After a brief spatial distortion, Hyuga Shin successfully arrived at his destination.
It was the very place he had visited more than thirty years ago.
He hadn't expected he'd be able to return.
Looking at the space, which still seemed somewhat dilapidated, Hyuga Shin decided to carefully investigate its secrets.
He immediately soared into the air and explored everything in this mysterious space.
The small space was about a hundred thousand mu in size. Vegetation covered it, lending the whole place a hint of green.
There were mountains and rivers, as well as lakes.
Small animals lived here, but he found no signs of intelligent life.
Overall, it was like a miniature world.
Natural Energy was quite thin, though. Otherwise, the trees here shouldn't have been so short.
It was nothing like the Three Great Sage Regions, where even a single blade of grass grew to an absurd size.
As Hyuga Shin continued forward, he discovered something in an area he hadn't visited before.
It was the very heart of the space, and there seemed to be traces of intelligent life having lived there.
Hyuga Shin didn't rush down to investigate. Instead, he continued flying until he had searched the entire space. Only after finding nothing else did he return to the heart of the place.
He ought to find something here.
Hyuga Shin descended from the sky. The trees around the heart of the space were clearly much taller, and there were also some ancient buildings.
Most of them had already crumbled with age. The slightest pressure might make them collapse, so this place must have existed for a very long time.
It might even predate the Three Great Sage Regions, though that was only Hyuga Shin's guess.
There also seemed to be traces of people having lived here.
This made Hyuga Shin curious. Had the people of this world once enjoyed a glorious history, too?
The more secrets of the Shinobi World he uncovered, the more there seemed to be.
Hyuga Shin stepped carefully into the ancient buildings, trying to find something.
But many of the objects inside crumbled at the slightest touch, and he found no valuable information.
Only a few stone pots and bowls that had been relatively well preserved showed that people had indeed lived here.
After searching each building, Hyuga Shin couldn't help feeling discouraged. Far too much time had passed, and many things had been destroyed.
He couldn't determine whether this place had once been a gathering place for powerful humans in ancient times.
Hyuga Shin wasn't ready to give up, though. He released his powerful spiritual sense and thoroughly searched the entire central area, probing dozens of zhang underground.
He refused to believe that no useful information had been left behind.
As he searched deeper, Hyuga Shin really did find a secret place buried deep beneath the ancient buildings.
But it was blocked by a barrier formed from Natural Energy. His spiritual sense couldn't penetrate it, so he might have to investigate in person.
That immediately piqued Hyuga Shin's interest.
He promptly used the Earth Evasion Technique and headed for the only place that might contain the secrets of this space.
In no time, Hyuga Shin reached the mysterious underground chamber.
It was protected by a barrier formed from Natural Energy. He hadn't expected it to last for so many years.
Perhaps the little Natural Energy left in this space had all been used to maintain the barrier.
Hyuga Shin approached and tested it with his hand. The barrier wasn't especially sturdy, given how long it had been there.
For a powerful cultivator like him, it wasn't much of a problem.
Still, he didn't force his way through. He didn't want to damage any secrets that might be hidden inside the barrier.
He spent some time studying its weak points. Using his knowledge of Natural Energy, barriers, and Sealing Techniques, he successfully found a way to slip through.
A dense surge of Natural Energy flowed around Hyuga Shin. He sent it straight into the barrier and began guiding its flow.
Silently, he opened a gap and stepped inside.
The space within the barrier was fairly spacious. A throne stood atop a raised platform.
On the throne sat a long-dead skeleton, its hands gripping a scepter set with a deep green gem. It seemed to have been a king.
Below the throne, long-dead human skeletons sat in two rows.
The entire chamber seemed devoid of life.
But Hyuga Shin knew that was only an illusion.
The instant he entered the barrier, he sensed the presence of a Mysterious Consciousness.
It probed him, and Hyuga Shin noticed at once.
"How interesting! What an unexpected discovery."
