The Martial Imprint Reveals the Eternal Light

More than ten Ancestral Gods had fallen in the same place. Their consciousness had dispersed, their divine souls could not unite, and when they burned together, they gave rise to a divine radiance that could never be extinguished—the Eternal Light, as legend called it.

The final page of the Sacred Scripture of the Artifact Refining Sect recorded this speculation, and it brought Xiao Chen a shock beyond compare.

It was all too bizarre, too unreal—utterly inconceivable.

The formation of the Eternal Light was so harsh as to be unimaginable.

How many Ancestral Gods could there be in heaven and earth? Even counting those who had fallen, the number could be counted on one's fingers. Forming the Eternal Light required more than ten Ancestral Gods to be buried in the same place—it was too appalling to hear.

Those were not Half-Ancestors, of whom dozens could be found. Still less were they ordinary cultivators, who could be gathered by the handful. They were legendary Ancestral Gods—from the beginning to the end of a single civilization era, never more than ten would be born.

Yet the formation of the Eternal Light was that harsh. It would require Ancestral Gods from at least two different civilization eras to die and be buried in the same place before it could possibly form.

But even this was beyond belief.

Ancestral Gods could not die of natural causes; their lifespans were inexhaustible. They could only fall in battle. And when an Ancestral God fell, his body and divine soul were rarely preserved. In the moment of death, they were utterly annihilated in both body and spirit.

Otherwise, their enemies would not rest easy.

“Good,” Xiao Chen said. “The Artifact Refining Sect is indeed one of the most ancient schools. Even the Eternal Light is known to you.” He paced twice in the cave dwelling, then sat down on a stone chair. “Continue searching through the texts. You must find where the Eternal Light might appear.”

The elder of the Artifact Refining Sect changed color on the spot. “You… you intend to imprison me? Make me serve you?”

“Before I came in, weren't you already searching through the texts?” Xiao Chen said calmly. “I'm not going to make things difficult for you. I just want to repair the War Swords and hitch a ride. If we can find the Eternal Light, you should understand how much benefit it would bring to your Artifact Refining Sect.”

The cave dwelling was filled with mountain-like piles of texts—records of the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds, including many jade books and stone inscriptions. Many were ancient relics from several civilization eras past.

The Artifact Refining Sect elder reluctantly accepted the reality and began to bury himself in research, trying to deduce where more than ten Ancestral Gods might be buried.

Meanwhile, in several other caves, the Artifact Refining Sect's other elders and Wu Ming were all earnestly consulting texts.

Xiao Chen, by contrast, was quite at ease. He retrieved the twenty-seven War Swords—having made it clear that no one could stop him from coming here—and concealed himself on the divine mountain of the Artifact Refining Sect, quietly waiting for results.

Thus five or six days passed, and the others were still immersed in their research.

Xiao Chen entered the sect's herb garden, picked some spirit fruits, divinely transformed a few invisible acupoints, and sat cross-legged in quiet cultivation.

It was not until the ninth day that the several elders gathered together. Xiao Chen also awoke at that time, hiding in the shadows to listen to their conclusions.

“More than ten Ancestral Gods buried in the same place—searching through the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where. However, there are several regions that are prime candidates, very likely the places we are looking for.”

“Correct. After searching through various texts, I have not found a single clear location, only several regions where the Eternal Light might exist.”

The elders exchanged views, with Wu Ming also present.

“I think the Dragon Clan's Sacred Mountain is a highly suspicious place. It is filled with mystery; even the Dragon Clan themselves probably cannot fully understand it. I believe that in the distant past, it might have been the resting place of more than ten Ancestral Gods. Otherwise, how could all the strange phenomena have occurred there?”

At this elder's suggestion, Wu Ming immediately nodded. “I agree. I also suspect that place.”

“Reasonable. Dragon Island has hidden too many secrets since ancient times. There must be something strange there.”

Another elder nodded in agreement and offered his own speculation: “In addition, I think the Demon Plain of the World of Immortality is also an important site. It has always been shrouded in layers of mystery. The past incarnation of Laozi was ground into flesh paste on the Demon Plain, his soul unable to gather for eight hundred years. In the same era, the Buddha was crucified on the Demon Plain, bleeding dry and dying, only reincarnating after a thousand years. It goes to show how sinister that place is.”

