Chapter 161: Chapter 82: Can You Still Kowtow to Me?_2

Mo Li’s expression stiffened slightly as he nodded.

True Being He laughed aloud and said:

“In fact, everything you observed during your two visits to Rongcheng s Fine

Jade Grotto Heavens was real.

The horror of the Spirit Energy depletion period far exceeds your imagination. The sustenance of grotto heavens involves more than just simple spirit energy concentration. Rongcheng1 s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens had to strip away all external factors and maintain only the most basic activities to survive the Spirit Energy depletion period.

However, many grotto heavens sacred grounds can’t even manage this.” “Over countless ages, innumerable grotto heavens sacred grounds have completely collapsed due to Spirit Energy depletion. The fact that Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens, one of the thirty-six little grotto heavens, has managed to stay intact is indeed a fortunate fluke.

All we are doing is merely surviving.”

Mo Li, looking perplexed, said, “If even grotto heavens need to rely on Spirit Energy to sustain themselves, are there no areas that are completely independent of the Primal Chaos Realm and unaffected by Spirit Energy depletion?”

At these words, True Being He seemed taken aback, then showed a helpless

smile:

“If such a place existed, it would be sufficient to form a Tiny Diverse World of its own, having independent and complete laws of nature, capable of witnessing day and night, and the changing constellations.

However, even the legendary 10 Great Grotto Heavens can’t reach this level.”

“I’m afraid only the Earth Immortals who, according to legends, formed grotto heavens sacred grounds and pushed the evolution of grotto heavens to the extreme to create their own world could potentially achieve this.

But… it’s just a possibility.

Under the grand trend of the Spirit Energy depletion period, ultimately no one can escape unscathed.”

Mo Li’s heart trembled slightly. He heard a profound solitude from True Being He’s words.

After the Great Schism, all cultivators’ hopes of ascending to the Immortal Realm for everlasting life were shattered. Even though True Being He was a genius in the previous Spirit Energy Tidal Surge era, he was ultimately trapped here, struggling for survival.

In that instant, Mo Li felt a sudden surge of empathy.

At this point, True Being He suddenly turned his head to look at Mo Li, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

” Perhaps you still have a chance.”

After uttering this seemingly inexplicable sentence, True Being He waved at Mo

Li, showing a diminished interest, and said:

“Go on, the laws of nature in the outside world are still not complete, and it s not advisable to keep the grotto heaven passage open for long. You should rush to deal with whatever matters you have.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Li quickly activated the Art of Levitation and flew towards the mountaintop.

He passed over many empty pavilions and towers on the mountaintop. Except for a few important places guarded by awakened True Beings, the rest were all desolate.

There were hardly any cultivators below the rank of Spirit Refining True Being in the entire grotto heavens.

That’s because even if those below the rank of Spirit Refining True Being were self-sealing, they would find it difficult to survive the 3,000-year-long Spirit Energy depletion period.

Only with the combined effort and abundant resources from the entire sect could some extraordinary geniuses survive the self-sealing and arrive in the future.

An image flashed through his mind subconsciously. Mo Li quickly suppressed his thoughts and reached the Forefathers Palace located on top of the mountain.

The gigantic palace was entirely carved out of a single piece of Lingyu jade. The palace’s luxurious aura was so intense it nearly left Mo Li breathless.

This was the most important place in Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens, and also the resting place for the ancestors of Mount Laojun.

The sleeping ancestors within traced back to those from ten thousand years ago, representing the most profound heritage of Mount Laojun.

Upon stepping into the Forefathers Palace, Mo Li saw only five enormous coffins.

Some coffins were made from the spinal stone of Mother Earth and buried deeply underground. Others were made of pure gold, emanating a glow like the sun. There were even coffins decorated with stars, suspended high above the Forefathers Palace.

The coffin Mo Li was looking for this time was right in the center of the Forefathers Palace, under the enormous Taiyin Jade Pillar that supported the whole palace.

Upon arriving before the Taiyin Jade Pillar, Mo Li remembered the spell imparted by his senior in his sect. He pricked his finger and started writing Daoist symbols on the Taiyin Jade Pillar.

Symbol by symbol, each seeming to contain the Heaven and Earth Dao, was written on the Taiyin Jade Pillar. The blood gradually seeped into the ground along the veins of the Taiyin Jade Pillar. Finally, the ice coffin which had been sealed for thousands of years showed signs of activity.

“What time is it now?”

A decrepit and old voice sounded slowly, spreading a thick aura of death throughout the Forefathers Palace.

