Chapter 8: The Hopes of the Cultivators

Inside the enormous prison, divided into many areas, in a small cell in one corner.

Ji Ning and the other four were looking at the thin old cultivator imprisoned before them.

"Since we came to the Immortal Spirit Realm through the ancient teleportation array six hundred years ago, we were captured and brought here." The thin old man's eyes held a trace of reminiscence as he spoke softly. "Since then, we have been imprisoned here, enduring countless tortures. Some cultivators, unable to bear it, even chose to self-destruct. Alas... I truly wish to return to the mortal world."

Ji Ning and the other four frowned. Feng Yi pressed on: "Do you know nothing about other places in the Immortal Spirit Realm?"

The thin old man shook his head: "I don't know. We have always been imprisoned here."

"Do you know if those demons who torture you have a master?" Feng Yi pressed further.

The thin old man's body trembled, fear in his eyes: "He is the master of all demons, very terrifying, very terrifying... Since I was imprisoned here, I have seen him come to the prison twice. He even cast terrible spells, personally torturing us. Countless cultivators were tortured at the same time. He is too powerful, too terrifying."

"Twice? In six hundred years, he came to the prison twice?" Feng Yi's expression changed slightly.

"That's quite a few visits." Prince Qinghuang said in a low voice.

"We must be careful. That Dao Lord might appear at any time." Ji Ning said solemnly. They dared not actively release their divine sense, as doing so would make it easier for the enemy to detect them.

Prince Qinghuang suddenly frowned and asked: "Let me ask you, the ancient teleportation array sends people once every hundred years. Over endless time, so many cultivators have been sent over. Since this torture has no end... why are so many cultivators still alive? Since you know it's a fate worse than death, with eternal torment and no hope of resistance, why do you persist?"

Ji Ning and the other three also shuddered.

Right.

Under absolute power, in despair, knowing it would be a fate worse than death forever, with only death at the end, logically one would choose suicide rather than continue.

"Because we want revenge." The thin old man growled, his eyes full of madness and resentment.

"With you?" Prince Qinghuang asked doubtfully.

"As long as we survive the tribulation and ascend, we can leave this place." The thin old man gritted his teeth. "After ascending, we become Celestial Immortals and can continue to cultivate... When our power greatly increases in the future, we will surely return for revenge."

Feng Yi Xinjun pressed: "Ascend? Can ascending leave the Immortal Spirit Realm?"

Ji Ning and the other four had long suspected that ascending might mean ascending into the Dao Lord's cave world.

"Surviving the tribulation and ascending can indeed escape." The thin old man quickly said. "A long, long time ago, before the ancient teleportation array existed in our mortal world, it was easier to reach the late Nascent Soul stage. The entire mortal world still had some who could reach late Nascent Soul... Once they reached late Nascent Soul, they would soon face the heavenly tribulation. After surviving it, they would ascend to the Immortal Realm."

"Later, cultivation in the mortal world became harder, but the ancient teleportation array appeared, and some predecessors came to the Immortal Spirit Realm through it. They even returned through the array, telling later generations that the Immortal Spirit Realm was a sacred land for cultivation with rich natural energy. So generation after generation of cultivators rushed in."

"Only after we entered did we realize it was all a conspiracy." The thin old man gritted his teeth.

Ji Ning and the others were extraordinary; they understood immediately.

A long time ago.

When that mortal continent had not been discovered by the Dao Lord, cultivation was relatively easy. Later, the great formation protecting the mortal world absorbed natural energy, weakening it and making cultivation difficult. Then the ancient teleportation array appeared, and by deliberately soul-controlling some cultivators to travel back and forth, they spread propaganda.

Naturally, more and more cultivators were attracted.

"It's all a conspiracy."

"In fact, there are still some peerless geniuses in the mortal world who can reach late Nascent Soul and ascend." The thin old man said. "But it's extremely difficult. The entire mortal world is vast; those who can cultivate to late Nascent Soul and ascend in the mortal world are probably only a handful every hundred years. That's why we flocked to the Immortal Spirit Realm."

