Chapter 886
Severing Cause and Effect, the Sacrifice of Ancient Sages
Chapter 886 Severing Cause and Effect, the Sacrifice of Ancient Sages
Upon hearing the words "involving another secret," Lu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "Master, what is this other secret? Please enlighten me."
Guixu Daoist looked at him with deep eyes, as if recalling a long-forgotten past.
His ethereal figure swayed slightly, his eyes revealing a complex expression—respect, emotion, and a hint of indescribable heaviness.
After a moment, he slowly spoke.
“Child, you just asked me why there are so few records of those ancient powerful beings in the starry sky these days.”
Now I'm telling you, it's not because of the passage of time, the loss of classic texts, or because later generations have forgotten.
Rather, it was those powerful figures themselves who erased that history.
Lu Qing was taken aback: "You erased it yourself?"
Guixu Daoist nodded, his tone solemn: "The wisp of will left behind by the Xuanhua Great Master back then told me everything."
Those things are hidden deep within his body, and only those with a special connection can access them.
"It was only by chance, when I entered the Dark Abyss in my avatar, that I sensed the existence of that wisp of will."
He paused, then continued, "Back then, those powerful beings who went to conquer the other world already knew how terrifying the enemy was when they were searching the souls of the first batch of invading evil creatures."
They were terrifying beings that even they could not underestimate; their numbers and strength far exceeded their imagination.
Those evil creatures were not ordinary monsters, but a complete civilization—a civilization that fed on devouring the very essence of the world.
"Their world is much larger and more ancient than our starry sky."
Their history is much longer than ours.
They have more strong ones than we do.
Those who were the first to invade were merely the vanguard of that civilization, cannon fodder testing our strength.
Guixu Daoist's voice lowered, carrying a hint of solemnity.
“Those ancient powerful beings understood that they were not facing a simple battle, but a war of life and death. This departure might be their last, and they might never return.”
"But they did not back down." Guixu Daoist's voice was filled with respect. "They knew that if those evil creatures were allowed to invade this starry sky, they would face annihilation."
All life and all living beings will be devoured.
So they chose to take the initiative, risking their lives to fight for a glimmer of hope for this starry sky.
Lu Qing listened quietly, and a sense of respect for those ancient sages welled up in his heart.
Guixu Daoist continued, "However, before leaving, they did one more thing."
He looked at Lu Qing, his gaze serious.
"To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, they not only planned to completely seal off the passages and coordinates of this world, but also joined forces to unleash a supreme divine power to erase all living beings' memories of them."
Lu Qing's pupils contracted slightly: "Sever memories?"
Guixu Daoist nodded: "Indeed, this divine power is called the 'Severing Fate Technique'."
After it is cast, the causal connection between all living beings and them will be greatly weakened.
Those who once had dealings with them will gradually forget their existence.
Those who have received their kindness will not remember what they look like.
Those descendants who once celebrated their deeds will no longer remember the names of those heroes.
He sighed and continued, "This is an extremely decisive contingency plan."
Those ancient powerful beings were willing to die to protect this starry sky, and even wanted their descendants to completely forget them.
They didn't want anyone to know they existed, and they didn't want anyone to know about that great battle.
They didn't want anyone to know that beyond the distant stars, there existed such a terrifying enemy.
"What are they afraid of?" Lu Qing asked.
Guixu Daoist said, "They are afraid that if any of them fall into enemy hands, their souls will be searched and their home world's coordinates will be known."
They feared that the enemy might use the art of cause and effect to trace their origins back to this place.
Even more frightening is the thought that future generations, out of curiosity, might actively seek out those evil creatures, inadvertently inviting wolves into their homes.
"Therefore, they chose the most thorough way to make themselves forgotten."
Guixu Daoist looked at Lu Qing with a profound gaze.
"So, after they left and sealed the coordinates and passageways of this world."
In my home world, apart from a few people with profound cultivation or extraordinary talents, there are no exceptions.
The vast majority of beings in the starry sky have lost their memories of those powerful beings.
Those heroic deeds and great achievements that were once passed down all became blurred, distant, and ultimately vanished completely in that instant.
"As time went by, the records about them in the starry sky were gradually submerged in history. Occasionally, some ancient books could still be found with a few words, but they were all incomplete and difficult to distinguish between true and false."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside him.
It turned out to be the case.
Those ancient powerful beings were not forgotten by history, but rather they chose to be forgotten.
They gave their lives to bring peace to this starry sky, and they didn't even want future generations to remember their names.