“The Demon Plain is indeed worth suspecting.”

Everyone present nodded.

At this point, a sedate-looking middle-aged elder spoke up. “You've all mentioned other worlds. How could you forget an important site in our own Cultivation World?”

“How could we forget? We were just listing them in order. You mean the Heavenly Burial Valley, right?”

“Yes, that's the place.” The middle-aged elder nodded. “I think the Heavenly Burial Valley is of utmost importance. It has been suppressed by the Heavenly Stele for endless years. Although we don't know what secrets lie there, we can speculate that it must be no ordinary place. Moreover, from its name, we can infer that something is buried there—very likely the burial ground of Ancestral Gods.”

“Very reasonable.” Everyone present nodded in agreement.

“In the past, I didn't believe the Eternal Light existed. But now that it has been confirmed, we can easily screen out some important sites through deduction.”

“Elders, the places you have listed all share one feature,” Wu Ming offered his opinion. “They are all suppressed by Heavenly Steles. Is this really a coincidence? Or should we just look for places suppressed by Heavenly Steles?”

The six elders all looked thoughtful.

Wu Ming continued, “If so, then that Dead City must be investigated. Moreover, it seems we have overlooked a very important issue—the Yellow-Clay Altar that Xiao Chen once rode in the past.”

“Right!” An elder exclaimed. “That Yellow-Clay Altar has an extraordinary origin. It is said to have been forged from the flesh and blood of Ancestral Gods. Could the Eternal Light be hidden inside? Otherwise, how could Xiao Chen, with his cultivation at that time, have seen off Half-Ancestors?”

“Yes, very possible. We almost missed a key detail.”

The other elders chimed in agreement.

Wu Ming continued, “What's most interesting is that back then, when Xiao Chen was fighting the world's experts outside the Divine Capital of Luoyang, a divine light shot out from the capital and fixed the Yellow-Clay Altar, nearly causing Xiao Chen an accident. Before that, there were even legends that beneath the Divine Capital of Luoyang, there was power that could rival the Yellow-Clay Altar. But in the end, that dazzling divine light was absorbed by the Yellow-Clay Altar.”

All the elders fell silent.

“Could it be that the Eternal Light was hidden beneath the Divine Capital of Luoyang and has now been absorbed by the Yellow-Clay Altar?”

Everyone present frowned.

But soon another elder spoke up. “It shouldn't be that. If it were the Eternal Light, even the Yellow-Clay Altar probably couldn't absorb it. After all, the Eternal Light of legend is formed by the burning of more than ten Ancestral Gods' divine souls merged together. And it is said that the Yellow-Clay Altar was merely forged from the flesh and blood of several Ancestral Gods like Nuwa and Fuxi. It shouldn't be able to contain the Eternal Light.”

“This issue is very complex. While consulting the texts, I accidentally came across a startling record. Since ancient times, nine Dead Cities have appeared above the Nine Provinces, but all but one have been destroyed. If we count the one still intact now, that makes nine. It is said that deep beneath places like the Divine Capital of Luoyang, faint residual energy fluctuations can be sensed, which seem to have an inexplicable connection with the destroyed Dead Cities. Could the divine light absorbed by the Yellow-Clay Altar have rushed out from the ruins of a destroyed Dead City?”

Those present all began to seriously analyze and discuss.

“I think we may have entered a mistaken line of thought. I firmly believe that in this world, there is a true resting place for Ancestral Gods—one that has nothing to do with the Dead Cities and nothing to do with the Yellow-Clay Altar.”

The issue of the nine Dead Cities was temporarily set aside as they began discussing other places most worth suspecting.

“The Soul World has always been mysterious and strange. I think it is the most likely place to have buried Ancestral Gods. I imagine that the environment of the Soul World might all be related to many Ancestral Gods falling in the same world.”

“The Soul World is worthy of attention—it is the most sinister place in legend.”

As they discussed, they marked circles and dots on the maps of the various worlds at hand.

Finally, they came to the Curse World. Looking at this world, everyone frowned, finding it difficult to mark a single key area.

It was not because the Curse World was not worth suspecting—it was worthy of attention, but it was hard to find the key point.

