In Gu Qingfeng's impression, all living creatures of flesh and blood were ultimately white bones beneath. Cultivators, regardless of gender, were no exception. So too were various fierce beasts—lions, wolves, tigers, leopards, and so on.
However,
if a human cultivated to become an Immortal, it was said to be a transformation, a rebirth. After achieving an Immortal body, the white bones were no longer mere bones; they would turn into crystalline bones, translucent and sparkling like crystal.
If one cultivated to become a Buddha, similarly undergoing transformation and achieving a Buddha body, the bones would also become golden-yellow gold bones.
If one cultivated to become a Demon, achieving a Demon body, the bones would turn into dull, turbid, pitch-black bones.
If one cultivated to become a demonic beast, the white bones of a flesh-and-blood body would become blood-red crimson bones of the demonic form.
Gu Qingfeng walked over to that one desiccated corpse and placed his foot on its chest. With a sudden exertion of force, in an instant, the withered skin and membrane were instantly shaken into nothingness, dissipating like smoke. What appeared thereafter was a skeleton.
Although the other party had become a desiccated corpse, its skeletal remains were perfectly intact. Gu Qingfeng's kick had used just the right amount of force, merely dispersing the dried husk without harming the bones within.
The bones were crystalline and translucent. Clearly, this man had been an Immortal in life.
To be precise, he wasn't just any ordinary Immortal.
He should have been a Heavenly Immortal!
Because this man's skeletal remains were simply too pure—so pure they no longer resembled crystal, so utterly pure and flawless.
Looking across all heaven and earth, only those born with innate Xiantian Immortal nature possessed such pristine, flawless crystalline Immortal bones!
What a pity!
A dignified Heavenly Immortal had actually died here, just like that.
Gu Qingfeng crouched down and carefully examined the skeleton. He found no injuries whatsoever on the entire body. This couldn't help but arouse his curiosity. Since there were no wounds, how did such a powerful Heavenly Immortal die here?
Died of old age?
Unlikely, right?
He was, after all, a Heavenly Immortal. While not exactly immortal and indestructible, he was absolutely ageless and deathless.
But if not old age, and with no injuries, how exactly did he die?
Gu Qingfeng thought for a while but couldn't come up with any reason. Too lazy to dwell on it further, he continued wandering through these ruins. To his great surprise, this stretch of ruins didn't contain just one desiccated corpse. Not long after, he discovered several more in succession.
Searching through the ruins, he found a full dozen or more desiccated corpses. And all of them were just like the first: their bodies showed no apparent injuries whatsoever. It was as if their cultivation had been exhausted, their life force had drained away, their souls had dispersed... as if they had simply died of old age.
If that were all, it wouldn't have shocked him so much. The truth was, among the dozen-plus desiccated corpses he discovered, six were all Heavenly Immortals. Besides the Heavenly Immortals, there were also four Heavenly Demonic Beasts and five Heavenly Demons!
Why were they all 'Heavenly'-ranked Immortals, Demons, and Demonic Beasts?
How exactly did these Heavenly Demonic Beasts, Heavenly Demons, and Heavenly Immortals die?
Gu Qingfeng turned it over and over in his mind but couldn't figure it out.
Just as he was about to leave, his heart suddenly jolted. "Could these ruins... be remnants from the Desolate Ancient Era?"
He had once heard both Da Xing and Mo Wentian say that during the Desolate Ancient Era, the Great Nature was in full bloom, spiritual energy was abundant and rich, resources were plentiful and incredibly pure. It was called the Xiantian Realm.
Back then, the Human Dao had not yet declined. Humans did not need to cultivate and seek something like an Immortal Dao.
It was said that in the Desolate Ancient Era, there were no 'humans,' only 'Heavenly Humans.'
There were no 'Immortals,' only 'Heavenly Immortals.'
No 'Demons,' only 'Heavenly Demons.'
Only 'Heavenly Demonic Beasts,' 'Heavenly Ghosts,' and even including 'Heavenly Buddhas.'
In that era of the Desolate Ancient, where the Great Daos vied for supremacy, benefiting from the Xiantian Realm where the Great Nature flourished, humans were Xiantian Humans, Immortals were Xiantian Immortals, Demons were Xiantian Demons—they were born with immense power. Even a three-year-old child could move mountains and drain seas.
Gazing at the ruins beneath his feet and the dozen-plus Xiantian skeletal remains, Gu Qingfeng pondered whether these ruins might be from the Desolate Ancient Era.
If they truly were Desolate Ancient ruins, then why had the other Desolate Ancient relics all turned into barren deserts, while only these ruins remained unaffected?
He didn't know.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't be sure either.
He stepped away from these ruins and moved on to others. These ruins appeared no different from the first. Though there were flowers, grasses, trees, and plants, they had all withered and died. Various broken stones and debris were piled into hills. Everywhere was desolate, filled with dead silence. He could sense no vitality whatsoever, not even a trace.
Within these ruins, Gu Qingfeng also discovered several desiccated corpses. Similarly, there were Heavenly Immortals, as well as Heavenly Demons and Heavenly Demonic Beasts.
He did not stop.
He continued exploring.
The third site, the fourth, the fifth...
Gu Qingfeng kept exploring ruin after ruin, discovering that each was the same. They were like colossal, vivid, lifelike statues of giant deities. Though devoid of life, they gave off a feeling of ancient, startling silence, inspiring a sense of awe deep within one's heart.
Exploring ruin after ruin like this, he discovered nearly a hundred desiccated corpses in total. Without exception, they were either Heavenly Immortals, or Heavenly Demons, or Heavenly Demonic Beasts. There were also some whose nature he couldn't quite discern.
At this moment, he stood within one particular ruin.
Beside him lay three special skeletal remains.
The reason they were called special was because these skeletons belonged to beings who were neither Heavenly Immortals, nor Heavenly Demons, nor even Heavenly Demonic Beasts or Heavenly Buddhas.
These three special skeletons were white.
But this whiteness was not the white bones of flesh-and-blood cultivators from the myriad realms.
The white bones of a flesh-and-blood body, though white, were dull and lusterless. No matter how high one's cultivation, as long as one remained a being of flesh and blood, the bones would not change.
However,
these three special skeletons, though also bone-white, were pure white like jade (pure white like jade). They felt less like bones and more like skeletal forms carved from jade.
In his lifetime, Gu Qingfeng had killed many living beings—Immortals and Buddhas, Demons and monsters, all sorts of ghosts and spirits. Yet he had never seen any existence that possessed jade bones.
Gazing at the three pure white like jade skeletal remains on the ground, Gu Qingfeng simply stared. He didn't know how much time passed before he slowly crouched down and gently touched the three skeletons, murmuring, "You...
could you possibly be Heavenly Humans?"
Gu Qingfeng had never seen a Heavenly Human.
Not even one.
But he had a feeling deep inside, a feeling that these three white-jade skeletons before him might very well be the legendary Heavenly Humans.
This feeling was intense.
He closed his eyes.
After a moment of silence, Gu Qingfeng shook his head, stood up, and opened his eyes. He knew that if these three skeletons before him were indeed the remains of Heavenly Humans, then the floating ruins within the Zhen Palace were most likely ruins from the Desolate Ancient Era.
Because only in that era of the Desolate Ancient, where the Great Daos vied for supremacy, did each cultivate their own distinct Dao.
And only in that Desolate Ancient era, where the Great Nature flourished like a Xiantian Realm, were Immortals truly Xiantian Immortals, Demons truly Xiantian Demons, and Humans truly Xiantian Humans!