Heaven's Wrath!
Upon hearing the two words spoken by the elder in the grey robe, most of the people present subconsciously looked up. Although their sight was blocked by the grand hall's ceiling, their hearts seemed to feel the immense power of the heavens above.
A silent sense of awe took root within them.
Even some began to sweat on their foreheads.
"Heaven's Wrath?"
Yet, after regaining their senses, few truly understood the meaning of these two words and turned their gazes towards the grey-robed elder.
However, he had already closed his eyes and remained silent.
Seeing this, they looked at Ye Ming again, their eyes filled with questions and confusion.
"He is correct. The third Primordial War ten thousand years ago nearly invoked Heaven's Wrath," Ye Ming explained in a deep voice.
"And Heaven's Wrath, as you suspect, is precisely that: Heaven became enraged."
"The wrath of Heaven means the annihilation of all beings."
Upon hearing this, a suffocating feeling once again washed over them, their every nerve tensed.
"If that's the case, then gathering all cultivators in an otherworldly realm was to evade Heaven's Wrath?"
Loriya instantly pieced together the connection and asked.
Only this explanation could make sense of the actions of Ye Zhisheng and other great beings ten thousand years ago.
But was this truly the truth?
"Loriya, you've only guessed half of it!"
Ye Ming turned around and smiled gently.
"Half?"
Loriya's delicate brows furrowed, unable to conceive of any other reason.
"Ye Ming, the other half must be related to the reason that war ten thousand years ago incurred Heaven's Wrath, right?"
A flash of sharp insight flickered in Fang Junxue's beautiful eyes, as if she had grasped something.
"Clever!"
Ye Ming gave her a thumbs-up.
He continued to explain, "I mentioned before that the third Primordial War caused the demise of ninety percent of cultivators."
"In that war, the sky itself turned blood-red, and all living things wept."
"The world was filled with decay and death, devoid of any sign of life."
"The cultivators' greed for power and indulgence in desire had left the world they relied upon scarred and ravaged."
"The earth cracked open, and all visible water sources turned blood-red."
"The aura of death ravaged the land."
"It was precisely for this reason that Heaven wept."
"And became enraged."
After Ye Ming's description of that war, the scene seemed to unfold before everyone's eyes.
The sky stained with blood, all life lost.
The heavens raged, and all beings suffered.
"The reason the great beings ten thousand years ago established the ancestral precepts was not only to let them evade Heaven's Wrath but, more importantly, to restore the natural order of the world."
"To reignite vitality in this world."
Ye Ming sighed softly, "The damage we inflict upon nature is ultimately borne by ourselves."
"So that's how it was!"
After listening, everyone fell silent.
So the world they saw now was one that had recovered after ten thousand years of dormancy.
Ten thousand years to heal the wounds.
The price was indeed too great.
"Then..."
At this moment, Fang Junxue, perhaps noticing something, glanced at Ye Ming and hesitated to speak.
"It's alright, ask whatever you wish to ask."
Ye Ming patted her hand and said softly.
"Now that ten thousand years have passed, does Heaven's Wrath still pose a threat to people?" Fang Junxue asked gravely.
That's right!
Ten thousand years had passed!
Did the Heaven's Wrath incurred by that war still hold danger?
Upon hearing this question, everyone present was shaken.
This concerned the fate of all humanity.
If it still existed, and Heaven's Wrath descended, wouldn't everyone be doomed?
"Before I answer your question, I must speak of my mission."
Ye Ming pointed to himself.
Clearly, his mission was related to Heaven's Wrath.
"Ten thousand years ago, my teacher and the other great beings led everyone into an otherworldly realm, temporarily evading Heaven's Wrath. However..."
Ye Ming looked at the crowd and asked, "Do you think the people living in that otherworldly realm would stay there forever, unwilling to step into the outside world?"
"This..."
Everyone pondered.
Perhaps at that time, knowing the constant threat of Heaven's Wrath outside, no one would leave.
But as time went by.
Ten years!
A hundred years!
A thousand years!
What about ten thousand years later?
After such a long period, would the newly born inhabitants of the otherworldly realm truly be content to be confined to that space, with no contact with the outside world?
Knowing that a vaster sky existed outside, could their curiosity truly be suppressed?
After a moment of thought, most people had their answer:
Someone would eventually break the ancestral precepts and make contact with the outside.
Yes.
A hundred years after everyone was led into the otherworldly realm, someone attempted to break through the space and reconnect with the outside world.
At that time, Ye Zhisheng and the other great beings were still alive.
And among those who wished to reconnect with the outside, there were indeed some of those great beings.
Some believed that a hundred years had passed, and Heaven's Wrath should have disappeared, no longer posing a threat.
Conversely, Ye Zhisheng and some others firmly believed that cultivators should not tread upon reality again but should develop according to natural laws, without undue interference.
Thus, a difference of opinion emerged.
The final decision was to send someone out to test the waters.
And this person was Ye Ming's teacher:
Ye Zhisheng.
The news of his departure from the otherworldly realm was known only to a few of the most powerful great beings, who waited silently for his report.
However, a few days later, they received news of Ye Zhisheng's demise.
Upon investigating, all the great beings unanimously reinforced the ancestral precepts.
Under a death order, everyone was forbidden from leaving the otherworldly realm.
Anyone who violated the ancestral precepts!
Would be killed!
It was extremely decisive.
It was precisely because of Ye Zhisheng's death that the otherworldly realm and the outside world became truly isolated.
And no one dared to touch the ancestral precepts again.
But now, ten thousand years have passed, and generations have lived and died.
Ye Zhisheng's death seemed no longer sufficient to warn future generations.
The current large-scale entry of people from the otherworldly realm into the outside world simply proved this point.
The ancestral precepts had long become mere formalities in their hearts.
After listening to Ye Ming's account, everyone, while admiring Ye Zhisheng as a wise elder, also felt a sense of sorrow.
"Your teacher must have foreseen this day, right?"
Fang Junxue said softly.
"Humans have desires, and once desires cross the line, the ancestral precepts become mere words," Ye Ming smiled and shook his head, "My teacher naturally foresaw this."
"He also understood that time makes people forget their fear."
"And it makes them lose their reverence."
"His death merely extended the timeline."
Indeed!
Ye Zhisheng's death had bought humanity an additional ten thousand years of life.
But what about after that?
Heaven's Wrath!
It would inevitably return!