Chapter 861: History's Dust

Three millennia can significantly alter circumstances.

The younger generation of the Profound Sky Great Sorcerer Tribe also matured significantly. Their Grand Administrator, in particular, fully demonstrated his leadership, and under his governance, the tribe gradually prospered, with new powerhouses emerging constantly. Although the tribe's power still couldn't compare to its past strength, it was already very impressive compared to the state of the Desolate Ancient Continent at that time.

The situation was similar for the war raging outside the Divine Annihilation Formation. With the spider-shaped deity in slumber, and although the deities under its command were still formidable, Jiuli, as the ancestral shaman of this generation, possessed innate talent that even surpassed his father's. Under his leadership, the great shamans of the Profound Sky Great Sorcerer Tribe, regardless of life or death and sparing no cost, finally repelled the deities attempting to invade their tribe from outside the Divine Annihilation Formation.

This was a great victory worthy of being recorded in history. While other tribes on the Desolate Ancient Continent suffered the divine calamity, the Profound Sky Great Sorcerer Tribe successfully repelled the invading deities and defended their homeland.

Thus, to celebrate this great triumph, the Grand Administrator personally ascended the Ancestor Gazing Platform, where he knelt before the sky. His expression was sincere and filled with emotion as he pleaded with the ancestral shaman and all the great shamans who had fought for the tribe until now, to come home. To welcome the ancestral shaman home, the Grand Administrator, together with respected figures within the tribe, arranged a grand feast in the Profound Sky Administrator's Domain.

On that day, countless tribespeople cheered, and together with the Grand Administrator, they shouted the words 'come home'. These two words echoed through the clouds, spreading across the heavens and earth, and were heard by Jiuli and his subordinates outside the Divine Annihilation Formation. Their emotions stirred. After three millennia of warfare, many of their companions had fallen, and the remaining ones were utterly exhausted. At any other time, their resolve would have remained unwavering, and they would not have retreated a single step. But now, having achieved a great victory and with the deities in retreat, their longing for home grew increasingly strong. They also had descendants living in the mortal realm, and yearned to set foot on their homeland once more, to see the tribespeople they had protected for three thousand years.

But ultimately, Jiuli refused. He could not bring all the great shamans back at this time, as he was unsure if the deities would launch a counterattack. He wished to secure a completely safe situation for his tribe during his lifetime. Therefore, he cast a relieved glance at the tribe within the Divine Annihilation Formation, then silently averted his gaze, and sat cross-legged outside the formation, continuing to guard his people. Outside his body, a nine-headed dragon materialized, encircling all directions. This was his shamanic form. The other great shamans also remained silent, suppressing their longing for home, and manifested their respective shamanic forms. From a distance, gigantic ferocious beasts, exuding resolve, continued their vigil.

Even if death eventually claimed them, they wished to die fighting to protect their tribe. Even if they fell, they hoped their souls, like those of their fallen comrades over the millennia, would merge with the Divine Annihilation Formation, infusing it with their will.

In life, they guarded the tribe.In death, they would still guard.

Time passed once more; another two thousand years went by. During those two millennia, although deities occasionally attacked, under the protection of Jiuli and his great shamans, not a single invasion succeeded. It seemed that in this chaotic era, the Profound Sky Great Sorcerer Tribe's territory had become a forbidden zone for deities.

At this point, the Grand Administrator, now fully matured, led his officials and countless tribespeople once again to the Ancestor Gazing Platform. There, he knelt before the sky once more.

"Ancestral Shaman, please come home!" Countless voices rang out, calls to come home echoing throughout heaven and earth. It was the tribe's call, the people's yearning.

Outside the Divine Annihilation Formation, the great shamans opened their eyes, gazing through the formation at their homeland. They saw statues erected within their homeland – their own statues.

Five thousand years...

Finally, their gaze turned to their leader, Jiuli. Jiuli remained silent for a long time before opening his eyes. He had intended to refuse, but seeing his companions around him, sensing their weariness and longing, the words of refusal caught in his throat. With a sigh, he nodded and rose to his feet. He led the majority of the great shamans home. This was the first time he had left the Divine Annihilation Formation since his father, the ancestral shaman, had fallen, and his first return to his homeland.

The moment they arrived in the Profound Sky Administrator's Domain, cheers resounded throughout the heavens and earth. Countless acts of prostration and waves of excitement filled the world. Witnessing this, Jiuli's heart stirred. The weariness of five millennia was replaced by warmth as he descended to the ground.

However, he could never have imagined that this time, the tribe he so deeply trusted, the people he had protected for five millennia, and the successor he held in such high regard, had prepared a bloody end for him. He never emerged from the Administrator's Domain again... Because it was a trap specifically prepared for him and his great shamans, a conspiracy plotted for millennia. The Administrator's Domain, meant to welcome him and his subordinates, became their burial ground. The person he trusted so deeply had chosen to collaborate with a deity, and had silently arranged a divine formation over thousands of years. This was a formation of absolute demise, a sealing formation, and, most crucially, a deity-summoning formation.

