Chapter 28 Hidden Inheritances
"Limitless?", Xuanyuan whispered.
It was as Elder Luo said, there wasn't a single Gu Master or Gu Immortal who hadn't heard the name of Limitless. There was only a single Venerable whose name consisted of a single word, the first Demonic Venerable, and if the legends were true, the only Venerable who could equal Star Constellation in terms of cunning and intelligence.
He was the founder of the Rule Path, and according to Lang Ya Land Spirit, possessed Gu Immortal Dao Marks as a Gu Master. He was in possession of Care Immortal Gu, which allowed him to resolve the agreements made of any Path.
He sought to use Derivation Gu to create a method to obtain eternal life. He used Care Immortal Gu to search for the Care Secluded Domain Of Heaven And Earth.
Eventually, Limitless sought to bring himself back to life, using the million year foundation he had hidden within the depths of Crazed Demon Cave. He had almost succeeded too, withstanding raw chaos with nothing but his physical body.
He had reached a realm beyond anything that Star Constellation, Giant Sun, or Fang Yuan had ever seen. The sheer number of Dao Marks Limitless Demonic Venerable had in his possession exceeded even Fang Yuan with the Sovereign Immortal Aperture.
Limitless, was one of the most mysterious Venerables throughout history. While given the title of Demonic Venerable, he was similar to Xuanyuan, in that he sought Truth and the answer to eternal life like Fang Yuan.
Limitless Demonic Venerable was also one of the few Gu Immortals who had comprehended Heaven Path. Xuanyuan wasn't sure what his exact attainment in the Path was, but it had to have been extraordinarily high given that Derivation Gu was exploring possibilities about it for more than a million years.
Xuanyuan stared at Elder Luo and Elder Hu, both of whom showed serious expressions. The latter nodded, but unconsciously glanced around the room, making sure that no-one else was around them.
"While it is common knowledge throughout the Gu Immortals of the Ten Great Sects that each carry the inheritances of past powerhouses, only a few possess inheritances from past Venerables. Our Ancient Soul Sect possesses the inheritance of Limitless Demonic Venerable, while the Spirit Affinity House the inheritance of Thieving Heaven. And Combat Immortal Sect holds an inheritance of Reckless Savage. Heavenly Lotus Sect was founded by Genesis Lotus, so it is obvious that he left something behind for them".
"The other six of the Ten Great Sects do not have a Venerable inheritance. Primordial Qi and Star Constellation left behind their own means but all of them are in the hands of the Heavenly Court. Giant Sun in the hands of his own Longevity Heaven, while Spectral Soul left remnants of his legacy across the Five Regions".
"Reckless Savage, Thieving Heaven, Limitless, Paradise Earth and Red Lotus left behind minor inheritances all over the five regions. Even if they are mostly Demonic Venerables, they still carry the title of Venerable, and are worthy of respect. Their inheritances, no matter how big or how small, are treated with the utmost caution, and are only opened to those worthy enough to inherit them".
Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.
"... No-one has claimed the inheritance of Limitless Demonic Venerable within the Ancient Soul Sect? Not even partially?".
Elder Luo shook his head.
"Gu Immortals are not permitted within the inheritance. All those that have tried have died, their minds and bodies corroded by whatever power lie inside. And, of the Gu Masters that have tried, only a handful have returned, boasting mortal Rule Path Gu, or an increased attainment in the Rule Path. No-one has claimed the complete inheritance".
The otherworldly demon nodded slightly, still slightly in awe of the sudden reveal.
'The Ancient Soul Sect and the Combat Immortal Sect both carry inheritances of past Venerables. I already knew that Spirit Affinity House and the Heavenly Lotus Sect had the inheritances of Thieving Heaven and Genesis Lotus, but still, no wonder the foundations of the Ten Great Sects are so immense, even without their relationship with Heavenly Court, I neglected to think about possible inheritances the Sect might have obtained'.
'Not to mention, one that has yet to be fully obtained'.
If those former Abyssal Children who entered Limitless' inheritance failed to obtain the core of the inheritance, but still obtained Rule Path Gu and an increase to the attainment, then what would completing the inheritance give someone?
