Since the dawn of Heaven and Earth, through countless eons, many Great Thousand Worlds have, with the passage of time and the changes of eras, either been destroyed, vanished, disintegrated, or re-evolved. Even those Great Thousand Worlds with the most ancient histories and the richest heritages are no exception.
Surveying all of Heaven and Earth, there is only one place that can withstand the passage of time and the changes of eras.
That place is the Great Desolate.
Where is the Great Desolate?
Break through the spatial barriers, leap out of the Great Thousand Worlds, and there lies the Great Desolate.
How vast is the Great Desolate?
Boundless, endless, infinite. As vast as Heaven and Earth is, so too is the Great Desolate.
Why?
Because this Heaven and Earth *is* the Great Desolate, and this Great Desolate *is* Heaven and Earth.
Since ancient times, the Great Desolate has always been a place that all cultivators yearn for, yet also hold in awe.
The reasons for yearning are many.
First, spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth all originates from the Primordial Source of Heaven and Earth.
And within Heaven and Earth exist billions of Great Thousand Worlds.
This spiritual energy from the Primordial Source was originally the purest. With the passage of time and the changes of eras, the spiritual energy has grown increasingly turbid. Dispersed across the Myriad Heavens and Ten Thousand Realms, it only becomes more impure.
In other words, no matter how pure the spiritual energy of a Great Thousand World may be, it cannot compare to even one ten-thousandth of that found in the Great Desolate.
The path of cultivation emphasizes purity. As one's cultivation advances, the requirements for spiritual energy also increase. If one continues to absorb the spiritual energy of the Great Thousand Worlds for cultivation, not only will it fail to advance one's cultivation, it may even become a detriment.
Second, resources.
No matter how vast a Great Thousand World is, it is ultimately just one space within Heaven and Earth. No matter how abundant its resources, they are ultimately finite. The cultivation resources of the Great Desolate, however, are boundless and endless.
Third, fortune.
Before achieving immortality, no matter how poor one's aptitude, as long as one possesses perseverance and diligently cultivates through bitter practice, one can ultimately reach the pinnacle and become an Immortal.
After achieving immortality, however, relying solely on diligence and bitter practice is insufficient to advance one's cultivation further. Meditating blindly can, at best, lead to mental derangement and blurred consciousness; at worst, it can cause one to fall into demonhood. Therefore, cultivation after becoming an Immortal relies more on one's own fortune.
What is fortune?
Fate, opportunity, karma, destiny—all are forms of fortune.
Often, what one lacks for a breakthrough in cultivation is not perseverance, nor bitter practice, but a single piece of guidance, a single moment of enlightenment, a single act of visualization, a single stroke of serendipity.
In the Great Thousand Worlds, one might also receive guidance, experience enlightenment, engage in visualization, or encounter serendipity. However, the Great Thousand Worlds are, in the end, merely spaces within the Great Desolate. Whether it's opportunities or serendipitous encounters, they pale in comparison to the boundless, endless Great Desolate.
After all, the Great Desolate has endured countless eons. The number of masters, great powers, and recluses is beyond counting. If one can receive their guidance, it surpasses a millennium of bitter cultivation. Even if one cannot gain the guidance of a great master, one can travel to various places in the Great Desolate to gain experience. With good luck, a single moment of enlightenment can surpass a millennium of solitary contemplation. If one is fortunate enough to encounter a great serendipity like the descent of a Heavenly Trace, it is not impossible to achieve sainthood on the spot.
In short, one phrase sums it up.
The Great Desolate is a place where miracles can be created, a place where the decay can be transformed into the God miracle. There is nothing you can imagine that cannot possibly happen in the Great Desolate.
Simultaneously, the Great Desolate is also a place filled with danger, mystery, and the unknown.
In the Great Desolate, with good fortune, you might receive guidance from a master. With bad fortune, you might be obliterated by one.
With good fortune, you might achieve enlightenment in a single day. With bad fortune, you might perish suddenly in a single day.
Encountering serendipity, some might achieve sainthood on the spot, while others might succumb to Qi deviation and fall into demonhood.
