Chapter 710: There Is No Strongest

Ye Guan asked, “Really?”

“Yes, but they are not as extraordinary as this place. They're similar but not

that

similar." She then looked around with a serious expression. “Ten years in here is just a day outside. This extreme time dilation is not something that even a supreme elite with ninety percent divinity can achieve. Someone I know has created a special spacetime where one year inside is equivalent to ten days outside.”

Ye Guan sighed in relief.

My plain-skirt aunt is truly unrivaled!

“Are they the First God?”

“No, they're not the First God. Anyway, why did you come to the Primordial Spirit Clan, Young Master Ye?”

“To obtain the Primordial Spirit Token and save my sister.”

“Can you tell me more about that?”

Ye Guan nodded and explained Ruo Ming's situation.

Qing Zhi shook her head and said, “Young Master Ye, the Wise Master is taking advantage of you.”

“Why do you think so?”

“There are many ways to save your sister, especially for someone like the Wise Master. He has many methods at his disposal, but he chose this one. If I’m not mistaken, he wants to use you to wake up my clan members.”

Ye Guan smiled but said nothing.

Qing Zhi added, “It's a good thing for the Primordial Spirit Clan, but I believe the Wise Master should have been honest with you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not dumb and have seen through everything that he wants to do. The best way to deal with intelligent people is to be straightforward.”

A flicker of complexity flashed in Ye Guan’s eyes. Qing Zhi was perceptive indeed.

Qing Zhi suddenly asked, “Did you bring me here because you want me to visit the Guanxuan Universe?”

“To be honest, the Guanxuan Universe is my territory. I would be delighted to have someone like you there. There’s a particularly interesting place called the Milky Way in the Guanxuan Universe. I suggest you check it out.”

Ye Guan genuinely liked Qing Zhi and her brother.

Qing Zhi smiled and replied, “Once the dust here has settled, I’ll go there with you.”

“Great.”

Qing Zhi looked around again with a complex expression, muttering, “What an incredible place...”

They chatted a bit more, and Ye Guan found that Qing Zhi was indeed talented and knowledgeable in many different fields.

Most importantly, she was straightforward and had a penchant for saying whatever was on her mind.

Ye Guan appreciated it, as he was a straightforward person as well. He disliked beating around the bush, so he found their conversation to be quite refreshing.

The two conversed for a while until Qing Zhi recalled something and said, "Young Master Ye, I still have some other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now."

With that, she promptly left the tiny pagoda.

Ye Guan chuckled to himself, impressed by her demeanor.

She's quite something. I should bring her along to the Guanxuan Universe.

Ye Guan knew that the Guanxuan Universe couldn't be allowed to stagnate if he wanted it to thrive. Taking notes from the playbooks of the other universes was necessary, but it required talented people to employ. Ye Guan emptied his mind for now and left the tiny pagoda. Taking a glance at the array of books in the room, he closed his eyes and began taking in as much knowledge as he could. Literary works were often overlooked in Martial Art Civilizations, as people prioritized reading cultivation methods and divine spells.

Ye Guan was planning on copying some of them, as Qing Zhi had given him permission to do so.

Upon absorbing all the ancient texts, Ye Guan couldn't help but be impressed. The Primordial Spirit Clan was indeed powerful. Over billions of years, they had advanced not only in martial civilization but also in technological prowess. The starry sky hovering above the Primordial Spirit Ancient City was a testament to their technological achievements.

The Starry Cosmos Array!

The array had a variety of functions—protection, divination, and capturing the Laws of the universe...

The Great Dao was revered outside, but the people of the Primordial Spirit Land had been studying the Great Dao for the longest time now.

Ye Guan also discovered that the Primordial Spirit Clan had faced Universe Tribulations and had found ways to suppress them.

Every generation of clan leaders so far had taken on the task of suppressing the Universe Tribulation.

Shockingly, there had been 9,900 generations so far!

Ye Guan fell into deep contemplation in the middle of the vast library. He realized that Universe Tribulations were an inevitable part of the universe’s cycle, akin to a reset. The old civilizations would vanish upon every tribulation, and new civilizations would emerge after many years.

The ancient records of the Primordial Spirit Clan revealed that at least a billion civilizations had been devoured by Universe Tribulations, and there were quite a few terrifying civilizations among them.

To better understand those civilizations, Ye Guan sought out Qing Zhi.

Qing Zhi was in her study when Ye Guan knocked on her door. She put down the pen in her hand and told Ye Guan to enter.

