High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

It couldn't say exactly how long ago it was; that memory had become blurred. In the Northern Sea at that time, day and night had long since lost their distinction.

The scene before my eyes shattered piece by piece, until only the empty sea remained.

The dragon's shadow had vanished, and the firelight in the sky had all been extinguished.

"And then?"

Shen Chang'an asked softly.

"Later, the demons were stopped, but only a very few phoenixes left Beiming alive, and the dragons were almost all wiped out. Those who remained were almost all seriously injured."

"They took their people's belongings and left this sea. I never saw them again after that. By the time news came from the outside, both the Dragon and Phoenix clans were gone."

The seawater in my consciousness returned to its light blue color.

When Shen Chang'an looked at the scenery before him again, his mood was completely different from before.

He recalled the empty palace of the royal court, the excitement of Qing Ge and the others when they saw Du Yue, and the almost tearful look on Cang Gu's face when he saw the Zhenhai Pillar light up again.

Nowadays, the demon race only knows that the dragon and phoenix have disappeared.

Those clans that once ruled the royal court, how they fought against the abyss in the Northern Sea, and how many of their people were buried here, have all been buried by time.

Shen Chang'an raised his head: "But why didn't the royal court record this?"

"The current clan leaders only know that Beiming needs to be guarded, but they know very little about what happened back then."

A hint of confusion appeared in Wuya's eyes.

"You didn't even know these things?"

It seemed to be learning about this for the first time as well, and after a moment of contemplation, it slowly shook its head.

"This is beyond my knowledge. I only know part of the Immortal Venerable's arrangements. When the Phoenix Clan left, I remained in the Northern Underworld."

It looked down at the sea, a deep shadow reflected in its dark golden eyes.

"The only task the Immortal Venerable entrusted to me is to guard this passage."

Shen Chang'an remained silent for a moment.

Wuya witnessed the battle firsthand, knew why the Abyss Gate had fallen into the Northern Underworld, and had seen which races came to fight. But it only knew a part of the arrangements behind all of this.

Some questions were answered, but new questions arose.

Shen Chang'an recalled what Ji Siye had said over Shanghai.

He once tried to shatter the stone slab, but failed to completely destroy it. In that battle, Ji Siye was killed, and due to his irreparable injuries, he was forced to reincarnate.

The turmoil in the abyss of boundless memory also occurred at that time.

What if these two things are related?

That battle shattered the stone slabs and triggered a dramatic change in the abyss. Ji Siye foresaw the consequences, which is why he directed the exit to the Northern Sea, allowing the waters of the Northern Sea and the demons guarding this place to protect the human world from the most dangerous invasion.

Shen Chang'an looked into the distance.

Those fleeting dragon shadows and firelight seem to linger between the sea and the sky.

This conjecture requires more evidence, but those dragons and phoenixes who come to fight must know what price they will have to pay.

The seawater flowed slowly, and the clouds and mist once again shrouded the distant coastline.

Shen Chang paused for a moment, then asked, "Senior, do you know Zhenyuan City?"

Wuya turned his head, and the dark gold in his eyes flickered slightly.

"I know, you've been there?"

"I've been there. I got lost in the abyss and stumbled into that city by chance."

"There are many seniors in the city. Senior Zhou Luotian is currently in charge of the city's affairs, and he also taught me the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Technique. Lingshan Daoist, Senior Du Qiongyu... they are all there."

Wuya listened to these names in silence for a long time.

A thin mist swept past its side, its body rising and falling gently with the seawater. Only after Shen Chang'an finished speaking did it confirm in a low voice.

"Are they all still alive?"

"Yes, I lived there for over a year and learned a lot from them. But then I left suddenly, and when I wanted to go back, I couldn't find the way back."

Wuya slowly closed his eyes.

The blurry figures of the Kunpeng in the distance also quieted down, leaving only the sound of the sea lapping against the shallows echoing in this realm of consciousness.

"It's good that it's still here."

Shen Chang'an said, "I want to try to get them out."

"The abyssal rifts outside are increasing. If something like what happened in Beiming were to happen elsewhere, it might not be possible to defend it. If the predecessors of Zhenyuan City could return, they would surely have more ways to deal with it."

At this point, he frowned.

"But now, it seems this world can no longer accommodate them."

"Once a cultivator reaches the eighth realm, it becomes very difficult to take another step forward. Those who entered the ninth realm in their early years can only rely on the formation to fall into a deep sleep. Once they truly awaken, they will be rejected by heaven and earth, and their life force will continuously dissipate."

Shen Chang'an recalled the three ancestors in Shanghai who were forced to awaken. When they walked out of the place of slumber, the spiritual torches on their chests seemed to have been rekindled, but the flames were already showing signs of weakening.

Besides age and injuries, there is also the entire world constantly wearing them down.

"I've never understood why."

Shen Chang'an paused, his gaze falling on Wuyai.

"The other nine realms are unable to roam the world, but you, senior..."

Wuya understood his doubts.

"You want to ask why I'm still here?"

Shen Chang'an nodded.

He had personally experienced the power of the Kunpeng. It was only by joining forces with Cang Gu and Du Yue, who was activating a supreme treasure, that they barely managed to block its attack. It was a power that no ordinary eighth-realm cultivator could possess.

Wuya looked down at the body that had solidified in his consciousness.

What you see before you is merely how I remember it.

As the seawater rippled beneath my feet, a scene unfolded.

That is the Kunpeng from the outside world.

A massive body floated above the Northern Sea, its back crisscrossed with wounds. As the scene deepened, Shen Chang'an discovered that the body, which appeared to still be able to move, was already filled with decaying tissue.

In some places, only empty cavities remain, barely held together by massive bones and remnants of tendons.

Deep within several old wounds, the blood was almost congealed.

The giant beast that had just stirred up the Northern Sea and swept away demons was now so rotten inside.

"My physical body has long since decayed, but I can still move because the remaining wisp of consciousness can still drive the parts that are still intact."

The scene in the sea gradually faded away.

It raised its eyes.

"I can no longer be considered a living Ninth Realm cultivator."

Shen Chang'an stared into those dark golden eyes, momentarily at a loss for words.

No wonder Wuya's power was so formidable, yet he always carried an inexplicable sense of decay. The foundation left by his physical body remained, but his soul and vitality were no longer sufficient to support a complete Ninth Realm life.

"So, the rejection you experienced from heaven and earth is different from that of the other nine realms?"

Wuya nodded slowly.

"We've only managed to stay here by sheer luck until now."