Chapter 74: The Immortal

Fortunately, Chixu Long and the others were seasoned veterans and wouldn't leak information about the Demonic Cult just because they were locked up. Otherwise, Chu Duozhu would have had to consider silencing them.

Chu Duozhu sent a messenger, inviting Lu Yang and the other two to the Yanjiang Anchorage for their official induction ceremony.

As for those dim-witted individuals, they would be kept in prison for ten days to cool off.

Chu Duozhu lounged in his jade chair, raising his eyes to look at the three standing before him. He approved, "Your barbecue restaurant idea is good. Keep it up; it's a channel for us to establish connections with the authorities."

Chu Duozhu dismissed his attendants. These attendants were merely entry-level cult members who hadn't been tested and weren't privy to the cult's secrets.

"Come, I'll take you to worship the Immortal Venerable."

Chu Duozhu led the three to another floating stone. The buildings on it, whose origins were unknown, had collapsed under the erosion of time. An unidentifiable light source cast a dull and oppressive glow. Walking through the ruins, one felt a profound sense of traversing history.

Even the learned Meng Jingzhou couldn't identify the era these buildings belonged to.

These were definitely not structures from the Great Xia Dynasty's 100,000-year history!

Meng Jingzhou was secretly alarmed, realizing these buildings were at least 100,000 years old!

"Could it be the Great Yu Dynasty?"

Historical records stated that the last emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty was dissolute, leading to the collapse of the dynasty and widespread chaos. The ancestor of the Meng family and the ancestor of Emperor Xia rose in rebellion, vying for control of the Central Plains.

The Dao Seeking Sect was established 120,000 years ago, during the Great Yu Dynasty's golden age, when no one could challenge its position.

At the end of the architectural complex stood a statue, approximately four meters tall. Its appearance was identical to the one seen in Qin Yuanhao's home: a blurred face, robed, indistinguishable as male or female—it was the Immortal Venerable.

Chu Duozhu held up three lit incense sticks, bowed to the Immortal Venerable, then turned to the three and instructed, "Meditate for half an hour to clear your minds of distracting thoughts."

These three incense sticks were not ordinary; upon smelling their fragrance, their agitated minds gradually calmed.

Clearing one's mind of distracting thoughts was a basic skill for the three of them. Seeing how quickly they settled down, Chu Duozhu subtly nodded.

Even with the help of the precious incense, their speed was remarkable. Most demonic cultivators were restless, focusing on physical cultivation rather than mental discipline, making these three truly rare.

He surmised they must have received some fortuitous encounter.

In the past, had he known three individuals possessed such opportunities, Chu Duozhu would have found a way to seize them. But these three were different; they were key individuals under the Cult Master's special attention, so he dared not act against them.

Half an hour later, the three awoke and, following Chu Duozhu's instructions, performed the steps to worship the Immortal Venerable.

After the elaborate ritual concluded, the three officially became disciples of the Immortal Cult.

Chu Duozhu, with his hands behind his back, said, "Before joining our cult, you probably only knew us as the Immortal Cult, that we worship the Immortal Venerable, and that becoming a disciple can prolong your life. As for the true nature of the Immortal Venerable, you likely know very little."

The three nodded. They knew practically nothing about the Immortal Venerable; this was the only immortal they had ever heard of.

Chu Duozhu spoke with a respectful tone: "The Immortal Venerable's very existence is a taboo. He shares the lifespan of heaven and earth, witnessing the world's rise and fall. Even if his physical body is destroyed, his immortal soul decays, and a speck of his spiritual light is worn away by the mortal realm, as long as someone remembers him, he can resurrect on the spot, living forever and undying!"

Lu Yang and the other two were shaken. They couldn't tell how much of Chu Duozhu's words were true and how much was false.

The idea that the Immortal Venerable was indestructible as long as someone remembered his existence was something unheard of, even in myths and legends!

Such divine power made the title "Immortal" entirely appropriate.

Chu Duozhu continued, "That venerable one attained immortality in ancient times, privy to secrets of ages past, and wields power far beyond what we mortals can contend with."

"Now, the Ancient Great Era has arrived. Old monsters buried in desolate mountains and wilderness are crawling out of their coffins. To protect our lives and fortunes in this great era, we must revive the Immortal Venerable so he can protect us!"

Lu Yang hesitated, then asked, "Then how do we revive the Immortal Venerable?"

"The Immortal Venerable attained Dao through battle and immortality through slaughter. He delights most in bloodshed. We must ignite a cataclysm of war and bloodshed in this world, pleasing the Immortal Venerable with the deaths of tens of millions of humans. This is the first step; subsequent steps are beyond your current level of knowledge."

"Tens of millions of human deaths?!" Meng Jingzhou was aghast. How many people would die? "Corpses strewn across the land" couldn't even describe it!

"Is that a lot? Not at all," Chu Duozhu shook his head. Most people reacted similarly upon hearing that number, but upon calm reflection, the Central Continent was vast. While tens of millions seemed like a large number, when spread out, it amounted to only one death per several thousand people.

"Do you know how many people die each year from overwork, how many are driven to despair and suicide by overwhelming pressure, how many die from illness, how many die from incompetent medical treatment, or how many unclaimed bodies the Great Xia Dynasty discovers annually?"

Chu Duozhu sneered, "Do you know? Of course you don't, because the Great Xia Dynasty dares not publish the true statistics!"

"If we don't revive the Immortal Venerable, who will protect the vast Central Continent? When those old monsters awaken one after another, far more than just this number of people will die."

"Is the Ancient Great Era truly so terrifying?" Lu Yang felt a chill in his heart.

Chu Duozhu remained silent, gesturing for the three to follow him.

Chu Duozhu walked past the Immortal Venerable statue and through a stretch of ruins, explaining as he went, "These ruins have existed since ancient times, becoming decayed and dilapidated under the erosion of ages. Ten thousand years ago, the Cult Founder stumbled upon these ruins and learned of the Immortal Venerable's existence here."

"The Immortal Venerable had existed for too long, and the world had forgotten the immortal who once protected it. It was the Cult Founder who brought the Immortal Venerable back into the world!"

"The Cult Founder replicated these ruins and preserved them at various strongholds. This place is one such replica, already ten thousand years old."

Meng Jingzhou thought to himself, so it was a replica of an ancient ruin; no wonder he couldn't discern its age. From ancient times, only legends had survived, with very few tangible artifacts remaining.

Chu Duozhu stopped before a stone wall: "This is it. This depicts a sacrificial scene from ancient times."

The first thing they saw was the Immortal Venerable on the stone wall, arms outstretched. In the Immortal Venerable's embrace were countless spheres of varying sizes. Some spheres even had a ring-like structure around them, the purpose of which was unknown.

On each sphere, a small figure knelt, holding up offerings to the Immortal Venerable.

"What are these spheres, and why are people standing on them?" Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu asked, greatly perplexed.

As Lu Yang looked at the mural, his pupils constricted. These spheres closely resembled the planets of his previous life, and the ring-like structures around them were like asteroid belts or cosmic dust.

Chu Duozhu slowly explained, "These are called planets. In ancient times, there was no Central Continent; all races, regardless of kind, lived on planets."

"At the end of the ancient era, an unknown entity refined all the planets, transforming them into what is now the Central Continent!"

Upon hearing this, all three were astonished!