Chapter 1429: Tracing the Source

Despite her words, He Lingchuan noticed her eyes were cast down and her delicate brows slightly furrowed. She often made this gesture when she was about to raise a difficult question, so He Lingchuan immediately interjected, "Mr. Xin, the nightmare energy!"

"Yes, let's continue," Xin Yi said, pulling the conversation back by rubbing his eyebrows with his index and middle fingers. "The high immortals originally estimated that as the world healed itself, the spiritual energy would recover within 50 to 60 years at the shortest, or 100 to 200 years at the longest. They had even prepared for this. However—"

"As we later generations know, that didn't happen. For hundreds of years after the great catastrophe, the world never recovered its vitality," he sighed. "The spiritual energy became even sparser than it was immediately after the disaster. Immortals and demon clans, who had once stood united against the Sky Demons, began to fiercely battle over the few remaining heavenly treasures, blessed lands, and even a handful of artifacts or mystic crystals. The number of immortals and demons who perished in these struggles was countless, almost matching the casualties from the war against the Sky Demons."

He Lingchuan and Sun Fuling exchanged glances. Scarcer resources led to fiercer competition. Even immortals were caught in the struggle.

"As the struggles intensified among immortal sects and between immortal sects and demon clans, they overlooked two crucial developments: humanity's gradual rise and prosperity, and the Sky Demons' renewed infiltration of the human world under the guise of 'gods'."

"Roughly three hundred years later, the first human kingdom emerged. The immortal sects and demon clans were suddenly confronted with the appearance of another powerful, mysterious force."

He Lingchuan understood: "Primal energy?"

"Precisely. Primal energy immediately demonstrated its might upon its emergence, and human kingdoms harnessed it to defeat numerous demons. Enraged, the demon clans launched a collective assault and managed to suppress it. However, the secret of primal energy had already spread, leading to the rapid emergence of human kingdoms, springing up like mushrooms after rain."

Sun Fuling realized, "So, for hundreds of years after the great catastrophe, the wars never stopped?"

"Never. As human kingdoms grew stronger, they not only fought against immortals and demons but also battled among themselves. That situation was much like the Glimmering Gold Plains of today," Xin Yi said, shaking his head. "Even without the Sky Demons' invasion, this world would be plagued by constant wars, both large and small."

"No wonder the spiritual energy struggled to recover."

"Exactly. The nightmare energy generated from the deaths of immortals, demons, and humans was absorbed by the Sky Net Star and transported to another world. The more young and strong individuals perished, the more nightmare energy the Sky Demons acquired," Xin Yi sighed. "Regrettably, by the time the immortal sects uncovered this truth, over two centuries had already elapsed."

"How was it discovered?"

"Perhaps it was a secret divulged by a lesser deity; I'm not entirely clear on the specifics," Xin Yi said, pointing skyward. "With countless gods up there, each with their own agendas, how could they all keep silent?"

"However, by then it was already the mid-Middle Ages. Most immortals had succumbed to the harsh environment and passed away, and both the demon clans and immortal sects had gradually weakened. Even if they had wanted to thwart the gods' schemes, the situation was already too entrenched to reverse. Subsequently, the world gradually evolved into its present form."

"The gods are sinister and cunning, manipulating this world as they please. The objective they failed to achieve through a direct assault three thousand years ago, they later accomplished by a strategic retreat, using the Sky Net Star as their tool." He looked at He Lingchuan and stated gravely, "Those not of our kind are bound to have different intentions. General He, I am telling you this, and I have told Commander Zhong the same: the gods are absolutely not to be trusted!"

He Lingchuan knew he was referring to Mi Tian. "I believe Commander Zhong has his own strategy," he replied.

"Commander Zhong is an extraordinary talent, a rare hero. We all trust that he will make the correct choice."

He Lingchuan noted his use of "we."

Who else besides him? Mount Ling?

Sun Fuling also asked curiously, "Mr. Xin, were you personally tutored by True Immortal Wuhuan?"

"Yes, I was sent to our Ancestor's side from a young age. My clan members greatly envied such good fortune."

He Lingchuan immediately asked, "Did the Xin family send many of their descendants to the mountain?"

Since they were in a restaurant, He Lingchuan used "the mountain" to refer to Mount Ling, which Xin Yi naturally understood. "Due to talent and the rules of the mountain, I am the only one from my generation," Xin Yi replied.

Dozens of his cousins could not enter Mount Ling, despite the Xin family itself being a traditional lineage of immortal descendants.

This highlighted the strict selection criteria of Mount Ling and True Immortal Wuhuan.

He Lingchuan uttered a long "Oh," secretly confirming something:

This person must be Xin Haining, the brother of Emperor Mu, Xin Haiping, from later generations!

According to the information He Lingchuan had, Xin Haining had joined the Daoist sect and lived a secretive life, leaving few clues. Given that Xin Yi just stated he was the only one from his generation to enter the mountain, he was very likely Xin Haining.

Sun Fuling then continued, "As an immortal from ancient times, how has True Immortal Wuhuan survived to this day?"

"My ancestor was among the first immortals to enter the blessed lands after the catastrophe. They initially planned to remain in seclusion for only two hundred years, but they hadn't anticipated the world's spiritual energy would be so slow to recover, making their re-emergence difficult."

He Lingchuan and Sun Fuling exchanged glances, confirming that Xin Wuhuan had indeed taken refuge in a blessed land to escape the natural disaster.

In ancient times, immortals were also ranked, and those able to join the first wave of seclusion were certainly not ordinary practitioners.

Sun Fuling asked, "The spiritual energy never fully recovered, but True Immortal Wuhuan did eventually emerge, correct?"

"After understanding the reasons behind it," Xin Yi said softly, "they established an organization within the mountain, with high immortals taking turns to lead it."

"I was born at a fortunate time. It just so happened that during my ancestor True Immortal Wuhuan's period of rotation, I was able to enter the mountain and serve him. This was an incredible stroke of luck," he explained. "Had it been another high immortal's turn to oversee things, I certainly wouldn't have had this opportunity."

Sun Fuling asked him, "Is True Immortal Wuhuan still on duty now?"

Xin Yi smiled. "I'm afraid that's not something I can disclose," he said.

He Lingchuan then continued Sun Fuling's line of questioning: "Mr. Xin, there's something I've always been unclear about."

"Oh? Please ask."

"What exactly are blessed lands?"

"Some exist within this realm, while others are in separate pocket dimensions. They are places where spiritual energy is highly concentrated. Some formed naturally, while others were created by human effort."

"Can the spiritual energy within blessed lands sustain the immortals' consumption?"

Xin Yi picked up a piece of tender lotus root. "Not necessarily," he said. "It depends on the concentration and quantity of spiritual energy within the blessed land itself."

He Lingchuan thought of True Immortal Dongli.

Hadn't he perished from spiritual energy depletion while in seclusion within his underwater cave dwelling by the Immortal Spirit Lake?

This indicated that "seclusion" was not a cure-all.

"Immortals require a large amount of spiritual energy, so the key still lies in the spiritual energy itself?" He Lingchuan leaned slightly forward. "But I've heard that a few immortals are still hidden away in blessed lands to this day. For these past three millennia, where has the spiritual energy they consumed come from?"

This was the question he most wanted to ask Xin Yi today!

Even if the spiritual energy within blessed lands doesn't dissipate outwards, its quantity must ultimately be limited, right? How would it be replenished once depleted?

Upon hearing this question, Xin Yi instinctively glanced at He Lingchuan, whose face showed only curiosity.