Pangu's Ancient Domain

Everything Xiao Chen had experienced in the depths of the underworld had left him deeply shaken, and now, hearing the words "Pangu's Ancient Domain," he was even more stunned.

Did Pangu truly exist in this world? He felt an indescribable wonder. This figure, originally thought to be a mythological hero created by the cultivators of the Nine Provinces to inspire themselves—did he actually have a prototype, a living, breathing man?

"Pangu exists in this world. He is the ancestor of the Nine Provinces, the only king who survived the destruction of the Wasteland, and it was he who propped up a corner of heaven for the Nine Provinces, preventing utter annihilation." The ancient voice came from all directions, echoing endlessly in the depths of the earth, making it impossible to pinpoint its source.

"King Pangu..." Xiao Chen's heart trembled. Learning this news unexpectedly filled him with overwhelming shock.

Even the well-behaved, snow-white little beast at his side looked bewildered, tilting its head to glance at Xiao Chen, then at the distant pile of rubble.

By now, Xiao Chen had gradually calmed down. He keenly sensed something wrong with the words "Pangu's Ancient Domain." Why "ancient domain"? Was King Pangu no longer alive?

"Why is it called an 'ancient domain'? Where did King Pangu go?"

"No one knows. No one knows where he went."

"How could this be?" Xiao Chen was baffled.

"The Heavenly Realm is far from the peaceful place you imagine. It is fraught with deadly danger. Countless great wars have erupted over the endless ages, and the battles between kings like Pangu and the Heavenly Realm's titans were especially brutal. In ages past, the greatest divine war in the history of the Heavenly Realm erupted. No one could remain unscathed. Half of the Heavenly Realm's titans fell, and their forces were taken over by successors. King Pangu vanished during that upheaval and has never been seen since." The ancient voice revealed this astonishing news, making Xiao Chen even more aware of the Heavenly Realm's cruelty and tension.

There was no pure land in this world. Conflict existed everywhere. The ideal world the Ancestral Gods of the Nine Provinces dreamed of—the World of Immortality—seemed impossible to realize. Even the Heavenly Realm was like this—how could that ideal kingdom ever be achieved?

"King Pangu couldn't have..." Xiao Chen's mouth went dry. He could not bring himself to say the word "fallen."

"Many speculate that King Pangu may have met with misfortune. Although some fragments of his body have been found, they were not from vital parts. The gods of the Heavenly Realm do not believe he is truly dead." One could imagine how horrific and terrifying that battle must have been. Even a being as powerful as King Pangu, his life or death unknown—it was truly staggering.

"As long as King Pangu still exists in this world, the Nine Provinces will not be utterly destroyed. No one would push a king into a corner." Here the ancient voice paused briefly, then continued, "But King Pangu has truly been gone for too long. Not long ago, more fragments of his body were discovered. Many believe he may no longer be in this world." This was a cruel fact: over billions of years, the titans of the Heavenly Realm had changed several times. Even beings as powerful as Stone Man Kings could not truly last forever.

The depths of the earth fell silent for a long time before Xiao Chen asked, "If King Pangu has already disappeared, what is the use of going to Pangu's Ancient Domain?"

"Although King Pangu has vanished, it has not been confirmed whether he is alive or dead. Ordinary cultivators dare not casually intrude into that forbidden land. Moreover, in the Heavenly Realm, there are still one or two titans who favor the Nine Provinces. Pangu's Ancient Domain has been sealed by them as a pure land, and outsiders are not to disturb it. You can take refuge there. I have here a Pangu Stone Token. With it, you may enter." A hard stone token appeared before Xiao Chen. He took it in hand and turned to look at the broken ancient divine city. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Who I am is not important. You must escort the miniature divine city to Pangu's Ancient Domain as soon as possible. I will erase all traces of your presence here."

Xiao Chen speculated that this person was likely one of the one or two titans who favored the Nine Provinces—otherwise, why would he take such a great risk? And to have the means to conceal the workings of heaven—he must be an extraordinary figure.

"Unfortunately, I did not come seeking refuge." Xiao Chen paused, refraining from uttering the words "Heavenly Realm."

But the ancient voice spoke them for him: "You came from the lower realm." "You know?"

"Yes. From the moment you appeared in this region, I knew your origin." The ancient voice continued, unhurried: "I already know your purpose in coming to the Heavenly Realm. But those in the Heavenly Realm who favor the Nine Provinces cannot go down to help you, for they are too busy dealing with their own troubles. Powerful enemies watch them like tigers, ready to strike at any moment. Currently, the Heavenly Realm is seething with undercurrents; a violent clash could erupt at any time." This news was like a bucket of ice water poured over Xiao Chen's head, chilling him to the bone. His last hope was dashed. The Nine Provinces had no escape this time.