The Curse World maintained the most pristine appearance. The land was covered with endless stretches of primeval forests, desolate mountains, and giant ridges. Most of the Curse World was sparsely populated, making it the most mysterious of the several worlds.

It contained many traces of civilizations that did not belong to this era, and almost every region hid unknown secrets.

In the end, unable to decide, they drew a large circle around the entire Curse World.

“Alright, let's set the Curse World aside for now. Let's start with the following places.” An elder pointed at several maps. “Dragon Island's Sacred Mountain, the Demon Plain of the World of Immortality, the Heavenly Burial Valley of the Cultivation World, the Dead City of the Nine Provinces, and the most sinister place in the Soul World. Let's start with these five locations.”

“Wherever the Eternal Light is, it must bear the extraordinary characteristics recorded on the final page of our sect's sacred scripture. Now, immediately dispatch disciples to secretly investigate. This won't yield results in a few days or months—it might take decades, centuries, or even millennia. But we must do our utmost to search.”

Xiao Chen silently slipped away. Though a new hope had arisen in his heart, he felt it was too faint. The Artifact Refining Sect had identified several major sites, but he still thought it unreliable. That same day, he returned to Yan Capital, intending to consult the Martial Imprint—perhaps he could find a clue from it.

At the same time, within the Artifact Refining Sect, Wu Ming slapped his forehead. “How foolish of me! I forgot an important matter. The Martial Imprint's true scripture might hold vital information.”

After learning the details, two elders accompanied him on the road to Yan Capital.

The Martial Imprint's true scripture was indeed an antique. It might well know the great secret of the Eternal Light.

At this moment, Yan Capital was in turmoil. Cultivators from the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds all converged there, their target none other than the Martial Imprint's true scripture.

“He… he… he… his uncle's! I-I-I…”

When Xiao Chen returned to Yan Capital, he happened upon Jin Sanyi in the Forbidden City gardens, finding the man infuriated and stammering again.

“Sanyi, what's wrong? Why are you stammering again?”

“Fu… fu… furious! This damned Martial Imprint dares to mock me like this! I, I, I, a prodigy of my generation, am actually judged as a thoroughly hopeless mediocrity! It despises me! I despise it back!”

Xiao Chen laughed heartily, showing no sympathy.

Beside him, Sha Polang was also indignant. “It actually said to me, 'You're a skeleton, what are you doing here?' and advised me to return to the earth. If I can bear this, what can't I bear?”

Tianya was also deeply unhappy. “How infuriating! That fiend said to me…” He turned red-faced and could not continue.

Xiao Chen asked with a smile, “What did it say to you?”

Qier laughed heartily. “That fiend spoke to Tianya with all smiles and politeness, then very politely told him to go back and keep drinking his mother's milk.”

“I'm so mad!” Even the good-tempered Tianya looked ready to lose control.

“I'll go see it too.”

Deep beneath Yan Capital, among the ruins of the Forbidden City, purple qi surged and multicolored light cascaded. The underground ruins were crowded with people—all had come drawn by reputation, hoping to obtain the true scripture.

Xiao Chen spotted many former acquaintances among them: War King Mabao, the Five Element Heavenly Kings, and others. He even sensed the presence of the Yaksha Half-Ancestor and the Angel Holy God.

No one knew how many Half-Ancestors had come.

One could imagine the allure of the Martial Imprint's true scripture—even Half-Ancestors were stirred.

“Martial Imprint, can I inherit the true meaning of martial arts?”

“A thousand-year-old talent…”

“Ah! I am a once-in-a-thousand-year prodigy? Does that mean I can cultivate the true scripture?”

“In a thousand years, there will be ten million people like you.” The Martial Imprint struck mercilessly.

“And me?”

“Thoroughly rotten—a constitution that truly deserves a lightning strike.” The Martial Imprint's words made people hate it to the bone.

“I… I… was once praised as a once-in-a-decade prodigy!”

“Next.”

Several more stepped forward, respectfully saluting the ball of cyan light.

“How about me?”

“Mediocre beyond endurance.”

...

From a distance, many were dumbfounded. This Martial Imprint was just too… unprincipled.

Just standing there, Jin Sanyi and Sha Polang could not help but start steaming with rage.