If Xuanyuan had to sit through boring meetings and trade agreements if he had the chance to obtain Limitless' inheritance, he wouldn't even hesitate, agreeing to anything the other party said.
Despite all this however, Xuanyuan frowned for a moment, wondering why such a development occurred during the time he was unconscious. Elder Kong had put his name forward in the Sky Soul Hall to become an Abyssal Child, despite the fact that he was still only a Rank 2 Gu Master.
Looking at his Master, Xuanyuan couldn't help but ask.
"... Why does Elder Kong want me to be the Abyssal Child? You said before that there are other candidates, I'm guessing that all of their cultivation must be much higher than my own, and the attainment in their Paths significantly more developed in comparison to myself. What... what makes me different?".
Elder Luo and Elder Hu shared another look, but this time the latter wasn't having it.
Elder Hu shook her head at Xuanyuan, her expression serious and her tone unyielding. It surprised Xuanyuan, seeing how unbending Elder Hu was in comparison to how she normally acted.
"Elder Kong is acting on information given to him by Gu Immortals. Immortal Wu, the Sect Wisdom Path Gu Immortal is always trying to deduce the future of the Ancient Soul Sect. Her information is correlated by other Wisdom Path Gu Immortals, and then given to the rest of the Sky Soul Hall in order to prepare for future events. Immortal Wu informed us of her predictions, but made us promise not to say anything to anyone, even the other Elders".
"I understand that you might be curious Xuanyuan, but reading fate and predicting the future is an extraordinarily difficult achievement. Being aware of the future, can result in ripples occurring that should never have happened. If you know the future, then there are chances that things can change, and events that should happen, may never end up happening. Is this understood Xuanyuan?".
Xuanyuan nodded slowly, pretending to comprehend the things that Elder Hu had told him.
As an otherworldly demon, Xuanyuan was already aware of the existence of Fate Gu, Spring Autumn Cicada and how time travel can mess with the predictions of Wisdom Path Gu Immortals.
Considering why Xuanyuan couldn't be told what this prediction was, he came to several different conclusions.
'Fate has been changed due to the presence of otherworldly demons. My existence has changed the course of history. Even if Fate Gu planned for the events that I am familiar with to happen, it must've changed the fates of millions in order to account for my presence. I wonder how it will affect Fang Yuan and the Heavenly Court...'.
Xuanyuan was unaware of the existence of the prophecy relating to the Venerables that were to exist after Great Dream Immortal Venerable. While it wasn't a prophecy made in relation to the Heavenly Court, there existed factions within the Five Regions whom believed its existence.
The existence of these additional Venerables, ones that were not mentioned in Xuanyuan's previous life was something he could never take into account. His knowledge of the future depended on Fang Yuan's experiences and actions, and the Great Era where Spectral Soul managed to revive using the Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu was hardly even mentioned by Fang Yuan.
The existence of multiple Venerables in the same Era, meant that Fate had determined a course of action for the Great Era. It was completely possible that even without Xuanyuan, future Venerables such as Divine Rain, Archfiend and Cold Annihilation would still be born, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years down the line.
In both prophecies, Great Dream was still born, so their destiny hadn't yet been changed. So long as they could give birth to Great Dream Immortal Venerable first, it didn't matter if other Venerables existed! Great Dream was prophesized to become the greatest Venerable in history, creating the foundation for the Dream Path, an achievement never before seen throughout history!
Luo Yu and Hu Yin shared another glance, the female Rank 5 Gu Master giving her compatriot a stern glare.
Neither were normally allowed to be aware of prophecies regarding future Venerables. Both were aware of the prophecy created by Immortal Yi Yan, titled "Prophecy Of The Three Venerables". However, most of it had already been validated, Spectral Soul and Paradise Earth, both having long since passed.
The existence of this new prophecy was certainly... interesting, in the eyes of the Ten Great Sects, however for whatever reason, it had gained traction in Five Regions, each super force trying to nurture Gu Immortal seeds that fit the description of each Venerable.
