Chapter 1870 - Shadow of the Ancestral Sword

[Creation G.o.ddess of Life: Li Suo]

[Profound Treasure: Primordial Seal of Life and Death]

[The Creation G.o.d who bore the power of realm creation, life creation, and light divine energy. She was a kind, merciful and compa.s.sionate soul who possessed the holy power that could save all living and nonliving things in the world, and an outer and inner beauty that transcended the limits of the immortal realm of creation itself.]

[So great was her beauty that it was said that the Ancestral G.o.d had bestowed three-tenths of the concept of beauty to the world, and the rest to Li Suo when creating the universe.]

[Stars and moons were but as bright as withered dust before her divine presence.]

“Tch!” Qianye Ying’er snorted disdainfully as she chased Yun Che’s gaze. “Not even the ancient Dragon G.o.d Tribe is immune to idolism, it seems. This level of exaggeration is wholly unnecessary.”

Yun Che subconsciously shot Qianye Ying’er’s face a look. If he were to judge by countenance alone, Qianye Ying’er and Shen Xi were without a doubt the most beautiful women in the entire world, the kind that couldn’t be surpa.s.sed even in one’s dreams.

While the scribe of Ancient Records of the Dragon G.o.d spared no effort in praising the supernatural beauty of the ancient G.o.ddess of creation, he didn’t think that the ancient G.o.ddess of creation would be able to surpa.s.s Qianye Ying’er or Shen Xi in terms of countenance and figure even if she were to reappear in this world.

Probably...

[Both the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor and the Creation G.o.d of the Elements were madly in love with Li Suo, but their chase ultimately didn’t bear fruit. In the end, the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor chose duty over love—for his lineage cannot end with him—and made the empress of the Heaven Luo Divine Race his queen. In just ten thousand years, his harem had swelled to a ma.s.sive thirty thousand concubines.]

[On the other hand, the Creation G.o.d of the Elements never gave up, so he never found another partner. It truly was a shame that a G.o.d like him was alone until the very end.]

“...” Yun Che sighed inside his head. The truth was, the Creation G.o.d of the Elements fell in love with the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor afterward, but their forbidden, no, taboo love was destined never to be known or blessed by the world… their daughter most of all.

Now that he thought about it, the one thing that still triggered the returned Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor hard despite having experienced practically every form of mortal coil, was the fact that the Heretic G.o.d used to be deeply in love with Li Suo.

After all, even she was a woman before she was a devil emperor.

[A terrible war broke out, and the universe suffered… to eliminate light divine energy once and for all, the Nine Fiend Devil Emperor stole the Primordial Seal of Life and Death, breached dimensions, descended upon the Divine Palace of Life and scattered the Nine Fiend Devil Poison… the Divine Palace of Life fell… and the divine aura of life was nevermore…]

[All the realms wept and raged at the death of the Creation G.o.ddess of Life. However, the body of the deceased Li Suo was never found… perhaps it was because her body gave off light divine aura, and the Nine Fiend Devil Race destroyed it out of fear…]

If Mo E was the first Creation G.o.d to pa.s.s away naturally, then Li Suo was the first Creation G.o.d to perish unnaturally. After all, her light divine energy was the power the devil race feared the most, but her combat strength was also the weakest of the four Creation G.o.ds and four Devil Emperors.

According to the Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit, Li Suo was the most respected and loved Creation G.o.d of all the Creation G.o.ds. The Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit herself was forever proud that she once served under the Creation G.o.ddess of Life.

The realms truly must have wept when news of her death spread far and wide.

[Creation G.o.d of the Elements: Ni Xuan]

[Profound Treasure: World Piercer]

This line alone told Yun Che that even the Dragon G.o.d Tribe wasn’t aware that the Heretic G.o.d and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had exchanged their Heavenly Profound Treasures with each other.

[He was the Creation G.o.d with complete mastery over the five elements—Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder and Earth—and could transcend even the laws of the elements. He lived for battle and made it his duty to protect everything that he believed was worth protecting. He was open-minded, easy-going, unfettered by customs, and untouched by the arrogance of a Creation G.o.d. He enjoyed exploring the realms and spreading his kindness everywhere.]

[He was close friends with every Dragon G.o.d to have ever lived, and our tribe owed him a favor that might not be repaid even in ten thousand lifetimes.]

[He was extremely single-minded when it came to love, and his love for the Creation G.o.ddess of Life was absolute. His loyalty never failed to impress the Dragon G.o.ds.]

[... for an unknown reason, the Creation G.o.d of the Elements challenged the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor to battle at the heart of Absolute Beginning. Maybe it was because he was furious at the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor’s act of exiling the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor from the universe. It certainly broke the balance between the two races and caused no end of trouble later on.]

[No one had the power to approach the battle, so no one knew the final outcome. After the battle, the Creation G.o.d of the Elements discarded his own t.i.tle and began calling himself the Heretic G.o.d. At the same time, he went into seclusion and almost never appeared to the world anymore. Even when the Dragon G.o.d tried to pay him a visit, all they got was a request to leave… The Dragon G.o.d once said this: “The Heretic G.o.d’s sorrow is endless, and his heart is as lightless as dust itself. All that he seeks now is to be forgotten by the world.]

