Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Nine: Upon the Great Earth — the First Green

Volume Four: The Dao Gives Rise to Myriad Things — Life First Sprouts

The appearance of the first plant opened the gates of life. Soon, other plants began to appear elsewhere across the world. The surface of the earth shifted from scattered flecks of green to broad swaths of it. The primitive mosses and lichens covered rocks and soil, adorning the land with the vibrant hues of life.

The speed of green's spread across the earth exceeded Pangu's expectations. Though these lower plants were simple, their capacity for growth and reproduction was formidable. Wherever water and light were present, they could claim new territory in the shortest time.

As they grew, the plants began to change the very composition of the world's air. They absorbed Xiwei's light and a certain presence from the air, and released a different kind of fresh presence in return. Pangu felt this new presence filling the space between Heaven and Earth, making the air pleasant to breathe. The plants were transforming the atmosphere, preparing it for the more complex life that would follow.

The plants also changed how water and soil were held. Where their roots — or the primitive equivalents of roots — took hold, the soil no longer washed away so easily in the rain. The rivers ran clearer; the hillsides held their shape. The plants were not merely inhabitants of the world; they were its first shapers, preparing it for all the life yet to come.

Upon the Great Earth, the first green. Pangu stood on a hillside covered in the soft carpet of primitive moss and looked out across a world that was no longer barren. It was still simple, still spare — but it was alive. After eighteen thousand years of stone and sky and empty wind, the world had finally begun to bloom.