"What's more, I had been in seclusion for nearly a hundred thousand years. How was the outside world?"
Gu Jiuxuan smiled. "During that time, an emperor appeared—the Combat Saint Emperor.
"His Nine-Turn Heavenly Art was utterly domineering. He wished to transform into a War Immortal in the mortal world. The Immortal Heavenly Emperor coveted him and ambushed him while he was comprehending the Dao, yet failed to harm him. Enraged, he overturned the Immortal Heavenly Emperor's dojo, proving that he truly deserved the name 'Combat.'
"However, transforming into a War Immortal was simply too defiant of heaven. The instant the Holy Emperor merged with his 'War Immortal' Dao body, he exploded and died. He had lived only a little over ten thousand years before dying young."
Gu Ya added, "While that monkey ruled the world, the Big Dipper was quite prosperous.
"Spiritual essence was abundant and exceptionally suited for cultivation. Divine Source Liquid was naturally produced in abundance, especially in the Northern Region of the Eastern Wasteland.
"Even those who were not from the Imperial Clan occasionally had the chance to come into contact with Divine Source Liquid.
"That was precisely why the ancient myriad races preserved so many sparks of life through the apocalyptic disaster."
"Indeed. The War Immortal also marked the beginning of decline. With the Combat Saint Emperor's death as the turning point, the Northern Region of the Eastern Wasteland, where the ancient myriad races had gathered, turned into a barren red desert overnight.
"Cultivators throughout the entire Star Region dissolved into the Dao and died, with fewer than one in a hundred surviving. All races suffered devastating losses. Only the elites of each race escaped the disaster by sealing themselves away with the considerable amounts of Divine Source Liquid that remained..."
Dongfang Bai spoke from the