Xu Yangyi mumbled to himself for a very long time until he suddenly asked, “In that case… did an outsider realm attack?”

“Did an outsider realm attack?” Yue Congrao raised a brow and asked.

“To answer the Dao Master.” Xu Yangyi clasped his hands and said gravely. “When Junior was in a Lesser Thousand Realm, I once heard of a legend related between realms. Earth is not the only Greater Thousand Realm.”

“Mhm.” Yue Congrao nodded noncommittally. Xu Yangyi suspected that the other had known early on.

“If…” Xu Yangyi felt fright as that terrible thought popped up in his mind, but he didn’t voice it. He kept on feeling uneasy. Furthermore, this blaze in his heart was burning more and more intensely. “If it’s as you say, sir, Earth’s cultivators wouldn’t do something like this. But… what if a thousand years ago, a Greater Thousand Realm no less than Earth, even stronger than Earth, accidentally learned about Earth’s Star Position and came to attack?”

This thought made his scalp numb.

He tightly clenched his fists and looked towards the utterly broken anchor that was suspected to be the Xuan-Yuan Sword. “A single cultivator couldn’t do it, but ten, a hundred, ten thousand… What about billions of cultivators?”

“If… their Cultivation Civilization is more advanced than ours, and they can produce star destroyers like in movies and television? What if maybe… their millions of holy lands and hundreds of thousands of sects suddenly appeared over Earth?”

“If… they have true high-level cultivators that are several realms above Nascent Soul? If… they also activate their Realm-Protector Array? And also use their Realm Anchor to attack?”

All was silent, but Xu Yangyi’s voice spread in the clouds like a ghost.

Inexplicably, Yue Congrao felt his heart chill. Xu Yangyi’s words were simple, but a scene of epic proportions instantly emerged in his mind.

Millions of holy lands high above and aiming right at Earth.

A hundred million, so far as a billion or ten billion magik treasures, or spirit treasures, revolving around Earth’s Grand Realm-Protector Array.

Hundreds of figures countless times greater than Nascent Soul standing in the void beyond Earth, behind them a sea of cultivators that the eye couldn’t fully capture.

He couldn’t help but clench his fists.

To think of such a scene was too horrible.

“Probably…” He faced up and made a long sigh. Only this answer could explain why all of Earth’s Secondary Realm Anchors had been destroyed, as if they had experienced an extremely terrible war.

“Daomaster Yue,” Xu Yangyi gritted out, “If that’s the case… I think you should immediately notify each of Earth’s cultivation worlds. This means… that someone has Earth’s proper Star Position… Over a thousand years has passed, that Greater Thousand Realm…”

“ENOUGH!” Without warning, Yue Congrao became angry, and Core Formation qi dramatically exploded from his entire body. Like a kite cut of its string, Xu Yangyi flew away dozens of meters. Yue Congrao’s angry voice followed, “You think?”

“What do you think? Do I need a Junior like you to advise me how to handle business?” A few seconds later, his anger abated, and he sighed, “The yesterday which I have abandoned cannot be kept. The today which vexes my heart has many more worries… Since it has already passed, then do not think of it. Perhaps, even if it is true, that Greater Thousand Realm should’ve also retreated due to the difficulties. After all, the Earth still exists, doesn’t it?” [1]

Xu Yangyi didn’t reply. He understood the abrupt wrath that came from this great unforeseeable terror.

It was merely a moment of vented emotion.

“I have called you not to look at this.” Yue Congrao’s attitude chilled somewhat and then he gravely started to form seals.

The seals were slow and exceptionally complicated. His hands had already become phantasmal. Following his hand movements, rays of golden light gathered from all around, finally becoming bigger and bigger to shape a giant tide of golden light in front of him.

Swish swish swish… The golden light fluctuated. In an instant, a mirror no less than thirty to forty meters in size appeared in front of him.

It wasn’t known what kind of heavenly treasures were used to craft it. The mirror was sparkling and pure, secreting wisps of comforting, cold air. An incomparably ancient bronze framework embraced it. The fixture didn’t seem to have the slightest magicalness, but… in the twinkling it appeared, a flush was already on Yue Congrao’s face.

