Xu Long's lips curled up. Although he did not possess the same profound skill in beast taming as the Two Lin Brothers, his immense will had left a deep imprint of his own within the Beast-Taming Ring.
At this moment, he was unmoved by the fleeing figure of the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo. With a thought, a circle of earthy yellow light suddenly appeared in a certain part of the hall, and the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo stopped in its instantaneous movement.
It was crouching there in pain, a faint glow around its neck slowly rotating, making it look like it was wearing a yellowish-brown collar under its scales.
As the shimmering light rotated, the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo's expression grew even more pained. Its soul trembled incessantly. The Beast Beast-Taming Ring, a magical artifact, had a natural restraining effect on it, imprisoning its soul within Beast-Taming Ring numerous restrictions, preventing it from resisting.
Only then did it realize that the imprisonment in its soul had not been lifted, but rather that the Beast-Taming Ring around its neck had changed hands.
The armadillo's eyes, hidden beneath its scales, blinked several times, surprisingly lively, at Xu Long. Xu Long didn't have the ability to communicate with the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo like the Two Lin Brothers, but seeing the armadillo's painful and pleading eyes, he stopped the will within his Beast-Taming Ring.
The armadillo's soul was instantly relieved. Having experienced Xu Long's methods, it dared not have any more disloyalty. At this moment, it teleported swiftly to Xu Long's side to express its loyalty.
Seeing its submissive appearance, Xu Long thought for a moment, then pulled out a few low-quality Spirit Stone from the spiritual veins of the Rogue Cultivators Association from his sleeve and handed them to it.
When the Spirit Stone was handed over, the armadillo's eyes lit up immediately. It hadn't expected that its clever act would earn it a reward from its new master.
With a flick of its claws, it snatched up several Spirit Stone and hid them in its beast pouch. Then, it curled up at Xu Long's feet, displaying a rather affectionate demeanor.
Xu Long's body was instantly enveloped by a thick, earthy smell. Standing in the thick earthy smell, he suddenly felt his vision go black and his body became unsteady.
Goodness, they've been quite affected by the fumes.
Xu Long frowned, thinking: Besides searching for spiritual objects and breaking barriers, I didn't expect this armadillo to have such a unique ability as suffocating people. How do the Two Lin Brothers usually endure it when they're around it?
It seems that unfamiliar cultivators can easily injure themselves when controlling armadillos.
Suppressing the urge to faint, Xu Long waved his hand and directly absorbed the armadillo into his body. He didn't need the armadillo to find spiritual objects for him at the moment.
Xu Long accepted the spiritual artifact and the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo without any qualms. After all, Fellow Daoist Deng had previously said at the barrier that "treasures are for one's own use," and since Xu Long had rescued the unclaimed Spirit-Seeking Armadillo, he simply "took it for himself."
After combining the Power of Oblivion and the Heaven-Burning Sacred Fire within Xu Long's body, and through fighting against the Eternity Ice Mist and testing it on the Ice Sculpture Armadillo, he has now confirmed that the two energies within him perfectly counteract the Eternity Ice Mist.
The combination of the two can even "revive" the ice sculpture armadillo. Of course, this is because the ice sculpture armadillo's body contains very little Eternity Ice Mist, and it is all immovable.
If Xu Long were to face the Eternity Ice Mist surging like an avalanche all by himself, he would definitely do what Deng Shouchong and run away!
The group came to the city in search of treasures and Spirit Stone, and the armory and treasury had already been occupied by Deng Shouchong and his party.
Inside the main hall, he found information about the background of the Land of Exile and learned about the city's past.
Xu Long knew that the most important thing was not the two warehouses, but the energy core of Blackwater City, which was the true priceless treasure of the city.
But I wonder if, ten thousand years later, the City Heart will still remain amidst its ruins?
A glint of light flickered in Xu Long's right eye. After recovering some of his Magic Power, he turned his gaze to a figure. He also had many questions about the middle-aged cultivator.
The destruction of this city is absolutely related to the Mist Beast. When the Mist Beast lay their eggs, they collect a large number of ice-sculpted cultivators, and those cultivators who turn into ice sculptures are the masterpieces of the Mist Beast.
One can imagine that ten thousand years ago, countless cultivators in the city ended their lives under the Eternity Ice Mist. They were collected and their offspring's eggs were parasitic on the cultivators' bodies.
