Chapter 134: Cangyuan Cave Realm

**First Episode: Secret Technique "Three Autumn Leaves"**

"Qin Wu." Venerable Luotang's figure was ethereal, yet her eyes held worry. "The Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven is the most important site of Yuanchu Mountain. Before the demon invasion, it only opened once every six thousand years on average! Since the demon invasion began, we've already been quite excessive, opening it four times in eight hundred years. Are we opening it a fifth time now? Shouldn't we reconsider?"

"Luotang." The long-haired man, Qin Wu, gently shook his head. "The demon invasion is growing more severe. Medium and large fortresses are increasing, and another super-large fortress has appeared in the last thirty years. Each super-large fortress requires a Venerable to guard it. How many Creation Realm Venerables do our human race have in total? If this continues, the demon attacks will only grow stronger. You understand that the demon forces are far superior to ours; it's only due to world entrance restrictions that merely a small fraction of their power can enter. We've only held on for eight hundred years. It's foreseeable that the later stages will be even grimmer, and the war will become even more brutal."

Venerable Luotang fell silent.

She also knew the future would be more brutal.

"If we can't hold on, humanity will be slaughtered, our world will be occupied by demons, and they will breed and live here," the long-haired man, Qin Wu, said calmly. "Perhaps they'll keep some humans to be farmed as food. At that point, what use would all the fortuitous opportunities and treasure grounds left by our human ancestors be? They would all fall into the demons' hands."

"Therefore, in my view, anyone who shows potential to reach the Creation Realm in the future can be an exception and be granted access to the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven once," Qin Wu stated.

Venerable Luotang nodded gently. "As far as I know, this Meng Chuan has an Essence Soul domain, but his blade art cultivation speed is slower than Xue Feng's. His talent in blade arts is truly mediocre; it's unlikely he'll ever reach the Creation Realm in this lifetime."

"But his talent in painting is astonishing," Qin Wu countered. "In this era, God-Demons grow amidst life and death, faster than any God-Demon in history! I believe his painting talent is no less than that of Elder Tan You'an, and in the current environment, his growth speed will be even faster. He has a chance to reach the eighth level of Essence Soul; if he reaches the ninth level... that would be an unprecedented realm for humanity."

"The ninth level of Essence Soul? Whether a ninth level even exists is debatable," Venerable Luotang hesitated.

"However, as long as one reaches the eighth level of Essence Soul, even a Regal God-Demon can cross realms and kill a Creation Realm expert," Qin Wu said. "You should know how formidable it is to reach the seventh or eighth level of Essence Soul. The seventh level... already grants the power of a newly ascended Creation Realm expert. The eighth level, furthermore, can surpass all Creation Realm experts of the current era. I believe it's worth opening the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven for him."

The corners of Venerable Luotang's lips curled slightly, her smile captivating. She said with a smile, "Qin Wu, you've convinced me. I hope he can reach the seventh or even eighth level of Essence Soul."

"You've agreed?" Qin Wu also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I've agreed. Open it," Venerable Luotang said. "Although his potential might only be that of a Regal God-Demon, fighting above his level by relying on his Essence Soul is indeed promising. If someone truly reaches the eighth level of Essence Soul... that would be a blessing for our human race."

The further one progresses in Essence Soul cultivation, the harder it becomes; each step is like an insurmountable chasm.

Just as it's difficult to go from Marquis to Regal God-Demon, and from Regal God-Demon to Creation Realm.

And from the seventh level of Essence Soul to the eighth level... the difficulty surpasses even becoming a Creation Realm expert! This is because only three individuals in human history have ever reached the eighth level of Essence Soul! Relying on their Essence Soul, they were invincible in the world, capable of slaying other Creation Realm experts!

"Good, I will open it tonight." Qin Wu sighed with emotion. "In the past, Yuanchu Mountain only opened the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven for disciples who were perfect in every aspect, averaging once every six thousand years. Now, in eight hundred years, it's about to be opened for the fifth time."

