Chapter 285: Chapter 224 Strong Soul (Happy National Day!)_2 This force originated from the Nine States, overwhelming the entire Ancient Desolate World. But afterward, due to unknown reasons, this faction collapsed overnight, even the veins of the Nine States were broken, leading to a decline in nature’s spiritual energy here, and thereby gradually to its downfall.” “At first, many powerful beings from other domains entered the Nine States, hoping to find the inheritance of that supreme force. In the end, they all returned without success, and as time went by, the Nine States gradually faded from the view of the Ancient Desolate World.” Gu Xiu, hearing this, couldn’t help but feel slightly astonished. “Is there such a history with the Nine States? And why did the senior fall here?” Gu Xiu voiced the puzzlement in his mind. With the power of an Emperor Extreme Great Saint, one shouldn’t have fallen in the Nine States. After all, from what the Emperor Extreme Great Saint said, he had some understanding of the cultivation system beyond Great Grandmaster. Above the Great Grandmaster lies Divine Transformation, above Divine Transformation is Dao Palace, above Dao Palace are the Saints, and as for the Great Saints, they are the supreme beings above the Saints. Such beings’ power is imaginable. The Emperor Extreme Great Saint said with a bitter smile, “Back then, when I entered the Nine States, I was seeking a breakthrough opportunity, but unexpectedly, I triggered the prohibition left by the supreme force of the past, subsequently suffering a heavy blow that caused my downfall. If not for this treasure that protected my body, preserving a sliver of my soul in slumber, I would have likely perished long ago.” “Now, although I have preserved my lingering soul with secret techniques, now that I have awakened, I cannot sustain myself for many more years.” “If you cannot find a way for me to consolidate a physical body, within a millennium or two, I will completely dissipate between heaven and earth.” With that said, the Emperor Extreme Great Saint let out a sigh. In his prime, he was already at the pinnacle of the Great Saints, hoping to further his achievements, but he ended up falling here. To speak the truth, the Emperor Extreme Great Saint also had some regrets. If he had not entered the Nine States, with his innate talent, he might have already succeeded in transcending realms, and wouldn’t have come to such a state. But regret is useless now. A Great Saint Realm cultivator can live for eight thousand years. When he fell, the Emperor Extreme Great Saint had already lived for six thousand years, and later with secret techniques, he sealed himself, thus unaffected by the passage of years. However, now that he has awakened, the seal will naturally dissolve, and if he cannot consolidate a physical body and make a breakthrough, he will reach the end of his lifespan after a millennium or two. “With the inheritance bestowed upon me by the senior, I shall do my utmost.” Gu Xiu said. Upon hearing this, the Emperor Extreme Great Saint spoke again, “The Nine States were indeed strong in those days, but that is a matter of ancient times; now the decline of the Nine States is a fact. With your talents, staying here would be a waste. I established a Holy Land in the Southern Domain thirty thousand years ago; you can carry my token to the Southern Domain, and if you can enter the Emperor Extreme Sacred Land, it will save you much trouble.” In the end, the Emperor Extreme Great Saint gave a reminder. “Eh… Can the forces established by the senior thirty thousand years ago still exist?” “Hmph, the Emperor Extreme Sacred Land that I founded back then was a top-tier force in the Southern Domain. Even though I fell in the Nine States, with the foundation of the Emperor Extreme Sacred Land, passing down the inheritance for several hundred thousand years would be an easy task. You must not assume that my downfall signifies weakness; in reality, in each era, not many can reach the Great Saint Realm. Now that the great Dao has not revealed itself, it’s feared that there are no Saints in the Ancient Desolate World, let alone the Great Saint Realm!” The Emperor Extreme Great Saint laughed in anger at Gu Xiu’s underestimation. Curious about this display of anger, Gu Xiu was at a loss for words but then asked curiously, “What does the senior mean by ‘the great Dao has not revealed itself’?” “In the Ancient Desolate World, every ten thousand years, the great Dao will gradually manifest, and with the manifestation of the great Dao, it represents the true peak of the era. In the era when the great Dao manifests, cultivation will become much easier than before. Dao Palace may enter the Saint Realm, Saints may step into the Great Saint Realm, and Great Saints may even seek out the path ahead, climbing the peak step by step, perhaps even achieving immortality!” Toward the end, when mentioning immortality, the voice of the Emperor Extreme Great Saint became fervent. “Immortality!?” “Could there truly be immortals in this world?” Gu Xiu couldn’t help but ask. The Emperor Extreme Great Saint’s tone returned to normal, slightly melancholic, “Whether there truly are immortals in the world, no one knows. However, it is said that the disappearance of that supreme force from the Nine States is related to