Chapter 999: Chapter 996: The Absolute Severance Between Heaven and Earth
Beside Ye Wuya, only Linglong and Du Hui were left.
Throughout their journey, the three often encountered roads with a strong allure, but ultimately resisted the temptation.
The trio remembered that being trapped within the array meant that lingering here would only lead to death.
Searching for an exit was undoubtedly the right course of action.
However, with the successive disappearance of their five fellow sect brothers, the three were now extremely uneasy.
Days passed, and they searched countless ways out, but the roads that appeared before them always ended in a dead end, with no exit at all.
Even more terrifying, after turning back, it was impossible to find the path they had come from.
The entire interior of the mountain was like a vast labyrinth, one that continuously adjusted the direction of the Life Gate, making it impossible to find the correct exit.
For days, they also attempted to search for their lost brothers, but to no avail.
Here, sound couldn’t travel more than ten meters away.
This was evident when once Linglong was drawn by a mysterious power and fell far behind, and when Du Hui went to call her, she couldn’t hear him at all; if Du Hui hadn’t promptly pulled her back, she would have been lost too.
The three also attempted to violently break through the cave and recklessly charge out, but as soon as they made a move, they were met with a powerful backlash and suppression from the barrier.
Within this Ancient Barrier Array, their Foundation Establishment Stage power was essentially useless.
In a vacant cave.
Lu Chen held a Spirit Stone he had previously excavated from a spirit vein under the sea, continuously absorbing the Spiritual Energy to maintain his cultivation state, while his eyes were fixed on a wall within the cave.
On that wall, countless Pre-Qin inscriptions were densely carved.
Lu Chen recognized all these characters.
They were characters noted in records of the Central Great World, even interspersed with ancient runes.
Upon discerning the content of the characters, a hint of clarity appeared in Lu Chen’s look of despair, and a glimmer of survival hope shone in his eyes.
He was drawn to this cave by the aroma of runes.
However, upon entering the cave, he found he could no longer leave.
Considering himself proficient in runes, gifted in Talisman Arrays, he was the first to leave the group, believing this Cave Heaven Blessed Land to be his chance and fortune.
But once inside, he realized it was all a ruse; the cave contained nothing he imagined about Divine Skills in the Rune Tao, nor top-grade Spirit Stones, no precious medicine or Magic Treasures, only endless years of imprisonment awaited him.
He was trapped in this cave, unable to escape.
After an unknown period, during cultivation, whilst comprehending the Talisman Dao, he unexpectedly unlocked the first seal within the cave, revealing these inscriptions on the cave wall.
This cave barrier’s first seal required someone to enter the domain of the Talisman Dao, which would automatically open upon comprehension of the talisman.
Lu Chen carefully read through the text on the cave wall, shock vivid on his face.
It turned out this planet was one of the origins of the Human Clan.
In ancient times, this planet was connected to the Outer Realm.
Numerous saints and mighty beings mentioned in the records of the Central Great World originated from this planet.
Yet, for reasons unknown, an ancient battle here saw the Gonggong Clan’s fury uproot Buzhou Mountain, utterly disrupting the entire world’s balance.
A cataclysmic disaster befell this planet.
Later, Emperor Zhuanxu executed Absolute Heaven, severing the Earth’s connection with the Outer Domain completely.
Originally at this point, Earth lost all contact with the Outer Domain and the Central Great World, yet according to the wall’s texts, some super-powerful beings still managed to traverse between realms, mostly from the Outer Domain.
For the Earth Human Clan, these powerful beings from the Outer Domain were akin to huge catastrophes; every arrival brought endless plunder and slaughter.
Thus, during a period called the Pre-Qin Era, Laozi emerged from Hangu Pass and, teaming up with the great divine ability users of Earth at that time, created three Small Worlds. These formed a formidable array, successfully sealing the link between Earth and the external world, such that even the most elite Saint-level beings couldn’t journey from the Outer Domain to Earth, thus accomplishing Absolute Heaven.
Since then, Earth’s Spiritual Energy thinned, and though the lifespan of all beings greatly shortened, no super-strong cultivators existed; people no longer pursued cultivation, nor fought and killed for cultivation resources, living their lives in a relatively peaceful world.
Seeing this, Lu Chen’s face bore a trace of sarcasm.
He acknowledged this Pre-Qin period powerhouse’s benevolence and good purpose but noted the person failed to fully understand human nature.
Even in a lower-tech civilization without a cultivation civilization, people constantly contested and harmed one another.
Human nature is greedy and selfish.
When capable of cultivation, they pursued immortality, fighting to the death for more cultivation resources.
Without cultivation, they fought for food, clothing, and wealth.
Not just humans but all living things have always been in a state of contention.
The idea of the Pre-Qin period’s great cultivator to end human mutual slaughter was simply laughable.
He continued to read on.
"However, Emperor Zhuanxu’s Absolute Heaven, which protected the Human Clan’s bloodline, has ultimately proven unfeasible."
"After using my lifelong knowledge to fulfill Emperor Zhuanxu’s wish for Absolute Heaven, I discovered the three arrays would eventually run out of Spiritual Power or be destroyed by external forces. By then, with Earth’s cultivation severed, if powerhouses from the Outer Domain arrive, their fate would be even more tragic. Hence, I sealed Earth’s main source of Spiritual Energy, all major Spirit Veins of the world, eternally in the deep sea."
"The innocent hold jewels yet guilty for it. Should powerhouses from the Outer Domain enter Earth and find it barren and profitless, they may lose interest in plundering and ruling. After all, who would care about ants from a human perspective? Similarly, the Earth Human Clan being this feeble could offer no profit to powerhouses from the Outer Domain, eventually leading them to forget this place. Thus, Earth humans could continue to live peacefully across generations, protecting my clan’s safety thus."
Upon seeing this, much of the sarcasm on Lu Chen’s face faded, replaced by a hint of admiration.
Although he thought the method was wrong, the starting point was good.
History of countless civilizations over star domains governed by the Central Great World tells people there’s only one answer to avoid being bullied: strength.
Only being strong enough can one avoid being bullied, plundered, and destroyed.
Weakness is the original sin of this world.
This pre-Qin period Earth Great Cultivator was too simplistic, too idealistic, never grasping the cruelty of the world’s rules.
Sealing Earth’s Spirit Vein and cutting off human cultivation would only leave Earth’s humanity completely defenseless.
Yet thinking of the mindset of their group of eight upon arriving on Earth, he felt somewhat touched.
It seemed, finding no cultivators on Earth, they had no desire to bully or even notion to crush humans with the mere movement of a finger.
Thus, the Pre-Qin period Great Cultivator’s idea seemed feasible?
He continued to read.
"If future generations can see the words left by this old man, it means the seal and barrier isolating the Outer Domain have vanished, and our clan is facing a catastrophic apocalypse..."