Chapter 451

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Protagonist:

Yu Zhangsheng

"The impact of the Xuan Tian War was unprecedented in history. After that battle, some Holy Lands fell, some Holy Lands rose, the powers of the cultivation world were reshuffled, and the Continent was left riddled with wounds. Only after a long stretch of years did it recover."

Lord Han Cheng sighed lightly. Mentioning these matters of history, his expression held only lamentation.

Yu Zhangsheng listened with rapt attention, staring blankly in a daze.

"The peerless Xuan Tian Holy Son ultimately fell, yet his strength was truly too formidable. Though his body was damaged, his Dao did not vanish. Regarding his name of Xuan Tian, it was still acknowledged by Heaven and Earth. Thus, a supreme Daoneng cultivator, fearing exactly what he said at death — that he would return again — first sealed the name of the cultivation world, turning it into a taboo."

"Furthermore, using supreme methods, they erased his true name from within Heaven and Earth. Thus, the Xuan Tian Holy Son's true name was forgotten by the world, eternally sealed within that stretch of years, likewise becoming a taboo."

"They were afraid — afraid that just as the Xuan Tian Holy Son said, as long as his true name was still chanted within Heaven and Earth, as long as the cultivation world was still called Xuan Tian, he would inevitably return. Therefore, throughout the long years, this segment of history was sealed by the combined strike of numerous Holy Lands…"

Lord Han Cheng spoke softly, looking up at the heavenly warning might in the sky, suppressing the palpitations in his heart, and continued in a low, lingering voice: "However, the heights the Xuan Tian Holy Son could reach were truly not something ordinary cultivators can imagine. Even a Holy Land Lord falls far short. They delusionally thought to seal it away, but after countless years, this sealed stretch of years ultimately developed cracks…"

"And regarding the Xuan Tian Holy Son's true name…"

Lord Han Cheng's tone paused. His gaze flickered brilliantly, staring at Yu Zhangsheng with seeming deep meaning: "Concerning his true name, the world's knowledge is vague. Many legends have circulated. Some say the Xuan Tian Holy Son was named Xuan Tian, but that is clearly impossible — Xuan Tian is merely the world's honorific for him. Some say his surname was Chen. Some say his surname was Cao… Amidst the conflicting accounts, all sorts of names exist."

"But among them, one account is said to have come from the mouth of a certain Holy Land Elder who fled the Xuan Tian Holy Land back then. Before his death, offending the Heaven and Earth taboo, he proclaimed a name to the world."

"The specific name is not permitted by the Heaven and Earth Dao Principles. Therefore this sound is vague, faintly visible — only a single character 'Xian' was passed down, seemingly as the inscribed character within his true name…"

Lord Han Cheng spoke softly. The moment the character 'Xian' left his mouth, Heaven and Earth instantly thundered. The heavenly might reached its peak. Heavenly thunder rolled in. Chain after chain of Dao Principles condensed in the Void, roaring like long dragons, wreathed in lightning, bearing even more Divine Might, exuding an oppressive aura of destruction.

This time, it was no longer a bluff. It materialized into substance. Amidst the roaring, chain after chain of Dao Principle chains, accompanied by flashing lightning and roaring thunder, lashed viciously toward Yu Zhangsheng and Lord Han Cheng.

Boom—! The Void exploded open. An intense life-and-death crisis began to permeate the hearts of the two. Yu Zhangsheng's complexion changed. Lord Han Cheng, however, looked up straight at this bewildering heavenly might and smiled contemptuously.

"Do you really think this is inside the Xuan Tian Realm? In the Wu Dao Realm, how could it tolerate outside laws tearing open the Void to descend?"

"Moreover, after such a long passage of years, the so-called taboo has long since lost the power it held back then…"

Lord Han Cheng muttered softly, his complexion normal, not panicked in the least. As the chains lashed down, tearing open the Void all the way, with magnificent momentum, Heaven and Earth were shocked. Yu Zhangsheng's complexion turned pale to the extreme. Amidst his shaking mind and spirit, the next moment, this heavenly might seemed not permitted by the Wu Dao Realm to arrive — like a villain forcibly breaking through a door, finally discovered by the master inside…

Thus, in the vast unknown, a vast indescribable will, faintly seeming to awaken, yet also as if under an instinctive tendency, a grand illusory Dao Pattern manifested in the Heavenly Vault, stretching across between Yu Zhangsheng and the heavenly thunder Dao Principle chains, descending viciously upon them! The next instant, a strange fluctuation swept across. Instantly, the heavenly might that had descended upon this realm paused. All Dao Principle chains and lightning trembled as one, showing a tendency to collapse. And this Dao Pattern shook once more. Instantly, it was like a giant eraser, using Heaven and Earth as the canvas, gently wiping away a blemish that should not have appeared in the painting…

Instantly, the lightning dissipated. The Dao Principle chains shattered. Heaven and Earth returned to calm once more. The sense of crisis suspended in Yu Zhangsheng's heart also vanished at this moment…

"Fortunately…"

Lord Han Cheng lowered his brows, muttering softly. On his peerlessly beautiful countenance, a trace of regret flashed and vanished.

