Hunting God Era

Chapter 198 Unable to Ascend, Beyond the Stars

The old man was dressed in a dark Zhongshan suit. He had a thin face, but his eyes were exceptionally bright and wise. He walked with a calm demeanor and wore a warm smile.

This is also someone who frequently appears on television; he is the third-ranked leader among the nine central elders.

Behind him followed two silent security personnel and a secretary holding a notepad. Li Ye only needed to glance at them to keenly sense the presence of the two security personnel.
They were all genuine fourth-realm martial artists, and very strong at that; they seemed comparable to the locust mother he had captured.
As the old man spoke, he walked straight to the left side of the main seat under the mural and sat down, pointing to the same-level seat on the right.

Li Ye understood immediately and sat down as instructed, his posture exceptionally upright yet not at all reserved.

Soon, two waiters dressed in traditional attire entered silently and served tea with fluid movements, the aroma of tea instantly filling the hall.

After the waiter left, the hall returned to its previous tranquility, with only wisps of tea smoke and the grand mural above.

The Third Elder picked up his teacup, gently blew on it to cool it down, and looked at Li Ye with a gentle gaze. "Li Ye, how have you been feeling during your time at the Disinfection Bureau? Is this job to your liking?"

His voice was calm, carrying a reassuring power.

Li Ye straightened his expression and said, "This is the kind of work I want to do: going deep into the front lines, confronting demons head-on, and clarifying the chaos. This experience has been of great benefit to my martial arts training."

The Third Elder nodded slightly, his eyes revealing approval, and said with a smile, "Normally, at your age, it might be too early for you to be exposed to certain things. But geniuses always have their own opportunities and responsibilities. The country will do its best to provide the soil and vision that a talent like you needs to grow."

"Martial arts, when you cultivate it, is not only about tempering your body and improving your realm, but also about cultivating your mind, clarifying your will, and understanding the world. The broader your mind, the wider your path in the future."

As Li Ye listened to the Third Elder's speech, his gaze lingered on the Third Elder for a moment. He keenly noticed that this high-ranking elder's martial arts realm was only at the Dragon Gate Realm, and the fluctuation of his blood and qi was not high, only at the level of three or four leaps.

The Third Elder seemed to have noticed Li Ye's subtle probing gaze. He put down his teacup, his smile remaining calm, and took the initiative to speak:
"What, are you surprised that this old man's cultivation level isn't high? Did you think that people in the central government must have a high cultivation level?"

Before Li Ye could answer, he said frankly, "The level of martial arts is not the only measure of a person's value. We don't follow that system in China."

"It doesn't matter if my martial arts level is low. What's important for my position is whether I understand martial arts and can consider the overall picture. Although I haven't made many achievements, I have done my duty."

Li Ye dared not speak, and could only smile politely.

"I've reviewed the materials submitted by the Security Bureau. You are born divine, your essence lies in 'slaying demons'."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Li Ye, as if trying to see through the surface to the core of the matter. "Specifically?"

"It's not about killing demons."

Li Ye met the Third Elder's gaze without flinching and answered clearly and firmly: "To be precise, it was god-slaying."

These words caused those around them to stiffen slightly, their expressions changing.

Li Ye paused briefly before saying, "Find the demons that are comparable to gods, kill them, and I will gain power, immense power."

"Whether it was destroying the Six Ghost Gates, entering the Primordial Realm during the assessment, or killing Tian Zhihe and another fourth realm cultivator, it was all thanks to this power."

He didn't hide anything and continued, "If possible, I hope I can accurately find those demons that are comparable to gods, especially those in the ancient texts."

As he spoke, he recounted how he first defeated the Five Plague Demons, known as the God of Plague, as well as the Yaksha afterward, and the mutated demon of the Divine Iron he dealt with during the assessment.

It's not that I want to reveal everything, it's just that these demons are typical examples.

One is a god from folk tales, another is a god from classical texts, and yet another comes from a mythological story, which may also be a god.

Only by explaining these points can people make informed decisions and choose the most suitable target.

In such a vast country as China, it would be better to mobilize the entire nation's resources to search rather than relying on Li Ye alone.

The Third Elder listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth rosewood armrest, producing an almost inaudible tapping sound.

