"Senior, you seem to be familiar with the location of the Mother Tree's canopy?"
Ku Rong replied, "I've been there and heard of it."
Lu Yin understood. The stowaways had been there before, and so had his senior brother. He didn't know how many of the other Half-Ancestors had been there, but perhaps all of them had.
"When I arrived at the Withered Glory Domain, the Frigid Immortal Sect and the Wang Family's juniors all said that Ancestor Ku was the weakest Progenitor and that the secret techniques he created were all healing techniques. In terms of healing, even Progenitor Chen's avatar surpassed Ancestor Ku," Lu Yin said with a sigh.
Ku Rong laughed. "Alliance Master Lu, I'm already old, and I'm not that hot-blooded. Your words won't provoke Yu Wang, who I want to refute."
Lu Yin pursed his lips. These old fellows were troublesome; their mentality was too stable.
"I know what you want to know. In fact, no one has ever really wanted to know about our ancestors. Since Alliance Master Lu is interested, I won't hide anything from you," Ku Rong said.
Lu Yin's eyes lit up. "Please speak, senior."
Ku Rong clasped his hands behind his back. Lightning fell from the sky and ignited a mountain fire. This scene was too normal. "My ancestor's original name was Ku Jie. It's a very ordinary name, but it's also a bit humiliating. Because my ancestor's body was withered when he was born, he was discriminated against. Even his own parents didn't want to come into contact with him, so he got this name. As for his innate talent …" Ku Rong smiled bitterly, "It was also very poor."
Lu Yin was shocked. The Desolate Ancestor's cultivation talent was poor?
He had never experienced such a feeling before. He had always been synonymous with extraordinary talent.
"But so what if he wasn't talented enough? He never gave up. Even if the path of cultivation was full of obstacles, he never gave up. He never accepted his fate. My ancestor changed when he started practicing Withering Meditation."
"Withered Zen wasn't created by the ancestor himself, it was passed down from ancient times. It wasn't a very powerful technique, but it was very suitable for the ancestor's state of mind. Because he practiced Withered Zen, the ancestor almost died in meditation. In the end, he understood that when things reach an extreme, they will move in the opposite direction. If he hadn't understood that, he would have turned into a fossil."
Lu Yin was shocked. He could not imagine how much willpower a person would have to have cultivated a technique to the point where he was close to becoming a fossil.
In the cultivation world, the strong preyed on the weak. It was filled with blood, plunder, and slaughter.
Back then, when Lu Yin had used Things Will Develop in the Opposite Direction and caused his body to become like that, he had attracted a lot of vigilance and hostility. Needless to say, Desolate Ancestor had been like that since he was born. His perseverance was beyond imagination.
It was as if Lu Yin could see a withered youth struggling to endure year after year.
"When things reach an extreme, they will move in the opposite direction. He created an unprecedented Saint Technique, which allowed Ancestor to possess a normal physical body for the first time. It was also the first time he saw himself in his normal state, and it was also the first time he walked down the street like a normal person. From then on, Ancestor Chen left everyone in the dust. During that era, Ancestor Chen's unparalleled brilliance illuminated the world, and the Daosource Sect dominated the universe. The Symbol Progenitor, Progenitor Wushang, the Lu family, the Wang family, the Bai family, and many other geniuses had yet to become Progenitors, but their names had already spread throughout the universe.
At this point, Ku Rong's tone became even more impassioned. "It's not that Ancestor couldn't compete with them, but he wasn't willing to. With Ancestor's personality, he preferred to keep a low profile."
"Ancestor Chen is invincible and the Talisman Ancestor is mysterious. They all broke through to the Ancestor Layer one after another. All the great clans and sects are waiting to see who will be the next Ancestor Layer, but nobody would have thought that the Ku Ancestor would be the next Ancestor Layer. He's just an ordinary cultivator, and the reason why the Ancestor Layer can break through to the Ancestor Layer is because he's extremely strong."
