CHAPTER 502: CHAPTER 249: WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ANCESTRAL VEIN (VOTE FOR MONTHLY TICKETS)

「Mountain-Breaking City’s Demon-Subduing Division.」

With the Hundred Sects Assembly concluded, Shen Changqing was dealing with the aftermath of the calamity while also preparing for war, seeking an opportunity to take down the Heaven Alliance in one decisive move.

On this day, just as he was about to leave the Council Hall, he saw someone approaching.

"Pavilion Master Yi!"

Seeing the newcomer, a flicker of astonishment crossed Shen Changqing’s face. He recognized the man; it was Yi Ning, the Internal Affairs Hall Master.

Speaking of Yi Ning, although Shen Changqing knew he had arrived in South Nether Prefecture, he hadn’t had the chance to meet him. Unexpectedly, the Internal Affairs Hall Master had come directly to him.

As Shen Changqing caught sight of Yi Ning, Yi Ning also happened to see him.

"It’s been a while! Defender Shen has risen from being a Martial Hall Elder to the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture. Truly admirable!" Yi Ning greeted with a laugh and a clasped-hand salute.

Even when facing a South Nether Prefecture Defender Envoy, Yi Ning maintained his usual nonchalant demeanor, showing neither awe nor restraint.

Shen Changqing was accustomed to his personality.

"Pavilion Master Yi, you have time to visit Mountain-Breaking City today. May I inquire as to the purpose?"

As he spoke, he sat back down and gestured with his hand. "Pavilion Master Yi, please, don’t stand on ceremony."

"Alright."

Yi Ning nodded and sat directly in an empty seat. He then looked Shen Changqing up and down, the playful smile on his face lessening somewhat, replaced by a hint of wistfulness.

"The heritage Defender Shen received must be extraordinary for you to become the second Great Grandmaster after Shimohe. You must understand, since the end of the Ancient Times, methods to break the body’s limits have all but vanished."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing’s eyebrows rose slightly. "Are you implying that Great Grandmasters actually existed in the Ancient Times?"

This information surprised him somewhat. Shen Changqing had always believed that Great Grandmaster-level experts might not have existed in the Ancient Times. After all, if they had, it was unlikely that no information about them would have survived.

Until recently, before the appearance of Great Grandmasters, the realm beyond Grandmaster was shrouded in mist, an ethereal legend.

Yi Ning said, "Previously, I couldn’t be sure. But do you recall when I invited you to an Ancient Ruin? You declined, so I had to go by myself. Inside, I discovered some new information. Not only did Great Grandmasters exist during the Ancient Times, but there were also powerhouses stronger than Great Grandmasters. Shimohe was by no means the pioneer of the Grandmaster Realm. He merely chanced upon an ancient heritage, yet now he proclaims himself the foremost Great Grandmaster. It’s laughable."

After listening to this, Shen Changqing understood. So, the Ancient Times did have Great Grandmasters, and even powerhouses who had surpassed the Grandmaster Realm.

However, he wasn’t overly shocked by this news. Given the vast expanse of time since the Ancient Times, the existence of such paramount experts back then wouldn’t be impossible.

Subsequently, Shen Changqing asked, "I’ve heard that the Ancients’ Ancestral Vein was severed, leading to the decline and disappearance of the Ancient Times. Pavilion Master Yi, do you happen to know what exactly the Ancestral Vein is, and how it was severed?"

This question had weighed on his mind for a long time, but ordinary people couldn’t answer it. Only Yi Ning... He frequently visited various ruins and might have gleaned some valuable secrets, like this time.

As he posed the question, Shen Changqing also scrutinized Yi Ning carefully, his expression suddenly flickering.

Grandmaster Ultimate Summit! No. To be exact, it should be the Spiritual System’s Ultimate Summit.

During their last encounter, while he hadn’t been entirely clear on Yi Ning’s realm, he was certain of one thing: the man had definitely not reached the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit. Looking at him now, Yi Ning had evidently reached the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit. To say no fortuitous encounter was involved in this would be utterly unbelievable.

The first thing that came to Shen Changqing’s mind was the Ancient Ruins Yi Ning had just mentioned.

However, he temporarily suppressed this question, not voicing it immediately.

Meanwhile, Yi Ning, unaware of Shen Changqing’s thoughts, was earnestly answering the question. "As for what the Ancestral Vein is... well, that’s difficult to say with certainty. I’ve explored numerous Ancient Ruins. Some records suggest the Ancestral Vein is actually the world’s Dragon Vein, while others claim it was a Spirit Vein that spanned the entire continent. Between these two theories, I find the latter more plausible. Many records about the Ancestral Vein in Ancient Ruins state that its severance caused a significant decline in Spiritual Energy. This, in turn, transformed the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit into a shackle, preventing cultivators from breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm. However, the truth of the matter still requires gradual verification."

