After posing the question, he closed his eyes and continued moving forward silently, for the young master trusted that the old man would surely provide the answer.

"How should I put it? It relates to each person's inherent cultivation. When one reaches a certain realm, different states naturally manifest; these manifestations don't always have to be seen through specific displays of profound energy. For instance, someone like me can discern anyone's rank with a single glance, no matter how they try to conceal it, or by what means—simply because everyone's Jing Qi Shen… is different." He let out a dry chuckle and continued, "A person's Jing Qi Shen differs between morning and noon, and today is different from tomorrow, for as profound energy advances, so too does the constant fluctuation of Jing Qi Shen… To put it plainly, it's nothing worth mentioning. Yet, to truly perceive this subtlety is incredibly difficult!"

Jun Mo Xie nodded silently and kept walking.

But after only a few steps, he finally detected something deeply amiss!

Jing Qi Shen!

In this world, it seemed no one had ever spoken of it this way; in fact, the very term was unheard of! Yet this man had uttered those three words!

In an instant, all the blood rushed to Jun Mo Xie's head. He rasped, "You… are you perhaps the First Young Master of the Nine Hells?"

Perhaps only this peerless madman, who had once set foot on Earth, could utter the words 'Jing Qi Shen'! What reinforced this thought was the man's earlier declaration: "In my ten thousand years, I have only seen one person like you!"

Who could live for ten thousand years?

"Are you the First Young Master of the Nine Hells?"

The moment the question left his lips, the air fell into profound silence!

In the entire underground space, the only sound was the ceaseless footfalls of Jun Mo Xie pressing onward.

After a long, long pause, the aged voice sighed deeply, saturated with endless nostalgia, murmuring, "That was my Master's appellation… Every time I hear it, I feel as though I am still before him, receiving instruction. Perhaps only during those days following my Master was life meaningful. Every day now is merely a pale, impotent repetition of the last…"

Master? The First Young Master of the Nine Hells was his master?

A thunderous shock jolted Jun Mo Xie’s mind. He exclaimed loudly, "You—are you not the very first master of the Ethereal Illusionary Mansion? The founder of the Ethereal Illusionary Mansion, the progenitor of the Miao Clan—Miao Qingcheng?"

"Heh… You’ve finally guessed it?…"

Miao Qingcheng’s voice was ethereal and faint, yet laced with a hint of pleasure.

"Miao Qingcheng, it was actually him. It truly is Miao Qingcheng!"

Jun Mo Xie’s thoughts churned with surging excitement. He had actually met one of the four great disciples of the Nine Hells First Young Master, a figure who had always existed only in legend!

Back then, the First Young Master of the Nine Hells had taken on four disciples!

Bu Yuntian, You Canghai, Meng Qiongxiao, and Miao Qingcheng!

These were four legendary names that had shaken the continent for a full ten millennia!

A light step treads the dusty world, strolling toward the azure heavens! Bu Yuntian, founder of the Hermit Immortal Palace, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands that followed!

Vast sea arrests the flowing cloud, one glance cleaves the firmament! You Canghai, founder of the Dream Blood Sea, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands that followed!

No hero walks the mortal realm, only Qiongxiao exists in dreams! Meng Qiongxiao, founder of the Supreme Gold City, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands that followed!

One sword decides the South Heaven, one blade brings the City to its knees! Miao Qingcheng! Standing apart from the Three Great Sacred Lands, existing outside the world of the Xuan Xuan Continent, possessing his own independent dimension—the founder of the Ethereal Illusionary Mansion!

All four were unparalleled talents among men! All were heroes whose feats eclipsed the ages! They were legends beyond legend!

Jun Mo Xie could never have imagined that his visit to the Ethereal Illusionary Mansion this time would lead him to meet this legendary figure!

While Jun Mo Xie was caught in excitement, Miao Qingcheng was sighing softly, seemingly lost in reminiscence. After a long while, he murmured lowly, "These names… they are truly too distant now… The mortal world today… is long past the way it once was…"

"Then… since you are here, what about the other three… are they also present?" Jun Mo Xie asked cautiously.

"Back then… the four of us studied under the same master; I was the youngest…" Miao Qingcheng’s voice carried a deep flavor of recollection as he drifted on, "My four martial brothers and I each formed our own factions. From harmony, conflict arose, growing ever more intense… The four of us fought for a thousand years! An entire millennium, during which it felt like each of us had died and been reborn several times… Heh…"

Recalling the events of those years, the crises, the deep-seated hatreds, all that remained for Miao Qingcheng now were memories and nostalgia, as if the battles with his seniors were merely a way for them to bond and express affection. His voice was surprisingly full of emotion, brimming with infinite longing…

"Eventually, everyone grew tired of it. As the Master’s most cherished junior disciple, I was given this independent Ethereal Illusionary Mansion… After our Master departed for a thousand years, the other three found that there was nothing left of interest under heaven, and even their contests against each other became exhausting. So, within a century, they successively tore through the void to seek out our Master…"

Miao Qingcheng's voice resonated with profound feeling: "I still remember that day… The four of us shared one last meal together—that time, it was pure radish stew made by the Eldest Senior Brother! Then, three days later, Eldest Senior Brother Bu Yuntian broke through the firmament and set off upon the boundless road…"

Young Master Jun was stunned. Radish stewed with radish? What kind of dish was that!