This magnanimity, this breadth of vision, this spirit of sacrifice filled Lu Qing with awe.
He recalled the scene he had seen in the illusion of the shattered jade: two figures, one black and one white, were fighting in the starry sky when three blood-red figures suddenly appeared, the jade ruyi was shattered, and the white figure fled with serious injuries.
That white figure was Xuanhua.
It turns out that his battle was for this starry sky.
The old Azure Dragons were also hearing these things for the first time, and they were equally shocked.
The old dragon murmured, his voice trembling slightly, "So...so those ancient sages actually did so much. I thought they were just..."
It couldn't continue.
Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, it considered itself knowledgeable and aware of many secrets.
But it never imagined that the disappearance of those ancient powerful beings would hide such a story.
The black bull stared with its bull eyes, its face full of admiration: "Those predecessors were truly remarkable. I definitely couldn't have done that. I'd rather die than be forgotten."
Although Mingfeng did not speak, its phoenix eyes were filled with admiration. It lowered its head slightly, as if paying homage to those ancient sages.
Guixu Daoist looked at them and smiled slightly: "Yes, it is because of the sacrifice of those sages that this starry sky has been able to continue to this day. If it weren't for them, this place would probably have become ruins countless years ago."
Lu Qing was silent for a moment, then asked, "Master, what does this have to do with the Dark Abyss? And why did you leave this world?"
Guixu Daoist looked at him with profound eyes.
"Child, you've hit the nail on the head."
He paused, then continued, "The appearance of the Dark Abyss is actually related to the Xuanhua Great Power."
Lu Qing's heart stirred, and he listened attentively.
Guixu Daoist slowly said, "Back then, after the Xuanhua Great Power and the others entered that other world, they engaged in a long and fierce battle with those evil creatures."
That battle lasted for countless millennia.
Countless powerful figures perished, and countless strong warriors died in battle.
But in the end, they succeeded in stopping the evil creatures' attack, suppressing them in a certain area of that world.
"But just when they thought victory was in sight, an accident happened."
Guixu Daoist's voice became solemn.
"The Xuanhua Grandmaster has fallen into the enemy's trap."
Lu Qing frowned: "A trap?"
Guixu Daoist nodded: "The specifics of the trap were not clearly explained in the will left behind by the Xuanhua Great Master."
But what is certain is that several beings of his level joined forces to ambush him.
That battle was so fierce that the heavens and earth trembled and the stars seemed to turn upside down.
Although the Xuanhua Grandmaster was powerful, he was ultimately outnumbered and, despite his heavy injuries, managed to escape.
But in the end, they were unable to escape and were suppressed by the enemy.
"Suppress?" Lu Qing asked. Guixu Daoist replied, "Yes, suppress, not kill."
At the time, the Xuanhua Grandmaster thought that the other party wanted to spare his life, torture him, and force him to reveal the secrets of his home world.
But he later discovered he was wrong.
"The other party's purpose was even more malicious than he imagined."
Guixu Daoist looked at Lu Qing with a solemn expression.
"After the Xuanhua Grandmaster was suppressed, those evil creatures did not torture him, but instead began to set up a huge altar."
That altar covered an area of tens of thousands of miles, paved with the bones and blood of countless living beings.
Some of those skeletons belonged to beings from their own world, while others were beings from other worlds that they had devoured.
There were also some ancient powerful beings who perished in that battle.
"They are going to use the physical body and soul of a Xuanhua Da Neng to carry out a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice?" Lu Qing asked. "To whom?"
Guixu Daoist shook his head: "I don't know, and neither does the Xuanhua Great Power."
But he knew that the purpose of this sacrifice was to forcibly open a passage to his home world by exploiting the causal connection between him and his home world.
Lu Qing's pupils contracted slightly.
Using the physical body and soul of a Xuanhua master to open the passage?
Guixu Daoist continued, "When they left their home world, all the powerful beings severed their memories of the coordinates of their home world."
The purpose of this was to prevent the coordinates of their home world from being discovered through soul-searching should anyone fall into enemy hands.
That's why, although some of my old friends who fought alongside me in that other world perished, our home world has always remained safe.
"But if the other party really sacrifices him and uses his causal connection with his home world to forcibly open the passage, the consequences will be unimaginable, and it is hard to say whether it will succeed."
Guixu Daoist's voice carried a hint of solemnity.
“The Xuanhua expert understands that they absolutely cannot allow the other party to open the passage to their home world, otherwise all their sacrifices over the years and the efforts of so many people will have been in vain.”
