The thought that formed in Chen Yan's mind sent a chill down his spine.
Because it was entirely possible.
Just like when he had glimpsed Li Haowen's words to him before Heavenly Summit Mountain's destruction, through the illusions of the Heavenly Summit Mirror.
Because he had used the Heavenly Summit Mirror to influence the past, to affect the threads of cause and effect.
That was why "that existence" Li Haowen had spoken of had observed the changes in causality, and in that era, had acted to annihilate Heavenly Summit Mountain.
Effect was cause, and cause was effect.
What exactly was that existence?
Chen Yan still didn't know, but he could be certain that if he wanted to change Chenping Continent's fate of destruction eight thousand years later, then "that existence" Li Haowen had mentioned was a link he couldn't avoid facing.
But his current cultivation level was only the Unity Realm…
So Chen Yan turned his gaze back to Mr. You.
"Sir, do you know the truth behind Heavenly Summit Mountain's destruction, over fifty thousand years ago?"
Chen Yan asked.
Hearing this question, Mr. You raised his eyes slightly, then shook his head:
"Probably, I only know a tiny fraction of it."
Although Mr. You's tone was as relaxed as ever, Chen Yan still picked up on something.
In the eyes of this Immortal Venerable, who had dominated Chenping Continent for tens of thousands of years, a flicker of gravity had appeared.
This was the first time Chen Yan had seen a serious expression on Mr. You's face.
Whether it was the Mr. You of now, the Mr. You of eight thousand years later, or the Mr. You in Fusheng City.
All of them, for the first time.
"I believe that the fate of Chenping Continent eight thousand years from now might also be connected to that existence that destroyed Heavenly Summit Mountain."
Chen Yan said.
"You mean, eight thousand years later, that existence acted again?"
Mr. You asked.
"Not a direct intervention, but… of course, it's just my speculation."
As he spoke, Chen Yan shook his head:
"The destruction of Heavenly Summit Mountain is connected to me bearing Chenping Continent's karmic burden for over sixty thousand years."
"I can roughly guess that, since the timing matches up."
Mr. You nodded.
"What exactly is that existence…"
Chen Yan began to ask, but hesitated.
"I don't know the specifics either."
Mr. You replied:
"What I do know is that that existence doesn't belong to Chenping Continent… and another thing, if that existence is within the scope of my understanding, then its cultivation level should be even above mine."
Above Immortal Venerable!
If that was the case—
" Heaven's Dao…"
Chen Yan thought for a few breaths, and had just uttered those two words when Mr. You immediately interrupted him:
"Perhaps, it has already transcended beyond Heaven's Dao, at the very least, beyond Chenping Continent's Heaven's Dao."
Although the words were brief, the information Mr. You conveyed was overwhelming.
"Sir, have you ever traveled beyond Chenping Continent?"
Chen Yan asked.
"Never. But before I stepped into the realm above Ascending to Immortality, I once tried. Yet no matter what, I couldn't cross the Endless Sea."
Mr. You replied:
"But isn't that strange? If Chenping Continent is the entire world, why is it called Chenping Continent—a name that clearly implies a regional attribute?"
That was true. Chen Yan had once had the same question, especially in his first life, when he had just joined the Kongshan Sect.
Back when Chen Yan was still at the early Body Forging Realm, a transmigrator with grand ambitions to reach the peak of immortality, he had once asked an outer court instructor of the Kongshan Sect what lay beyond Chenping Continent.
The answer he got was nothing.
Chenping Continent was the entire world.
That answer had baffled Chen Yan. He even thought the instructor was messing with him.
"So I began to try to explore the origins, to find out when this world first started being called Chenping Continent."
Mr. You said slowly:
"That's why I came to the Mirage Palace, the oldest cultivation sect on Chenping Continent, and tried to find something in their collected texts and scriptures."
At that time, Mr. You was already Fusheng Realman, and the Mirage Palace, still overshadowed by Heavenly Summit Mountain, had almost no comparable foundation to its later self as one of the Five Great Sects.
The Mirage Palace certainly didn't want to offend an Ascending to Immortality great power, so for Mr. You to browse their collection was no great difficulty, as long as he didn't touch their secret techniques.
"And then?"
Chen Yan asked.
"Still nothing."
Mr. You shook his head:
"Even tracing back to the Mirage Palace's oldest texts, I couldn't find any clue… as if from the very beginning of heaven and earth, this world had already been named Chenping Continent."
This clearly defied common sense.
Chen Yan lowered his gaze slightly.
"So, the true past of Chenping Continent might have been completely erased by some existence."
Mr. You said:
"Possibly the same existence that destroyed Heavenly Summit Mountain."
When the seven-colored flowing gold goddess statue appeared, the ten-thousand-zhang crack in the sky was exactly the same as the cracks that appeared when an Ascending to Immortality cultivator went all out, shattering the world's natural laws.
That meant it was highly possible that this existence had transcended Chenping Continent's Heaven's Dao.
"An existence above Immortal Venerable…"
Chen Yan murmured.
"Immortal Venerable?"
Hearing this, Mr. You smiled and shook his head:
"That's just a title the world bestowed on me. I believe there is still a more complete cultivation system beyond Ascending to Immortality."
"Please, go on, sir."
Chen Yan said.
He was extremely interested in this topic raised by Fusheng Immortal Venerable, who had dominated Chenping Continent for tens of thousands of years.
"As everyone knows, since Tian Su Realman, Chenping Continent has produced only thirty Ascending to Immortality cultivators."
Mr. You said:
"Among them, I am the only one who truly stepped into the realm above Ascending to Immortality… Over sixty thousand years ago, in the era before Heavenly Summit Mountain's destruction, I had already reached the peak of the Above Immortality realm I was in at the time, and it seemed I began to touch the next realm beyond it…"
He paused briefly:
"Just as I tried to take the next step forward, an anomaly occurred."
Chen Yan didn't speak, just stared into Mr. You's eyes, waiting for his next words—
"I was watched by that existence beyond the world."