Chapter 517: Ancient Past

Chapter 521: Ancient Lore

Humans during the ancient era were quite mysterious. They were few in number and rarely interacted with other races, yet they undoubtedly produced invincible beings...

The monkey seemed lost in distant memories, slowly recounting the tales of ancient times, captivating the minds of everyone present.

In the primeval era, only supreme beings who reached the pinnacle of cultivation could assume human form. This form symbolized invincibility and was a quintessential characteristic of kings; any creature encountering them would instinctively bow in worship.

However, the mysterious emergence of the human race defied this long-standing norm. They were born in this form, startling all other races.

Initially, other races were terrified at the sight of so many humanoid creatures, but they gradually relaxed once they learned that this race was inherently very weak.

Some ancient races were enraged, viewing the human form as an insult to the primeval kings, and nearly wiped out all of humanity.

Yet, not all primeval beings were utterly malevolent. Some were discerning and upheld justice; a powerful ancient race intervened to protect humanity, allowing them to survive and continue.

Over the long ages, the land was naturally embroiled in countless conflicts. All manner of creatures could be drawn into them, and the human race was no exception.

They were extremely rare and incredibly weak, yet they possessed room for growth. Indeed, supreme beings capable of rivaling the Nine-Transformation Divine Silkworm emerged from their ranks, shaking all primeval races.

From then on, humanity secured its place and was no longer eyed covetously or treated as food by other races.

“Could you be more specific?” Wu Zhongtian asked. “For instance, what cultivation methods did they use, how did they practice, and how did they come into being?”

“I was too young before the great calamity struck, so my knowledge is limited to only a few basic things,” the monkey sighed.

Though a primeval royal, his understanding of that era was extremely limited due to his youth. When the great calamity descended, he was inexplicably sealed away, sleeping for tens of millions of years.

“The human race’s origins are mysterious; they likely came from beyond this realm…” The monkey recounted some of the past events he knew.

“Their cultivation techniques were primitive, yet extraordinarily powerful…”

The Solar True Art, mimicking the ultimate Yang of heaven and earth, established the primordial. It was incredibly formidable and potent, truly terrifying, and stood as an ancient sacred method of the human race from the primeval era.

“As expected…” Li Heishui murmured in admiration.

He had previously obtained a black beast bone from the mountain range where Saint Cliff was located, which contained a partial record of the Solar True Art—a topic they had discussed before.

The Solar True Art is one of humanity’s most ancient sacred methods. Even the ancient Great Emperors had studied it and drawn inspiration from it, as they needed to deduce myriad laws and delve into various scriptures when creating their own ancient classics.

The Lunar True Art, mimicking the ultimate Yin of heaven and earth, stood in opposition to the Solar True Art. It was supremely Yin and powerful. Also a sacred method of primeval humanity, it would be considered an ancient classic even today.

“Humans are mysterious and were few in number. I never imagined that after eons, they would flourish so immensely, overshadowing all other races,” the monkey marveled.

He truly didn’t know much about primeval history. He even had very little knowledge of the Battle Saint Ape lineage, only remembering that his father had died and his uncle had gone to the Western Desert. Everything else was unclear, very hazy.

Ye Fan and the others speculated that the great calamity of the primeval era must have been a change in heaven and earth, rendering it unsuitable for living beings and cutting off the path of cultivation, thus leading to a great extinction.

However, the monkey shook his head upon hearing this. “The ancient prophecies came true, which is why the primeval races went into hiding…”

At that time, the monkey was still a mere infant, unable to access the highest secrets, knowing only bits and pieces. His growth to his current state was due to awakening much earlier within the ‘Immortal Tomb’ strange stone, cultivating for many years, achieving his current power before being unearthed by Ye Fan.

When primeval royals cultivated to the extreme realm and transformed into human form, they were revered as ‘Emperors.’ This was the first time Ye Fan and the others heard this; previously, they had always broadly referred to them as ‘Primeval Kings.’

Before their deaths, successive ancient Emperors, like deities, could almost see through the past, present, and future, leaving behind prophecies that were later verified one by one.

The monkey didn’t elaborate on these matters, as he didn’t understand them either and couldn’t reveal the truth behind the primeval calamity.

Ye Fan and the others felt a sense of regret. This was an age-old mystery, and if even this living fossil couldn’t shed light on it, who else possibly could?

“Some primeval races were sealed, and some must have gone to outer realms…” The monkey shook his head, unwilling to say more.

“Do immortals truly exist?” Li Heishui suddenly asked. Everyone fell silent, eager to know the answer.

“They should exist, I suppose. My father was an Emperor, invincible across heaven and earth, but unfortunately, his lifespan was nearing its end when I was born, and he died not long after…”

The monkey’s father, the Saint Emperor who had shaken the primeval era, passed away before the monkey was three years old, leaving him almost nothing beyond their racial heritage.

However, he did remember a single statement from the ancient Emperor: that in the most ancient times, immortals must have existed, though they were never seen again in later generations.

Everyone was lost in thought, dumbfounded. Even the monkey’s father, an Emperor who was invincible in the primeval era, had to speak of tracing back to the “most ancient times”…

What kind of period was this so-called “most ancient time”? What happened then? What ancient tales did it hold?

“The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, Mount Undying, the Divine Ruins, the Primeval Forbidden Zone, the Immortal Mausoleum… these places,” Ye Fan brought up the seven restricted life zones again.

“In the primeval era, there weren’t so many restricted life zones; there were a few less…” the monkey revealed.

The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land and Mount Undying were unheard of in primeval times. The monkey surmised that they must be terrifying restricted zones formed later, comparable to or even surpassing the previous desolate lands. As for the Primeval Forbidden Zone, it was the supreme holy land of the primeval races. In those ancient, bygone years, only peerless primeval Emperors were permitted entry.

