Our Discord Server: .gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Although Nian Chao Sheng’s attitude is very humble and he often makes jokes about being aimless, Qiao Mu will not underestimate him.

You should know that there are nineteen small worlds in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, all created by ancient immortals.

Each small world of the caves and blessed lands is also a precious treasure for the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates.

This Nian Chao Sheng is able to take risks and secretly became the master of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, and still exists today without the outside world knowing… he must be far from useless.

Thinking about this, Qiao Mu asked again, "With such a special blessed land small world like Fangcun Mountain, it must have great power. Why did it also fall during the upheaval of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?"

"Mr. Qiao seems to have some misunderstandings about the upheaval of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

"I would like to hear more about it."

Qiao Mu was also curious about that great turmoil that only exists in the tales of cultivators.

And Qiao Mu was not the only one curious.

By this time, Storyteller Jiang Chen and others had also gathered around, wanting to hear Nian Chao Sheng talk about this past.

Nian Chao Sheng glanced at them and, without hesitation, began to speak:

"The so-called decline of spiritual energy and the chaos in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are not about a great battle, but a slow and long-lasting struggle," Nian Chao Sheng explained.

"Caves and paradises are essentially the same; they just have different names."

"Similarly, the so-called Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates and the Ten Earthly Immortal Gates were not very different in the past."

"Only the victors became the Nine Heavens, while the old-fashioned losers became the Ten Earths."

"Are you saying that the Ten Earths sects failed due to being stuck in old ways?" Qiao Mu said, somewhat surprised.

He had once doubted that Nian Chao Sheng, like Li Gongde and Lingling Taoist Priest, had received favors from the descendants of the Ten Earths sects.

Now it seemed that Nian Chao Sheng did not have any bias or sympathy for the fallen Ten Earths sects.

"That’s right."

"Before the decline of spiritual energy, ancient cultivators were as untouchable as celestial dragons, rarely seen by ordinary people." Nian Chao Sheng said.

"Although ancient cultivators were extraordinary at that time, the battles between cultivators that harmed ordinary people caused fewer disasters than in the past forty years."

"The difference between the immortal and the mortal is like the vast distance between heaven and earth, but cultivators often have little interest in meddling in worldly matters."

"However, when spiritual energy began to decline, the rules changed."

"Soul Changing Stage, Tao Achieving Stage, Mahayana Stage… This world does not need so many cultivators, nor does it need nineteen great Immortal Gates. Some Immortal Gates realized this earlier." Nian Chao Sheng continued.

"Among the nineteen Immortal Gates, half were eliminated during the long period of chaos; those who clung to old ways perished, while the winners adapted to the new rules."

"After the decline of spiritual energy, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Immortal Gate acted like giant elephants on a barren grassland. When the grassland dried up and food became scarce, they became each other’s greatest enemies for survival."

"The fallen sects became part of the ‘Ten Earths,’ while those who adapted to the new rules became known as the ‘Nine Heavens.’"

"Ancient sects practiced cultivation and followed an extraordinary path, but they often paid little attention to ordinary people. Some cultivators rose to save people, while others caused harm to mortals in their battles."

"In fact, it’s not really about good or evil; it’s just that the gap between the immortal and the mortal is too great. How could a true dragon who can ride the clouds and mist possibly bother with ants?"

"And the later Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates… I don’t think I need to explain much more."

As Nian Chao Sheng said this, the drunken young scholar beside him leaned over.

"Landlord, there is actually one thing I have never understood…"

Nian Chao Sheng glanced at him but did not speak.

So the Storyteller Clairvoyance quickly pulled him down.

"You’ve had too much to drink. If you have questions, we can talk about them privately. Right now, we need to discuss important matters…"

After this brief interruption, Qiao Mu thought for a moment and then asked:

"Since Landlord is so powerful and can answer any question, how is it that you have survived when nearly half of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Immortal Gates have fallen?"

"May I ask what kind of demon blood you carry, that you have managed to live in peace until now?"

The training of demons is a process of gradually returning to their ancestors.

Just like the Impermanent Demon Cat beside him, which started as a mixed-breed demon cat that could only consume death energy.

Now, it has grown into a great demon that can use the Grey Frost Divine Blade as a teething stick.

And Nian Chao Sheng’s kind must also be quite extraordinary; it is unlikely that an ordinary cat or dog could reach his level.

When Nian Chao Sheng heard this question, he showed a rare look of difficulty for the first time.

"’With the Sky Piercing River flowing backward and the Immortal Gate’s ancestors all gone, and with the shifting Sky Piercing River disappearing into the high heavens… At such a critical moment, Mr. Qiao’s sudden visit must be for something other than digging into my background, right?’"