"Ten years later, Second Senior Brother summoned us, and the three of us ate another meal together, made by Second Senior Brother You Canghai: Dragon-Chasing Fish stewed with Bear Paw. I have always preferred vegetarian food and never touched meat, but that day… I too broke precedent to eat a bear paw and drank a large bowl of Dragon-Chasing Fish soup… Exactly three days after that… Second Senior Brother ascended straight into the heavens from the Blood Sea and never returned…"

"Fifty years later, Third Senior Brother’s divine sense pierced through the Illusionary Realm and summoned me for a meeting. That day, the two of us sat before a table laden with delicacies, but neither of us ate a bite; we only silently let a few drops of tears fall… Three days after that meeting, Third Senior Brother also vanished without a trace."

Jun Mo Xie sat with his mouth agape, as if listening to a truly unpleasant myth. To these individuals, shattering the void and leaving seemed as simple as eating common cabbage!

Yet, the Young Master knew this was all true…

"I still remember what Third Senior Brother said when he left: Little Four, we will wait for you to come over! But even now, nearly ten thousand years have passed… and I am still here," Miao Qingcheng’s voice was filled with despondency…

"But why haven't you gone? If your three senior brothers could, there's no reason you couldn't!" Jun Mo Xie couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he might have said something he shouldn't have, for the entire space was suddenly filled with an indescribable wave of sorrow…

Simultaneously, Jun Mo Xie felt a light flare ahead, and he found himself standing in an extraordinarily vast underground space!

Yet, Miao Qingcheng’s figure was still nowhere to be seen…

After a long moment, Miao Qingcheng’s unique, ethereal voice finally sounded again: "Why would I not wish to go! But our Master, upon seeing his three disciples shatter the void one after another, suddenly became vexed. He worried that people from this side would continue to pour through… With a wave of his hand, he completely sealed the Gate to Heaven connecting the Xuan Xuan Continent!"

Jun Mo Xie’s eyebrows jumped violently!

Damn it… That’s too terrifying! With a wave of his hand… sealing the Gate to Heaven of an entire continent! I’m speechless… This venerable master actually threatened me with a duel, doesn't he think too highly of this Young Master…?

Young Master Jun glanced at his slender arms and tender legs, involuntarily shivering. This First Young Master of the Nine Hells was truly overwhelming… Worried his disciples might follow, he employed a strategy that cut off all successors…

"But the more he did this… the more I longed to go and see! After those two thousand years, my strength had long surpassed the basic requirements for traversing the Gate to Heaven. I attempted to break through that sealed Gate to Heaven three times, hoping to leave… but…"

He sighed deeply here, a touch of melancholy in his tone…

"The first impact caused a backlash that required me three centuries to heal… The second attempt, though less severe in recoil, still failed to break through. The third time, eight thousand four hundred years ago, I exerted all my remaining strength in a final desperate push!"

Miao Qingcheng managed a bitter smile: "The result was that I still didn't get out, but in the process, I inadvertently caused half of the Heaven Pillar Mountain of the Xuan Xuan Continent to collapse…"

Jun Mo Xie’s eyes widened in shock! He distinctly heard the sound of his own eyeballs dislodging and clattering onto the floor…

"Holy hell!"

After a long silence, Young Master Jun finally recovered his ability to speak, but the words that burst out were those two!

The true culprit was right here…

It was precisely because half of the Heaven Pillar Mountain collapsed that they discovered that evil race over there!

The Alien Race!

And it was from that moment that the endless War for the Heavens began…

The rampaging chaos caused by the Alien Race was trouble stirred up by this very person standing before him!

The root cause? He had accidentally knocked down half of the world's tallest mountain while trying to force his way through the 'Path to Heaven'… Young Master Jun gasped. What kind of power was this? An 'accidental' act had toppled the world's primary peak!

He had seen it with his own eyes; the sturdiness of Heaven Pillar Mountain was something ordinary power could not shift, let alone destroy…

Immediately after, he heard Miao Qingcheng speak with a tone of deep regret: "When I caused that mountain to collapse, I knew something was wrong. That Heaven Pillar Mountain was a sacred mountain where my Master… had once placed a seal… My Master had unexpectedly discovered a rather strange race, but because those beings were so utterly repulsive, he disdained to personally eliminate them. So, the Master simply raised the Heaven Pillar Mountain higher and cast down a seal, forcing them to suffer there for eternity…"

"But that one collision of mine allowed those disgusting creatures the opportunity to enter the Xuan Xuan Continent!"

Miao Qingcheng sighed sorrowfully: "I regretted it endlessly back then; I wanted to charge over and wipe out those fiends with a single sword strike…"

Jun Mo Xie’s eyeballs turned mechanically. He thought to himself, Damn it, so that’s the kind of 'toppling' your name 'Qingcheng' actually implies… (To be continued. For what happens next, please log in to Pipi QBiBa.com for more chapters, support the author, and support)