Inside the infant statue, there was no sound from Xian Zhuyin for a long moment, yet Nie Kong faintly sensed she was struggling fiercely to suppress her rage.

Mu Hongling also seemed to notice, her previously relaxed and casual posture straightening considerably.

After a long pause, Xian Zhuyin spoke in a deep voice, "Chongxu and Pangu, these two truly possess venomous hearts. They intend to wipe out both my Xian Star and Chi Star clans."

"Exterminate?"

Nie Kong was stunned. The word seemed somewhat misplaced. If Venerable Chongxu and Venerable Pangu truly wished to annihilate these two major star clans, with their power, they could have done so easily after the great war back then; there would have been no need to relocate everyone outside the heavens, making things so complicated.

Xian Zhuyin let out a cold laugh, "You do not know the extent of this. Every time the 'Taishi Grotto-Heaven' opens, it requires absorbing a massive amount of vital energy. Although I have been cut off from the outside world, I can still sense that in these ten thousand years, the Grotto-Heaven has opened once every decade. Were it not for this, how could the populations of the Xian Star and Chi Star clans have dwindled to this degree? If this continues, within five hundred years, these two major star clans will cease to exist in this world."

Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Mu Hongling exchanged bewildered glances. If what Xian Zhuyin said was true, then Chongxu and Pangu were indeed incredibly sinister and vicious, managing to exterminate two great star clans without anyone noticing, and without even having to stain their own hands with blood.

She paused, then continued, "Nie Kong, since you were able to enter the 'Taishi Grotto-Heaven,' you must surely know their purpose in opening it?"

Nie Kong nodded, "Back then, Chongxu and Pangu had an agreement: each time it opened, six Ninth-Rank Spirit Gods and six Ninth-Rank Star Gods would enter the Grotto-Heaven to search for the 'Taishi Divine Crystal,' hoping to gain the opportunity to advance to the status of Venerable. In ten thousand years, only Pan Ling and Lei Long ever obtained a Divine Crystal."

"Taishi Divine Crystal?"

Xian Zhuyin scoffed. Her graceful and exquisite body materialized again, looking at the infant statue as she said, "The search for the 'Taishi Divine Crystal' is merely a deceitful lie Chongxu and Pangu spun to fool others. Their true goal, I suspect, is still centered on this little fellow."

"Him?"

Not only Nie Kong and Tai Yan, but Mu Hongling was also utterly confused, asking doubtfully, "Master, does this little one conceal some secret?"

Xian Zhuyin did not answer, but instead looked toward Nie Kong, her voice deepening, "Nie Kong, do you know why that great war occurred ten thousand years ago?"

Nie Kong frowned, "It was said that as more and more external Spirit Gods arrived, friction grew increasingly severe with the native Spirit Gods of the Venerable Spirit Realm over cultivation resources. By ten thousand years ago, all conflicts erupted, triggering that massive catastrophe?"

A hint of mockery flashed in Xian Zhuyin's eyes, "Is that what Chongxu and Pangu propagated?" Before Nie Kong could respond, Xian Zhuyin continued, "The three great star clans coexisted for ten thousand years, sharing the same origin. If it were truly about competing for cultivation resources, why would the Pan Star clan betray them and attack the Xian Star and Chi Star clans?"

"This..."

Nie Kong was rendered speechless.

He had pondered this question countless times, yet always failed to find an answer.

Not just Nie Kong, but even Chi Lian, the Great Elder of the Chi Star clan, could not fathom the reason. Even in the memories of Pan Hu, the chief of the Pan Star clan, similar confusion existed. For ten thousand years, this had been a massive, unsolvable mystery in the minds of everyone in the Venerable Spirit Realm.

Xian Zhuyin sneered, "Aside from Pangu and Chongxu, perhaps only I in this world know that the root cause of the great war ten thousand years ago lies with this little one."

"What?"

Nie Kong was greatly astonished, and his gaze, along with those of Tai Yan, Mu Hongling, and the Gourd, all fell upon the sculpture beside Xian Zhuyin.

The infant statue was like a porcelain doll, exquisitely carved, yet the area between its plump little legs was smooth, showing neither male nor female characteristics...

But other than that, nothing else seemed unusual.

"Could it be because of the 'Chaos Immortal Qi'?"

Nie Kong's mind churned with doubts, but he quickly dismissed the suspicion.

Small traces of 'Chaos Immortal Qi' drifted in many parts of the Venerable Spirit Realm. The thirty-three strands of Immortal Qi he absorbed were gathered by Seven-Colored Venerable after traversing the entire realm. If Chongxu and Pangu were truly interested in the Immortal Qi, they would have captured it all long ago; it would never have been left for Seven-Colored Venerable to even make a move.

"In the end, it all boils down to greed."

Xian Zhuyin shook her head with a bitter smile, uttering this cryptic phrase, her eyes shimmering with reminiscence. "Countless eons ago, when heaven and earth first split, a massive amount of 'Chaos Immortal Qi' was generated. Over countless ages, this Immortal Qi coalesced, developed sentience, cultivated a physical form, and achieved transcendent power. He was the 'Taichi Venerable.' More than twenty thousand years ago, his power reached the very limit of heaven and earth—a boundary we also refer to as 'Taichi'..."

"The Taichi Realm truly exists!"

Nie Kong's spirit soared. He had a strong premonition that the world's greatest mystery was about to be revealed by the mouth of Divine Venerable Zhuyin, and his chest involuntarily filled with excitement.

Xian Zhuyin murmured, "At that time, there was no Venerable Spirit Realm, no Phantom Spirit Continent, nor were there various divine power elements and spiritual power elements. Humans were ordinary, ignorant of cultivation, and had short lifespans. The Taichi Venerable, consumed by boredom, constructed the 'Taishi Grotto-Heaven' and then..."

"The Taishi Grotto-Heaven was actually a product of his extreme boredom?"

Nie Kong exchanged a look with Tai Yan; they both found it somewhat absurd. Mu Hongling, seeing Xian Zhuyin pause, asked urgently, "Master, what happened next?"

Xian Zhuyin sighed softly, "Afterward came the Outer Heavens, the Venerable Spirit Realm, the Phantom Spirit Continent, the divine power elements, and the spiritual power elements. Humans in both the Venerable Spirit Realm and the Phantom Spirit Continent, after continuous experimentation, embarked on the path of cultivation, greatly increasing their lifespans."

The others listened in great astonishment; it turned out that all the changes in this world originated from the Taichi Venerable. Tai Yan couldn't help but ask, "Senior, where did that Taichi Venerable go?"

"He fell into slumber."

Xian Zhuyin's expression suddenly became quite complex. "Ten thousand years ago, I unintentionally entered the Outer Heavens and discovered the Taishi Palace and the 'Taishi Grotto-Heaven.' After slumbering for ten thousand years, the Taichi Venerable finally awoke, but his power had greatly diminished, equivalent only to a Ninth-Rank Spirit God."

"Upon discovering me, this visitor, he followed me to the Venerable Spirit Realm. The Taichi Venerable was an entity formed from 'Chaos Immortal Qi,' with a heart as pure as a newborn, harboring no suspicion toward anyone in this world. However, Chongxu and Pangu were not like him. After learning his origin, they became consumed by avarice."

"Because by refining him, they could become the new Taichi Venerable."

"How many people in this world could resist such a temptation? Chongxu and Pangu were already Venerables, only one step away from the 'Taichi' realm, and they possessed the ability to refine a 'Chaos Immortal Spirit.' Naturally, they were even more unwilling to give up such a perfect opportunity, and ultimately chose to act."

"..."