Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 687 The Age of Giants
The billowing smoke and dust fell silently, like the withered wings of a dead butterfly.

Inside the hall, only the draft of wind howled mournfully among the ruins, carrying with it the stench of black and red blood.

The spirit witch stretched out her hand.

Her blood-stained fingertips probed precisely into the three pools of viscous, bloody swamp, crushed and utterly mixed together by the boulders.

She brushed aside the bone fragments stuck to the fascia, ignoring the horrifying paste-like substance, and slowly and precisely removed three items from it.

A piece of jawbone wrapped in tough, dark yellow fascia—the jawbone was tightly closed, its color as pale as ancient jade, with remnants of torn muscle along the edges.

A kidney—surprisingly, it wasn't crushed or deformed, and it had an eerie deep purple color, with a faint, viscous black light floating in the dim light.

A foot. The skin texture is clear, just like a living person's, the knuckles are intact, and the cut is smooth, as if it had been cut open by an extremely sharp blade.

The three human remains were completely out of place in the filthy swamp from which they originated.

The terrifying pressure from the collapse of the main hall's dome was enough to crush the fine iron, yet it failed to damage them in the slightest.

They lay quietly in the witch's hands, exuding a strange chill and ominous aura.

Liang Jin's gaze suddenly sharpened like an ice needle.

That's the feeling; they are the uncorrupted corpses of the Ruins!
It wasn't just that one spot on Bei Yi's body!
This witch spirit had already been secretly searching for such "evil objects"!
But clearly, when he tried to seize Bei's jaw earlier, the corpse was able to jump up and run away on its own.

Why is Bei Yi's body here for so long, even crushed into a pulp by a boulder, yet showing no reaction?

This mystery can probably only be solved by a sorcerer.

He had previously made a ruthless move, revealing his trump card to confront the witch spirit and leave it behind. He did not hesitate to tear apart his disguise and unleash the power of the Hundred Evils Body. His only goal was to peel away the layers of mist on this "Uncorrupted Corpse of the Ruins".

Why would this evil creature, originating from the depths of the ancient ruins of the East Sea, tempt the sorcerers of the Southern Wilderness to travel thousands of miles to lure someone into a life worse than death?
Why could Bei Yi's corpse escape and hide like a living thing, but now he lies motionless in this death palace turned to dust?

The mystery was only in that instant!
The answer lies in the mouth of this heavily injured and panting witch!
Wu Ling weighed the three cold, slippery pieces of flesh in her hand, a blood-stained, cold smile spreading across her lips:

"You chased me for thousands of miles, tearing off all pretenses to force me here. Was it all for these?"

She pushed the three items forward, handing them directly to Liang Jin:
"Great and wise teacher, is this what you have truly been seeking?!"

Without hesitation, Liang Jin calmly reached out and accepted it.
"good."

The three fragments were slippery and cold to the touch, and the ominous feeling they evoked made one feel very uncomfortable.

He gathered the three items together, completely unconcerned that the viscous, black, foul blood slid down his wrist, his gaze piercing the witch spirit like a nail:
"I thought that the Uncorrupted Corpse of Guixu was extremely rare and hard to come by. I never expected that the Imperial Preceptor would obtain three of them so easily."

Wu Ling frowned slightly, her voice carrying a hint of doubt and a touch of scornful mockery:

"Return to the Void... an uncorrupted corpse?"

"Is this the respectable name that you Great Qian people gave it?"

Liang Jin asked in return:

"Could it be that this thing has another name in Nanzhou?"

The witch spirit vigorously wiped the blood and slime from the tattered fragments of her robe.

She looked up, her gaze piercing through the pervasive dust and blood, locking onto Liang Jin's eyes:
"In the ancient texts of my sacred mountain lineage, they are called—the remnants of a divine sorcerer!"

The shaman... a mutilated body?
Liang Jin was shocked; it was the first time he had ever heard of the name "Uncorrupted Corpse of Guixu".

As for which term is more accurate, Liang Jin prefers "Witch Spirit".

After all, the term "undying corpse in the Ruins" originated from fishermen and pirates along the southeastern coast.

The ancient corpse was expelled by the Guixu (Return to the Void), and it did not decay or rot, hence the nickname "the Uncorrupted Corpse of Guixu".