After saying a fair amount in one go, Yi Ning paused briefly before continuing. "Regarding the reason for the Ancestral Vein’s severance, Ancient Ruins offer scarce records. Despite visiting many such sites, I’ve only managed to gather fragments of information. From these fragments, I’ve managed to piece together a hypothesis. The Ancestral Vein was severed due to a cataclysmic war that erupted in the Ancient Times. That war caused the Ancestral Vein to break and all Ancient Powerhouses to perish. It was precisely their abrupt fall that led to the loss of many inheritances."

Ancient war, leading to the severance of the Ancients’ Ancestral Vein and the fall of all powerful experts. This explanation isn’t entirely unreasonable. Thinking carefully, Shen Changqing felt it had some merit. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain the sudden disappearance of the ancient era. So many experts, yet apart from certain ruins, no legacies were left behind elsewhere. But this raised another question: what kind of war could have resulted in the utter annihilation of the Ancient Powerhouses? Was it internal strife, or an external enemy? If the former, it might not be so bad. But if it were the latter, that would be quite troublesome. He couldn’t be sure if the enemies who fought the Ancient Powerhouses had all perished or were still concealed somewhere.

"Pavilion Master Yi, do you know precisely how many years have passed since the Ancient Times?"

"I’m not entirely certain, but one thing is definite: at least three to five thousand years have passed, possibly even tens of thousands. Too much time has elapsed, and the records are no longer clear," Yi Ning replied ambiguously.

The exact duration from the ancient era to the present is indeed difficult to calculate. Dynasties rose and fell, wars occurred; accurately recording such a vast span of time is clearly impossible.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing nodded thoughtfully. A gap of several thousand years was somewhat reassuring. After all, with millennia gone by, even if enemies from that era existed, they might have turned to dust by now.

It couldn’t be that those enemies could so easily live for thousands of years. Yet, it wasn’t entirely impossible, though to him, it seemed rather incredible. Even at his current Grandmaster Realm, Shen Changqing couldn’t guarantee he could live for two hundred years, let alone thousands; his physical body would likely have decayed by then. Although it was said that the stronger a being’s Flesh, the more resistant it was to decay and disappearance, he wasn’t certain his own body would truly remain intact and immortal for millennia after death.

He inwardly shook his head, dismissing such unrealistic thoughts.

Then, Shen Changqing said, "If I’m not mistaken, Pavilion Master Yi, you should have reached the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit, right? What mysteries do the Ancient Ruins hold that could elevate someone to such a level?"

The enhancement of spiritual power was precisely what he urgently needed. It had taken ten high-level Demon Evils for his Divine Soul to barely advance from the second to the seventh stage. Shen Changqing could almost imagine the colossal amount of energy required for further progress beyond the seventh stage. Much like the True Intent of the Grandmaster Realm, each subsequent stage of Divine Soul advancement demanded exponentially more than the last. Ten high-level Demon Evils could elevate a Divine Soul from the second to the seventh stage, but beyond the seventh stage, ten such Demon Evils might only suffice to reach the eighth or ninth stage. However, finding ten high-level Demon Evils was extraordinarily difficult. Therefore, to further enhance his Divine Soul, he would have to explore other avenues. Although the Demon-Subduing Division and various sects currently supplied him with Demon Evils, they were mostly quite weak. While they provided a steady stream of Slaughter Value daily, they were unlikely to significantly boost his Divine Soul. Take Fiend Level Strange Monsters, for instance. To advance his Divine Soul from the seventh to the eighth stage, Shen Changqing estimated he would need to slay at least ten thousand Fiend Level Strange Monsters. After all, at his current realm, there was a three-stage gap between him and Fiend Level Strange Monsters. Consequently, advancement was not so easy. Yet, considering Yi Ning’s words about powerful beings existing in ancient times, perhaps the ruins truly contained something capable of enhancing the Divine Soul. Ultimately, the difficulty of cultivating the Divine Soul was undeniable. If ancient powerhouses could reach such heights, even surpassing the Grandmaster Realm, they must have possessed certain methods or treasures to augment their Divine Soul power. Otherwise, Shen Changqing refused to believe it could be achieved solely through arduous cultivation.

Upon hearing his words, Yi Ning laughed. "Ancient Ruins contain many things that can enhance spiritual power. However, the more precious the ruin, the greater the inherent risks. I’ve witnessed several terrifying Ancient Ruins where even Grandmaster Peaks would be annihilated without a trace if they made a single misstep. If I’m not mistaken, those ruins are likely intended for Great Grandmasters. If Defender Shen is truly interested, why don’t I take you there? If we find anything, we’ll split it eighty-twenty—you take eighty percent, I get twenty. How does that sound?"

As he finished, Yi Ning gave a knowing smile.

He had long wanted to explore powerful Ancient Ruins, but often, his own strength forced him to hold back. The last time, Yi Ning had also taken note of Shen Changqing’s strength, hence his invitation. Unfortunately, the other party wasn’t interested, so he had to bite the bullet and go it alone.

Luckily, he hadn’t perished in the ruins; instead, he benefited from them, advancing directly to the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit.

This time, if Shen Changqing were willing to enter the Ancient Ruins with him, Yi Ning felt he was poised to make a huge profit. From those ruins, even if he only received a twenty percent share, the benefits would be beyond imagination.