The initial surprise that flashed in those eyes, which had witnessed countless vicissitudes of life, when they first heard the words "godslayer," had long since subsided, replaced by a profound contemplation and understanding.

After a long silence, the Third Elder slowly nodded, a gentle smile returning to his face: "I understand. In essence, they are still harmful demons, not much different from the work of the Extermination Bureau. If you can rely on the God of Slaughter to strengthen yourself, there is no reason for Shenzhou not to fully support your growth."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and his tone became more solemn. His gaze also fell on the towering painting of Nuwa mending the sky in the center of the hall.

Do you know about the Yuan Dynasty?

Upon hearing this, the secretary and two security guards automatically withdrew.

Li Ye was also taken aback. If it were anyone else, it would be nonsense, but when a high-ranking official from the central leadership speaks, it must have a deeper meaning.

"The Primordial Demon Realm, the origin of demons and monsters, a place where rules are distorted, but the essence of the Primordial Realm is far more profound than you currently know."

Before Li Ye could answer, the Third Elder said, "First of all, we have to say a conclusion that has been repeatedly verified but is not easy to tell the outside world: Earth, this solar system, and even the wider star field are enveloped by a layer of incomprehensible, almost absolute 'vacuum'."

"This vacuum is not emptiness in the physical sense, but a desert, a black curtain that isolates everything." Li Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he listened quietly.

"When a martial artist cultivates to the fourth realm of Divine Illumination, they are called 'Loose Immortal' or 'Earth Immortal' in ancient times. They have the ability to ascend to immortality, but this is not true ascension. They can still remain in the mortal world."

The Third Elder's gaze swept over the images of Yi the Archer and Emperor Yu on the mural. "True ascension is the Fifth Realm. Only by reaching this realm can a martial artist truly break free from the gravitational pull of the stars, shatter the void, and step into the legendary 'Upper Realm' or 'Immortal Realm'."

His tone carried a hint of heaviness and helplessness: "In ancient times, especially in the prehistoric and medieval periods, those extraordinary sages and great powers who reached the fifth realm used the 'Primordial Era' that they created or controlled as coordinates and springboards to successfully escape Earth and enter the depths of a more vast star field, pursuing a wider world and a higher Dao."

"This is ascension, but it stopped after the Zhou Dynasty. Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, no one has been able to truly ascend until the First Emperor forcibly shattered the void and then died, which further confirmed this point."

"Since the First Emperor, no one has ever tried to forcibly shatter the void and reach the fifth realm. They can only eke out a living in the Primordial World, unable to go up or down."

"But the martial arts tradition continues. Although we cannot ascend, we have not given up our research. However, the more we research, the more desperate we become. That is, we lack the means to ascend, and Earth feels like a giant cage."

"Modern detectors, ancient astronomical calculations, and even the divine sense perception of powerful martial artists can only determine one thing."

"Beyond Earth, the vast starry sky, accessible by technology and touched by divine sense, is actually a suffocating curtain of darkness. There are no legendary celestial palaces, no dazzling constellations adorned with stars, no legendary Thirty-Three Heavens. There is only nothingness, and those lifeless, lifeless stars."

The Third Elder slammed his fingertips on the armrest, making a dull thud, and sighed, "This is inconsistent with all the ancient texts. In ancient times, when the sages successfully ascended to heaven, there was even a 'celestial realm to guide them,' but now there is nothing like that."

"Until modern times, we humans finally have a general understanding."

The Third Elder said solemnly, "Earth, or this star field, is very likely a dead land or an abandoned place. Those ancient martial artists left, but they didn't take us with them. Here, when a person reaches the sixth realm, that is the limit. Among the nine realms of martial artists, we lack everything required for the later three realms."

"Whether it's a nation or a sect, they can't go any further. But later, we discovered a deeper secret of the Primordial Era. It's a kind of coordinate, a fragment of some existence outside this dead land. If we can connect it, we can cross the darkness and reach the true place of cultivation."

"But the problem is, is the so-called Primordial Realm the divine treasures and iron that you experienced, or the dark and treacherous realms of the Six Ghost Gates? They are all mutated demons. If you connect other Primordial Realms according to the rules of demons, then the Primordial Realm that takes the lead will swallow up the rules of other Primordial Realms."

"Once we succeed, we won't know where we've connected to. This isn't a good thing for ordinary people."

