Chapter 1028: Grinding Our Knuckles, Our Youth Is Back!

By now, these Ninth-Tier beings have long transcended the river of history, rising above all mortal concerns. Their sole pursuit is the Dao: to comprehend the rules of heaven and earth and to grasp the ultimate truth.

‘At this stage, whose life wouldn't be a profound, dramatic, and fascinating history?’ Caroline felt completely at ease.

Their decision not to follow their ancestral lineage and depart was also anticipated. They had no real connection to their ancestors' history, so they wouldn't simply choose to leave just because someone from that lineage came seeking them. Furthermore, abandoning so much would be a very poor choice, both emotionally and practically.

‘It seems I worried too much,’ Caroline whispered. ‘Although they used mysterious methods and calculations to bypass the Super Ancient God's surveillance and reach us here, the Super Ancient God likely anticipated their arrival, trusting that there would be no betrayal.’

This was a gamble. The Super Ancient God bet that Di Qi wouldn't leave, understanding that constantly monitoring a quantum clone, which must venture out and face risks, was simply unrealistic. Moon God Ji, perhaps, also knew this might be the outcome. While Daojun was a direct descendant, Di Qi's bloodline was somewhat diluted, yet it was still worth a shot. After all, it cost nothing. If successful, it would secure a significant advantage and deliver a substantial blow. Reflecting on the intricate details, one couldn't help but marvel at the subtle, long-distance confrontation between these two formidable beings.

‘Then, please send us back,’ Caroline said.

Moon God Ji turned, the gentle-faced youth calmly strolling back into the Elemental Cave. ‘Can't you walk yourselves?’ he asked.

Caroline paused, slightly taken aback. She had expected him to destroy their quantum combat bodies, thereby weakening their power.

Moon God Ji vanished into the Elemental Cave, remarking lightly, ‘Young ones, do not imagine me so narrow-minded. Attack the younger generation? Had your true bodies been here, I might have entertained the thought. But for mere clones... I would not stoop to such a level.’

This being! Caroline's gaze pierced the depths, her eyes fixed intently on him. Was this the legendary adversary? The terrifying foe who annihilated the ancient Lava Domain civilization.

Di Qi smiled. ‘Daojun, we shall meet again...’

‘Go, you have matured, after all,’ Daojun replied. Daojun remained serene, her nature always detached, her sole focus on the pursuit of the Dao. Caroline said nothing, casting a glance at the surrounding elemental life forms before departing with Di Qi.

At that moment, not only Caroline and her companions, but others too, witnessed the enemy's true form, igniting a powerful sense of urgency and immense pressure within them. Ji Shang and Sun God Asa, representatives of the new generation, quietly observed the scene. It was then that they truly felt the intense pressure and the adversary's formidable power. A complete Ninth-Tier! And an entity possessing incredibly exaggerated combat prowess! The Buddhist and Daoist transcendent systems were extremely powerful and formidable! Yet, back then, Moon God Ji only managed to defeat one of these systems. Due to the immortal bloodline, only one lineage could awaken at a time. This implied that the adversary still commanded the power of another flourishing civilization, which, though on the verge of falling into slumber again, would be incredibly difficult to manage if fully revived.

‘They are too powerful.’‘If we don't act decisively and all at once, we'll be in trouble.’

At this point, they were still on the Ninth-Tier path, uncertain how much longer it would take to achieve a breakthrough. Their Mother River Civilization had only developed for three thousand years. The opposing side had an eight-thousand-year head start. However, catching up was not impossible. The adversary's civilization system was developed from scratch, through independent deduction, whereas they possessed a complete heritage as their foundation, saving vast amounts of time. Although a gap existed, it wasn't insurmountable, as despite their late start, they had been breaking through to godhood and traversing the Ninth-Tier path for a considerable period.

Meanwhile, the hidden natives, descendants of the elemental survivors, had witnessed this entire exchange. The verbal sparring, the interactions, the recounted ancient histories, the formidable power of the Buddhist school... even the leader of the elemental beings watched with a look of aspiration and fervent excitement. Such heaven-defying, formidable civilizations – the Buddhist and Daoist systems – had actually been utterly defeated by the Mother River Elemental Civilization!

‘Become stronger!’‘We must become stronger and defeat them!’‘Those enemies, Caroline and Di Qi, we, the new generation... will crush them!’ declared a native of the pure elemental ruins, his body enveloped in pale blue flames, as he fiercely clenched his fist.

It had been too long! They had been confined here for too long! They had languished in a dark era, unable to resume cultivation, forced to hide in their ancestors' tombs and slowly perish, witnessing generations decline completely. Who could truly comprehend such despair? They were once a Tenth-Tier ultimate civilization! Their ancestors were legendary Tenth-Tier ultimate existences of the Grand Dao! This was utterly despairing; there was no torment more tragic than guarding the glory of their ancestors' tombs for countless ages, merely waiting for death. Yet now, hope had arrived.

Moon God Ji! From our ancient elemental ruins, mutated kinsmen had secretly emerged countless millennia ago, and now they had returned. Our vitality has returned!

Even the aging elemental leader, who had hurried to the scene, was moved to tears by the dialogue, prostrating himself on the ground. They began to gather together.

‘See,’ one declared, ‘I brought you here because hope has returned. Let us revive our Elemental clan's civilization! We once stood at the pinnacle of the Tenth-Tier Grand Dao. Starting anew today, we can still reach that height!’

An elemental being, emboldened by newfound hope, stood atop the broken ruins, calling out urgently, ‘Because we already have a mutated branch of our own! Though they abandoned the glory of our ancestors and possess flesh and blood, they have already reached a nascent Tenth-Tier civilization... This demonstrates the power of this path!’

‘Indeed,’ another agreed, ‘pure elemental forms were too extreme! Incorporating flesh and blood life makes our path balanced and harmonious, allowing us to integrate powerful bloodlines from various transcendent world systems!’

‘Lord Ji's lifespan is dwindling... Even with the Blood of Eternal Life, he would still fall into slumber like that enemy civilization, which would create an exploitable vulnerability. To avert such a fate, we must become stronger and become guardians of the Dao...’

Countless elemental beings and spirits in the nearby elemental caves, enveloped in multicolored light, gazed with aspiration. Through their encouraging exchanges, their fighting spirit was ignited, and pride filled their chests with such a torrent of passion that it seemed ready to burst forth.

Meanwhile, elsewhere. Li Li, a transmigrator from Earth, watched this scene as if in a dream. ‘It's actually happening... The living mythical figures I saw before I transmigrated—Di Qi, Caroline... they're truly here, vividly before my eyes! It feels so real!’

Everyone was in a state of inexplicable excitement.

In contrast, Daojun remained exceptionally calm, continuing to study the insights and experiences of this elemental civilization. After all, despite being a half-elemental life form, she exclusively utilized elemental and Daoist attacks. She found that she could perfectly learn and apply virtually all the energy manipulation techniques for attacks presented before her.

‘I hope Di Qi and Ruyun are doing well,’ she mused, ‘they have, after all, found their own paths.’

Phoenix sat in her study, continuing her research. ‘I sense that, in the unseen depths of the tomb, an ancient elemental entity is calling me,’ she thought. ‘It calls me the God of Elements and claims I will bear their glory and history.’ Her expression remained entirely serene. She completely ignored the summons, instead sitting gently and studiously in her study, absorbed in a book. ‘I will heed my grandfather's words,’ she decided, ‘and disregard that voice. I will continue to cultivate and grow stronger, and only go later, after some time has passed.’