Chapter 464: The Truth Behind the 20,000-Year Disappearance

Xu Sanyan’s cold gaze swept across the carnage, his eyes devoid of emotion, as if regarding pigs or dogs. His gaze lingered for only a moment on the spear in Lu Wanzhe’s hand before shifting away—another old acquaintance gone.

The original group of nearly a hundred had dwindled to just over a dozen, including the Lu Clan Elder, the Yue Clan Patriarch, and Lu Wanzhe. To Xu Sanyan’s surprise, Yue Shanhe was still alive.

Ignoring them, Xu Sanyan approached the palace exterior to examine it closely. Behind him, the Heavenly Dao Mark gradually faded, dissolving into the void.

The Lu Clan Elder and Yue Clan Patriarch exchanged a glance before following, though they dared not approach too closely, maintaining a respectful distance.

Xu Sanyan’s mind raced as he studied the chaotic lines of the murals on the pitch-black walls, attempting to decipher their meaning.

The murals were divided into five sections, which, when combined, seemed to tell a story:

Part 1: A figure’s silhouette stood against a backdrop of countless kneeling worshippers. Two suns hung high in the sky, the figure’s stature nearly rivaling their brilliance.

In the second section, the figure had vanished, along with the kneeling worshippers. Even one of the suns had disappeared, replaced by dark clouds that shrouded the palaces below.

Starting with the third section, everything changed. Lightning flashed across the sky, and the land lay in ruins, as if ravaged by some apocalyptic calamity. Everything had been utterly destroyed.

The fourth section depicted nothing at all. Only a light drizzle fell from the sky, and the world below was deathly silent, not even a blade of grass dared to grow.

As for the fifth section…

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock and doubt.

In the fifth section, the sky suddenly cracked open, violently tearing through the raging Gang Wind. A surge of Vitality poured in, revitalizing the world.

The drizzle ceased, saplings sprouted from the earth, birds soared into the sky, and life returned to everything.

This painting…

reminded Xu Sanyan of something he had heard in the Hundred Saints Secret Realm years ago. During the Yaotian Holy Sect’s golden age, they had divided all the sects in the world into nine ranks, with the first rank being the highest—reserved solely for the Yaotian Holy Sect itself, which ruled over all.

Much like the Nine-Rank Official Selection System in mortal courts, one had to climb the ranks step by step.

Everyone started in ninth-rank sects, gradually ascending to eighth-rank, seventh-rank, sixth-rank… until finally, they reached the Yaotian Holy Sect.

This system allowed the Yaotian Holy Sect to flourish beyond measure, drawing all the world’s exceptional talents into its grasp, ensuring the sect’s eternal dominance.

Didn’t this perfectly align with the first mural?

Yet, as the heavens are unpredictable, the Yaotian Holy Sect, having exhausted the world’s resources to sustain itself, finally incurred the wrath of the heavenly dao. To evade the heavenly tribulation, they constructed the secret realm, setting the stage for the events that followed.

This corresponded precisely with the second and third murals.

However, all of this transpired thirty thousand years ago. In contrast, the oldest recorded power in the Central Region, the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple, was less than ten thousand years old. The question then arose: where had the intervening twenty thousand years vanished to?

The murals seemed to offer an answer. The fourth mural depicted nothing but a light rain falling from the sky, as if washing away all traces of the world’s past.

Though rendered with only a few strokes, the painting conveyed a profound sense of desolation and vastness, evoking a visceral empathy that transported viewers into its desolate realm.

This might well represent the missing twenty thousand years—an era forcibly erased, leaving nothing behind.

The final mural showed the world reborn, teeming with new life, seemingly heralding the dawn of a new age—their own era.

This raised another question: where did humanity come from?

Surely they hadn’t simply sprung from cracks in rocks?

And who had recorded these murals?

Could those four immortals still be alive?

No, that’s wrong, Xu Sanyan thought, shaking his head. If they were still alive, wouldn’t it have been easier to record their history in writing rather than through murals? It would be much clearer. Why go to all this trouble?

I just can’t figure it out…

Xu Sanyan turned to the Lu Clan elder and nodded toward the pitch-black stone gate. “Open it and take a look.”

The elder froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. “Very well.”

Having always been the one giving orders, he found it strange to suddenly be taking them.

Xu Sanyan curled his lip. He had a feeling this old fox was up to no good. I’ll kill him after I’m done with him. For now, let him scout ahead.

Boom!

The heavy stone gate swung open with a thunderous crash. Despite being tens of thousands of years old, the palace remained fully functional, a testament to the meticulous craftsmanship of its builders.

Xu Sanyan’s gaze pierced into the pitch-black space beyond the gate. The interior was vast and empty, shrouded in darkness, revealing nothing.

“Go inside and investigate,” Xu Sanyan ordered again.

The Lu Clan elder hesitated. The place reeked of the uncanny, and fear gnawed at his heart. “This…”

He was about to fabricate an excuse to refuse when Xu Sanyan’s sharp glance cut through him like ice. He remembered this wasn’t a request.

“Yes, sir.”

The elder cautiously stepped into the palace. The dark gate loomed like the gaping maw of a giant beast, waiting to swallow its prey.

Xu Sanyan watched as the darkness gradually swallowed the elder’s figure, patiently waiting outside the gate.

A wisp of Xu Sanyan’s aura attached to the Lu Clan elder allowed him to monitor the elder’s condition at all times.

After a long wait, the Lu Clan elder emerged. Though a trace of panic lingered in his expression, he seemed much calmer, indicating there were no immediate dangers inside.

“What’s inside?” Xu Sanyan demanded.

“Jade slips,” the elder replied, wiping cold sweat from his brow. “There are countless jade slips inside. This place seems to be the legacy site of some Ancient Sect.”

Jade slips…

Xu Sanyan’s eyes flickered with uncertainty as he turned to the group. “Everyone, go inside.”

Under his oppressive aura, no one dared to defy him. They obediently filed into the palace.

As Xu Sanyan stepped inside, he was met with an eerie stillness. Massive stone pillars, each as thick as a man, supported the ceiling, their surfaces carved with strange, intricate patterns.

Deeper within the palace, a bone-chilling yin wind suddenly swept through the hall. Xu Sanyan stiffened instantly. That wind again…

This wind had already swept through three times since they entered. The first time was when they initially arrived, the second when the myriad ghosts awakened, and now this third time.

The palace was sealed tight. Where could this wind be coming from?

Xu Sanyan felt certain something was wrong.

He grew even more vigilant, his footsteps light as he trailed behind the group.

Unnoticed by the others, Lu Wanzhe’s body trembled imperceptibly within the crowd. Her pupils rolled upward, turning pitch black for a moment, before her irises spun rapidly like eyeballs, finally settling to reveal only the whites of her eyes, leaving her appearance unchanged.

The Lu Clan elder led the way. Though the palace appeared small from the outside, its true scale became apparent upon entering. The mountain’s interior had been completely hollowed out, with the palace merely serving as a grand entrance.

After traversing a long corridor, they reached a fork in the path. Without hesitation, the Lu Clan elder moved to take the left passage. But Xu Sanyan suddenly called out,

“Take the other path.”

(End of the Chapter)