"Therefore, when the other party was performing a blood sacrifice, the Xuanhua Great Power did something extremely decisive."
Lu Qing asked, "What is it?"
Guixu Daoist slowly said, "He spared no expense and burned his own divine soul."
Lu Qing felt a chill run down his spine.
Burning one's divine soul is the most extreme method a cultivator can employ.
Once the divine soul is burned, it means complete annihilation, with no chance of reincarnation.
That was an end more complete than death.
Guixu Daoist continued, "At the crucial moment of the blood sacrifice, the Xuanhua Great Power burned his divine soul, unleashing unprecedented power and breaking free from his restraints."
At that moment, his power reached an unprecedented peak, even surpassing his prime.
He shattered the altar with a single punch, killed the powerful figure presiding over the blood sacrifice with a single palm strike, and shattered the space within a million miles around him with a single stomp.
"Even so, a passage to the world has been opened."
Although the opening was small, only a few feet in diameter, it was enough for some weak and evil creatures to pass through.
Even more frightening is that the opening is constantly widening, and it won't be long before it becomes a complete passage.
"The Xuanhua Grandmaster knew that he was powerless to reverse the situation."
He burned his soul, destined to perish.
His divine consciousness was fading, and his life was slipping away.
Death was inevitable for him.
"But before he died, he did one thing."
"He seized the opportunity and slipped into the newly opened world passage."
The voice of the Taoist Guixu was filled with respect.
"He used his own body to suppress the world passage before it was fully formed."
He sat upright in the passageway, blocking the gap with his own body.
Because the passage was not fully formed, and due to his suppression, those powerful beings on the other side could not enter.
Only a few small creatures occasionally manage to squeeze through the cracks and enter our world.
"And he himself, having completely burned his soul, perished, leaving only a wisp of his remnant soul consciousness on his body."
Guixu Daoist looked at Lu Qing with a profound gaze.
"This is the origin of the Dark Abyss."
Lu Qing remained silent for a long time.
He finally understood.
It turns out that the Dark Abyss was the passage that was suppressed by the Xuanhua powerhouse with his physical body.
Those fiery monsters were weak creatures that seeped in through the cracks in the passage.
The corpse of the Xuanhua Grandmaster sat there, using its own body to suppress the passage day after day, year after year, preventing the powerful being on the other side from entering this starry sky.
This suppression lasted for countless millennia.
Those were such long years.
Lu Qing recalled the scene he had seen in that black tomb: the figure sitting on the white jade throne, half of his body eroded by darkness, yet still unmoved.
The ever-flowing demonic energy and the endless stream of monsters all seeped out from that passage.
What kind of will, what kind of sacrifice?
The old Azure Dragons also fell silent.
Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, they considered themselves knowledgeable and experienced. But upon hearing these words, they were filled with respect.
After a long while, Guixu Daoist finally spoke again.
"However, the passage that the Xuanhua Grandmaster suppressed is not permanent."
Lu Qing's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Master, what do you mean?"
Guixu Daoist said, "According to the will left behind by the Xuanhua Great Power, his use of his physical body to suppress the passage is only temporary."
As time goes by, his power will be gradually worn down, and the passage will gradually loosen.
All he could do was prevent experts at the Transformation Realm or higher from passing through the passage; he couldn't completely stop the demonic energy from seeping in.
"That demonic energy seeped in from the cracks in that passage."
The demonic fire monsters you encountered in the Abyss were also weak creatures that crawled out from those gaps.
Although they are not strong, they have the advantage of large numbers and a continuous supply.
More importantly, as the passage loosens, the monsters will become increasingly stronger.
Guixu Daoist looked at Lu Qing with a solemn expression.
"If changes occur in the Dark Abyss, it might not necessarily be a good thing."
Lu Qing asked, "What changes?"
Guixu Daoist said, "For example, the power of darkness has begun to weaken, and the outer perimeter of the Demon Abyss has become safe."
For example, those demonic fire monsters began to emerge in large numbers and spread everywhere.
For example, a more powerful being might begin attempting to pass through the passage.
These changes could all mean that the passage is gradually opening, and that the suppression by the powerful Xuanhua cultivator is weakening.
He paused, then continued, "You just said that when you entered the Abyss of Demons, you found that the dark power inside was much weaker than it was back then. This means that something is likely happening on the other side of the passage, but it's hard to say whether this change is good or bad."
Lu Qing felt a chill run down his spine.
He remembered what Qiu Ruofeng had said: the catastrophe predicted was coming soon.
Could it be that the catastrophe refers to this?
(End of this chapter)