Volume 2: War Chapter 9: A Shocking Secret History
Dugu Baitian jumped from the rear window of the Li residence into the courtyard. Leaping over walls and ridges, he made his way from the backyard to the main street. The sky was already pitch black, so no one noticed him.
He first went to a restaurant and ordered a lavish spread of dishes, eating his fill heartily. Afterwards, he found an inn, took a bath, and finally lay down comfortably on the bed.
Recalling the events from last night's fierce battle until now, he found it all utterly incredible. From being frozen solid to becoming the White Jade Cold Ice, and finally breaking free from the ice – it was truly a series of bizarre events. What exactly was the reason that allowed him to condense the essence of heaven and earth to form the White Jade Cold Ice? He pondered it repeatedly but could find no answer.
He felt that this strange experience hadn't caused him any harm. On the contrary, his serious internal injuries had miraculously healed, and his body seemed much stronger. In fact, it wasn't just stronger; he had initially acquired the primary constitution of the Undying Demon Body, though he himself was unaware of it. With heavy drowsiness, he drifted into sleep.
Seeing that Dugu Baitian had left, Liu Ruyan also turned and exited the room, heading straight to the main hall. The two King-level experts from the Moon Worship Empire had left some time ago, but the topic of conversation still revolved around them. As she approached, everyone greeted her warmly, and she returned their greetings one by one. She then went to the table where the three King-level experts and Li Fang were seated and said in a low voice, "Seniors, General Li, could you please come to the Old General's quarters? Something unbelievable has happened there."
The group was greatly startled and found various excuses to leave the banquet, heading towards the rear residence. Liu Ruyan stayed in the main hall for a short while before leaving as well. When she entered the Old General's room, everyone was staring dumbfounded at the puddle of icy water on the floor. Seeing her enter, Li Fang quickly spoke, "Miss Liu, what on earth happened? Where is the White Jade Cold Ice?" He seemed extremely anxious, as this matter concerned his foster father's life.
Liu Ruyan said, "You might not believe me, but the White Jade Cold Ice has melted."
"What?" everyone exclaimed in unison.
Although they had seen the water stains upon entering and had some suspicions, they still couldn't believe that the iron-hard White Jade Cold Ice could have melted. Hearing it confirmed by Liu Ruyan, they were still greatly shocked.
Yang Rui said, "How could the White Jade Cold Ice melt? How is that possible? It's impossible!"
Liu Ruyan said, "As soon as I entered the room, I heard the sound of ice cracking. When I went closer, I saw that the White Jade Cold Ice was fracturing. But that's not the strangest part; something even more bizarre happened afterward."
Everyone was very curious; what could be stranger than the White Jade Cold Ice cracking and melting?
Liu Ruyan continued, "When I approached the White Jade Cold Ice, it suddenly shattered completely, and a person walked out from inside – an old man with white hair."
"What?" everyone exclaimed again, utterly astonished. For a long time, no one could speak. These events completely overturned their ordinary understanding of the world.
Li Fang said, "Miss Ruyan, you... you weren't seeing things, were you? Could you have been mistaken?"
Liu Ruyan said, "How could I be mistaken? I saw it with my own eyes. Moreover, that old man even spoke with me for a while."
One shocking news after another had made everyone's nerves less sensitive.
Qin An asked, "What did he say?"
Liu Ruyan said, "He asked me what era this was. I told him it was the year 7897 of the Continental Calendar. He was greatly surprised upon hearing this and muttered to himself, 'To think that healing from my injuries in sleep, four thousand years have passed in the world. Alas! Things remain, but people are changed.' After saying that, he vanished into thin air." As Liu Ruyan told these lies, her heart initially raced, but later she became surprisingly calm, her face not reddening nor her heart pounding. However, she still inwardly reproached herself for agreeing to lie for a strange man she had just met.
Humans are truly strange creatures – almost cruel when rational, and almost idiotic when emotional.
The people in the room were so shocked by these words they were speechless. This matter was too bizarre and fantastical, like a tale from the Arabian Nights.
After a long while, Liu Yifei finally spoke, "Vanishing into thin air might not be impossible; it's just that his martial prowess had reached an unimaginable level. Could it be that 'a week in the cave, a millennium in the world' is actually true? A person actually slept for four thousand years... a Saint-level expert from four thousand years ago. I wonder what impact he will bring to the continent."
Yang Rui said, "Could it be that that matter is actually true?"
Qin An asked, "Old Man Yang, which matter are you referring to?"
Yang Rui said, "It's something my late master told me. At the time, I didn't believe it at all, but my master insisted I remember it and pass it down through the generations. Now it seems that matter is indeed true."
Qin An asked, "What exactly is it?"
Yang Rui said, "In his later years, my master once told me that the continent had a very glorious history, roughly four thousand years ago. At that time, the continent was filled with the smoke and fire of war, but it was eventually unified by a great monarch, bringing peace to the land. The customs of the time favored martial arts; even four or five-year-old children knew a move or two. Back then, if a man didn't know martial arts, he would be mocked as trash. No woman would marry him, and no one would even want to associate with him."
