Chapter 409-410 |
“As far as I know, apart from our sect’s fundamental technique, the ‘Ji Shi Longevity Scripture,’ there were several senior brothers who practiced other techniques back then.”
“If I awaken them in advance, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Wait until I gather enough techniques…”
Linghu Chang muttered to himself, but he noticed strange looks from Xiao Heng and the others.
He couldn’t help but stop and asked, “What’s wrong, Friend Xiao? Is there something wrong with my plan?”
Xiao Heng sighed, “Friend Linghu, I’m afraid the current situation in the cultivation world is not as simple as you imagine.”
Xiao Heng then explained the rough situation of the two colossal entities, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders’ Association, which almost monopolized all techniques in the world.
Linghu Chang’s complexion instantly turned extremely pale.
“How could this be?”
Su Xiaomei hurriedly added, “The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is not a group of good people. If they learn about the current situation of your Medicine King Sect, they won’t spare you for the sake of treasures and techniques.”
Zhang Haobo also nodded, “The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s control over techniques is truly formidable. Especially the ancient technique you, Friend Linghu, are cultivating, it’s undoubtedly exceptional. It shouldn’t be a problem to reach the Dao Integration. With the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s style, they won’t let such a true technique remain outside. Once they get wind of it, they will definitely send Law Protectors to recover it.”
The three of them vividly described the terror of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance according to their own impressions.
Although Linghu Chang didn’t fully believe it, he understood the principle that innocent people shouldn’t be blamed for the sins of the guilty.
Joining the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and handing over the lives of hundreds of sleeping senior brothers to others was something he couldn’t do, entrusted by Lian Ruchen in his dying moments.
After thinking about it, he solemnly bowed to Xiao Heng and the others.
“I’ve been away from the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years, and the changes in the world are unfamiliar to me in many aspects. For the sake of the future well-being of my Medicine King Sect, I will trouble you all for assistance.”
Xiao Heng repeatedly said it was his duty.
After dealing with the matters inside the cauldron, Linghu Chang and the three others flew out from the Medicine King Cauldron.
Linghu Chang put away the Medicine King Cauldron.
Then, they planned to return to Shilin State along the same route.
Throughout the journey, everyone flew discreetly.
Seeing the magnificent heavenly cities along the way and the numerous cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance within, Linghu Chang became more convinced of his judgment, becoming more cautious.
…
Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance Headquarters.
Museum of Divine Treasures.
Guided by the attendant, Li Fan had already arrived at this magnificent building.
At this moment, his steps in the tour slightly paused.
The guide looked at him somewhat puzzled.
“Is there a place to rest here?”
Li Fan said with some apology.
A guide in black clothes looked at Li Fan, who was white-haired and looked old, with an understanding expression.
Then, he led him to a closed space.
Although simple in decoration, it had all the necessary furniture.
“You can rest here. If you want to visit again, just contact me through this jade card, marked with the year ‘Bing Yin.'”
Handing the jade card engraved with the words ‘Bing Yin’ to Li Fan, the guide quietly left.
Li Fan took a deep breath, digesting the information transmitted from Xiao Heng and the others.
“Immortal Ruin?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Extremely attractive, devouring everything.”
“Even capable of distorting time and space. Approaching it, a moment could be equivalent to a thousand years.”
“What is this…”
“A black hole?”
“Or rather, a force very similar to a black hole.”
“Does the mysterious existence above Yuandao Province have any connection with the Immortal Ruin?”
While Li Fan was organizing the information, he suddenly froze.
“Wait a moment, the Immortal Ruin, the Xuanhuang Realm below that can be attracted and devoured at any time.”
“As well as the anomalies in the Xuanhuang Realm after the death of cultivators.”
…
In an instant, combining the observations from Tianling Province
All the clues formed a line.
A logically consistent conclusion appeared in Li Fan’s mind.
Enough to rationally and completely unravel the doubts in Li Fan’s mind.
“To avoid the fate of the entire Xuanhuang Realm being swallowed by the Immortal Ruin above, it needs to maintain a certain ‘weight’ itself.”
“And cultivators are also a crucial part of this ‘weight’…”
“When numerous cultivators die, the Xuanhuang Realm becomes lighter.”
“So, it is slightly attracted by the Immortal Ruin, approaching it by a small distance.”
“…”
“If the number of cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm drops to a certain level, the entire Xuanhuang Realm will irreversibly…”
“Completely fall into the Immortal Ruin.”
“At that time, even the Longevity Immortal, I’m afraid, will not be able to escape the fate of destruction.”
“This is why Jihong Dao’s deterrent works.”
