Old Ancestor?

This form of address startled Jian Chou again: who didn’t know that currently the highest-ranking person in Yashan was her master Fudao Shanren himself?

Yet now, Fudao Shanren was actually addressing this elder as “Old Ancestor”?

Recalling the wondrous scene she had just witnessed of this elder transforming from white bones to flesh and blood, Jian Chou had some speculation in her heart. However, she didn’t show excessive surprise, only restraining herself and revealing a slightly curious expression.

Upon hearing Fudao Shanren’s words, that elder wasn’t so calm.

The two snow-white long eyebrows hanging over his eye sockets moved, and a pair of extremely dim eyes looked toward Jian Chou.

But when his gaze fell upon Jian Chou, she felt that within those eyes shone a subtle light.

Like walking alone in the endless long night, suddenly discovering that on that distant long road, several lamps were lit. Not very bright, but enough to prevent you from going astray…

Extraordinarily perceptive, yet also extraordinarily heart-startling.

Even with Jian Chou’s current late Nascent Soul cultivation, under this gaze, she felt as if she had nowhere to hide!

Fortunately, the “Old Ancestor’s” gaze didn’t linger long, only turning toward Fudao Shanren: “Speak.”

Fudao Shanren had always not thought much of this “old immortal,” but now with matters being urgent, his usual frivolous and smiling appearance was completely restrained.

His aged face, due to seriousness, rarely showed a kind of commanding presence.

“My disciple discovered in the Extreme Domain that the Eight Directions Yama Halls seem to be secretly plotting against Shijiu Zhou. Moreover, she encountered the Nine-Headed Bird’s remnant soul in the Extreme Domain, who asked her to bring back a message, requesting our Yashan to abandon old grievances, unite Shijiu Zhou, first battle the Extreme Domain, then rebuild reincarnation.”

Having finished speaking, he looked toward the elder sitting cross-legged on the high platform.

“How does Old Ancestor view this?”

Thoughtfulness flashed through that elder’s eyes. He looked at Fudao for a long while, then actually extended his hand directly toward Jian Chou, beckoning.

“I remember you’re called Jian Chou, right? Come here.”

He knew her name?

Jian Chou was somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, someone whom even Fudao Shanren had to address as “Old Ancestor” must be a true “great personage” of Yashan. It wouldn’t be strange for him to know something.

Upon hearing this, she only glanced at Fudao Shanren.

Fudao Shanren nodded at her, pursing his lips to indicate she should go up as instructed, while he remained standing below without moving.

Jian Chou wasn’t clear what this Old Ancestor wanted her up there for, but with Fudao Shanren nearby, she felt no fear in her heart.

Immediately, her figure lightened and she disappeared from the original spot, appearing on the high platform in the blink of an eye.

It was a teleportation.

Being up here, she could see even more clearly.

It was indeed identical to that altar in the eighteenth level of hell in the Extreme Domain, even the size was without the slightest error. The only difference was in the surface.

A huge circular bronze mirror, covered with a thick layer of dust, yet still unable to block the golden radiance flowing from it.

Without even needing to look closely, just calming her heart to sense it, she could feel this mirror’s extraordinariness. Moreover, what made Jian Chou’s heart skip was the two small characters carved at this mirror’s edge…

Mi, Tian.

At this moment, truly a thunderclap resounded in her mind!

The leaf book that Fu Chaosheng had once delivered had written that in ancient times, when Pangu Dazun opened heaven and split earth, establishing reincarnation, when opening the Extreme Domain, he encountered that patch of spatial turbulence that Jian Chou had previously encountered.

This turbulence was actually a very special place in the universe, a crack formed when the universe’s growth was incomplete. For those who entered, spatial displacement was a small matter—with bad luck, one might emerge after thousands of years, or return to the past.

Therefore, Pangu Dazun had expended all his divine power to move this turbulent flow outside the Extreme Domain, using it to separate the yin and yang realms, only constructing a circular mirror for passage between the two realms!

This mirror was named “Mitian”!

