Exploding God

Chapter 1116 The Cruel Truth (Thanks to "Jifeng Budong Moru Shan" for the second patronage reward!)

Tears well up in my eyes. Old Mo is so domineering! I've decided, I'll continue playing in the martial arts world. (Cute.jpg)

……

……

A tall tower!?

For some reason, the hearts of Tantai Dongshu and the other two trembled inexplicably when they heard this word.

Aside from the fact that this term had never been used within the family, there was also the expression on the face of the Ten Jia ancestors when they finished speaking.

His aged, cloudy eyes revealed a hint of fear, and his wrinkled skin trembled slightly... In that instant, every subtle expression conveyed the extraordinary nature of this word.

It is likely that in the memories of the ancestors of the Ten Jia, this "tower" occupies a very special place!

The old man glanced at the expressions of the three people, but didn't say anything. The long years he had lived had made him indifferent to such trivial matters.

Or perhaps, the "attention" one shows to the younger generation is intentional.

As for why it was intentional?

That tall tower... it must be really scary.

All these feelings eventually coalesced into his current complex mindset, but he has an obligation to pass on this "fear," because it is the soul of Kirihara Riku.

And so, under the anxious gazes of the three young men, the old man once again fell into his long memories.

"It was a tall, slender tower that hung in the sky, like the sun, like the moon... illuminating the path of cultivation for countless people."

"It has nine layers, or rather, we only see nine layers in the end."

"To the average person, the concentration of Qi in our Misty Plains is more than three times that of the surrounding area. However, compared to the area around that tower, the Qi I sensed upon first entering the Misty Plains was at most one-tenth of that!"

The concentration of star energy there is ten times that of now!

The Ten Ancestors dropped a bombshell, shocking the three young men, all of whom were outstanding in their cultivation, to the point that their tongues went numb and they almost couldn't contain their excitement and stood up.

"Isn't it exciting? We were also shocked at the time. With this kind of star source concentration, it means that the upper limit of cultivation will be raised again. The thrill of constantly surpassing the limit and breaking through the genetic shackles made countless martial artists cry tears of joy."

"This means they will have longer lifespans, and they will be able to explore the essence of life more deeply."

"Cultivators who were originally scattered throughout the Mist Plains began to gather in large numbers at the Sky Tower. In just one month, nearly a hundred ten-star cultivators were born in that gathering place."

"All practitioners firmly believe that we are about to usher in an era of flourishing martial arts!"

At this moment, there seemed to be light in the eyes of the Ten Jia Ancestors.

Tantai Dongshu and the other two also believed that it must have been an era in which the strong could move mountains and overturn seas, but as they thought about it, even greater doubts arose from the bottom of their hearts.

Why did Kirihara Rikuri not enter a more prosperous era?

"But that's not the case." The narrator, the Ten Jia Ancestor, continued his narration without interruption, and for the first time, a solemn tone appeared in his voice.

"More and more people gathered in one place, and the vast energy of cultivation soared into the sky. We found that the more cultivators there were, the closer the tower suspended in the sky was to us. And as the tower got closer to the ground, the surrounding energy became more concentrated. But that more concentrated energy was too violent... far beyond our expectations."

"A martial artist who had broken through to the 11th Star Realm exploded, and then more and more martial artists exploded and died."

"Those martial artists who seized the bottom position by virtue of their strength became the first to die."

"Even though they chose to retreat in time, they still couldn't escape their fate of going mad because they had inhaled too much of the violent energy beforehand."

"People must stay away from the center, but they don't want to go too far. Once they've experienced the thrill of rapid progress in their spiritual cultivation, no one can completely give it up."

Tantai Dongshu and the other two could understand this feeling very well. Power that was within easy reach was right in front of them. As long as they carefully absorbed it, the risk would be minimized. If it were them, they would not refuse such a temptation either.

"People have rebuilt the cultivation circle on the periphery. Although some people still go mad, the mortality rate has begun to decline. Isn't this a good trend?" Ancestor Shijia suddenly asked.

The three of them were taken aback for a moment, and then nodded in unison.

"But..." Zhao Feiyu wanted to ask one more question.

The old man gave a chilling smile.

"The tower was finally pulled down to the earth, and unprecedented fissures suddenly appeared, from which even more violent [qi] surged forth, endlessly!"