“This is the trail I have spent over a hundred years to find… Today, it has finally appeared again.”

“The Mother-Child Yin-Yang Mirror.” He turned his head and looked at Xu Yangyi. “Look well.”

His hands formed a seal. At once, above their heads a resounding hum was heard. To his surprise, Xu Yangyi discovered… that the Secondary Realm Anchor above them, that withered tree branch, was actually moving.

Yue Congrao was actually able to attract a Secondary Realm Anchor?!

“Do not use your thoughts to weigh Core Formation.” Sensing the look in Xu Yangyi’s eyes, Yue Congrao laughed boisterously, “The world’s secrets known to Core Formation is far, far greater than what you can imagine. However, I have wasted over a hundred years to merely see a beginning.”

Hum hum hum… The shaking gradually intensified. A couple seconds later, the withered tree branch gently shook, and a green leaf swiftly fired out a vast sea of green light, covering the horizon.

Swish… As soon as the green light shone on the empty mirror, the mirror unexpectedly shivered a little. Afterwards, the green light scattered into the mirror, but the mirror gathered together a finger-thin beam of green light that shot towards the ground at lightning speed!

It was like laser positioning.

Yue Congrao waved, and a screen of light appeared. Xu Yangyi took a careful look. The piercing arrow that the green light seemed to fire was falling straight down to a place without even deviating.

“What’s that?” Xu Yangyi focused in and sucked in deeply. “Saint John’s Cathedral?”

Repressing the billows in his heart, he cupped his hands at Yue Congrao, “May I ask the Dao Master what this is?”

“Even if you hadn’t spoken I would tell you… Besides, I still need your help with this, kid.” Yue Congrao licked his lips with seemingly uncontainable excitement. “The Secondary Realm Anchor of the West… is known as the Tree of Eden.”

The Tree of Eden?

Xu Yangyi pondered to himself for several seconds and firmly pursed his lips.

There was only one thing… that could have this name.

The tree that Satan had climbed along and enticed Adam and Eve to eat the Forbidden Fruit! [2]

The mother of western humanity!

“Dao Master…” Even if it was him, Xu Yangyi was also fiercely surprised by this answer. He pushed down his mental fluctuations and said in a low voice, “Is it really that tree?”

“Possibly.” Yue Congrao fixed his eyes in the direction of Saint John’s Cathedral. “Just like I am also unsure if that hilt is the Xuan-Yuan Sword. Still, I schemed to infiltrate Vatican City’s Papal Hall. From the top secret ‘Lucifer-ranked’ files, I managed a glance. The price, though, saw me heavily wounded by the Pope, and I had to heal myself in cultivation for no less than thirty years.”

Xu Yangyi muttered to himself, “The Pope… is also Core Formation?” [3]

“He has no realm.” Yue Congrao snorted, “He… is a physique-cultivator.”

“But this is what you should be concerned about. Listen to me. All the Secondary Realm Anchors only react to something related to them. If you’re lucky to advance to Core Formation in the future, you will know about the secret between realms. The anchors… they have their own consciousness. Although they are high above the Earth, they possibly haven’t spoken for thousands of years. This is evident from ancient texts and many modern experiments. There is not a single doubt that they have a consciousness.”

“At the very least, all of them are objects greater than or equal to spirit treasures.” He finally raised his head, shot a deep glance into the sky, and uttered, “They are broken, but healing by themselves. Kid… before you said that there was a possibility long ago in the past that Earth waged war against some Greater Thousand Realm. This theory has a 70% chance of being true.”

Xu Yangyi cupped his fist and said, “How is this related with Saint John’s Cathedral?”

“Don’t rush…” Yue Congrao snickered, “Keep listening, don’t interrupt. Unless you are Core Formation, you could never know of these things for your entire life. To hear of this now is your fortune. I will let you know what appearance our world has. Unlike 99% of cultivators who wouldn’t know the real Earth even in death.” Not waiting for Xu Yangyi to speak, he followed up, “What if I said… the Earth’s qi is recovering?”

