Chapter 516: Lighthouse Project

"As expected, you also obtained this item."

Xuanyang felt a bit emotional, yet also carried a hint of joy; this meant that the Lighthouse Project had the conditions to proceed.

"However, please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. Actually, I intended to lay out this entire plan once you returned; I had no intention of hiding it," Xuanyang explained.

Although he had been vague and unclear before.

But the fact that Li Heng could bring these things back showed that he was already one of their own; to keep secrets from one of their own would be too ungracious.

What's more, Li Heng's strength had now reached the Sacred Realm; if Li Heng forcibly wanted to know, he could not stop him, so it was better to be sensible and speak up first.

At the very least, this could earn some goodwill.

"Fellow Daoist Li, since you have advanced to the Sacred Realm during your journey to the True Realm and have learned of my past, you must surely know some information regarding His Majesty, right?"

Xuanyang asked.

Li Heng nodded.

"I don't know much. Back then, the Heavenly Emperor realized that the Heavenly Court would face an unavoidable Calamity, so he ventured alone into the Unknown to find a solution, leaving behind the many Sacreds of the Heavenly Court. Yet, until the very end, when the Heavenly Court shattered and the Immortal Gods fell, the Heavenly Emperor never appeared to return."

"However, in the end, the Heavenly Emperor's contingency plan was triggered, freezing time and space to form an Absolute seal, imprisoning the Calamity and monsters that had invaded the Heavenly Court, but with that, the Immortal God Era ended."

Xuanyang was somewhat surprised upon hearing this; he knew even these secret matters?

Was this what he called "not knowing much"?

He steadied the turbulent emotions in his heart and continued to speak. "What Fellow Daoist Li said is not a single word false; since that First Tribulation, the glorious Immortal God Era has indeed ended."

"However, the end of an era does not mean everything has ended. Although most Immortal Gods and even Sacreds fell during that catastrophe, a portion of them still escaped."

"And as you should be aware, Fellow Daoist Li, I have mentioned this point before. These people were divided into three factions."

"One faction attempted to avoid the Calamity and monsters, becoming Deserters. As for the other two factions, they can actually be considered one, which is the camp I belong to—either staying behind to provide support or heading into the Unknown to find a solution."

Li Heng nodded.

He knew the general situation, but he wanted to know the specifics.

"These two factions can be described as the Salvation Faction and the fugitives."

"Most of the Salvation Faction I belong to have already ventured deep into the Unknown, following the path left behind by His Majesty back then."

"It can be said this way: His Majesty is responsible for pioneering, searching for the origin of the Calamity and a solution, but unless the root of the Calamity can be found, according to the original plan, His Majesty will not turn back; he will only keep moving forward."

Xuanyang's expression was complex.

He understood what kind of responsibility his own Majesty shouldered.

"But you all cannot wait that long."

Li Heng said calmly.

The Heavenly Emperor was hailed as the first among all heavens; he did not know if there was any exaggeration in that, but he was definitely far stronger than the other Heavenly Court Sacreds.

The situation that other Immortal Gods deemed irreversible still had a possibility of being reversed in the eyes of the Heavenly Emperor. Therefore, even though the Heavenly Court was destroyed and the Immortal Gods had fallen, the Heavenly Emperor still did not turn back.

It was only because, in the Heavenly Emperor's view, this was not worth turning back for; finding the root of the Calamity and solving it was the top priority. Once solved, he was confident he could recreate everything.

But the other Immortal Gods were different.

If they died, they died; if the Heavenly Court was destroyed, it was destroyed. How could they afford to wait? Even if the Heaven and Earth were truly found to have the origin of the Calamity later and it was destroyed, could they really return? That was not certain.

This is not to say these Immortal Gods did not trust their Majesty, but they were unwilling to just sit and wait for death, relying entirely on the Heavenly Emperor to save them.

"Yes, we cannot afford to wait."

"So we walked into the Unknown, just like His Majesty did at the time."

Xuanyang sighed and continued his account.

"In fact, we also bet correctly on a part of it."

"Bet correctly on a part?" Li Heng raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. When we first explored the Unknown Realm, we found the path His Majesty left behind, traveled a distance along it, and obtained some phased results left by His Majesty."

"Although these results could not fundamentally eliminate the Calamity or solve the monsters, they could act as a deterrent or even a restraint against them. These results also helped us resolve some of the Calamities and monsters that pursued us, preserving some of our vital strength."

"This strengthened our confidence: as long as we followed His Majesty's path and continuously obtained the phased results left by His Majesty, we could suppress the Calamity and the monsters. Even if we couldn't suppress them, at the very least, we could delay for time, waiting until His Majesty returned."

"If I'm not mistaken, an accident happened afterward."

Li Heng said calmly.

The idea was beautiful, but Reality was not very beautiful.

"You are right, an accident did indeed happen."

Xuanyang said bitterly.

"No matter how powerful His Majesty's strength was, and even if he could leave behind a known path in a completely Unknown realm, he was ultimately encountering the erosion of the Unknown at every moment."

"So, during one instance when the vast majority of people ventured deep into the Unknown, the path of return was severed. The path left behind by His Majesty changed from known back to Unknown, and they never returned from then on."

As Xuanyang spoke, his expression changed from bitter to calm and numb.

When this incident first occurred, he truly felt extremely painful and felt isolated and helpless. But after so many years had passed, he had become numb.

If not for encountering the unexpected factor that was Li Heng.

He would not have even thought about starting the Lighthouse Project.

"I see, no wonder you let me get this thing. But if my estimation is correct, they must have been lost in the Unknown Realm for too long, right? Are you sure they are still alive?"

Li Heng asked calmly.

"They might have been moving along the path left by His Majesty the whole time and have not been lost; they just cannot return."

Xuanyang denied it in his reply.

"But you just said that known return paths that exist for a long time will gradually be eroded by the Unknown Realm and turn back into the Unknown. If you say it that way, it is even more impossible for them to return."

"After all, the further one travels, the further one is from the Great Void."

Li Heng said slowly, ruthlessly shattering Xuanyang's hope.

Xuanyang fell silent; how could he not know this point?

It was just that he had never believed it.

He did not believe that things would end just like that, did not believe that his Majesty had not foreseen it, and did not believe that the group of fellows who had ventured deep into the Unknown would simply perish there so easily.

After all, they were all peerless prodigies.

Except for a piece of trash like himself, who had undergone self-separation and whose Dao foundation was ruined.

"I... in the end, I still believe in them."

In the end, Xuanyang could only give such a pale reply. He truly had no evidence to prove his point of view, and even he himself was faintly wavering.

Although it was true that there were Sacred beings among the group that explored the Unknown.

But having been lost in the Unknown Realm for so many years, could they really still return? Even if they could return, would they still be their original selves? Would they still be the old friends he was familiar with?

He did not know, and he dared not think...