Chapter 294

Chapter 294: Future

Ye Xu’s heart trembled slightly. The collapse of the Immortal Realm likely referred to the scars of the heavens.

At Lingxiao Palace, the Human Emperor had also informed them that long ago, the human ancestor had prophesied the eventual collapse of the Immortal Realm, with the scars of the heavens serving as its omen.

The Immortal Realm had been forged by the Heavenly Emperor Li Ruoyu harnessing the power of all beings. Countless celestial gold formations were condensed through the efforts of a generation, elevating it above all realms.

Should the Immortal Realm collapse, it would inevitably unleash a calamity upon all realms.

Countless worlds could be annihilated, plunging into an apocalyptic wasteland.

"Daoist friend," Ye Xu spoke, "The future holds countless variables. Even the smallest event can alter its course. If the future remains fixed, then the outcome you foresee shall occur."

"If it changes, a different outcome will unfold."

"This old man understands," the human ancestor smiled wryly. "Consider this merely an old man’s plea for peace of mind."

How could he not know?

As one capable of traversing time, the human ancestor had performed countless divinations, yet the future intertwined with too many shifting variables; his answers remained maddeningly vague.

Across all existence, only Ye Xu could offer him clarity.

Even an uncertain future, one of many possible outcomes, would suffice for the human ancestor.

"System," Ye Xu inquired internally, "When will the Immortal Realm collapse?"

[One hundred twenty billion heavenly secrets points.]

Ye Xu shifted his gaze to the human ancestor. "Daoist friend, you know the rules of my Heavens’ Secret Pavilion. To learn the exact time of the Immortal Realm’s collapse requires one hundred twenty-two billion Star Yuan."

This transaction sought merely a minimal fee.

"Young Master can precisely divine the timing?" The human ancestor was stunned.

Even he, calculating since the fall of the Ancient Heavenly Court, had only arrived at a vague estimate.

"I know all things," Ye Xu replied with calm certainty.

Beside them, Qi Qingsi displayed profound shock.

Though she cultivated the Great Indifference Path, news of the Immortal Realm’s impending doom drained the color from her face. How many living beings would perish in this cataclysm?

"Child," intoned the human ancestor, sensing her turmoil, "I retained you here precisely because this ordeal shall temper your Dao heart. Supreme Indifference does not demand a heart devoid of compassion, but one aligned with the rules of the heavenly path—judging all under heaven with impartiality."

"Your guidance humbles me," Qi Qingsi replied, drawing a steadying breath to still her thoughts.

The human ancestor summoned his power. Slowly, a star-adorned crown rose into view, its surface gleaming with constellations and myriad rays of starlight. Within the radiance, a silhouette stood resolute at the end of the Great Dao.

This was the Life Treasure of an Immortal Venerable.

Exchange.

Ye Xu commanded inwardly, and the crown vanished without a trace.

"Congratulations, Master. You have received 13.8 billion heavenly secrets points."

"Investigate the exact time of the Immortal Realm’s collapse immediately," Ye Xu said solemnly.

"One year and six months."

"So soon?" Ye Xu was shocked in his heart. It had barely been a month since Godfall Ridge’s unsealing, yet in just a year and a half, the Immortal Realm would collapse—truly horrifying.

"In a year and a half, the scars of the heavens will expand to their limit, and the Immortal Realm will collapse," Ye Xu announced gravely.

"One and a half years?"

The human ancestor’s gaze grew complicated as he murmured, "At least we still have some time. I wonder if my preparations will be enough to rescue all beings from this calamity?"

"Master," he looked at Ye Xu, his words earnest, "Please divine once more regarding the future for this old one."

"Can this old man withstand this cataclysm in the times to come?"

Swish!

Ye Xu’s body trembled slightly. He finally understood why the human ancestor wanted to see the future.

He intended to bear the devastating force of the Immortal Realm’s collapse entirely by himself, sacrificing his life to save all beings across all realms from this world-ending disaster.

Unsure of his own success, he had turned to the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for help.

Deep respect surfaced in Ye Xu’s eyes.

In times past, the human ancestor had paved the way with hard work for postnatal beings. Today, he was facing the apocalypse alone once more, striving to seize a slim chance of survival for sentient life throughout the boundless realms.

The human ancestor never forgot his original aspiration.

Suddenly, Ye Xu recalled a saying: How can there be peaceful times? Merely, someone carried the heavy burden ahead of you.

"System," Ye Xu asked sternly, "How many heavenly secrets points are needed to investigate this future event one and a half years from now? And… will the human ancestor survive it?"

"Four hundred eighty billion heavenly secrets points."

Ye Xu’s heart sank. Four hundred eighty billion Star Yuan? Could the human ancestor possibly produce such a sum?

"If we query only the future events one and a half years from now, how many points does that require?" Ye Xu asked again.

"Four hundred billion heavenly secrets points."

"Daoist friend," Ye Xu stated firmly, "If you can provide four hundred billion Star Yuan, I can divine that future for you."

"Four hundred billion?"

The human ancestor frowned. Clearly, even to someone frugal like himself, four hundred billion Star Yuan was an immense price.

"Fortunately, this old man still holds some modest savings."

Boom!

