430: The Secret Behind (I)

Xiao Shi first suspected that the other party might be a Martial Emperor's descendant during his battle with the Great Wu Crown Prince.

At that time, Xiao Shi had borrowed power from the other party.

And when he unleashed the other party's power...

This power directly solidified the Great Wu Crown Prince's body.

From that moment on... Xiao Shi vaguely felt that the existence in the black coffin must have a deep connection with the Great Wu Dynasty.

He knew very well.

At that time, the Great Wu Crown Prince's body was sealed with numerous fortunes of the Great Wu Dynasty.

If it were anyone else...

Even the three demigod Heavenly Kings would not be able to solidify the Great Wu Crown Prince's body, who bore so many fortunes of the Great Wu Dynasty.

To be able to ignore the Great Wu Dynasty's fortunes... and directly solidify the Great Wu Crown Prince's body, it must be someone with the same identity as the Great Wu Crown Prince!

And at that time, the Great Wu Crown Prince also recognized the power Xiao Shi used from his attack.

He expressed his shock on the spot.

However, at that time, the Great Wu Crown Prince did not directly reveal the other party's identity.

But it still gave Xiao Shi many conjectures.

And when Xiao Shi arrived at the Altar and saw the other party's appearance, his conjectures became even more certain.

Because from the other party's appearance...

He clearly felt that the other party and the Great Wu Crown Prince were extremely similar in appearance, giving him a strong sense of familiarity.

Most importantly... a long time ago...

He already knew that the Martial Emperor had a total of three descendants.

One dead, one crippled, one missing!

And he had previously confirmed that the crippled one was the Great Wu Crown Prince.

So, this one now... "Senior, are you the one who died, or the one who went missing?"

Xiao Shi couldn't help but ask.

This sounded a bit strange.

But from the other party's situation, it was indeed possible that he was the one who died.

It's just that this kind of death... was not death in the true sense.

Yan Huagu understood what Xiao Shi meant.

"I am the one who went missing."

Xiao Shi suddenly understood and asked again.

"Then the one who died... is he truly dead?"

He now suspected... that the other demigod on Tianwu Continent who had not yet appeared might be the Martial Emperor's other descendant!

That Crown Prince, who in the eyes of ordinary people, had already died!

However, Yan Huagu shook his head.

"He is already dead... it's impossible for him to still be alive."

This immediately made Xiao Shi frown.

"Then who is the other demigod on Tianwu Continent now?"

Yan Huagu's expression suddenly became solemn.

He sighed.

"Before I tell you this person's identity, I think you need to know how the Great Wu Dynasty collapsed back then."

Xiao Shi nodded.

Although he already knew that the Martial Emperor's demise originated from the catastrophe that all Martial Dao Ninth Realm supreme experts would face.

But he knew nothing about many details regarding the collapse of the Great Wu Dynasty.

"Do you know... that the Martial Dao Ninth Realm is actually not the true end of the Martial Dao; above the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, there exists an even more powerful realm!"

Yan Huagu said in a profound tone.

However, as soon as he finished speaking...

Xiao Shi nodded and said.

"I know."

This made Yan Huagu pause, and he asked somewhat uncertainly.

"You know?"

"Yes, the end of the Martial Dao is the Martial God."

Xiao Shi said calmly.

Yan Huagu raised an eyebrow.

He had not expected Xiao Shi to know this secret!

This was a major secret that even the three demigod Heavenly Kings did not know.

He had originally thought that after revealing this secret, Xiao Shi would surely be shocked.

However, Xiao Shi had already known this information a long time ago.

This, in turn, shocked Yan Huagu.

At the same time, there was also some awkwardness.

"Cough..."

"Since you know, then I don't need to explain the ultimate end of the Martial Dao to you."

"However..."

"What I want to tell you is that the Martial Emperor did not die from the catastrophe of the Martial Dao Ninth Realm."

As his words came out...

Xiao Shi's heart immediately trembled.

He instinctively exclaimed.

"How is this possible!"

When he learned from the Martial Ancestor that all Martial Dao Ninth Realm supreme experts would face a catastrophe, he realized that the Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts of various eras must have perished under the catastrophe.

Other than that...

He couldn't imagine anything else in the world that could kill these Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts.

"If the Martial Emperor didn't die from the catastrophe... then... how did he die!?"

