Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 824 - 417: The Origin of the Ancient Calamity, Tree of Eternal Life (2)

Swoosh!

Caught in the heat of the moment, the dark shadow abandoned all other concerns. Its silhouette flickered as it surged forward, trying to flee the area and leaving ripples across the surrounding void.

There was no doubt it possessed the divine ability of instant teleportation, a technique so profound that even the restrictive arrays in this place could not impede its flight.

"Thinking of escaping? In your dreams."

Jiang Fan’s gaze sharpened with a frigid light. He was secretly surprised; this was his first encounter with an evil creature that could endure the incineration of the True Sun Fire, even if it only managed to survive partially. Such resilience was truly startling.

Nevertheless, through the guidance of fate, he had been prepared for this outcome long ago.

He immediately triggered the latent power within the Primordial Talisman Pen.

In an instant, the Primordial Talisman Pen erupted with a faint, dark golden radiance. The tip of the pen was drenched in a terrifying Power of Sharpness, each individual bristle overflowing with a lethal intent and a piercing edge that defied nature.

At that precise second, the Primordial Talisman Pen locked firmly onto the aura of the black entity.

Boom~~

A monstrous golden beam shot forth, shredding through the air at a velocity beyond comprehension. It appeared before the black entity in the blink of an eye, effortlessly skewering its form.

"Ahhh!!"

"Filthy human, how dare you try to slay me!"

"You are doomed, utterly doomed! Neither heaven nor earth can offer you salvation now!"

The black entity let out a piercing, blood-curdling shriek.

Following the scream, its body began to crumble piece by piece until it vanished entirely from existence, leaving behind not a single trace of its presence.

"How... how could such a bizarre thing have been hiding on my person?"

Daoist Yuanqing had witnessed the entire spectacle. His complexion turned deathly pale as cold sweat poured down his face.

In that moment, he finally grasped why the Young Master, the Child of Destiny, had struck out against him.

It turned out his anomaly had been spotted long ago.

Had the other party not detected this hidden threat, they might have all been led toward a path of ruin.

But the young man before him was indeed worthy of being called the Child of Destiny.

To possess the perception required to see through such a thing was simply beyond imagination.

With such a figure leading the way, perhaps there really was a chance to survive the coming apocalypse of the Void Realm.

"I never suspected those villains had secretly planted a trap within me."

"It is a blessing that you noticed it in time, young friend. Otherwise, I would have brought about an unthinkable disaster."

"It is no wonder we of the Taixu Sect suffered such a crushing defeat."

Daoist Yuanqing’s expression was one of profound bitterness.

He had lived under the delusion that he was untainted, never realizing he had walked straight into the enemy's snare.

Recalling the tragedies of the Ancient Era, he saw everything in a new light.

It seemed the Taixu Sect had been part of the enemy's calculations from the very beginning, yet they remained blissfully unaware.

That conflict had been destined for failure since its inception.

"Senior."

"What truly transpired during the Ancient Era? Who is our actual foe?"

Jiang Fan inquired.

He studied Daoist Yuanqing closely. Since the warning from fate had vanished, it meant the immediate danger had passed; the Daoist Yuanqing standing before him was now someone he could trust.

Even if the Elder's memories had been tampered with, at least a portion of his knowledge had to be authentic.

Since he was already entangled in this grand scheme, there was no turning back.

Identifying the enemy early would give him the best chance to prepare a proper response.

"The enemy is not the demons."

"Mere demons lack the power to lay waste to the Void Realm."

"That strange entity from before had corrupted my mind, forcing me to speak those lies."

"Now that you have destroyed the strangeness, my memories have been partially restored."

"The catastrophe of the Ancient Era originated from the Immortal Realm."

"The true enemy is the Immortal Race."

Daoist Yuanqing spoke with a voice full of murderous intent.

The Immortal Race?!

Jiang Fan’s eyes narrowed sharply at the revelation. He thought back to the records left in the ruins of the Primordial Talisman Sect regarding the Longevity Tribulation—could it be tied directly to this Immortal Race?!

He felt the long-buried secrets of the Ancient Era finally beginning to surface.

"However, the Immortal Race is a taboo subject that cannot be mentioned in the outside world."

"To do so would allow the strangeness to overhear us."

