Chapter 616: Chapter 591: True One Gathering, Mysterious Black Well
Lu Yan’s expression drastically changed.
Could it be the decline of cultivation?
But isn’t the decline of cultivation something that only happens in the Infinite Starry Sky?
The Origin Continent has never experienced the decline of cultivation since ancient times; it has always been the only sanctuary for cultivators.
How could the decline of cultivation possibly occur?
"Yinuo, let’s go to Dragon Emperor City and ask the seniors there."
Lu Yan grabbed Shen Yinuo, tore through the void, and headed towards Dragon Emperor City.
Upon arriving at Dragon Emperor City, he did not find Lu Ming but instead encountered Tang Feng.
"Have you felt it too?"
Tang Feng said.
"Senior, what exactly is going on? Could it really be the decline of cultivation?"
Lu Yan asked.
Tang Feng shook his head and said, "I do not know."
"Senior, is this situation only happening in our Dragon Alliance’s territory, or is it the same everywhere else?"
Lu Yan asked further.
"The entire Origin Continent is like this. This matter is not merely a plot against our Dragon Alliance,"
Tang Feng said, pausing for a moment before adding, "You don’t need to worry about this. Just focus on your cultivation. Lu Ming has already contacted the strongest among us and will investigate the matter thoroughly."
Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo nodded.
Indeed, they could not interfere, nor did they have the capacity to do so.
When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.
If it truly was the decline of cultivation, the strongest would undoubtedly be even more anxious than them.
After bidding farewell to Tang Feng, Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo returned to Da Wu.
Time passed, day by day.
In the blink of an eye, a hundred years had gone by.
During these hundred years, the environment for cultivation deteriorated day by day; with each passing day, the laws and rules of heaven and earth weakened a little more.
After a hundred years, the environment for cultivation was only ninety percent of what it had been a hundred years prior.
It might seem like only a ten percent decrease, but it was already extremely alarming.
At this rate, it was possible that after a thousand years, the entire Origin Continent would become a land where cultivation was impossible, becoming a region of the Last Dharma.
One must know that in the Infinite Starry Sky, the decline of cultivation continued for several hundred thousand years before gradually spreading throughout the whole sky.
Yet on the Origin Continent, the whole land was declining at once and could only last a thousand years. The pace of the cultivation decline was many times faster than that in the Infinite Starry Sky.
On the Origin Continent, all cultivators were plunged into panic.
Especially those from the Infinite Starry Sky, who had already experienced it once and managed to escape it with great difficulty, only to find that upon arriving at the Origin Continent, they had to face it yet again.
And this time, there would be no way out.
If the Origin Continent were to fall into a region of the Last Dharma, there would be no other pure land left for cultivation in the world.
...
Above the Origin Imperial Capital, twenty-seven silhouettes gathered.
All twenty-seven silhouettes were beings of the True One State.
Now, all the True Ones in the world had assembled, including the old sovereign of the Origin Dynasty, the Primordial Ancestor.
"Primordial Ancestor, how could the Origin Continent possibly experience the decline of cultivation? It has never happened before. You have lived for countless years; do you know if it has ever occurred in history?"
Someone asked.
"It has never happened,"
The Primordial Ancestor shook his head, his brow furrowed as he thought for a moment before adding, "However, this cultivation decline seems somewhat different from that in the Infinite Starry Sky. You all must have felt it as well—the laws and rules of the Origin Continent seem to be converging towards a certain direction, flowing in that direction."
"After a hundred years of investigation, I have pinpointed the source."
Everyone’s spirits lifted.
"Where is the source?"
Someone asked eagerly.
"Follow me,"
said the Primordial Ancestor, leading the way westward. Soon after, everyone stopped above a vast primitive mountain range.
"This place seems to be the true core of the Origin Continent,"
said the Emperor of the Nine Worlds.
"Indeed,"
the Primordial Ancestor nodded.
The Origin Dynasty was not situated at the very center of the Origin Continent but slightly to the east.
And this place was the central point of the Origin Continent.
Boom!
The Primordial Ancestor suddenly made a move, grabbing towards the ground with his palm, causing the earth to roar as massive mountain ranges rose from the ground and soared into the sky.
After a while, a deep pit reaching down for tens of thousands of miles appeared on the ground.
All eyes turned towards the pit, pupils shrinking slightly with shock.
Because at the very bottom of the deep pit, a well appeared.
The mouth of the well was not large, about three meters in diameter, and within the well was endless darkness, like an abyss.
Even the strongest among them could not peer into the depths of the well.
Upon closer sensing, they discovered that energy and the laws and rules of heaven and earth were slowly converging toward the well.
This well was like a gaping maw, endlessly devouring the laws and rules of heaven and earth.
This was the source of the cultivation decline on the Origin Continent.
"Esteemed ones, what is the origin of this well, does anyone know?"
asked an Immortal Ancestor.
Most shook their heads.
"I have lived through nine cycles of cultivation, and I have explored most regions of heaven and earth, including this place. I can assure you that this well did not exist here before,"
spoke the Emperor of the Nine Worlds, his brows tightly knit before he turned to the Primordial Ancestor and asked, "Brother Primordial, have you discovered it before?"
"Never. This well must have appeared recently,"
the Primordial Ancestor said.
Everyone furrowed their brows.
Why had a well suddenly appeared here, devouring the laws of heaven and earth, causing the Origin Continent to decline into the Land of the Last Dharma?
In their hearts, they made all kinds of conjectures.