Yan Huagu sighed.

His expression became complex.

He said in a deep voice.

"Strictly speaking, the Martial Emperor... did not die!"

Boom!!

Xiao Shi felt as if a hundred thousand thunderbolts had exploded in his mind.

The Martial Emperor... didn't die!?

How is this possible!

If the Martial Emperor hadn't died, how could the imperial power of the Great Wu Dynasty have collapsed!

The Great Martial Era would not have ended.

And he certainly wouldn't have the Emperors Armor!

Many things would become unreasonable.

After all, the decline of the Great Wu Dynasty began with the demise of the Martial Emperor.

"For most people, they don't know that above the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, there exists a higher realm, nor do they know that upon reaching the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, they will face a catastrophe."

"This is the greatest secret between heaven and earth."

"In the earliest eras, only those who had reached the Martial Dao Ninth Realm would know this secret."

"But as time progressed, more and more people came to know this secret."

"Just like you, who knew this secret early on."

"The Martial Emperor was also like this. Before he reached the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, he already knew this secret and began researching and preparing for the catastrophe he would face in the Martial Dao Ninth Realm."

"At that time, my brother and I assisted in the research."

"And during our research, we made a major discovery!"

Yan Huagu's expression suddenly became solemn.

"We discovered..."

"In the Xuanwu Era before the Great Martial Era, and the Zhenwu Era before the Xuanwu Era, and even the several eras before that, the Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts of these eras actually did not die!!"

"These Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts all chose the same method to deal with the catastrophe of the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, which is... to seal themselves!"

"Although the Martial Dao Ninth Realm is not the true end of the Martial Dao, it is the end of life."

"Upon reaching the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, there are actually only two outcomes."

"Either perish under the catastrophe."

"Or overcome the catastrophe and achieve Martial God."

"But to this day, Tianwu Continent has never given birth to a Martial God, so to some extent, becoming a Martial Dao Ninth Realm expert is equivalent to life reaching its end."

Xiao Shi nodded in agreement.

It was indeed as the other party said.

In the current situation where no one could overcome the catastrophe...

The Martial Dao Ninth Realm was, on the contrary, an endpoint of life.

After all, even the first Martial Ancestor to reach the Martial Dao Ninth Realm failed to overcome the catastrophe of the Martial Dao Ninth Realm and achieve Martial God.

But even so...

All demigods still tirelessly sought to break through to the Martial Dao Ninth Realm.

Even knowing that the Martial Dao Ninth Realm would face a catastrophe, no one would think of staying at the demigod stage and not breaking through.

Because as the realm improved...

Especially upon reaching demigod...

There would be an indescribable pursuit and fanaticism for the Martial Dao Ninth Realm.

This pursuit... is different from the pursuit of having great ambitions and aspiring to become the number one person in the Martial Dao.

Rather than a pursuit...

It's more like an instinct!

Just like needing to eat when hungry and needing to sleep when tired, it has become an irresistible instinct.

In other Martial Dao realms, one could still choose to relax and not pursue higher realms.

But the demigod realm is different!

As long as one becomes a demigod, they will inevitably strive to break through to the Martial Dao Ninth Realm.

Even if there is a bottomless abyss ahead, even if the price of failure is utter annihilation, they will go forward without hesitation.

Because this has become an instinct they cannot defy!

Although it cannot be defied...

However, people like the Martial Emperor, who knew in advance that the Martial Dao Ninth Realm would have a catastrophe, could prepare early.

"So the Martial Emperor also chose to seal himself, just like the Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts of other eras?"

Xiao Shi had a guess in his heart.

However, Yan Huagu shook his head.

"No."

"The Martial Emperor did not choose to seal himself."

"He felt that this method of sealing oneself was merely a temporary solution, not a fundamental one, and was no different from death."

"Once these Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts awaken from their seals, they will still face the catastrophe again, unable to avoid it."

"The main benefit of this self-sealing is that with the passage of time, if a Martial God successfully emerges on Tianwu Continent in the future, then when they unseal themselves, there might no longer be a catastrophe."

"After all, only one Martial God can be born between heaven and earth!"

"If, after tens of thousands or even millions of years, a Martial God has already been born on Tianwu Continent, then they can live after unsealing themselves."

"It's equivalent to placing hope in the future."

Xiao Shi suddenly understood.

