Chapter 722: The Vanished Xin Huo Dynasty

"You know about the Torch Dynasty too?!"

"Too?" Yunzhi realized Dao Lord Wanfa knew about the Torch Dynasty.

Ever since learning about the Torch Dynasty from the Immortal Secret Realm, Yunzhi had used all her connections to inquire about it. However, neither the First Xia Emperor, Jiang Ping'an, nor the recently captured Nightmare and Void Supremes had ever heard of the Torch Dynasty. This had led Yunzhi to suspect, at one point, that the Torch Dynasty didn't exist. Finally, she had encountered someone who knew about it.

"This place is indeed safe, and no one else besides you three knows what I'm saying, right?" Dao Lord Wanfa, under the control of the Immortal Fairy, had to reveal everything he knew.

"Of course," Yunzhi replied. The Immortal Fairy and Lu Yang agreed; with the three of them present, this was the safest place in the world. Had it not been for the Immortal Fairy, Dao Lord Wanfa would have been utterly unwilling to speak of the Torch Dynasty. His willingness to discuss Wu Yao with his confidants, yet his complete silence regarding the Torch Dynasty, spoke volumes. Considering there were two immortals here—one who had killed Emperor Yu, and another who possessed the Immortal Dao Fruit—he felt somewhat relieved.

"Initially, I was also unaware of the Torch Dynasty's existence. I don't mean to boast, but to learn various magical techniques, I visited every scripture repository in the world, including those in the Great Yu Imperial Palace. Not a single book mentioned the Torch Dynasty. It wasn't until I cultivated to the Half-Immortal realm, faked my death to escape, and went into hiding that I learned about the Torch Dynasty from the remnants of ruins in secret realms, clues revealed by Wu Yao, and murals in ruined temples. However, when I later revisited the secret realms and ruined temples that contained clues about the Torch Dynasty, I found that they had all been damaged by someone."

Lu Yang frowned, "When exactly was the Torch Dynasty established?"

"After the ancient era, but before the Great Qian Dynasty."

"What?!" Lu Yang was stunned. A dynasty was actually established during that period? The Immortal Fairy was unaware of the Torch Dynasty's existence, meaning it was established after the Four Immortals sealed off the world?

"People generally say that an immortal war occurred in the ancient era, turning stars into continents, leading to a severance of heritage and even the loss of ancient languages. They believe the First Qian Emperor established the Great Qian Dynasty upon ancient ruins. In reality, this is a misconception. After the ancient immortals refined stars into continents, the Torch Dynasty was established. The Torch Dynasty used ancient languages, and then, after another hundred thousand years, the dynasty fell. The reason for its downfall is unknown, but one thing is certain: someone deliberately erased the Torch Dynasty's existence. And that person was an immortal! That immortal erased all traces of the Torch Dynasty's existence: buildings, mortals, cultivators, books, and even languages... everything vanished. It was as if they wanted to sever all connections to the Torch Dynasty. Anyone who knew about the Torch Dynasty risked being eradicated by that immortal. In the later period of Great Yu, I befriended a Half-Immortal, Daoist Master Muyin, who also knew about the Torch Dynasty. Our original plan was for the two of us to establish the Great Yu Alliance. As he didn't possess an immortal body capable of longevity, he chose to go into slumber. We agreed that I would awaken him when the Great Era arrived. However, to my surprise, he died before the Great Era even began."

"Every five thousand years, I would go to check on Daoist Master Muyin. Thirty thousand years ago, I visited Daoist Master Muyin's grotto-heaven as usual. But when I arrived, I found him dead, his chest pierced through!" Dao Lord Wanfa's voice trembled: "There were no signs of a struggle. Even if he was in slumber, had someone tried to ambush him, he would have instinctively sensed the danger and risen to fight. Even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't have been killed with a single blow. The one who killed him was not a Half-Immortal, but an immortal!" At this, Dao Lord Wanfa revealed a look of fear. Daoist Master Muyin's death had left a profound psychological scar on him.

"That's why I repeatedly confirmed that this place is safe and no one else can eavesdrop. If that immortal were to learn of this conversation, my fate would also be grim."

"So that's how it is." Yunzhi mused thoughtfully, surprised that the Torch Dynasty's existence involved such hidden complexities. Perhaps the immortal who so vigorously concealed the Torch Dynasty was the true cause of the severance of ancient heritage. Initially, Yunzhi couldn't find any information about the Torch Dynasty and had thought its disappearance was similar to the Immortal Fairy's, erased by a shadowy mastermind using special methods. Now, it seemed the reason for the Torch Dynasty's demise was uncertain, but the cause of its complete eradication lay with someone else.

"What is the connection between the Torch Dynasty and the Four Ancient Immortals?" Yunzhi asked again. She recalled that in the Immortal Secret Realm, there was a Torch Dynasty ruin with statues of immortal beings whose gender was indistinguishable.

Dao Lord Wanfa cautiously replied, "I saw a mural in a ruined temple. The mural was severely damaged, and I could only vaguely make out that it depicted the early days of the Torch Dynasty's establishment. On it were four magnificent figures. My conjecture—and I stress, this is merely a conjecture—is that the Torch Dynasty was jointly built by the Four Ancient Immortals." Dao Lord Wanfa couldn't gauge the three's attitude towards the Four Ancient Immortals, so he emphasized that these were all speculations. Judging by Yunzhi and the others' unfamiliarity with the Torch Dynasty, it was highly probable that the members of their Ancient Heavenly Court had collectively fallen into slumber before the Torch Dynasty was established, only recently awakening. "Wait, that doesn't make sense. Two of these three are immortals. Would they need to go into slumber?" A shiver ran down Dao Lord Wanfa's spine, and he entertained a bold guess: "Could their Ancient Heavenly Court be fake?" He dared not dwell on the thought further, fearing being silenced. He even wanted to slap himself for being so clever and thinking so much when there was no need!

"The Four Ancient Immortals establishing the Torch Dynasty... an immortal concealing its existence... Is this related to the death of the Immortal of Time?" Lu Yang murmured softly. "If so, then the power of this unknown immortal was probably terrifyingly strong."

"What? The Immortal of Time died?" Dao Lord Wanfa's expression brightened when he heard Lu Yang's murmur. He quickly met Lu Yang's and the Immortal Fairy's displeased gazes and gave an awkward laugh.

"What was his purpose in concealing the Torch Dynasty?" Yunzhi was equally perplexed. "Did the Torch Dynasty hold some unspeakable secret?" Yunzhi hadn't expected the matter of the Torch Dynasty to involve an immortal, and one with such ruthless methods at that. Yunzhi glanced at Lu Yang, suddenly remembering that he was only in the Nascent Soul stage and not yet ready to know about immortal machinations. "Junior Brother, I will handle the matter of the Torch Dynasty. You don't need to concern yourself with it."

Lu Yang scratched his head, wondering if Senior Sister was thinking too highly of him. He was merely a cultivator in the mid-stage of the 'Heavy Nascent Soul' realm; even if he wanted to investigate the Torch Dynasty, his cultivation wouldn't permit it.