Chapter 442: Ancestral Origin
Ye Guan jumped in shock and instantly assumed a stance. There would have been no reason for him to be afraid if he could access his cultivation base. Unfortunately, he was still under suppression and couldn't muster the full power of his sword intent.
The "man" on the stone pillar merely stared at Ye Guan.
Cizhen turned to the "man."
The "man's" eyes widened in shock when his gaze met with Cizhen's gaze.
Cizhen's lips moved, but she didn't make a sound.
Just then, the "man" seemed to have caught wind of something, and he nodded at Cizhen.
Ye Guan turned toward Cizhen.
Cizhen merely smiled at Ye Guan.
Ye Guan was still curious, but he decided not to ask any further questions.
Ye Guan turned to the "man" on the stone pillar and asked, "May I know who you are?"
The "man" stared at Ye Guan. "I'm just a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice?" Ye Guan frowned.
"Yes," the "man" said, nodding.
"What does that mean?"
The "man" on the stone pillar explained, "You're in the ancestral hall of the First Martial Civilization, and those who enter here will be sacrificed."
Ye Guan's eyes narrowed. "First Martial Civilization?"
The "man" nodded. "Yes, and it's the first civilization on this planet."
"If everyone who enters here will be sacrificed, how come we're still fine?" Ye Guan asked.
The "man" didn't answer; he shifted his gaze to Cizhen.
Ye Guan turned to Cizhen, who merely smiled and said, "The two of us don't have any cultivation base, so we won't become sacrifices here. Anyway, go ahead and take that divine item away."
Ye Guan nodded, and the two walked deeper into the cave. Ye Guan realized just then that the ancestral hall of the First Martial Civilization was way bigger than he had imagined. The path seemed endless, and there were countless rows of stone pillars flanking their path.
Every single stone pillar had a carving of a human being.
Ye Guan's expression turned solemn, and he finally acknowledged the eerieness of the place. To make matters worse, he felt like someone was watching him, and he couldn't quite shake off the strange feeling.
Cizhen tightened her grip on Ye Guan's hand and smiled. "Don't overthink it. This place is safe. I wouldn't have brought you here otherwise. Relax."
Cizhen led Ye Guan further into the cave. Thirty minutes later, they came to a halt in front of a stone platform. There was a pitch-black box on top of the thirty-meter-tall pillar on the platform. Ye Guan looked up and saw the starry night sky.
"Are we in an illusion?" Ye Guan asked.
Cizhen shook her head. "No."
Ye Guan was about to speak and ask more questions when an old man in a gray robe appeared before the stone pillar. The old man's face was covered in wrinkles, and his gray eyes emitted a chilling light.
The old man glanced at Ye Guan before turning to Cizhen. "Lady Cizhen, what orders do you have for me?"
Cizhen pointed at the box and smiled. "I want to take that away."
The old man's face turned ashen.
Cizhen stared deeply at him. "Is that okay?"
The old man stiffened. He hesitated briefly before saying, "Lady Cizhen, the box contains the First Martial Civilization's final ray of hope."
Cizhen chuckled. "I know, and forgive me for my frankness, but how much longer are you willing to wait?"
The old man's expression darkened, but he ended up sighing to himself.
"It's the reason behind your near annihilation, so can you really not bear to let go of it?" Cizhen asked.
The old man shook his head, and he smiled bitterly, saying, "You can take it away, Lady Cizhen. It's not like we can do anything against you if you really want to take it away."
"You don't have to say that," Cizhen smiled wryly and explained, "What's inside will go to my younger brother. In exchange, I will arrange a world somewhere in the True Universe for you and your kind to live in. I assure you that you and your kind will exist for as long as the True Universe exists."
The old man was beyond thrilled at Cizhen's words. She had basically sworn to guarantee their existence. The old man bowed deeply and exclaimed, "Thank you so much, Lady Cizhen!"
Cizhen was right; the divine item had become a hot potato rather than a peerless treasure for them, and it was all because they were too weak to safeguard it.
If they could exchange the trade item for Cizhen's guarantee of protection, they would be more than willing to agree to the trade. However, the most important reason behind the old man's decision was that he basically had no choice.
The fact that Cizhen had decided not to snatch it away from them by brute force was already a good thing for them.
Cizhen smiled at the old man's words and said, "Give me the divine item."
The old man bowed and opened his palms. The box on the pillar landed in his hands, and he presented it to Ye Guan while bowing with utmost respect.
Ye Guan turned to Cizhen.
Cizhen smiled and nodded. "Open it and take a look at what's inside."
Ye Guan nodded, and he opened the box carefully. A burst of what looked like a blue current of air rushed out of the box and swirled above them. Ye Guan could feel a formidable power coming from the blue current of air.
Just then, the blue current of air swept past him, making him feel as though he was standing before an endless tidal wave with waves more powerful than the previous.
Ye Guan instantly froze in disbelief. It was his first time encountering such a strange energy. Ye Guan turned to Cizhen, clearly asking for explanations.
Cizhen smiled and replied, "Its name is Ancestral Origin."
