The Primordial Ancient Mine holds such secrets!
People could only sigh in realization—no wonder that place has remained unexplored for so many years, with anyone who enters meeting certain death. Even the forces of a Forbidden Zone were once buried there. Truly terrifying.
The old man stared at Shi Hao, scrutinizing him again and again, growing increasingly convinced that this young man was extraordinary. He truly shouldn’t be left outside—he needed to be brought into the Forbidden Zone above the Nine Heavens.
But Shi Hao would never follow him. He had too many ties binding him. If this Forbidden Zone could join the war against the Otherworld, he would not hesitate to fight alongside them!
Yet he knew that was impossible. The Forbidden Zones were transcendent. Even if the world perished, they would endure—but only if they did not provoke the Otherworld. Both sides feared each other.
“You must not act recklessly with this Lightning Pool!” In the end, the old man repeatedly warned Shi Hao not to waste it.
“Don’t worry, I’ll restrain myself. Of course, if you’re still uneasy, you could send me some rare delicacies—like preserved dragon liver or phoenix marrow. I promise I’d lose all interest in the Lightning Pool and wouldn’t cook it,” Shi Hao joked with a grin.
The old man chuckled. Standing here, only this young man dared to speak to him so casually.
The others were speechless. The Desolate One truly had no reservations, treating even a visitor from the Forbidden Zone as an equal—even joking about extorting treasures from him.
“Ah, the world’s environment is deteriorating, worse with each passing year,” the old man sighed, glancing at the Immortal Source. “I suspect that one day, even something like this will dry up. Even if it remains, the essence of immortality will vanish.”
According to his speculation, in future eras, the rare treasures and divine materials of the world would pale in comparison to those of this age.
He believed that in the distant future, after an entire epoch had passed, what was now called an Immortal Source might only be equivalent to a Divine Source. And Divine Sources? They would likely become even lesser things.
“The finest Life Stones from the Primordial Ancient Mine are already exhausted, impossible to find. I imagine future beings will treat even scraps as supreme treasures,” he lamented.
“Will our legacies be severed because of this?” someone asked.
Many wore solemn expressions. If the future truly reached that point, it might become an era of withered laws—where cultivation itself would cease to exist!
“By then, the lifespans of all beings will drastically shorten. Monsters living for millions of years will no longer appear unless sealed by special means. Even a supreme expert of the Mortal Dao will only live for a little over ten thousand years in a single lifetime!”
Hearing this, everyone gasped in shock. Even if they had heard similar predictions from other elders before, it still sent chills down their spines.
After all, in this era, experts who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years were common.
Yet in the future, living past ten thousand years would be a struggle?
“Is it really that cruel?” someone murmured, unwilling to believe the world could deteriorate so severely.
“Yes, and it will be even worse than you imagine. Perhaps only a handful in an entire era will live beyond ten thousand years. When one reaches the pinnacle of the Mortal Dao, even if others are equally talented, those who lag behind by even half a step will meet a tragic end. Because the one who ascends first consumes too much of the world’s fortune—and the world seeks balance,” the old man explained.
“If the environment becomes so harsh, will cultivation even be possible? Maybe no one will reach the pinnacle at all?” someone voiced their doubt.
Many felt that if conditions were truly that dire, all legacies would be severed, and cultivators would vanish entirely.
“What is a cultivator? One who contends with heaven and earth, who rises against adversity. They will not perish,” the old man shook his head.
“Though the golden age will pass and the cultivation environment will change drastically, the Dao is eternal. One can still comprehend the Great Dao and cultivate. Even the long-lost Heavenly Tribulations may return,” he added.
“Moreover, the world’s environment will fluctuate. Though it will decline overall, there will be moments of resurgence—times when sweet springs surge from the earth, when celestial essence rains from the skies, and when low-grade Divine Sources appear. Of course, this is merely my master’s speculation. I cannot predict the exact state of the future,” the old man sighed.
According to the supreme beings of the Forbidden Zones, no matter how harsh the environment became, cultivators would still exist.
The old man continued, “However, by then, no one will achieve immortality. The strongest may live for ten thousand years, and if exceptional, perhaps a second lifetime. That would already be remarkable.”
Everyone’s expressions darkened. In the future, no one would become immortal? Would hope be utterly extinguished?
This was unacceptable!
In this current epoch, though no one had yet achieved immortality, hope remained. Many believed that when the Otherworld merged with this realm, the environment would transform, allowing someone to seize the opportunity and ascend.
But if the world withered and the essence of immortality vanished, the path to immortality would truly be severed!
