Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 516: Chapter 521: Ancient Past

“The human race in Ancient Times was very mysterious. They were few in number and rarely interacted with other races, yet they indeed produced invincible beings…”

The monkey seemed to have fallen into distant memories, slowly recounting tales from Ancient Times, captivating the few who listened.

In ancient times, only supreme beings who reached the Ultimate Realm took on human form. This shape represented invincibility and was a typical trait of a King. All other creatures revered them without exception whenever they were encountered.

However, the sudden appearance of the human race broke this norm. They were born in this form, which truly startled all the other races.

Initially, other races were terrified upon seeing so many human-shaped creatures. They gradually relaxed once they learned this race was extremely weak.

Some ancient races were furious, viewing this as an insult to the Ancient Kings, and nearly exterminated all humans.

Nonetheless, not all ancient beings were completely vicious; they could discern right from wrong. Some powerful races stepped in to protect humans, allowing them to survive.

Throughout the long ages, countless wars were inevitable across the land, and all creatures could be drawn into them, with humans being no exception.

They were extremely rare and exceptionally weak but possessed room for growth. There emerged supreme beings who could rival the nine-transformation Divine Silkworm, shocking all ancient races.

From then on, humans secured a place for themselves and were no longer viewed by some races as mere food.

“Can you be more specific? For example, what were their cultivation methods, how did they practice, and how did they appear?” Wu Zhongtian asked.

“Before the great catastrophe came, I was too young and knew very little, only some simple things,” the monkey sighed.

Although he belonged to an ancient royal family, his youth meant his understanding of that era was extremely limited. When the great catastrophe struck, he was inexplicably sealed, sleeping for hundreds of millions of years.

“The origin of the humans is mysterious; they supposedly came from the Outer Domain…” The monkey shared some of the past he knew.

“Their cultivation methods were primitive but extraordinarily powerful…”

The Taiyang True Technique simulated the Supreme Yang of heaven and earth, creating the Innate. It was supremely powerful and could be described as terrifying; it was an ancient Holy Technique of the human race from Ancient Times.

“Truly…” Li Heishui remarked with amazement.

He had obtained a piece of black beast bone from the mountain range of the Holy Cliff. It was inscribed with remnants of the Taiyang True Technique, a topic they had discussed before.

The Taiyang True Technique is one of the oldest Holy Techniques of the human race. Even the Great Emperors of old had studied it, drawing inspiration when crafting their ancient scriptures, as they needed to deduce myriad techniques and delve into various existing ones.

The Taiyin True Technique simulates the Supreme Yin of heaven and earth, opposing the Taiyang True Technique. It could be described as supremely Yin and powerful. It was also a Holy Technique of the Ancient Human Clan and is still considered an ancient scripture today.

“Humans are very mysterious. They were few in number, yet unexpectedly, after countless ages, they have become so prosperous, overshadowing all other races,” the monkey lamented.

He truly knew little about Ancient Times, and even less about the Fighting Saint Ape lineage. He only remembered his father’s death and his uncle’s departure to the Western Desert; everything else was blurred and unclear.

Ye Fan and the others speculated that the great catastrophe of Ancient Times might have been due to changes in heaven and earth that made survival unfavorable for living beings, severing the path of cultivation and leading to mass extinction.

However, the monkey shook his head after hearing this and said, “The ancient prophecies came true, leading to the retreat of all Ancient Clans…”

At that time, the monkey was still a child and unable to access the highest secrets, knowing only bits and pieces. He grew to his current state because he had awakened in the strange black stone within the Immortal Tomb and cultivated for many years before Ye Fan cut him out.

When members of the ancient royal families reached the Ultimate Realm and transformed into human form, they were revered as emperors. This was the first time Ye Fan and his companions had heard of this; previously, they had collectively referred to such beings as Ancient Kings.

Throughout the ages, ancient emperors, before their deaths, were almost like divine beings. They could seemingly see through the past and future, leaving behind prophecies that were later proven true.

The monkey said little on these matters, for he did not understand them well enough to reveal the truth of the great catastrophe of Ancient Times.

Ye Fan and his companions felt a sense of regret. This was an ancient mystery; if even this living fossil did not comprehend it, then who could?

“Some ancient races were sealed; others might have gone to the Outer Domain…” The monkey shook his head, not wanting to elaborate further.

“Do Immortals truly not exist?” Li Heishui suddenly asked, and everyone fell silent, eager to know the answer.

“They should exist, right? My father was an emperor, invincible both above and below the heavens. Sadly, his lifespan was exhausted, and he died shortly after I was born…”

When the monkey was less than three years old, his Sacred Emperor father, who had commanded awe throughout Ancient Times, passed away. He left him with almost nothing besides the heritage of their race.

However, he remembered a saying from the ancient emperor: in the most ancient eras, Immortals likely existed, though they were unseen in later generations.

The group became lost in thought. Even the monkey’s father, an emperor invincible in Ancient Times, had spoken of tracing things back to the most ancient of ages…

What kind of period would those so-called “most ancient times” have been? What had happened then, and what sort of past did they hold?

“The Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land, Undying Mountain, the Divine Ruins, the Great Primordial Mine, the Immortal Tomb…” Ye Fan and the others mentally revisited the topic of the seven Great Ancient Desolation Forbidden Lands.

“During Ancient Times, there weren’t as many Ancient Desolation Forbidden Lands; there were fewer than now…” the monkey recounted.

The Ancient Desolation Forbidden Land and Undying Mountain were unheard of during Ancient Times. The monkey speculated that these terrifying forbidden areas formed later and were comparable to, or even surpassed, the Desolate Lands of the past.

