Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

Chapter 122: The Starry Abyss Sect’s Origins

In just a few steps, Jiang Chen and Feng Jun were at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall.

They pushed open the heavy doors and entered the sacred space inside. Even though it was old and rarely used, the hall was in perfect condition, protected by layers of array formations. This clearly showed the incredible abilities of the person who built it.

Inside, memorial tablets filled the room, arranged in layers upon layers, looking like a forest made of stone.

Jiang Chen swept his divine sense over these tablets, counting thirty in total. Each represented a past Sect Master of the Starry Abyss Sect, with the topmost tablet dedicated to the founding Sect Master, Chu Xingming.

"Thirty ancestors!" Jiang Chen exclaimed, surprise shining in his eyes. "This means the Starry Abyss Sect has a history of at least three thousand years!"

"Exactly," Sect Master Feng Jun confirmed, his face showing a burst of pride. "The Starry Abyss Sect has maintained its status for exactly three thousand six hundred years. Over these millennia, it has always been one of the top powers on the Mysterious Truth Continent."

Reacting to Feng Jun’s words, Jiang Chen simply murmured, "Mm-hm," not wanting to linger on the subject. Ignoring the impressive display of tablets, he moved deeper into the hall.

Past the grand array of ancestral tablets, they found a wide platform, surrounded by jade railings that glowed with an otherworldly light.

A lone figure was there, an elder dressed in robes as pure as freshly fallen snow. He was tall and slender, with an air of timeless grace about him as he stood quietly by the railing. His eyes seemed to be watching the endless waves of the cloud sea, like an eternal sentinel witnessing the flow of time.

This was the sect’s founding ancestor, Chu Xingming.

But the man himself had long ago departed from the living world, leaving behind only this carefully crafted statue as his enduring legacy.

Jiang Chen was about to step forward when a thought struck him. He quickly performed a respectful fist-and-palm salute toward Chu Xingming’s statue, saying, "Disciple Jiang Chen offers his respects to the Founding Ancestor."

Sect Master Feng Jun, who was standing behind him, didn’t notice anything unusual and simply followed Jiang Chen’s lead, showing his own respect. "Disciple Feng Jun offers his respects to the Founding Ancestor," he stated solemnly.

After finishing their gestures of respect, Jiang Chen walked up to the statue of Chu Xingming.

He stopped before the legacy statue, his eyes locking with those of Chu Xingming. The detailed carvings seemed to give the statue’s eyes an expression of nostalgia and reluctance, suggesting a deep history filled with stories yet to be told.

Jiang Chen whispered, "The time has come to reveal your secrets." He reached out, placing his hand on the statue’s shoulder. "What inspired you to create the Starry Abyss Sect?"

Yet, despite this setback, their determination didn’t waver. Therefore, each of these factions decided to leave a few disciples behind, continuing their watch over the Everflowing Truth Northern Domain for a longer duration.

Amid these events, Chu Xingming emerged as a key figure. He chose to remain, laying the groundwork for what would become the Starry Abyss Sect. His decision wasn’t made blindly; he had clues that convinced him he could capture this great opportunity for himself alone.

But fate had other plans. As Chu Xingming’s life approached its end, after five hundred years, the treasure he sought stayed concealed.

This pursuit was further complicated by the ongoing decline of spiritual Qi in the Everflowing Truth Northern Domain.

As the spiritual Qi diminished, the value and quality of the natural treasures also decreased. Cultivators with high levels of cultivation found it impractical to continue their practice and began to leave, one by one.

The Purple Heaven Holy Land saw the pointlessness of Chu Xingming’s ongoing efforts in the Everflowing Truth Northern Domain and proposed bringing him back.

But Chu Xingming, who had founded the Starry Abyss Sect in these lands, was reluctant to abandon his efforts.

After much thought, the Purple Heaven Holy Land decided to honor Chu Xingming’s choice. They consented to his staying behind to nurture the development of the Starry Abyss Sect in the Everflowing Truth Northern Domain.

His responsibilities included identifying talented disciples to send to the Holy Land. However, there was one requirement for these selected disciples - they had to achieve the Heavenly Origin realm before turning fifty.

In the early years, Chu Xingming managed to advance dozens of disciples. But as time went on, the number of disciples reaching the Heavenly Origin realm started to decrease, until eventually, the breakthroughs stopped altogether.

Over the next three thousand years, not just the Starry Abyss Sect but the entire Everflowing Truth Northern Domain faced a severe shortage of cultivators achieving the Heavenly Origin realm.

The once hopeful practice of advancing disciples turned into just an echo, a distant memory of a bygone era.

As Jiang Chen listened intently to Chu Xingming’s message, a spark of realization lit up his eyes when the statue mentioned sending disciples.

He thought to himself, ’Ah, so this is how the protagonist would have been guided to explore new territories, venturing into the Everflowing Truth Central Domain, which is surely filled with greater challenges and opportunities.’

Jiang Chen was naturally curious about the reason for the depletion of spiritual Qi in the Everflowing Truth Northern Domain. The thought of the Cave Heaven Secret Realm of Immortal Tian Cui as a possible explanation crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed these speculations.

Deciding not to dwell on such baseless guesses, Jiang Chen focused back on the continuing story.