195: Disappeared for 20,000 years

The moment this idea arose, even he himself was startled. That was a Saint, the strongest beneath an Immortal, comparable to the Sect Master of the Tongxin Demon Sect and the Abbot of the Tianyi Fumo Temple.

Now that Immortals are not appearing, Saints are the absolute pinnacle of the cultivation world. How could such a figure be refined into a Secret Realm?

Xu Sanyan had heard that the Hundred Saints Secret Realm was created by an Immortal, working together with hundreds of Saints to refine it.

But that was Saints refining it, not refining with Saints.

A few words difference, but the meaning represented was a world apart.

The Old Gentleman's eyes flickered, as if recalling something that filled him with dread.

"Heavenly Pivot Dao Lord, Purple Sun Dao Lord, Azure Moon Fairy... they all died,"

"They all died..."

The Old Gentleman slumped, sitting on the ground with a vacant expression, staring blankly ahead, his pupils losing focus.

Xu Sanyan calmed the fluctuations in his heart. Although he hadn't heard the names the Old Gentleman mentioned, it wasn't hard to guess that they were likely Saints from the Yaotian Holy Sect back then.

"May I ask, Senior... is the Grand Elder an Immortal?"

Only an Immortal could possess such audacity, to refine hundreds of Saints into a Secret Realm at once.

The Old Gentleman did not answer, still immersed in his own memories. As his thoughts became clearer, he was able to recall more memories.

Xu Sanyan gazed at the Old Gentleman's figure, his eyes flickering.

Just then, the Old Gentleman seemed to accept the fact of his death, his face utterly devoid of life as he said, "What year is it now?"

Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment, "Thirty thousand years later."

"Thirty thousand years?" The Old Gentleman suddenly looked up, "Does the Yaotian Holy Sect still exist?"

"It does not."

"Indeed..."

The Old Gentleman seemed to have expected it, sighing, "After all, we still couldn't escape it..."

"Escape what?" Xu Sanyan detected a hidden meaning in his words.

"Heavenly Tribulation." The Old Gentleman softly uttered these two words.

Xu Sanyan frowned, "What does Senior mean?"

From some ancient books, it can be confirmed that the Yaotian Holy Sect dates back over thirty thousand years.

However, among the various Sects and aristocratic families in the Central Plains, the oldest is the Tianyi Fumo Temple, which was established only a mere seven thousand years ago!

Where did the missing twenty thousand years in between go?

Xu Sanyan had also wondered about this, searching through ancient books but finding not a single trace, as if those twenty thousand years had been erased from the river of time, leaving no trace.

Moreover, the furthest back the current cultivation world can trace its Sects is only the Yaotian Holy Sect; there are no records before that.

The cultivation world has experienced countless years, yet in the end, it seems there are only records spanning less than a hundred thousand years.

Now...

It seems he might hear a glimpse from the Old Gentleman's words.

The Old Gentleman asked in return, "Are there any Immortals in the world today?"

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I haven't heard of any."

Among the Cultivators he knew, the highest cultivation level should be the Sect Masters of the Five Great Sects, but all five are in the Sage Realm, and he has not heard of any Immortals existing.

"Alas..."

The Old Gentleman looked up, sighing wistfully, "Prosperity must decline; this is the Heavenly Dao. One can only blame the Yaotian Holy Sect for being too strong..."

Xu Sanyan also agreed with this. Just from the books, he could sense the power of the Yaotian Holy Sect, suppressing an era, seizing the creation of heaven and earth to nourish itself. How could it not be strong?

"Throughout all ages, no Sect stronger than the Yaotian Holy Sect can be found. There were dozens of Immortals, hundreds of Saints, and countless Dao Integrators. At that time, it was truly a golden age of cultivation."

The Old Gentleman spoke slowly, "But precisely because we were unrestrained and selfish, after tens of thousands of years of endless plundering, the Heavenly Dao, to protect itself, had no choice but to send down the Heavenly Tribulation."

