In the Great Change Universe, the Heavenly Dao makes up the foundation of all that lives and breathes.
As such, the Dao Pillar is where those Dao reside. Though the Dao of the Universe remain infinite in number, the Pillar consists of 33 Dao from which all the rest stem.
For any one person, understanding even a single Dao takes thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of years. Even then, no cultivator ever truly understands all of a single Dao.
For that reason, the Dao Pillar is a treasure unlike any other. To control the Dao Pillar would be to control a cultivator's understanding of the Dao. Any group or power that held the Dao Pillar would have the ability to control the Universe. For those with the highest understanding of the Dao reign supreme. A cultivator's realm is only a portion of their strength. The understanding of the Dao is what truly makes a cultivator powerful.
When the Dao Pillar of the Great Change Universe was discovered billions of years ago by the myriad of powers across the Universe, everyone understood that, no matter what, a single power should not have control over the Pillar.
Yet that didn't stop those powers from trying. And thus the Endless War began.
Across billions of years, hundreds and hundreds of billions of cultivators perished in the war to control the Dao Pillar. Millions of new Sects and Clans rose and fell, yet not a single one ever conquered the rest.
From the moment the Dao Pillar was found at the origin of the Universe, not a single group, and not a single individual had ever gotten close enough to even touch it.
However, even as the Dao Pillar of the Universe. Even as the foundation that holds the Universe together. After billions of years of powers greater than one could ever imagine clashing with each other. The Dao Pillar was falling apart.
***
Hundreds of millions of miles from the Dao Pillar, four cultivators stood near each other, engaged in a tense standoff.
Each cultivator was uniquely different.
The first cultivator held a long, silver blade. The blade, even without being swung, seemed to cut through the fabric of space. Like his blade, his face was extremely sharp. Despite being older than many galaxies, the cultivator looked to be in his 30s.
Next to this sword cultivator was a woman. Her most striking feature was her eyes. Not because of their shape or size, but because of their color. Anyone who could see them would think that her eyes held galaxies; swirling around in a myriad of colors, and enchanting all those who were below her.
The third cultivator in the standoff was a man. Unlike the first cultivator whose features were extremely sharp, this man was glaringly round and his head was shaved completely. He wore dull orange robes, in one hand a book and in the other, a string of beads.
The final cultivator was also a man, and compared to everyone else, he was a giant. Wearing only pants, his physique was visible to all. Anger was expressed in eyes, as his giant fist sat clenched by his sides. It was just a matter of time before he made his move.
The four cultivators stood for days, nobody making a move against the other.
After all, in the presence of what is essentially immortality, mere days are nothing more than a speck of dust.
On the 7th day, the cultivator whose mind and body resembled that of a sword looked off towards the Dao Pillar.
His eyes narrowed, before widening again with shock and anger.
"Who dares approach the Pillar!" His voice shouted out through the void of space.
The rest of the cultivators standing off, turned to look. Upon seeing what the sword cultivator had seen, the same anger flooded the eyes of the other three cultivators.
"Just because you reached our realm, you think you are at our level!?!?" The woman with colorful eyes spat. Her face transformed with hatred.
The energy around the four fluctuated, as the cultivators began to cast their strongest spells.
Normally, these would be reserved, held in anticipation for a final showdown against one of their peers.
But none of them planned to show mercy to someone who dared to go by them.
The sword cultivator took a slash at the figure that was nearing the Pillar. An ethereal shadow flew from the blade, nearly instantly arriving in front of the unknown cultivator.
At the same time, a sphere that seemed to be made of all elements condensed together and a domain of crushing gravity surrounded the cultivator.
Before the unknown individual had a chance to react, the sword shadow pierced the cultivator's heart. As soon as the sword struck them, the sphere of elements erupted, simultaneously freezing, burning, electrocuting, and more. Finally, as the cultivator's body and soul had been all but extinguished, the domain of gravity shrunk. The gravity in the domain got stronger and stronger as it got smaller, until finally, the cultivator's body erupted into a blood mist. Still, the gravity got stronger and soon, even the blood was disintegrated.
As beings of immense power, and being of near equal strength, all three attacks seemed to land on the cultivator at the same time. Because of the collision of these immense powers, shockwave after shockwave shot out from the impact zone.
The cultivator that had tried to bypass the four standing guard, despite being of similar realm, was annihilated. Their body, soul, and everything else, wiped from existence.
The only cultivator that did not attack was the Buddhist priest. He knew that even if he stood still, the temperaments of the other three would not allow for the hidden cultivator to survive.
He stood in the same place he had been, his eyes closed and mind tranquil. Then, as the last shockwave shot out, his eyes opened for the first time in years.
"NO! You mustn't let the shockwaves hit the Dao Pillar!!!" He yelled, panic and anxiety laced his words.
Indeed, the initial shockwave had cracked the surface of the Dao Pillar and now the final shockwave sought to completely break it apart.
For billions of years, the Dao Pillar stood in the same place, unbroken and unchanged by the trials of time. Yet, now, after one lone cultivator seeking a chance to seize the Dao Pillar and rule the known Universe, it was on the verge of destruction.
The other cultivators only noticed the cracking of the Dao Pillar after the Buddhist had shouted. It wasn't because the Buddhist was stronger, but because he was more attuned to the structure of the Universe than any of the other cultivators.
Still, it was too late. No technique or attack would be able to disrupt the shockwave that had formed from the ultimate technique of three cultivators that had reached near the Apex.
They could only helplessly watch as the Dao Pillar was hit one final time, before it exploded into 33 fragments. Each one phasing through the fabric of time and space heading to wherever fate may lead them. Without the central core of the Dao Pillar that held them in the Universe's plane of existence, it was unknown if any piece would ever be discovered or united once more.
Unbeknownst to the four cultivators, who had long been struck unconscious by a new shockwave that had come from the destruction of the Dao Pillar, a single piece remained in the same plane of time and space.
This piece was larger than all the rest, and looked to be made up of several sections.
Written on the largest section, the only section on the piece that was fully intact, was: Divination.
The Dao of Divination. One of the least sought after Dao, due to its low combat power. In a way, it was also the most common Dao as most cultivators would gain a small, nearly miniscule, ability of divination upon reaching a certain realm of cultivation.
The two pieces on either side of the complete Dao of Divination were not large enough to hold the full Dao name, but the two closest Dao to Divination were Time and Space. Each lay on one side of the Dao of Divination.
The final section of this large piece was circular and was connected to all the rest. This was the core of the Pillar. The section that kept this piece in reality.