Yuan Bao, who had been silent the whole time, said softly, "100,000 years ago, there was a cultivator in Yunzhong called Fu Yaozi. He had been searching for the truth of this world. Through various clues, he found many records about the destruction of the Distant Past era.
After he advanced to the Deification realm, he found the notes of an ancient Mahayana cultivator in a divine palace. Only then did he know what the destruction of the Distant Past era was. "
"… Although the Distant Past era was destroyed, it was a normal reconstruction. The destruction of the Distant Past era was because the gods abandoned this world."
"Abandoned?" Mo Tiange was a bit confused.
Yuan Bao nodded lightly. "Yes, abandoned.
At that time, they wanted to completely destroy this world, but the result was that they didn't completely destroy this world. This world flourished again.
The destructive power last time was too strong and damaged its origin, so the spiritual aura in our world became thin and spiritual objects were rare. "
Mo Tiange took a deep breath. She never thought she would hear such a truth.
"This is an abandoned world," Zhong Muling said coldly. "No matter how we cultivate, we can't ascend. The Deification realm is our final destination!
That's why you can still see the Five-Spirit Sacrificial Temple and obtain the Five-Spirit Inheritance. For us Deification cultivators, these things are meaningless. It's better to leave them for later generations to see if there's a person destined by heaven who can obtain the inheritance and change this fate. "
"But …" Mo Tiange felt she couldn't breathe. "Since it's already been abandoned by the gods, how can there be a person destined by heaven?"
"…"
Zhong Muling and Yuan Bao didn't answer. This was a question they couldn't answer.
Destiny. For an abandoned world, where was the destiny?
Although they knew it was ridiculous, they still hoped there was such a destiny in their hearts.
"… Even if that's the case, have you tried it?
Can the Five-Spirit Inheritance and the Primordial Devil Great Technique really not reach the heavens? "Mo Tiange didn't give up.
Yuan Bao answered, "Why do you think we chose to be on duty at the Qilin Sacrificial Temple?
Because the Qilin Sacrificial Temple was discovered first.
Both the Qilin and the Primordial Devil Great Technique were inherited by someone else. They were the ones who discovered this. "
"Who … are they?"
Zhong Muling said, "You should've heard of these two people. The one who obtained the Primordial Devil Great Technique is the number one devil cultivator in Yunzhong, Demon Venerable Sky. The one who obtained the Qilin's inheritance is Fuyao Zi." He stared at Mo Tiange and said, "He's that master of yours."
"Ah!" Mo Tiange exclaimed. From what Ingot said just now, she already knew Fu Yaozi was a Deification cultivator, but she didn't expect Zhong Muling would also know about this.
Zhong Muling knew what she was thinking, so he said, "Don't be suspicious. We weren't spying on you. It's just that you entered the Azure Dragon Sacrificial Temple and later, by chance, you entered the Vermilion Bird Sacrificial Temple, so we paid special attention to you."
Soul Formation cultivators paid special attention to it. Naturally, their entire life experiences could not be hidden.
Mo Tiange didn't dwell on this matter. She said, "Even if I entered two sacrificial temples at the same time, so what?
I'm sure all of your Soul Formation seniors have already entered. How could the Mandate of Heaven be so simple …? "
Zhong Muling smiled bitterly. "How could we not know this?
It's just … "It's just that I'm unwilling. I'm unwilling to be abandoned in this world where I can't ascend.
"… Back then, Fu Yaozi and Demon Venerable Skylight searched every corner of this world and found the Qilin Sacrificial Temple. Each of them obtained one of the fated chances. Fu Yaozi obtained the Qilin's inheritance while Demon Venerable Skylight obtained the Primordial Devil Stele.
They soon discovered that these two things contained formidable power. If they cultivated them properly, they would surpass all the cultivation techniques in this world.
This discovery was soon known by all the Deification cultivators. After they advanced into the Deification realm, they discovered that it was difficult for their cultivation levels to make any progress. It was almost impossible for them to advance again. Because of this, they began to search for clues about the five spirits. "
"You should know that Deification cultivators are very rare. Only one or two appear on each continent every several thousand years. Especially during their era, when the world flourished again, it had only been several tens of thousands of years. At that time, there were no more than ten Deification cultivators in the world.
The competition wasn't too fierce. Moreover, even if they obtained the divine beast's inheritance and the Great Primordial Devil Technique, their path to heaven was still boundless. Therefore, they simply formed an alliance and agreed to find five sacrificial temples before dividing the treasures. "
At this point, Zhong Muling stopped and heaved a sigh.
There was no need to say anything else. Mo Tiange and Qin Xi already understood that the alliance of Deification cultivators naturally went smoothly. Unfortunately, after they found it, they immediately discovered that it was meaningless to them. Therefore, aside from the Qilin, the five spirits were still perfectly preserved.
"… For several tens of thousands of years, people continuously advanced to the Deification realm and people continuously learned the truth, but nothing could change.
We couldn't contact the people outside. It seemed like we couldn't break through that invisible barrier in the Deification realm.
But in this world, we simply couldn't advance any further.
The cycle kept repeating itself and became an unsolvable problem. "
"… Then, will our world still be destroyed?" Mo Tiange asked after a long time.
"I don't know," Zhong Muling answered faintly. "Maybe, maybe not."
Mo Tiange kind of wanted to ask. If the world was destroyed, would they get the attention of God again and see the path to heaven?