This name was created less than a hundred years ago.

However, the term "divine shaman's remains" is probably used by generations of sorcerers in the Southern Continent, and its origins likely date back even further.

"The myths in the world are all different systems, and they are varied, complicated and confusing."

"But most of them are just frivolous inventions created by later generations to embellish themselves and control the people!"

The witch spoke slowly, but each word was clear, accompanied by a hissing sound of blood and foam smearing between her teeth:
"As far as I know, the founding emperor of the former Great Yu Dynasty in the Central Plains came from humble origins. In order to elevate his bloodline and status, conceal his lowly lineage, and secure his blood-stained throne, he ordered his court writers to fabricate a whole set of divine lineages and create the mythological system of the 'Emperor of the Nine Heavens'."

"He also ordered the construction of shrines and the burning of incense throughout the country, so that all people would worship and kowtow, falsely claiming that he was a descendant of the Emperor of the Nine Heavens, and using divine power to consolidate his imperial power."

"How hypocritical, how ridiculous! Similar acts are countless."

Liang Jin remained silent.

Based on his knowledge of the history of this world, the claim of the bloodline of the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Emperor" of the Great Yu Dynasty is indeed untenable.

The deity Jiutian Xuandi only appears in the official mythology of the Yu Dynasty and its successor dynasties, like a castle in the air.

Throughout history, there have been countless examples of people creating and altering myths.

Throughout history, not all myths originated in ancient times; most myths and deities were created by people in various dynasties.

Sometimes, a popular mythological novel even leads people to regard it as orthodox.

This led to a chaotic mythological system in later generations, making it extremely difficult to trace its origins.

Liang Jin recalled that there was once a great Confucian scholar in this world who devoted his life to studying and consulting ancient books, spending a lot of money to purchase artifacts from ancient tombs, and finally wrote books in the hope of revealing the true face of the origin of mythology.

However, because its views were too subversive and differed greatly from what the world knew, it was denounced as heresy and spreading fallacies.

This ultimately aroused public outrage, and fanatical believers burned his home, resulting in the great scholar being burned alive.

To quell public anger, the imperial court listed his works as banned books and strictly prohibited their circulation.

A century later, that book has disappeared from the world, and later scholars dare not lightly trace the origin of the myth.

The truth has long been burned to ashes in the flames of power and the clamor of the ignorant masses!

Myths have long been used as political tools, allowing those in power to distort them at will.

To cover up the truth, the imperial power burned books and buried scholars alive, and the Spring and Autumn Annals style concealed countless things.

"Mythology has long been reduced to a mere plaything of secular regimes!"

The witch sneered repeatedly, coughing up blood as she aggravated her wounds:
"But, my Ling Mountain is different!"

Her thin, bony fingers pointed forcefully at the faint outline of the southern mountain ranges, carrying a pride that came from her very blood:

"The various tribes of the Southern Continent each govern themselves independently, and have rarely been unified since ancient times. Although they are not as wealthy as the Central Plains, they have their own unique characteristics in the inheritance of myths."

"Our Lingshan Shamanic lineage has passed down secret records from generation to generation, and further supplemented by unique secret methods to seal away ancient secrets. Our understanding of the ancient past has never been tampered with or defiled!"

Liang Jin nodded slightly.

Having traveled with Wu Ling, Feng Wu, and Sui Yan these past few days, he has gained a deeper understanding of Nanzhou.

Among the various ethnic groups in the southern region, many tribes were indeed backward and uncivilized, lacking even a written language. Their myths, passed down orally, were inevitably distorted and therefore not very credible.

However, there is a special group in Nanzhou—the Lingshan shamans.

As a sacred place of witchcraft in the Southern Continent, Lingshan's shamans are not limited to any particular ethnic group; anyone with a talent for witchcraft can enroll, reflecting a spirit of education for all.

This makes Lingshan resemble both a sect and a religion.

Those who complete their studies can return to their tribe with their sorcery and become tribal shamans or priests.

Of course, not all wizards come from Lingshan; many are passed down through generations within their tribes.

But this precisely illustrates the special status of Lingshan in Nanzhou.

In particular, Lingshan does not get involved in worldly affairs, and it does not concern itself with wars or power struggles.

Moreover, Lingshan never expands outwards, remaining secluded in a corner of Nanzhou.