[After the legendary battle, the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor’s lifespan abruptly shortened by a drastic amount. It was suspected that he had used the Ancestral Sword during the battle. If this is true, does this mean that the divine power of the Creation G.o.d of the Elements actually exceeded the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor’s?]

[Also, it was a well known fact that unleas.h.i.+ng the Ancestral Sword’s power by force came at a ma.s.sive cost of one’s lifespan. Why did the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor go so far just to defeat the Creation G.o.d of the Elements?]

[Surely the t.i.tle of the “strongest G.o.d Emperor” wasn’t worth that much.]

[And so the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor pa.s.sed away, and the Heretic G.o.d secluded himself from the world. The Creation G.o.d of Order and the Creation G.o.ddess of Life never spoke even a word regarding the battle. The truth of the matter might very well remain hidden for eternity.]

Yun Che sighed in his head again. The truth of that time was unknown even to the powerful Dragon G.o.d Tribe, and yet he, a person of the future, had come to know everything.

In order to destroy a “taboo” that he absolutely couldn’t tolerate, one that was created by the Creation G.o.d of the Elements and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor themselves, the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor had deceived, broken his own principles, and even sacrificed his own lifespan to unleash the Ancestral Sword.

The battle between the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor and the Creation G.o.d of the Elements had directly decided the fate of the forbidden existence that was “Ni Jie”. Obviously, the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor couldn’t have imagined that he, the so-called strongest G.o.d emperor of the universe, was actually Ni Xuan’s inferior.

As it turned out, the “Devil G.o.d Forbidden Tome (The Heretic G.o.d Arts)” co-created by the Creation G.o.d of the Elements and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor was a power that transcended even the strongest Creation G.o.d in the world. The irony that the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor—the living symbol of the absolute divide between G.o.d and devil—must have felt when the realization struck him must have been unbelievable.

After unleas.h.i.+ng the Ancestral Sword to defeat the Creation G.o.d of the Elements, the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor knew shame and accepted half a compromise. Ni Jie’s devilish soul would be eliminated, but not her divine soul. The truth of her origin would be forever hidden as well.

Thus Ni Jie became Hong’er and You’er.

Ni Xuan entrusted Hong’er to the Sword Spirit G.o.d Clan, but couldn’t bring himself to kill You’er no matter what. Thus, he hid her in the darkest abyss of Blue Pole Star… and suffered an unimaginable amount of pain, sorrow, guilt, regret, powerlessness and disappointment everyday. His bitterness ran so deep that he even discarded his t.i.tle and secluded himself from the world once and for all.

Ni Xuan must’ve visited the now princess of the Sword Spirit G.o.d Clan, the eternally happy Ling Wanhu (Hong’er) now and then, but he would never in a million years dare to visit You’er… only he would know the true depths of his pain and sorrow.

Qianye Ying’er said, “According to the current world’s records, the official cause behind the great war between the G.o.ds and the devils was because the devil race had taken the masterless Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword for themselves. In reality, the true cause was the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor himself.”

“The fury of the devil race, the collapse of balance between the two races, the pa.s.sing of one Creation G.o.d and the seclusion of another… even if the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword hadn’t become the spark that lit the fire, something else would have. Hmph, how ironic.”

“Even better, this self-proclaimed emperor of the righteous way most likely thought that he had sacrificed himself for the betterment of the world. He would never even consider that he had made a mistake.” Qianye Ying’er snorted coldly. “Zhou Xuzi is but a child before this man.”

The four great Creation G.o.ds recorded by the ancient Dragon G.o.d Tribe were without a doubt far more detailed and accurate than the current world was familiar with. Moreover, thanks to certain truths only he knew, he was able to paint a clearer picture of the Creation G.o.ds in his head.

Yun Che wordlessly flipped the ancient record to the fourth page.

Just like before, this page didn’t record the history of the Dragon G.o.ds. It was about the seven great Heavenly Profound Treasures!

Yun Che’s concentration immediately increased several fold compared to before.

The four great Creation G.o.ds were nothing but ancient legends and forgotten dust at this point. The seven great Heavenly Profound Treasures on the other hand were still well and existing in the present day.

Every Heavenly Profound Treasure except the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword had appeared at least once in the current universe.

In fact, he was in possession of four of them right now. The Primordial Seal of Life and Death, the Eternal Heaven Pearl, the Sky Poison Pearl, and the Mirror of Samsara.

The World Piercer was also in Shui Meiyin’s hands.

The Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword had never appeared in this world, and the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations… was forever lost with Jasmine.

[The First Heavenly Profound Treasure: Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword]

[Birthed from the yang side of the heart of the Primal Chaos, it was the purest, strongest and most sacred divine sword in the entire Primal Chaos Realm. It was the ancestor of all artifacts, and it was said to contain the divine power of the Ancestral G.o.d themselves. It was strong enough to violate even the laws of the world.]