The Great Primordial Mine was a supreme Sacred Land of the ancient races. Only peerless Ancient Emperors could enter it in those bygone ancient years.

It was extremely difficult for emperors of ancient creatures to emerge, much like the Great Emperors of the human race; throughout history, there have been very few.

Members of the great Ancient Royal Clans, upon achieving Great Success, indeed possess incredibly powerful strength. However, they ultimately fall short of the emperors. Becoming an emperor is immensely arduous.

“You don’t know what’s in the Great Primordial Mine?” Jiang Huairen was surprised.

“In those vanished ancient years, only a few Ancient Emperors and the masters of several royal clans have entered it,” the monkey lamented.

“The Fighting Saint Ape clan is likely left with only you. As the master of the Holy Ape clan, wouldn’t you be able to enter in the future?” Li Heishui remarked.

“So many years have passed. According to what you’ve said, it has already evolved into one of the seven Great Ancient Desolation Forbidden Lands. Entering without becoming an emperor would surely result in death,” the monkey shook his head.

“He still has an uncle in the Western Desert!” The big black dog gritted its teeth and muttered.

“The Immortal Tomb, it is said, is the burial ground of some Immortals. It is vast and boundless, a Blood Land spanning thousands of miles where not a blade of grass grows. Even in Ancient Times, it was a Life Forbidden Land.”

Several of the Ancient Emperors once said that it is a Burial Land of Immortals, not to be approached, lest certain death follow, making it the most perilous region in the world.

Now, after countless ages, a hint of life has finally appeared there. Many Supreme Spiritual Medicines grow in the Blood Land, but unfortunately, no one dares to pick them.

This is because even ancient Sages who enter find it difficult to emerge, as the place seems to devour the lives of those who venture in.

“However, some emperors also said, ‘Hearing is deceiving; seeing is believing. If Immortals have never been seen, then they do not exist,ʼ” the monkey added.

The ancient emperors were terrifyingly powerful and invincible in the world, unmatched by anyone. Among countless races and trillions of beings across endless ages, there were only a few such emperors.

There were even fewer of them than the Great Emperors of the human race. Their opinions were not unanimous, and their understanding of Immortals varied greatly.

“The Divine Ruins, it’s said to have fallen from another world…”

The monkey’s words were shocking. The history of the Divine Ruins is extremely ancient, impossible to trace back. Even the oldest emperors of the Ancient Clans could not deduce its era.

“The Divine Ruins are that ancient?” Even the big black dog gasped in disbelief.

In the Divine Ruins, there indeed exist awe-inspiring relics such as the South Heavenly Gate and the Heaven Temple, standing for tens of millions of years without decaying, far beyond what human effort could preserve.

“Does a vast and mysterious immortal world truly exist?” Ye Fan furrowed his brow.

In his view, the cultivators of this world could rival the Daoist saints of myth and legend. If there was another mysterious world, he truly wondered what kind of people existed there.

However, he always harbored doubts, not believing Immortals truly existed. He thought Ancient Great Emperors represented the ultimate realm. Although he had seen the nine dragons pulling the coffin, they were likely Saint-level flood dragons, not immortal spirits.

“I’ve never heard any theories about an immortal world, but my old father did mention the term ‘Immortal Realm’…” the monkey slowly recounted.

The monkey’s old father lived through terrifyingly long ages. As an emperor of Ancient Times whose achievements rivaled creation, he was considered one of the strongest entities ever.

His lifespan exhausted, he had a son in his old age. On his deathbed, he spoke of the Immortal Realm, saying it most likely existed. It was his lifelong regret that he could not enter it.

“My uncle said that my father was born at the wrong time; otherwise, he might have had a slight chance. Unfortunately, it was a time of great changes in Heaven and Earth, so he lacked affinity for the Immortal Realm and was unable to deduce it.”

The monkey’s father ultimately only sighed, infinitely desolate, because even at the end, he could not personally verify his speculations.

The few Ancient Emperors believed the Divine Ruins did not belong to this world but had fallen from a mysterious place. This view was known by all clans.

“The South Heavenly Gate and the Heaven Temple have stood immortal through the ages, where myriad rays of golden light rolled on crimson mists, and a thousand streams of auspicious vapor sprayed purple haze…” the big black dog murmured, its eyes profoundly deep.

“Is there really an Immortal Realm? It’s unlikely…” Li Heishui and the others furrowed their brows.

“Fallen from another world… do Immortals truly exist…” Wu Zhongtian muttered; his grandfather, well-versed in ancient lore, had also proposed many theories.

“Brother, what is an Immortal?” the pitiful little girl tugged Ye Fan’s sleeve and asked innocently, her face full of hope.

Ye Fan patted her head and said, “An ethereal existence, perhaps. It may never have appeared, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be in this world.”

“Oh.” The little one nodded thoughtfully, as if somewhat understanding.

“Undying Mountain… that sounds somewhat familiar, but there was no such ancient mountain in Ancient Times,” the monkey furrowed his brow, mentioning another Forbidden Land.

“Think carefully. What exactly was Undying Mountain during Ancient Times?” the big black dog urged.

Both the Without Beginning Great Emperor and the Ruthless Great Emperor entered Undying Mountain, leaving indelible marks under the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree. The big black dog wanted to know more.

“I’ve truly never heard of Undying Mountain. However, in the legends of Ancient Times, there is an Undying Emperor.” The monkey pondered for a long time before recalling such an almost illusory figure, though he couldn’t be sure if this being had ever truly existed.

“The Undying Emperor… dares to use such a title!?” Even the big black dog was very shocked.

“The first owner of the Undying Phoenix Medicine is said to have been that Undying Emperor. Legend says he surpassed divine beings, but many do not believe he ever truly existed,” the monkey shook his head.