This thought made Zhou Fan's mind move in a different direction. Looking through time, Zhou Fan could even see the formation of the universe itself.
The very origin of all time began when the universe appeared into existence. There was no logic behind how it existed. It simply did.
To cultivators, this was an acceptable answer.
To create a universe, Zhou Fan needed space. Technically, there was the nothingness that existed outside of the universe, but that was currently untouchable.
Instead, Zhou Fan felt that it was more logical to make a universe inside of his body. With his current power, space was like a toy that could be played with.
Zhou Fan began this little experiment. Firstly, he used Time and Space Qi to create an area in the center of his chest. He then covered it in a film of Chaos Qi. It was about the size of a heart, but inside it was about the same size as a filament.
This process took a while, totaling about 10 years. Then, using his understanding of creation, Zhou Fan turned the Time and Space Qi that formed the universe into genuine Time and Space. Combined with the power of Chaos, Zhou Fan now had an empty universe in his chest.
It sounded extremely simple, but it was only due to Zhou Fan's overwhelming power that it could be done at all.
In this universe, there were no stars or planets. It was just empty space.
Zhou Fan used star Qi and his understanding of creation to create stars. Over a period of a year, countless stars were born.
He then used Earth Qi to create planets. These were not diverse planets like in the current universe. He had no plans to do too much to the universe within him. He was merely testing everything out.
Next, he created black holes. These created Galaxies. Next were Great Attractors. These needed to be made one by one, something that Zhou Fan had no desire to waste his time on.
So, if he did not do it, he would get someone, or something to do it. One of Zhou Fan's oldest projects was the creation of a universal consciousness.
This idea was no longer impossible, or even necessarily difficult, at all.
In fact, Zhou Fan could do it in a few ways. He could create it like a robot that followed commands and only responded to predicted situations, or he could do one of many other things.
Considering this was an experiment with no consequences, Zhou Fan decided to go with the idea of creating something close to life, but had no emotions or desires at all.
It was similar to a robot with intelligence. Naturally, giving it emotions was out of the question. This wouldn't be another Heaven, but a governing system.
With no life to govern over yet, this universal consciousness first task would be to create diverse great attractors throughout the universe.
As for how exactly to create it, Zhou Fan had a few ideas. After deliberating to himself, Zhou Fan created a new lifeform, the likes of which had not really been seen.
This beings form was that of a green, ethereal light. From afar, it looked similar to the northern lights in the arctic regions of earth from long ago.
This being had intelligence, but no emotions at all. There was no instinct and no will to live or exist.
It simply sat in space floating, going wherever the universe would take it. While it could freely think, it had no reason to think.
Zhou Fan gave it purpose. As if some sort of machine being given power, the universal consciousness moved. Zhou Fan had given it power over the universe within his chest. It knew its objective and it had the means to complete it.
Zhou Fan would wait and see where this experiment would take him. In the meantime, there was more to do.
Zhou Fan stopped paying attention to the universe within his chest and began to instead look at himself. During his time with Zhu Yi, he had questioned his identity as a human.
After much thinking, he concluded that he no longer felt the need to be human. It was simply of no help to him.
Instead, he decided to create his own race, and he would be the only member. It didn't take long before Zhou Fan knew what he wanted to do. All he needed now was to figure out how to do it.
Unlike interacting with the outside universe, Zhou Fan's body was as great as his power. Not only his body, but his mind and soul as well.
Changing any of these was no small task at all. Even with his power, he needed to find a way.
He first examined the essence of a human. Skin, blood, bones, muscles, veins, organs, etc. He looked at all of it and decided that it was a great design. Instead of making himself inhuman, he could simply base his new race off of the form he was most familiar with, the human form.
He started at the deepest level, the bones. The River of Cultivation became visible and flowed through his body. Its only target was Zhou Fan's bones.
It washed over the bones as if it was cleaning them. As it did so, it changed the essence of them.
No longer were there pure white bones, but bones pulsing with the power of cultivation. They were still somewhat white, but gave off a permanent green glow.
The River of Cultivation came out of the other side of Zhou Fan's body, carrying with it a white powder. Although it seemed as if it was simply washing over, Zhou Fan's bones had been ground up and replaced.
It was painful, but Zhou Fan could endure it. Next, Zhou Fan looked at the muscles and veins in his body. The River of Cultivation entered his body once again, and a similar situation repeated. Everything was destroyed and created anew. Zhou Fan felt his body resonating with the River of Cultivation even further as it came out the other side.
Similar to his bones, his muscles and veins now had a green glow to them, made with the power of Cultivation.