Chapter 401: Chapter 114: The Grand Situation of Qing State—Return the Dao to Heaven?

Lin Chen was momentarily stunned; turning around, he saw that familiar yet slightly unfamiliar figure.

"Ancestor..."

Lin Chen saw Ancestor Changchun before him, incredulous in his heart.

Years ago, when Lin Chen first met Ancestor Changchun, the True Man Changchun looked as youthful as a twenty-year-old, exuding an ethereal aura.

But now, after just a few short years, the True Man Changchun had dramatically changed in appearance.

With a head full of silver hair and a face lined with wrinkles, he resembled an old man about to fade away.

If Lin Chen hadn’t sensed the aura of the True Man Changchun, he almost wouldn’t have recognized him.

Seeing the True Man Changchun in this state, Lin Chen’s heart tightened, and he frowned:

"Ancestor, why have you ended up looking like this?"

The True Man Changchun waved his hand, about to speak, but then suddenly started coughing.

"Cough, cough..."

Seeing this, Lin Chen hurriedly stepped forward to support the True Man Changchun.

The True Man Changchun signaled that he was fine and said:

"My lifespan is nearly exhausted, the oil is running out, and the lamp is dimming... Naturally, the signs of aging have manifested..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen fell silent. He had heard that half a month ago, in that battle, the True Man Changchun suffered serious injuries.

Originally, he had not believed it, but seeing him now, it wasn’t just serious injuries.

It clearly damaged his essence, and his time was short...

The True Man Changchun seemed to have seen through Lin Chen’s thoughts and shook his head:

"I’ve already lived out most of my lifespan; a Nascent Soul Cultivator can live no more than a thousand years."

"I’ve practiced the Evergreen Technique for thirteen hundred years... With no hope of entering the Divinity Transformation, I won’t live much longer."

Lin Chen after hearing that didn’t know how to comfort him.

The lifespan of a Nascent Soul Cultivator is limited, and no matter how long-lived the True Man Changchun is, his lifespan is nearing its end.

Such a lifespan is something even an Immortal cannot resist.

"Ancestor, I’ve heard... you have sent away the disciples of Changchun Sect..." Lin Chen thought for a moment before asking.

The True Man Changchun nodded without much sorrow, simply said:

"The Demon Sect is powerful; if I don’t disperse the disciples, would they stay in the sect and wait to die?"

"My Changchun Sect has thousands of disciples, if they each go their own way, they may still have a chance to survive."

"Staying in Changchun Sect is just waiting for death..."

Lin Chen nodded after hearing this and asked:

"Then, Ancestor, why do you... not leave?"

Lin Chen furrowed his brows.

The True Man Changchun excels in Qi Gathering and Form Dispersing Divine Techniques, and his cultivation is close to the late Nascent Soul Stage.

With such strength, if he wished to leave Yanlai Realm, he should have a place in the Three Cities of Wendao, or even in Wenda City.

The True Man Changchun calmly said:

"I have said that I won’t live much longer."

With that, he looked at Lin Chen, advising:

"Lin Chen, you are different... you are still young and should not get involved in this mess."

Lin Chen pursed his lips hearing this, as he didn’t wish to get involved either.

Originally, he was searching for his master, Han Jihai, but still hasn’t found him.

After encountering those incidents in Yanlai City, how could Lin Chen sit idly by?

The True Man Changchun seemed to see through Lin Chen’s thoughts and smiled:

"Lin Chen, let me tell you a story."

"A thousand years ago, the Wenda Sect had three disciples with extraordinary aptitude, ambitious for the world."

"They cultivated in the sect for hundreds of years, reaching the Golden Core Perfection, and then traveled far and wide seeking opportunities for the Nascent Soul..."

Lin Chen’s heart was stirred upon hearing this, recalling the Lou Zixian he encountered in Wenda City.

In his heart, he guessed that the disciples mentioned by the Ancestor were probably himself.

But the three disciples...

Lin Chen quickly realized.

The Wenda Sect, Celestial Pill Sect, and Changchun Sect share similar roots; it is said that the three ancestors were close friends in their youth.

It seems to be true.

Moreover, the three ancestors were likely disciples of the Wenda Sect.

Ancestor Changchun hails from the Array Peak of Wenda Sect; Ancestor Tiandan from the Pill Peak; Ancestor Yu Beast from the Spirit Beast Peak...

Lin Chen continually pondered.

The Ancestor Changchun continued leisurely speaking, his eyes falling into reminiscence.

"Those three brothers traveled across half of Qing State, eventually reaching the Eastern Domain of Qing State, Yanlai Realm..."

"At that time, Yanlai Realm was not as peaceful as it is now."

"Demon Cultivators and Tribulation Cultivators were everywhere, and mortals were slaughtered like ants... Hm, much like Yanlai Realm now."

"At that time, the Ghost-Exorcising Sect, Puppet Hall, and Sacred Heart Sect were the three major forces on this land..."

"The entire Eastern Domain of Qing State was viewed as a paradise for Demon Cultivators."

Lin Chen listened silently, a picture forming in his mind.

The Demon Sect had only held power for over twenty years; Yanlai Realm had just been invaded, resulting in the current desolation.

Clearly, a thousand years ago, before the rise of the three righteous sects, the Demon Sect was rampant.

"Later, those three cultivators traveled the world, succeeding in their cultivation, and successively entered the Nascent Soul Stage."

"They then decided to stay in Yanlai Realm and establish their own sects."

"Since Demon Cultivators were rampant, they aimed to nurture a group of Righteous Cultivators to combat the Demon Sect, bringing peace to the mortals and cultivators in the Eastern Domain."

