"Indeed, after proving the dao and becoming a Saint, we have achieved eternal life and transcended the Great Dao, but we are still within the Great Realm."

"The Great Realm is the macroscopic world we currently inhabit."

"It encompasses the Mortal Realm, the Immortal Realm, the Luotian Realm, and all the other myriad worlds."

"As long as we are still within the Great Realm, we still have natural enemies!"

"What natural enemies?" Fang Hong pressed.

"The Ancestor-Devouring Bird!" Dao Ancestor Qin Tian said, his expression serious as he spoke the name.

"Ancestor-Devouring Bird? What is that? Is it a Demon Beast?" A faint unease stirred in Fang Hong’s heart.

"Ancestor-Devouring Birds, as the name suggests, specifically prey on Saints and Dao Ancestors. They are the most terrifying disaster within the Great Realm!" Qin Tian was utterly serious.

"What?!"

"They specifically eat Saints and Dao Ancestors? Such terrifying creatures actually exist in the world!!"

When Fang Hong and Luo Sheng heard this news, their expressions suddenly changed, and their hearts violently trembled.

"Exactly. To Dao Ancestors like us, the Ancestor-Devouring Birds are the natural enemy. Their appearance is also known as the Saint Calamity!" Qin Tian let out a helpless sigh.

"When will the Ancestor-Devouring Birds appear?" Luo Sheng asked seriously.

"The Ancestor-Devouring Birds emerge to hunt every hundred thousand years. No matter where we hide, they can find us precisely."

"A hundred thousand years? How long ago was the last Saint Calamity?" Fang Hong immediately asked.

"There are still three thousand years left. After three thousand years, the Ancestor-Devouring Birds will appear again!"

"Only three thousand years remain!"

"Is there any way to defeat or evade the Ancestor-Devouring Birds?" Fang Hong asked again.

"The Ancestor-Devouring Birds are too powerful to be slain; we can only find a way to force them to retreat."

"This is also why I brought you to the Luotian Realm today. We have arrived..."

After flying for a while, Dao Ancestor Qin Tian brought Fang Hong and Luo Sheng to a plain.

The plain was vast and boundless, covered with enormous rocks.

Fang Hong could tell at a glance that these were not ordinary rocks; they were arranged according to a certain pattern, faintly shimmering with golden light.

Clearly, a super powerful formation had been deployed across the entire plain!

"A formation? Fellow Daoist Qin, are you planning to rely on a formation to repel the Ancestor-Devouring Birds?" Fang Hong guessed.

"That’s right. This formation is called the Hunyuan Bird Slaying Formation! It is a super killing formation jointly created by numerous Saints and Dao Ancestors, which we hope can repel the Ancestor-Devouring Birds."

"Besides the three of us Dao Ancestors, how many other Saints and Dao Ancestors are there?" Fang Hong asked.

"Currently, we have gathered a total of three thousand nine hundred and ninety-six Saints and Dao Ancestors. Naturally, the more the better."

"They are all in seclusion across Various Realms, and they will gather on the day the Saint Calamity arrives."

"Only by uniting do we have a chance to survive the Saint Calamity. Fighting alone means certain death!"

Fang Hong nodded slightly. Nearly four thousand Saints and Dao Ancestors, yet they only have a chance to repel the Ancestor-Devouring Birds?

Just how terrifying must this Ancestor-Devouring Bird be!

"Sigh, Father, if you had told me about the Saint Calamity, I wouldn’t have bothered becoming a Saint." Luo Sheng said with a wry smile.

"You little brat, you wish! If the Ancestor-Devouring Bird isn’t full, it will definitely go after those Heavenly Venerates and Immortal Emperors!"

"If you become a Saint, you at least have a chance to survive the Saint Calamity. If you don’t become a Saint, it’s even more dangerous!"

Luo Sheng sighed and could only accept it.

"Come, I’ll take you to familiarize yourselves with the Hunyuan Bird Slaying Formation..."