“My master speculated that in such an era, if a being could perfect every step of cultivation without flaw, perhaps a rare few might touch the realm of immortality. But even then, it would be a slim hope—one person per epoch at best!”
The old man spoke with deep emotion, for he himself had not achieved immortality and was nearing the end of his lifespan. He pitied the future generations.
“Why will the world’s environment change so drastically?” someone asked, seeking the root cause.
“That is beyond our understanding. Only those at the very top know,” the old man said mysteriously, pointing to the heavens.
“Elder, why don’t the Forbidden Zones intervene? How can they watch as the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths fall to the Otherworld, as our people are slaughtered? Can they truly remain indifferent?” a young man finally asked sharply, his dissatisfaction evident.
He resented the Forbidden Zones. If they shared this world, why did they stand by as demons invaded, offering no protection?
Hearing this, the old man’s expression turned cold for the first time, his voice icy. “Young man, you think too much. There are things you will never understand, origins you will never guess.”
The crowd was taken aback by his sudden hostility.
“Please enlighten us, Elder!”
“Not all Forbidden Zones belong to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Some have origins so ancient and unimaginable, they defy comprehension,” the old man said.
He then sneered, “And some beings within the Forbidden Zones did defend this world in the past. But in the end…”
He trailed off, leaving them to ponder.
Shi Hao immediately recalled his experience at the Great Scarlet Sky’s border, where he had chased into the chaos and discovered an isolated pocket realm. There, he had encountered a young True Phoenix, a snow-white skeleton, and a woman’s coffin. The occupant had spoken of severing ties with the outside world, becoming a Forbidden Zone.
She had once protected the Nine Heavens but had since withdrawn, no longer interfering.
This revelation was thought-provoking.
“Regardless, we cannot stand by and watch this world’s people be slaughtered to extinction!” someone protested angrily.
“Of course, there is another, more critical reason,” the old man said, willing to share a secret.
“My master deduced a terrifying heavenly secret, and thus refuses to involve himself in worldly karma. I suspect the other Forbidden Zones are the same—they will not act.”
“What heavenly secret?” the crowd gasped.
“My omnipotent master, upon uncovering this truth, sat in meditation for years without moving. His hair turned partially white from worry and contemplation,” the old man said.
This only deepened their curiosity. What could frighten even a supreme being of the Forbidden Zones?
“What is it?” Tuoba Yu Long couldn’t help but ask.
“In the coming era, whoever intervenes and becomes entangled in karma will die. No one will survive!” the old man said gravely.
Everyone froze, a chill running down their spines. Even the masters of the Forbidden Zones would perish if they acted?
“Anyone who touches this karma will die!” the old man emphasized.
At that moment, everyone felt a bone-deep dread. What kind of future awaited them? Even beings who had lived across epochs had reached such a conclusion—how horrifying.
“Why would this happen?” someone asked.
“This epoch is ending, and the darkest of ages will begin—an era destined to be erased from history, forgotten by future generations. Blood and chaos will reign. In that time, the most terrible war in history will erupt, involving figures not just from this epoch but from multiple eras. A full reckoning will come!”
The old man’s breathing grew heavy, his chest rising and falling. Even he couldn’t suppress his agitation when speaking of this.
“What exactly will happen? Why?” The younger generation pressed for answers, Shi Hao included.
“I remember my master, his hair half-white from dread, being questioned by another supreme being. He remained silent for a long time before finally uttering one sentence.”
“What did he say?”
“It… is returning.”
The crowd was stunned. What did this mean?
A primal fear gripped them. Those simple words seemed to carry unimaginable horror.
“Did the supreme being of the Forbidden Zone elaborate?” someone whispered.
“No. My master, who has faced enemies across the ages, who could sweep the world and bring order to the cosmos, has never known fear. Yet after glimpsing this truth, his hair turned white. He never spoke of it again. What does that tell you?”
According to the old man, the war of the Immortal Ancient Epoch would pale in comparison to the coming darkness—an era so terrible it would be erased from history.
“That will be the most chaotic, terrifying, and dark of times. It will slaughter the world until none dare claim supremacy, until legendary gates open, until no immortals remain. Beings from multiple epochs will emerge for a final reckoning. And even that is merely the surface!” the old man murmured, lost in thought.
Everyone’s hair stood on end. They burned with frustration, desperate to know more.
“Was there no further clue?” someone demanded angrily.
“Years later, my master, now at peace, seemed to say four words: ‘Severing the Ages Alone,'” the old man said faintly.
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