"The Ancestral Gods of the Nine Provinces who entered the Heavenly Realm in the past have nearly all died in battle. So much has happened in the Heavenly Realm over the years that even the powerful Otherworld faction was nearly uprooted. The Heavenly Realm is currently in chaos. If the titans enter the war, the consequences would be unimaginable. Moreover, even those Heavenly Realm powerhouses who once favored the Nine Provinces may gradually change their views over time. This world is very realistic..."

"Realistic" meant cruel! Even former allies inclined toward the Nine Provinces might prove unreliable.

In this world, only by becoming truly strong oneself could one fear nothing. Placing hope in others would only lead to cold despair. Seeking help from others was not as good as relying on oneself. Xiao Chen was silent for a moment, feeling that his trip to the Heavenly Realm had been a failure.

"Even now, there are still a few forces in the Heavenly Realm that lean toward the Nine Provinces, but they truly cannot spare the effort. They may soon be locked in fierce battle with the Otherworld faction again. And I advise you not to seek them out. Not only will you fail to get aid, but you may also drag yourself into the conflict, because some of them can no longer be trusted." Xiao Chen nodded silently. He felt there was no point in staying in the Heavenly Realm any longer. He wanted to return to the Nine Provinces immediately.

"Can you tell me about the power structure of the Heavenly Realm?" This was something Xiao Chen wanted to understand before leaving.

"The Heavenly Realm is chaotic and complex, difficult to explain clearly. Let me put it simply: the Heavenly Realm is a gathering place for ultimate powerhouses." The ancient voice echoed in the depths of the earth. "Since ancient times, many civilizations have been destroyed, and numerous true great worlds have completely collapsed. The survivors eventually converged in the Heavenly Realm. In other words, the people who came from each destroyed world were the strongest in their own worlds. The Heavenly Realm is a gathering of such a group."

Hearing this secret, Xiao Chen was truly astonished. It exceeded his imagination. So this was the composition of the Heavenly Realm's cultivators—no wonder they could stand so high. It was a convergence of powerhouses from all ages and all worlds. No wonder even the enemy Stone Man Kings could not dominate heaven and earth alone. The titans of the Heavenly Realm were certainly not limited to one or two.

"Therefore, although the Otherworld faction is powerful, it cannot be the strongest force in the Heavenly Realm. They once suffered the tragedy of being nearly uprooted. The main body of the Heavenly Realm is still the native forces formed by the convergence of powerhouses from all the destroyed worlds. These so-called native forces each hold their own territory, thus establishing the ruling status of the exalted titans. King Pangu and the Zixiao Stone King are both missing, their lives and deaths unknown. The other exalted titans are the Stone Corpse, the Lotus King, the Stone Emperor, and the Lishi Beast."

"Of course, what I have said is only what I have seen and heard. The Heavenly Realm is vast and boundless; even Ancestral Gods cannot explore its limits. There are countless secrets that no one can fully explain." At the end, the ancient voice paused and then said, "Taking the present situation as an example, there may be warriors from billions of years ago returning. But let us not speak of that. Throughout the ages, only one or two such reverse-ascended warriors have ever appeared."

After hearing these astonishing secrets, Xiao Chen was silent for a long time before saying, "The Otherworld cannot be as simple as it appears on the surface. When they warred with the Chaotic Wasteland and the Scorched Earth billions of years ago... the source land of the Nine Provinces, which had six Stone Man Kings, was completely destroyed. From this, one can imagine that they absolutely have the power to shake the Heavenly Realm."

"Indeed. That war billions of years ago deeply shocked the titans of the Heavenly Realm. No one expected that both sides possessed such terrifying combat power. But unfortunately, after that battle, only one wounded King Pangu remained in the Scorched Earth, and the Otherworld ultimately only achieved a pyrrhic victory, paying an extremely heavy price."

"Has the Heavenly Realm truly grasped the Otherworld's full strength?" Xiao Chen was very doubtful, because by instinct, he believed that the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps might be far from simple.

The ancient voice replied, "Among the Otherworld powerhouses who have ascended to the Heavenly Realm since ancient times, one did become a true Stone Man King, but he appeared for only three days before King Pangu crippled him, destroying both his form and spirit."

Xiao Chen was dumbfounded. Truly a tragic king—his death was lighter than a feather, utterly meaningless.

