Chapter 850 (END) - Goodbye (2/2)
“In the winter of 6503 of Nine Regions, the temperatures are so cold. When I accompanied Supreme Qiong Hua on a tour of the Nine Regions, I only saw a vast expanse of land covered in snow. Although the silvery-clad scene was gorgeous, it made people feel cold inside. Such a severe winter had never happened in the past thousands of years. Especially after the restoration and reshaping of the Nine Regions, there should be no extreme weather. Cold and heat could not invade the cultivators, and they had no deep feelings for this severe winter.
“However, the mortals suffered a heavy loss. Senior Sister Qiong Hua allocated part of the manpower for disaster relief, but it was like a drop in a bucket. Right now, the opening of the channel is the most important thing, and there is no way to demand more from her. But the cruel scene that fell on the ordinary mortals is like hell, which causes me to have nightmares. Senior Sister said that my cultivation of Immortal Heart is insufficient, I think that’s probably it.”
“In the summer of 6510 in the Nine Regions, after a severe drought and severe winter seven years ago, as well as a flood five years ago, we actually suffered another severe drought throughout the regions. The Nine Regions grain output plummeted by seventy percent, and people died of hunger everywhere. Even the Immortal Cultivation Sects could not help but be affected. Some low-level cultivators even began to starve. Senior Sister Qiong Hua said that this is Nine Regions nearly reaching its lifespan, so it could no longer provide enough nutrients. If we can’t reach the new world as soon as possible and get a new lease on life, such disasters will only increase day by day.”
“In the spring of 6515 in the Nine Regions, the Plate Brocade Sect in Eastern Border Region was destroyed and exterminated by the heavenly tribulation lightning. Not one of its members survived. The heaven and earth laws of the Nine Regions are becoming more and more chaotic, and even the heavenly tribulations are becoming wayward. The Nine Regions is obviously approaching its end, seeing that it has bega to squander what little remaining energy it has. People around me said so. On the contrary, few cared about the casualties in Plate Brocade Sect.”
“In the autumn of 6520 in the Nine Regions, Senior Sister Qiong Hua gave the progress report on the fifty-year expedition. She was really good at talking. In this way, she was able to inspire and motivate people. We have made brilliant achievements in the past fifty years, and a bright future is right in front of us. If it was not for my participation in drafting her speech, perhaps I would have believed it. Everyone said that it was a wise move for Senior Sister Qiong Hua to conceal Zhan Ziye’s calculations fifty years ago. According to the original plan, Nine Regions must break through the Wall of Worlds within forty years, or there would be unforeseen consequences. In the past ten years, Senior Brother Zhan Ziye has stopped doing anything. Maybe he did, but Senior Sister Qiong Hua won’t let him talk.”
“In the winter of 6525 in Nine Regions, Senior Sister Qiong Hua said that we should all prepare for hibernation—the last strong barrier in the Wall of Worlds has finally been broken, but there is still a smooth but long road to the new world. This road was beyond everyone’s expectations, since there’s no such thing in the original plan. It will take at least fifty years for Nine Regions to pass through.
“However, according to the current rate of decline, in ten years at most, the Nine Regions would fall apart and become pieces of dead soil. And those of us who lost our ship would be lost forever in the Wall of Worlds. Thus, entering hibernation is the best choice. We will fall asleep while the Nine Regions continue on its inertia for fifty years until we wake up in the new world. Senior Sister Qiong Hua said that she would be the night watchman herself. Many people came to persuade her otherwise, but of course, they all failed. It was said that after the death of Martial Uncle Hetu, there is only one person in Nine Regions that could persuade her. So, I prayed for a long time in front of his statue… I seemed to hear him saying that he would help me, but when I woke up, I found myself buried in the snow, and it was my seniors who dug me out. Perhaps those words are just illusions.”
“In the winter of 6526 in the Nine Regions, I am among the last group of cultivators to enter hibernation. In my group, there are also Daoist Friends from Spirit Sword Sect. This is the first time that I have met with people of the Spirit Sword Sect in close distance. It feels like I have entered the country of women. Liu Li, Zhu Shiyao, Bai Shixuan, Quan Zou (Fenrir), Yue Xinyao… At present, all the members of Spirit Sword Sect’s Heavenly Sword Hall are all women. I chatted with the Junior Sisters before I went to sleep and everyone guessed that this must be the evil taste of the former lead disciple of Spirit Sword Sect. However, seeing the smile on those members of Spirit Sword Sect, we can’t help but have more confidence in the future. After all, if the guardian spirit of the Nine Regions is here, he would at least protect his fellow members of the same sect, right? Well, I should stop this diary here. I don’t know when I will open it next time, or even who it will be. I just hope that…”
The handwriting stopped abruptly.