[The Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword had never had a true master probably because it contained the Ancestral G.o.d’s divine power, meaning that no one in the world was worthy of becoming its master. It allowed only Mo E the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor to carry it because the man had an upright soul. It was also how his t.i.tle “Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor” came to be.]

[The divine power of the Ancestral G.o.d could only be wielded by the Ancestral G.o.d themselves. Even if the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword acknowledged Mo E as its carrier, he couldn’t use it without grave consequences.]

[Using the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword by force would cost a Creation G.o.d thirty percent of their lifespan, ninety percent for a G.o.d, and immediate annihilation for a mortal.]

“...” Yun Che was shocked.

A Creation G.o.d was, to put it bluntly, almost immortal.

And yet, it still cost them thirty percent of their lifespan to unleash the power of the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword just once!

Mo E had used the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword twice in his life. Once to exile the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor and the nine hundred Devil G.o.ds from the Primal Chaos, and once more to defeat the Creation G.o.d of the Elements who successfully cultivated the Heretic G.o.d Forbidden Tome.

That was sixty percent of his lifespan gone just like that.

It was no wonder that he, the strongest Creation G.o.d of that time, died sooner than anybody else.

The cost only grew worse from there. A True G.o.d would lose ninety percent of their lifespan if they were to use the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword. Even an unusually young True G.o.d would be near death upon using it.

The Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword could slay any enemy, but the wielder would be near death as well. It was a true double-edged sword.

After the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor had died, the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword had vanished for a time.

[... when the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword suddenly reappeared at the heart of the Primal Chaos, the realms trembled, and the devil race shook… the Ancestral Sword must not fall into the devils’ hands, so the divine races who once served the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Divine Emperor mobilized all their forces to protect the sword… but the devil race’s a.s.sault turned out to be ten times more frantic than expected, and the resulting war was so terrible that universe itself was almost destroyed.]

[The terrible war between the G.o.ds and the devils was lit by the emergence of the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword, but… the Dragon G.o.d said that it was but one of the many, many other sparks that could have lit the fuse. At that point, the devil race’s hatred and resentment had deepened to the point where anything would have sparked the war.]

……

[… our entire tribe had to partic.i.p.ate in the war. Countless realms died, and blood dyed the skies red… the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng G.o.d Race entrusted the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword to us so that they may fight without worry… when will the apocalypse end?]

……

[... in the end, the devil race discovered that we were hiding the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword. Countless devils emerged to battle our realms… devilish poisons devoured countless lives, the sky turned black with devilish energy, and the stench of death was as thick as the abyss… the despair was unspeakable…]

[... the Dragon G.o.d was grievously wounded, his kin has perished, and despair encroaches ever so closer. The princess took injuries that almost claimed her life, and even worse a devilish poison invaded her soul. The Dragon G.o.d wept like a babe until suddenly, he shattered the Dragon G.o.d Seal and released the wisp of Ancestral G.o.d divine energy contained within it. But instead of using it to slay the devils, he used it as a medium to seal the princess’ dying body into the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword and toss it into the Well of Samsara.]

[However, to reclaim the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword, the crazed devils actually attacked the Well of Samsara until it was completely destroyed…]

[And so the cycle of rebirth came to an eternal end.]

[Not even fate knows where the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword and the princess have gone.]

The line marked the end of the records regarding the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword. In fact, the latter paragraphs of the text—especially the last couple of lines—grew increasingly weak and disorderly until they were almost unrecognizable.

Yun Che didn’t need to be there to know that the divine dragon who transcribed the ancient record was near death at the time.

Unintentionally, the shadow of the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Ancestral Sword cast a pall over the end of the Era of G.o.ds and Devils.

And so the cycle of rebirth came to an eternal end… Yun Che stared at the line for a very, very long time.

As it turned out, the legend of Samsara wasn’t a legend after all. The cycle of rebirth was actually a real thing during the ancient times, and its medium, the Well of Samsara was guarded by none other than the Dragon G.o.d Tribe.

The Well of Samsara had been destroyed during the War of G.o.ds and Devils and turned into a dead well. Since then, the cycle of rebirth was no more in this world.

Yun Che had come into contact with a fake cycle of rebirth once while he was still on the Profound Sky Continent. Masterminded by Xuanyuan Wentian, Fen Juechen had been forced to experience a millenium-long “Samsara of Eternal Night”.

However, Yun Che later discovered while reading the Illusory Devil Tome of Eternal Night that the so-called forbidden art of “Samsara” was really just a taboo way of sealing and grafting one’s vitality and soul onto a chosen person. Not only did the cruel process violate the natural order, its chosen host would always be missing some parts of their vitality and soul. It was why Fen Juechen became extremely manic, and why his life only seemed to be filled with tragedy. Even if he somehow survived one death, another would claim him all too soon.

However...

Yun Che had experienced a rebirth despite living in a world where the Well of Samsara was supposedly dead.

It was even a special kind of rebirth that was completely different from the memories, records, and even the legends of Samsara.

The Well of Samsara...

The Mirror of Samsara...

……

Right now, the well in the Forbidden Land of Samsara was none other than the ancient Well of Samsara itself. However, it seemed to be a dead well that could never be resurrected by any power.