“Mutual destruction.”
“This is also why ‘the number of cultivators must not be too small.'”
Li Fan’s thoughts quickly turned, and he thought of Zhao Shijie’s words and actions. He vaguely felt that this judgment was extremely close to the truth.
But then the problem arose.
Why do cultivators have ‘weight’?
It’s understandable for the world to have weight.
But the physical bodies of cultivators, how…
In an instant, it was as if a lightning bolt had split through the mist.
Li Fan instantly understood.
“If it’s an ancient technique cultivator, naturally, there is no concept of ‘weight.'”
“But for new technique cultivators, they plunder the heavens and seize the earth.”
“Absorb the essence of heaven and earth, imitate the heavenly treasures, observe the laws of heaven and earth, seize the essence of heaven and earth, extract the marrow of heaven and earth…”
“They absorb a part of the world, turning it into their own.”
“It naturally obtains the attribute of ‘weight’ of the world.”
For cultivators below the Golden Core stage, it might not be obvious.
When reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, after swallowing the ‘Dharma’ originally belonging to heaven and earth, transforming it into their own domain.
This becomes more understandable.
“Dharma…”
“The ‘weight’ of the world…”
Li Fan then thought of more.
According to the observations of Linghu Chang from the Medicine King Sect.
The Immortal Ruin above the Xuanhuang Realm should have existed long before the spread of new techniques.
At that time, the ten major sects of the Immortal Dao joined forces to prevent the fate of the Xuanhuang Realm being swallowed.
What exactly did the top cultivators standing at the peak of the cultivation world do back then?
Thinking about the current situation of the Xuanhuang Realm, a bold speculation emerged in Li Fan’s mind.
“When I learned about the new techniques from the ‘Five Spiritual Qi Sensing Method,’ I had doubts in my heart.”
“Cultivators plundering the heavens and seizing the earth, and yet this world can persist for so long. It’s truly incredible.”
“After delving into various secrets of the Xuanhuang Realm, I also had suspicions.”
“There are too many ‘subworlds’ and small worlds contained within the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“From the Great Xu to the edge of the realm. Even countless attached worlds, as well as countless subworld of various shapes.”
“Now it seems that these places may not have originally belonged to the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“But were ‘captured’ from the void by the cultivators of the ten major sects of the Immortal Dao back then, to avoid being swallowed by the Immortal Ruin.”
(End of this chapter)
“Ancient cultivators’ actions were truly comparable to catching stars and taking the moon.”
Thinking about the countless Subworlds and smaller worlds within the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
It was precisely because of the accumulation of the past that the Xuanhuang Realm had such a rich foundation.
This allowed it to endure for thousands of years despite the plundering of cultivators.
“When cultivators of this world die, they will return their Dao to Heaven. This is a self-generated countermeasure that the world has developed in response to the perceived threat.”
“This method of recycling has greatly slowed the rate of ‘weight’ loss.”
“But…”
Li Fan pondered slightly.
The so-called ‘weight’ was simply Li Fan’s way of referring to the Xuanhuang Realm’s ability to resist the attraction of the Immortal Ruins, given his limited information.
From what he could see, the ‘weight’ of a cultivator after their demise and return of their Dao to Heaven was far less than when they were alive.
“Perhaps it’s because the energy that returns to the heavens when Subworlds are destroyed is formless. And for Heaven to re-condense this energy into tangible objects with ‘weight’ requires a long period of time.”
“When the rate of Subworld creation is less than the rate of their destruction, there will be a deficit. This will affect the safety of the Xuanhuang Realm.”
“Therefore, the number of cultivators must be controlled and maintained in balance.”
“This is one possibility.”
“Another possibility is…”
Li Fan’s brow furrowed.
“When cultivators die, they don’t all return their Dao to Heaven. A portion of them disappears…”
“It’s a bit terrifying to think about, but it’s become commonplace in the Xuanhuang Realm.”
Li Fan recalled the scene recorded by the Medicine King Cauldron when it broke through the world’s barriers.
Leaving the protection of the world, the Medicine King Cauldron, attempting to cross the void, was like a moth drawn to a flame, inevitably falling towards the Immortal Ruins.
“Immortal Ruins…”
The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown.
Why did the ancient Immortal Realm passage become the devouring entity it is now?
Does the former Immortal Realm still exist?
If the Immortal Realm no longer exists, what caused its destruction?
The more he thought about it, the more instinctive fear surged within Li Fan.
After a moment, Li Fan took a deep breath and suppressed his myriad thoughts.
These were still too distant for him right now.
At the very least, he would need to consider these issues after achieving the Longevity Immortal Sage.