—
Many years later.
Closing the thin book, the young man was so excited that he couldn’t help but do dozens of somersaults on the spot and make strange noises of unknown meaning.
When he was exploring the mountains, he got lost by accident and came to a cave in the fog for no reason. There, he encountered an old man in a cloak and hidden facial features. In fact, he could not tell the age of the other party. He just felt the old aura of that person and decided that the person must be an older generation expert. Then, he made small talk with that person and got a thin book. Unexpectedly, there was a priceless treasure in the book!
After some time, he calmed down and scratched his head with shame. Then, he said to the senior expert in front of him, “Thank you for lending me this book. It is of great significance for historical research, enough to fill in the many gaps in the current research! I have said that the miracle expedition must have existed, and this world definitely did not appear out of thin air, but everyone does not believe it. It’s ridiculous to have to talk about the big bang theory! Even if the big bang could create this wonderful world, what about the ruins of the Immortal Path in the various sites? Is it possible that the Thunder Fighting Body Technique was created out of thin air by the big bang?”
After complaining, the young man looked at the book in his hand with some dismay and said, “Old Senior, I don’t know if…”
“Yes, this book is for you. If you are interested in history, I have other things here that may help you.”
As he said that, the old senior took out several withered and yellow ancient books from his cloak, and the young man widened his eyes instantly. Although these books have a long history and he didn’t know how many years that they have gone through, there was a trace of Immortal Spirit left on them, which was unbelievable and could not possibly be forged by anyone.
“T-These are…”
The old senior said, “Just some nonsense left by some old guys. The story in the books is too remote and might not necessarily be useful to you, but it’s also good to read it as a novel.”
The young man took over the books and turned them over. Immediately, he went into a trance.
After no one knew how long, the young man was stimulated by distention from the lower abdomen, and he came back to his senses as if he had just woken up from a dream.
“Ah, I am sorry old senior, I was fascinated by them and unexpectedly fell into a trance… But where did you find these books?”
“It’s in this cave, you just need to go in a few more miles.”
The young man was startled and hurriedly ran inside. However, in front of him was pitch-black, and the cave was so deep that it made people feel cold. The young man tried to get two steps further but was pushed back by an invisible force.
The old senior smiled—although his facial features were hidden behind the cloak, the young man just knew that he was smiling.
“It seems that you and I are destined to meet. After many years, I haven’t even seen a single stranger. During so many years of repeated waking and sleeping, I have missed a lot of opportunities to say goodbye to many old friends. Now that I have enough energy, I saw that my wife had left some books by my pillow, saying that while I was asleep, she had collected enough public grain1 and was going to take the girls out to have fun… I was going to go out to trouble her, but you are the first person that I met. Theoretically, it’s impossible for outsiders to enter this place, except by chance or coincidence; no one really knows.”
The young man swallowed his saliva and vaguely felt that he was going to experience the greatest adventure of his life.
The old senior stood up and waved his hand. All of a sudden, the darkness inside the cave disappeared and was replaced by light. A strong Immortal aura then slowly emerged, which shocked the young man’s spirit. Even though he was a historian and not good at cultivation, he knew that there were countless magical weapons hidden in the cave.
“I’ll leave the things here for you—in any case, all the valuables were already taken by my wife. Alas, after a long sleep, the first thing that I need to do is to collect the debts from someone. Life is so tough. Young man, let us part here.”
The young man couldn’t hear clearly what the old senior was saying. He stood at the entrance of the cave and looked inside, then all he saw was the glimmer from the treasures.
The Immortal Path civilization of this continent was born not long ago, and many things were far from mature. Although the treasures in the cave were only the leftovers, they were still far beyond his imagination. With these, he could practically become an immortal in a single step!
“O-Old senior, what exactly is this place?”
The old senior was about to leave, but when he heard this question, he stopped and replied, “I don’t know what this place is right now. I can’t tell it clearly… but once upon a time, there was a Spirit Sword Mountain.