Chapter 18

For Jiang Yan, a hardcore folk-belief enthusiast, frequent entry into the Disease Realms was hardly a punishment.

Quite the opposite; after discovering he had cancer, his mindset underwent a subtle shift. He grew weary of the mundane, boring daily life, while the bizarre and surreal Disease Realms opened a new world for him, allowing him to see so many interesting and beautiful mutated creatures.

Wasn't that a kind of joy?

Not to mention, his Demon God Embryo grew constantly, nourished by countless mutated creatures.

What is poison to others is a mountain of gold to me!

Even without this side effect, he would have found a way to seek out more Disease Realms.

As for having too many offspring, causing him to sink into history and open Disease Realms at every moment?

That was even less of a worry, because Jiang Yan could control his scores.

Do not forget, his offspring could devour each other to level up; after all, having too many skills would appear chaotic. Discard the dross and retain only the core abilities.

Once the number of offspring decreased, even if their quality improved, the speed of entering the Disease Realms would slow down.

Whether one wants to or not is merely a matter of a single thought.

Ba Lie watched the silent Jiang Yan, his heart instantly sinking to the bottom. He had already given up hope of recruiting the other, but since he had started, he might as well be a good person to the end:

"You need not worry too much. Destruction of the Present World accelerates significantly only then; merely using skills has little impact. Generally, the Disease Realms entered by History Walkers do not exceed their own level by much. After all, the River of History needs us to excise the lesions, not to use us as consumables to fill pits.

A situation like yours, starting immediately at the intersection of Grade-A Turbid Current difficulty, is rare. By the way, you probably still do not understand the classification of Disease Realm danger levels. Let me explain it to you.

The first stage is named 【Desolation Grade】, like a river in the Drought Phase. Mutated creatures exceeding the Spirit-Opening Realm will not appear; most are pseudo-demons tainted by the disease.

For example, the Disease Realm creatures most newbies encounter first—the Shadow of the Refugees. These are humans who died in disasters throughout history. Their unwillingness and resentment twisted within the lesions of the River of History, forming shadows lingering in the past.

Some formed emaciated evil ghosts that devour everything they see. Others, though their bodies were rotting, oozing pus, and crawling with flies and insects, becoming Shadows of Impurity, still sought living people to infect them with their virus. Besides these, there are monsters born from droughts, floods, and other calamities. No matter where, the people always suffer the most..."

"The second grade is 【Turbid Current Grade】, like the murky river water at the start of the flood season. It will flush out some strange and powerful creatures, but the highest will not exceed the peak of Dao Foundation.

At this stage, if not resolved, the filth within will block the river, causing a Blockage Phase. The flow of water scouring the Present World will also decrease. But this is no good thing. If it remains unclogged for too long, you should know what will happen, right?"

"Breach," Jiang Yan answered.

As a nation that grew up under the nightmare of the Yellow River, the Mother River, changing its course, whether in historical records or textbooks, the terror of the Yellow River breaching its banks is recorded.

Every time it appeared, it meant a hundred million corpses, suffering for all living beings, shaking the rule of any dynasty.

Compared to the gentle, bountiful Nile, the Yellow River was simply a Demon God on earth, making the living creatures nearby call for their mothers. It was not until modern times, with afforestation as the main measure, assisted by modern technological means, powerful coordination capabilities, and near-perfect post-disaster rescue, that the Yellow River appeared somewhat kind.

A saying even circulated online.

The Yellow River will punish every emperor who does not properly maintain water conservancy.

Just kidding. Even if you maintain it well, I will still punish you.

Only the strong are worthy to be its children.

"Exactly. It is the great river breaching, turning into surging floods that sweep away all things."

Ba Lie stared blankly, seemingly lost in memories, but soon came to his senses and continued:

"At this time, it is called 【Breach Grade】. After this comes 【Annihilation Grade】, implying the annihilation of civilization and the breaking of historical eras."

Desolation, Turbid Current, Breach, Annihilation.

They are further divided by Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding.

Ba Lie said, "There are also higher-grade Disease Realms, but those are too distant. The highest we can reach is Breach Grade. Knowing too much is not a good thing; it only adds trouble.

Returning to Breach Grade, before the breach, there is an initial stage named Flood Season, or Blockage Phase. It is like a warning before the flood breaches. Various anomalies will appear in the River of History to warn. Within this, mutated creatures of the Law Seed Realm will appear, and even... terrifying demons mastering the Old Day Talismanic Offices."

"What are the Old Day Talismanic Offices? Can History Walkers also promote?"

Jiang Yan asked, like a sponge, missing no opportunity to suck up water of knowledge.

He wished he could squeeze Ba Lie's knowledge dry.

"You kid really know how to ask. This part of the content is in the dark web dedicated to History Walkers and is worth at least a hundred thousand yuan. But since you met me, known as 【Old Ba Who Loves to Share】, well, before I say this, I have a question for you."

Ba Lie asked, "Do you know when the River of History became diseased?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yan was stunned; he truly could not think of an answer.

But looking at the disease of Immortals and Gods, it must be very ancient, right?

"The answer is, no one knows." The one who spoke was Zhao Zhao Yinman.

I did not ask you to answer!

Ba Lie rolled his eyes. He had wanted to keep the suspense, but could only continue:

"Indeed, no one knows when the River of History began to become diseased. Perhaps before humanity was born, perhaps when the Ancestral Dragon ascended Mount Tai to sacrifice to the gods, promising to surpass the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, or perhaps it just started yesterday.

It sounds illogical, but you only need to know that rules are followed by mortals. After the River of History became diseased, it interfered with the Present World and twisted time. All demons, ghosts, spirits, and monsters existing in the past and illusions, ancient cultivators, and eternal ruins appeared accordingly...

Rather than saying they always existed, it is more like countless Parallel Worlds possessing supernatural powers superimposed upon the past of the Present World, the only timeline. They constantly press towards the Present World, forming our current supernatural system."

"The power of History Walkers comes from the River of History, but relies not on slaying monsters, but on anchoring oneself..."

"Anchored to the Ancient!"

"Anchored... to the Ancient?"

Jiang Yan's pupils trembled slightly. He repeated the words softly, seeming to understand something, and suddenly raised his head.

He suddenly thought of the changes in Pan'an Old Street.

The ruins in the Intersection reflected back into the Present World.

If the Disease Realms could influence history, then...

What about History Walkers?

Are they the cleaners of history? Or part of history itself?

Are the excised Disease Realms truly diseased history?

"No wonder you are a genius rated Grade-A by the River of History. You guessed it so quickly."

Ba Lie said with a smile, "We slay monsters, extract historical relics, skills, and knowledge. Essentially, we plunder their supernatural traits and concepts of existence, attaching them to ourselves, thereby making ourselves ancient. The stronger the power, the deeper into history one can enter, gradually engraving one's own influence, and even... interfering with reality."

"Ancient things are not necessarily powerful, but once we become powerful, we will inevitably become..."

"The Ancient One!"

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(End of this chapter)