However, Lingshan is powerful and has a far-reaching influence throughout the Southern Continent. Moreover, due to its special geographical location, it is free from interference from external forces.

This has allowed the Lingshan tradition to continue unbroken for thousands of years.

More importantly, Lingshan has written records dating back to ancient times, making its understanding of ancient times highly credible.

This pure "seclusion" made it an isolated island that preserved ancient secrets.

"If the Great Teacher is interested, why not listen to the account in my Lingshan Secret Teachings of that era before the creation of heaven and earth, before the 'human' era?"

Wu Ling abruptly changed the subject, her deep gaze carrying both allure and scrutiny.

Liang Jin knew this was the beginning of the core secret, and gladly said:
"It's what you wish for."

The shaman's voice became low and hoarse, as if reciting the most ancient prayers:

"The Secret Records of Mount Ling contain..."

"Before the 'human' race first appeared on this vast land, like ants, ignorant dust."

"Those that rise above all things and control the laws of heaven and earth are those savage behemoths!"

"They could stir up the stars and tides with their every move, and breathe out thunder, fire and clouds. Their intelligence far surpassed that of humans at that time!"

A sense of awe and bewilderment flickered in her eyes:

"Humanity lived in that barbaric era where mighty forces reigned supreme, as insignificant as dust! Life and death were decided in the whim of giant beasts! They lived a precarious existence, subsisting on raw meat and blood!"

"At that time, the human race had no other choice but to venerate those giant beasts with supreme power as... gods! They worshipped them and offered sacrifices!"
"And my ancestors of Mount Ling—the forefathers of ancient shamans! They were among the few 'voices' of the human race who could communicate with the gods!"

"Our ancestors, amidst endless fear and sacrifice, glimpsed a trace of the mysteries of divine power. Furthermore, they comprehended the fundamental energy that governs the human body, which later generations called internal force, thus creating the prototype of martial arts!"

Her words carried an ancient pride:

However... the world collapsed!

The witch's voice suddenly rose, tinged with a hint of fear:
"An incomprehensible upheaval, shaking the very foundations of the universe, has descended! The gods who once reigned supreme over the skies, the seas, and the earth, and were nearly immortal, have withered and perished like candles in the wind during this cataclysmic event!"

"On the contrary, those insignificant 'humans' who were once regarded as ants by the gods, because of their 'insignificance' and their 'tenacity,' survived this calamity of the gods' fall like weeds!"

"The era of savage behemoths ruling the world, where humans and gods coexisted, came to an end! Humanity stood atop the stage of dust on a land strewn with corpses!" "Afterwards, humanity flourished and replaced the gods as the masters of the world."

The spirit of the witch paused, and only the wind and the faint cries of night owls in the distance remained in the ruins.

She gasped for breath, wiping away the blood that had just seeped from the corner of her mouth, her gaze fixed on Liang Jin's every expression like that of a vulture:
"Does the Great Teacher believe that what I have said... is a ridiculous myth, or ancient history covered by dust for millions of years?!"

In the wild and uncivilized lands of the South, such a claim was considered a subversion of tradition, so shamans rarely spread it outside.

In the prosperous land of Daqian, it was even more unacceptable.

Wu Ling was eager to see how this leader of the Way of Peace would react.

Faced with these astonishing remarks that completely overturned the orthodox history and mythology of the Great Qian Dynasty, Liang Jin remained silent for several breaths.

His expression flickered with a tremendous fluctuation in an extremely brief instant, then transformed into a profound, almost indifferent insight.

"I see."

His voice remained steady, but with a hint of solemnity:
"If what the Imperial Preceptor said is true, it has untied many knots that have been binding my heart."

How could Liang Jin not accept such a thing?
Memories of the origins of past civilizations bear witness to the humble rise of living beings and the inevitable fall of giants.

This seemingly absurd "human substitution for God" carries in his eyes a cruel and cold inevitable logic.

In his previous life, in the ancient world before the birth of humankind, there were also giant beasts roaming freely.

As the Earth's environment underwent dramatic changes, the oxygen content in the atmosphere plummeted, causing giant beasts to become extinct due to their inability to adapt.

Even in the early days of humankind, they were small and struggling to survive, facing threats from numerous remaining giant beasts in the world.