"Throughout the millennium, after several great battles, the forces of the Demon Sect have been constantly weakened. Mortals no longer fear cultivators, and Tribulation Cultivators have become outcasts, hunted by all..."

The eyes of the Ancestor Changchun flashed with remembrance.

"Cough, cough..."

After two coughs, he continued:

"Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last... A thousand years passed, one of the Nascent Soul Cultivators’ lifespans nearing its end, the Demon Sect began to show signs of resurgence."

"In this situation, the other two Nascent Soul Cultivators decided to completely destroy the Demon Sect."

"Thus, three Nascent Souls fought a life-and-death battle with the Demon Sect a hundred years ago..."

"Unfortunately, they failed."

"This defeat was not due to the failure in battle but the trend of the world’s great power dynamics."

Lin Chen’s eyes widened, having already understood.

No wonder the ancestors of the Celestial Pill Sect and Spirit Beast Sect perished and disappeared, it turns out that there was this battle a hundred years ago...

Unfortunately, it failed.

"But why weren’t the three Nascent Soul cultivators a match for the Demon Sect?"

"A hundred years ago... the Demon Sect shouldn’t have been that strong, right?"

Lin Chen was puzzled.

At this time, True Man Changchun looked at Lin Chen and spoke slowly:

"Lin Chen, promise me."

"After you hear my next words, leave Yanlai Realm as soon as possible... this is not a place for you."

"I’ve dismissed most of the three thousand disciples of Changchun Sect, leaving only a few hundred disciples to share life and death with the sect... waiting for that final battle."

After a pause, True Man Changchun continued:

"You cannot get involved in this battle."

"You are still young, with endless possibilities... achieving Divinity Transformation in the future won’t be a problem."

After hearing this, Lin Chen was silent for a long time, finally nodding:

"Alright, disciple Lin Chen, will follow the Ancestor’s command."

Hearing these words, True Man Changchun breathed a great sigh of relief.

Then leisurely asked:

"Lin Chen, do you know what Qing State’s great power dynamics mean?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment and said:

"Is the Demon Sect’s rise for over a hundred years the great power dynamics?"

Upon hearing this, True Man Changchun’s eyes flashed with disdain.

He cursed:

"Nonsense! The Demon Sect’s rise is not the great power dynamics!"

"That’s just a myth spread by the Celestial Beings from above!"

"The real great power dynamics... is the fall of the Spirit Realm, those lofty Celestial Beings... are coming down!"

"Haha~ Hahaha~"

True Man Changchun burst into laughter a few times, followed by violent coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough~"

"Those elitists who don’t care and call themselves above others, they have a day of worrying too!"

"How joyful, truly joyful!"

The fall of the Spirit Realm? Celestial cultivators unsafe?

A storm surged in Lin Chen’s heart.

If these words were spoken by an ordinary cultivator, Lin Chen would only think he had gone mad.

But the speaker before him was True Man Changchun, a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator who had lived for over a thousand years!

With such status, Lin Chen had no reason not to believe.

Moreover, it could be anticipated that with True Man Changchun’s experience and insights, he knew quite a lot.

Thus, Lin Chen eagerly asked:

"Ancestor, why would the Spirit Realm fall?"

"And what does this have to do with Qing State’s Demon Sect rising?"

Seeing the curiosity in Lin Chen’s eyes, True Man Changchun sighed.

"Ah, well... since it’s already said, let me tell you everything!"

"The world is divided into five great states, above these five states, is the Spirit Realm... you should know this, right?"

Lin Chen nodded, True Man Changchun continued:

"That Spirit Realm is like a rootless duckweed, unable to sustain itself... it can only rely on the spiritual energy and fortune of the five great states for sustenance."

"Thus, it can ensure the carefree life of those thousands in the Spirit Realm..."

"But, the fortune and spiritual energy of the five states are ultimately limited... after countless years, much has been consumed."

"The number of Celestial cultivators keeps increasing... gradually, the spiritual energy and fortune of the five great states are no longer sufficient to support the cultivation of those above."

"Then there can only be one result... those in the Spirit Realm will be unable to ensure their own cultivation; they can no longer remain lofty, unable to transcend the mundane..."

"At that time, what difference does the Spirit Realm and falling have?"

After hearing this, Lin Chen frowned in deep thought; he remembered the words Jiang Liqian once said to him.

It also seemed to mention that the Spirit Realm was unproductive, only like parasites, continuously extracting fortune and spiritual energy from the five great states...

But Jiang Liqian did not say that the Spirit Realm was about to fall, that the Celestial Beings above would be unsafe.

Lin Chen suddenly thought of something, staring wide-eyed at Ancestor Changchun.

And the next response from True Man Changchun confirmed Lin Chen’s suspicion.

"Return what was taken to the heavens!"

"Return what was taken to the heavens!"

True Man Changchun repeated twice, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Hundreds of years ago, the Celestial Beings panicked, they scoured the ancient books... finally finding this so-called solution!"

"Cultivators spend their lives seeking the creation of heaven and earth for their cultivation. This is what is called struggling against heaven and earth."

"Not just cultivators, mortals are the same!"

"Therefore, the solution was... to give back to heaven and earth what the cultivators obtained!"

"Simply put, Qing State needs a great war!"

True Man Changchun’s eyes became even more sorrowful, he spoke slowly:

"It requires a world-shaking great war! This battle will affect the entire Qing State, and perhaps... the five great states!"

"When the number of dead cultivators in the five great states is sufficient, when countless mortals have died... it will return the spiritual energy and fortune cultivators took from this land to heaven and earth!"

"Then, spiritual energy will be replenished..."

"The status of the Spirit Realm will also be stabilized again..."