But she didn't ask again because she didn't need to and couldn't get an answer.
The four of them didn't speak again.
Yuan Bao sipped his wine intermittently. Zhong Muling sat in silence. Mo Tiange and Qin Xi looked at each other without saying anything. However, their tightly clasped hands were extremely cold.
It turned out their long-term pursuit, the pursuit of millions of cultivators in the world, was just a dream — an unreachable dream?
"Do you still want to advance to the Deification realm?" After a long time, Zhong Muling asked, "Or do you still want to cultivate?"
"…"
Seeing that they couldn't answer, Zhong Muling didn't say much. He said, "I'll take you back. When you advance to the Deification realm, we'll probably see each other again.
You don't need to pay attention to the Qilin Sacrificial Temple anymore. It's just a boring game played by us old guys to see if anyone could really find it. Since you've found it, it'll be abandoned. "
Zhong Muling raised his hand and was about to create a Space Transporting Gate when he heard Mo Tiange shouting, "Great Ancestor, wait!"
He stopped for a moment and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Mo Tiange asked, "There's still something I don't understand. Why did the Five Spirits Sacrificial Temple's position only happen after the world changed and the continent shifted?
Why did the continent shift happen?
Is it related to me?
And … "
Upon hearing her question, Zhong Muling's face stiffened. He showed a strange expression and finally said, "You just want to ask these questions?" This wasn't the main point, okay?
Mo Tiange was a bit embarrassed and said, "Great Ancestor, what you said is indeed shocking, but it can't be changed.
These things have puzzled me for a long time, and I've never had anyone to ask … "
"Alright!"
Zhong Muling showed a helpless expression. "In fact, this world originally looked like this. It's just that the destruction of the Distant Past era was too thorough, so it became like this.
As for why it changed back, we can't answer this question in detail. We can only say that it's related to you.
You activated the modified Mysterious Void Cloud Formation in the Vermilion Bird Sacrificial Temple, which affected the balance of space and caused the space to collapse. The Five Spirits Sacrificial Temple is inextricably linked to this world, so it eventually caused the continent to shift and returned to its original state … "
"I see."
Mo Tiange nodded as if she understood something. She then asked, "Great Ancestor, may I ask how long does a Deification cultivator have? Why can a cultivator from a hundred thousand years ago survive until now?"
"…" Zhong Muling was silent for a while then answered, "Since the world has changed, the rules have also changed.
In this broken world, Deification cultivators are too powerful, so correspondingly, they can't meddle in human affairs. As for their lifespan, even we don't know how long a Deification cultivator can live. Maybe they can even live forever. "
"… Do you have any other questions?" Zhong Muling asked after he explained everything in detail.
Mo Tiange shook her head. "I don't have any other questions. I just want to ask Great Ancestor."
"About that cheap master of yours, right?" Yuan Bao, who was standing on the side, interrupted.
Mo Tiange nodded. "Yes. Just now, I heard Senior Yuan Bao say that my master, Fu Yao Zi, is already a Deification cultivator?"
"Yes, he's one of the first people in this world to reach the Deification realm!" Yuan Bao said somewhat sourly.
Speaking of which, he and Zhong Muling had lived for several thousand years, but to Fu Yao Zi from a hundred thousand years ago, they were juniors who couldn't be any later. Their seniority was lowered for no reason.
"Can I see him?"
Looking at her hopeful eyes, Zhong Muling said, "… I'll tell him. If he wants to see you, he'll come looking for you."
Mo Tiange showed a happy smile. "Thank you, Great Ancestor!"
Her expression made Zhong Muling feel a bit sour. "You're very respectful to him, but you're not like this to me, Great Ancestor …"
"Great Ancestor, I …" Mo Tiange wanted to explain, but Zhong Muling waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to explain. "Go back. Although you already know the truth, you're not a Deification cultivator after all. If you want to worry about these things, you still have a long way to go."
With a point of his finger, a Space Transporting Gate appeared in front of them. "Whether we're still related or not, whether we can meet again or not, depends on your choice."
* * *
After Mo Tiange and Qin Xi's figures disappeared, Zhong Muling and Ingot didn't speak for a long time.
They already knew the truth, but they'd been free and unfettered for so long that they somewhat forgot how cruel this truth was to cultivators who pursued the Great Dao their whole lives.
"… Aling, did you notice one thing?"
"What?"
Ingot stood up and sprinkled a cup of wine on the sea from the clouds as if he was holding a memorial for those brave souls who passed away in pursuit of the Great Dao.
"The appearance of this girl changed a lot of things.
Two of the five sacrificial temples were destroyed, the world returned to its original position, and we even found a Senior Qilin who was imprisoned in this world that we didn't know about. "
Zhong Muling was silent for a long time before he said, "She didn't do all of this alone. Let's say that Senior Qilin was the result of the efforts of the Qilin Clan in Xumi Sea."
"But it's related to her again, isn't it?"
Ingot said, "The person with the Mandate of Heaven doesn't change the world with their own strength. Instead, they cause the world to change."
Zhong Muling was slightly moved. "You're saying she's the person with the Mandate of Heaven?"
"I didn't say that." Ingot looked calm. "In any case, this game is over. Maybe the person with the Mandate of Heaven will really bring us the person with the Mandate of Heaven, or maybe there's nothing.
But it doesn't matter. The days of the Deification realm are really boring … "