Volume One: The Chaos of Yanyun, Chapter 120: The Falling of Beacon Fires (Part Seven)

Ever since his exile during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong, the whereabouts of Li Jinxing had become a mystery. Both the Bad Ren of the Great Tang and the Leisure Pavilion of the Divine Dynasty—two of the most formidable intelligence agencies in human history—had failed to uncover a single trace of him. The Commander of the Bad Ren even once speculated that Li Jinxing must have ascended; otherwise, how could there be absolutely no record of him in the mortal realm?

Due to his connection with the Heaven’s Heart, Dou Xiaotong had never truly believed that Li Jinxing had left. When Dugu Feiyun had first attained the Heavens, he had entrusted Dou with the task of finding Li. In those years, Dou had spent considerable effort to learn that Li was likely in secluded practice within the Cloud Tomb. However, he knew nothing of the tomb’s location, how to enter it, or its true purpose. By the time Dugu Feiyun ascended, the matter had reached a dead end.

Looking back now, could it be that Dugu Feiyun had sensed something unusual, which was why he had been so desperate to find Li Jinxing?

Never mind. Dugu Feiyun had ascended; regardless of his intentions, he could no longer interfere in the affairs of the mortal world. It was better to focus on the present.

If his hypothesis was correct, the Cloud Tomb was the gateway sealing the Underworld. This vast reservoir of soul energy might truly be the convergence point for the so-called spirits of all the deceased; otherwise, such a feat would be impossible.

A sudden thought occurred to him.

But the thunder was too intense, the light too dim, and the soul energy too chaotic. He could not ask, and even if he did, he could not obtain an answer. Fortunately, the process did not last long. Before long, Dou Xiaotong felt the thunderous roar subside, and his vision gradually returned to normal.

The interior of the Cloud Tomb was not what he had expected. In a place called Mage within Xu Hai, there were murals recording part of the ancient history of humanity. This place shared a certain resemblance to Mage. As Dou stared at the first mural, he found his attention involuntarily captured.

Beside him, Li Jinxing whispered, "This likely depicts the era ten thousand years ago, when a stone book descended from beyond the heavens, inscribed with the methods of cultivation. The early ancestors who approached the book accidentally absorbed the starlight energy radiating from it and fell into a deep slumber. Upon waking, they traveled to the site of the book, obtained the cultivation techniques, and began the path of practice. The most gifted among them quickly achieved great results, attracting many followers and forming the earliest tribes."

Dou Xiaotong nodded. "The murals show tribes in Jiangnan, Yundian, and Yanbei. I suppose this must be the era of the Three Sovereigns?"

Li Jinxing nodded in agreement. "Correct."

Dou looked toward the second mural. Li Jinxing was about to speak, but Dou interrupted, "I can understand them; you don't need to explain. I will ask if I have questions."

Li Jinxing was taken aback, then smiled and shook his head. When facing these murals, the Heaven’s Heart was indeed far more useful than the Heaven’s Calculation.

Without Li’s interruptions, Dou Xiaotong focused entirely on the murals. The second one was simple, depicting the Three Sovereigns warring among themselves before finally uniting. Dou continued to the third mural, which showed the tribes gradually evolving into a dynasty. That dynasty had no formal name or royal banners; instead, it continued the use of the totems prevalent in the tribal era—the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. It was likely what was commonly known as the Xia Dynasty.

So, the Xia Dynasty had truly existed. Its territory appeared to cover nearly half of the current Divine Dynasty, including Wuyang, Guangnan, and Youliu. It was a vast land. Why, then, was there no trace of this dynasty? Neither in history books nor in local records was there even a shred of evidence.

Dou Xiaotong felt a flicker of doubt but pushed it aside for the moment.

The fourth mural was strange. It took Dou some time to decipher it. It seemed to show that many spatial rifts suddenly appeared across the continent, and from them crawled a race he had never seen before. Given the timeline, the Demon Race had not yet made their first southern invasion, so it was likely not them. The conflicts between the Nether Realm and humanity did not begin until the Zhou Dynasty, so that could also be ruled out. Could it be the Underworld?

Dou pondered for a moment and posed his first question: "Are these people from the Underworld?"

Li Jinxing confirmed it.

Dou studied the mural. "They don't seem particularly powerful. While I don't know the strength of the Xia Dynasty, it surely wasn't weaker than the current Divine Dynasty. Yet, the Underworld failed to gain a decisive advantage in their offensive against the Xia."

Li Jinxing smiled. "Keep looking. Once you have seen them all—once you have gone through them—we shall talk."

Dou Xiaotong complied and continued down the line, soon taking in the entirety of the murals. The subsequent story was simple. The war between the Underworld and the Xia Dynasty reached a stalemate until a different group appeared. No, they were likely still from the Underworld, just a different faction—perhaps one of the Ten Palaces Li had mentioned.

The Underworld used only two of its palaces to shatter the Xia Dynasty. And that was not all; by the seventh mural, a map was depicted showing the entire Daoyuan Continent engulfed in flames, with even the Sea Clan in the deep oceans unable to escape. Strangely, the Far North remained untouched by the fires of war.