It was exceedingly difficult for primeval beings to become Emperors; like the human Great Emperors, there have been very few throughout history.

While individuals from the great primeval royal families were indeed extremely powerful once they achieved mastery, they were ultimately still somewhat inferior to Emperors. Becoming an Emperor was incredibly difficult.

“You don’t know what’s inside the Primeval Forbidden Zone?” Jiang Hairen asked, surprised.

“In those bygone primeval years, only a few ancient Emperors and the lords of the great royal families had entered,” the monkey said with regret.

“The Battle Saint Ape lineage likely only has you left. Since you are now the lord of your race, couldn’t you enter in the future?” Li Heishui asked.

“So much time has passed,” the monkey said, shaking his head. “According to what you’ve said, it has already evolved into one of the seven restricted life zones. Anyone who isn’t an Emperor would surely die upon entering.”

“He still has an uncle in the Western Desert!” the big black dog mumbled, grinding his teeth.

“The Immortal Mausoleum, they say, is the burial ground of some immortals. It’s vast and boundless, utterly barren, with a bloody expanse stretching for thousands of miles. It was already a restricted life zone in the primeval era.”

Several primeval Emperors once stated that it was a place where immortals were buried. It was not to be approached, or death would be certain; it was the most perilous region in the world.

Now, after countless ages, a little life has finally appeared there. Many peerless spiritual herbs have grown in the bloody earth, but unfortunately, no one dares to gather them.

This is because even ancient sages found it difficult to emerge once they entered, as it devoured human lives.

“However, some Emperors also said, ‘Hearing is not seeing; seeing is believing.’ If no immortals have been seen, then there are no immortals,” the monkey added.

The primeval Emperors were incredibly terrifying, invincible throughout the world, with no one capable of rivaling them. Among countless races and billions of living beings over eons, there were only a handful of them.

Even rarer than the human Great Emperors, their opinions were not uniform. Their understanding of immortals varied greatly.

“The Divine Ruins, legend has it, fell from another world…”

The monkey’s words were startling. The history of the Divine Ruins’ formation was incredibly ancient, virtually untraceable; even the oldest Emperors among the primeval races couldn’t determine its age.

“The Divine Ruins are that ancient?” Even the big black dog gasped.

Indeed, within the Divine Ruins were awe-inspiring relics like the South Heaven Gate and the Heavenly Palace, standing uncorrupted for tens of millions of years—structures that human power could never preserve.

“Is there truly another vast and mysterious Immortal Realm?” Ye Fan frowned.

In his view, the cultivators of this world were comparable to the immortals of myths and legends. If another mysterious world existed, he couldn’t imagine what kind of beings would reside there.

However, he remained skeptical, not truly believing in the existence of immortals. The ancient Great Emperors seemed to represent the pinnacle of cultivation. Although he had witnessed the nine dragons pulling the coffin, those were likely saint-level flood dragons, not true immortal spirits.

“I haven’t heard talk of an ‘Immortal Realm,’ but my old father did mention the words ‘Immortal Domain’…” the monkey slowly revealed.

The monkey’s father had lived for an astonishingly long time. As an Emperor of the primeval era, his cultivation reached the pinnacle of creation, making him one of the most powerful beings in history.

His lifespan withered, and he had a son late in life. On his deathbed, he spoke of the Immortal Domain, saying it likely existed, but it was his lifelong regret that he could not enter it.

“My uncle said my father was born at an unfavorable time. Otherwise, he might have had a chance, but unfortunately, he lived during a great transformation of heaven and earth, which prevented him from reaching the Immortal Domain or deducing its secrets.”

Ultimately, the monkey’s father could only sigh, filled with deep melancholy, because he could never personally verify his suspicions.

Several primeval Emperors believed that the Divine Ruins did not belong to this world, but rather fell from a mysterious land. The views of these few were known to all races.

“The South Heaven Gate and Heavenly Palace have been incorruptible since ancient times. There, golden light rolls forth in ten thousand streaks, and auspicious energy spews forth in a thousand violet mists…” the big black dog muttered to himself, his eyes incredibly profound.

“An Immortal Domain truly exists? That’s highly unlikely…” Li Heishui and the others frowned.

“Something that fell from another world… could immortals truly exist?” Wu Zhongtian murmured to himself. His grandfather, widely learned in ancient and modern times, had also made many such deductions.

“Brother,” Little Nannan asked innocently, tugging at Ye Fan’s sleeve and looking up with a hopeful expression, “what are immortals?”

Ye Fan gently patted her head and said, “They are a vague and elusive existence, perhaps never having appeared at all. Even if they exist, they are not in this world.”

“Oh,” the little one nodded, seemingly understanding yet not quite.

“Mount Undying… that name sounds somewhat familiar to me, but this ancient mountain did not exist in the primeval era,” the monkey said, frowning, as he spoke of another restricted zone.

“Think harder,” the big black dog urged. “What was Mount Undying in the primeval era?”

Both Emperor Wushi and Great Emperor Ruthless had once entered Mount Undying and left indelible marks beneath the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree. The big black dog wanted to know more.

“I truly haven’t heard of Mount Undying, but there was an ‘Undying Emperor’ in primeval legends.” The monkey pondered for a long time before recalling such an almost mythical figure, though he couldn't confirm if he had actually existed.

“The Undying Emperor… who would dare use such a title?!” Even the big black dog was shocked.

“The first master of the Undying Divine Phoenix Medicine was said to be that Undying Emperor. Legends claim he nearly surpassed the gods, and many people don’t believe he ever existed,” the monkey replied, shaking his head.