immortality. But throughout the ages, whether there really were beings who stepped onto the path of immortality, seizing the chance to become an immortal, is also unclear to me. But since there are rumors of immortals, they probably do exist!” Achieving immortality! It was the lifelong pursuit of the strong in the Ancient Desolate World. If becoming immortal was a falsehood, why would these strong characters doggedly seek it? Subsequently, Emperor Extreme Great Saint’s tone changed as he said, “When the Great Dao manifests, it signifies an era of great strife—a time when the era reaches its pinnacle but also marks the beginning of the decline of the next era. When the Great Dao conceals itself, the Heavenly Dao becomes obscure, making it much more difficult for cultivators to practice and make breakthroughs. Even for those with astonishing talent who reach the peak of the Taoist Palace Realm, it’s very hard to be sanctified in this era!” “One must know, an era spans thirteen thousand years, with ten thousand years being the End of Dharma, and three thousand years of prosperity. For the prodigies born at the beginning of the End of Dharma era, waiting for that prosperous period of three thousand years is undeniably a challenging task. Even a cultivator of the Nine Layers of the Taoist Palace Realm has but a mere lifespan of six thousand years!” The words of Emperor Extreme Great Saint suddenly helped Gu Xiu understand the sorrow of these prodigies. The End of Dharma era. Hard to be sanctified. Clearly talents of extreme brilliance and inverse to heaven, they would have been expected to be sanctified in the three thousand years of the great strife era, but eventually, they had to sit and fade away in disappointment. For these prodigies, this was indeed somewhat tragic. Gu Xiu said, “Then does senior know whether the present age is the End of Dharma era, or does it belong to the era of great strife?” “Currently, as the Great Dao has not appeared, it should be within the End of Dharma era.” Hearing Emperor Extreme Great Saint’s words, Gu Xiu’s heart sank slightly. Subsequently, The other party added another comment. “However, although the Great Dao has not yet manifested, there are already some slight fluctuations. If this seat is not mistaken, it should now be the end of the End of Dharma era. Perhaps in another one or two thousand years, we may truly enter the era of great strife!” “Speaking of which, you, lad, are also quite fortunate. With your talent, if you can endure until the era of great strife, you will undoubtedly shine brilliantly!” Emperor Extreme Great Saint was quite optimistic about Gu Xiu, who had an excellent aptitude and was a perfect fit for his own inheritance. With his aptitude, it would not be a problem to be sanctified in the future, and he might even take a step further and enter the Great Saint Realm. Of course, As for higher realms, In the view of Emperor Extreme Great Saint, there was not much chance. However, In the Five Domains of the Ancient Desolate World, there have been few strong ones since ancient times who could truly be sanctified, and those who broke through the limits of Saints to achieve the rank of Great Saint were even rarer. “Cultivation is about taking one step ahead and staying ahead. The Nine States are ultimately too small. At your current age in the Nine States, you haven’t even completed the fifth realm of Body Refinement. If you were in the Southern Domain, at your age, the real prodigies would have already stepped into the Grandmaster Realm or even the Great Grandmaster Realm. Some demons have even challenged the Divine Transformation Realm.” “Therefore, this seat believes that you should immediately go to the Southern Domain, return to the Emperor Extreme Sacred Land first, and then obtain some opportunities from the secret realms I have left behind. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to enter the Dao Palace Realm before the era of great strife arrives.” Emperor Extreme Great Saint’s words caused Gu Xiu to fall into contemplation. After a long while, He finally showed a resolute expression. “Senior speaks reasonably. However, leaving the Nine States is a matter of great importance. I do not know when I will be able to return if I go to the Southern Domain this time. I need to return home first to bid farewell to my parents.” “That’s fine!” Emperor Extreme Great Saint nodded. In the end, he reminded him once more. “However, regarding my existence, you must not easily reveal it, not even to your parents. You must understand that the inheritance of a Great Saint involves too much. If one day you go to the Emperor Extreme Sacred Land, you should not let anyone know about this matter before you become a Saint.” Upon hearing this, Gu Xiu nodded slightly. He understood the concerns of Emperor Extreme Great Saint. Subsequently, Gu Xiu then threw down a Silver Tael and immediately floated away. —— PS: Previously, when Gu Yang broke through to the Great Grandmaster level, only three hundred Upgrade Points were given (a typo); now it’s changed to five hundred Upgrade Points for breaking through the Great Grandmaster level. Also, I’m taking it easy for the National Day and updating four thousand words today. Tomorrow, I’ll resume with six thousand words updates!   Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co