When Jian Chou had first seen these textual records, she had only felt this was a legend from far away, even uncertain whether it was true or false. She never would have imagined that something from those legends would suddenly appear before her eyes one day!

Her heart immediately became tumultuous.

Standing on this high platform, she momentarily couldn’t understand the relationships involved, so she forcefully suppressed the shock in her heart.

Regarding Jian Chou’s emotional fluctuations, the withered elder seemed to feel nothing, or perhaps he felt it but didn’t care, nor did he inquire.

He only extended his finger toward Jian Chou, his voice hoarse and unpleasant: “Lower your head.”

Jian Chou still didn’t quite understand. After hesitating for a moment, she still bent down and lowered her head.

Thus, the “Old Ancestor’s” index finger, dry and thin as a withered branch, lightly touched her forehead.

In an instant, radiant light overflowed!

Countless streaming light and shadow flew out from Jian Chou’s forehead, rotating around his wrinkle-covered finger.

Jian Chou only felt her forehead slightly cool, as if a clear spring flowed from her forehead into her ancestral aperture, trickling through her spiritual platform.

At this moment, she could clearly sense what the other party was doing.

Examining that segment of her memories from the Extreme Domain!

In just a moment, a dark light flashed in the Old Ancestor’s eyes, showing some understanding. He slowly lowered his finger, but his brow furrowed instantly.

“So that’s how it is…”

Such miraculous methods, Jian Chou had only seen in books before, called “soul searching.” Only those whose realm was a full two major realms higher than their target could perform it, and if not careful, there was danger of backlash.

Generally speaking, those whose souls were searched would either become stupid or insane.

But herself…

Jian Chou felt no changes in herself whatsoever.

The more this was so, the more she viewed this elder before her as unfathomably profound.

“How does Old Ancestor view this?”

At this time, Fudao Shanren finally came up, still as usual, sitting on the Mitian Mirror without any taboo, even beckoning to Jian Chou.

“You sit too.”

This posture was exactly like when Zheng Yao had her sit down in Lanyue Hall.

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched, but seeing this “Old Ancestor” say nothing about it, as if giving tacit approval, she didn’t say much either, sitting cross-legged beside Fudao Shanren as instructed.

The things she had encountered in the Extreme Domain were truly too bizarre, simply incredible.

What reincarnation, what Nine-Headed Bird, what setting aside internal grievances first to attack the Extreme Domain… she vaguely knew a bit about these, but wasn’t very clear.

At this moment, she only pricked up her ears to listen.

The Old Ancestor’s expression was rarely grave.

Unlike Jian Chou, who still knew very little about Shijiu Zhou, he knew too much, so what he saw was extremely worrying.

“If what this little girl saw is all true, the situation on the Extreme Domain side is probably worse than we previously anticipated. Even if we don’t actively attack, the Eight Directions Yama Halls will likely take the initiative to cause trouble. When that time comes, the consequences will be unimaginable…”

He sighed, his finger resting on his knee, falling silent for a long time before speaking again.

“Fudao, what’s your view?”

His view?

Fudao Shanren momentarily couldn’t restrain himself and actually laughed coldly: “What the hell can I think? Over six hundred years have passed—now it’s the eleventh cycle. The old accounts with Kunwu and the Buddhist sects haven’t been settled yet, and now they want our Yashan to set them aside and first go to war with the Extreme Domain, rebuild reincarnation… Bah! What bullshit!”

“…”

Jian Chou had never seen such a Fudao Shanren.

Previously, she had only felt that this master of hers was very unreliable and very willful, always with that devil-may-care attitude. But never once had she heard him speak such sharp words.

Old grievances with Kunwu and the Buddhist sects?

She had earlier had some vague speculation, but now didn’t dare be certain, only carefully looking toward the “Old Ancestor.”

As if sensing her gaze, the Old Ancestor also looked back at her.

Regarding Fudao Shanren’s attitude just now, he seemed long accustomed to it, even smiling at Jian Chou: “Your master has always had this dog temper that can’t be changed. Don’t learn from him.”

