consciousness is still very weak. In order to save you, I can only inject all my energy into your body

The sound of the cicada echoed in Ren Chaofan's mind: "Do not call me Grandfather Cicada, for I will not age, nor will I die; I will always remain as I am now. You may call me by my name, Shi Yicheng, or simply call me Brother Shi."

Seeing Ren Chaofan's intrigued expression, he said: "Regarding this incident, I will tell you about it later at https://m.hetushu.com. For now, let me share my experiences."

He sighed and said: "The primordial Yang fire can only be encountered among the divine beings. No matter how great the magical power of the immortals cultivated later, the energy they possess is all acquired postnatally. As for the divine beings, they were isolated to another space during the upheaval that occurred ten thousand years ago."

Ren Chaofan could not help but interject: "There are actually so many realms? Then I must belong to the Mortal Realm, and Brother Shi must belong to the Demon Realm."

Shi Yicheng's old face flushed: "Well, there is another reason for this, and you will know in the future. In any case, just believe that my abilities are greater than those of the gods"

Ren Chaofan said: "No wonder people in the past could see so many deities and ghosts, yet almost no one sees them now. Could this all be due to the event that occurred ten thousand years ago?"

Ren Chaofan was confused: "Brother Shi, didn't you say that the universe is divided into nine realms? Why is it that you do not belong to any of these nine realms?"

"Nonsense!" Shi Yicheng tapped Ren Chaofan's forehead with his hand. Although it was a virtual avatar, it caused Ren Chaofan to feel a real pain for a moment

Ren Chaofan immediately nodded and said: "Indeed, Brother Shi, I see that you are not the kind of ungrateful person who would burn bridges after crossing them, or abandon others in times of need!"

The reason you have died and come back to life is entirely because my energy is sustaining the operation of your body. At this moment, what flows through your veins is not blood, but energy. If I were to leave your body, I would take away all the energy, and you would immediately die and enter the realm of spirits. You saved me, so how could I allow you to die like this

Ren Chaofan curled his lips in disdain. This Shi Yicheng, who was clearly so old that he couldn't even remember his own age, had created such a youthful and handsome image for himself; it was truly bizarre. However, he spoke with a lofty compliment: "Brother Shi is truly handsome and dashing; I find him particularly endearing." Ren Chaofan thought to himself: "Heh heh, anyway, this old monster wouldn't understand such profound idioms."