Chapter 1291
The So-called Heavenly Way
Chapter 1291 The So-called Heavenly Way
The swamp forest is indeed a sealed ancient world.
The key that Ao Hen smuggled from Lingzhen Pavilion could indeed open the seal and enter.
Therefore, there is no doubt about the location of Lingzhen Pavilion's treasure vault.
How did the people of Lingzhen Pavilion manage to escape unscathed from such strong radiation over the centuries?
Logically, anything that comes out of there, whether it's a person or an object, should be contaminated by radiation.
Even if Lingzhen Pavilion is ruthless and kills a group of people every time, what about the treasures brought out from below?
Among the various legends and stories about Lingzhen Pavilion, not a single anecdote can be found.
Could it be that Lingzhen Pavilion has its own methods to neutralize radiation?
No, it shouldn't be.
If Lingzhen Pavilion truly possessed such methods, then when their incident occurred, it was impossible for Changtian Sect to bypass the more convenient, advantageous, and easily controlled Lingzhen Pavilion. Instead, they allowed Le Zheng Yuanqing, a powerful figure belonging to Youye Sect but completely unfamiliar with, to enter and act as he pleased.
Thinking of the key that could directly pass through the barrier, Lin Fan's gaze fell on Lin Yuan in front of him.
“Lingzhen Pavilion was not originally a shop, but an ambitious person who risked everything to salvage usable resources from the ancient times after the war that destroyed the world.”
Lin Yuan's clear, cool voice narrated the story in a gentle, flowing manner.
After the war that destroyed the world, although he did his best to isolate the two worlds and preserve the damaged new world, the huge consumption of people and resources made everything in the new world terribly barren compared to the ancient world.
With spiritual energy collapsing and resources scarce, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would find the path to immortality as difficult as ascending to heaven.
So, once the surviving cultivators had caught their breath, the biggest problem they faced appeared.
"Compared to the unsolvable problem of spiritual energy, the abandoned resources in the ancient world have become an enticing shortcut."
Lin Yuan wasn't having a good time either.
His sealing technique involved a high-stakes gamble. Although he ultimately succeeded, it drained almost all of his spiritual power.
Moreover, because the barrier was formed too hastily, it was impossible to cover everything, and there were inevitably many weaknesses.
Unfortunately, after the two worlds separated, the spiritual energy in the new world was far weaker than that in the ancient times, so weak that it was not enough for Lin Yuan to recover quickly.
This means that if any part of the barrier is weak or damaged, Lin Yuan has no ability to repair it.
Even a huge barrier could be destroyed by a small break, and all his efforts would be in vain.
Lin Yuan needs more resources to restore his abundant spiritual power in order to maintain control over the barrier.
"At that time, we had just experienced the devastation of the world-ending war, and most people were eager for comfort, but there were always some people whose ambitions outweighed everything else."
His eyes, as clear and cold as crystal, were like a deep abyss, and his words were devoid of any emotion.
Those who entered at the very beginning were much stronger than the cultivators who are now.
Although they carried various protective gear, it offered no protection against radiation. The items they brought out, despite their near-death experiences, were contaminated with toxins and ultimately had to be destroyed, leaving them with nothing.
Back then, some people still knew Lin Yuan and went to him for help.
"So those secret realm keys, besides opening the barrier, are also small defensive barriers to keep out radiation... toxins?" Antonio exclaimed. "Didn't you say your spiritual power was depleted? How could you still conjure these?"
Lin Yuan glanced at him coldly and said.
"As a cultivator who has transcended tribulation, even if my spiritual power is depleted, I am far beyond the reach of you insignificant ants. Protecting a personal barrier for a few people is no problem for me."
Lin Fan and Antonio both looked at Le Zhengyuanqing.
If Lin Yuan is at the Tribulation Transcending Realm, then isn't Yue Zheng Yuanqing also at the Tribulation Transcending Realm...?
No, no, even if Lin Yuan has undergone tribulation before, the spiritual energy in the new world is not abundant now, and he still has to maintain the barrier, so he shouldn't be able to return to his full strength.
This wasn't the first time they'd seen someone lose their cultivation level.
Even someone like Binze, after ascending to the Golden Core stage, managed to fall to Moonflower Star, a place devoid of spiritual energy, and nearly died. Truly, a fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken!
The environment of the Perlo world is more suitable for cultivating immortality than that of Moonflower Star, but it is, after all, an incomplete version.
If one only loses cultivation level, there is still a possibility of breaking through to a higher realm once spiritual energy is replenished.
