Beneath a towering ancient tree, Xu Chunniang sat cross-legged on the ground facing Elder Zeng.
After they had shared a few cups of wine, Xu Chunniang saw that Elder Zeng had remained silent throughout. She set down her wine cup and broke the silence first.
"Elder Zeng specially invited me here. Surely it was not to ask about formations?"
Elder Zeng sighed softly. "Have you ever heard of the origins of the Seven Great Families?"
Xu Chunniang pondered briefly, then shook her head.
"I am a cultivator who ascended from the lower realm. I have not been in the Spirit Realm for long, but I have heard the names of the Seven Great Families and the deeds of the Seven Venerables."
Tens of thousands of years ago, the human race had only just gained a foothold in the Spirit Realm. They were still trapped in endless warfare, suffering the misery of displacement and devastation.
At the moment of the human race's peril, seven Mahayana Stage cultivators stepped forward, turning the tide and safeguarding humanity's territory.
After that battle, the Lineages of those seven Mahayana Stage cultivators gained transcendent status.
The Seven Venerables were worshipped by countless human cultivators for generations. One after another, they ascended to the Immortal Realm and became legends.
But Xu Chunniang, who had seen the truth of this world, did not dare to fully believe the deeds of the Seven Venerables.
To seize more Power of Faith and incense offerings, those Mahayana Stage cultivators had not hesitated to launch wars themselves, plunging human cultivators into fire and water.
Perhaps the Seven Venerables who had supposedly turned the tide had held the same purpose as well...
Elder Zeng nodded slightly. "Then does Scholar Xu know the origins of our Heavenly God Academy?"
Xu Chunniang recalled the relevant