"It seems that Mr. Landlord is also a clever person," Qiao Mu thought in understanding.

This Nian Chao Sheng is quite a wise old fox; he has already guessed Qiao Mu’s intentions.

According to the usual way of the Qiao family, he guessed that Qiao Mu was about to leave following the Sky Piercing River.

Previously, when he revealed his own secrets, he was probably afraid that before Qiao Mu left, he would think Nian Chao Sheng was mysterious and unknown, and give him a punch at Tide Listening Building.

What he said earlier was actually a way of showing sincerity.

However, when it comes to his own family matters, Nian Chao Sheng did not want to say much.

"Hehe… I was just asking casually," Qiao Mu nodded.

He came this time with a request, not to pry into Nian Chao Sheng’s secrets; since the other party was unwilling to talk more, he naturally would not force the issue.

Qiao Mu then said seriously:

"Since Landlord has guessed my intention, I believe you already have an answer in your mind, right?"

Nian Chao Sheng nodded:

"The founders of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates have hearts as strong as iron, and for ten thousand years, they have never left their realm. The only thing that could bring the masters of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates into the world is the obsession in their hearts… immortality, becoming an immortal!"

"The Sky Piercing River is extraordinary. In ancient times, it is said that when True Immortals descended to the mortal realm, they came through the Sky Piercing River. This place was originally a passage between the heavens and the mortal world."

"Are you saying that at the other end of the Sky Piercing River is the immortal realm?!" Qiao Mu’s expression grew serious, and he sat up straighter.

"I never said that," Nian Chao Sheng explained further.

"The reverse flow of the Sky Piercing River, like the chains appearing in the sky, is an unprecedented change that has not been seen for ages, nor is it found in ancient texts or even in the memories of my demon clan’s heritage."

"As for the truth behind these two phenomena, no one can know," Nian Chao Sheng said.

"But since ancient times, it has not been easy for cultivators from the lower realm to enter the immortal realm."

"They must first cultivate for countless years to reach the Mahayana Stage, and then cross the tribulation of immortality to break through and ascend."

"It seems impossible to simply ascend to the immortal realm through just a Sky Piercing River; it surely cannot be that simple."

Speaking of this, Nian Chao Sheng said softly:

"For the master of Immortal Gate, this might be a chance to ascend to a higher realm, but it is definitely not as simple as it seems."

A chance to become an immortal?

If the masters of Immortal Gate want to fight for something, Qiao Mu will naturally stir things up.

Otherwise, if in a few days the True Immortal from Immortal Gate arrives in Jiu Province, the path of immortality will return…

"Thank you, Landlord, for clearing my doubts."

Since his doubts were resolved, Qiao Mu naturally stood up to express his thanks and take his leave.

The masters of Immortal Gate are competing for a chance to become immortal, and Qiao Mu fears he might arrive too late and find only masters who have already become immortal.

Nian Chao Sheng did not try to keep him, and personally got up to see Qiao Mu out of this special small world.

Until Qiao Mu left, he felt a sense of relief in his heart, as the feeling of pressure washed away like the tide.

Although Nian Chao Sheng was the last human king who had hidden away in his small world to escape trouble, he was neither brave nor cruel, nor did he have the desire to dominate.

If he had a choice, he would not want to deal with the strongest person in the world.

"Fortunately, it’s all over now, and I can go back to living a peaceful life," Nian Chao Sheng wiped the sweat from his forehead.

With the crisis averted, the other storytellers gathered around again.

Among them was the drunken scholar who had just wanted to ask a question.

"Landlord, I actually wanted to ask, since the Qiao family member is now a victor of the new era, why do they strive to eliminate the Immortal Gate completely? The immortal path has wonderful methods, and even if the martial path can match in strength, there are still many things it cannot surpass.

Would it not be better if immortals and mortals could coexist peacefully?"

As soon as those words were spoken, before Nian Chao Sheng could respond, Jiang Chen listened with a headache and thought to himself how lucky it was that this was not said in front of Qiao Mu.

"Theoretically, this is possible." The scholar with a horse-like face, excited from the wine, spoke passionately:

"The Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates fight for the resources of worship. They naturally have deep, irreconcilable contradictions among themselves, but between the Immortal Gates and the mortal world, it doesn’t have to be like fire and water."

"Is there a possibility for coexistence and mutual benefits between these two?" he asked.

"If cultivators protect mortals, using magic to save them from disasters and pray for rain, they can naturally gain faith and worship."

"But you should say this to the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates who once dominated the mortal realm during their glory days," Jiang Chen frowned and said.

