"You should ask if there are any Saints who have survived from the last ancient era to this one," Duge said with a smile, looking at him.
Qing Shan was jolted, "Are there any?"
"Big brother, these matters are too far in the past, and besides, life spans in this era are very long. It’s pointless to inquire about such things," Duge shook his head. "Help me. After all, I have obtained the Human Emperor Inheritance and have sworn to serve me. The benefits you’ll get by doing so are surely better than following Master."
"Although I’ve used Master, he is still my benefactor. Once I find Master and explain things clearly to him, I believe he will understand me."
After exchanging glances, Qing Shan and the other were silent, digesting the shocking information revealed by their junior brother.
Duge waited quietly for them.
After a while,
Qinghe asked, "Junior brother, is there a way to survive the Twilight of the Gods?"
"Currently there is no way to survive it, only to delay it," Duge said with a smile, nodding his head.
"Delay?" Qinghe pressed.
"The struggle for the Dao Lineage, the calamity of dragons and phoenixes, the conflict between witch monsters, the chaos of the Blood Clan, the destruction of the Human Race, the strife between immortals and monsters..." Duge looked at them and listed one cataclysm after another from the history of cultivation.
Qinghe was stunned for a moment and asked, "Junior brother, what do these calamities have to do with the Twilight of the Gods?"
"The Twilight of the Gods occurs precisely because Saints have depleted the spiritual energy and destiny of the world. That’s why the world has no choice but to retaliate," Duge explained. "If that’s the case, then replenishing the world with the lost spiritual energy and destiny to pacify it will naturally lead to a temporary cessation of its retaliation."
"So you’re saying that these calamities were deliberately started by Saints?" Qinghe widened his eyes, his voice rising an octave.
"Exactly," Duge nodded. "Behind every calamity, there’s the shadow of a Saint. Only through bloodshed, can the world’s spiritual energy be replenished and the Twilight of the Gods be delayed."
"..." Qinghe and the other fell into silence again, their pupils violently shaking.
"So, all those vanished races died because of Saints?" Qing Shan asked, trembling.
"Without the death of Saints, great thieves will never cease," sighed Duge. "That’s correct, the harsh truth of this world is that the powerful dragon and phoenix races, the vanished witches, the annihilated Blood Clan, the destruction of the Human Race Dao Lineage - all have been sacrifices for the Saints to prolong their lives.
"But the cultivation levels of Saints are so high that even doing nothing, spiritual energy from the world will flow into them. Over time, this would lead to another Twilight of the Gods, hence a new cycle of calamities begins."
Qing Shan and Qinghe exchanged a look, taking a deep, involuntary breath. The brutal truth behind cultivation left them struggling for air.
"Big brother, the fate of every person is interconnected. I was not sent to Suspended Mountain by Xu Jinghui without reason, to take South Peak Emperor as my master,"
Duge looked at them with a complex expression, letting out a light sigh, "The Human Emperor is different from Saints; he is born reliant on the destiny of the Human Race, yet he reciprocates with Literary and Martial Hearts. Therefore, the Way of the Human Emperor is the Righteous Path. Each appearance of the Human Emperor will naturally attract capable ministers to gather by his side, assisting him in his endeavours.
"Next to Shennong was the fire god Zhu Rong, the Martial Saint Kua Fu, and the Literature Saint Red Pine..."
"Next to Xuanyuan were the War God Yin Long, Limu, Chang Xian, and learned ministers like Fenghou, Kong Sheng, and the Literature Saint;
"Human Race rulers and ministers are drawn to each other. I am a true spirit of the Xuanyuan Clan reincarnated, and I knew Master and other senior brothers before reincarnation. I suspect that it has been predestined that my senior brothers’ past lives were the sages of my Human Race.
"Someday, when all of my memory-related Divine Skills are fully awakened, I might be able to help my senior brothers restore the glory of their former lives..."