"To give an example, the Hidden Ghost Realm, is that the name? If we follow the same principle as the Six Ghost Gates' Primordial Beginnings and connect all the Primordial Beginnings to the Hidden Ghost Realm, then it might eventually form a Ghost King's Domain. Perhaps we can ascend, but the place we arrive at might be the territory of some man-eating Ghost King in Hell."

"This is unacceptable to us. What if some extraterrestrial demon we can't fight enters China and eats people, or will we become demons ourselves, becoming subordinates of some extraterrestrial demon?"

"That's not good either. Our current goal in China is for the benefit of ordinary people, so let's just wipe out Yuan Chu. At worst, we won't ascend to immortality."

“But the aristocratic families and sects don’t think that way. They want to ascend to immortality, but the outcome is unpredictable. This is the point of contention between us.”

Upon hearing this, Li Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, we will actively eliminate Yuan Chu, but the aristocratic families and sects will leave Yuan Chu here. We want to stay here, but the aristocratic families and sects will disregard ordinary people and want to ascend?"

The Third Elder shook his head. "Yes and no. Ordinary people are one thing, but secondly, if a large number of Primordial Beings are eliminated, and those scattered rules are left within the Divine Continent, where they are absorbed by the local population, they will flow from the Primordial Beings to the Demon Realm, from the Demon Realm to training points, and from training points to ordinary famous mountains and rivers."

"It is very possible that our Divine Continent will become a new Primordial Era, a unified Primordial Era, and perhaps we can ascend through this Primordial Era. We cannot abandon ordinary people. We are ordinary people who were transformed. We cannot forget that we are human just because we have become a martial artist."

He sighed again, "But this is a last resort. If possible, we would like to maintain the status quo. Balance is the most important thing. We are not ready to face the stars."

Li Ye looked over. Did he mean that he didn't intend to wipe them all out, but rather to maintain a balance?

However, the official policy should have been to quickly annihilate the Yuan dynasty.

The Third Elder continued, "It's not a local sect, nor is it a family from anywhere. In this mortal realm, we keep a tight rein on the families and sects, but that only applies to the Divine Continent. It's not like that outside."

“The nations led by the Star Ring Federation have completely degenerated. We overestimated their bottom line; they truly don’t care about ordinary people.”

“We are suppressing them, while they are releasing them on their own initiative. It’s like raising Gu poison. The great martial artists not only let the Primordial Chaos grow, but they even actively create it. They raise the demons to grow strong and turn them into Pan Yao, forming the Primordial Chaos. Then, they connect more Primordial Chaos together. If this continues, in about two hundred years, they might be able to ascend.”

"That's the problem. The essence of Yuan Chu is still demons. According to their ideas, once the connection is successful, the outcome will be unpredictable and the consequences will be unbearable. For the hundreds of millions of ordinary people living on this land, it may be a catastrophe!"

“They are not unaware; they know. They claim this is Project Ark, where only a small number of people can board the ship, while the vast majority will be wiped out.”

"That's why we're speeding up our efforts to eliminate the Yuan Chu clan. It's also because of this that your Extermination Bureau has resurfaced and loosened restrictions. We're preparing to continue cultivating talent and confront the aristocratic families and sects within a century."

The Third Elder looked at Li Ye with a smile, "Your arrival is just the beginning."

"If we are truly going to ascend, then our hope is that we will take the entire nation with us, leaving no one behind, and ascend together!"

"Therefore, whatever resources you need, whatever your requirements, we will use the full strength of the nation to meet them!"

"We hope you can serve as a vanguard, cultivate diligently, and make significant contributions. The people below assess you as a genius that appears only once every five hundred years, and I believe it's more than that. There has never been a case of a sect being destroyed at the third realm."

The Third Elder stood up and extended his hand to Li Ye. "I've come to see you today, and you've been very frank, which is a good thing. So, this old man is making a statement: I'm betting on you."

"We will provide you with the four top-tier Five Elements techniques, and we have also compiled the cultivation experiences of martial artists who have reached the fourth realm over the years. As for the 'god' you desire, we will do our best to find it. As long as you can connect the Divine Continent to its primordial state within a hundred years, and then lead them safely and orderly into the true starry sky!"

(End of this chapter)