Later, a species of human called Homo sapiens defeated more than ten other species and emerged as the dominant species, becoming the only remaining human in the world.

It can be said that, apart from extraordinary powers like martial arts, the two lifetimes are quite similar in other aspects.

Therefore, it was not difficult for Liang Jin to accept it.

The twisted, cracked mouth on the witch's bark mask froze.

She couldn't believe it!
The leader of the Taiping Dao, who oversees its vast empire and is revered as a deity by countless believers, is the incarnation of Zhonghuang Taiyi on earth. How could he so calmly accept this heretical and unorthodox doctrine?!

"Whee!"

She gave two dry laughs, full of sarcasm and probing:
"Truly...unexpected! The revered Great Teacher of the Way of Peace, with millions of followers, doesn't believe in that damned Huang Taiyi at heart?"

"If this gets out today, your painstakingly built altar... will probably crumble into sand and gravel!"

She wanted to tear off the other person's mask of pretense.

Liang Jin gave him a silent glance, his gaze piercing through the mask, as if seeing through the emptiness beneath the witch spirit's shock and anger.

Mythology? Religion?
In his eyes, it was nothing more than a "tool" to control people's hearts and gather strength.

Using the name "Taipingdao" as a pretext, they actually vie for supremacy; fabricating "Zhonghuang Taiyi" to cultivate a spirit of unity among the people.

The original intention was nothing more than a tiger skin for Liang Jin to struggle for survival in this chaotic world!
Tiger skin has now become a cloak, but tools... are ultimately just tools.

He ignored the sarcasm and simply picked up the three cold, heavy pieces of the "shaman's remains" from his hands:
"The Imperial Advisor called this object 'the remains of a divine sorcerer,' there must be a reason for that?"

The key is never faith, but power!

The secret behind these three pieces of wreckage is his real goal for this trip!
A barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in Wu Ling's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a fervent desire to discuss power.

"The title 'Divine Shaman' represents the supreme pinnacle of the shamanic path within our Lingshan lineage! It signifies the strongest and wisest among shamans!"

She pointed to the pale jawbone:

"He has glimpsed the secrets of the gods and grasped the foundation of creation! His body has been reborn, becoming incorruptible and immortal!"

"Of course, the term 'shaman' is prevalent in the Ling Mountain of the Southern Continent."

"As far as I know, there are different names for sorcerers in the world. For example, ancient books of the Great Qian prefer to call them 'fangshi' and witchcraft 'fangshu'. Other countries also have different names due to cultural differences in later generations."

Liang Jin listened quietly, but his mind was in turmoil.

I wonder if those so-called sorcerers and magicians have already reached the first rank of martial arts.
Or... has it already surpassed the first rank?!

The shaman's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity and a trace of ancient awe and reverence:

"At that time, gods walked the earth, summoning wind and rain, and creating and destroying stars and rivers! The shamans were subordinate to them, like eagles soaring in the blue sky!"

"However, after the cataclysmic changes in the world, all the gods perished..."

She paused, a resolute glint in her eyes:
"The only mission of the powerful sorcerers who remain in the world is to use all that they know and can..."

She clenched her fist suddenly, her knuckles making a soft cracking sound.

"Those remnants of the gods who lie dormant in the desolate realms of heaven and earth, awaiting an opportunity to revive... shall be sealed away for eternity! Isolated from the era of 'humanity'!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jin blurted out:

"God...can be reborn!?"

His heart was suddenly filled with turbulent waves!
These disruptive words are even more impactful than before!
Could it be that the gods are like animals hibernating to escape the harsh winter, only to awaken when the warm spring arrives?
“Throughout history, wise men of Lingshan have all deeply believed this.”

The voice of the witch spirit was like the grinding of cold iron:
"How could such a life form, which shakes the universe, be so easily wiped out?"

"They merely lie dormant in the endless abyss, beyond the reach of mortals, waiting in the gaps of time, awaiting the next upheaval of the world..."

She stared directly into the deep, dark eyes behind Liang Jin's mask, uttering each word slowly and deliberately:
"Like hibernating insects awaiting the thunder of awakening!"

This heavy possibility weighed heavily on my heart.

Before Liang Jin's eyes, a vast, cold, dormant shadow seemed to appear, covered by the dust of history.