A luminous mirror flew out, its surface pristine white. Born from chaos, its body gleamed with innate divine patterns—an Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Innate Spiritual Treasures originated naturally, birthed in primordial chaos, exceedingly rare. Only exalted figures like the human ancestor, the Heavenly Emperor, or Innate Divine Beings possessed such artifacts.

"This Haotian Divine Mirror is an Innate Spiritual Treasure," the human ancestor asked. "How many heavenly secrets points can it be exchanged for?"

"Convert it."

Ding!

Congratulations, host, you have gained two hundred billion heavenly secrets points.

Ye Xu’s eyes lit up. This Haotian divine mirror was of average quality among Innate Spiritual Treasures and was worth two hundred billion heavenly secrets points. The innate treasures of the ancient gods must be even more precious.

"It’s still half short," Ye Xu said.

Clang!

A divine sword flew out from the human ancestor’s sleeve, with a lofty sword intent. The entire sword was yellow, seemingly forged from brass, and emitted a powerful aura of destiny.

"Xuanyuan Sword?" Ye Xu’s gaze turned sharp.

Legend had it that the human ancestor wielded the Xuanyuan Sword to terrify the Innate Divine Beings. This was a heavy weapon at the Immortal Emperor level.

"Daoist friend, this is your Life Treasure," Ye Xu said with a complex gaze.

"Ha ha ha…"

The human ancestor laughed heartily, "This sword has accompanied me all my life, fighting through its existence. It was always meant to protect humans. Now, it serves its purpose well."

"Exchange."

Ye Xu said.

Ding!

Congratulations, host, you have gained two hundred ninety billion heavenly secrets points!

In an instant, nearly five hundred billion heavenly secrets points appeared in Ye Xu’s account.

Ye Xu’s mouth twitched slightly.

Just one human ancestor could produce five hundred billion heavenly secrets points, yet the Heavenly Emperor cried poverty in front of him!

"Next time we meet, I must fleece him terribly," Ye Xu said angrily.

Boom!

Inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, a divine tree appeared out of thin air. It had lush branches and leaves, with divine patterns of Innate Divine Beings engraved on its trunk. Each leaf seemed like a world.

"Jianmu divine tree!"

Ye Xu’s heart stirred. This was the Jianmu divine tree that propped up the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest. It was also the legendary world tree and one of the Nine Great Spirit Roots of Heaven and Earth.

"Daoist friend, the Jianmu divine tree is one of the Nine Great Spirit Roots of Heaven and Earth. You are probably at a loss using it to trade with me," Ye Xu chuckled. "Besides, what you provided is already enough."

The human ancestor looked embarrassed.

This was almost all he owned.

"System, deduce the future around the collapse of the Immortal Realm a year and a half later and deduce the life-and-death situation of the human ancestor," Ye Xu commanded.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, four hundred eighty billion heavenly secrets points were deducted.

Ye Xu’s heart bled.

But at least there remained a profit of ten billion heavenly secrets points.

Deduction succeeded.

Accompanied by a soft sound, frames of images flooded into Ye Xu’s mind, unfolding like scrolls one by one.

On that day, it was like an end-of-the-world spectacle.

The Immortal Realm collapsed violently, as though the very heavens were falling. It dropped towards all realms, and even a single wisp of its aura crushed countless living beings to death.

A tree rose up from the Yuan Realm. It eclipsed the sky and held aloft the heavens, propping up the pillars of the world.

Between heaven and earth, the largest formation ever created covered all realms. With the Yuan Realm as its core and the Jianmu divine tree as its source of power, it resisted the terrifying force of the Immortal Realm’s collapse.

The images were incredibly clear.

Ye Xu was shocked and unnerved by what he saw.

Even just witnessing these scenes, he could imagine how horrific that day of the Immortal Realm’s collapse must have been.

He scrolled through image after image.

Ye Xu saw that the moment the human ancestor propped up the heavens, someone attacked him from the shadows, attempting to kill him.

Within the scenes, Ye Xu saw the Dark Emperor.

The human ancestor battled, drenched in blood.

From beginning to end, the Heavenly Emperor Li Ruoyu never appeared.

Finally, the Jianmu divine tree snapped. The human ancestor battled, bleeding amidst the heavens. Yet, because of this, all realms were spared an apocalyptic catastrophe.

Ye Xu didn’t understand. Had the Heavenly Emperor and the human ancestor joined forces, their combined strength would likely have been unrivaled in the world.

Why had Li Ruoyu simply sat back and watched the human ancestor perish?

“Master, have you discovered anything?” the human ancestor asked patiently, looking at Ye Xu with a benevolent smile on his face.

Ye Xu nodded.

He felt somewhat weary and absentmindedly scrolled through the final image.

Amidst the chaos, a vine was swaying.

“This vine… isn’t this the Chaos Divine Vine?”

Ye Xu’s eyes suddenly sparked with recognition.

The human ancestor wasn’t afraid to die, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to live. He had long since prepared his escape route.

“Those capable of cultivating to the Immortal Emperor realm are truly anything but simple,” Ye Xu chuckled wryly to himself, shaking his head.

He channeled his magical power, transmitting the scenes of the future directly into the human ancestor’s mind.

After a long time, the human ancestor finished reviewing everything. He smiled. “This humble one thanks you, Master.”

“Young lady, let us go.”

He had obtained the satisfactory answer he desired; there was no need to linger.

Now, all that remained was to quietly await the arrival of that day.