Chapter 420: The Bridges of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 420: The Bridges of Heaven and Earth

“The destruction of an era isn’t some child’s play. Don’t think that just because there’s a treasure guarding a space, it’s like a protective shield that keeps everyone inside safe? There’s no such easy thing. Even the creator of the treasure is dead, so how could the treasure possibly have such power? In fact, most treasures shattered during the collapse of the era; the ones that remained intact were simply lucky.”

Zhao Changhe was struck by this. He had not considered it in such detail before. No wonder that corpse demon, despite living in this so-called Realm of True Void without anything happening to it, was still in a heavily injured state, waiting to recover.

The blind woman continued, “The destruction of an era is like the apocalypse, the entire universe exploding, space fracturing and dispersing everywhere. Barely anyone could survive in such an environment, and even those who did were barely hanging on. It’s like a bowl wrapped in cloth shattering into pieces; the shards won’t spill out, but how much of what’s inside will remain?”

“Well, that’s a pretty clear way to explain it...”

“The so-called treasures that protect spaces only came into play after the explosion, when everything had stabilized. Due to the existence of these treasures, small fragments of space remained independent and did not merge back into the main world. But the point is that these treasures weren’t protecting the space from the start. Even the strongest beings who survived did so by sheer luck, and everyone was gravely weakened. Over the long years, most didn’t wake up, and even if some did, they had to rest and recover, and they were not strong enough to venture out. This is why no gods or demons have been seen in this era.”

Zhao Changhe said, “So now, after all this time has passed, more of them are waking up, even the relatively weaker remnant souls like that of this corpse demon?”

“Exactly. But don’t underestimate him. Back in the day, this was a great demon, captured and imprisoned in this rear mountain by top Buddhists and Daoists figures. They even tried to cleanse him of his demonic nature with a lotus platform. Such treatment is not given to small fry; he had a certain status.”

“But I feel that compared to you, he’s like a firefly next to the bright moon.”

The blind woman laughed, “Oh? You’re actually praising me? That’s rare...”

“...Strength is strength. What’s wrong with acknowledging it? Do you think I’d be speaking so politely to you if you weren’t so powerful?”

The blind woman was momentarily left speechless.

She did not dwell on it and chuckled. “Of course, even though he did have some status, it wasn’t that high. If it were, he wouldn’t have been captured so easily.”

“Hmm... I get the general idea. In today’s standards, he’d be like one of those infamous figures on the Ranking of Man, right? You, at the very least, are at Old Cui’s level.”

“Cui Wenjing? Heh...”

In his heart, Zhao Changhe had long equated her to Xia Longyuan, though he would not say that out loud. Testing the waters with this comparison did not seem far off. He silently mourned for his father-in-law’s pride and then asked, “So, were there similar rankings in ancient times?”

“The Heavenly Dao had its own records, but it did not reveal them to the world like it does now.”

“That’s fine as well, I guess. But the occasional news that the tome broadcasts every now and then gives people something to talk about. It makes life a little less dull.”

The blind woman said, “Is it because you enjoy being hyped up? Well, if it were me, I’d be quite pleased too.”

“In your eyes, probably the Barbarian God, the ruler of the Tngri.” The blind woman smiled slyly. “Although his true intention isn’t necessarily to act as a guardian of the mountains and rivers, he did indeed discover the existence of the Barbarian God during his campaigns against foreign tribes. He suffered a loss once, and ever since, his mind had been consumed by the path of gods and demons. Objectively, his actions have indeed protected the Central Plains, and because of this, he believes that whatever he does is justified.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

The blind woman stretched lazily. “Of course, if you ask whether I’m among the gods and demons he’s challenging, that’s also true. Hmm, in fact, the Barbarian God is just a stepping stone for him. Ultimately, he wants to take me down. His son-in-law, though, is smarter—that guy wants to kill me yet still calls me the bright moon.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Does this woman not know how to take a compliment? She even remembers that little detail so clearly?

Don’t you have enough sycophants hanging around your fortune-telling booth?

He could not be bothered with her. As for the talk about stirring up trouble, it did not seem all that significant. The blind woman always liked to make things sound mystical and impressive, but in the end, they often turned out to be nothing special. Zhao Changhe shifted his thoughts to something else he could ask about, “That lotus platform—what’s its origin, and can it heal Wanzhuang’s injury?”

“That’s the Lotus of Life, from which the Buddhist concept of the Samsara Lotus Platform originates. Yuan Cheng would probably drool over it, but for Tang Wanzhuang, it won’t be of much use. Her problem isn’t a loss of vitality or life force, so it’s not the right treatment for her. However, it does have a wide range of uses. Anything related to life and flesh could benefit from it. For instance, your Blood Asura Body can be strengthened and evolve further from it, and also...”

“Also what?”

“Certain types of flesh-related witchcraft, such as gu arts.” The blind woman smiled slyly. “It wasn’t the right time before, but now it feels about right to tell you something...”

“Stop being cryptic.”

“The next page of the Heavenly Tome is in the Ancient Spirit Tribe.”

“That’s none of my concern.”

“The Heavenly Blood Jade that you need for the next step of your Blood Asura Body is also in the Ancient Spirit Tribe.”

“...”

“Ying Five has already found information on the Solaris Nimbus Leaves. When you meet him tomorrow, he’ll likely tell you about it. And guess what, Yunyang Mountain is also in the Ancient Spirit Tribe.”

“...”

“And on another level...” The blind woman’s expression grew serious. “You’ve said it yourself; these secret realms are the bridges between this era and the last, the bridges of heaven and earth. You aren’t ready to ascend to heaven, but you’ve gone beyond the first step. If you don’t search for the second layer of the Profound Mysteries here, how long do you plan to stay on the Ranking of Man?”