"It was against this backdrop of national peace, prosperity, and a martial-loving populace that the realm of martial arts was pushed to its peak. All kinds of divine skills and unique techniques emerged one after another. In those days, encountering an Emperor-level expert wasn't strange at all; even Saint-level experts frequently appeared across the continent. There were even rumors of people achieving nirvana through the martial path and ascending to immortality."
"But then, one day, something happened on the continent. All the Saint-level and Emperor-level experts seemed to vanish into thin air, disappearing overnight. The disciples and members of various sects were thrown into panic, searching everywhere for their missing masters, but the missing individuals had evaporated from the world, gone without a trace."
"Among the missing was the ruler of the continent at that time – the Nine Serenities Great Emperor. The only reason people discovered his disappearance was that his power had also reached the Saint level. Thus, both the martial world and the ruling class fell into panic. People speculated wildly about what had happened, but the theories varied, none offering a plausible explanation."
"Until one day, a Saint-level expert suddenly returned, severely wounded. He only managed to say a few words before passing away. The words he spoke have been passed down in different versions, but these different accounts share a common point. Namely: the severely injured Saints who did not die would fall into a slumber for a thousand years. Until one day, when their injuries are fully recovered, the battle will begin again."
Yang Rui picked up his teacup and took a sip. Liu Ruyan never imagined that her lies would elicit such a secret history of the martial world. While filled with guilt, she was even more shocked; this secret history seemed to concern an enormous secret.
Yang Rui continued, "Regarding the dying words of that severely wounded Saint-level expert, there were various other流传说法 (liúchuán shuōfǎ - circulated theories/versions) at the time. One theory was that the missing experts of Emperor-level and above had participated in an 'Immortal-Saint War'; another theory was that the world's top experts gathered together and a 'Hundred Saints War' erupted, with the Emperor-level experts who hadn't reached Saint level merely becoming cannon fodder; yet another theory was that after the first instance of someone sacrificing themselves to become a demon, another person on the continent also sacrificed themselves to become a demon, achieving the Undying Demon Body, and this demon had nearly reached the Immortal-Demon realm. The combined forces of all the top experts in the world finally resulted in mutual devastation, with both the Undying Demon and the numerous experts falling into a deep slumber, recovering their power."
"But a thousand years later, the slumbering Saints did not awaken. The people of the continent came to believe that all the theories were deceitful lies. They no longer believed the events of a thousand years prior, considering them merely a legend. Thus, another three thousand years passed, and now almost no one remembers that mythical period of history anymore."
Yang Rui finished speaking. For a long time, the room remained utterly silent.
After another period of time, Liu Yifei finally spoke, "I have also heard snippets of these matters but never paid them much mind. Thinking about it now, it all might very well be true. Reflecting on it, the so-called White Jade Cold Ice created by Saint-level experts isn't what we imagined – sacrificing one's essence to benefit others – but is actually a method for healing oneself."
Qin An said, "White Jade Cold Ice – to think it's such an existence. It seems that when one's power reaches a certain realm, one can attract the essence of heaven and earth to heal oneself."
Li Fang and Liu Ruyan couldn't interject regarding these bold deductions about martial studies, nor did they dare interrupt the experts' train of thought.
Liu Yifei said, "Correct, precisely so. As for freezing oneself, it must be because the healing process is extremely long, using this method to preserve the physical body from decay."
Yang Rui said, "The divine skills and peerless techniques of the predecessors are truly worthy of the utmost admiration. The martial arts of today have truly declined. Over the last thousand years, experts reaching the Saint level have become as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns – only a handful, countable on one's fingers. In the last three hundred years, there hasn't even been news of a Saint-level expert appearing in the world. Compared to a thousand years ago, it can truly be said that talent has withered, with no worthy successors!" The old man sighed with emotion.
Liu Ruyan spoke up, "Senior, please don't be so sorrowful. Not appearing in the world doesn't mean no one has reached that realm. Perhaps the experts who have reached that level no longer wish to reveal their esteemed presence. Martial arts have still developed greatly over the millennia. It's very difficult to compare whether the martial arts of a thousand years ago or a thousand years later are stronger or weaker."
Yang Rui said, "You are right. I'm really an old fool, hehe..." As he spoke, he laughed.
Li Fang spoke, "There's one thing I don't quite understand. Why was that piece of 'White Jade Cold Ice' I 'found' today located there in the first place?"
Liu Yifei said, "There could be many reasons for that. Perhaps some people mistakenly entered an ancient cave, dragged it out, and then, for some unknown reason, lost it by the river." Saying this was equivalent to saying nothing; it explained nothing. Liu Yifei couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.
Liu Ruyan thought to herself: Even if you rack your brains, you could never guess the truth of the matter.