Only after Xu Ying repeated himself did Jiang Qi finally understand what he meant. He gasped, "You're saying... even the heavenly gods are fake? They were created by someone too?"
It was clearly the first time he had ever heard the notion that heavenly gods were artificial constructs, and he was profoundly shaken.
Xu Ying brought out Heavenly God Longyuan's severed hand and explained his discovery. "Writing conveys the Dao. These characters of bird-and-worm seal script are written incorrectly, so naturally, the truths they carry are flawed as well. If heavenly gods were true incarnations of the Heavenly Dao, there would never be such errors."
How could the Heavenly Dao make mistakes when creating its own incarnations?
Yet on the palm of this heavenly god, there were eight separate errors in the Heavenly Dao runes.
This could only mean that the heavenly gods were not incarnations of the Heavenly Dao at all, but man-made creations. Whoever had created them had possessed a flawed understanding of the Heavenly Dao, leading to all sorts of oversights during the creation process.
However, the belief that heavenly gods were embodiments of the Heavenly Dao had been passed down since antiquity, accepted almost universally as an irrefutable truth.
Jiang Qi composed himself and murmured, "I only knew that the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts were fake—mere tricks concocted by someone who usurped the name of the Heavenly Dao to act arbitrarily and secure their own rule. I never imagined that even the heavenly gods themselves were fake..."
Judging whether the Heavenly Dao runes on the god's hand were genuine was normally near impossible. After all, who possessed deep enough research into the Heavenly Dao runes to tell? And even if someone did, their research might not be correct.
If anyone else had run up to Jiang Qi claiming that heavenly gods were artificial and the Heavenly Dao was a sham, he would have scoffed with disdain—or even slapped them across the face.
Yet because the person saying this was Xu Ying, he had no choice but to take it seriously and ponder the implications. Xu Ying was different from anyone else. Legends of his agelessness had been circulating since the Great Zhou era six thousand years ago. Many Qi Refiners of that time knew that while this ageless youth had often seemed muddle-headed and ignorant, he was capable of deciphering lost ancient scripts.
For instance, the jade slips and Dao scriptures that carried the immortal path, or the Heavenly Dao runes that carried the Heavenly Dao.
His insight ran deeper than that of anyone from that era!
Jiang Qi knew that if Xu Ying claimed there were eight errors in the Heavenly Dao runes on this severed hand, then there were precisely eight errors—neither one more nor one less!
Jiang Qi let out a ragged breath. His injuries flared up again, sending dull waves of pain through him. Enduring the agony, he croaked, "Ageless immortal..."
"Grand Preceptor Jiang, you can just call me Xu Ying or Ah Ying," Xu Ying said.
Jiang Qi offered a brief apology, paused, and said, "Senior Ah Ying, this junior doesn't know much about that period of history, but I once heard a rumor regarding the Heavenly Dao."
He paused once more before continuing. "The rumor says that ancient immortals gathered the Heavenly Dao and forged the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts, bestowing them upon the heavenly gods of the Heavenly Dao world. They tasked the heavenly gods with governing the myriad worlds in their stead."
Xu Ying was astonished, then chuckled in disbelief. "So those illiterates were actually immortals!"
Jiang Qi was slightly taken aback. Though he was the Grand Preceptor of Great Zhou and exceptionally brilliant, he had no idea what Xu Ying meant by calling them "illiterates."
"The heavenly gods wield the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts, and even the heavenly tribulations of Qi Refiners fall under their control. They mete out rewards and punishments across the myriad worlds, unleashing tribulations with the divine artifacts to discipline any realm guilty of defiance," Jiang Qi continued. "The Heavenly Dao divine artifacts also dictate the intensity of a Qi Refiner's heavenly tribulation. According to the records I obtained, the artifacts calibrate the power of each tribulation based on the strength of the previous Qi Refiner who successfully crossed their tribulation and ascended."
At first, Xu Ying saw nothing amiss with this. But upon further reflection, he immediately realized the horrifying implication.