Putting these thoughts aside, Li Fan pondered his own situation.
“Although the world I’ve transmigrated to is on the verge of destruction at all times.”
“But if you think about it, this situation is actually better for me.”
“After all, even the lofty Longevity Realm cultivators are essentially no different from ordinary beings in the Xuanhuang Realm, just grasshoppers on the same boat.”
“On this sinking ship of the Xuanhuang Realm, even the Longevity Immortal Sages have to be cautious in their actions. They can’t be completely reckless.”
“If it were a world completely controlled by such powerful beings, where they could refine and obliterate all living beings within the world with a single thought without any burden, then that would be truly hopeless. Even with the help of the ‘Truth’, there would be nothing but helplessness.”
“It’s fortunate amidst misfortune!”
Li Fan thought this, and his heart gradually calmed down.
“The Tianxuan Spirit Locking Formation is equivalent to the ‘nuclear deterrent’ that existed in my previous world.”
“Before the Five Elders Association finds a way to break it, large-scale wars are unlikely to occur. There might only be occasional small-scale skirmishes.”
“But it does confirm the disappearance of the Heavenly Venerate. It’s hard to say what the future holds.”
Li Fan summoned the ‘Truth’ interface.
“Biological Age: 884/899.”
“As the saying goes, you can see further from a higher vantage point. In the past, I could only live for a maximum of 50 years before being forced to return to ‘Truth’. 50 years of foresight was enough for ordinary people. But in this unpredictable Xuanhuang Realm, it’s not enough.”
“Perhaps in a certain life, I could try doing nothing and just observe the changes in the Xuanhuang Realm. With the passage of time, I might find more valuable information.”
…
With his thoughts sorted, to avoid suspicion, Li Fan took out the jade token given to him by the guide Bing Yin and resumed his tour of the Museum of Divine Treasures.
In fact, at this point in his current life, Li Fan could have simply returned to ‘Truth’. However, the Museum of Divine Treasures was a significant location for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, and it was not easy to visit.
Since he was here, it wouldn’t hurt to expand his knowledge. Li Fan had been very interested in the head of the first cultivator infected by the Immortal Mortal Miasma, located in the center of the Museum.
According to the guide Bing Yin, the Museum of Divine Treasures was divided into several areas based on the nature of the exhibits.
The area Li Fan was currently in was the first area that all cultivators visiting the Museum had to see.
The ‘Golden Age’.
“What is this?” Li Fan asked, intrigued, as he looked at the giant ball of light floating before him.
The ball of light was composed of several areas displaying different scenes. The images flashed at an incredibly fast pace, only allowing one to vaguely make out the fleeting glimpses within.
Not only were there buildings of various styles, but also many figures flashing through them.
However, it was clear that the different areas had distinct landscape styles.
“This is the ‘Age’,” Bing Yin explained dutifully to Li Fan.
“It’s a concrete manifestation of various periods in the history of the Xuanhuang Realm, derived from a Dao Integration Stone as its core.”
“This desolate wasteland, covered in ruins, is the former Wasteland Age.”
“This area, filled with blood and killing intent, is the Great Darkness Age.”
“Here, where many figures flash by, is the Great Plague Age. Hmm, it seems to be simulating the period of the Great Migration, when cultivators forcibly relocated ordinary people.”
As Bing Yin spoke, the areas of the Age that were mentioned would enlarge, allowing Li Fan to vaguely see the details changing rapidly within.
“Dao Integration Stone…” Li Fan stared at the ball of light for a while, then asked, “What exactly is the so-called Golden Age?”
Bing Yin smiled, “The Dao Integration Stone is a peculiar object from the ancient Tai Yan Sect, with the ability to derive Heavenly Secrets and predict the future.”
“The results it derives are indistinguishable from reality, extremely illusory and nearly real.”
“Perhaps for us outsiders, the various different time periods simulated within the ‘Age’ are simply illusory existences.”
“But for the countless living beings within, everything they experience is undeniably real.”
“And when we project a strand of our divine sense, or even a portion of our Nascent Soul into it, we can personally experience these events that once truly occurred in history.”
Bing Yin first explained the background of the ‘Age’ before continuing, “We once conducted an experiment with one million blank Nascent Souls that had their memories erased.”
“We sent them into different periods, simulating for five hundred years, and then tallied the final results, ranking them.”
“And our age, the age controlled by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, undeniably ranks first.”
“Whether it’s the survival rate of cultivators or the overall cultivation level of cultivators, it surpasses all other periods.”
“The name Golden Age is well-deserved!”
Bing Yin said proudly.
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