Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

What is she running for?

Shen Mingchao herself couldn't explain it; it was a strange feeling that had a huge attraction for her.

It was as if a voice was telling her, urging her on.

Go ahead.

Go quickly.

The answer you've always wanted is there.

This feeling is getting stronger and stronger.

She followed the invisible and intangible line, running at top speed towards the finish line. The wind tousled her hair and clothes, but she ran faster and faster. The confusion that had long trapped her was finally about to be broken.

at last.

The sound of the wind gradually faded away, and all the noise suddenly disappeared, her world slowly falling into silence.

You've arrived!

A vast and distant voice suddenly arose, indistinguishable in gender, seemingly near yet far, ethereal and elusive.

Even though the voice was completely unfamiliar, Shen Mingchao was caught off guard and felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of emotion.

The question "Who are you?" was on the tip of his tongue, but he instinctively uttered a soft, "Yes, I'm here."

I know why you came.

This is a somewhat heavy story from the past, spanning a long period of time; let me tell you about it slowly—

With this voice, the scene before Shen Mingchao's eyes changed wildly, like a dazzling scroll unfolding, and long-sealed memories also broke through the ground.

It all goes back to a very, very long time ago.

It was once referred to as the ancient period in modern legends.

At that time, the mountains and seas were vast, the primordial chaos had not yet dissipated, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant, giving birth to all kinds of ancient auspicious beasts, which lived and roamed freely on the primordial land.

The four celestial spirits guard the four corners of the universe: the Qilin rides on auspicious clouds, and the Phoenix perches on the parasol tree...

Everything was just as described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

But what goes up must come down.

Ancient mythical beasts multiplied and thrived, their populations growing stronger day by day. The most powerful of these beasts even gained the ability to rival the Heavenly Dao, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to be depleted year by year.

This aroused the apprehension of Heaven.

The Heavenly Dao, under the guise of self-preservation, pours down the waters of the Nine Heavens to cleanse the world of all beasts, claiming it is to replenish the spiritual energy that has been depleted.

The beasts would not sit idly by and wait for their doom. In this life-or-death situation, they burned their very essence and fought desperately.

However, the oppressive power of Heaven was irresistible.

Vast floods swept across mountains and rivers, and the ancient creatures that once roamed the mountains and seas finally ushered in the Dharma-ending Age.

Fortunately, their struggle did not come to naught.

They were defeated by the will of Heaven, but not by fate. Even in a hopeless situation, they fought desperately to leave behind a spark of hope for a turnaround.

This insatiable thirst for life gave birth to the first and only phoenix in the world at the moment the old world was completely destroyed.

This is an existence that gives the Heavenly Dao a real headache.

The phoenix possesses an immortal body; the laws of nature cannot kill it.

As a newly born deity, the Phoenix possessed weak spiritual power and was no match for the Heavenly Dao.

The two sides remained deadlocked for a long time.

Finally, the Way of Heaven ran out of energy.

If we can't remove this thorn, let's ignore it for now. Since we can't kill it, let's draw a circle around it and imprison it for all eternity.

The cage built in the name of imprisonment has another name in the modern world—the ultimate.

At this point, the phoenix ceased flapping its wings, the flames were extinguished, and it withdrew all its life force and light, sealing away the power of reincarnation and rebirth. In the deepest part of the cage, it fell into a long, unawakened slumber, quietly awaiting the distant future.

-

"How long did it sleep?"

Shen Mingchao looked at the large, sleeping birds in the picture.

Its eyes were tightly closed, its huge wings were folded to cover its body, and its colorful long tail spread out on the ground, with a golden and red luster flowing quietly in the dim environment.

[A very, very long time ago, so long that the world you live in today has no record of it, and it has been regarded as a mythical legend.]

Shen Mingchao felt a pang of sadness for no reason.

"Is it just going to keep sleeping like this?"

Of course not.

It has never forgotten the reason for its birth. Heaven and Earth were ruthless, forcefully unleashing divine punishment that wiped out its race. It not only seeks revenge against the heavens, but also searches for other ways for its race to survive.

"What do you mean?"

This means that as long as the Heavenly Dao can be destroyed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will disperse and then regroup, allowing the race to be reborn.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingchao frowned.

"To kill the Heavenly Dao single-handedly and then resolve a deadly situation that even the Heavenly Dao finds difficult—that sounds incredibly challenging."

Yes, it's difficult.

Knowing its own limitations, it willingly remained imprisoned, temporarily avoiding the brunt of Heaven's power, choosing to retreat as a strategic advance, contemplating and waiting for a glimmer of hope in the endless river of time.

Just as Shen Mingchao was about to ask what the turning point was, her pupils dilated in disbelief at what she was seeing.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the darkness, and countless rays of light shot out from it. Two figures that she knew all too well slowly emerged from the halo of light.

They were her aunt and uncle, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.