After reviewing Ancestor Lin Chi's memories, Gu Qingfeng sighed inwardly; the old man truly was a sanctimonious hypocrite. To survive within the Desolate Ancient Ruins, he had spared no vile method. First, relying on his status as a Supreme Elder of Dan Ding Valley, he had deceived everyone into handing over their resources, claiming he could use them to refine more elixirs.
When his plot was finally exposed, the old man, like a cornered dog, turned to outright slaughter, even betraying and harming all the Dan Ding Valley elders who had trusted him.
Gu Qingfeng had initially hoped to find clues about the giant cauldron from Ancestor Lin Chi's memories. To his disappointment, the old man knew nothing about the cauldron either. As for the method to open the seal, that was pure nonsense; although the old man had been contemplating the mysteries of the seal all along, he had never truly comprehended them.
That said, there was some valuable information. At the very least, from Ancestor Lin Chi's memories, Gu Qingfeng learned that Dan Ding Valley had secretly begun cultivating Those with Original Sin as early as the Primordial Era. To nurture them, they had been covertly laying schemes all along—reincarnating some, having others undergo rebirth, and co-opting still others.
If Dan Ding Valley was like this, then likely the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands within the Great Desolate were no different, having also laid their Original Sin groundwork since the Primordial Era.
Another matter caught Gu Qingfeng's attention: since the Primordial Era, Dan Ding Valley had been incessantly searching for Desolate Ancient Ruins, both to confirm whether the Great Dao Progenitor had truly perished and to retrieve the lost Great Dao Treasures from the Desolate Ancient Era.
Previously, Gu Qingfeng had thought that even if there was anything within the Desolate Ancient Ruins, it would merely be some lost Great Dao Treasures.
Through Ancestor Lin Chi's memories, he now knew that the Desolate Ancient Ruins didn't just entomb Great Dao Treasures; they also contained Great Dao Seeds, Primordial Bloodlines, and all sorts of other messy existences like True Spirits, Ethereal Bodies, Divine Sense, and Demonic Thoughts.
It was said that many Great Daos perished in the Desolate Ancient Era. Some Great Daos were reborn, but many did not revive, leaving behind only Great Dao Seeds after their origin dried up.
Similarly, many great powers fell in the Desolate Ancient Era. These powers included not only Great Dao Progenitors but also some Bloodline Progenitors. After these great powers perished, some would leave behind Divine Sense, Demonic Thoughts, True Spirits, Ethereal Bodies, and the like.
As for the idea that only Great Dao Seeds remained after a Great Dao's origin dried up, Gu Qingfeng pondered and found it quite plausible.
As for whether great powers, after their fall, would leave behind Divine Sense, Demonic Thoughts, True Spirits, or Ethereal Bodies...
Gu Qingfeng believed that too.
After all, they were great powers.
Even if their physical bodies and souls truly perished and turned to dust, their spiritual will might remain.
And it wasn't impossible for these spiritual wills to transform into Divine Sense, Demonic Thoughts, True Spirits, or Ethereal Bodies.
He even suspected that his own 'Searching Heaven and Hell' and 'Avici Asura of Endless Suffering' might be something like Divine Sense, Demonic Thoughts, True Spirits, or Ethereal Bodies born from the spiritual will left behind by some fallen great power.
What surprised Gu Qingfeng even more was that, according to Ancestor Lin Chi's memories, he also learned that a type of Heavenly Mandate had been born in the Desolate Ancient Era, one that belonged solely to that era: the Sage Dao.
It was said the Sage Dao stood above the Three Thousand Great Daos, being the supreme and paramount Great Dao. Attaining Sagehood was like a mortal attaining immortality.
The difference was:
When ordinary people become immortals, they become ageless and deathless.
But when immortals or demons attain Sagehood, they become deathless and indestructible.
However,
This Sage Dao Heavenly Mandate was born in the Desolate Ancient Era, died in the Desolate Ancient Era, and was buried in the Desolate Ancient Era.
