Slowly, the irresistible pressure receded. After a moment of wild instability, the giant dragon swiftly returned to normal. It was fortunate that the behemoth recovered, for at the height of its display, its sheer presence might have crushed everyone present to death.
Beneath the Divine Path, all were but ants; its unparalleled aura alone was enough to suppress anyone not of that rank.
“Five thousand years. It has already been five thousand years,” the dragon’s voice echoed faintly.
He Yiming felt a profound dread toward the ancient dragon, fearing another headache-inducing sigh. Therefore, he cut straight to the point: “Great Divine Dragon, could you tell us what truly happened back then? Why did all the Divine Path experts and divine beasts vanish, and why has this island, which appears every millennium, manifested in our world?”
The company’s spirits sharpened. While their primary goal in entering this island was advancing to the Divine Path, uncovering the mystery of the vanished predecessors from the Divine Path era was equally crucial.
If those powerful figures had disappeared without cause, even a child would not believe it.
The dragon paused in thought. “You wish to know the reason?”
“Yes,” came the unanimous reply from nearly all the peak experts of the Human Path. Only then did they exchange glances, realizing their intentions were perfectly aligned.
“Very well. You must eventually learn the truth anyway. Since that is the case, I shall tell you.” The dragon’s voice had stabilized; though still thunderous, it was within an acceptable range for them. “That year, I... some of the Divine Path powerhouses among humanity approached us, inviting all the divine beasts of the world to join forces in searching for the Land of Life. However, reaching that place was beyond the capability of one or even a few Divine Path experts; it required the combined might of every Divine Path expert and divine beast in existence for even a chance of success.”
He Yiming and the others sucked in a sharp breath. Although they had no idea how many experts existed during the Divine Path era, they could surmise the number was certainly not smaller than the nine heavens of the current Human Path peak.
If one added divine beasts like this giant dragon…
What a terrifying and incredible force that must have been, surely exceeding the limits of their imagination. The fact that this so-called Land of Life required such an immense alliance to locate made the matter even more astonishing, even terrifying.
“We discussed it among ourselves, and the beautiful prospects painted by those human Divine Path experts moved us. So, we joined forces in the North Sea and located an independent, floating island,” the dragon paused, its tone turning peculiar. “Following our predetermined plan, we exerted our full power to open that passage, but alas, an accident occurred. The destination we reached was not the hopeful Land of Life, but a place of death teeming with grotesque lifeforms.”
He Yiming’s eyes darted around. Though seasoned veterans, they were clearly far less knowledgeable than this ancient dragon, making the precise meaning of its words difficult to grasp.
“Great Divine Dragon, what exactly are the Land of Life and the Land of Death?”
A clear, gentle voice broke the silence. Yuan Lixun, unharmed beneath the light of the divine artifact, the Ice Ling Mirror, was the first to inquire.
The dragon did not slight Yuan Lixun due to her lower cultivation. It spoke slowly: “The Land of Life is a legendary place said to possess infinite vitality. The Land of Death harbors a species of strange, repulsive creatures that consume everything they see possessing life or the potential to generate it. Wherever they pass, the land becomes desolate—no water, nothing, no life, just like this desert.”
He Yiming and the others scanned their surroundings, their faces grim.
This desert stretched into an endless sea of sand, yet He Yiming and the others vaguely sensed that the sand here differed in some aspects from the deserts outside.
He Yiming silently lowered his head, scooping up a handful of sand. As he channeled his true energy and will into it, the strange sensation intensified. He looked up at the other Human Path peak experts; they too had performed the same action, all sensing the anomaly, yet tragically, none could articulate the feeling in specific terms.
“Metal. There is no trace of metal in this sand. It is merely soil, utterly devoid of nutrients,” came the sudden voice of Bai Lingba.
He Yiming and the others looked over in surprise, recognition dawning in their eyes—that was the true difference.
Bai Lingba looked up and continued, “Great Divine Dragon, was this place once lush green?”
“It was.”
He Yiming’s expression shifted abruptly. He immediately recalled things Bai Lingba had mentioned before.
Bai Lingba seemed to feel a strange familiarity toward this dragon, and indeed, the dragon seemed to regard Bai Lingba differently, its response to that simple ‘Yes’ sounding slightly softer.