"And then, they would undoubtedly hunt us down."

"But here within the Taixu Hall, we are in an isolated dimension that severs all external karma."

"Thus, I can safely reveal the truths of the Immortal Race here."

Taking a long breath, Daoist Yuanqing confirmed that the ancient nemesis of the Void Realm was indeed the Immortal Race.

"The Immortal Race of the Immortal Realm? What exactly are they?"

Jiang Fan asked, his eyes squinting in thought.

He could feel that the words 'Immortal Race' carried a heavy, forbidden weight.

It was only thanks to the sanctuary of the Taixu Hall that these words could even be spoken.

Uttering them in the open world would likely invite instant calamity.

At this moment, even his magical treasures fell into a profound silence, listening intently to Daoist Yuanqing’s explanation.

"My own knowledge of the Immortal Race is limited."

"I only know bits and pieces—that they are a horrific race born within the Immortal Realm itself."

"They are born as a Longevity Species, possessing near-infinite lifespans."

"It is rumored they were once just ordinary immortals."

"But they rose to power suddenly, wielding a terrifying strength that allowed them to conquer the Immortal Realm. They started a war of unprecedented scale, leading to the fall of countless immortals."

"Eventually, the fires of that war reached the Mortal World and consumed the Void Realm."

"And those strange entities you saw? They are merely the lowly servants of the Immortal Race."

Daoist Yuanqing clarified.

A disaster that descended from the Immortal Realm?!

Hearing this, Jiang Fan finally understood why the once-mighty Void Realm had been brought to its knees.

The Void Realm may have been a supreme power in the Mortal World, but what did that matter?

Against the might of true immortals from the higher realm, even the greatest mortal Cultivation would lead only to certain death if an immortal chose to act.

"But why would they bother with the Void Realm?"

"The Immortal Realm is supposed to be the final destination for all cultivators, the home of the divine."

"In terms of Qi and resources, it must be infinitely superior to our world."

"I find it hard to believe that immortals would care about the Mortal World at all."

Jiang Fan pointed out.

"Under normal circumstances, you would be right."

"Their ultimate goal remains a mystery to us."

"What we do know is that when the immortals descended, they brought with them the Longevity Seed."

"They planted this seed within the soil of the Void Realm, and it blossomed into the Tree of Eternal Life."

"However, this celestial tree is a nightmare; it sustains itself by siphoning the very source energy of our world."

"Should that tree reach full maturity, our entire world will be obliterated."

"Billions of souls will be reduced to nothing but ash."

"It was to stop the Tree of Eternal Life that we declared war against the Immortal Race."

Daoist Yuanqing sighed, his voice thick with a sense of futility.

No one wanted to fight immortals if they could avoid it.

But the enemy had arrived at their gates with the intent to wipe out their entire existence.

Faced with such a threat, no race within the Void Realm could simply stand by.

"So, the gradual depletion of Spiritual Qi in the Void Realm is the fault of this Tree of Eternal Life?"

"Did your side not emerge victorious in that war?"

Jiang Fan was visibly shaken.

The pieces were finally falling into place. The reason the world’s standards were falling and the Spiritual Qi was vanishing was all because of this Tree of Eternal Life.

The Longevity Tribulation wasn't just about the Immortal Race; it was about the tree they planted.

This was a true doomsday scenario.

If the growth of the Tree of Eternal Life could not be halted, the destruction of the world was inevitable.

It was merely a countdown to the end.

"Had we won, why would we have vanished from the history of the Void Realm?"

"We disappeared because we failed completely."

"However, the immortals who came here did not escape unscathed. We managed to kill some, and those who survived were so gravely wounded they were forced into a deep slumber. That bought the Void Realm a little more time."

"Our sacrifice only served to delay the inevitable destruction."

"Without our intervention, the Void Realm would have perished back in the Ancient Era."

Daoist Yuanqing explained.

"Wait... they fell into a slumber?"

"Are you saying the enemies never left? That they are still here in the Void Realm?"

Jiang Fan was stunned.

He felt as though he were listening to a secret that could shake the foundations of the world, his heart racing with shock.

The ancient enemies weren't dead, and they hadn't returned to their realm; they were merely sleeping nearby.

The thought was absolutely terrifying.