After the Desolate Ancient Era, the Sage Dao never again appeared within Heaven and Earth.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know if such a thing was true; regardless, this memory was stored within Ancestor Lin Chi's recollections.
Another matter that rather astonished him:
Ancestor Lin Chi's memories recorded that the Desolate Ancient Era also buried Original Sin Blood. It was said that someone had found Original Sin Blood within Desolate Ancient Ruins as early as the Primordial Era.
Besides Original Sin Blood, there were also things like Sacred Blood, Dark Blood, and Light Blood—said to be legendary Primordial Bloodlines.
Whether it was the Sage Dao Heavenly Mandate or Primordial Bloodlines,
Gu Qingfeng had heard of them, but that was all.
He had heard of them, but not much, and didn't know if they were real or not.
Regardless, obtaining so much information from Ancestor Lin Chi's memories meant his effort wasn't wasted.
Opening his eyes, Gu Qingfeng uncorked a jar of Hell's Impermanence Wine. Just as he was about to continue contemplating the seal on the Magical Treasure's Eye, he looked up and was startled to find the seal had vanished.
It truly had vanished.
As if the Magical Treasure's Eye had never had a seal at all, it had disappeared without a trace.
Gu Qingfeng wondered if he was seeing things. He looked back and forth carefully several times, finally confirming that the seal on the Magical Treasure's Eye had indeed vanished inexplicably.
What was going on?
When had the seal disappeared?
And how had it disappeared?
Gu Qingfeng knew nothing. He clearly remembered that when he was contemplating it earlier, the seal on the Magical Treasure's Eye was profoundly mysterious and wondrously subtle. He had contemplated for a long time without grasping anything. How could it have vanished so bizarrely all of a sudden?
He didn't understand, couldn't figure it out, and found it incomprehensible.
After pondering for a moment, he cautiously extended his Divine Sense to probe inside, but detected nothing. It was utterly empty, containing nothing at all.
This was highly unusual.
Logically, the Magical Treasure's Eye should contain the Magical Treasure's Origin Source. It couldn't possibly be empty.
Could it be that the Magical Treasure's Origin Source had long dried up and dissipated?
Or had it been stolen?
That also seemed impossible.
If the Magical Treasure's Origin Source were gone, then the giant cauldron would be like a person who had lost its soul, leaving only an empty husk. Its structure would have long since collapsed, and the entire giant cauldron would have vanished into thin air.
Yet the giant cauldron still existed. Although its structure was chaotic, it remained relatively intact. Moreover, Gu Qingfeng was certain there must be a Magical Treasure's Origin Source supporting the cauldron. Besides, if the Magical Treasure's Origin Source within the Eye had truly vanished, the seal couldn't possibly still exist either.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that when he used his Divine Sense flame to burn Ancestor Lin Chi's soul, the Magical Treasure's Origin Source disappeared, causing the seal to inexplicably dissipate?
Wasn't that too much of a coincidence?
Gu Qingfeng didn't dwell on it, always feeling things weren't as simple as he thought. He immediately withdrew his Divine Sense and decided to enter personally to see for himself.
He leaped up and jumped in.
The moment he jumped in, Gu Qingfeng had a bad feeling. Immediately afterward, he felt as if he had fallen into a chaotic current.
Everything happened far too quickly, so fast he had no time to react. By the time he regained his senses, he suddenly found himself in a strange space.
This space had no cycling of sun and moon, no Yin and Yang or Five Elements, not even origin laws. The sky was like a massive vortex churning with turbulent flows, while below stretched a boundless desert.
What was going on now?
Could it be that within the Magical Treasure's Eye of the giant cauldron lay another Desolate Ancient Ruin?
Just as Gu Qingfeng was struck with doubt and surprise, he witnessed another incomprehensible scene. Within this Desolate Ancient Ruin, there was actually a mountain range—a mountain range resembling a dragon's skeleton, lying across the desert.
It was exactly identical to the Desolate Ancient Ruin he had just entered, right down to the dragon-skeleton-like desert.