For existences like Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, if they lack a Great Dao Overlord who dominates the heavens and earth, they might not be stripped of their status, but they would gradually decline.
Fortunately, over the years, each major Grotto Heaven and Blessed Land has nurtured many heaven-defying talents. Even if they aren't Great Dao Overlords who dominate the world, they are at least Great Dao Emperors renowned across the Great Desolation, or at the very least, Great Dao Monarchs famous in their own right.
After all, whether it's the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens or the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, they are all top-tier treasured lands within the world, with endless cultivation resources and first-class Great Dao treasures.
It is no exaggeration to say that even if a person's aptitude is poor, their comprehension low, even if they are a fool—as long as they cultivate within a Grotto Heaven or Blessed Land for a period of time, they would emerge as a master of their own domain.
Most importantly, Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands have long-standing legacies, with experts as numerous as clouds. They can deduce future situations through karma, thereby seizing heavenly mandate and dominating the initiative.
Although.
After the heavy blows brought by the end of the Desolate Ancient Era, most Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands gradually recovered their vitality through the Primeval, Ancient, and Archaic eras up to the present age, rising again and reshaping their glory. However, a small portion of Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands have never recovered since the end of the Desolate Ancient Era, declining like the dusk after sunset, their presence among the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands growing ever weaker.
Though not stripped of their names, they merely survive in disgrace, and that is all.
The Taixu Grotto Heaven is the foremost among them.
First, it was also affected by the cataclysm of the Desolate Ancient Era's end, with many of Taixu Grotto's Great Dao Elders perishing.
However.
This was not the main reason. After all, all Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands suffered massive losses after the Desolate Ancient Era's end. Comparatively, Taixu Grotto's losses were not too severe.
The true reason that caused Taixu Grotto's irreversible decline is simple: over so many years, it has failed to nurture a single Great Dao Overlord who dominates the heavens and earth.
Let alone a Great Dao Overlord, it hasn't even produced a Great Dao Emperor renowned across the Great Desolation.
Strictly speaking, after the Desolate Ancient Era's end, Taixu Grotto was not without its great figures.
On the contrary.
Soon after the Desolate Ancient Era ended and the Primeval Era had just begun, Taixu Grotto produced a great figure—one who dominated the heavens and earth, whose fame rivaled that of the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Lord Black Mountain.
He was none other than the infamous Demon Path Overlord, Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe!
Whether it was Taixu Grotto's misfortune or Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe's destined calamity remains unclear.
Back then, when Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe was not yet the Ancestral Patriarch but merely a disciple of Taixu Grotto, he seized heavenly fortune, inherited the Immortal Dao's mandate, obtained the Immortal Dao's imperial authority, and ascended to the Immortal Emperor throne. This shook the heavens and earth, his prominence unparalleled for a time, even the Great Sun Radiant Emperor could not compare.
Yet, Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe admired Cang Yan of the Langya Grotto. Back then, Cang Yan had also seized heavenly fortune and ascended to Immortal Dao imperial authority. However, because Langya Grotto's elders had all perished in the Desolate Ancient cataclysm, after learning of Cang Yan's ascension, experts from many Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and even the Great Desolation's giants coveted her Immortal Dao imperial authority and sought to claim it for themselves.
At that time.
Though Cang Yan stood alone, she did not fear the experts from the Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, or the Great Desolation's giants, nor did she surrender her Immortal Dao imperial authority and mandate.
Alas.
She had no support.
Facing the encirclement of numerous experts, Cang Yan sealed her own Immortal Dao imperial authority within Langya Grotto and, before everyone's eyes, chose to end her own life, scattering her soul to ashes.
This is a piece of history unknown to most, a history suppressed by the major Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and the Great Desolation's giants—one they were even unwilling to mention.
It is said that when this incident occurred, Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe, who admired Cang Yan, was in secluded cultivation within Taixu Grotto. Emerging and learning of this, he was enraged. In a single thought, he fell into demonhood and embarked on a great slaughter, killing until the skies darkened and the earth was stained red, until rivers of blood flowed.
He killed until both heaven and mankind resented him, until the Nine Heavens could not tolerate him. Finally, in front of the Nine Heavens, before the Immortal Dao, before his own sect Taixu Grotto, before the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens, the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and all the other giants, he crushed the Mandate Heart he had painstakingly nurtured into dust.
From then on, he completely severed ties with the Immortal Dao and fell into the Demon Path. He declared to all existences under heaven and earth that from that day forward, he was no longer an immortal, but a demon—a demon through and through.
When his sect's elders from Taixu Grotto came out to stop him, he returned all his cultivation to Taixu Grotto, ceasing to be a disciple of Taixu.
The Immortal Dao could not tolerate him, so he fell into demonhood in a single thought.
The heavenly mandate could not tolerate him, so he crushed that Mandate Heart everyone dreamed of possessing.
He said: Whoever forced the woman he loved to her death, he would demand blood for blood.
If he couldn't kill them now, he would kill them later. If he couldn't kill them in this life, he would kill them in the next. Until he had killed every last person who forced Cang Yan to her death.
He said this, and he did exactly this.
The various giants who had forced Cang Yan to her death were all terrified, for no one had expected that after Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe personally crushed an Immortal Dao Mandate Imperial Authority and fell into the Demon Path, he would actually ascend to the Demon Path's Mandate Imperial Authority. Abandoning the Great Dao Immortal Emperor, he became the Great Dao Demon Emperor who struck fear into hearts—Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe.
This is Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe.
A single thought into demonhood, rivers of blood flowing!
From then on, Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe was no longer a disciple of Taixu Grotto, nor an Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Dao, but a Demon Emperor of the Demon Path—a Demon Path Overlord who dominated the heavens and earth!
Taixu Grotto's group of old seniors were also severely struck by this incident. Afterwards, although they nurtured many heaven-defying talents, those so-called heaven-defying talents nurtured by Taixu Grotto were far inferior to Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe, utterly incomparable.
Not only that.
Because after Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe fell into demonhood, in order to avenge Cang Yan, he truly killed many experts from those Grotto Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Great Desolation giants.
Consider this: the major Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands had already suffered grievous losses after the Desolate Ancient Era's end. Having with great difficulty recovered some vitality and nurtured some promising seedlings, they were all killed by Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe.
How could this not enrage them?
But rage is one thing.
No one dared to seek revenge from Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe.
He, Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe, had crushed the Immortal Dao's Imperial Mandate one moment, and ascended to the Demon Path's Imperial Mandate the next. His strength was peerless in those days.
This grudge, the major Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands simply dared not seek to settle with Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe. They could only place this account on Taixu Grotto's head.
After all, wasn't Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe nurtured by your Taixu Grotto?
However, to be fair, the major Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands did not directly besiege Taixu Grotto.
After all, if they hadn't coveted Cang Yan's Immortal Dao Imperial Mandate and forced her to her death, they wouldn't have provoked Ancestral Patriarch Xuehe's single-minded fall into demonhood and the resulting rivers of blood.
It is said that ever since then, the major Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, jointly with other giants, placed an embargo on Taixu Grotto.
Not only did they secretly seize Taixu Grotto's resources, they also secretly poached the talents Taixu Grotto nurtured.
This is the true reason for Taixu Grotto's gradual decline.
Because after being jointly embargoed by the major Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, Taixu Grotto's legacy almost stagnated, plunging into a desperate situation.