"Although this humble one has never entered the Black-Raven Secret Realm, I've heard it's terrifying inside."
Fei Kui frowned, his expression grim as he said, "Since the Calamity a hundred years ago, many people have tried to investigate the Black-Raven Secret Realm, but few have returned alive. I've heard it's filled with Poison Breath everywhere—Golden Core True Masters who enter have their physical bodies instantly dissolve into bloody water..." Gu Qingfeng nodded, not finding this surprising. In his five hundred years of cultivation, he had barged into many Secret Realms; nine out of ten were filled with Poison Breath. Forget Golden Core True Masters—some terrifying Poison Breaths could even dissolve immortals into water.
But Poison Breath wasn't the most terrifying part.
The most terrifying were the various monsters bred in such Poison Breath environments. Their strength was immense, as savage and brutal as could be.
"I've heard the Black-Raven Secret Realm is an Ancient Times Secret Realm, and there might even be Ancient Times ruins inside. Whether that's true or not, this humble one isn't clear."
"If there really are Ancient Times ruins inside, then it must be quite old..." Not all Secret Realms had harsh natural environments.
Some Secret Realms, after forming, might contain exceptionally miraculous pure spiritual breath.
Since ancient times, such Secret Realms had been hot commodities, because pure spiritual breath would inevitably breed various spiritual veins, even various spiritual beasts. Many major sects would even relocate into such Secret Realms.
However, a Secret Realm was, after all, a Secret Realm.
It formed when the laws of nature mutated and became disordered, so the natural laws inside were prone to chaos.
Once chaos erupted, the Secret Realm would suffer catastrophic disaster, no less than heaven and earth being destroyed.
Gu Qingfeng examined the Black-Yao fragment in his hand, pondered for a moment, then patted Fei Kui's shoulder and said, "Let's go take a look."
Fei Kui drove the four-horse grand carriage at full speed.
"After the Calamity, have many Secret Realms appeared within the world?"
"There should be many, right? Just our Four Regions Great Domain alone has three. I've heard the entire Great Northwest has seventy or eighty Secret Realms. If our Great Northwest borderlands have this many, the world is so vast—there should be many more."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng felt deeply moved within.
Although the Heavenly Calamity hadn't brought disaster to the mortal world, its impact was immense.
He couldn't help but recall the old monk's words.
Since ancient times, after a Calamity, when heaven and earth were reborn, it signified the opening of a new era.
But this new era was highly likely to be stillborn.
Because when heaven and earth were reborn, the Three Thousand Great Daos were all re-deriving, and all laws were extremely unstable.
Seizing heavenly opportunities, snatching creation, determining the Destined Course...
Each era had its own Destined Course.
The Destined Course of the Ancient Times era was the Throne.
The Destined Course of the Archaic Times era was the Dao Lineage.
The Destined Course of the Primordial Times era was the Law.
And Gu Qingfeng knew that so-called 'Ancient Times' and 'Archaic Times' were merely folk terms. When he was in the Nine Underworlds, he had once heard an old demon say that the Heavenly Calamity had already occurred more than eight times. In other words, the essence of heaven and earth had been reborn eight times. Adding this time made it the ninth—the Ninth Heavenly Epoch, also the ninth era. Several eras among them had been stillborn.
The reason for being stillborn also arose from chaos.
Some seized heavenly opportunities.
Others snatched creation.
Some determined the Destined Course.
Others sought karma.
The Destined Course of the current Modern Times era hadn't yet appeared. Once it did, it would thoroughly plunge into an era of chaos.
By then, various great powers would emerge one after another to seize it.
How exactly the previous few epochal eras had been stillborn, Gu Qingfeng didn't know. But one thing he was certain of: the Modern Times era would absolutely be more chaotic. Because compared to previous epochs, when this Calamity occurred, the most frenzied reincarnation storm in history had appeared.
No one knew exactly how many great powers had reincarnated.
When the Calamity occurred, the Heavenly Realm collapsed, the Nine Underworlds fell into chaos, even the Demon Prison disintegrated. It was said even the Endless Barrens over there were affected.
The chaos in the Nine Underworlds was terrifying enough, because it was filled with old demons steeped in sin.
The chaos in the Demon Prison was even more terrifying, because it suppressed true demons.
If the Endless Barrens were also affected... then it wasn't just terrifying anymore, it was simply...
Simply unimaginable, because it suppressed Demon Ancestors who had slaughtered gods since ancient times—Xingtian, Jiangchen, Shentu, and the famous Chiyou...
"I don't know if the Heavenly Calamity affected the Endless Barrens. If it did... then things will really get lively then..." Whether it was because he still bore a grudge over the Old Heaven's judgment against him, or because he was born liking chaos, whenever he thought of this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but want to laugh.
Only, his laughter under the setting sun, in the dusk, appeared extremely sinister and bewitching—that kind of aloof, disdainful sinister charm. Especially as night gradually fell, the smile at the corner of his mouth grew even more frenzied, more precisely, like a mad demon...
Even his dark eyes grew increasingly crimson...
Suddenly!
Gu Qingfeng seemed to realize something, his expression changing dramatically in shock. Not daring to delay, he immediately closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and silently recited a heart sutra.
"Great Purity Great Prajna, Immeasurable Free Mind, Extinction Gives Birth to No-Self, My Buddha Subdues True Demons..." "A means none, Bi means between, A-Bi Spirit, Between-Less Soul, Body of Sin, Free Mind..."
He silently recited the Prajna Great Purity Mantra. He didn't know how long passed until the great sun completely disappeared, night fell, and the bright moon hung in the sky. Only then did he slowly open his eyes. The previously crimson eyes returned to darkness. Gazing at the night sky, he sneered, shook his head, and sighed.
"The great sun falls, dusk envelops, darkness descends...
Twilight..." Thinking of this, his memory seemed to return to before the Calamity, when the Old Heaven delivered endless Judgment, judging the Nine Underworlds.
His memory stopped there. Gu Qingfeng didn't delve deeper but stood up, stretching fiercely. His body crackled crisply. Gazing at the night sky, at the firmament, he said, "Old Heaven, look what you've done to me...
To withstand your damn Judgment, my soul might never recover in this lifetime..." "I can still suppress it temporarily now. If one day in the future I can't suppress it anymore, what falls won't just be the great sun, what envelops won't just be dusk, what descends won't just be darkness...
I...
Will also no longer be me..." "Take this rebirth to reflect properly, be a bit more mindful. Don't be so damn rigid and traditional again."
"This time after awakening, I'm not planning to seek revenge against you. I just want to peacefully seek some karma. I don't want to get involved in other messy matters. As long as you don't cause trouble for me, I definitely won't actively cause trouble for you either." Taking out a wine gourd, he poured himself a cup, threw his head back and drank it all in one gulp. Gu Qingfeng laughed, "But let's be clear upfront. If you cling to those old messy matters and insist on causing trouble for me, if you really piss me off, this time I'll go all the way—directly abandon my body and transform my soul, achieving complete and thorough Great Freedom."