Chapter 738: Root of the Calamity?

"The Dao Lords are practically finished? Are you sure?"

The old man was somewhat surprised, and then he was incredulous, his face full of suspicion, thinking Li Heng was pulling his leg.

"I have no reason to lie to you. However, it surprises me that you know nothing about this. I thought you were someone from after the Dao Master Era, but it seems you are from the Dao Master Era."

Li Heng nodded and said.

In that case, in other Realities of the Great Void, those matters concerning the Dao Lords might not necessarily have vanished like they did in the Reality where he was.

Of course, there was another possibility, which was that in other Realities, the Dao Lords never truly appeared, or they were not known by this name.

The old man stared at Li Heng.

He looked again and again, confirming it over and over, and each time he could determine that Li Heng was not telling a lie. But was the information in these words not too incredible?

The Dao Lords, who forever resided in the supreme position, had actually finished?

"What exactly happened to our homeland?"

He asked aloud.

"Calamity, monsters—these are the things that ended the era of the Dao Lords and caused all the Dao Lords to fall. Of course, that is what is said; I don't know if the Dao Lords are completely dead, but I have indeed come into contact with the remnant spirit of one Dao Lord, the Zhongjie Daozhu."

There was no need to hide this information, and Li Heng was not stingy about answering; perhaps he could also obtain some intelligence from the old man, which could be considered an exchange of information.

"Calamity, monsters... how could this be?"

The old man muttered to himself, his expression still full of doubt.

Although he had extracted the terror of those Calamities and monsters from Li Heng's words, as if he had experienced it himself, he still did not understand why the Dao Lords would be beaten so miserably by Calamities and monsters.

"Then what about the Great Void?"

The old man asked.

"Hmm, this question is also difficult for me to answer; after all, I have yet to be able to survey the entire Great Void. But as far as I know, the regions of the Great Void I have come into contact with have indeed undergone earth-shaking changes compared to the original Dao Master Era, and the space-time structure is already different."

Li Heng thought for a moment and replied. He continued to explain to the old man, revealing the existence of the Time-Space Mother River and countless eras, and shared some of his own conjectures with him.

"So that's how it is? Calamity monsters are spread throughout the Great Void, everywhere? Interesting, truly interesting..."

After listening, the old man muttered to himself a few times, and his originally murky pupils seemed to light up, possessing a strange luster, but also carrying a sense of a final flash of brilliance before death.

"Could it be... that those pioneers have truly achieved results?"

He speculated.

"Results, what do you mean?"

Hearing this, Li Heng suddenly became interested. It involved those pioneers who were still exploring the Wuqiong Weizhi, and it also concerned the matter of the Dao Lords; perhaps it could allow him to resolve many doubts.

"What do I mean? Naturally, I mean it literally."

"For a long time, the Transcendence Path has been kept under the foot of the Void Path. No matter how the powerhouses of the Transcendence Path transcend or how they grow stronger, they are instead constantly strengthening the Dao Lords."

"Do you think no one would resist this situation?"

The old man said with a smile.

Li Heng thought for a moment and spoke.

"I actually think normal people wouldn't resist. After all, if you can't beat them, join them; what's shameful about that? I imagine there should be more powerhouses who join and cultivate the Void Path."

In fact, he didn't need to guess; the current state of the Great Void proved this fact, as there were very few powerhouses who had embarked on the true Transcendence Path.

"Correct, you are right."

"But the Great Void is vast, and the Wuqiong Weizhi is also vast, so there will always be some lunatics who are not normal people, as well as poor souls who have no chance to change their path. These people have no choice but to go down one path to the end."

"Does that group of people just let the Dao Lords bully them? No!"

"Perhaps the Dao Lords don't even need to take the initiative to act against them. Merely the existence of the Dao Lords themselves, constantly pressing down on them and preventing them from achieving complete Transcendence, is already disgusting enough."

The old man said slowly.

"So what are the means of retaliation?"

Li Heng continued to ask.

"Haven't you already guessed the means of retaliation? It is nothing more than the endless exploration of the Unknown, until a method to deal with the Dao Lords is found. After all, practitioners of the Transcendence Path have always firmly believed in one thing: that the Great Void is not necessarily the truly supreme thing."

"It's just that these Calamity monsters might be able to threaten the Dao Lords, but from your description, they cannot threaten the Great Void? The change in space-time structure is nothing at all to the Great Void."

"So this is just a man-made disaster?"

"Not necessarily. This is just my speculation; perhaps it is a natural disaster, or perhaps it is a man-made disaster, or even a disaster from nowhere, a terror in the dark. In short, I can only draw conclusions based on my information."

The old man shook his head.

Li Heng laughed in spite of himself.

What was the difference between saying such a vague thing and saying nothing at all?

"You don't have to be disappointed. Exploring the Unknown is just like this; the truth obtained in this step might be eliminated in the next. In this endless Unknown, nothing is reliable."

"Sometimes, just being convinced of your own viewpoint is already correct."

The old man said meaningfully.

"That is a bit subjective and idealistic, but this can also be considered a necessary weapon for exploring the objective Unknown."

Li Heng shrugged, not wanting to express anything more.

Although exploring the Unknown indeed required such an attitude, the truly unique answer was also objectively existent, and the existence of the answer required evidence.

Without evidence, it was just speculation.

However, perhaps he could look into it while he was at it?

Li Heng focused all his attention on this old man.

Hmm, a former pioneer of Transcendence, now a lonely ghost. To have such a high realm when dying, this was indeed a bit troublesome. But if he could make him obtain the corresponding truth, then he could bear a little cost; it could be considered an investment.

"Young man, your gaze is not right. Do you want to take action against me?" The old man noticed the change in Li Heng and spoke calmly, showing not a hint of fear. Although he was dead, what was before him was only a successor who had not yet embarked on the path.

"No, no, no, who would take action against a dead person?"

"To make the dead even deader? Perhaps some people are interested; there is indeed a Hongdao Level who does this, but I have no such interest."

Li Heng shook his head.

"So what is it that you want to do?"

The old man frowned as he spoke; this young man's reaction was beyond his expectations. If he had been treating him as an equal just a moment ago, now he was merely looking down at him from a position of superiority.

But what right did this young man have to do so?

Though a fierce tiger may be dead, its might still remains.

Is this young man truly so arrogant? That shouldn't be; a person this arrogant would not have made it this far.

"I harbor no ill intent; I only wish to save the old man."

Li Heng chuckled.

"So I would like to discuss a transaction with you."

"A transaction concerning resurrection..."