"Hah…"

Yu Zhangsheng let out a long breath. On his pale complexion, after a long while a trace of blood color recovered. He looked up at Lord Han Cheng. His mouth corners twitched, and a sense of shock and doubt faintly surfaced in his heart.

What he felt was that Lord Han Cheng speaking these things seemed to have anticipated it long ago, doing it deliberately.

"How was it? Did you remember it all clearly?"

Lord Han Cheng looked at Yu Zhangsheng's unusual state and instantly smiled lightly. His complexion slug-like, he spoke softly.

Yu Zhangsheng fell silent. Everything Lord Han Cheng said was extremely clear in his mind. There was no feeling of being unable to remember. On the contrary, it was even more profound. Thus Yu Zhangsheng nodded lightly.

"More or less."

"Interesting… To actually be able to completely keep what I said in your mind, not slowly fading away under the taboo…" A trace of surprise flickered through Lord Han Cheng's brows and eyes. Then he pondered in his heart.

"Although this guy's Constitution is special, seemingly also receiving a certain degree of Heaven and Earth's favor… this reaction is indeed somewhat out of the ordinary… Unless…"

Lord Han Cheng's heart paused. His complexion remained unmoved, but a thought and speculation flashed through his mind, surprise mixed with a trace of incredulity flashing through.

"Unless this guy has a tremendous Karmic connection with the taboo person I spoke of… Otherwise, there's no reason he could remember so clearly…"

Lord Han Cheng murmured in his heart. These speculations merely flashed by, then were tossed to the back of his mind. He laughed incredulously, feeling he had overthought it.

"But how could that be possible?"

Even so, regarding Yu Zhangsheng, Lord Han Cheng couldn't help but look a few more times, sighing lightly in his heart.

Her telling these things to Yu Zhangsheng had her own purpose. It was indeed going with the flow. She also held the intention of seeing if speaking such taboo again would make outside rules break into the Wu Dao Ta, letting some of her judgments be verified.

"From the looks of it now, that vague vast will just now was the Wu Dao Ta's remnant spirit." Lord Han Cheng spoke softly, meeting Yu Zhangsheng's astonished gaze, and said: "However, even with such a great fluctuation, it merely made it instinctively react, and did not awaken. It seems this Wu Dao Ta's remnant spirit has indeed weakened to the extreme…"

A glimmer of gloom flashed in Lord Han Cheng's eyes. He spoke lightly: "Even to the point of fearing it cannot persist much longer…"

For her, this was a good thing. The taboo she spoke was with a probing mentality — to see if it could verify her guesses, and also to use this to test Yu Zhangsheng's reality.

"Oh…"

Yu Zhangsheng asked in puzzlement. Regarding these matters, he wasn't too clear. However Lord Han Cheng also seemed to have no desire to explain. She merely glanced lightly at Yu Zhangsheng and said:

"What I said before, you just listen for now. These matters, for you, perhaps are still too early. However, touching them early can also let you have some understanding of this world."

Yu Zhangsheng nodded lightly. He snorted through his nose: "Hmm…" In his heart, he fell into contemplation, unable to help muttering softly… "Name contains Xian…"

Yu Zhangsheng pondered inwardly. His spirit entered his Inner Landscape. Looking at the Xuan Turtle resting with eyes closed, he asked softly: "Senior, do you know these things?"

The Xuan Turtle's deep voice slowly resonated in Yu Zhangsheng's Inner Landscape. He spoke lightly: "Xuan Tian secrets. These matters, for the current you, are still too early. That is why I never told you. But since you know now, there's no need to take it too to heart."

Yu Zhangsheng fell silent. Amidst his flowing gaze, he thought of many things. He spoke softly again: "But I feel that Xuan Tian Holy Son… is related to me, right?"

The Xuan Turtle fell silent. Not a word. Amidst his closed-eye nurturing of spirit, he no longer answered Yu Zhangsheng's question.

Yu Zhangsheng smiled. He didn't ask further. In his heart, he had his answer.

"Name contains Xian… Heaven-bestowed talent… Holy Land's shadow… Is it him?"

Yu Zhangsheng murmured in his heart. In his mind, he couldn't help recalling a transcendent figure. He had only heard his name, never truly met him. But this person had a thousand threads of connection with him.