Since countless cultivators cannot escape the calamity of being parasitized, why wasn't the middle-aged cultivator parasitized by the eggs laid by the Mist Beast?
Moreover, when Xu Long first met the middle-aged cultivator, it was inside the city's walled enclosure. That location was the center between the inner and outer cities, and if the city hadn't been destroyed, that location would have connected the entire city.
Xu Long's doubts deepened, as if he had been led around since entering the city, and he found no information about the Ancestral Spirit inside the main hall.
This can't go on any longer. Xu Long's eyes flashed, and after slightly recovering his Magic Power, he began to condense the two energies within his body, his figure slowly approaching the middle-aged cultivator.
A powerful will permeated the middle-aged cultivator's surroundings, as if ready to anticipate any unexpected events. A hint of caution flashed in Xu Long's eyes as he combined the two energies within his body and channeled them into the middle-aged cultivator.
He wants to "resurrect" a middle-aged cultivator who "died" ten thousand years ago!
Xu Long was naturally aware of the danger of doing so. When he first met the middle-aged cultivator, he felt that the man possessed an inherent majesty, the aura of a superior who had not disappeared even after ten thousand years of "death".
Would reviving him rashly cause a mutation? Xu Long had his concerns, but at this moment, in order to find information that was useful to him, he couldn't care less about that.
Xu Long's resurrection of the ice sculpture armadillo was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. He wanted to test it on the ice sculpture armadillo and achieve the correct results before taking action against the middle-aged cultivator.
The middle-aged cultivator, who had been sealed off for ten thousand years, was no different from a dead man, but Xu Long still made thorough preparations. Judging from the middle-aged cultivator's temperament, he must be one of the very few immortal cultivators in the Immortal Realm of Land of Exile.
These great cultivators at the Immortal Realm are extremely arrogant. It's unclear what they will think of Xu Long's rescue, so Xu Long simply decided to directly search their souls.
After dispelling the fog with energy, he directly used his immense will to enter the other's soul. Although this was somewhat brutal, it was safer for both of them.
Xu Long's Magic Power was rapidly being unleashed. He had felt that his Magic Power had been excessively depleted when he rescued the armadillo, which was why he had paused to recover Magic Power.
When he used it on the middle-aged cultivator, he felt his Magic Power being rapidly depleted, as if being sucked up by a whale.
Looking at the rising blue steam, Xu Long's face was gloomy and unreadable. He now clearly understood the power of the Eternity Ice Mist.
His Power of Oblivion and the Heaven-Burning Sacred Fire are both unique in the world, making him virtually invincible in battle. His opponents often have to use ten or even dozens of times more energy to counteract his attacks.
Before a mere ice sculpture cultivator, Xu Long found his Magic Power rapidly depleting. He now understood how an enemy felt when facing his methods.
Even with such frantic infusion, the mist on the middle-aged cultivator's body still disappeared slowly, but Xu Long wasn't worried after the previous experiment.
He channeled the Magic Power of both energies into the middle-aged cultivator at intervals, then replenished himself with Spirit Stone. By doing this, he kept his own energy at a stable threshold, ensuring that he wouldn't lose control of the situation due to any unexpected events.
The mist within the middle-aged cultivator's body was gradually dispelled, Xu Long's scalding Magic Power flowed out from his body, gradually restoring the middle-aged cultivator's body, which had been stiff for ten thousand years, to normal.
However, he remained completely still amidst the two energies, allowing his body to slowly recover, his appearance unchanged from before when he was dead.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Long. The cultivator from ten thousand years ago seemed to be in a different situation. But he didn't have time to investigate. The immense will that had been gathering power outside the middle-aged cultivator's body seized the opportunity and instantly shot out.
Xu Long's goal was to search the soul to obtain the middle-aged cultivator's memories—memories that had been covered up and erased for ten thousand years!
An immense will entered the middle-aged cultivator's mind instantly without warning. Xu Long cautiously controlled his will to probe, fearing that this ten-thousand-year-old Immortal Realm might have left some hidden tricks in his soul.
As his will swept through the heavy Hundun in his mind, Xu Long cautiously explored the fragmented memories within the other's mind. The middle-aged cultivator was a powerful figure from an unknown time, and Xu Long's will did not contain many memories of his past life.
His will searched carefully within the soul, and the middle-aged cultivator's life flashed by quickly in Xu Long's will, suddenly stopping at a certain point in time.