“Who has a dog temper? What do you mean don’t learn from me? Where in the world is there anyone with a better temper than this mountain man?”

Upon hearing this, Fudao Shanren immediately became dissatisfied and started shouting.

The Old Ancestor ignored him as if he hadn’t heard, continuing to speak to Jian Chou: “You’ve only been in the sect for a short time and only roughly understand our Yashan’s affairs, same as others—you’re not very clear, right? Especially about that Yin-Yang Realm War from eleven cycles ago…”

He was absolutely right.

Jian Chou vaguely felt this Old Ancestor seemed extremely kind, as if wanting to explain things clearly to her, so she tentatively asked: “I know some things, but not very clearly. Could Old Ancestor inform me of the details?”

Her attitude was very respectful, and her whole being had that sense of composure and tranquility.

The withered elder looked at her and found her extremely pleasing to the eye. For a moment, he recalled sixty years ago when Fudao had brought her down unconscious to show him—she had just reached Foundation Establishment. Now, she was already late Nascent Soul stage.

In memory, even Fudao and Hengxu back then hadn’t necessarily had this speed, right?

Tianxu physique—below Soul Departure, rarely meeting an opponent…

This was truly no exaggeration.

But beyond this, her character and temperament could also be called one in ten thousand.

No wonder Qu Zhengfeng had been able to leave so cleanly and decisively back then. Such a female cultivator indeed had the ability to shoulder the five words “Yashan’s Senior Sister.”

The Old Ancestor looked at her with vague appreciation in his eyes, but his mouth released a long sigh: “That Yin-Yang Realm War from eleven cycles ago, speaking of it, is rather a long story…”

In ancient times, Pangu Dazun opened heaven and split earth, first establishing reincarnation.

In the archaic period, the human race gradually established dominance among the hundred races. Those who achieved the Way could master the rules of heaven and earth, nearly immortal, thus named “Immortals.”

About a thousand years ago, the human race had completely gained the dominant position, and cultivators finally truly became mainstream. At this time, the “archaic period” ended.

The era following the archaic was the present, named “modern antiquity.”

The Extreme Domain also began causing trouble roughly at this junction between archaic and modern antiquity.

Originally, cultivators of Shijiu Zhou, like ordinary people on Human Solitary Island, could enter reincarnation as long as they hadn’t ascended.

After death, their souls would automatically come to the Nine-Head River.

At sunset, the Nine-Headed Bird would enter from the Nine-Head River estuary in the west, traveling upstream, returning to the Eastern Extreme peach tree before sunrise, entering the ghost gate, and sending them into reincarnation.

But suddenly one day, cultivators discovered many wandering souls near the Eastern Sea—all souls of deceased cultivators who couldn’t enter the ghost gate!

When news reached the major sects of Shijiu Zhou, it naturally caused quite a stir.

Kunwu and Yashan had excellent relations then and sat together to discuss who should be sent to investigate.

Unexpectedly, the one who ultimately went was neither a Kunwu cultivator nor a Yashan disciple.

It was Luye Laozu.

At that time, Kunwu’s Bajie Daozun had just ascended not long before. After Luye Laozu snatched the “Nine Bends River Map,” her reputation was at its peak. Perhaps feeling bored, upon learning this news, she single-handedly killed her way into the ghost gate!

This ancestor was originally a person of temperament.

Reportedly, after reaching the Extreme Domain, she stood outside what was then only a single Qin Guang Wang’s Eight Directions City and called for someone to come out and talk.

Somehow, they disagreed and started fighting.

That Qin Guang Wang was neither human nor ghost soul, but the incarnation of reincarnation rules in the Extreme Domain. For unknown reasons, he had gained spiritual intelligence and was himself extremely formidable.

Judging from Shijiu Zhou’s later encounters with him in the Yin-Yang Realm War, his cultivation could be described as earth-shaking.

Yet facing Luye Laozu in her prime, he had no solution whatsoever, even getting slightly injured in combat.

However, his incarnation was unique by nature, and Luye Laozu couldn’t kill him either.