Ku Rong stared at Lu Yin. "When things reach an extreme, they can only move in the opposite direction.
The opportunity to break through to the Ancestor Layer is also the fundamental reason why my Ku family was able to exist. Without this technique, Ancestor would have died long ago, and my Ku family would no longer exist. Alliance Leader Lu, Ancestor's story isn't very exciting, and it's just like his personality. He's very low-key, but his contributions aren't any worse than anyone else's. During the war between the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands, Ancestor didn't appear because he killed his way into the Eternals by himself. "
Lu Yin was shocked. "The Eternals?"
Ku Rong closed his eyes, and a pained expression appeared on his face. "That's right. Ancestor killed his way into the Eternals by himself and never returned. If there's anyone who understood Ancestor during that era, it would be the Eternals. Although Ancestor's name never spread throughout the universe, his opponents weren't weak, especially the Eternals. Ancestor's opponents were the Seven Skygods, and only the Seven Skygods were qualified to fight against Ancestor."
Lu Yin had never expected Ku Rong to disappear in such a manner. "What about the Ruler's Realm's Spirit Void Temple?
It's said that Ku Rong died there. "
Ku Rong shook his head. "There's no Ancestor there. Perhaps it's his disciple, but Ancestor himself charged into the Eternals, and his fate is a mystery."
"Why did Ku Rong charge into the Eternals?"
Lu Yin did not understand. Even Progenitor Chen, the Symbol Progenitor, and the powerhouses from the Lu, Wang, and Bai families had not done so, so why had Ku Rong done so?
"I don't know. Us descendants are useless, and we can't even find out if Ancestor is dead or alive," Ku Rong said bitterly.
Just as Ku Rong had said, Ku Rong had been too low-key. Even though he had been a Progenitor, he had not had much of a presence during that dazzling era. If Xin Nu had not told Lu Yin about this, Lu Yin would not have known that Ku Rong was one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas.
What kind of concept was the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas?
Only absolute powerhouses were qualified to occupy such a place, and it was not something that anyone who had become a Progenitor could occupy.
During the era of the Daosource Sect, the Fifth Mainland had been overseen by Progenitors all year round, and there had even been more than one. However, the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas had been empty most of the time, and they had only been fully occupied during Progenitor Chen's era.
Lu Yin could imagine how shocked the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands had been when Ku Rong had become a Progenitor. When Ku Rong had occupied the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, those people had been so shocked that they had doubted their lives.
Since Ku Rong had been able to occupy one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, he had been an absolute genius that could not be erased from that era. He had been a low-key, unconventional genius.
It was unimaginable that no one would pay attention to someone who had cultivated to the Progenitor realm, but Ku Rong had done it. If what Ku Rong had said was true, then Ku Rong had killed his way into the Eternals alone. His contributions would not be any less than Progenitor Chen's, and he might even be more respected.
Ku Rong looked at Lu Yin solemnly. "Alliance Master Lu, I know that my Ku family does not have a selfless relationship with you, and I've heard from Ku Pu that there have been some disagreements between us in the past. However, I would still like to shamelessly ask Alliance Master Lu for advice. No matter what the conditions are, as long as my Ku family can afford it, please feel free to state them. I'm not good at doing business, and I only wish to exchange sincerity for sincerity."
Lu Yin was troubled. This old man was indeed very sincere, and it was not easy to make a deal with such a person.
Hui Zhi had hidden the truth from Hui Kong, which meant that he had hidden the true root of wisdom. Lu Yin could make a deal with such a person, and he could even brazenly raise his conditions and test the waters. However, the more sincere a person was, the more difficult it would be to deal with them. Ku Rong, in particular, had gained Lu Yin's respect for him.
It was no wonder why Ku Pu had not come forward. The two of them had had some disagreements in the past, and if Ku Rong had come forward, the Ku family would have either been left in suspense, or they would have asked for an exorbitant price.
"Senior, I'd like to ask something. How do you teach me?" Lu Yin asked.