“F-f-furious!” Even just watching, Jin Sanyi felt a surge of anger; his stammer returned. “I-it judged me the same way—said I have a constitution that deserves a lightning strike.”

The ruins of the underground Forbidden City were filled with broken walls, but spiritual energy flowed everywhere.

Just then, Xiao Chen saw the Angel Holy God step forward.

“What of me?”

“You…” The Martial Imprint seemed somewhat surprised. It nodded, and just as everyone thought it would approve, it said, “Failing grade—truly pathetic.”

Upon hearing this, the Angel Holy God's form visibly trembled—that was pure fury.

Those who achieved Half-Ancestor were all extraordinary prodigies of a millennium. To be judged like this…

At that moment, the Yaksha Half-Ancestor also stepped forward. “And what of me?”

“Not up to scratch—very mediocre.”

At these words, the Yaksha Half-Ancestor's face turned distinctly green. This Martial Imprint was utterly detestable, to evaluate him like this! If someone like him, a prodigy of the ages, counted as mediocre, then who in this world could be called a prodigy?

“You say we two are mediocre? Let's see if you have the right to say so.”

The Yaksha Half-Ancestor and the Angel Holy God pressed forward simultaneously. All the purple qi before them parted, and the very spiritual roots of the earth trembled.

“You?” The Martial Imprint spoke with casual indifference, its tone infuriating. “Cultivate for another ten thousand years or so.”

Without another word, the Yaksha Half-Ancestor and the Angel Holy God advanced together. The Myriad Worlds domain descended, seeking to crush that hazy cyan light.

But the power of the domain could not harm the cyan light in the slightest. In an instant, it blazed with radiance, and the Yaksha and the Angel staggered back more than ten paces. No one knew whether they had suffered a great loss, but both changed expression and revealed their true forms.

Then, with a flash of light, the two vanished.

“Those were… two Half-Ancestors?”

“It was the Yaksha Half-Ancestor and the Angel Holy God!”

…

Everyone buzzed with discussion. This only reinforced their belief in the Martial Imprint's extraordinariness—even Half-Ancestors were drawn to it. It showed how important this scripture was.

Now, even those who had previously doubted surged forward, letting the Martial Imprint select among them.

The War God King, War King Mabao, Fire Spirit King, Sea God King, Wood King, Earth King, Thunder God King, and others all appeared in turn.

And from the Cultivation World, Ye Jing and her companions also revealed themselves.

Zhao Zhongyang, Snow Dance, Meng Xilie, Cang Hai, Niu Ren, and others arrived at this place.

But the Martial Imprint's tongue was too venomous. Facing these commanding, heaven-striding prodigies, the evaluations it gave were utterly miserable.

“With your talent, you might as well go kill yourself.”

“Heaven is unjust—how could it produce someone as mediocre as you?”

“That a waste like you can exist is already a miracle.”

“Your constitution is so appalling I can't be bothered to even evaluate you.”

…

Mabao, the War God King, Fire Spirit King, Thunder God King, Ye Jing, Zhao Zhongyang, Snow Dance, Meng Xilie, Cang Hai, and all the others wished they could find a hole to crawl into. The Martial Imprint was simply too vicious.

These were unquestionably the prodigies of the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds over the past millennium, yet they received such evaluations, leaving them all red-faced.

Finally, when it was Niu Ren's turn to step forward, the Martial Imprint dealt an even crueler blow: “You've come to the wrong place. You should go find the Demon Ancestor.”

“Dammit! I'm a human, alright?” Niu Ren shook his massive ox horns.

“Then you should go find a half-human, half-demon.”

Even the honest Niu Ren was provoked into a rage.

Xiao Chen finally understood—this Martial Imprint was a born viper-tongue. Seeking its evaluation was asking for a slap in the face.

But just then, the Martial Imprint noticed him. “You…”

Seeing that this venomous tongue was about to evaluate him again, Xiao Chen stepped forward. “You're not up to scratch—truly pathetic, thoroughly rotten, an eyesore. That a true scripture like you can be passed down is a miracle of heaven. Heaven is unjust; you deserve a lightning strike. I can't be bothered to even evaluate you.”

Everyone was dumbfounded. This guy had come specifically to vent, hadn't he? That was the Martial Imprint! Wasn't he tempted by it at all?