But the latter’s actions were always extreme. With resentment churning in her heart and unable to do anything to her opponent, she without a word began “massacring the city,” killing until the Extreme Domain’s newly formed seventy-two cities were filled with bloody winds and wailing!

Qin Guang Wang couldn’t watch her continue this slaughter, ultimately being forced to compromise, temporarily returning reincarnation to Shijiu Zhou.

At that time, the matter hadn’t escalated and ended abruptly.

Many cultivators who knew the inside story hadn’t even reacted, but afterward they didn’t relax their vigilance.

“Qin Guang Wang had wolf-like ambitions. Having closed reincarnation to Shijiu Zhou cultivators, he certainly wouldn’t let the matter rest. He was the incarnation of rules and wouldn’t perish, but Luye was a cultivator who would ascend once her cultivation reached that point. So our Yashan didn’t let down its guard.”

Speaking to this point, the Old Ancestor couldn’t help shaking his head and sighing, his voice becoming increasingly heavy.

“Not long after, Luye ascended, and the Extreme Domain’s rebellion indeed returned with a vengeance…”

It could be said that Luye Laozu was then the strongest among Shijiu Zhou cultivators.

After her ascension, the Extreme Domain somehow learned of it.

The reincarnation that had been reopened for Shijiu Zhou cultivators was closed again. This finally triggered a boundless war between Shijiu Zhou and the Extreme Domain.

No one could see through reincarnation or resist the temptation of rebirth.

Cultivators were the same.

After clearly understanding the situation on the Extreme Domain side, the major sects of Shijiu Zhou gathered to deliberate and judged this matter couldn’t end well.

Thus, eleven cycles ago, led by the three major sects of Central Domain—Yashan, Kunwu, and Buddhism—gathering elites from the three thousand sects of Central Domain, the Yin-Yang Twin Sects of Northern Domain, even the then-prominent Wangjiang Tower, tens of thousands of cultivators attacked the Extreme Domain all at once!

The power of cultivators was extremely formidable, not to mention such a vast number of elite cultivators. If fighting mortal armies, victory could be achieved in moments.

But in the Extreme Domain, they faced endless wandering souls and evil ghosts emerging from the ground.

This struggle over the right of reincarnation became brutal.

But Shijiu Zhou’s side had deep foundations after all, unlike the Extreme Domain which had only recently risen and seemed too thin.

So after several battles, Shijiu Zhou’s side began gaining the advantage.

“At that time, we had already pressed to the outside of the eighteen levels of hell. Crossing that line would mean truly breaking into the Extreme Domain. Though Qin Guang Wang and others were strong, if they lost this battle, they probably couldn’t turn the tide. We all thought then that this battle should be without suspense…”

The wrinkles on his face deepened. The elder smiled once, then slowly closed his eyes.

“Who could have thought that human hearts could be so treacherous!”

In the end, Yashan had trusted the wrong people!

At that time, among Shijiu Zhou’s forces, Yashan, Kunwu, and Buddhism were the three strongest powers. That battle should have been three-way cooperation.

They had previously agreed that Yashan would lead a frontal assault while Kunwu and Buddhism would each launch surprise attacks from the flanks, catching the enemy off guard and surely defeating the Extreme Domain to regain control of reincarnation.

But who could have thought?

When Yashan led cultivators into battle against the Extreme Domain according to their three-way plan, Kunwu and Buddhism were delayed and didn’t arrive.

Though Yashan was strong, it wasn’t strong enough to directly contest the power of an entire realm.

Not to mention, the battlefield was in the Extreme Domain itself, where Qin Guang Wang, as the incarnation of Extreme Domain rules, could draw upon the entire realm’s power when casting techniques.

From the hundred thousand evil lands emerged countless evil ghosts; from the thousand-li Yellow Springs came endless lonely souls.

No matter how Yashan cultivators struggled and fought with all their might, how could they completely resist everything?

No retreat possible, surrounded on all sides!

That battle was blood-red for all of Yashan…

“How many disciples of our Yashan shed their passionate blood on that barren evil land of the Extreme Domain? In the end, even their souls found no good resting place!”

