Lin Yun walked forward and placed a hand on the great doors of the entrance.
Heavy.
A feeling of history, sealed in dust, washed over him.
Channeling his Yuan Qi, Lin Yun slowly pushed the heavy doors open. An obscure, ancient sound echoed in his ears. The true face of the Cangtian Pavilion appeared before them.
It was still spotless, not a single speck of dust to be seen. The first floor was a massive library, containing countless records of the Qianlong Continent's history, as well as various cultivation techniques. However, it was worth noting that all of these texts were recorded in an ancient script.
"This is all in the ancient script! How am I supposed to read any of this?" Lin Yun demanded, annoyed.
Wang Chengan shrugged, the picture of innocence. "How was I supposed to know you couldn't read the ancient script?"
Lin Yun's teeth itched with frustration.
Qin Xiyan also asked angrily, "Since that's the case, what was the point in bringing us here? None of us know the ancient script!"
Wang Chengan replied with all seriousness, "It's very simple. I was merely fulfilling my own promise. You were the ones who wanted to see what was in here. Fine, now I have satisfied you. It's as simple as that." He looked completely earnest, as if he didn't find his own actions to be the least bit shameless.
Lin Yun, however, didn't say much more. "Hmph. I refuse to believe I can't just memorize it all. Give me a few hours." To Lin Yun, this place was a massive treasure trove. How could he possibly pass up such a good opportunity?
Wang Chengan wasn't worried at all, as if he knew for a fact that no one from Lin Yun's era could possibly have any contact with the ancient script.
"I have no desire to stay in this ghostly place. I'll wait for you outside. Once you're done, hurry up and come out."
After leaving them behind, Wang Chengan departed. It was clear the man had some other conspiracy in mind, but he hadn't said what. Lin Yun, however, didn't care. Compared to dealing with one Wang Chengan, the countless volumes of knowledge here were far more important.
"Senior Brother, what should we do now?" Qin Xiyan asked anxiously. From a normal perspective, their situation was not optimistic. But she couldn't think of a solution, and she didn't dare to act rashly against a cunning old fox like Wang Chengan. She had hoped to hear some good advice from Lin Yun.
To her surprise, Lin Yun just waved his hand. "There won't be any problems for the time being. Besides, that Wang Chengan is no threat to your life or mine."
The reason Lin Yun dared to say this was, of course, his unwavering faith in his Life Panel. More importantly, while Wang Chengan had indeed posed a threat to Qin Xiyan's safety before, Lin Yun had already reversed that situation with just a few words. Therefore, he wasn't worried about what Wang Chengan could possibly do.
But Lin Yun's greatest reliance now was Ezu, residing within his own body. Although the creature seemed unwilling to tell him anything, sometimes, just a hint was enough.
Emotions are contagious. Qin Xiyan had been worried sick, and who could remain calm when facing such a dangerous opponent? But seeing Lin Yun still able to smile so calmly, as if the clouds were light and the wind was gentle, her own heart gradually relaxed. Perhaps for others, this was not an easy problem to solve. But for the man before her now, perhaps his abilities were enough to change everything.
And so, the two of them began to explore.
Lin Yun was actually very knowledgeable about the ancient script, so he was able to find and read some of the documents. The current Qianlong Continent used the Zhoutian Calendar. But the records in these books used a ten-thousand-year calendar, and even described the most ancient times of the continent.
In this land, in the very beginning, it was the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans who ruled over everything. They were immensely powerful; their young, from the moment of their birth, possessed formidable strength. They could even communicate with heaven and earth, mastering the natural laws of the world. In that era, humanity did not yet exist.
But later, conflicts arose among the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans. Factions and cliques formed, and they launched wars against each other. The impact of this conflict on the entire world was immense, nearly tearing the world asunder. It was during this war, as a means to gain an edge against each other, that humanity came into being.
Although the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans possessed great power, they could only grow stronger through the slow passage of time. For a truly powerful expert to be born among them might require waiting for an eternity. The wars forced them to make changes.
First, they created cultivation methods. But alas, the Ancient Clans themselves were not qualified to practice them. So, in order to allow these cultivation methods to bear fruit, they created the first generation of humans.
In those early days, humans lived a life worse than that of pigs and dogs. In the eyes of the Ten Thousand Clans, they were nothing more than tools. That era was truly miserable for humanity.
But humans possessed an extremely powerful reproductive ability. Taking advantage of the great war between the clans, their population continued to climb. A portion of them seized the opportunity to establish their own nations.
At this time, the Ten Thousand Clans were still locked in their endless war. Although they noticed that humanity had established its own kingdoms, they paid it no mind. Their arrogance made them see these "tools" as completely inconsequential.
And so, several thousand years passed. The human kingdoms grew larger and larger. For humanity, this was a long period of time. But for the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans, it was but a drop in the ocean.
Among the humans, using the cultivation methods passed down from the Ancient Clans, a number of powerful cultivators had been born. There was a difference between heaven and earth in how humans and the Ancient Clans cultivated. Humans progressed much faster; a powerful expert could be born in just a few dozen years. The strength of these experts was enough to challenge a thousand-year-old member of the remnant ancient clans. And those older, more established human cultivators, in just under a century, could challenge a ten-thousand-year-old one.
Gradually, the power of humanity began to grow stronger. Meanwhile, the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans, through their constant internal strife, infinitely weakened themselves. By the time they finally noticed the strength of the human race, it was already too late.
Here, Lin Yun saw the records of the final great war. Although it was the last war, it spanned an incredibly long period of time, so long that even this record did not state the final result.
But he could roughly guess the outcome. Given the state of humanity at the time, it was likely impossible for them to have lost.