Back then.
Immortal Ancient had still been "wandering" the world. He had only heard about the turmoil in Eternal Antiquity while abroad, making him one of those True Immortals who were late to catch on. But no True Immortal with a halfway sound mind would have thought anything would truly come of that turmoil.
He had not meddled much.
Only later, during the Heaven-Slaying War, had he realized something was genuinely wrong.
He had been deeply involved in that war.
"Ke Ding and Third Sister fought, and the Heavenly Dao reaped the benefits. That led the cultivators of the world to set their sights on the weakened Heavenly Dao, vowing to shatter the longevity laws."
"Indeed."
Immortal Ancient snorted coldly. "But in the Magnificent Immortal Realm, everyone lives by their own abilities. If they could get past me, then smiting heaven would have been fine. The trouble was the Heavenly Secrets Dao Palace and the Five Elements Sect. They ruined my war."
Those two Great Dao Lineages had played a major part in the Heaven Smiting War.
That fine bunch of disciples Chen Xun had taught had practically stopped at nothing for longevity. They could even betray their own lineage?!
Back then, all manner of rumors had flown amid utter chaos.
In his eyes, though, it came down to just one thing.
"Chen Xun, when you suppressed the Heavenly Dao back then, you blocked the younger generations of Eternal Antiquity from the longevity path."
Immortal Ancient smiled, his smile somewhat cruel. "If the Heavenly Dao's longevity laws were still in place, Eternal Antiquity would never have descended into such internal strife. What the powerful and the prodigies need most is lifespan. What the immortal path lacks most is also lifespan."
Eternal Antiquity had many long-lived elders, and the younger generations