Xu Yangyi snapped his head up. “The End of Days is almost over?”

How in the world was this related to Saint John Cathedral’s Holy Relic?

He gradually became more and more puzzled.

“Over?” Yue Congrao scoffed, “Earth’s qi never entered the End of Days!”

He pointed at the seemingly god-like Secondary Realm Anchor in the sky. “If… there was such an intense war, so intense that the anchors were all destroyed, where would their fragments all fall?”

Xu Yangyi was silent for a few seconds and then he made a long sigh. “I understand.”

“Oh?” Yue Congrao glanced at him in shock. His eyes soon gained an investigative tinge to them. “Speak.”

Xu Yangyi inhaled deeply and said seriously, “The anchor fragments wouldn’t fall elsewhere. They would only fall to Earth. If your assumption just now is true, sir, all these fragments are alive! None of them died. That’s why they’re healing themselves. That’s why they’re doing their best to absorb the world’s heavenly treasures and all kinds of qi. It’s because there are so many fragments that it looks like Earth entered the End of Days.”

Clap clap clap… Yue Congrao smiled as he clapped. “You are so surprisingly smart. Presently, I just keep on wanting you to marry Angel more and more.”

“That is correct. Your guess is completely on-mark. It’s just one little bit that’s wrong.” His expression became severe. “This isn’t an assumption… this is the truth.”

His hand raised up, and rows and rows of Chinese characters suddenly appeared after the light screen of Saint John’s Cathedral flashed.

“Look,” he coldly laughed, “This is what the government is desperately hiding.”

Xu Yangyi focused in. He only read several lines, but he couldn’t help but emotionally shake his head.

‘1976, the Great Tangshan Earthquake. 4:30 in the early morning. A beam of light of such spiritual force magnitude that it could not be evaluated shot into the horizon. Daomaster Skybearer personally acted and ascertained that it was a fragment of China’s realm-protector array, the golden sword magik treasure.’

‘1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake, 6:23 in the early morning. Qi entered the air, the magnitude range surpassing the present qi assessment limit. Daomasters Earthcleaver, Floatingcloud, and Cloudcrane acted together. They ascertained that it was a fragment of China’s realm-protector array, the golden sword magik treasure.’ [4]

‘1826, the Great Explosion of Mohenjo-daro. Red light swept through the sky and severed the sun. A streak of spiritual light shot into the sky. It was unable to be evaluated. India’s State-Master Alaksmi personally acted and ascertained that it was a fragment of India’s secondary realm anchor, a finger of Shiva’s visage.’

‘1913…’

‘1801…’

All kinds of records were presented in red text. The final line of each one read: ‘Information leakers will be handled under the crime of treason. This almost comprises all of modern Asia’s catastrophes.’

“This is China’s most top secret cultivation record. You should understand what it is that’s called the End of Days. The slow disappearance of qi.” Yue Congrao narrowed his eyes and said, “Interestingly, any place that spiritual light enters the air has all its qi slowly return in the following ten years.”

“That war that possibly existed caused countless anchor fragments to plummet to Earth. However, they are extremely hard to find. They are slowly recovering. It won’t be for centuries, for a thousand years, until the fragments that are absorbing qi leave, and Earth is returned to the qi abundance of ancient times. Despite the fact that this time is quite long. Meanwhile, it is unknown how many fragments still exist in Earth’s nooks and crannies.”

1. “The yesterday which I have abandoned cannot be kept. The today which vexes my heart has many more worries”. Very certain that I’ve translated this line in the past, but it comes from a poem by the Tang poet Li Bai.

2. There are some different representations of Christian myth, but it is the serpent (not technically Satan) who tempts Adam and Eve. I guess the author decided here that the serpent is Satan.

3. The phrasing is a little tricky here, since it’s mentioned in the past that there is more than one Pope technically still alive.

4. This was an Earthquake in Japan. Also known as the Kobe Earthquake.