Frame by frame, images flashed through his mind like a slideshow, and some vague memories suddenly surfaced in Xu Long's mind.
In a boundless world, on a vast land, in a place filled with spiritual energy and blessed lands, in a realm inhabited by countless immortals and gods.
Gathering in a magnificent palace, strolling through invisible clouds, chasing each other under the radiance of the sun and moon, and reveling in the stars of the Milky Way.
That world has ancient writing, and the monks there sing ancient songs. They gather candlelight to make fire, and they collect raindrops to make water.
The gods there stand tall and upright, the immortals there pluck stars from the sky and seize the moon, the totems there cover the Kyushu, and the celestial beings there have endless lifespans.
In this world, there is the protection of Heavenly Dao; in this world, there are rules; in this world, there are phenomena of laws; in this world, there is the enlightenment of truth.
That era gave birth to countless powerful figures, and produced numerous classics and endless stories.
In that era, there was an ancient tradition and endless glory. Immortals and gods descended to earth to bestow blessings, and precious laws were contained within the mysteries.
This is a golden age, an era belonging to cultivators, an era that gave birth to the strong and gods, an era that reaped glory and splendor.
This world was once the object of countless people's longing, and this era was the object of countless people's anticipation. It contained opportunities that even the Creator would envy, and it contained the pride that belonged to cultivators.
After this scene flashed through Xu Long's mind, only fragmented memories remained in his will, as if things that happened after the glorious moment had been deliberately erased.
Xu Long's will continued to search the middle-aged cultivator's memories, rapidly searching for memories within this world. However, he could not find any information about the gods in those memories; instead, another scene surfaced in his mind.
The earth was covered with countless drops of blood, the once flowing river had turned into a pool of blood, and the magnificent palace was now deserted.
The Reincarnation Temple of Heavenly Dao and the laws of truth were deliberately concealed; the regular rising and setting of the sun were reversed; the rivers on earth were cut off; and the rain on the snow-capped mountains was evaporated.
The former immortals and gods were locked in a fierce battle, their Magic Power power piercing the Milky Way and their light shattering the heavens. The resulting turmoil caused the world's rules to cease functioning.
Those blessed lands that had been passed down for countless years have all been turned into ruins and training grounds. Those once high-ranking beings and giants have now become cold corpses.
This is an era that brings tears to our eyes, an era that brings sorrow, an era of chaos and darkness, an era that has lost its order.
The songs that were once sung have now become dirges, and the ancient texts have been transformed into eulogies.
The ancient stories have been replaced by new people, the countless glories have been filled with desire, and the former glory has been shrouded in darkness.
Even the gods who once possessed endless lifespans will grow old, the immortals who once plucked stars from the sky and captured the moon will perish, the powerful deities will compromise, and the proud totems will yield.
Those once beautiful worlds will crumble, those once perfect orders will fall into chaos, and those once invincible Creator will fade into obscurity.
Intrigue and betrayal, seduction and deception—this once peaceful world is now filled with countless lies, and this once prosperous world has turned into a place of decay.
Countless gods and immortals were imprisoned, countless cultivation techniques and inheritances were destroyed, and countless cultivators who dared to resist were all slaughtered. Amidst the blood, fire, and darkness, countless people were forced to leave this world.
As the struggle failed, the gods were torn apart piece by piece and then exiled throughout the heavens, left to perish in barren lands.
With the old aristocracy no longer an obstacle, new forces have emerged, and a brand new era has begun!
A series of chaotic images flashed through Xu Long's mind, then abruptly stopped as the world began to return to normal. He couldn't help but ask himself: Was the previous scene a catastrophe...?
Those scenes were things I had never encountered before, things I had never seen before, but everything that happened to the middle-aged cultivator felt so real.
Could this be something the middle-aged cultivator had personally experienced? Was this something that happened to him in his past?
Xu Long indeed learned some different scenes from the middle-aged cultivator's memories. These were all secrets from the ancient times!
However, Xu Long also discovered that some memories had been completely blocked, and even his immense will could not access them.
This is a technique possessed by powerful cultivators at the Immortal Realm, allowing them to isolate some of their important memories and prevent outsiders from forcibly searching and seizing them.
Xu Long was certain that among those isolated fragments of memory, there must be something about the Primordial Cataclysm, something that even the Main God had to keep silent about. Given Xu Long's current level of cultivation, it was best for him to know as little as possible.