"Wait!
That's not right."
Just as he was speaking, Horse Prince suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Great Lord, you were asking when the Liúshā Small Secret Realm was formed?"
"That's right. What about it?"
"If you're asking when it was formed, then I don't know."
"Didn't you just say it was formed a thousand years ago?"
"I misunderstood your meaning earlier, Great Lord. When I said a thousand years ago, I meant the time when the Liúshā Small Secret Realm manifested in the Great Desolate. As for when it was actually formed, that's unknown."
Between heaven and earth, there exist the Myriad Heavens and Worlds.
There are Great Thousand Worlds, Medium Thousand Worlds, and Small Thousand Worlds.
Without exception, all these worlds are formed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth over countless years. Newly formed worlds are very unstable; some may dissipate or disappear due to various reasons, such as Space-Time Turbulence or the end of an era. Later, they may reappear in the world as all things revive with the dawn of a new era.
In the Great Desolate, there is a saying that any world illuminated by the sun and moon is considered a Small World.
A world composed of a thousand Small Worlds is called a Small Thousand World.
A world composed of a thousand Small Thousand Worlds is called a Medium Thousand World.
A world composed of a thousand Medium Thousand Worlds is called a Great Thousand World.
This is the origin of the Three Thousand Great Worlds. This 'three thousand' is not the literal three thousand, hence it is also called the Myriad Heavens and Worlds.
For example, the Fengyue Small World has the sun and moon shining upon it, so it is called a Small World.
Whether it's a Small Thousand World, a Medium Thousand World, or a Great Thousand World, they all share one common characteristic: they possess a World Origin and World Laws.
Without a World Origin, it cannot be called a world.
For instance, various Cave-Heavens and Blessed Lands, as well as Mysterious Heaven Secret Realms, are mostly artificially opened. They have no origin and no laws, hence they are called secret realms, also known as immortal realms.
As for Secret Realms, they are different.
A Secret Realm lies between an immortal realm and a world. It belongs to neither an immortal realm nor a world; it is a type of mysterious realm. In other words, no one knows whether a Secret Realm was artificially opened or formed by heaven and earth.
"However, when I was hanging out in the Golden Crow Immortal Realm, I once heard some older-generation immortals mention..."
Gu Qingfeng beckoned, signaling Horse Prince to sit down, and tossed him another jug of wine. "Mention what?"
"It seems they said the Liúshā Small Secret Realm manifested once during the opening of the Present Ancient Era, that is, ten thousand years ago."
"Oh?"
Gu Qingfeng's heart stirred. "And then?"
"They said that ten thousand years ago, when the Liúshā Small Secret Realm manifested, something terrifying happened."
"How terrifying?"
"I'm not too clear on the specifics. It seems when the Liúshā Small Secret Realm first manifested, many experts from the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain rushed in to explore, hoping to find some treasures. But once they entered, they never came out again. It's said they all died inside. Some say they were killed by the poisonous miasma and demonic spirits inside, while others say that when the realm manifested, a madwoman and a terrifying demon were locked in a fierce battle inside, and those experts were ultimately killed by that madwoman and that terrifying demon."
"A madwoman?"
Gu Qingfeng murmured, sinking into deep thought.
In his mind, after he ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire on the Illusory Mountain of the Era and turned to ashes, it was absolutely impossible for him to inexplicably undergo Nirvana Silence Rebirth in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm. In other words, there might be some connection between the Liúshā Small Secret Realm and the Illusory Mountain of the Era.
If that were truly the case,
then who could the madwoman Horse Prince mentioned be?
Could it be...
For some reason, when Gu Qingfeng heard 'madwoman,' the image of Jun Xuanji immediately surfaced in his mind.
Could it really be her?
Gu Qingfeng pondered for a while but couldn't be certain. Back then, after he ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire on the Mountain of the Era, he knew nothing of what followed. As for where Jun Xuanji went, he was also completely in the dark.
But if the madwoman was Jun Xuanji, then who was the demon she was fighting?
Gu Qingfeng couldn't figure it out at all. He asked, "The Liúshā Small Secret Realm manifested ten thousand years ago. When did it disappear?"
"That, I'm not too clear about either."
Horse Prince scratched his head. "The stories about the Liúshā Small Secret Realm have always been quite bizarre. There are even rumors that the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, Genggu Wuming, also once appeared in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm."
Upon hearing Genggu Wuming's name, Gu Qingfeng's heart immediately skipped a beat. "Genggu Wuming really appeared in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm?"
Seeing the originally relaxed Gu Qingfeng suddenly turn serious, Horse Prince's heart tightened in fright. He immediately stood up, not daring to speak carelessly, and stammered, "Great Lord, this matter happened ten thousand years ago. I've only been cultivating for less than a thousand years. These past events, I only occasionally overheard when some old seniors were boasting. Whether it's true or false, I really don't know."
Gu Qingfeng patted Horse Prince's shoulder, signaling him not to be nervous. He sat down on his chair, poured himself a cup of wine, and pondered.
If the madwoman Horse Prince mentioned was Jun Xuanji, and if Genggu Wuming also appeared in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm back then, then without a doubt, the Liúshā Small Secret Realm must be related to the Mountain of the Era.
Where was he at that time?
Had he already undergone Nirvana Silence Rebirth in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm?
Or had he not undergone Nirvana Silence Rebirth yet?
If he had already undergone Nirvana Silence Rebirth, neither Jun Xuanji nor Genggu Wuming would likely have let him off easily.
Jun Xuanji had always wanted to end all of this and consistently believed that only by killing him could it be ended. If she knew he was still alive, she certainly wouldn't hold back.
As for Genggu Wuming, needless to say, that little lady claimed to be the incarnation of causality and the messenger of fate. And Original Sin was both erroneous causality and erroneous fate; otherwise, there wouldn't be talk of the Black Hole Cataclysm. Therefore, Genggu Wuming would be even less likely to let him go.
Although Gu Qingfeng had comprehended Great Nirvana and transcended life and death, that only meant he transcended life and death. It didn't mean he couldn't be suppressed. Moreover, he firmly believed that with Genggu Wuming's abilities, suppressing him wouldn't be difficult at all. She might even be capable of preventing his Nirvana Silence Rebirth.
Wasn't that the case with those Original Sin Incarnations like Chiyou and Xingtian? Presumably, even Genggu Wuming couldn't completely obliterate them, only suppress them in the Guixu.
However,
to come back to the point.
Since neither Jun Xuanji nor Genggu Wuming would let him go,
why was he able to smoothly undergo Nirvana Silence Rebirth in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm?
Could it be that someone saved him?
Gu Qingfeng thought about it and found this idea even more far-fetched. Ever since fusing with the Blood of Original Sin, both the Three Thousand Great Dao and those people of the Era had wanted him dead. It was impossible for anyone to save him.
Did something happen in between?
What kind of existence could that demon fighting Jun Xuanji possibly be?
Could his smooth Nirvana Silence Rebirth be related to this demon?