Ku Rong was stunned. "Teach me the way you cultivate."
"But I don't know how to cultivate either." Lu Yin was helpless.
Ku Rong …
Ku Rong stared into Lu Yin's eyes, but Lu Yin did not avoid his gaze. Instead, he looked back at Ku Rong with a calm gaze.
"Alliance Master Lu, do you really not know how to teach me?" Ku Rong did not really believe Lu Yin, but he was also unsure.
Lu Yin shook his head. "I've already explained the process of how I learned it. It came from a piece of jade, and it was directly engraved into my mind like an instinct. However, I don't really know how to teach it. How should I put it?
Senior should know that the Yōu Secret Art can only be passed down to a single person, and some secret techniques can't even be passed down to others. I've also learned a battle technique. "Lu Yin raised his hand, and a blazing sun appeared.
"This battle technique is very easy to learn, but no one has been able to successfully learn it. This is because a special power is required to learn it."
Ku Rong frowned. After cultivating for so long, how could he not know about this situation? In fact, he had already considered the problem of whether or not he could learn it. Regardless of whether or not Lu Yin could learn it, he would have told Lu Yin the same thing. Now, the worst-case scenario had appeared.
"Alliance Master Lu, I've heard about the Wen family's situation," Ku Rong said.
Lu Yin raised a brow.
"If Alliance Master Lu wants to use the Yōu Secret Art to bait my Ku family, then it's meaningless. My Ku family can only give Alliance Master Lu so much," Ku Rong said in a low voice.
Lu Yin shrugged. "Senior, do you want me to swear an oath?"
Ku Rong looked deeply at Lu Yin and then shook his head helplessly. "I don't have the qualifications to make Alliance Master Lu swear an oath, and Alliance Master Lu doesn't need to swear an oath to my Ku family either. Fate is determined by the heavens, and it seems that my Ku family is destined to never obtain the power of our ancestors."
Lu Yin had no other choice. He truly didn't know how to pass it down to someone else. Before coming here, he had only wanted to bait the Ku family, just like how he had baited the Wen family. However, in front of someone like Ku Rong, he could only tell the truth. Most importantly, he had been influenced by Ancestor Ku.
If what Ku Rong had said was true, then Ancestor Ku was an obscure hero who had kept a low profile and made great contributions. However, he hadn't received the treatment that he deserved and hadn't left his name in history.
Lu Yin couldn't deal with the descendant of such a person without restraint.
Ku Rong sighed. "Alliance Master Lu, I have something else to say." He looked at the distant mountain fire that was gradually extinguishing. "You asked me where that lightning came from, and I can tell you."
Lu Yin's eyes lit up.
"That lightning came from the Time Withering Tree."
"Time Withering Tree?"
Lu Yin was astonished. He suddenly remembered that it was a treasure of the Ku family. Back in the Outerverse, when the Daynight clan had attacked, Ku Wei had relied on the Time Withering Tree to protect himself. In Progenitor Chen's tomb, Ku Lei had also relied on the Time Withering Tree to protect himself, allowing him to survive the Giant Emperor's attack.
The Seven Courts each had their own treasures, and the Ku family's was the Time Withering Tree.
"That lightning came from the Time Withering Tree left behind by our ancestor. That tree contains his power," Ku Rong said solemnly.
Lu Yin was shocked. "Ancestor Ku's power?"
Ku Rong nodded. "Alliance Master Lu is well aware of our ancestor's strength. I'm thinking that perhaps this Time Tree left behind by our ancestor will remind Alliance Master Lu of how things can only move in the opposite direction when they reach an extreme. This is the greatest sincerity of the Ku family."
Lu Yin was very, very moved. This was the power of the Desolate Ancestor! Even an ordinary Progenitor was still a Progenitor, and the items that he had left behind would allow him to protect himself even against a Half-Ancestor.
"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want it, but I really don't know how to pass it down to someone else." Lu Yin was bitter, and his tone was filled with reluctance.