"A large number of martial artists were caught off guard and died from their bodies exploding! People quickly expanded the cultivation area again, but then they found that the cracks were spreading uncontrollably like mold on an orange peel. The sacred cultivation site was out of control and began to backfire on the surrounding area."

Upon hearing this, the three of them shuddered in unison.

Just imagining that scene is terrifying.

"Ancestor, how exactly was it resolved?" Gu Qixing finally couldn't help but ask.

"At that time, the most brilliant person among us was named Li Guanglie. He was the first person to advance to the tenth star level, and also the first person to consecutively reach the eleventh and twelfth star levels! He and seven others formed an advance team, heading inward against the current, passing through the rift zone, and approaching the tower. With great wisdom and skill, he pried open a crack in the entrance of that tower, and they rushed in..."

"And then!" Tantai Dongshu swallowed, feeling his throat incredibly dry, and his palms were already sweating.

"Only Li Guanglie returned, severely injured and on the verge of death." The old man picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.

what! ?

The three of them never expected this outcome, but the old man didn't give them time to think. Instead, he recounted everything that followed in one breath.

"Lord Guanglie returned only by sheer willpower... We learned that the tower is inhabited by creatures never seen before, any one of which could easily crush the entire advance team. There are planets as large as bamboo hats suspended in the sky there, a world that far surpasses Wuyuan Continent in terms of scale."

"His biggest regret was guiding the creatures there towards the Misty Plains. He warned us never to go in, never to open that gate to the gates of hell!"

"Lord Guanglie's last contribution before his death was to create a method to seal the tower with flesh and blood and the life force of living beings, and he himself became part of the seal."

"The situation was dire. A large number of crazed warriors were forcibly sacrificed, their blood staining the earth red. Their flesh and blood soaked the soil, and the purified energy rose and lingered for a long time, opposing the violent energy and forming a huge ring. Over time, this ring closed, eventually isolating and sealing the entire tower. This is the origin of the first generation of the forbidden area's seal."

"Initially, the survivors would capture mountain spirits and monsters for blood sacrifice, but as the giant beasts surged into the depths of the mountains and forests, the difficulty of capturing them increased, and simple animal sacrifices were no longer enough to maintain the seal. People had to turn to another path—"

"Externally, the Ascended have begun to replenish the population from the mortal world; they are the blood bank of the Mist Plains!"

"Internally, every year there are people who make mistakes and are forcibly sacrificed, or people who have reached a certain age sacrifice themselves."

"The forbidden land is both a seal that prevents the great terror from occurring and a burial ground for generations of people in the Mist Plains."

"An unwritten rule gradually formed among the major families: all the dead in the Mist Plains must be buried in the ancient land, and their own bodies rich in Qi must be used to mend the seal."

"What followed is the history you all know. The only unexpected thing was that the barriers of the Mist Plains grew thicker and thicker, the original passage closed, and it transformed into another world completely independent of the mortal realm!"

The old man put down his teacup, his expression utterly calm.

Tantai Dongshu's back was already covered in cold sweat.

So this is why all high-level martial artists in the Mist Plains are buried in the forbidden area before they die!

So this is the origin of the practice of sacrificing living beings!

It turns out that the real reason Tantai Zang was sent to Earth was to find a new blood bank!

Without the input of external blood banks, they can only rely on the blood-generating ability of the Mist Plains itself... However, the mountains and forests of the Mist Plains are dangerous, which is why in recent years, various families have been constantly organizing ancient land explorations under various pretexts.

It turns out that the truth of the world is even more cruel than imagined.

……

The ancestor of the Ten Jia clan stood up with his hands behind his back. His withered face swept over the three men, then he turned and walked to the other side of the hall, his voice slowly drifting back:

"Remember this: survival is the eternal pursuit of all people in this world. You enjoy more power, so you must shoulder more responsibility."

The three knelt down in unison, their foreheads pressed against the bluestone, and said in unison:

"I will follow the teachings of my ancestors."

The old man carefully pulled a yellow silk package from under the offering table and said without turning his head:

"No need for formalities, rise. Now it's time for this old codger to put his remaining energy to use. Watch and listen carefully during this divination."

Tantai Dongshu and the other two immediately stood up, held their breath, and stared intently at the Ten Jia Ancestor who had turned around.

The yellow silk had already been laid out, and in the old man's hands lay the object in its original form...

A gray tortoise shell about the size of a palm.

Today is Children's Day, June 1st! Happy Children's Day to all the big and little friends!

(End of this chapter)