Later, beings arrived from beyond the heavens. By modern standards, it was as if an immortal army had descended from the Immortal Realm. They paid a heavy price to assist the Daoyuan Continent in repelling the Underworld. Afterward, the leader of the immortal army personally descended to lay down a strange array across the continent. The array slowly shrank, forcibly dragging all the spatial rifts together before using heaven-defying power to seal them and place them within the Cloud Tomb.

From that day on, the bridge between the Underworld and the Daoyuan Continent was broken.

He remained silent for a long time. Li Jinxing did not rush him.

Dou Xiaotong gathered his thoughts and said, "You brought me here, so I assume you have doubts about the content of these murals as well?"

Li Jinxing sighed. "Indeed."

Dou said, "Let's start with yours."

Li Jinxing did not stand on ceremony. "Having seen these, I have three doubts. First, the identity of the beings from beyond the heavens. If they truly came from the Immortal Realm, it implies a connection between the Immortal Realm and Daoyuan. Why, then, have no immortals descended since then? Second, did this vast soul energy in the Cloud Tomb exist from the beginning, or did it gradually form after the cataclysmic war of that era? Third, according to the murals, the Xia Dynasty must have existed. Why is there absolutely no trace of it, no matter how far back one traces?"

Dou Xiaotong thought to himself that these were the very questions he wanted answered.

"I cannot provide an answer," Dou said after careful consideration. "Speculation alone does not constitute truth."

Li Jinxing said, "I have my own conjectures. Perhaps we can verify them against each other."

Dou Xiaotong remained silent for a moment. "If our guesses are wrong, it could cause trouble."

Li Jinxing replied naturally, "If we both arrive at the same conclusion, then even if it is not the absolute truth, it is likely not far from it."

Dou Xiaotong took a deep breath, his gaze gradually firming.

"Let's address the first question. I believe they were indeed reinforcements from the so-called Immortal Realm. As for the connection, it perhaps lies ten thousand zhang above. As for why no immortals have descended, it is likely due to a flaw in the array they laid down at the end."

"Precisely. I also believe the array he laid down did not merely sever the Underworld from the mortal realm, but also cut off the Immortal Realm from the mortal world. It also set a threshold for 'Divine Concealment' on this world to preserve the path of ascension. If that is the case, it raises two new questions: Where does one go upon ascension? If it is merely breaking through ten thousand zhang of sky, how can one ensure the ascendant reaches the Immortal Realm and not the Underworld?"

"Ascension must lead to the Immortal Realm; that should be certain, otherwise they would be strengthening their enemy for nothing. Looking at it this way, perhaps the Underworld is subject to certain restrictions, or perhaps the Daoyuan Continent itself resides within the Immortal Realm?"

"A bit of a stretch, but it is a possible explanation. What about the second question?"

"Regarding the soul energy in the Cloud Tomb, I am inclined to believe it formed gradually after the array was laid. First, it strengthens the seal to prevent the Underworld from returning. Second, if such a vast amount of soul energy had been there from the start, there is no reason it wouldn't have been a primary battlefield. Even if the human race could not find the Cloud Tomb, the Underworld would not have ignored such a treasure trove of geomancy."

"I must say, perhaps there is some unspoken rapport between us?"

"It is not rapport. Since our learning and thinking are much the same, it is understandable that we would reach similar conclusions."

"Fair enough. Continue, what about the third question?"

"The records of the Xia Dynasty... I cannot answer that for now." Dou Xiaotong was silent for a moment, his eyes flickering.

"Are you unable to say it, or are you afraid to?" Li Jinxing chuckled softly. "Shall you hear my conjecture instead?"

Dou said, "Without evidence, such speculation is inevitably malicious."

Li Jinxing shrugged. "There was no evidence for the first two questions, yet you speculated on those, didn't you?"

Seeing that Dou was about to speak, Li added, "Strictly speaking, the content of the murals themselves cannot be verified."

Dou Xiaotong had no choice but to drop the matter.

Li Jinxing chuckled. "We now know that the channel sealing the Underworld was an array laid by immortals, and the power that sustains the array indefinitely is the soul energy of the Cloud Tomb. The problem is that the tomb had no soul energy at the start. The immortals spent such great effort to lay this array; there is no way they would have overlooked this. Therefore, they must have infused the Cloud Tomb with enough soul energy to ensure the integrity of the seal."

Dou Xiaotong sighed. "How much soul energy would be needed to ensure the integrity of the seal?"

Li Jinxing said earnestly, "When I first arrived here, the soul energy in the Cloud Tomb was much stronger than it is now, but even then, the seal was already showing signs of instability."

Dou Xiaotong said, "So it must have been even greater than the current amount of soul energy."

Li Jinxing nodded. "Correct. Only then could they ensure that the seal was truly effective."

Dou Xiaotong said, "So, the Xia Dynasty might have been destroyed by them."