Hastily, Mo Li kneeled and bowed, respectfully saying: “Ancestor Gong, it is now 3,000 years into the Great Xia Dynasty.” “Great Xia?” The aged, decayed voice held a hint of doubt.

A sudden jolt of alertness hit Mo Li, prompting him to quickly explain:

“That is the name of a dynasty here. According to the calendar of the Great Schism, it has been over nine thousand nine hundred years since the Schism.”

The old voice fell silent for a good while before heaving a long sigh:

“Has it already been nearly ten thousand years since the Sect Master disappeared?”

Hearing this, Mo Li immediately thought of the legends within his sect concerning this Ancestor Gong.

It’s said that Ancestor Gong did not originate from Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens, but from a far larger sect overflowing with geniuses-of which Ancestor Gong was but a minor character.

Ancestor Gong was expelled from his original sect for breaking its rules, but found refuge in Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens. His outstanding natural talent allowed him to easily become one of the oldest ancestors in Rongcheng s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens.

However, Ancestor Gong had never forgotten his original sect, even going so far as to call it his “Sect Master” in front of the other ancestors in Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens. No one had the audacity to intervene due to his formidable power.

“After all these millennia, Ancestor Gong still has not forgotten his Sect Master. Just how powerful was this sect?”

Mo Li was secretly taken aback.

“Alright, what is it this time that you’ve woken me for?

Each time I wake up, it consumes thirty years of my livespan. If you fail to provide a valid reason, don’t expect me to let it slide under our sect’s rules.” The aged voice sounded slightly dissatisfied as it addressed Mo Li.

In a hurry, Mo Li pulled out the Storage Ring he got from Yunfu Street and respectfully presented it, saying:

“Ancestor Gong had previously ordered us to search the Primal Chaos Realm for special Storage Rings. This one was found by my disciples at Mount Laojun on Yunfu Street a few days ago, and I have brought it here to offer to Ancestor Gong.”

“All this fuss for such a trivial matter?”

Mo Li felt a dominating and decayed Divine Sense emerge from the ice coffin, sweeping over the Storage Ring in his hand.

“If you dare wake me up again next time for such small matters… How is this possible!”

A voice filled with shock came from the ice coffin. Then Mo Li saw that the Taiyin Jade Pillar, supporting the Forefathers Palace, exploded with a bang. The massive ice coffin below was forcibly opened by a skinny withered hand.

A frail old man in a white cloud-patterned Taoist robe rose from the coffin. Seeing the old man, Mo Li could feel an overwhelming pressure that almost crushed his Spirit Soul.

Up in the sky of Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens, the white canvas began thundering, and the vast Formation that enveloped the Grotto Heavens intertwined, forming an invisible divine mountain that tried to force the thin old man in the cloud-patterned Taoist robes back into the ice coffin.

“Begone!”

A voice full of rage boomed in the Forefathers Palace. The man in the cloud- patterned Taoist robe swept his sleeve wide, and countless purple mists rose between the heavens and the earth, shielding all the Formations in the sky.

Shouts began to sound from all around the Grotto Heavens.

“Ancestor Gong, please calm down!”

“If you awaken prematurely, a great catastrophe may soon follow. We beg you to return to your coffin!”

Nevertheless, Ancestor Gong remained unmoved and snatched the Storage Ring from Mo Li’s hand. His eyes, while looking at the Storage Ring, were filled with an indescribable obsession.

“It’s indeed the Pot’s Heaven Technique!”

“It has to be the Sect Master’s descendent… The Sect Master still exists in this world!”

An ecstatic expression emerged on Ancestor Gong’s face. With a wave of his hand, a series of complex ritual altars and several blank plaques suddenly appeared in the Forefathers Palace.

“The Sect Master vanished for ten thousand years, and the Sect Master and my senior sect brothers didn’t even leave behind their names. It’s as though they have thoroughly withdrawn from this world.

Now that the Pot’s Heaven Technique of the Sect Master still exists in the world, our connection with the Sect Master should also reopen. With this, I pray to the ancestors of the sect throughout the generations for a response!

Ecstatic, Ancestor Gong didn’t care that the Forefathers Palace was the ancestral land of Rongcheng’s Fine Jade Grotto Heavens.

Standing on the ritual altar, Ancestor Gong lit nine spirit incense sticks, and kneeling down, he bowed and said:

“The outcast disciple of the Sect, Gong Buhuo, pays his respects to the ancestors!”

Meanwhile, in the Courtyard Secret Realm, a low buzz, like that of a mosquito, came to Shen Yuan’s ears as he was preparing cat food for Bai Xue.

“What?”