One more catty, one more attribute point

In the center of the scroll were two suns, one black and one white, while the surroundings depicted parched, scorched earth, a slanted sky, mountain ranges that had been cut off and melted, and stars tumbling down from the high heavens in clusters.

Countless mortals sprinkled the scene, some with faces twisted in agony, transformed into torches. Others, distorted in form, had been tainted and mutated into unhuman shapes.

"This is... the scene from the great battle between the Golden Crow and the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon thousands of years ago," Su Heng realized.

"Correct," Qin Shunying nodded slightly, her gaze resting on the painting as well.

At the center of the scroll.

The white sun represented the Golden Crow, while the other black sun surely symbolized the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon that had destroyed the entirety of Yuanxi, turning it into a desolate wasteland. Su Heng crossed his arms in front of him, furrowing his brows, "I have always had a question."

Qin Shunying looked back at him and listened as he continued, "Where exactly did that Heavenly Demon come from, and where was it sealed by the Golden Crow?"

"That Heavenly Demon must have originated from the depths of Eternal Heaven, passed through the Mythical Battlefield, and then descended upon Yuanxi, bringing catastrophic disaster to my ancestors," Qin Shunying sighed softly, her response calm.

"Mythical Battlefield, what is that?" Su Heng asked further.

Zzzt!

Qin Shunying ripped off a palm-sized piece from the cape behind her.

"Do you see this cape?" Qin Shunying put the phoenix spear aside, pinched the piece of cloth with one hand, and looked at Su Heng. He nodded, and she became serious, continuing, "Eternal Heaven and the real world are like the two sides of this piece of cloth. Normally, they can only influence each other and cannot make contact."

"Even as the echoes of Eternal Heaven are deepening by the day, it's really just the thickness of this cloth becoming thinner, and the barrier between them still exists. Moreover, whether it's demons or humans, trying to cross this barrier is extremely difficult and requires a significant sacrifice."

"But there is an exception, which is the Mythical Battlefield."

Hiss!

Qin Shunying lightly touched the cape with her hand.

As black smoke arose, a transparent hole suddenly appeared on the palm-sized piece of cloth.

"Do you see it?" Qin Shunying's pale finger lightly touched the hole that had formed on the cape.

"A hole," Su Heng said gravely.

"Precisely!" Qin Shunying's face showed a faint smile, which quickly disappeared.

She nodded and continued her explanation, "The Mythical Battlefield is like a hole in the veil. It directly connects Eternal Heaven and the real world."

"The human armies of the real world can enter freely, slaying demons and obtaining vast resources. And the demons of Eternal Heaven can also descend to the mortal realm through the Mythical Battlefield, expanding their territories, creating slaughter, and rapidly gaining strength by devouring the extreme emotions of mortals."

"Has the Heavenly Demon from beyond descended to the mortal realm through the Mythical Battlefield often?"

Su Heng clearly was surprised, "I have never heard of the Mythical Battlefield."

Aside from the Golden Crow - the sealer of the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon - Su Heng also thought of Overlord Dragon. From the information obtained in the "Sky-in-Clouds" secret realm, after Overlord Dragon sealed the Heavenly Demon "Ignite" in the outer seas, there had been no news of him. A thousand years passed by, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead.

Just the very descent of the Heavenly Demon in Yuanxi turned an entire nation into a barren land.

And the Overlord Dragon was obviously much stronger than the Golden Crow.

The "Ignite" that even they had found quite challenging, if it were to escape from the seal, would be... the prospect was too beautiful to contemplate.

However, Su Heng was tens of thousands of miles away from the outer seas, and he didn't need to worry about such shadowless matters.

"To be honest, similar situations were not uncommon in the past," Qin Shunying spoke earnestly, "According to the records in the annals, humans once went through a period that was quite dark, either being kept as livestock or, like Yuan Xi, barely surviving under the protection of some powerful mythical beasts, preserving the embers of humanity."

"But now, such situations are rare."

A glint flashed in Qin Shunying's eyes as she continued, "Since the establishment of the Great Zhou dynasty, three generations of emperors, each of whom made significant contributions to the natural order, cultivated to unbelievable realms. Ten expeditions to the heavens, ten battles, ten victories. Expanding territories, slaying countless demons.

At the zenith of the Great Zhou dynasty, the entire Mythical Battlefield was considered inland.

The empire's territory even spread deep into the realm of Eternal Life, beheading the Heavenly Demon and erecting monuments to honor the ancestors."

At this point, a longing gaze appeared on Qin Shunying's face. She couldn't help but puff out her ample chest, her eyes filled with pride, "It's a pity I wasn't born in that era of grandeur. As for the current Great Zhou dynasty, although still powerful, it has started to show signs of decline, no longer at its peak."

"Does the Great Zhou Emperor's grave injury also relate to the Mythical Battlefield?" Su Heng suddenly asked.

Up to this day, this matter was no longer a secret.

Even he had heard of it.

"Yes." Qin Shunying nodded, "I am not clear about the specifics, but it is very likely true. Especially with forces like Skull Plain and Demon Country emerging. If it were before, the army would have already been sent to exterminate them, but now there has been silence."

"Such a reaction undoubtedly reveals a lot."

"If the Great Zhou dynasty falls, the shockwaves from such a vast and powerful dynasty falling are unimaginable. Even the top-tier forces like the three great immortal sects feel insecure, accumulating strength in preparation for the upcoming upheaval."

Qin Shunying pressed her lips together, looking slightly embarrassed, "Sorry, I digressed a bit."

"Not at all." Su Heng smiled, "I've actually learned quite a bit."

"Still, this place is hardly appropriate for long conversations. There are more urgent matters at hand." Qin Shunying rubbed her fingers together, igniting the cloak in her hand, and then with a puff, blew it into ash.

She reached up to tuck the strands of hair beside her ear behind her head, laughed heartily, and said, "If Brother Su is interested in these matters, once we leave this place, we could buy some wine and meat, and if there's a chance later, we can indeed have a good chat."

"Hahaha!" Su Heng laughed, "Why go through all that trouble, after we decapitate the King of Golden Peng and use his treasured blood for liquor, bird meat for dishes, what's not to celebrate with a drink?"

"That, of course, would be the best!" Qin Shunying's eyes glittered with a mysterious light.

"By the way, you haven't said where the Golden Crow sealed the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon." The two walked toward the end of the corridor, where stood a massive gate of white gold. The gate was engraved with ancient totems, resembling two entwined trees growing together, their dense crowns sheltering the sky.

"That... I am not certain," Qin Shunying said with a wry smile, "but after the war, the Golden Crow's condition was extremely poor; it couldn't have been capable of sealing the Heavenly Demon too far away."

"So, unless I'm mistaken... it should be within the region of Jiang and E."

"..." Su Heng was speechless, "Isn't this just like burying a bomb under our seats, ready to explode at any moment?"

"We can only trust in the wisdom of future generations."

When they reached the gate, Qin Shunying bit her finger and gently touched the gate.

The entwined tree totems were instantly illuminated, unraveling from each other, and then, amid the rustling friction of leaves, they separated.

"Rumble!"

With the ancient, heavy sound of friction, the gate slowly opened.

Streams of bright, fiery light shot out from the crevices of the gate, forming waves that lifted their hair and clothes, engulfing both Su Heng and Qin Shunying within...