"We are all guinea pigs."
With his current understanding of martial arts and a wealth of hidden knowledge, Shen Qian could deduce far too much from Jiang Huan's words.
Let's make a simple assumption.
Long ago, before he was even a beginner martial artist, Elder Gao had told him... It has been known since ancient times that the human body has imperfections.
This inherent flaw means that despite possessing unparalleled talent, the human race has always been stuck at a certain limit, unable to break through.
Aside from the Demon Emperor and the Witch Emperor, among the known Great Emperor-level powerhouses before the sinking, the Jiangling King is undoubtedly human, the mysterious White Emperor is also human, and judging from the Heavenly Emperor's appearance, even if he is not purely human, he must have human blood.
Although I had never seen the Azure Lotus Buddha who ruled the Western Paradise before the sinking, judging from the many images circulating among the people, it is highly likely that he was of human origin.
This means that four of these six Great Emperor-level powerhouses have connections with the human race.
This not only illustrates the terrifying nature of humanity and why they were able to rise up amidst the oppression of all other races, but also reveals a crucial question...
That is, throughout history, no matter how talented or brilliant a genius may be, the ultimate limit is the "Great Emperor".
But is the Great Emperor the limit of martial arts?
The answer is clearly no.
Kings and nobles can move mountains and fill seas, shift stars and change constellations, and destroy a planet or a world in an instant. Their lifespan can reach tens of thousands of years. So why can't the great emperors, who go even further, achieve immortality?
However, judging from all the signs so far, none of the Great Emperors have survived to this day, and their fates are even worse than those of top-tier kings and marquises.
It is still unknown what "thing" is hunting down the Great Emperor, but Shen Qian believes that it must be relatively invincible, and Great Emperor warriors have not yet reached that level.
Furthermore, Shen Qian had previously sensed the terrifying aura of that unknown entity in the River of Time. That terrifying aura surpassed even his own, who had once been granted the position of a Great Emperor. Therefore, Shen Qian was even more certain that there must be another realm that even the Great Emperor had once longed for.
Looking back, it's not hard to see that there are always many invisible "shackles" in the cultivation of martial arts, which are like traps that have harmed countless human martial artists.
Those who are not enlightened will find it extremely difficult to achieve the status of a mountain and sea immortal. Those who have not comprehended the taboos, even if they step into the ranks of kings and nobles, will only be the lowest level of Golden Immortals.
This problem was particularly evident in his clone. The reason why his clone was not outstanding among the kings and nobles was simply because his foundation was too weak. Although his body was forged with several rare materials, it had not undergone the tempering of the early stage of martial arts, and its upper limit was already visible to the naked eye.
With only half a copy of the "Compendium of Materia Medica", his clone could hardly even match the fighting power that the Yan Emperor of the Yan Clan once possessed.
The source of everything is enlightenment.
Throughout the ages, a body with nine orifices is rare, but it appears from time to time. However, a body with ten orifices in perfect harmony has always remained a theoretical concept.
The deduction of the "Ten Directions Creation Body" shows that the human race has never given up its pursuit of this perfection.
I dare not say for sure, but when one reaches the level of a king or emperor, one will surely have an epiphany: only the body with ten orifices is the "key" to unlocking the ultimate secret of martial arts.
Jiang Huan said that Gao Wenyuan waited for two hundred years before the sinking. What was he waiting for?
From a timeline perspective, two hundred years ago was the beginning of the revival of spiritual energy on Earth, and also the time when King Jiangling and the White Emperor were planning for the future of humankind.
Furthermore, considering the existence of the river of time, from another perspective, King Jiangling and Emperor Bai at that time already knew that more than two hundred years later, a human youth with mediocre talent would appear in the remote Jingcheng, but would obtain a body with perfect ten apertures due to a fortuitous encounter.
However, the path of martial arts is fraught with danger, and talent and opportunity alone are far from enough. Perhaps a super strong person with sufficient experience and knowledge is also needed to protect him.
Thus, Gao Wenyuan, who was also a top-tier king and noble, gave up many honors and returned to the remote border city of Jingcheng, where he built a tower that reached the heavens. He sat there for more than two hundred years until he appeared before the sinking.
This also explains why Gao Wenyuan, who was clearly an ancient person, was willing to be stationed in a small border town. You should know that even the capital of the first province in the southwest only had one Earl of Kunhu.
Marquis Jingcheng, however, was a figure who could rival Duke Yanshan.
During this time, Gao Wenyuan did not just wait idly; he also did some other things.
The most important thing was that before sinking, he took in eight disciples from different backgrounds.
He awakened the first genius who once shocked the ancient times, and also took in Cheng Qingqing, who had the bloodline of a great demon, as well as the reincarnation of the Queen Mother...
Each disciple possesses a talent rarely seen in this world. Even Lao Liu, who seems to be doing the worst now, was once considered a peerless figure alongside Ling Tianhou.
Old Gao taught them to be lenient in ordinary times, only making demands when they reached the Mountain and Sea Realm... sparing no effort to break through taboos.
Fourth Senior Brother Wu Jun nearly died and perished in his pursuit of the forbidden, only managing to maintain his balance through an encounter in the Sea of the Dead, yet he still hesitates to break through.
Can't the teacher see his pain?
Jiang Huan's talent astonished even the most powerful and noble families. If he had wanted to, he could have broken through to the level of a king or noble family much earlier, or even easily reached the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. However, he chose to take a more difficult path.
And then there's Second Senior Sister Cheng Qingqing, born in ancient times, who was personally taught by the Demon Emperor. Why is she now only a Mountain and Sea Realm cultivator?
If they were all "test subjects," then everything makes sense.
Few martial artists in the world are willing to pursue the forbidden realms. The reason why King Jiangling reached the eighth level of the forbidden realms is because of his talent in weapon crafting. To put it bluntly, in the forbidden realms, the human race lacks sufficient experience.
Especially the legendary Nine Forbidden Rules.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com