What if Lin Yuan is merely an empty shell of a Tribulation Transcending Realm cultivator, with only a tiny fraction of spiritual power remaining within...
No, that's not right. He was just exchanging blows with Yue Zhengyuanqing. Although he was at a lower level, he was by no means ordinary; at least he was at the higher level.
But considering that even after a thousand years of accumulation, the spiritual energy in Linyuan has only just reached the Great Ascension stage...
Lin Fan suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Could this be the reason why I can't break through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"
"What?" Lin Yuan was momentarily caught off guard by Lin Fan's abrupt change of thought.
"May I ask about your cultivation level, Venerable One..." Lin Fan originally wanted to ask Lin Yuan what realm his cultivation had reached, but then felt that it would inevitably be suspected of probing, so he quickly changed his question. "Over the years, has your spiritual energy absorption never been full?"
If someone with high cultivation level wants to, they have plenty of ways to snatch spiritual energy from someone with low cultivation level.
Lin Yuan didn't know why she suddenly asked that question, but he was intrigued by the topic she had raised in her previous sentence, and answered arrogantly.
"That's natural. The spiritual energy in this world is already scarce. If I were to absorb it all, I might be the only cultivator left in the world."
In a world where only Lin Yuan stands at the pinnacle, he certainly seems to be unparalleled in his prowess.
However, his monopolization of spiritual energy prevented the formation of a favorable environment for cultivation, widening the gap in strength among lower levels, which was not a good thing for the entire Perlun Star.
Lin Yuan cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness, but he is not an extremely selfish person.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have sealed off the ancient world with his own power, leaving others a chance to survive.
He had been at the top for too long and didn't want to repeat a thousand years of solitude...
"Your Excellency is truly righteous," Lin Fan praised first, then asked, "But when absorbing spiritual energy, have you ever encountered a situation where you could no longer absorb it after reaching a certain point?" Lin Fan pressed on.
“The absorption of spiritual energy depends on each person’s cultivation level; the amount varies from person to person. It’s normal to be unable to continue absorbing it.” Lin Yuan understood the meaning. “You mean…”
"Is it possible," Lin Fan said, offering his speculation, "that after the new world settled down, new rules arose with the new environment—the balance of spiritual energy. This limits the cultivation threshold of top cultivators, thereby averaging the overall level of the cultivation world."
Lin Yuan fell into deep thought. Antonio, not understanding, asked, "What do you mean?"
“Just as the Venerable One said, if he wanted to, no one else in this world would have the chance to absorb spiritual energy,” Lin Fan explained. “But the world has its own rules.”
Antonio saw Lin Fan wink at him and knew she was referring to the operating rules of the World Tree.
Since Perun Star is a cultivation planet, the World Tree Database naturally operates according to certain cultivation laws.
Despite the collapse of spiritual energy, the weakened state of the energy indicates that the World Tree is still alive and well. In other words, the order of cultivation is still functioning.
The biological database from higher-dimensional civilizations will automatically adjust its operating mode according to the new world, forming new guidelines more suitable for the current environment. However, it is absolutely impossible for one person to monopolize the system.
Otherwise, the so-called world of cultivation, revolving only around a few people, would be meaningless.
"Are you saying that the rules of Heaven restrict the rapid advancement of upper-level cultivators?" Lin Yuan asked.
The Way of Heaven… Lin Fan thought for a moment, and realized that this explanation was more suitable for a cultivation planet.
She nodded and continued, "For the sake of a certain degree of fairness, Heaven prevents those with high cultivation levels from climbing endlessly. In this way, lower-level cultivators have the opportunity to improve within the limited spiritual energy resources, replenishing the cultivation world with new blood."
"The Venerable One may have broken through to the Transcendent Tribulation Realm in ancient times. The threshold was high, and coupled with the heavy responsibility of maintaining the barrier, the spiritual energy was consumed in a heavy way. Therefore, he was not proactive in leveling up and absorbing spiritual energy, so he did not have any obvious feeling."
"But I remember the sect elders saying that when one's cultivation level is stuck at the Great Perfection and one cannot break through it, one feels unable to absorb more spiritual energy even during daily cultivation."
Despite trying every possible method, Yi Feng and his companions were still helpless. In desperation, they could only think that there might be some kind of restriction in the ancient world.
But then Lin Fan suddenly realized that what was restricting his cultivation advancement was not some other magical artifact, but possibly the World Tree that connected the two worlds.
The rules of this world, the Way of Heaven itself.