At this moment, he realized that he was somewhat different from the Tide Listening Building storytellers like the horse-faced scholar.

He was a true human martial artist. Although not very skilled, he knew exactly where he stood.

Jiang Chen said:

"They do have the possibility for coexistence and mutual benefits with the mortal world, but no one would choose that… It’s just too slow. Why would a tiger care about the feelings of pigs and dogs? The fastest way to obtain worship resources has been what the Immortal Gates have been doing for decades."

"You, a kind-hearted Immortal Gate cultivator, pray for rain to help during disasters; then shouldn’t I, from the Immortal Gate, first let the flood drown the city and then save it even faster?"

Jiang Chen furrowed his brow, his voice unknowingly grew louder:

"The Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates exert pressure on the mortal world, tearing apart Jiu Province, and within the Great Yan Imperial Court, they have established a realm of immortals… they have long been the source of chaos in the world."

Jiang Chen was very confused.

If ordinary civilians of Jiu Province did not understand the stakes and were blinded by the Immortal Gate, he could understand that.

But the Tide Listening Building is the most informed place in Jiu Province, fully aware of the world’s rise and fall.

Yet Jiang Chen remained puzzled:

"In the past few decades, the struggle between immortals and mortals has been Jiu Province’s greatest conflict, and the conflict between them is the biggest contradiction… these matters… shouldn’t they have already been a common understanding? Do I really need to explain more?"

"Jiang Chen, why are you in such a hurry… I’m just speaking theoretically, suggesting one possibility." The scholarly man felt somewhat offended; being contradicted by a younger person made him feel frustrated.

"You people from Jiu Province are good at fighting among yourselves, and you have not misjudged that."

"In my opinion, this idea of being ‘inhuman’ is just self-deception; cultivators who are from the human race have always been the most talented mortals since ancient times…"

Jiang Chen felt a shock in his heart.

"Is the division of friends and foes in this world really based on race? If we have the same face and come from the same group, are we all brothers and friends?"

"Everyone, stop talking." Nian Chao Sheng, who had been leisurely sipping wine, finally spoke up.

"This Inhuman War, this battle between immortals and mortals, will ultimately not affect us here; it has nothing to do with us."

"Let us continue to listen to the ebb and flow of this matter."

With Nian Chao Sheng’s words, Jiang Chen naturally quieted down.

Yet, he felt a strange sense of loneliness in his heart.

When everyone had left, just as he was about to go downstairs, another storyteller named Clairvoyance followed him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"The landlord set up the Tide Listening Building to shelter some beings that are not accepted in the human world."

"We half-demons may not see things from a human’s perspective," Clairvoyance said.

"The Tide Listening Building has been peaceful for a long time, but indeed some people have been out of touch with reality for too long."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Chen knew that Clairvoyance was different from the other storytellers, as he was a key figure who had shifted from the Fantastic Faction to a more pragmatic stance.

Although he was also a half-demon, Clairvoyance had once visited the Great Dao Sect Secret Realm Hundred-mile Desert with a member of the Qiao family.

When he came out of the desert, he had already changed.

"The Tide Listening Building has lasted until now because the landlord has great powers and can observe from a distance," Clairvoyance said with a worried expression.

"But if one day the Tide Listening Building no longer remains above the fray…"

……………….

Boom, boom, boom.

The Sky Piercing River rushes upward against the current, roaring fiercely toward the west.

"Mr. Qiao Yao, are you really going to leave like this?"

South of Heyang City, by the Sky Piercing River in Nan Province.

Li Changshi and the group of old soldiers, along with everyone in Peach Blossom Villa, and Qiao Xin, the lord of the estate, all appeared at this moment.

Qiao Mu nodded and looked at the martial artists in the mansion, as well as at another version of himself that existed in the name of Qiao Xin.

"Human affairs belong to the world," Qiao Mu said lightly.

"Now that this matter is settled, I will also go and attend to my own affairs."

Stepping onto the Sky Piercing River and flowing against the current to reach the sky is not just about chasing the ancestors and cutting off their escape.

The Sky Piercing River flowing upstream is a strange phenomenon that appears alongside the chains of the sky, closely linked to the existence of the Long Life Lock.

Qiao Mu’s journey is also a way for him to understand his true nature and path.

If destroying the Great Dao Sect and killing Patriarch Lingyuan showed the main character the end point.

Believing that the end was within reach, Qiao Mu ran for another six thousand years.

When he revived, guess what happened?

Hey, the finish line grew legs and ran away!

"After I leave, Qiao Xin will still be here."

Speaking of this, Qiao Mu began to take out things from his storage bag one by one.