"Doesn't that mean each subsequent Qi Refiner attempting to cross a tribulation must be stronger than the last ascendant—or at the very least their equal—to survive?"
Xu Ying gasped, "The next ascendant must be stronger than the previous one to survive the tribulation, and the one after that must be stronger still. Carried on indefinitely, wouldn't the tribulation eventually escalate to an intensity that almost no Qi Refiner could possibly survive?!"
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered the super heavenly tribulation that Zhou Qiyun had faced.
And the ruins of over forty super heavenly tribulations left in Huotong Cave-Heaven! And the traces of two hundred and sixty-seven super heavenly tribulations in Taiyi Lesser Mysterious Heaven! Those super tribulations clearly proved that in some ancient era, an immensely powerful Qi Refiner had crossed his tribulation and ascended. In response, the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts calibrated a super heavenly tribulation based on his sheer strength.
That super heavenly tribulation shattered every Qi Refiner's dream of ascension, turning the prospect of crossing a tribulation into a nightmare that hung over every cultivator's heart!
From that point on, not a single person had been able to ascend!
As if reading his thoughts, Jiang Qi nodded. "Precisely. That is the origin of the super heavenly tribulations."
The bronze bell chimed, asking, "Grand Preceptor Jiang, did super heavenly tribulations already exist six thousand years ago?"
"They already existed during the Great Zhou era—and even far earlier than that," Jiang Qi said. "Back then, I investigated many ancient cave-heaven ruins and found remnants left by super heavenly tribulations dating back to the primordial era."
Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell were all startled. They had assumed super heavenly tribulations could at most be traced back to antiquity, never imagining they had existed as far back as the primordial era!
Jiang Qi continued, "I traced them back forty-eight thousand years, to the point where the continuity of super heavenly tribulations breaks off."
"Forty-eight thousand years ago?" Xu Ying felt dizzy just thinking about it. That was unimaginably ancient.
"Forty-eight thousand years ago, the tribulations were not quite as horrifying as they are today, but their might was still staggering," Jiang Qi said. "The territory covered by the tribulation clouds reached a perimeter of six thousand li."
A perimeter of six thousand li was already a terrifying figure; the power of such a tribulation might not have been much weaker than the ones today!
"Tracing back another thousand years, the tribulation clouds had a perimeter of five thousand five hundred li," Jiang Qi said. "Another thousand years back, the perimeter was five thousand two hundred li. Further back, it was four thousand nine hundred li."
He had traced them all the way back to sixty thousand years ago, where the tribulation clouds had a perimeter of merely three hundred li—a relatively safe scale for the vast majority of Qi Refiners at the Ascension stage.
While surviving a three-hundred-li tribulation cloud was difficult, it was by no means an impossible hurdle to ascension. Tracing back even further, almost no traces of tribulations remained, even within the grotto-heavens and blessed lands.
Even if any had been left behind, the passage of time had long since erased them.
"Sixty thousand years ago, with three-hundred-li clouds—that was likely when the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts were created," Jiang Qi explained. "Before that, when Qi Refiners underwent tribulations, their trials were likely not governed by the divine artifacts; the tribulation's strength depended purely on the cultivator's own karmic tribulations. After that point, the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts took over, adjusting the tribulation based on the strength of the previous ascendant. And naturally, anyone capable of ascending would always be stronger than the one before them. This gradual escalation culminated forty-eight thousand years ago, when an extraordinary ascendant appeared, turning the tribulation into an unsolvable catastrophe."
That super ascendant had been monstrously powerful—powerful enough to plunge all who followed into despair!
The radius of his tribulation cloud exceeded a thousand li, with a perimeter spanning nearly seven thousand li, turning every future Qi Refiner's dream of ascension into an inescapable nightmare.
He became the last ascendant. After him, no one could ever ascend again.
No one could reach his heights, let alone surpass him, making it impossible to survive the tribulation.
Consequently, that person's ascension forty-eight thousand years ago precipitated the gradual decline of Qi Refiners.
