The Creator

“So you do have a reason, after all? Then I’d be glad to hear it.”

Xu Mu was startled at first, but soon smiled.

“Back in the Black Moon Clan, Zidian was always the one who bullied me. When I went back this time, he was the first to make sarcastic remarks, and the others followed his lead and mocked me.”

Zilan Yin clenched her fists so tightly that they trembled. “He’s only the child of a concubine!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Xu Mu knew very little about the internal affairs of the Black Moon Clan.

“That’s right. Zidian was indeed born to a concubine, while the Ninth Princess’s mother is the principal wife.”

Shui Zheng explained from the side, “But there’s nothing that can be done about it. In this world, everything is determined by strength. Zidian’s talent is simply too monstrous, and he has already grown into a formidable powerhouse. Although his mother was a concubine, her status now surpasses that of the principal wife.”

Xu Mu nodded inwardly. That made sense. Surely, whoever had the ability would be the one in charge.

“That’s why I made up my mind to show Father that I’m not afraid of Zidian!”

Zilan Yin continued, “He’s only stronger because he’s older than me. Once I reach his age, I’ll definitely be able to break into the fourth tier as well.”

Shui Zheng began to hesitate when he heard this.

For a young powerhouse of this level, having more of them on their side could only be beneficial.

As he had said earlier, if Shui Shu truly managed to invite Zidian, then even with Xu Mu on their side, they still wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

But with Zilan Yin joining them, the outcome might be different.

“Ninth Princess, our Water Spirit Clan doesn’t want to get involved in the struggle between you two. Please give me some time to think it over.”

Shui Zheng had been clan leader for so long that he was certainly no ordinary man.

What Zilan Yin had said was only her side of the story. There was no way he would believe her completely. Compared with her, Xu Mu was the truly crucial factor before him.

“I understand. The struggle for the position of clan leader begins the day after tomorrow. Arrange a place for me to stay, and I’ll wait here for your answer.”

Zilan Yin spoke calmly.

“All right.”

After hesitating for a moment, Shui Zheng looked toward Shui Miaomiao. “Miaomiao, take the Ninth Princess downstairs and find her a room.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Before leaving, Shui Miaomiao still remembered to nod farewell to Xu Mu.

After the two women left, only three people remained on the island.

“Xu Mu, what do you think about this?”

Shui Zheng asked him.

“I’m not getting involved in matters like this. As long as you agree to meet my requests, I’ll certainly do everything I can to help you.”

Xu Mu waved his hand.

“What do you want?”

Shui Yuanyao extended a hand, indicating that Xu Mu should sit down.

“Have you ever heard of Eternal Life?”

Xu Mu sat down on a stone stool and asked the question.

The expressions of the father and son before him immediately turned solemn.

“Of course we have. Eternal Life is the most mysterious organization in this world—there’s no question about that.”

Shui Zheng took a deep breath. “They appeared a very long time ago. They may know the true nature of this world—or, rather, its truth.”

“Senior, what exactly happened?”

Xu Mu asked softly.

Shui Zheng was the leader of a first-rate clan. Aside from the Four Great Clans, he should know more than anyone else.

Shui Zheng hesitated briefly before explaining, “This happened in an extremely distant past. Do you know how many eras our Inner Realm has gone through?”

Xu Mu shook his head.

“From the present going backward, there is the current Era of Balance, the Era of the War of Ten Thousand Clans, the Era of the War of the Gods, and the Era of Creation.”

“The Era of Balance is easy enough to understand. The Inner and Outer Realms are currently in balance, and the various clans of the Inner Realm are also maintaining a balance, correct?”

Xu Mu picked up the teacup before him and took a small sip.

“That’s right. This balance is extremely fragile, but no one expected it to last for so long.”

Shui Zheng continued, “Even a thousand years ago, battles between the Inner and Outer Realms were still extremely common.”

Xu Mu nodded inwardly and quietly waited for him to continue.

Shui Zheng no longer concealed anything and recounted everything he knew.

According to legend, this world was once a void where nothing existed.

Then, some being opened up the world, giving birth to the Ancient Realm.

The Ancient Realm was incredibly vast, yet it contained only one living being: the Creator.

Later, the Creator used an unknown method to create life.

After that, the various life-forms combined with one another and reproduced. Their descendants continued to multiply, and countless different forms of life appeared throughout the Ancient Realm.

Then, the original Creator vanished.

All the life-forms that possessed the Creator’s bloodline were immortal. They could not die, yet they continued to produce offspring without end.

Eventually, the Ancient Realm became filled with life. There were so many living beings that they could barely move freely.

Then, they began to slaughter one another.

They tried every possible method and used all kinds of combat techniques.

No one knew how much time passed before they finally determined a victor.

The “humans” who walked upright on two legs and learned to fight by harnessing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became the rulers.

Yet even among these “humans,” there were countless differences.

Although they all stood upright and walked on two legs, their appearances, hair and eye colors, and even their forms of combat were different.

For example, the Flood Dragon Clan clearly had human bodies, yet they could transform into flood dragons.

As for the Black Moon Clan, they did not sleep at all.

Once members of their clan fell asleep, they transformed into their Moon Demon forms.

While they were in that form, their ordinary bodies were able to rest.

These clans continued to wage war, and many wondrous cultivation techniques were created during that time.

People were still immortal in this era, so killing was the only way to reduce the population.

The Ancient Realm was locked in endless warfare. Then, one day, it suddenly shattered.

All the top powerhouses disappeared.

Everyone who remained lost the ability to live forever and began to experience birth, aging, sickness, and death.

During this period, the concept of clans began to take shape. The most powerful clans, such as the Great Wilderness Clan and the Dragon Clan, began to emerge.

They were the strongest clans at the transition between the Era of the War of the Gods and the Era of the War of Ten Thousand Clans.

After that, the Dragon Clan also disappeared, leaving only the Great Wilderness Clan.

The other clans were unwilling to be ruled by the Great Wilderness Clan, so they joined forces to oppose them.

Later, the Four Great Clans rose rapidly and gradually took control of the Inner Realm.

…

After Xu Mu finished listening, he fell into deep thought for a long while before asking, “Are all the things you mentioned recorded somewhere?”

“No. There are no records of anything that happened before the Ancient Realm shattered.”

Shui Zheng slowly shook his head.

“Then do you think there’s a possibility…”

“I know what you want to say. You’re wondering whether everything that happened in the past was merely legend, and whether so-called immortality was fabricated, correct?”

Shui Zheng asked with a smile.

Xu Mu nodded.

“At first, we all thought that way. But those divine cultivation techniques and the combat methods suited to the various clans couldn’t have appeared out of thin air, could they?”

Shui Zheng raised a hand. “And there’s one point more important than anything else. If the past was all fake, then who invented qi?”

Hearing this, Xu Mu suddenly thought of his own homeland, Yanhuang.

Many people believed that the events surrounding the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were merely legends.

Yet the Fuxi formations and other things that had appeared during that era had been passed down to the present day.

Now, Xu Mu had also witnessed all kinds of clans that existed only in legends, proving that they were real.

If that was the case, then did the so-called Creator truly exist as well?

“Eternal Life was born at the end of the Era of the War of the Gods.”

Shui Zheng said to Xu Mu, “That far back?”

Xu Mu took a deep breath. Just how many secrets did they know?

“Other than the secret of immortality, the Great Wilderness Clan probably knows the most secrets. That’s also why the four great races have always targeted them,” Shui Zheng continued.