Afterward, Dao Ancestor Qin Tian took Fang Hong and Luo Sheng to familiarize themselves with the formation.

The core of this formation was to unite the power of all the Saints and Dao Ancestors, unleashing a destructive strike in an attempt to repel the Ancestor-Devouring Bird... Three months later, Fang Hong left the Luotian Realm and returned to the Immortal Realm.

The matter of the Ancestor-Devouring Bird constantly weighed on his mind.

Having only just become a Saint, he was told he only had three thousand years left to live. Anyone would feel terrible about that.

After returning to the Immortal Realm, Fang Hong took Su Shan traveling and cultivating... A century later, Fang Hong and Su Shan returned from their travels.

At this time, Su Shan was already at the peak of the Heavenly Venerate realm and qualified to become a Saint. However, Fang Hong told Su Shan not to rush into becoming a Saint.

It wouldn’t be too late to become a Saint after this Saint Calamity passed.

Once she became a Saint, she would be the first to bear the brunt of the Ancestor-Devouring Bird’s attack, which was extremely dangerous. Fang Hong did not want her to take that risk.

Fang Hong did not tell Su Shan about the Ancestor-Devouring Bird. Su Shan vaguely guessed something, but she didn’t ask further; she always trusted Fang Hong’s judgment... On this day, Fang Hong returned to that mysterious Chaos Realm.

Fang Hong had always been concerned about what treasure was hidden in the Central Area of the Chaos Realm.

Last time, when he was at the peak of the Heavenly Venerate realm, he couldn’t venture deep into the Central Area.

Now that he had advanced to Dao Ancestor, he should be able to enter the Central Area, right?

As soon as Fang Hong approached the Central Area, that strange Light Barrier attacked him again.

Fang Hong raised his hand and gently waved; the Light Barrier was instantly dispersed. He was no longer at the peak of the Heavenly Venerate realm.

Fang Hong continued flying forward, encountering numerous Light Barriers blocking his path. These barriers gradually grew stronger, but he shattered them one by one.

Soon, Fang Hong finally reached the Central Area. A massive black shadow appeared before him, resembling a mass of Black Mist enveloping something!

Fang Hong was slightly surprised; even with his current cultivation, he couldn’t see clearly what was inside the Black Mist!

Therefore, Fang Hong had no choice but to walk toward the Black Mist to personally investigate what was inside.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

Suddenly, the moment Fang Hong stepped into the Black Mist, a terrifying Devouring Power swept over his entire body.

Fang Hong felt the Saint Force within his body rapidly draining away. Fortunately, his Saint Force was quite abundant, allowing him to withstand it.

Fang Hong directly resisted the Black Mist’s devouring effect and walked toward its depths.

The deeper he went, the stronger the Black Mist’s power became. Signs of aging even appeared on Fang Hong’s skin!

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps... Fang Hong walked a full ninety-nine steps and finally reached the center point of the Black Mist.

At this moment, Fang Hong had become a white-haired, emaciated old man with shriveled skin, looking as if he might collapse at any moment!

But Fang Hong’s eyes were still resolute; he had reached this point relying on his tenacious will!

Fang Hong struggled to raise his head, and a massive door appeared before him.

This massive door was twenty to thirty zhang high, entirely black, and had a smooth surface. It seemed ordinary, yet it exuded a mysterious aura! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

When Fang Hong saw this door, a smile appeared on his face: "Time House!"

"So it was this! I should have realized it earlier!"

This door was precisely the "Time House," ranked first on the Innate Dao Artifact List, rumored to possess the ability to manipulate time at will.

The Time House had always been enveloped by the Black Mist, preventing Fang Hong from sensing it. Now, he finally saw its true appearance.

Fang Hong struggled to raise his hand, wanting to reach out and touch the Time House.

However, at this moment, Fang Hong collapsed onto the ground, having very little strength left in his body.

Fang Hong struggled to crawl and writhe on the ground, and just as his strength was exhausted, his fingertip finally touched the Time House.