"There's one thing I still cannot understand to this day. Our Ancestor has been gone for ten thousand years. During that time, so many Life-Vein Persons were born, yet she never returned."
"When the Nine Elders Cave Dwelling took in the Life-Vein Persons, she did not return either. Why did she return only when a Life-Vein Person named Gu Tianlang was born? Could it be solely because of the anomaly in the Life Vein back then?"
"Furthermore, after our Ancestor returned, she not only eradicated all the Life-Vein Persons taken in by the Nine Elders Cave Dwelling but also wiped out everyone in the Nine Elders Cave Dwelling itself. Why is it that only the Taohua Old Daoist from the Taohua Cave Dwelling is still alive?"
"Not only is the Taohua Old Daoist alive, but Gu Tianlang also survived. Remember, Gu Tianlang was also a Life-Vein Person. Why didn't the Ancestor kill him?"
"The Ancestor's strength is unfathomable. Since she could reduce everyone in the Nine Elders Cave Dwelling to ashes, the Taohua Old Daoist was definitely no match for her. Therefore, it's impossible that he was the one who saved Gu Tianlang."
"Also, after the Ancestor returned, she was severely injured. Was it because of the Life Vein? Or was it some other reason?"
"What exactly happened back then?"
Wolan shook her head, furrowed her brows, closed her eyes, and murmured. Her words were filled with confusion and bewilderment, as well as profound doubt and incomprehension.
In the darkness.
Gu Qingfeng had been lying in wait, silent and unnoticed, within Jade-Pure Manor.
Having finally encountered someone from Setting Sun Mountain, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. He had originally planned to follow this Wolan to see if he could locate Setting Sun Mountain, but he never expected to hear such explosive news.
What shocked him most was that the Taohua Old Daoist was actually a member of the Nine Elders Cave Dwelling.
Moreover, the so-called Nine Elders Cave Dwelling had been wiped out five hundred years ago, eradicated by their own Ancestor, all because they had taken in Life-Vein Persons like himself.
The doubts in Wolan's heart also left Gu Qingfeng puzzled.
Indeed.
Since the Setting Sun Ancestor returned and wiped out the Nine Elders Cave Dwelling and the Life-Vein Persons, why didn't she kill him?
Could it be that the Taohua Old Daoist not only stopped the people of Setting Sun Mountain from killing him back then but also later stopped the Setting Sun Ancestor?
Did the Taohua Old Daoist possess such capability?
That was, after all, their Ancestor. Her strength must have been terrifyingly profound, and they were of the same clan. Logically, the Taohua Old Daoist shouldn't have been a match for the Setting Sun Ancestor. Furthermore, why would the Taohua Old Daoist have any reason to oppose their own Ancestor for his sake?
Damn it.
What the hell is going on?
Gu Qingfeng decided he must find the Taohua Old Daoist later and get a clear answer.
Jade-Pure Manor.
Inside the pavilion.
Wolan drank her wine, gazing at the full moon in the night sky. A faint smile, tinged with self-mockery, appeared on her beautiful face. "Granny Lin, do you think we are pitiful?"
"Pitiful? Young Lady, why do you say that?"
"We of Setting Sun Mountain have always guarded the so-called Life Vein, but no one knows what exactly we are guarding, nor why we must guard it, let alone the meaning behind this guardianship."
"It is the ancestral decree left by the Ancestor."
Granny Lin hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Young Lady, there is something this old woman wonders if I should say."
"Please, speak."
"This old woman is merely a cultivator of Setting Sun Mountain. The true guardians of the Life Vein are the Setting Sun clansmen like yourself, Young Lady. The Ancestor is our Ancestor to us cultivators of Setting Sun Mountain, but to you, she is your forebear. Without the Ancestor, there would be no Setting Sun clansmen, and there would be no you, Young Lady."
"I am not unaware of this reasoning, nor do I intend to defy the ancestral decree. It's just that..." "Young Lady, since it is a decree left by the Ancestor, there must be a reason for it, even if we do not know it. Perhaps the Ancestor did not explicitly inform you all for your own good."
Granny Lin said solemnly, "This old woman has cultivated for several thousand years. My greatest realization is that between heaven and earth, there exist far too many mysterious and unknown matters beyond our reach. Knowing something is not necessarily a good thing, and not knowing is not necessarily a bad thing."
"Perhaps you are right."
Wolan sighed deeply and stood up. "Do you know, Granny Lin, the Life Vein has recently begun to undergo anomalies again..."
"When?"
"Not long ago. I can sense it, and... the anomaly is very intense."
"Could it be that another Life-Vein Person has been born?"
"I don't know. My parents said... the signs of this anomaly are even stronger than when Gu Tianlang appeared. And..." A trace of worry flashed in Wolan's beautiful eyes. "And for some reason, I am afraid. As the anomaly in the Life Vein grows stronger day by day, my fear also grows."
"Afraid? Why?"
"Why? I wish I knew why. You know? Even though my parents haven't said it, I can tell they are... also afraid. Not just them, but the elders within the clan, and my grandfather... they all seem very anxious, unsure if something terrible will happen this time."
"Young Lady, if that's the case, then we should hurry back and see if we can be of any help."
"My parents told me to wait here for someone. Only after meeting that person can I return."
"Wait for whom?"
"I don't know. My parents didn't say. They only said that person's surname is Xuan Yuan. They just told me to wait here and then bring that person back with me."
"This..."
...
The Great Northwest.
Immortal Estate.
A few days ago, this place was still packed with people.
After they witnessed with their own eyes Gu Qingfeng's single shout shattering the cultivation of a Millennium Dharma Idol Great Venerable, and then saw him eradicate twenty to thirty Immortal Dynasty scions, the people had long since fled in panic, returning to their own sects, not daring to show themselves again. Even the Immortal Officials of the Northwest Immortal Estate had vanished without a trace.
At this moment.
The originally luxurious, palace-like Immortal Estate appeared somewhat desolate. The heads of the twenty to thirty Immortal Dynasty scions were still scattered haphazardly on the ground.
Not far away.
Over ten people knelt on the ground. They were all Immortal Officials of the estate, and moreover, Nebula Immortal Officials. Leading them were Lord Xun, Bailiff Bai, and others.
Opposite them.
Stood twenty-four individuals.
These twenty-four individuals had steady auras, and the Spiritual Breath emanating from their bodies was incredibly profound. The Spiritual Breath seemed endless, evolving and transforming, cycling endlessly, and carried a faint, flickering sense of vitality.
The Spiritual Breath cycling endlessly represented the perfection of their Primordial Spirit Dharma Idols.
The faint, life-like vitality flickering within the endlessly cycling Spiritual Breath was none other than the fetal stirrings of an Immortal Spirit.
Any cultivator knew that only Earth Immortals possessed Spiritual Breath that cycled endlessly, and only on Earth Immortals would such vitality appear within their Spiritual Breath.
Clearly.
These twenty-four individuals were all Earth Immortals.
Apart from the twenty-four Earth Immortals, there were also several dozen young men and women. The Spiritual Breath of these youths was bright and pure, encompassing Immortal Root Spiritual Breath, Great Sun Radiance Spiritual Breath, and Nature Spiritual Breath. They were a group of Immortal Dynasty scions.