"We are imprisoned here, but after all, the natural energy here is rich. Reaching late Nascent Soul is not difficult. However, once we reach late Nascent Soul, those demons will discover us and kill us immediately. So we must accumulate, accumulate, and then suddenly break through to late Nascent Soul, immediately attracting the heavenly tribulation. Once the tribulation comes, those demons can do nothing to us."

Ji Ning and the others were curious.

"Once the tribulation comes, it's safe?" Feng Yi pressed.

"When the tribulation comes, they dare not interfere; they can only watch from the side. Even if the demon master comes, he can only watch from afar. As long as we survive the tribulation, we will ascend to the legendary Immortal Realm." The thin old man said.

...

Ji Ning and the other five questioned and discussed among themselves.

Generally, in a place like the Three Realms, the so-called 'heavenly tribulation' might threaten ordinary immortals and demons, but it absolutely could not threaten World-level cultivators! Because World-level cultivators could destroy the entire Three Realms, let alone Dao Lords! Even if the tribulation was attracted, they could still forcibly intervene and kill the one undergoing it.

"I have a guess." Huo Jin said in a low voice. "Since we entered the Ancient Domain, over endless time, we have passed by some continents, all of which have tales of tribulation and ascension. Could it be that every continent has a Dao Lord behind it? Do Dao Lords laboriously create cave worlds to shelter them?"

"What do you mean?" Feng Yi looked at him.

"You have also noticed that since entering the Ancient Domain, the power of the Ancient Domain permeates everywhere." Huo Jin said. "Because we have the Ancient Domain tokens, we are not crushed and destroyed."

Ji Ning and the others nodded; the power of the Ancient Domain was indeed omnipresent.

"Then, the mortal beings born on those continents in the Ancient Domain cultivate and survive the tribulation to become immortals. The so-called heavenly tribulation is likely the tribulation sent down by the Ancient Domain." Huo Jin said.

"Right."

"Yes, that's it."

Ji Ning, Prince Qinghuang, and the others' eyes lit up as they understood.

The heavenly tribulation... only exists under the rules of heaven and earth.

A chaotic world like the Three Realms has its own operating rules, so it sends down the heavenly tribulation.

But the continents in the Ancient Domain themselves have no operating rules, so they cannot send down the tribulation. The one sending down the tribulation should be the entire Ancient Domain!

"Because it is the Ancient Domain that sends down the tribulation, even Dao Lords dare not interfere. If they do, they will be punished by the power of the Ancient Domain." Huo Jin said. For example, with the tribulation of the Three Realms, Ji Ning dared to forcibly destroy it because he was not afraid of punishment from the Three Realms. But punishment from the Ancient Domain... even Eternal Emperors fear it.

Because the Ancient Domain is the origin of the entire alternate universe!

Its attack is almost equivalent to an attack from the entire alternate universe! Who dares to resist?

"Very reasonable." Tianhuo Mangya nodded.

"The probability is high; eighty percent likely it's like this. The other twenty percent... the tribulation and ascension might also be a conspiracy, a hope to keep these cultivators going. Once hope is lost, they might not be able to hold on." Feng Yi said.

Whoosh—

Ji Ning and the other five quietly walked out of that small cell.

Walking through the enormous prison, no one noticed them.

"Greetings, Master!"

Suddenly, a booming sound echoed throughout the prison. Every puppet knelt respectfully; over a million puppets knelt, the sound reverberating in the vast prison.

"He's here."

"The Demon Lord is here."

"No, no..."

"He's here again."

In the enormous prison, the cultivators imprisoned in countless small cells heard the noise and became terrified. Every time that master came, it was a nightmare worse than demon torture. Instantly, the atmosphere in the prison became more chaotic, with even stronger auras of resentment and madness.

Ji Ning and the other five's expressions changed drastically.

"Hmph." With a cold snort, a vast divine sense spread out, instantly covering the entire prison. At the same time, some light green mist seeped into every small cell.

Suddenly, the light green mist halted.

The divine sense trembled.

"You five, who are you?" An angry and shocked voice came.

Ji Ning and the other five stood on the corridor. Although they could easily make themselves invisible to the puppets, a Dao Lord's divine sense spreading out could not be avoided.

...