"When it opened once every six thousand years, most who entered could become Creation Realm experts, regardless of other factors," Venerable Luotang said. "However, in the last eight hundred years, of the four who entered, one died in battle while still a Great Solar God-Demon, which was a great pity. The other three became Regal God-Demons. True Martial King is over three hundred years old this year, and his God-Demon body is aging, making his hope of reaching the Creation Realm increasingly slim. Anhai King is very young, just over one hundred years old this year, and has the greatest potential. It's just a shame about Yan Shui King; his realm was sufficient, and his physical true essence cultivation was extremely powerful, but only his Essence Soul remained at the fourth level. If his Essence Soul had reached the fifth level, he would have been able to break through to the Creation Realm. Unfortunately, he died in battle at Yan Shui Pass."

"In this era, it's already good if opening it once can produce a Regal God-Demon," Qin Wu said. "If we maintained the strict requirements of the past, we wouldn't be able to select any disciples at all."

"Indeed," Venerable Luotang nodded.

What would the future hold?

Even those at the pinnacle of humanity didn't know; they only knew to diligently cultivate more powerful individuals and make preparations.

The more thorough the preparations, the greater the hope of winning this war.

***

Night.

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were having dinner, chatting and laughing, both in high spirits.

The two sensed something and looked outside the hall, seeing a figure emerge from illusion in the courtyard, gradually solidifying into a long-haired man.

"Master." Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were startled and immediately rose to respectfully greet him.

Their master coming to a disciple's cave abode? Unheard of!

"Meng Chuan, come with me," the long-haired man said.

"Yes." Meng Chuan respectfully walked out and stood beside his Master.

"Meng Chuan will be back in as little as an hour, or as long as three days," the long-haired man told Liu Qiyue, then turned and blurred, disappearing with Meng Chuan.

Liu Qiyue stood blankly at the hall entrance for a long time before returning to the table, resuming her meal. In her heart, she wondered: "What could be so urgent that Ah Chuan was taken away so suddenly?" She wasn't too worried; with their Master personally escorting him, his safety was assured.

The long-haired man appeared from nothingness with Meng Chuan, arriving at the mountainside of a solitary, massive peak.

"Master?" Meng Chuan was somewhat confused. He glanced around, recognized some familiar peaks, and understood his location: "This is an unnamed peak, about thirty li from Jingming Peak."

The long-haired man took out a cyan ruler from his robes, and after activating it, a figure of a woman in gold and white robes appeared beside them.

"Let's open it." The long-haired man and the ethereal figure of the woman in gold and white robes exchanged a glance, then simultaneously activated it.

The void twisted, and a circular spatial opening appeared.

"This spatial opening leads to an important site of Yuanchu Mountain," the long-haired man instructed Meng Chuan. "Once inside, what opportunities you gain will be up to you. Strive hard and try to acquire a powerful opportunity."

"Your Master spent a long time convincing me to let you enter," Venerable Luotang's ethereal figure said, looking at Meng Chuan. "I'm quite curious to see what opportunities you'll gain in the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven."

"Your disciple will certainly strive his best," Meng Chuan respectfully bowed, simultaneously gazing with curiosity at the spatial opening before him.

Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven?

Opportunity?

"This is the most important site of Yuanchu Mountain. Remember not to tell anyone about your entry, including your parents, wife, or family," the long-haired man said, then grabbed Meng Chuan's clothes and flung him.

Meng Chuan was startled, caught off guard and powerless to resist, as he was flung directly into the spatial opening.

The opening then swiftly closed and vanished.

"Is this the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven?" After passing through the spatial opening, Meng Chuan saw only darkness, then an incredibly enormous monstrous beast's head! Its head was larger than a mountain, and its mouth, when opened, was a thousand zhang wide. From within that vast mouth, a dark vortex appeared, an invisible suction force that Meng Chuan could not resist, directly pulling him inside.

After falling in, he felt as if he had entered a swirling vortex of wind, continuously plummeting downwards.