Chapter 3: The Ledger

"That was close!"

Watching the gradually calming tribal grounds of the Baisheng tribe, the few of them finally set their minds at ease; fortunately, despite the twists and turns, everything had ended in peace and tranquility.

"It is fortunate that there was no harm this time; otherwise, if the people inside had been released, I fear the world would know no peace, and the slaughter would never end!"

"Thank you, Lord Shen, for your help this time; otherwise, we likely would not have survived!"

While thanking Shen Yu, the old man introduced himself, "Lord Shen, I am Chen Feng, and these are my two brothers, Zhaohua and Ye Yu!"

"It was merely a small effort, you are too polite, old senior!" Nodding at the other party, they could now be considered acquainted.

"Chen Feng, Zhaohua, Mu Xue, Ye Yu—Wind Flower Snow Rain, is it!"

Shen Yu had not known of them before, but now he knew that the reason the Southern Border had remained stable all these years was entirely due to them guarding this place.

Setting aside that hypocrite Mu Xue, the others were still worthy of respect.

"Big Brother, we cannot go on like this!"

Just at this moment, Ye Yu, who was beside them, said in a low voice, "Nowadays, the seals in various places are shaking more and more violently. Big Brother, if this continues, we will be exhausted from running about, and in the end, I fear we will be unable to attend to everything at once!"

"Oh, old senior, are there many experts sealed away like this?"

"Many, very many; the number we know of alone is not small!"

Shaking his head, Chen Feng said with a hint of worry, "However, some of these experts were sealed by others, while some sealed themselves!"

"Now that disturbances are occurring one after another in various places, many seals have shown varying degrees of instability. I fear the Great Contention Era is approaching, and I do not know how much longer we can hold on!"

"Great Contention Era?" Seeming to have heard something extraordinary, Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and could not help but ask, "What is the Great Contention Era?"

"Does Lord Shen know of Mu Zishan?"

Without answering Shen Yu's question directly, Chen Feng instead asked a question in return, then looked up at the brilliant night sky, his eyes seeming to pierce through the endless void to reach the other side of the stars.

"Mu Zishan of the white clothes and cold robes?" He nodded. To be honest, he had heard this name often recently; it represented an era, and even more, it represented a legend.

"I have heard a little, it is like thunder in my ears! It is rumored that over a hundred years ago, this person shook the world with his might; no one dared to oppose him!"

"When he was present, the world fell silent, and all experts in the Jianghu avoided the white robe. Wherever he went, all would submit!"

"It was only later that Mu Zishan suddenly disappeared without a trace, and from then on, the legend became an echo of the past."

Speaking of this, Shen Yu could not help but fall silent. He truly did not know what kind of demeanor such an expert standing at the very peak would have!

"Indeed, that was a Jianghu legend. In the last thousand years, he is the only one who could be called a legend! After Mu Zishan, who else is worthy of wearing the white robe!"

Mentioning Mu Zishan, Chen Feng was filled with indescribable respect, and even his eyes revealed a sense of yearning.

"However, Lord Shen may not know that the Mu Zishan of those years did not actually disappear, but entered the Forbidden Land alone!"

"Forbidden Land? What is that?"

"Indeed, the Forbidden Land. It is a terrifying place, a place without Spirit Qi, and even for ordinary people, entering it means certain death!"

Seeming to recall something, Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with infinite reverence.

"Does Lord Shen know what the highest realm is for experts in the Jianghu today?"

"This..." Shen Yu truly did not know this. He had no master to teach him and relied entirely on the system to instill knowledge, so he was still somewhat lacking in certain areas.

He only knew that he was currently in the Transcendence Realm; as for what realm was above that, or how to break through, he was still completely in the dark.

"It seems Lord Shen is not clear on this. That is to be expected; few in the Jianghu know, and even fewer can reach it. In fact, above the Transcendence Realm is the True Soul Realm!"

"Transcendence is the realm of crossing the spirit; the body at this point becomes extraordinary and refined, as if shedding the dust of the mortal world!"

"And the True Soul Realm is the transcendence of the soul. With a single thought, one determines mountains and seas; with a single thought, one changes heaven and earth. Wherever the mind reaches, all things in nature naturally serve one's own use!"

Speaking to this point, Chen Feng pointed toward the altar and said with a solemn face, "Does Lord Shen know that even True Soul Realm experts are like ants before such existences, capable of being destroyed with a wave of the hand?"