The moment Jiuli and his subordinates arrived, the formation was activated. On that day, the entire Administrator's Domain ran red with blood. On that day, the Divine Annihilation Formation, which guarded the Profound Sky Great Sorcerer Tribe, collapsed. On that day, the spider-shaped deity, having recovered from its injuries, returned, accompanied by its subordinate deities. On that day, wails of anguish and frantic roars from the Administrator's Domain spread in all directions. Death became the dominant theme in the Administrator's Domain.

Jiuli's heart was filled with grief, indignation, and madness. The feeling of being stabbed in the back by those he had protected left him bitter, bewildered, and enraged. But the outcome was already sealed! Without the Divine Annihilation Formation, and with internal collusion aiding the external attack, along with the chilling assistance of his own tribespeople, all his great shamans died tragically, one by one. Even if he unleashed all his power, he only managed to severely wound the spider-shaped deity once more. As for Jiuli himself, he ultimately perished in this bloody betrayal.

His remains were sealed deep within the earth, personally suppressed by the spider-shaped deity, which absorbed his flesh and blood to restore itself. The blood, flesh, and shattered souls of his fallen subordinates spread in all directions, merging with this Administrator's Domain. And the formation here, instead of dissipating, became eternal...

The ancient winds gradually faded away, and with them, the mournful ocarina melody of the funeral song.

Xu Qing opened his eyes. Resentment from the memory fragments surged within him, along with the agony of being betrayed by a trusted tribe. These were not his own emotions, but they were exceptionally powerful. He knew these emotions belonged to Jiuli.

Xu Qing remained silent, slowly calming his mind. It was a long while before he suppressed these emotions originating from Jiuli, his expression complex. Although he had previously harbored suspicions, now, truly experiencing the history within the memory fragments, he felt a deeper sense of emotion regarding Jiuli and this land. Although Jiuli's memories ended at the moment of his death, Xu Qing could imagine what happened next.

Some years after Jiuli's death, the place of his demise, nourished by the blood, flesh, and shattered souls of the great shamans, gave birth to fierce beasts. They varied in form, but all were filled with malice, ferocity, and immense malevolence. For resentment was their very core. And regardless of their forms, they all shared a similar origin with the great shamans who had once guarded the tribe. Shamanic forms were, inherently, the appearance of fierce beasts. Thus, this former Administrator's Domain acquired another name: The Mountains and Seas Grand Domain. Xu Qing finally understood the origin of the fierce beasts in the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain.

He now looked around, gazing at what was once the tribe's Administrator's Domain. After a moment, Xu Qing took a deep breath and erased the last trace of Jiuli's emotions from his heart. He was Xu Qing, not Jiuli. The moment they were erased, Xu Qing's expression returned to calm, but he still had a question. According to the history contained in the memory fragments, the spider deity ultimately chose to seal Jiuli's remains and absorb his flesh and blood to restore itself. Yet, what Xu Qing had seen was that same spider deity sealed by the Three Gods of Sun, Moon, and Stars.

"There's more history after this... When did the Three Gods arrive?"

Xu Qing pondered, then after a moment, he stopped dwelling on the matter. What was more important now was retrieving the last skull. Although the eight skulls had already granted him the ability to leave and collect the gray mist, since he had retrieved eight, Xu Qing didn't want to give up on the ninth. If he was going to do it, he would do it to the extreme.

A subtle glow flickered in Xu Qing's eyes as he formed hand seals. Instantly, the purple crystal trembled, radiating intense light. The eight skulls within flew about, arranging themselves into Chen Erniu's formation. Only this time, instead of using five to retrieve it, he would use eight skulls to draw out the final one!

Soon, the eight skulls emitted ripples, colliding to form a black hole, which projected the ninth skull. Xu Qing immediately formed hand seals. The 'Reaching for the Moon in a Well' divine ability spread out, transforming into a water surface. The moment it did, he sharply reached in with his hand. But the moment his hand touched the ninth skull, an astonishing fluctuation suddenly emanated from a thousand zhang beneath the mud.

The shrine located a thousand zhang down began to tremble violently, and a terrifying aura rose from it. This aura was earth-shattering. The moment it appeared, the entire Jiuli Forbidden Zone shuddered, even affecting the outside world, spreading across the entire Mountains and Seas Grand Domain. In an instant, the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain rumbled, the sky and earth changed color, abnormal substances rose, and blurriness and distortion consumed everything. It was as if the ancient face had opened its eyes!

Countless fierce beasts within this grand domain all trembled, their eyes bloodshot, emitting wails and roars filled with resentment. Hundreds of thousands of Flame Moon cultivators hunting here, regardless of their cultivation level, all felt an unprecedented sense of terror arise within them at that moment. Their expressions changed drastically, unsure of what had happened. Elder Ji Dongzi was also among them. He was currently flying with the Heavenly Curtain. Under this sudden drastic change, his figure abruptly halted. His breathing became ragged, and his complexion changed instantly. After sensing it, he abruptly looked towards the Jiuli Forbidden Zone. He could feel that the source of this fluctuation was within Jiuli! At any other time, he wouldn't have thought much of it, but now, the image that flashed in his mind was Xu Qing entering Jiuli. A sense of inexplicable unease then arose within him.