The Martial Imprint seemed a little stunned, never expecting someone to be so defiant and not care about it at all.

“It's you… you thoroughly rotten little brat?!”

The hazy cyan light pulsed, as if observing Xiao Chen, and seemed to explain to everyone: “The reason I am so demanding is that once I choose a successor, it means they have the potential to become an Ancestral God!”

Everyone was horrified. The Martial Imprint's chosen successor must have the potential to become an Ancestral God—that might not be found in several lifetimes.

Seeing the Martial Imprint about to evaluate him again, Xiao Chen quickly spoke first. “You cannot teach me. I did not come here to be selected by you. I have something to ask.”

Then he transmitted secretly, “You stole part of my remnant soul and accepted it as a disciple. You owe me a favor. I only ask you one thing: do you know where the Eternal Light is?”

“Of course I know where the Eternal Light is,” the Martial Imprint replied.

Everyone present was startled. Almost no one knew what this meant, but the Half-Ancestors who had come all changed color. If this legendary thing could be found, it might enable someone to become an Ancestral God!

“You… are such a big mouth!” Xiao Chen was furious. He had never expected the fellow to blurt it out so carelessly.

“Let me think… hmm… the Eternal Light seems to be at one of the following places: Dragon Island's Sacred Mountain, the Demon Plain, the Heavenly Burial Valley, or the most sinister place in the Soul World.”

“…” Xiao Chen was completely speechless. How could this fellow be like this? Did he really know? And he just said it so indifferently.

From afar, Wu Ming was also speechless, with an urge to curse.

Light flashed, and the sound of tearing space rang out as Half-Ancestors departed through spatial rifts one after another.

Within a single day, news of the Eternal Light spread across the world, known to all.

In less than three days, cultivators from the Four Worlds also learned of it.

From the personal disciples of the Half-Ancestors, various secret tales of the Eternal Light circulated.

“More than ten Ancestral Gods fallen in the same place? Am I dreaming?”

“Formed by the burning divine light of more than ten Ancestral Gods' souls?!”

“Where is the burial ground of more than ten Ancestral Gods?”

…

One sentence from the Martial Imprint set the entire world in motion. Everyone was searching for the Eternal Light, searching for the burial place of the Ancestral Gods.

Heaven and earth were in turmoil. Dragon Island, once peaceful, had recently seen frequent intrusions by powerful cultivators, with dragon roars shaking the heavens. The Dragon Clan's top Half-Ancestor, the War God King, launched a bloody purge, killing over a dozen reckless cultivators and gravely wounding a Half-Ancestor.

Then, swearing by the Ancestral Dragon, he declared that the Dragon Clan's Sacred Mountain was not the burial ground of Ancestral Gods. Finally, he invited several Half-Ancestors to jointly explore, and only then did Dragon Island quiet down.

Meanwhile, those who went to the Demon Plain and the Heavenly Burial Valley also returned empty-handed.

In the end, a flood of cultivators surged toward the most sinister place in the Soul World. Nearly half of the Half-Ancestors set out for this purpose.

The Eternal Light held an unparalleled allure—even Half-Ancestors could not resist its temptation.

The Soul World was a primeval forest of ancient trees, but the yin energy was very heavy. Even at high noon, it sent chills through one's bones. White bones were scattered everywhere on the plains and among the hills. No one knew from what era they came; dig anywhere and you would unearth a few cold, stiff corpses.

Xiao Chen also entered the Soul World. This was his first time visiting this world, but before he could find the legendary most sinister place, he became trapped in a boundless, desolate expanse of red-brown stone mountains. Here, he unexpectedly lost his ability to fly, and even walking was difficult. It seemed as if a vast and unfathomable mysterious force permeated everything here.

He could not tell direction and could not find a way out.

Xiao Chen knew that there was definitely an unimaginable ancient great formation here, powerful enough to trap even Half-Ancestors.

After being trapped for half a month, when Xiao Chen walked into a stretch of even taller stone mountains, he saw a broken stone stele with a few characters carved on it. His expression changed instantly.

“…Slain an Otherworld Ancestral God… here!”

The place where a name should have been had been erased by someone's finger force, but the remaining characters were still clear.

A peerless powerhouse had slain an Otherworld Ancestral God here.