“I understand,” Bai Lingba stated calmly. “These creatures are the most terrifying death-bringers in the cosmos, public enemies of the universe. Any planet they traverse is rendered a wasteland, stripped of any remaining value.”
He Yiming frowned deeply. “What do you mean?”
Everyone hung on Bai Lingba’s words, the dragon included.
“These death creatures devour all water, minerals, flora, and other life. Once they consume a green planet, all that remains is parched sand and dust, devoid of any resource,” Bai Lingba’s voice rose slightly. “They are the most dangerous beings in the universe, and they must absolutely not be allowed into your world, or the planet you inhabit will become this very desert.”
He Yiming and the others were struck with alarm. Though they still did not know what the Land of Life was, the nature of the Land of Death was now clear.
This desolate place harbored truly horrific entities capable of consuming everything, enemies of a thing called the “Universe.” And according to Bai Lingba, if these creatures entered the mortal realm, the entire world would turn into this wasteland.
“Brother Bai, with our strength, is resistance truly impossible?” He Yiming asked gravely. “Even if we cannot, what about all the Saint Beast Kings in the oceans combined?”
Bai Lingba shook his head without hesitation. “Those creatures can swallow even the water of the ocean whole. Do you imagine the sea life could resist?”
He Yiming was silent for a long moment. “Then what about the Divine Path experts?”
Bai Lingba looked up. “You can ask it.”
He Yiming and the others turned their gazes upward as the dragon’s voice slowly resonated: “The death creatures are powerful. Many of our brethren perished, and many human Divine Path experts also died, yet we could not annihilate them all. However…” The dragon’s voice carried a note of fierce pride, “…we blocked their inevitable path, and the strongest among those death creatures are all dead. Thus, they cannot enter our world.”
Bai Lingba stated flatly, “Great Divine Dragon, if my memory serves correctly, the numbers of these death creatures are not fixed. As long as there is resistance here, reinforcements will continuously arrive from other planets. You must have exterminated them multiple times, only for them to reappear after a period, correct?”
The dragon’s voice vanished, not offering an immediate reply. The hearts of the company sank, for they knew if Bai Lingba were mistaken, this dragon would certainly not remain silent.
After a long interval, the dragon finally spoke calmly: “So, those death creatures come from ‘planets.’ No wonder that after we wiped them out each time, a new batch would inexplicably appear a hundred years later.”
Bai Lingba’s eyes brightened. “The planet you discovered is one conquered by the death creatures. Further out in the cosmos, a hundred years’ travel away from where they cross, lies a larger stronghold. That is why a batch of even stronger death creatures arrives every hundred years. You have eliminated them four times; the fifth wave should be approaching soon.”
“That is accurate,” the dragon confirmed. “Do you have a solution?”
Bai Lingba gazed coldly upward. In the face of this colossal being, he showed no hint of fear. “Seal this spatial channel, and all future troubles will end.”
He Yiming and the others were momentarily stunned, their eyes lighting up simultaneously, for they understood that what Bai Lingba spoke of must involve spatial power—a power only worthy of Divine Path experts.
The dragon’s voice was laced with inexpressible bitterness. “We contemplated that solution long ago, but alas, we have been unable to close it.”
“Why?”
“We do not know,” the dragon admitted readily. “Five hundred years ago, we opened this spatial channel. Upon discovering those terrifying death creatures, we immediately sought to close it. But to our dismay, our spatial powers became useless. No matter what method we employed, we could not shut it down. To prevent these horrors from invading our world, all Divine Path humans and divine beasts cast aside their grievances and united against the common enemy. We sealed the passage, placing the divine artifact, the Ice Ling Mirror, atop it. If our descendants possess the strength to subdue the artifact and break the seal, they will then be qualified to enter this place and fight alongside us.”
The dragon paused again. “A year later, that channel vanished inexplicably. We exhausted all our strength to finally eradicate every last death creature. But before the channel reappeared a century later, those death creatures began descending anew, stronger than before. To stop them, we were unable to return to our own world. Thus, four hundred years passed, and as our strength gradually waned, we finally awaited reinforcements. But…” The dragon’s voice held a note of regret, “…there was not a single true Divine Path expert among them.”