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“Master?” Hearing this term, Li Fan felt a bit bewildered.
In the current cultivation world, cultivating oneself is not an easy task. Who would still bother with passing on teachings and solving doubts?
Ever since he embarked on the path of cultivation, over these years, he had never seen a genuine master-disciple relationship.
Curious, Li Fan looked towards the direction of the voice.
He saw an old man and a child standing at the edge of the gigantic Dust Crossing Boat, both dressed similarly and emitting similar auras as cultivators.
Both of them wore green robes. The old man had white hair but a youthful face, his complexion rosy. The child, on the other hand, looked weathered, with a demeanor as if he had seen through the world.
What astonished Li Fan was that the tender voice he just heard actually came from the mouth of the white-haired old man.
He looked puzzled, gazing down at the child beside him who asked.
“Everything starts from nothing and returns to nothing.”
“The Five Elements return to One, merely reverting to their original state.”
The child in green robes replied with a smile.
After pondering for a moment, the old man suddenly realized the answer and said excitedly, “I understand now, Master. You mean, before long, this place will return to a state of chaos and emptiness, just like what we saw before. Am I right?”
The child chuckled, looking at the old man with kindness. “You’re correct. If left to evolve freely without external intervention, that’s indeed what will happen.”
“But if one day, outsiders intrude and take away some of the materials inside this paradise, then it’s hard to say.” The child looked at the Five Elements Subworld below with a hint of lament.
Upon hearing this, Li Fan was slightly taken aback, squinting his eyes to carefully examine the master-disciple pair before him.
It was as if the old man and the child completely ignored Li Fan’s presence.
The old man furrowed his brows, seemingly pondering his master’s words.
After a moment, he suddenly enlightened, “This paradise, where the Five Elements circulate and blend seamlessly, flawless and perfect. It can either divide into five or merge back into one. But if outsiders take a portion from each element, it will cause imbalance. And then…”
“And then…”
At this point, the old man seemed to be stuck, unable to continue.
The child in green robes smiled faintly and continued, “Actually, if it’s just small-scale and long-term extraction, the Five Elements Subworld relies on its own attribute circulation and self-regulation, which wouldn’t lead to imbalance in the Five Elements.”
“But if there’s a short-term, large-scale plundering of resources from certain elemental paradises…”
“The adjustment mechanism of the paradises couldn’t keep up with the output, causing a complete imbalance in the Five Elements within this paradise.”
“Master, what will happen after a complete imbalance?” The old man in green robes asked curiously.
The child in green robes now restrained his smile, saying, “Do you still remember the Five Elements Sect that I mentioned to you before?”
The old man nodded, “Disciple remembers. The Five Elements Sect is a subsidiary sect of the Great Dao Sect. A few years ago, when their sect leader came to our Dust Crossing Sect to pay respects, I saw them!”
At this moment, Li Fan, who was listening to the conversation between master and disciple, was greatly shocked.
He finally confirmed that the two in front of him were not real beings on this Dust Crossing Boat at all.
They were like mirages, akin to illusions in the desert!
The conversation between master and disciple seemed to be happening in the ancient cultivation world before the Great Calamity, when the sects still existed.
Li Fan scanned around and noticed that while there was bustling activity on the Dust Crossing Boat, for some reason, besides himself, no one else could see this illusionary scene.
Without making a sound, Li Fan continued to observe the conversation between the ancient Dust Crossing Sect master and disciple.
The child in green robes continued, “The Five Elements Sect was actually quite powerful back then. Apart from our Ten Immortal Sects, they were one of the top cultivation sects in the Xuanhuang Realm. Within the sect, there’s a secret realm called the ‘Five Elements Heaven.’ It’s almost like a world of its own, incredibly abundant in resources.”
“Compared to the large Five Elements Subworld here, it’s far superior.”
“Relying on this secret realm, if the Five Elements Sect had slowly developed and passed thousands of years, they might have become one of the top sects in the world.”
“Unfortunately, the former sect leader of the Five Elements Sect, Lan Xiangfeng, had narrow-minded vision…”
At this point, the child in green robes snorted coldly, a hint of frustration flashing in his eyes.
The old man in green robes widened his eyes, not daring to speak, waiting quietly for the continuation.
After a moment, the child in green robes spoke again, “At that time, it was said that the Heaven Sword Sect needed a vast amount of Taiyuan Essence Gold to forge the legendary ‘Boundary-breaking Divine Weapon.’”
“This Taiyuan Essence Gold is extremely rare, usually randomly found within metal ore veins, not something you can easily come by. The Heaven Sword Sect has already searched almost every possible source on the market, but they’re still far from what they need.”
“It’s said that within the Five Elements Heaven secret realm of the Five Elements Sect, there might be a large stockpile. So, the sect leader of the Heaven Sword Sect personally went to plead.”
“That notorious old man was so arrogant, yet he actually bowed to the Five Elements Sect. Lan Xiangfeng, the former sect leader, was suddenly overjoyed, feeling like he couldn’t find his way.”
“Moreover, the Heaven Sword Sect offered a ridiculously high price, persuading all the elders of the Five Elements Sect.”
“So, the Five Elements Sect began to dig extensively for Taiyuan Essence Gold within the secret realm. Just this action alone wouldn’t have led to the tragedy that followed.”
“But unfortunately, they were tempted by someone’s persuasion, saying that since various metal ores were unearthed during the excavation, they shouldn’t go to waste and should be sold. Other sects also heard about the abundance of metal ores in the Five Elements Sect and came to purchase them.”
“Blinded by greed, the Five Elements Sect’s excavation of metal veins became increasingly frenzied.”
“Finding themselves short-handed, they even hired wandering cultivators.”
“Finally, one day, the massive loss of metal elements led to an imbalance in the Five Elements Heaven.”
“Irreversibly, it evolved into a state of annihilation, heading inevitably towards the unity of the Five Elements.”
“And then, when the missing metal elements couldn’t satisfy the unity of the Five Elements, the remaining wood, water, fire, and earth elements began to collide chaotically, endlessly…”
“The ultimate result was a massive explosion that completely destroyed the Five Elements Heaven.”
“The entire Five Elements Sect suffered losses that can’t be described as anything but devastating. Their core strength was almost wiped out, and they never recovered from that blow.”
As the conversation ended, the child in green robes sighed incessantly.
Listening in, Li Fan suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
Wasn’t the plight of the ancient Five Elements Heaven just like what’s happening in the present Five Elements Subworld?
In that case, after the unity of the Five Elements, wouldn’t there be a catastrophic explosion here too?
Cursing inwardly, Li Fan looked back at the ancient Dust Crossing Sect master and disciple, only to find their figures becoming more and more blurry.
The words uttered from their open mouths became indistinct.