Some might obtain Heaven and Earth treasures from ancient ruins, while others might turn to ashes and smoke within them.
This is also why the Great Desolate inspires awe.
Many Immortals would rather grow old and die in the Great Thousand Worlds than venture into the mysterious, unknown Great Desolate.
Of course.
Those Immortals who prefer to age and die in the Great Thousand Worlds are only a small minority. Most Immortals choose to venture into the Great Desolate to make their mark.
What Immortal does not yearn for the legendary Nine Heavens beyond the Nine Layers of Immortal Dao Clouds? Who does not wish to witness with their own eyes the legendary Nine Heavens Immortal River?
Who doesn't?
Everyone does.
After all, the Great Desolate circulates far too many ancient legends.
After all, the Great Desolate has created far too many miraculous wonders.
After all, the Great Desolate has experienced far too many mysterious eras.
After all, the Great Desolate has borne far too many endless eons.
Some say that staying in the Great Thousand Worlds forever confines one to being a frog at the bottom of a well.
Only by reaching the Great Desolate will you truly know how high the heavens are and how thick the earth is.
...
Within the Great Desolate, there are countless Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, as well as innumerable Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms.
Some of these Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms are formed naturally, while others are born from innate gestation. However, the majority are opened and established in later ages.
As the saying goes.
Where there are people, there is conflict, and where there is conflict, there will be grievances.
This holds true for the Mortal Realm of the Great Thousand Worlds, and the Great Desolate is no exception.
In the secular world, sects contend for cultivation resources.
In the Great Desolate, Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms also contend for cultivation resources.
What are cultivation resources?
In the eyes of cultivators in the Mortal Realm of the Great Thousand Worlds, cultivation resources are nothing more than spiritual veins.
In the eyes of Immortals in the Great Desolate, cultivation resources are not spiritual veins, but the Great Thousand Worlds themselves.
Some Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands have long-standing legacies—perhaps a hundred thousand years, perhaps a million years, perhaps dating from the Upper Ancient era, or even from the Remote Antiquity or the Primordial Antiquity.
To seize cultivation resources, they all dispatch Immortals to descend to various Great Thousand Worlds to establish sects. Firstly, to monopolize cultivation resources. Secondly, to seize the initiative in fortune. Thirdly, to recruit talent.
The spiritual energy of the Mortal Realm of the Great Thousand Worlds may not be as dense or pure as that of the Great Desolate, but one cannot rule out the occasional, unexpected gestation of a Heaven and Earth treasure.
Similarly, no one knows when or where fortune might emerge. Often, fortune does not descend upon the Great Desolate, but upon the Mortal Realm. For example, the Current Era's Mandate descended in the Mortal Realm. If one has a subordinate sect in the Mortal Realm, one can seize the initiative. If a Grotto Heaven or Blessed Land in the Great Desolate lacks a subordinate sect in the Mortal Realm, it might not even know that fortune has been born.
Most importantly, establishing sects in the Mortal Realm allows for the recruitment of talent. If a subordinate sect cultivates an Immortal Lord or Immortal King, the status of the Grotto Heaven or Blessed Land will also rise within the Great Desolate. If it cultivates a Mandate Holder, that is even more extraordinary. After all, in the end, the struggle between the various Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms comes down to their own strength.
Most Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms will establish sects and set up branches in the Mortal Realm. Weaker forces might only establish a sect in one Mortal Realm. Slightly stronger ones might establish sects in two Mortal Realms. The more powerful the force, the more sects it establishes in the Mortal Realm. Some Grotto Heavens or Blessed Lands can even dominate an entire Mortal Realm.
Although on the surface, most Mortal Realms have Immortal Dynasties established by the Immortal Dao, the rulers of these Immortal Dynasties are all people from the various Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms.
As for those Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands in the Great Desolate with greater reputations, each controls the cultivation resources of over a hundred, or even over a thousand, Great Thousand Worlds.
As for the thirty-six Grotto Heavens and seventy-two Blessed Lands renowned throughout the Great Desolate, there is no need to even mention them—the number of Mortal Realms they control is beyond count.