The Path to Another World

"Wait, Grandpa, what you're saying is still a bit of a brain fart! I can't quite accept it right now." After more than a decade of scientific education, Ye Fan was clearly not quick to accept Grandpa Ye's words, as they were completely different from what he had learned. "Do immortals and gods really exist in our world?"

"What immortals and gods? They're just mortals with advanced cultivation. Cultivation is divided into several levels. You're currently only at the lowest level, Qi Refining. Reaching a certain realm is what's called the Immortal Realm. The ecological balance on Earth is currently disrupted, and spiritual energy is dwindling daily, making cultivation increasingly difficult. It might even become extinct in the future. In ancient times, Earth was abundant in spiritual energy, with various rare and precious materials flourishing. Numerous spiritual mountains and secret realms existed. That was the golden age for cultivators, with countless masters from various races. Many reached the pinnacle of power, proclaiming themselves gods. They then led their respective subordinates in a fierce war to seize these limited resources. Another theory is that to unify the path of cultivation, cultivators from the East and West waged a brutal holy war, with almost all..." The gods of both sides were annihilated, both sides were severely injured, and it was best for them to draw a clear line and not interfere with each other. It's unclear whether the battle was too intense, causing an imbalance of spiritual energy, or whether Heaven intended to restrict humanity's path of cultivation. The spiritual energy gradually dwindled, and each advancement required enduring divine punishment, making the path of cultivation increasingly difficult. Although the flourishing of diverse schools of thought is no longer present, each sect still has its own lineage, though they all live in seclusion. As for Western magic, it's the same. Although their gods have also disappeared, they still have their own traditions passed down. For example, the Trui represent the goddess of nature, the Catholic Church represents the god of light, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, etc. They are all inheritors of the gods of the past, just like us, only they haven't reached the same level.” Old Ye patiently explained all this.

Hearing Elder Ye's words, Ye Fan was completely stunned. This was entirely different from what he had learned, but the Dao power flowing within his body told him that everything Elder Ye said was true. So gods really did exist, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry really did exist. Suddenly, this world felt incredibly alien, because he knew absolutely nothing about any of this.

"Could activating this pendant teleport me to the spatial dimension where the gods fled in the past?" Ye Fan stared blankly at the pendant in his hand, which had such an incredible origin. It was engraved with such a heaven-defying array. No wonder he felt like he was traversing one space after another when he used his spiritual power to test it, and even almost got lost.

"That's probably very difficult. To activate it, you'd need someone with similar magical power to its former user. But this item is clearly a Western magical artifact. Finding someone with the power of a former god is probably impossible. Even if the Pope of Rome and all the billions of believers worked together, they couldn't activate it!" Old Ye's words completely brought Ye Fan back to reality: "Although it doesn't have such heaven-defying functions now, I can sense that that small jade stone isn't so simple. It must have a greater purpose. Just the ability to restore and increase spiritual power is enough to make it a sacred item. But you must hide it well. This could very well be a sacred object of some Western power. If they find out it's in your hands, unless you escape Earth, you'll never have a peaceful day. You must know that the most terrifying thing in this world is religious faith. Those are brainwashed religious fanatics who will give everything for the church, even their lives."

"I would do that even without you telling me! Oh, by the way, I'm about to go on a long trip with Tian Jun. Could you tell my fortune and tell me if it's auspicious or inauspicious?" Ye Fan certainly wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by. He recounted Tian Jun's description of the ancient tomb to Old Master Ye, leaving out no detail, especially the important point about the sound of someone sighing. If they couldn't determine whether it was a vengeful spirit or a demon that had cultivated for thousands of years, they might not be able to return.

Hearing Ye Fan's explanation, Elder Ye frowned slightly. He took out a pair of thousand-year-old tortoise shells from his sleeve and began to divine. After four or five divinations, the results were still exactly the same. Seeing the results, Elder Ye frowned even more. "What does the divination say, Grandpa?" Ye Fan asked urgently.

"You are heading north. The divination indicates both great misfortune and great fortune. Although the journey may be somewhat bumpy, the final outcome will be very auspicious. It seems you are about to embark on a great journey, which may be a great opportunity for you," Elder Ye explained the divination. As the spiritual energy dwindled, Ye Fan, who was originally exceptionally talented, had been stuck at the Qi Refining stage for three whole years. Elder Ye had always been worried that Ye Fan might be buried in obscurity and not even reach his own level. He was determined not to let this rare opportunity slip by.

"Grandpa, may I borrow your outfit?" Ye Fan asked cautiously. Grandpa Ye usually cared a lot about his Taoist robe and peach wood sword. He would purify himself and fast for three days before each use to show his piety. Although he always loved Ye Fan very much, he never let him touch it, let alone use it.

"No problem, you can take them later. Remember, these are all treasures passed down from our ancestors. The Taoist robe has been refined by the Samadhi True Fire, so no evil spirits can get close to it. The peach wood sword is carved from a thousand-year-old peach tree and has hundreds of array patterns on it. Once it's broken, it can't be made again. In addition, I've prepared black dog blood, black donkey hooves, glutinous rice, and other essential items for you. There's also a protective magic treasure that our ancestor obtained by chance. It's incredibly powerful and will save your life in the most critical situation. Remember, your life is the most important thing. Losing things doesn't matter; the important thing is to live." Old Master Ye had already anticipated what Ye Fan was going to do and had prepared everything for him.

"A protective magic treasure? Our family has such a treasure? What is it?" Ye Fan was very curious about such a treasure, as he had never seen one before.

"Here, take good care of this, don't lose it." Old Ye took out a bronze Bagua (Eight Trigrams) engraved with Yin and Yang fish from his sleeve and handed it to Ye Fan. It was antique and full of the smell of time. Ye Fan turned it over and over and examined it several times but did not find any secrets. It seemed to be just an ordinary bronze Bagua.

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