"Cao Jinxian…"

From when he unintentionally saw the history of the Spirit Dragon's fall back then, Yu Zhangsheng had suspected in his heart: Does this Barbarian Land of Wuzhou really possess a Senior Brother of such heaven-bestowed talent? At that time, at the Sub-Talisman Realm, he could instantly kill a fifth-rank King-level peak Spirit Beast, the Spirit Dragon, comparable to a Spirit Transformation Peak… Such a matter, even now viewed with Yu Zhangsheng's perspective, remains inconceivable.

On the path of Cultivation, the further back the Realm, the greater the Heaven-and-Earth difference. Any single minor Realm's disparity is world-shaking. Let alone crossing an entire major Realm… Throughout history, such geniuses are phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Furthermore, the Saint-level technique Myriad Spirits Decree that never appeared in Wuzhou's history, and the equally Saint-level technique Primordial Opening Heaven Sword…

These two. The former Yu Zhangsheng has already completely inherited it. The latter Yu Zhangsheng has also inherited half. But without a doubt, even placed in the entire cultivation world, Saint-level techniques are supremely precious Supreme Treasures. Any single one released would trigger a sensation from all directions, with countless cultivators vying to seize it…

And a mere Wuzhou, a mere Wanxiang Sect, an ordinary cultivator — how could they possess such things? However you look at it, it doesn't make sense.

Furthermore, Cao Jinxian's death and disappearance back then, her expulsion from the sect — in Yu Zhangsheng's view, it was already full of doubts…

What the true truth behind it all is, Yu Zhangsheng doesn't know. But now, with the City Lord Han's perception of the Profound Heaven Hidden Secrets, faintly visible, it has given Yu Zhangsheng some clues and speculations.

However, they are merely speculations. The specifics, Yu Zhangsheng also doesn't know clearly. And Xuan Gui is the same.

"If it's really like that… then I… what role do I play in all this?"

Yu Zhangsheng murmured softly. These thoughts, clumps upon clumps, surrounded his mind, tangled and unclear. Since it was so, Yu Zhangsheng simply suppressed them, no longer entangling himself.

After a long while, he exhaled deeply. And Xuan Gui's low voice suddenly reverberated lightly in Yu Zhangsheng's mind: "Some things, for the current you, even if you knew them, would have no meaning at all."

"You just need to remember what I said: don't lightly expose your Taichu Kaitian Sword, and the Wanling Jue — especially the latter…"

Words finished, Xuan Gui fell completely silent. Yu Zhangsheng looked thoughtful, nodded lightly, and kept those words in his heart.

………

Consciousness returned to the outside world. What Yu Zhangsheng was thinking in his heart, City Lord Han naturally didn't know; otherwise, it would inevitably cause another shock.

And now, after the Wu Dao Jie's remnant spirit acted on instinct and wiped away all the storms, the Wu Dao Jie once again returned to a stretch of tranquility, sunny and gentle.

It seemed as if everything that had just happened was merely a brief dream. And now, the dream had ended.

Meng Wu'an and Li Minghan also woke up leisurely. Their eyes first showed a trace of bewilderment. After Li Minghan observed the surrounding situation, he scratched his head, his tone revealing a trace of doubt: "Strange, did something happen just now? How did I suddenly fall asleep?"

Meng Wu'an frowned, likewise carefully recalling. Unfortunately, he gained nothing. Finally, his gaze fell on Yu Zhangsheng and City Lord Han, full of puzzlement.

Yu Zhangsheng saw this, his complexion blank as he raised an eyebrow, while in his heart he pondered:

"As expected, their cognition was still affected. However, it seems to be only a temporary sealing. When their realms become higher in the future, this information will naturally surface. It's not a bad thing."

City Lord Han shook his head, said lightly: "It's nothing. Some accidents occurred, but none are important. Rest up, we'll continue departing in a bit."

"Oh." Li Minghan nodded lightly, didn't think much of it, just looked at City Lord Han with an obedient yet slightly amazed gaze.

And Meng Wu'an also frowned. After a long pause, he suddenly asked: "May I ask City Lord Han, did you say something just now?"

City Lord Han was surprised, glanced at Meng Wu'an, then nodded.

"Good, many thanks." Meng Wu'an fell silent, cupped his fists, lowered his head, and said.

Yu Zhangsheng didn't utter a word, and had no intention of explaining to the two. Some information, since they couldn't hear it, couldn't be forced.

As for himself, he counted as an exception.

Thus, Yu Zhangsheng no longer thought further. Instead, like City Lord Han, he silently sat in meditation, recovering the chaotic Qi in his body, digesting the information, adjusting his state.

This meditation lasted an hour. An hour later, Yu Zhangsheng slowly rose, let out a long breath, glanced at the sky, and observed the surroundings.

The sunlight was bright. At this moment, the four's location wasn't far from Han Cheng. All around was a not-too-large plain. And in the distance, far off at the horizon's edge, lay a dense, lush forest. That was this group's destination.

The Spirit Beast corpses in the City Lord's Mansion, most of them, were also hunted from within there. (Chapter End)