"The Otherworld's core combat power should not have all come to the Heavenly Realm. Those Ninety-Nine Stone Steps make even the few titans of the Heavenly Realm dare not underestimate them. This is also the main reason the Otherworld faction's forces in the Heavenly Realm have not been uprooted and has gradually grown stronger. However, even if the Otherworld still has one or two Stone Man Kings, it ultimately cannot compare to the Heavenly Realm—unless it regains its former glory, which would make the Heavenly Realm's titans vigilant and pay attention."

Xiao Chen then asked many more questions, but only some were answered. Finally, he made up his mind to leave the Heavenly Realm. There was no dawn of hope here. In the end, everything depended on himself.

Seeking help from others was not as good as relying on oneself. Striving unremittingly was the only way forward. This was the reality Xiao Chen had to accept. It would be fortunate enough if the Heavenly Realm did not bring down a great calamity upon them.

"I must warn you: do not reveal the Divine Diagram again in the Heavenly Realm, or you will bring great disaster upon yourself. Once the titans learn of it, you will have no place to die, and no one can save you. For they are very interested in the Divine Diagram; to them, it is a divine object worth pondering deeply."

Xiao Chen nodded silently. He probably could not reveal the Ancient Scroll either, as it was also a sacred relic. If the Heavenly Realm titans learned that it bore the imprints of five kings, it would be even more dangerous.

"I will help you conceal your origin and teach you how to erase the residual traces of killing the Otherworld powerhouses. Otherwise, you will be trapped in the Heavenly Realm, unable to move a step." This was what Xiao Chen urgently needed. Otherwise, he would never be able to shake off the pursuit of the Otherworld powerhouses. Even with the stone skull, it would be difficult to completely hide his whereabouts.

Just then, a towering phantom emerged within the broken ancient divine city. Though it was hazy and indistinct, Xiao Chen could clearly make out its form with his powerful divine sense. It was a stone statue!

The stone statue stood a full hundred zhang tall, level with the collapsed city walls, towering proudly. Its face was chiseled like knife-cuts, sharp and distinct, radiating a heroic spirit. It was so lifelike it seemed to be made of flesh and blood.

Though its voice was old, it was a heroic young man. The stone statue exuded an extraordinary presence—not overbearing or arrogant, yet it stirred the soul and made it difficult to remain calm.

Most peculiar of all, the hair draped over its head was not strands of hair but ancient vines. Among them, nine emerald-green divine vines bore pure white blossoms, sparkling and translucent like carved jade.

"Ke Ke's Ancestor!"

Xiao Chen was quite startled. He recognized this person instantly. This stone statue was identical to Ke Ke's ancestor he had seen in the ancient time-space.

"Ke Ke's Ancestor?" The enormous stone statue emitted an old, puzzled voice.

"You are Ke Ke's great-great-grandfather. I have seen you before!" Xiao Chen said with absolute certainty, looking up at him. He had never expected that the mysterious figure in the Heavenly Realm, whom he had assumed to be one of the Heavenly Realm titans, was actually Ke Ke's ancestor.

The enormous stone statue said nothing. It simply moved its giant hand, drawing a wisp of aura from Xiao Chen's body, which condensed into the form of Ke Ke.

"So that is how it is. That is my descendant..." At this, Ke Ke's ancestor sighed softly. "Counting the little one in the lower realm, our clan has only four members left."

It was not hard to guess who those four were: Ke Ke, Ke Ke's father, the obedient and quiet snow-white little beast before them, and the stone statue that was Ke Ke's ancestor.

"It seems you have already seen my true body. What you see now is only a fraction of my divine consciousness. In order to protect our clan's holy maiden, I have nourished a part of my consciousness within this broken divine city."

The person before him was a fraction of Ke Ke's ancestor's divine consciousness. It was for the sake of protecting the clan's holy maiden that he had split off this part of his consciousness—his true body had not come to the Heavenly Realm.

"The holy maiden... she will eventually return from her journey..."

The little snow-white beast beside him, who had been sucking on a pacifier, listened to these words with a blank expression. Its long lashes trembled as it looked up at the enormous stone statue in confusion.

"Your true body is in the lower realm—it's very dangerous. If the Otherworld dispatches a Stone Man King, you may..."

Xiao Chen started to warn him, guessing that Ke Ke's ancestor might have some difficulties.

"Coming to the Heavenly Realm would be even more dangerous. Even if the Heavenly Realm titans do not personally act, they will not stand idly by and watch a new king be born. Unless one finds refuge! But it is hard to say in this world. In the end, one must rely on oneself." Although he said this, the enormous stone statue did not seem worried. "Relatively speaking, even if the Otherworld still has a Stone Man King, they cannot awaken at present. In that war of yesteryear, even if one or two survivors remained, they are practically crippled. Moreover, I am well prepared and have left myself a retreat. If true disaster strikes, I can protect myself."