Chapter 454 (1)

Upon hearing Lu Qing say that he had fully comprehended the "Frost Ice True Record", Han Lingshuang was utterly stunned, her heart filled with disbelief.

It had only been a short while since she handed him the inheritance jade slip—barely a quarter of an hour had passed.

Yet, Lu Qing claimed he had already comprehended the "Frost Ice True Record" in its entirety.

It must be noted that this was a Nascent Soul-level cultivation method capable of leading practitioners directly to the Nascent Soul Realm. For someone to grasp it so quickly was unheard of, even for techniques of this caliber.

At this moment, Han Lingshuang truly understood why, despite the world’s spiritual revival being so recent, Lu Qing had managed to cultivate to such an unfathomably profound level.

His comprehension and aptitude for cultivation were simply beyond mortal understanding—utterly extraordinary!

“Palace Master, the inheritance of your Cold Water Palace has provided me with much inspiration. Here is a cultivation method that might also be of use to you. Take it.”

Lu Qing handed over a jade slip containing a cultivation method.

Han Lingshuang was momentarily taken aback but immediately shook her head in refusal. “Esteemed Elder, your grace to our Cold Water Palace is already more than we can repay. How could I possibly accept such a precious gift?”

“I dislike taking advantage of others,” Lu Qing said indifferently. “Although I saved your Cold Water Palace, the meal and the Fire Spirit Pearl you provided earlier are more than adequate compensation.

There is no need for your sect to owe me anything for this Nascent Soul-level method. Take it.”

Hearing the resolute tone in his voice, Han Lingshuang hesitated briefly before finally accepting the jade slip.

Seeing this, Lu Qing smiled faintly. “Palace Master, the cultivation method contained in this jade slip leans toward the Water Element. However, it can only be cultivated to the peak of the Golden Core Realm.

Its origins are not simple—it was one of the core inheritances of a powerful sect from a major world.

The insights it provides into the Golden Core Realm should prove quite beneficial to your future cultivation.”

Indeed, the cultivation method Lu Qing provided was one of the spoils he had confiscated from the two gray-robed cultivators, who were brothers. While it lacked the upper limits of the "Frost Ice True Record", in terms of sophistication, it surpassed the latter.

“A major world…”

Han Lingshuang first appeared puzzled, but her expression soon shifted to one of astonishment as she seemed to recall something.

“Esteemed Elder, the outside world has long speculated that the two mysterious experts who recently appeared in Zhongzhou were otherworldly visitors. Could it be that…”

“You’re correct,” Lu Qing nodded. “They indeed came from beyond the heavens—cultivators from another world.

Moreover, that world is far stronger than ours.

But don’t worry, that world is incredibly distant from here. Those two only arrived in our world by sheer coincidence.”

Hearing this, Han Lingshuang murmured to herself, “So there really are other worlds. Does this mean that our ancestors, who once left this world, might not have been hopeless in their endeavors?”

Lu Qing’s thoughts stirred as he recalled something “Yan” had once mentioned—details about the events at the end of the previous Immortal Era.

He asked, “Palace Master, does your Cold Water Palace have any records about what happened at the end of the last Immortal Era? Where did the top immortal sects go, and why were the Four Great Secret Realms left behind?”

Han Lingshuang was surprised by the sudden question but quickly collected her thoughts. “Our ancestors indeed left behind some records about the chaos that occurred at the end of the last Immortal Era.”

Both Lu Qing and “Yan” in the Li Huo Cauldron were captivated, listening attentively.

During the waning days of the last Immortal Era, the Li Huo Sect and its mortal enemy sect were provoked by external forces, leading to a deadly conflict.

The resulting war became so fierce that both sects were nearly obliterated.

Only the young master of the Li Huo Sect, with the help of several elders, managed to escape with the heavily damaged Li Huo Cauldron. They sought refuge in a secret base of the sect.

However, the young master ultimately succumbed to his injuries, dying in that hidden sanctuary.

“Yan,” the artifact spirit of the Li Huo Cauldron, had nearly lost its true spirit, forcing it into a prolonged slumber. Thus, it had no knowledge of the broader developments within the cultivation world during that era. It also had no information about the fate of the enemy sect.

Han Lingshuang continued, “According to our sect’s records, the end of the last Immortal Era was marked by utter chaos.

Numerous immortal sects waged fierce battles for the opportunity to board the Boundary-Breaking Boat.”

“Boundary-Breaking Boat?” Lu Qing picked up on the term.

“Yes.” Han Lingshuang nodded. “To escape the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, the Nascent Soul-level experts of the cultivation world convened and devised a plan.

Pooling the resources of the entire cultivation world, they forged a colossal spiritual artifact—a flying boat capable of breaching the boundaries of our world and traversing the stars.

The Boundary-Breaking Boat was successfully created with the combined efforts of these experts and countless sects.

But this achievement also gave rise to another dilemma—who would have the right to board it?

Although the boat was massive, its space was limited. It couldn’t carry all cultivators away from this world.

Thus, places on the boat became invaluable.

Driven by the hope of survival, the sects—implicitly encouraged by Nascent Soul-level experts—launched a series of wars. Only the victorious sects earned the right to board the boat.”

Han Lingshuang sighed. “The records of our sect describe these battles as catastrophic.

Nearly half of the immortal sects were wiped out in the conflicts.

Ultimately, the victorious sects boarded the Boundary-Breaking Boat and left this world.”

“And as for the Four Great Secret Realms, they were established by our ancestors. They believed that the vastness of the starry skies was fraught with unknown dangers and no guarantee of survival.

So, they selected a portion of the younger disciples and, using spiritual artifacts to anchor the secret realms, created sanctuaries for them.

Even if their journey into the stars ended in failure, these sanctuaries would preserve a fragment of their legacy.”

After hearing Han Lingshuang’s explanation, Lu Qing finally understood the events at the end of the last Immortal Era and the reason for the disappearance of so many immortal sects.

It turned out that they had left this world aboard a spiritual flying vessel.

This revelation resolved several doubts in his mind.

Even “Yan,” within the Li Huo Cauldron, had an epiphany.

No wonder the conflict between the Li Huo Sect and its adversaries had suddenly escalated.

Clearly, the Nascent Soul-level experts behind the scenes had orchestrated these events, aiming to eliminate certain sects and seize their resources for the construction of the boat.

As for why the Li Huo Sect was targeted, the answer was obvious: the sect was wealthy but lacked the protection of a Nascent Soul-level expert at the time.

“Xiaolangjun, ask her—did the Yin Tian Sect ultimately manage to board the Boundary-Breaking Boat?”

Yan suddenly interjected.