"It is not that human strength has its limits or that talent is insufficient; in reality, it is this world that restricts, limiting the upper bound of everyone!"

"All experts in the world cultivate by inhaling the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth to strengthen themselves, sensing the nature of heaven and earth, and comprehending the Dao!"

"But the Spirit Qi in this world is thin. Just as shallow water cannot raise a large fish, the thin Spirit Qi cannot nourish the most supreme experts!"

"However, every thousand years, the world welcomes a baptism of a Spiritual Qi Surge, much like a tide."

"When the Spirit Qi tide recedes, the world is as thin in Spirit Qi as it is now. When the Spirit Qi tide surges in, the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth rises sharply, and the upper limit of the world is raised infinitely."

"The surging Spirit Qi will turn this small pond of thin Spirit Qi into an endless ocean; this is the Great Contention Era!"

Turning his head, Chen Feng looked at Shen Yu, and the inexplicable light flickering in those eyes made Shen Yu tremble all over.

In those eyes, Shen Yu saw a touch of anticipation and yearning, but even more, it was fear!

Yet, even Shen Yu did not know why he would reveal such a look.

"A Spiritual Qi Surge, that should be a good thing!"

"A good thing? Hah!" With a scoff, Chen Feng continued calmly, "At that time, experts in the Jianghu will be as numerous as crucian carp crossing the river."

"The previously high and mighty Transcendence Realm, and even True Soul Realm experts, will be as common as the Postnatal and Innate experts of today."

"Countless people will scramble to move upward, just to be able to go further in the surging Spirit Qi tide and constantly break through themselves!"

"But with the Spirit Qi surging and experts increasing sharply, does Lord Shen know what this means?"

At this time, not a trace of excitement could be seen on Chen Feng's face; instead, it was full of cold silence, appearing indescribably solemn.

Turning back to look at Shen Yu, Chen Feng said quietly, "It means endless slaughter; it means mountains of corpses and seas of blood!"

"In the Great Contention Era, everyone is eager to seize the opportunity to soar into the sky; too many people fall because of this, choosing to strengthen themselves through slaughter."

"Moreover, those sealed existences are all racking their brains to escape. The period when the Spirit Qi tide arrives is the best time for them to escape."

"Compared to those sealed supreme experts, the current experts in the Jianghu are like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, and those ordinary people at the very bottom are the food on the plate to be taken at will."

"Besides that, there are a large number of experts who sealed themselves; after the Spirit Qi surges, they will inevitably choose to awaken!"

"And there are those secret lands that take the opportunity to emerge, hidden cave heavens, and so on; countless experts will appear!"

Clenching his fists tightly, Chen Feng seemed to have thought of something, and a piercing light flashed in his eyes.

"To those who have slept until now, the current world is unfamiliar and devoid of any sentiment. This place is their slaughterhouse; it is the nourishment that sustains them."

"To occupy a place in the Great Contention Era, one must recover their strength as quickly as possible. And what is faster than plundering?"

"Experts who awaken usually choose to slaughter without restraint; this point has long been a common occurrence."

"With the Spiritual Qi Surge, a hundred boats compete in the current, and heroes fight to the death; in the midst of such great chaos, the common people will not even have one in ten survive, or perhaps even one in a hundred!"

"In that case, does Lord Shen still think this is a good thing?"

After a pause, Chen Feng took a deep breath, composed himself, and continued, "The Dasheng Dynasty has done quite well over these years; the lives of the common people are passable, and the population is well over hundreds of millions!"

"But after the great chaos, let alone the common people, even the Dasheng Dynasty will be overturned in an instant."

"Every time there is a Spirit Qi tide, the first to bear the brunt is the Imperial Court that rules the world. After those top-tier experts emerge, how could they allow an Imperial Court to exist?"

"In this world, there are thousand-year clans, yet there has never been a thousand-year Imperial Court; why does Lord Shen think that is?"

"As for the various sects of the Jianghu and the experts of the world, they will be viewed as thorns in the side by those awakened experts and must be eliminated quickly. Of course, the stronger the expert, the more they serve as nourishment for them."

"When the Spirit Qi tide recedes, the number of native experts remaining from each generation will be few and far between. Throughout the long years, it has been like this for every generation."

"And most of those who remain will also become cold-blooded, using unscrupulous means for their own sake, and when the Spirit Qi revives in the days to come, they will slaughter the people of the next era!"

"It is as if it is a cycle, repeating endlessly!"