Chapter 346 - 191: The Secret in the Depths of Darkness

Chapter 346: Chapter 191: The Secret in the Depths of Darkness

Alright then.

’Now I finally understand why Chu Shanhe, despite clearly having the strength, hasn’t tried to reclaim the Grotto Heavens the Martial Alliance lost.’

’He never intended to take them back at all.’

’Even if he did, he wouldn’t dare live in them.’

’They’re ticking time bombs!’

’He could be sacrificed alive at any moment.’

"Then what about the Creation Realm that comes after?"

Chen Xuan continued to ask.

"Creation is the process of making something from nothing. It allows one to further advance the Grotto Heaven within their body, making it more stable. One can grasp the powers of creation and destruction, and even directly create matter, energy, or even simple life and souls from the void."

Chu Shanhe said, his voice grave:

"Once you reach this realm, you’re basically no longer human. It’s the realm of the ancient great ones. Among the beings who left behind the Grotto Heavens, I’m certain there were figures at this level."

"But regardless of whether that’s true, we are not going!"

"We’ll just cultivate on our own. With your talent and mine, sooner or later, we’ll be able to find our own way to the Cave Heaven Realm and create our own Grotto Heavens!"

"The people of today aren’t necessarily weaker than the ancients!"

"The ancients just had the advantage of time!"

"Given enough time, we can reach those same incredible heights. So, do you understand?"

"Makes sense!"

Chen Xuan nodded without hesitation.

’Chu Shanhe really is as steady as a rock!’

’No wonder he’s ranked third on the Heavenly Ranking.’

’Old Deng said before that Chu Shanhe wouldn’t listen to him, even called him an ungrateful wretch.’

’He had no idea how deeply Chu Shanhe thought things through.’

’As expected, only the strong are qualified to understand the world.’

’With Old Deng’s perspective and realm, he probably has no clue about the dangers and horrors of the Grotto Heavens.’

"So what exactly did you encounter in the depths of the darkness? And what is the environment there like?"

Chen Xuan continued to ask.

"The depths of the darkness..."

Chu Shanhe sighed softly again, looked at Chen Xuan, and said, "Telling you might give you a shock, but it’s fine. You’re an Outer Saint now, so you’re qualified to know all this."

He took a map directly from a nearby bookshelf.

He spread it open on the table.

"Come take a look. This is the region where we are now."

His finger pointed to an area on the map.

Chen Xuan walked over, his expression faltering slightly.

The entire map was incredibly bizarre.

The large area in the very center was as black as ink, as if it had been deliberately stained with it.

On the eastern edge of this endless darkness, more than a dozen island-like objects were scattered about, each shrouded in a yellow glow.

But compared to the vast expanse of darkness...

...these islands were as small and inconspicuous as sesame seeds.

Chu Shanhe was currently pointing to the easternmost part of the map, at a slightly larger landmass.

Well, it was about the size of a fingernail.

"This black area is the darkness?"

Chen Xuan asked.

"Yes."

Chu Shanhe nodded, glanced at Chen Xuan, and felt a hint of surprise.

’Wait a minute.’

’Is that it?’

’Aren’t you going to be a little surprised?’

’At least show some reaction!’

’When he first learned the truth about the darkness, he had been utterly shocked, feeling as if his entire worldview, built over decades, had been shattered.’

’But this kid didn’t react at all?’

’The shock wasn’t even as great as when I told him about the Grotto Heavens.’

’He was at least a little surprised when I was talking about the Grotto Heavens just now.’

’Why isn’t he surprised now?’

"..."

’What he didn’t know was that Chen Xuan was a transmigrator.’

’In his previous life, he had read countless novels.’

’What kind of worldview hadn’t he seen before?’

’You could tell him King Yama lived underground and the Jade Emperor lived in the heavens, and he’d believe you.’

’What’s the big deal about a mere map?’

"And then?"

Chen Xuan said.

"Alright, you’re something else."

Chu Shanhe gave a thumbs-up and said, "What I was going to say is that a very long time ago, this entire region was actually one massive, complete continent—boundless and incredibly vast. But then, something unknown happened, and a dark corruption suddenly erupted. This corruption swept through, gradually submerging the original land..."

"Some of the weaker areas with thin spatial barriers were basically devoured by the darkness without any power to resist."

"But some of the stronger places with thick spatial barriers are still struggling to hold on!"

"See these places that look like islands?"

"These are the areas that people from our world have gradually explored over thousands of years."

"These islands are actually still inhabited by living beings. Some have people, others have all sorts of strange creatures. In any case, their lives in the darkness are not easy—they have it even worse than we do."

"At least we still have a sun here."

"But these islands don’t even have a sun. It’s pitch-black, and they can only rely on flint for light. However, along with the danger, they also have all sorts of opportunities. All kinds of heavenly treasures grow on these islands, and various ancient ruins exist. These are of great benefit to an Outer Saint Level cultivator’s training."

"I was able to break through to the Dharma Aspect realm this time thanks to an opportunity I found in the depths of the darkness."

"What kind of opportunity?"

Chen Xuan asked.

"I found the cavern estate of an ancient expert and inherited his legacy."

Chu Shanhe smiled faintly. "It’s a shame you don’t practice an earth-element Cultivation Technique. Otherwise, I could have given you some pointers."

"I see."

Chen Xuan nodded, looked at the map again, and asked, "These islands seem to be very close to us?"

"Of course they are. Our exploration of this Dark Continent is actually far less than one percent complete."

Chu Shanhe sighed softly and said, "Every step of exploration comes at the cost of lives. On top of that, the darkness encroaches further every year, so our explorations have slowly been getting slower in recent years..."