Xu Ying slowly pieced together the broad strokes of history from forty-eight thousand years ago to the present, saying to Yuan Qi and the bronze bell, "After the last ascendant rose, the top Qi Refiners of that era fell one after another beneath the super heavenly tribulations. One by one, the strongest exponents of every lineage died out, gradually ushering in the Dharma-Ending Age."
He spoke measuredly, laying out his deductions. Not only did he hold the rapt attention of Yuan Qi and the bronze bell, but he even drew Jiang Qi in, making the Grand Preceptor momentarily forget his excruciating pain.
"At their wits' end, the Qi Refiners sought various alternative paths to ascension, but every attempt ended in failure. Among these was the discovery of the other shore," Xu Ying said.
Jiang Qi parted his lips, wanting to interrupt and fiercely refute him, to declare that the plan to ascend to the other shore had not failed.
Yet on second thought, Jiang Qi's expression darkened with grief.
Ascending to the other shore did not grant true immortality. In truth, it was still a failure—otherwise, why would they have needed to return?
Xu Ying continued, "During the Great Zhou, Qi Refiners discovered the other shore and immortal herbs. Many attempted to journey there to gather the herbs in search of longevity. Among them, the most prominent was the Son of Heaven of Zhou."
He murmured softly, "The Son of Heaven of Zhou unified the realm, commanded the feudal lords, confiscated divine weapons across the land, and forged the Divine Boat of the Other Shore. He intended to pack the entire imperial court onto it and make a grand voyage across, ascending together to enjoy eternal life on the other shore. Yet once they reached it, they found themselves trapped there."
Yuan Qi quickly raised his tail and chimed in, "The Divine Boat of the Other Shore was entrusted to Ancestor Chanchan to forge! But Ancestor Chanchan, despite being the Great Zhou's heavenly artisan, cut corners and skimped on materials, which caused frequent accidents once the boat set sail!"
Xu Ying glanced at Jiang Qi.
Jiang Qi nodded repeatedly, sighing. "Though accidents were frequent, they were all minor. While Artisan Zhu was somewhat lacking in moral fiber, her craftsmanship was genuinely peerless. The Divine Boat of the Other Shore pushed through countless perils and successfully reached the other shore."
The harrowing nature of that journey was something outsiders could never truly comprehend.
Xu Ying continued, "The Son of Heaven of Zhou took the most powerful Qi Refiners of that era with him to the other shore. As a result, countless heritages were left behind with no one capable of deciphering them, dealing another massive blow to the Qi Refiners and quickening their decline. Thus, some people used their ingenuity to pioneer a new path, leading to the subsequent rise of Nuo masters."
The span between the Great Zhou and the Great Qin was the era when Nuo masters arose from nothing and surged into prominence.
During that period, many events altered the course of future generations. For instance, Zulong discovered that Nuo methods harbored hidden traps and that most of what was being disseminated were false teachings. In response, he burned books and buried Nuo masters alive, incinerating those false texts and executing the Qi Refiners who spread them.
Then, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, a Qi Refiner surnamed Dong dismissed the hundred schools and revered Nuo arts alone, sparking a tidal wave of Heaven-Human Induction.
This wave of Heaven-Human Induction led the most powerful Qi Refiners of the era to establish contact with alien gods.
For reasons unknown, Heaven-Human Induction ultimately devolved into the Great Seal of Heaven and Earth. The realm folded in upon itself, Shenzhou shrank, and famous mountains, grand rivers, and sacred grounds vanished one by one, swallowed by the Cangwu Abyss.
Qi Refiners were wiped out entirely, vanishing for three thousand years, while Nuo methods completely supplanted Qi refining to become the orthodox path.
"Until Xu Fu slaughtered mortals in Zhudu to summon the Plague God, forcing the Nai River to alter its course and sparking the underworld's invasion," Xu Ying concluded. "From that moment onward, a series of drastic upheavals ensued. The Cangwu Abyss began returning the sealed lands, and ancient mountains, great rivers, and sacred grounds reemerged one after another."