"You want to learn more about those lost civilizations?" Qing Zhi asked while staring at Ye Guan.

"Yes."

Qing Zhi smiled faintly.

Ye Guan was puzzled. "Why are you smiling?"

"It seems that curiosity transcends all clans."

Ye Guan was momentarily taken aback, and then he chuckled.

Qing Zhi added, "There is a particularly intriguing civilization among the lost civilizations, and it's called the Shen Zhi Civilization. I’ve conducted tons of research on them. They were likely the first civilization to delve into the realm of divinity—at least, that's what I know. In an attempt to delay their Universe Tribulation, they devoured other civilizations, hoping to use the power of those civilizations to postpone their Universe Tribulation. However, it was just a band-aid solution. Eventually, their Universe Tribulation arrived. However, my research told me that rather than the Universe Tribulation, they were destroyed by internal strife.

Ye Guan was intrigued. "Internal strife?"

"Yes, conflicting voices emerged within their ranks as the Universe Tribulation loomed over them. The exceptionally powerful individuals hoped for the tribulation's arrival, as it meant that the weaker would perish, while the survivors would get all the resources in the universe for themselves.”

Ye Guan furrowed his brow.

That sounds like the story of the Guanxuan Universe and the True Universe.

"It's because of the lessons learned from the Shen Zhi Civilization that our Primordial Spirit Clan ancestors established a rule. Each clan leader must suppress the Universe Tribulation. Violators will be stripped of their Primordial Spirit Clan bloodline and cast out. Even though some ancestors have entertained the thought of abandoning that role, but they dared not act on those thoughts. After all, they would be condemned by the entire Primordial Spirit Clan if they were to do so."

"If you keep suppressing the Universe Tribulation, won't it become too strong to handle one day?"

"Yeah, it will. The Primordial Spirit Clan has also realized that unfortunate fact. so we've been... facing considerable challenges." With a deep sense of concern in her eyes, Qing Zhi added, "In other words, we're struggling..."

"Are there any survivors from that so-called Shen Zhi Civilization?"

"Yes."

Ye Guan was taken aback.

"I know one personally, which is why I'm so familiar with this civilization. What fascinates me about them is their remarkable ability to learn. They became the leading civilization of their time through their vast knowledge. Our Starry Cosmos Array is one of their sophisticated arrays. Unfortunately, it is an incomplete one."

Intrigued, Ye Guan asked, "The Starry Cosmos Array you mentioned refers to the stars above the Ancient Spirit City?"

"Yes, those stars are part of the Starry Cosmos Array. It was once hailed as the strongest array throughout the vast expanse. Not only can it detect the laws of Great Dao and fate at any time, but it can also predict crises. Most importantly, it can even alter the course of Great Dao... Unfortunately, what we've obtained is incomplete, so we can't make use of that functionality," Qing Zhi said. Then, she turned to Ye Guan and said, "Remember what I told you about how I know someone capable of creating a special spacetime similar to the world inside that pagoda of yours? They're from the Shen Zhi Civilization.

"However, even the peak figures during the heyday of the Shen Zhi Civilization couldn't create a special spacetime that can compare to your tiny pagoda. I'm sure she's going to be really shocked as soon as she enters that tiny pagoda of yours."

"May I meet her?"

"Why? Poaching talent?"

Ye Guan laughed. He knew his little scheme wouldn't escape Qing Zhi's notice.

"What do you think of the Primordial Spirit Clan? Are they proud people in your eyes?"

"Yes. Very."

Qing Zhi nodded and said, "The people of the Shen Zhi Civilization are even prouder than us. However, that individual isn't too bad. However, she has a bad temper, and she hates our Primordial Spirit Clan. She considers our people... fools... Well, except for me."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Qing Zhi stared at Ye Guan and asked, "You're not one of the Primordial Spirit Clan, and you have that tiny pagoda. She will definitely meet you."

"Then, I'll have you introduce me to her when the time comes."

"All right."

"Who is stronger? Your Primordial Spirit Clan, or the Shen Zhi Civilization during their heyday?"

Qing Zhi pondered for a moment before responding, "I don't know. There were top-tier supreme elites in our clan during the heyday of the Shen Zhi Civilization. However, I'm sure you know that there's a tiny difference in strength between cultivators in the same realm. In other words, I don't know who was stronger among them, even though they all have ninety percent divinity."

"Wouldn't that mean that they were always fighting for supremacy?"

"Exactly," Qing Zhi said softly. Then, she added, "The vast expanse is infinitely vast, so I've always believed that there's no strongest, only stronger..."