"Senior, don't you think you're being a little rude? You started probing me the moment I arrived. Why not introduce yourself first?"
Hyuga Shin didn't hesitate to call out the hidden presence.
"Junior, you've finally come! But it's too late!"
An aged voice came from the throne.
"If you don't tell me, Senior, how would you know it's too late?"
Hyuga Shin ignored the mysterious figure's words and continued to draw out the secret he wanted to know.
"If you were a little younger, if you had come here the first time you visited, then anything would have been possible."
"But now you're already nearing the end of your life. You have no time left to change anything."
The old voice conveyed profound regret.
"Senior, since I've come here, then it was fate. It doesn't matter whether I came early or late."
"And how do you know I haven't changed anything?"
"If there's a hidden secret, tell me plainly. Perhaps I can help."
Hyuga Shin's voice was old, yet full of confidence and vigor.
Hyuga Shin could more or less guess what the mysterious figure meant, but he still needed to hear it from him.
"You're indeed different from before. No, wait!"
"You've already embarked on the right path!"
As he spoke, the mysterious figure examined Hyuga Shin again.
This time, Hyuga Shin didn't hide his strength. He revealed a portion of what he was capable of.
The mysterious presence was startled.
"A genius! You truly are a genius! I knew the laws of this world wouldn't let someone useless come here!"
"I was rather angry when you left last time. I thought you were beyond cultivation, a brat who hadn't discovered the real secret of this place."
"I never expected you to find the true path on your own!"
The mysterious figure spoke with great excitement.
"Senior, you're being rather vague. Please speak plainly."
Hyuga Shin was getting annoyed. He was usually the one who spoke in riddles. Today, someone else was doing it to him!
Still, for the sake of the Shinobi World's secrets, he held back.
"Now that you've embarked on the true path, you must have discovered this world's secret. It has gone astray!"
"The masterminds lurking deep within this world treat everyone like crops to be harvested, all to satisfy their filthy desires."
The mysterious figure's voice was full of anger. His words brimmed with fury he could barely contain.
"Are you talking about the Sage of Six Paths and the three Bug Immortals from the Three Great Sage Regions?"
Hyuga Shin named them without hesitation.
"So you've already discovered them. Junior, you're impressive!" The mysterious figure couldn't help praising Hyuga Shin.
Hyuga Shin was running out of patience. Couldn't this old coot get to the point?
This was his first time experiencing just how obnoxious a riddler could be.
"If you keep beating around the bush, Senior, I'm leaving."
Hyuga Shin refused to indulge him. Say what you want or don't. He wasn't going to beg.
"What an impatient young fellow. Come closer and place your hand on this green gem. I'll pass on the secrets of the entire world."
"It would take too long to explain them one or two at a time." The mysterious figure's voice came from the throne.
Hyuga Shin glanced at the green gem on the scepter, forming a suspicion.
The mysterious figure's consciousness or soul was probably hidden inside it.
But the old fellow likely had ulterior motives. He was actually using the secrets of the entire Shinobi World to lure him in.
Though he already suspected what was going on, Hyuga Shin was bold enough to climb onto the mysterious figure's throne.
The mysterious figure thought he had seen through Hyuga Shin, but he didn't know that Hyuga Shin had already figured out most of his secrets, too.
The instant Hyuga Shin stepped onto the throne and placed his hand on the green gem,
a soul slipped into his sea of consciousness through his body.
"So you're trying to take over my body?"
"Too bad. You picked the wrong person!"
"Even if the Sage of Six Paths and the Bug Immortals from the Three Great Sage Regions all entered my sea of consciousness, they wouldn't be able to make a ripple."
"A bunch of frogs in a well! How could you understand the might of the True Immortal Path?"
Hyuga Shin immediately tossed the skeleton off the throne, took the scepter, and sat down in its place, ready to deal with the brainless mysterious figure.
You brought this on yourself!
Before you continue