Once they awaken... can the human era continue?
Can humans and gods coexist peacefully?

That's obviously unlikely.

The most likely scenario remains that the law of the jungle will prevail, and a massive catastrophe will erupt in the struggle for dominance over the world.

The witch spirit caught the momentary pause in Liang Jin's aura beneath his mask, and sneered, with a cruel indifference:
"What is there to worry about? Great and wise teacher, let alone whether we, mere dust, can even make a ripple in the face of such a being..."

She pointed to her blood-stained chest:
"Even if it's all true, it would probably be tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years from now!"

"By then, our bones would have turned into the red soil of the southern frontier! Such a grand scheme..."

Her face once again revealed that usual sharp, sarcastic expression:
"Heroes or cowards of later generations will have their moment of tragedy and their cries!"

"At this moment, just being able to struggle out a bloody path to survive in this filthy mud has exhausted all the strength of an ant!"

Words are like cold iron filings falling to the dust.

What Wu Ling said wasn't entirely without merit.

In his previous life, when Liang Jin was young and ignorant, he worried about what would happen to humanity after the solar system was destroyed billions of years later.

It wasn't until adulthood that I realized these worries were too far removed from my own life. Being able to live my own life well and take care of my family was already difficult enough.

It is not difficult to deduce that human rule has lasted for at least ten thousand years in this world.

If we wait for a cataclysmic change in the world and the resurgence of the gods, it might be another ten thousand years.

Liang Jin himself won't live to see that time, so worrying about these issues now is really premature.

But the heavy weight of the possibility of a distant future collapsing still cast a huge, indescribable shadow over Liang Jin's heart.

Just like the instinctive tremor called 'fear' that suddenly arose from the deep loneliness of the universe when watching deep space images at midnight in a previous life!

The voice of the witch spirit pulled his thoughts back to the bloody remains before him:
"With the dramatic changes in the world and the disappearance of gods, it has become a thousand times more difficult for shamans to become divine shamans again, and it has even become a delusion."

"And the only remaining shaman in the world, in order to prevent the gods from returning, also sought out the place where the gods were hiding, and tried to suppress the gods with all his wisdom and power."

"As time went by, there were no more sorcerers in the world."

"However, when there are unusual events in the world, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and sinkholes, the remains of shamans are occasionally found by people."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jin roughly understood.

He could understand this situation.

Isn't this just like those ancient fossils from a previous life?
These ancient fossils are buried underground, mostly in strata inaccessible to humans, but some will eventually be discovered by the world.

However, the remains of these sorcerers are even more remarkable; they don't even decompose. Furthermore, their numbers are much smaller, which is why so few have been discovered by the world.

The corpse that doesn't decay in the Ruins was only expelled by the Ruins when they were disturbed.

Liang Jin immediately looked at the three fragments in his hand. It turned out that these things were even rarer than he had imagined.

The witch's voice pulled his thoughts back from the bloody remains before his eyes:
"The shaman has already cultivated a 'spirit,' which is the 'primordial spirit' in some of your Great Qian myths."

"Though the sorcerer is dead, his body does not decay, and his spirit does not perish."

"However, it can only be called a 'spirit' while the shaman is alive. After the shaman dies, the spirit will change and will be called a 'Void Ghost'."

Even though the body is reduced to mud, the lingering spirit of the 'Void Ghost' that was distorted and deformed by death still lies dormant!

"Among the witchcraft traditions of my Lingshan, there is the art of summoning spirits."

Boom!

The witch's words were like a thunderbolt tearing through the gloom, striking deep into Liang Jin's consciousness!
A blurry figure... a ghostly ghost... a primordial spirit!

He instantly recalled the eerie phantom that flashed behind the uncorrupted corpse in the Ruins of Return and controlled its actions!
That is absolutely not an illusion!
So it turns out... it was a distorted and deformed form of the primordial spirit—the "Void Ghost"!
This world truly has a primordial spirit!
This means that the strongest move in his "Sacred Heart Technique" that uses the primordial spirit as a weapon is the God-Slaying Calamity.

It's finally no longer just empty talk!

It is indeed possible to cultivate successfully!

Liang Jin's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the shaman's remains, and a blazing light suddenly ignited in his eyes!
(End of this chapter)