Jiang Qi had listened with rapt fascination, and he suddenly asked, "Who is this Xu Fu?"
Yuan Qi described, "He looks to be in his twenties or thirties, always standing atop a massive stone one zhang square. He wears black robes with a red sash, and there is a scar at the corner of his left eye. Whenever he gets agitated, that scar turns crimson, like a blood-red centipede clinging to the corner of his eye."
Surprise flickered across Jiang Qi's face. "His name is Xu Fu?!"
Xu Ying asked, puzzled, "Grand Preceptor Jiang knows him?"
"Grand Servant Gongyang Ce once mentioned this man," Jiang Qi replied. "Gongyang Ce was the vanguard scout for the Divine Boat of the Other Shore, returning to Shenzhou one step ahead of me. In a grand tomb near Haojing, Gongyang Ce nearly fell victim to his schemes. Are you saying Xu Fu is the one orchestrating the emergence of the new territories?"
Xu Ying recounted Xu Fu's actions in detail, starting from gathering a faction of Qi Refiners in Zhudu to slaughter people as sacrifices to the Plague God, to altering the course of the Nai River, inciting the underworld invasion, rescuing Fairy Qingbi—the maiden in the coffin—causing new territories to emerge, and resurrecting Zulong.
"He said he has three objectives. The first was to revive Zulong, which has already been accomplished," Xu Ying said. "The second is to restore the Qi Refiners. In my view, cultivating both Nuo and Qi is the best path forward; attempting to restore Qi Refiners alone is outdated and bound to fail."
Jiang Qi's eyes brightened, and he praised, "Stopping at nothing to achieve his goals—what a formidable figure."
Xu Ying pondered for a moment. "He paid a visit to Li Xiaoke, the Qi Refiner residing at Leek Ridge on Jiulong Mountain, after which Li Xiaoke released the Jiulong Mountain new territory back into the world. Because of this, I suspect the appearance of both large and small new territories was prompted by his visits to those hidden Qi Refiners. Even the reappearance of Yunmeng Marsh might be connected to him."
Jiang Qi was about to speak when suddenly the world inside the fish's belly began to rock and tilt violently. A tremendous tremor tore through the surroundings, followed by the sky splitting apart!
The inhabitants living inside the fish's belly panicked, fleeing in all directions, yet there was nowhere to run.
Their ancestors had carried them away from Shenzhou, far beyond the Yuanshou world to this place. Because life had been too comfortable and devoid of outside interaction, they had long forgotten the Qi refining arts passed down by their forebears. The strongest cultivator in this world had only reached the Pass-Breaching stage; escaping this realm was utterly out of the question.
"Heavenly God Longyuan has tracked us down!"
Xu Ying felt a chill in his heart. Looking up, he saw that the sky was the inner belly of the giant fish. Now that the fish's belly was being carved open, the colossus was doomed to die!
Once the great fish perished, the world within its belly would inevitably collapse!
Every single inhabitant of this internal world would be buried alongside the fish within the churning depths of this gas giant!
Jiang Qi's expression darkened, and he let out a bitter sigh. "I wanted to clear the path for the Son of Heaven of Zhou, harvest more primordial Dao essence, and help some of our people restore their cultivation before returning to our homeland. I never expected to cross paths with Longyuan... To think I would die here today..."
He reached toward his waist for his gourd, only for his expression to shift. "Where is my primordial Dao essence?!"
Yuan Qi quickly brought out the gourd and muttered sheepishly, "I... I picked it up."
Rallying his spirits, Jiang Qi didn't bother asking where Yuan Qi had found it. He struggled to his feet, reached for the gourd, and said, "I most likely won't survive this. His regenerative power far exceeds my own. In this battle, I can only do my best..."
He was just about to pull the gourd's stopper and drink his fill of the primordial Dao essence when Xu Ying reached out, snatched the gourd straight from his hand, and tipped it back, gulping down the primordial Dao essence. Xu Ying sighed,
"In this battle, I can only do my best."
Chapter 154