This also meant... that these Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts who chose to seal themselves had basically given up on ascending to Martial God.

They only wanted to survive.

It was normal to have such a mindset.

After all, they all chose to seal themselves because they knew they couldn't overcome the catastrophe.

Knowing that death was certain...

Naturally, no one would stubbornly think of trying to achieve Martial God.

Not to mention these Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts.

Even the Martial Ancestor, after failing to achieve Martial God, chose to remain in the Martial Dao Ninth Realm.

As long as he could live, that was enough.

Demigods still had that irresistible instinctual pursuit of the Martial Dao Ninth Realm.

But upon reaching the Martial Dao Ninth Realm, one became relatively free and followed their heart.

"Given the Martial Emperor's character, he would rather die than live such a ignoble existence, for what he pursued in this life was to become the sole Martial God in the world!"

"It's just that no matter how much we researched..."

"We couldn't find a way to resolve the catastrophe."

"Although the Martial Emperor had been constantly suppressing his cultivation, he still broke through to the Martial Dao Ninth Realm not long after."

"The Great Wu Dynasty was also established at this time..."

Xiao Shi nodded.

Looking at it this way...

The catastrophe of the Martial Dao Ninth Realm did not arrive immediately the moment one broke through to the Martial Dao Ninth Realm.

There was still a few hundred years in between.

However, for Martial Dao Ninth Realm experts with long lifespans, these few hundred years passed in an instant.

No one would be content with only a few hundred years of lifespan remaining.

"In fact, the Martial Emperor established the Great Wu Dynasty primarily to resist the catastrophe, because the fortunes of an imperial dynasty would also play a significant role in resisting the catastrophe. The stronger the imperial dynasty and the more abundant its fortunes, the greater its effect."

"Therefore, the first thing the Martial Emperor did after reaching the Martial Dao Ninth Realm was to vigorously develop the Great Wu Dynasty, in order to accumulate the most fortunes before the catastrophe arrived."

"That was the most prosperous period of the Great Wu Dynasty."

Although Xiao Shi had never witnessed the most prosperous period of the Great Wu Dynasty...

He also knew that the Great Wu Dynasty at that time was far superior to the Great Wu Dynasty he saw later.

And from then until now... only a few hundred years have passed.

It's hard to imagine...

A vast and prosperous imperial dynasty...

Completely vanishing from Tianwu Continent in just a few hundred years.

Xiao Shi was now more curious about... how the Martial Emperor ultimately dealt with the catastrophe?

From the outcome...

The Martial Emperor clearly failed.

He did not overcome the catastrophe.

But Yan Huagu said that the Martial Emperor didn't die... This made Xiao Shi a bit confused.

"Not long after the Great Wu Dynasty was established, a strange incident occurred."

"My brother..."

"Mysteriously perished!"

Yan Huagu said in a deep voice.

Xiao Shi's heart was startled.

One must know...

That period was different from the current chaotic era.

That was the most prosperous period of the Great Wu Dynasty!

In such a period... who could kill this Crown Prince?

Who would dare to kill this Crown Prince!

Such a demise... was indeed somewhat unusual.

"Although my brother was only a Dao Master at that time and had not yet become a demigod, none of the demigods of that era would dare to kill my brother."

"At the same time, with my brother's strength, no Dao Master could kill him."

"This incident caused an immense sensation throughout the Great Wu Dynasty."

"But even the Martial Emperor personally investigated, he couldn't find any information or clues."

"This incident made me incredibly angry, and at the same time, it gave me a huge sense of crisis..."

"I could feel that behind my brother's demise, there must be a huge secret, but no matter how I investigated, I could never find any clues."

"And the sense of crisis in my heart grew stronger and stronger."

"I had a premonition..."

"If I didn't figure out the reason for my brother's demise, then the next person to perish would be me!"

"Just as I was at my wit's end..."

"A mysterious force appeared on Tianwu Continent. This force called itself 'Tianji Hall', claiming to be able to perceive all heavenly secrets."

"At that time, I had run out of options, and with the mindset of trying anything, I found the Hall Master of Tianji Hall and asked him to use his perception of heavenly secrets to help me find the mastermind behind my brother's murder!"

"The Hall Master of Tianji Hall agreed to me. After he performed his perception of heavenly secrets, he told me..."

"The mastermind who killed my brother was..."

"The Martial Emperor!!"