Chapter 582: The Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon Is Actually Me?

Ye Lin felt a jolt of shock in his heart.

Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon!

The very name sounded hair-raising; it must be an incredibly terrifying existence.

"Did this Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon start fighting with the native cultivators of the Longevity Continent?"

Ye Lin immediately thought of the previous war between humans and demons.

"That's not it."

Ku Yan shook his head.

"Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon is just a name given to that thing by the cultivators on the Longevity Continent; in reality, no one knows what that hellish thing is!"

"All that is known is that a thousand years ago, a twisted mass suddenly appeared outside the Longevity Continent. It was indescribable, formless, and it just got stuck there!"

"During that time, the old monsters and top-tier powerhouses of the Longevity Continent tried to deal with the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, but unfortunately, no matter how strong the expert who attacked was, they all returned empty-handed."

"The Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon seemed to have no life, turning a blind eye to any attack."

"Gradually, everyone gave up on the idea of dealing with it, because it didn't seem to have any intention of destroying the Longevity Continent, and everyone just got used to its existence."

"But... the real disaster had only just begun!"

"Worlds like the Longevity Continent, which possess complete realm rules, are protected by a layer of defensive power. Aside from being born here, the only way to enter the Longevity Continent is through ascension."

"But under the erosion of the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, that layer of defensive power weakened bit by bit, until finally, a huge gap appeared!"

"Once that gap appeared, the primordial immortal Qi of the Longevity Continent began to leak out little by little, just like a hole torn in the sky."

"In less than a hundred years, the Longevity Continent became unsuitable for the survival of cultivators, directly entering the Age of Dharma Decline."

"Cultivators could only maintain their realms and continue to grow stronger by using Immortal Source Stones; the act of cultivation shifted from being accessible to the masses—anyone with a spiritual root could cultivate—to something only those with deep backgrounds could afford."

Speaking to the point of agitation, Ku Yan even punched the wall beside him.

"That damn Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon!"

Ye Lin dared not make a sound.

Judging from Ku Yan's description.

He vaguely felt.

The Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon in Ku Yan's mouth.

Might, perhaps, maybe, should, roughly be Ye Lin himself.

But the timing didn't quite match up.

A thousand years ago.

It couldn't possibly have been a thousand years since Fan Xiu self-detonated, could it?

"......"

Ye Lin thought deeply and felt terrified; it was actually possible.

When he pushed his Undying Divine Domain to the limit, even his consciousness had gone dormant; if he had slept for a thousand years, it was not impossible.

Ye Lin felt his scalp tingle; he had finally discovered one disadvantage of eternal life: sleeping for a thousand years felt like yesterday to him.

But it was not so for others; for them, it was a solid one thousand years.

Zhuge Yi, Shen Jingbin, Ji Lingyu... those people he was familiar with, were they still in this world?

If they were, with a thousand years having passed, would they even remember him?

Time is the most terrifying thing; brothers who called each other siblings and had a bond as strong as iron while in school might find their relationship fading after a few years of struggling in society.

Ye Lin took a deep breath; he would likely only find the answers to these questions once he met them in person.

"Brother Ku Yan, so we are digging pits now because of the influence of that Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon?"

"Of course!"

Ku Yan nodded heavily.

"If we had successfully ascended a thousand years ago, we would have had a bright future."

"As long as the ascension succeeded, the primordial immortal Qi on the Longevity Continent would have automatically reshaped our bodies, making our rules complete; in that case, we would be no different from the native cultivators of the Longevity Continent!"

"And because we had already comprehended the power of laws in advance, we would have cultivated even faster than them!"

"But now, because of that dog-thing, the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, the Longevity Continent has entered the Age of Apocalypse, and there is simply not enough primordial immortal Qi to reshape our bodies."

"Ascenders who want to reshape their bodies can only rely on piling up massive amounts of Immortal Source Stones."

"Except for a few ascenders with monstrous talent who are scouted by sects, holy lands, and great clans to receive these Immortal Source Stones, the rest of the ascenders can only be reduced to free labor!"

Ye Lin frowned.

"Can't we just rob them?"

"Rob? With what? The more complete the realm rules of a world, the more powerful the creatures born within it."

Ku Yan sneered.

"Do you know? When I was born, there were strange omens: a green lotus grew from chaos, a bright moon rose over the sea, and gods and Buddhas across the sky chanted scriptures for me."

"My father told everyone that his son had the potential to become an immortal!"

"He held me high above his head, and I did not disappoint him!"

"At three, I, Ku Yan, channeled Qi into my body, self-taught, and grasped the laws of cultivation."

"At five, a propitious Qilin descended from the sky, voluntarily becoming my mount."

"At ten, I achieved the Foundation Establishment realm, a realm many cultivators spend their whole lives seeking in vain."

"At fifteen, my Golden Core formed! At twenty-five, my Nascent Soul emerged!"

"From then on, my path of cultivation was smooth and unstoppable; I rarely met a rival, and my peers couldn't even see my back."

"In less than a hundred years, I completed the four realms of Spirit Severing, Asking the Peak, Tribulation Transcendence, and Great Vehicle, becoming the fastest person in our world's history to ascend and become an immortal!"

"I have seen many geniuses, but they all called me a genius!"

"When I first arrived at the Longevity Continent, I was arrogant, thinking I would surely carve out a place for myself."

"I was just like you, unwilling to be a miner, so I took action!"

"And then... I was slapped back to reality, and I've been mining here for three hundred years."

Ku Yan revealed a bitter smile, his eyes showing a hint of unwillingness.

"Our comprehension of the power of laws is incomplete; we can't use it at all on the Longevity Continent. You should have tried it just now, so we have no chance to resist."

"Besides, even if we escaped the mine and went to the outside world, without Immortal Source Stones to provide immortal Qi, we would be no different from ordinary people and would die prematurely before long."

"If we don't work, we die; if we do work, we see no future at all."

Ku Yan's words left Ye Lin silent.

Ku Yan had done nothing wrong; he was a genius beyond reproach, but his only mistake was being born in the wrong place—not on the Longevity Continent, but in a small, backwater world.

People from small places, even if they try their best, are likely inferior to ordinary people born on the Longevity Continent.

When Ku Yan's father held him above his head back then, he never imagined that his child would suffer so much after growing up, right?

Ye Lin reached out, wanting to comfort Ku Yan.

But he suddenly remembered that the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon Ku Yan kept cursing was himself; in the end, Ye Lin had to take at least half the responsibility for Ku Yan's current plight.

Thinking of this, Ye Lin silently withdrew his hand.

He was just that kind of low-key person; he never left his name after doing a good deed.