The elder’s hoarse voice finally carried an unmistakable bloody aura, and his eyes were faintly moist.

“When they went, they were a thousand Yashan cultivators; when they returned, only the thousand mounds covered with wild grass on the river beach remained…”

A thousand cultivators!

The Thousand Cultivators’ Tombs!

Jian Chou had seen those thousand mounds when she first arrived, but had never imagined such tragic history behind them, much less known there were so many inside details in that Yin-Yang Realm War.

Those fragmented images she had once seen through Ghost Axe flashed continuously before her eyes, making her feel as if something was stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth, and after a long time, asked hoarsely: “Then… what about Kunwu and Buddhism?”

“Hmph, them?”

Fudao Shanren on the side finally couldn’t restrain himself and laughed coldly. That chicken leg was somehow in his hand again. He took a bite, oddly revealing a strange viciousness.

“Our Shijiu Zhou united in common cause—they came in the end, of course. Otherwise how would they dare call themselves ‘righteous sects’!”

Jian Chou heard something wrong in his voice and didn’t dare respond.

Only the Old Ancestor beside them glanced at him, discovering that though his seclusion time wasn’t long, his cultivation had directly jumped two major realms from Soul Departure, crossing the Worldly stage and entering Void Return.

Whether he had seen through it or ultimately hadn’t seen through it was unclear…

He slowly shook his head, then turned his gaze back to Jian Chou. The emotional fluctuations belonging to humanity in his voice had calmed down, no longer revealing any clues, as if merely narrating something unrelated to himself.

“Those two sects eventually came too.”

“Kunwu said they encountered an ambush midway and had sent their disciple Zichen Sword Shen Jiuhan to report; Buddhism only sent the Chan sect, but the Esoteric sect was missing, as if something had happened midway.”

“It’s just a pity that by then, all the advanced cultivators of Yashan had been killed or wounded…”

Thus, the Yin-Yang Realm War temporarily ended.

The right of reincarnation couldn’t be reclaimed, Yashan suffered severe damage, and great powers like Ghost Axe’s former master Baili Wanhua, who would soon ascend, also used Ghost Axe’s power to save Yashan’s remaining cultivators, only to be swallowed by the Yellow Springs, leaving no remains, his soul scattered.

Even Ghost Axe and that Two Instruments Pearl were lost in the Extreme Domain, whereabouts unknown, becoming a broken axe from then on.

Decades later, Buddhism migrated north, officially splitting into Chan and Esoteric sects.

Thus the truth of that late arrival finally surfaced—

Buddhist cultivation always emphasized “reincarnation” and “opportunity.”

Qin Guang Wang of the Extreme Domain plotted accordingly, promising the right of “reincarnation” to separate Buddhism from Yashan and other sects. At that time, the Esoteric sect was powerful, and Buddhist Abbot Guizhen, in a moment of poor judgment, actually agreed.

But the Chan sect was kept in the dark, only discovering something wrong midway.

Unfortunately, after entanglement and hurriedly rushing there, it was already too late…

From then on, the Chan and Esoteric sects of Buddhism harbored resentment.

Moreover, as time passed, the two sects gradually found their philosophies increasingly divergent. When they finally decided to relocate to the Northern Domain, they completely split.

One established itself by the Western Sea, henceforth called Western Sea Chan Sect; the other established itself in the highland snow region, henceforth called Snow Region Esoteric Sect.

“As for Kunwu…”

The Old Ancestor looked at Jian Chou and somehow suddenly laughed.

“They knew nothing at all.”

Apart from that single phrase “encountered ambush on the way,” there was no second explanation.

The two great pillars of Central Domain that had once stood side by side acted as if nothing had happened, still standing among Central Domain’s countless mountains and waters, still the “pillars” in the eyes of Shijiu Zhou cultivators.

Everything seemed unchanged.

Except for the Thousand Cultivators’ Tombs under the cable bridge and on the river beach, which had been silent for over ten cycles…