And Elder Kong... had gambled on Xuanyuan.
The look in Elder Luo's eyes were gentle, but also worried. Xuanyuan wasn't even sixteen yet, and he had already created waves in the Sect that even he couldn't ride through safely. First was his comprehension, then his disagreement with Huo Jin, then his Gu refinement, and now Xuanyuan was potentially this generations Abyssal Child, and considered by Elder Kong as a possible future Immortal Venerable!
The description that Elder Kong had given him... unnerved Luo Yu somewhat.
"Great Dream; Blessed By Fate; Thou Shall Rule Over The Heavenly Court. Guided By Love; Thou Shall Become The Mother Of Life And Death".
"Divine Rain; Boundless Water Stretching Beyond The Nine Heavens; Flourishing Yellow Apricots Shall Blossom Throughout The Five Regions"
"Archfiend; Thou Shall Carry The Weight Of Nine Suns, Pulling Them Towards Moon In Thy Heart. Inheritor Of Two Venerables"
"Cold Annihilation; The Descent Of A Transcient Eternity, Freezing the Nine Seas and Swallowing Nine Million Souls"
"White Shadow; Comprehending Heaven And Earth, Thou Shall Proclaim All Things In the Universe As Shadows".
It didn't have any physical descriptions, nor did it have anything about his personality or origins like the other possible Venerables.
Only that White Shadow sought to comprehend the Heavens and the Earth. Deriving all things in the universe as shadows. As much as he wanted to deny it, Luo Yu couldn't help but agree with Elder Kong's assessment of Xuanyuan.
'There were legends about Red Lotus and Star Constellation. About how both were destined from birth to become Venerables. Xuanyuan lived in the mortal world, but his talent and comprehension are only exceeded by the Ten Extreme Physiques. Nothing is guaranteed in this world, but could he really be destined to become a Venerable?'.
Elder Luo was troubled, but just let out a sigh before standing up and placing a hand on Xuanyuan's shoulder.
"If you desire Limitless' inheritance, you must become the Abyssal Child, Little Yuan. If you do not want either, then that is fine too. You walk your own Path, blazing a trail that leads you through the unknown. Even without the inheritance, you will still achieve greatness. Get some rest for the time being, you will need it for the tournament".
Elder Luo gestured for Elder Hu to follow him, both of the Rank 5 Gu Masters leaving the otherworldly demon alone in his room, nothing but his shadow to accompany him.
Xuanyuan glanced at his shadow, watching as the swirling splotches of eyes coiled and twisted like a Starry Night. He didn't fully understand the meaning behind Elder Luo's words, but still resolved himself to obtain everything that he could firmly grasp in his hands.
'The Ancient Soul Sect possesses the inheritance of Limitless Demonic Venerable. If I desire to obtain Primordial Domain, and Derivation Immortal Gu in the future, then possessing his inheritance will boost my chances of reaching it in the future! As much as I'd like to obtain the inheritance of Reckless Savage and Thieving Heaven, I'll take what I can get for the time being'.
'The Rule Path... Alongside the Wisdom Path can create True Meaning. It can be used to manipulate the natural rules and regulations of the World, enforcing a "Truth" within a certain area. Even if I don't obtain the complete inheritance, so long as I gain an increase to my attainment, I will reap greater benefits in the long run'.
'I had never thought of using the Rule Path, despite Limitless Demonic Venerable dying after failing to achieve eternal life, given the strange and obscure methods behind it. It is similar to the Wisdom Path in some ways, albeit my knowledge on the Wisdom Path is significantly more extensive in comparison. It can enforce rules, such as "Big", "Short", "One", or "Two" on targets or in a certain area, and regulations like "Slow", "Curve", "False" and "Weak" on individuals as well. It is similar to buffs and debuffs, although these are only effects, not the actual power behind the Path'.
A glint appeared within Xuanyuan's eyes.
'So long as I can obtain Limitless' inheritance, I will do whatever it takes to become the Ancient Soul Sect's Abyssal Child. Firstly, starting with this tournament'.