"The cultivation world, which had endured countless years, was finally destroyed in an instant. We brought it upon ourselves..."

A hint of relief appeared in the Old Gentleman's eyes, then he burst into laughter, "Hahahahaha, how laughable that Grand Elder was, actually deceiving us with the pretense of creating a Secret Realm, to help him refine this Peach Garden Secret Realm, preparing to hide here to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation."

"Hahahahaha... how laughable, how could he avoid the Heavenly Tribulation?"

Xu Sanyan understood. So this Secret Realm was called the Peach Garden Secret Realm. Hundred Saints Secret Realm was merely a name given by later generations.

Its ultimate purpose was not to train the Sect's Disciples, but rather that so-called Grand Elder used it as an excuse to create a sanctuary for himself.

Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. For some unknown reason, that Grand Elder ultimately failed to hide inside and also disappeared into the river of history.

Xu Sanyan looked at the Old Gentleman's increasingly weak body and quickly asked, "Senior, are you alright?"

He suddenly didn't want this Old Gentleman to die now, hoping to get more information from him.

"Heh, I am merely a wisp of remnant soul attached to this body, long since exhausted after ten thousand years of attrition. You don't need to do anything; in a short while, I will die on my own."

The Old Gentleman's eyes swept over him, knowing Xu Sanyan's little thoughts, and pointed them out.

Xu Sanyan wasn't embarrassed. He stood quietly to the side and respectfully said, "Senior, do you have any unfulfilled wishes? This Junior will do his best to fulfill them."

"Wishes..."

The Old Gentleman smiled bitterly and shook his head. He had too many unfulfilled wishes. He hadn't yet ascended to the Immortal Dao to experience the scenery of an Immortal.

He hadn't yet fulfilled his promise to his beloved, to travel the world hand in hand with her, but now there would never be a chance for any of that.

The Old Gentleman was silent for a moment, "There is one wish, though. Please take me out of the Secret Realm. I want to see the world thirty thousand years later."

"Senior can leave?"

Xu Sanyan was surprised. He thought this Old Gentleman could only stay in the Secret Realm.

"Don't you have a section of Soul-Shocking Wood? I have already sensed it. Attaching myself to it can nourish my soul, and perhaps I can live for a few more months."

"Soul-Shocking Wood?" Xu Sanyan frowned in thought, then remembered. That ruler!

Back on Da Gu Mountain, that Old Gentleman also relied on this item to escape the soul realm and undergo Reincarnation. He didn't expect it to be used again now.

Xu Sanyan took out the ruler, "Is it this item?"

"Precisely." The Old Gentleman nodded, then looked up and asked, "Do you agree?"

Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment. This Old Gentleman was only a wisp of remnant soul and posed no threat to him. He could also learn more secrets through him.

Moreover, this Hundred Saints Secret Realm was something he participated in refining, so he must be very familiar with its intricacies. Now that he had fallen into his hands, wasn't he equivalent to a personal Old Gentleman?

After considering various factors, the benefits clearly outweighed the disadvantages, so he extended the ruler.

"Senior, please proceed."

The Old Gentleman nodded, and a phantom figure detached from his Physical Body, attaching itself to the ruler.

"Thank you." The Old Gentleman's voice sounded in his ear.

"It is this Junior's honor to be of service to Senior."

Xu Sanyan smiled gently, looking exceptionally sunny, like a bright and cheerful big boy.

As the Old Gentleman's soul detached from his Physical Body, the corpse lost its motive power and slumped crookedly to the ground. An upward staircase appeared, and the tenth level emerged.

"Eh, there's no treasure in this level?" Xu Sanyan asked in surprise.

"The tenth level is the treasure." The Old Gentleman said.

"So that's how it is."

Xu Sanyan slightly tilted his head and said to the two Elders behind him, "You two go up and take a look first."

"Yes, Saint."