"Ancestral Origin?" Ye Guan frowned.
Cizhen nodded and explained, "It's currently the most powerful origin in the entire universe, and it even surpasses Dao Origin. The current era no longer has any Ancestral Origin, and it only appeared once, which was around five billion years ago.
"In other words, the only way to obtain Ancestral Origin is to travel back in time around five billion years ago."
Cizhen stared at the Ancestral Origin in front of Ye Guan and said, "The Time Reversers came here for this Ancestral Origin."
Ye Guan's heart jumped at the revelation, and he stared with incredulity at the blue current of air before him. He truly didn't expect that the Ancestral Origin was five billion years old at the very least.
Ye Guan suddenly recalled something, and he extended the Ancestral Origin over to Cizhen, saying, "I think you should take this. You need this, too, right?"
Cizhen shook her head and smiled. "I don't need it."
Ye Guan fell silent.
"I really don't need it," Cizhen persuaded, "Hurry up and take it. I'll stand guard as your Dao Protector."
Ye Guan nodded and opened his mouth. The strand of Ancestral Origin turned into a beam of light and entered his mouth.
Boom!
Ye Guan's aura surged crazily, and terrifying forces inside of him created a shockwave that made even the surrounding spacetime tremble.
Cizhen turned to look at the old man and opened her mouth, saying something inaudible to Ye Guan.
The old man was initially bewildered, but he opened his right hand and pressed down gently. The trembling of the spacetime was instantly suppressed.
Just then, a mysterious force suddenly appeared inside Ye Guan, and it danced wildly around him. The old man's expression turned serious as he recognized the power. It was the power of the Ancestral Origin!
The old man's expression became complicated. They had spent so many years safeguarding a strand of Ancestral Origin, but it ultimately landed in the hands of an outsider.
The old man sighed inwardly. However, it wasn't like they were aware of their attackers' strength. If they had known the Time Reversers' strength, they wouldn't have sacrificed themselves to protect a mere strand of Ancestral Origin.
Unfortunately, it was already too late by the time they realized it.
The old man's 'what-ifs' also explained why he had chosen to give up the Ancestral Origin to Cizhen. They were simply too weak compared to Cizhen. Moreover, Cizhen was far stronger than those Time Reversers.
Cizhen asking for the Ancestral Origin rather than snatching it away outright meant that Cizhen had decided to give them respect.
Just then, a terrifying aura erupted from Ye Guan. He had made a breakthrough and was now a Great Sovereign—an Ordinary Great Sovereign.
Ye Guan's surging aura ran rampant, and the old man couldn't quite keep up.
Ye Guan cast a concerned look at Cizhen. "Sister Zhen, should I suppress it?"
Cizhen smiled gently and replied, "No need."
Ye Guan nodded. "Alright!"
At Cizhen's remark, Ye Guan didn't bother to hold back, and he allowed his aura to run rampant. Ye Guan's aura had become powerful enough for him to make a breakthrough and become a Great Time Sovereign. However, he needed the power of time to advance to that realm.
Cizhen knew that as well, so she waved her right hand.
Boom!
The entire ancestral hall abruptly appeared above the Time River.
A myriad strands of time energy flew toward Ye Guan, merging with him.
The old man's gaze was solemn as he stared at Cizhen.
"Is he going to be okay? He's about to make his second breakthrough. Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
Cizhen chuckled and said, "Others may be in trouble, but not him."
"Really?" the old man muttered in disbelief.
"Yes," Cizhen explained, "He has been suppressing his own cultivation base, so his foundation has long become as solid as a boulder. His Dao is also very stable, so he won't experience any instability even if he makes another breakthrough. After all, his overall strength has long surpassed that of a Great Time Sovereign.
"However, I will still need your help later during the troublesome parts of his breakthrough."
"Your wish is my command, Lady Cizhen," the old man said, bowing deeply.
Cizhen smiled and said, "I will need you to open the ancestral hall later and summon twelve martial spirits to spar with him."
The old man nodded. "Alright."
Cizhen looked at the old man and asked, "How many times can you summon them?"
The old man responded in a deep voice, "Three times."
Cizhen glanced at him and chuckled. "You're pretty formidable."
The old man stayed silent. They were talking about twelve martial spirits here, and every single martial spirit was a trump card of the First Martial Civilization. On that fateful day, the martial spirits had played an indispensable role in preventing the complete annihilation of the First Martial Civilization.
The twelve martial spirits were made based on the twelve ancestors of the First Martial Civilization. Every single martial spirit possessed incredible strength and terrifying abilities related to time.
The old man could only summon them three times. He would never summon them to train someone, but the old man felt that it would be worth it, so he decided to agree to Cizhen's request.
The First Martial Civilization needed backers, after all, and both Ye Guan and Cizhen could definitely become the First Martial Civilization's backers! The twelve martial spirits were dead, but Ye Guan and Cizhen were alive. Regardless of which angle the old man looked at it, it remained a profitable trade.
Rumble!
A terrifying aura abruptly surged from the Time River, and the aura made Cizhen's eyes narrow.
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