But none of the conjectures made sense.
"If you want to know the answer, just go and explore, and you’ll find out," someone said.
The Ruler of Desolate Heaven spoke.
"Indeed, we can’t let this continue. If it does, the Origin Continent will sooner or later become the Land of the Last Dharma. If the vast starry sky turns into the Land of the Last Dharma, we might not even be able to survive, let alone the Origin Continent. Perhaps we’ll all turn into dust."
Another Cultivator in the True One State said.
"So, who is willing to explore it?"
At this remark, everyone fell silent.
The well was eerily strange, and they could not see through it. Who knew what dangers lay inside?
Even though they were invincible in the True One State, they dared not rashly enter.
Moreover, no one wanted to risk themselves and let others reap the benefits.
And there were feuds among many of the powers.
If one entered and an enemy did not, and then the enemy swept over one’s forces after one had gone in, what then?
"I think if we’re going in, we should go in together," someone suggested.
"That’s right, there’s strength in numbers. With the combined forces of us twenty-seven, I don’t believe there’s anything under the heavens that we can’t deal with. Whatever is inside that well, we will resolve it," another agreed.
"I agree," one said.
"I also agree," added another.
More and more people nodded.
In the end, it was unanimously decided that all twenty-seven beings in the True One State would enter the dark well together to find out the cause and solve the decline of Cultivation.
"Everyone, return and make arrangements for your own affairs. In a month’s time, we will reconvene here and enter the dark well together," the Primordial Ancestor said.
The crowd nodded, flashed away, and went off to arrange the affairs they needed to handle in their absence.
After all, no one knew what was beneath the black well or how long they would be gone, so naturally, they had to arrange matters in advance.
They also had to set up all kinds of contingencies.
A month later, the twenty-seven mightiest individuals reconvened above the black well.
"Let’s go," the Primordial Ancestor said.
The twenty-seven mightiest individuals, with their auras intermingling, soared like a sharp sword into the black well and disappeared without a trace.
...
The elites of the world’s major forces were all waiting for news from the mightiest ones.
In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed since the mightiest ones had entered the black well.
In ten years, not one of them had returned, as if they had vanished into thin air.
And there had been no change in the decline of Cultivation; the environment for Cultivation was deteriorating day by day, just as before.
This instilled fear in countless people.
Could it be that all the mightiest ones had met with some kind of unexpected mishap?
Otherwise, why had they not returned for ten years? Why was there no word from them?
And why hadn’t the decline of Cultivation been halted?
The black well had become the most terrifying existence and the most fearsome forbidden place in the minds of all Cultivators.
....
In the Immortal Clan’s ancestral land, within the Myriad Manifestations Immortal Palace, more than ten figures gathered.
Each of these figures commanded a powerful and awe-inspiring aura.
All of them were entities at the third step of creation.
The Immortal Clan naturally could not have that many powerful third-step creators.
Present here were representatives from five True One Realm Powers.
The Immortal Clan, the Three Emperors Alliance, the Divine Clan, the Light Clan, and the Da Qi Dynasty.
The first four were powers from the Origin Continent, while the Da Qi Dynasty belonged to the boundless starry sky, governed by Qi Lindao.
The Dragon Alliance had forged a blood feud with the Da Qi Dynasty when they were still in the boundless starry sky, having gone through a brutal slaughter on both sides.
"Ladies and gentlemen, before your mightiest ones left, they all left orders behind, right? Before our Immortal Ancestor departed, he told us that if they didn’t return after a long while, we should contact you all to join forces against the Dragon Alliance," said the broad-shouldered man covered in scales, who took the initiative to speak. He was a third-step creator from the Immortal Clan, known as Blood Rule Canglong, the strongest under the Immortal Clan.
Beside him sat the Three-Eyed Tiger Emperor and other third-step creators from the Immortal Clan.
"Indeed, our Alliance Hierarch also left a similar command before he left," said the Flame Emperor from the Three Emperors Alliance.
The representatives from the other powers nodded as well.
"Now that Lu Ming has departed, the Dragon Alliance is left with only Tang Feng, Ye Qing, and Wan Fa as their third-step creators. Their strength is depleted, presenting us with the perfect opportunity to annihilate them. United, our five forces could easily wipe out the Dragon Alliance," stated Blood Rule Canglong confidently, his eyes brimming with a chilling killing intent.
"That’s right, the Dragon Alliance should have been eradicated long ago," the Flame Emperor said, his eyes ablaze with flames.
"What should we do then? Attack Dragon Emperor City directly?" asked one strong member of the Divine Clan.
"I suggest we first send people to destroy the Dragon Alliance’s bases in the surrounding areas, to sow chaos in their hearts, weaken their will to fight, and possibly even draw them out for a focused attack," proposed Blood Rule Canglong.
"Is drawing out the snake in order to strike indeed feasible?" inquired a strong figure from the Da Qi Dynasty.
"It should work. The Dragon Alliance has many important strongholds. If they are attacked, they cannot remain indifferent, especially when it comes to the Dragon Blood Mine, their most crucial mine. A strike there would surely provoke a rescue effort," Blood Rule Canglong explained.
"Among the three third-step creators of the Dragon Alliance, Tang Feng is the strongest and swift to act. He’s the most likely to respond to the rescue."
"Once Tang Feng leaves, we combine our strength and attack Dragon Emperor City, obliterating the Dragon Alliance in one fell swoop," Blood Rule Canglong proclaimed with utmost confidence.
