Records of the Nine Heavens (Third Excerpt)

Records of the Nine Heavens - Anecdote IX: The Tower of Babel.

Appearing in the True Heavens at some unknown time soon after Hundredth Xū’s appearance, it was said to hold within the knowledge of countless lifetimes, almost as if a benevolent god had suddenly decided to give away his knowledge to the flimsy mortals.

However, in a world where the strong triumphed over the weak, everything would come at a price.

The gates of knowledge would only open to those who really needed it… or that were deemed worthy. Almost as if having a life of its own, the tower would travel nonstop for decades, millennia, forever even, unless ‘it’ deemed that the time to impart knowledge was nigh.

After countless years of research, the truth was revealed: the only ones that would be able to enter the tower… would be the descendants of Hundredth Xū! Bearing the blood of the Ancients, such a requirement for entering the tower already excluded most of the beings in existence.

Due to this, some even hypothesized that the tower’s mysterious creator was none other than Hundredth Xū himself! These hypothesis would end up being discarded due to future events…

That said, not all Ancients would be able to enter the tower. Even then, they would only have a total of seventy-seven days to fully read the contents within.

The language the ancient tomes had been written in was extremely peculiar. Not only it could be understood by any person that laid his eyes upon the text, but it would also burn itself into the reader’s mind.

What was read would be learned. What was learned would not be forgotten.

However, few have been recorded to have ever entered the tower. Even then, due to the time limit, they would only be able to read but a few of the millions of tomes residing within the gigantic tower…

A total of seven millions, seven hundred seventy-seven thousands, seventy hundred seventy-seven tomes. Such were the words engraved upon the gates of the tower:

“Seven millions, containing the techniques that make the heavens cry.

Seven hundreds of thousands, records of the Kings and Demons of old.

Seven tens of thousands, the beasts that roam the skies

Seven thousands, secrets that should never have been told.

Seven hundreds, legends whose protagonists have long since died.

Seventy, recording the tales of the globe.

Six, Ancient Tombs whose riches make deities sigh.

And at last, One… the final truth that shall rock the world!”

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Hundred Xū himself, once he finally walked within the gates, actually failed in the task of reading all the books in the span of seventy-seven days… who was Hundredth Xū? He was a deity! An overlord of the Heavens! An unsurmountable existence that could rival the might of the Four Emperors!

Despite his skill in the manipulation of time and space, such a thing was not permitted within the Tower! Due to that, he failed! The Jade Emperor’s defeat at the hands of the Tower would be an object of debate for years to come…

After the Heavenly Emperor’s failure, countless years passed. The Tower roamed the skies, appearing in random places at random times… until, a thousand years ago, it suddenly stopped!

At that time, a figure challenged the trial of the roaming tower! The red eyes and strange mark on their bodies, characteristics of Hundredth Xū’s descendants, traits of the Ancient Ones, if searched for, would not be found on his body!

And yet…

Seemingly without a care in the world, this person, whose name contained the word Xū, stepped within the Tower’s gates!

He was told to have a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes, often inspiration of poets for their poems, and an object of study for artists to capture the essence of the color blue.

Such eyes were said to have merely glanced upon the Tower’s description for but an instant. By that time, the person’s figure had already stepped into the unknown of the Tower of Babel!

He was not an Ancient. The Tower of Babel did not reject the youth named Xū Líng, the Evil Saint, and instead welcomed his presence, almost like an object would greet its master.

Conquering the Tower of Babel had, without any doubt, become one of the most important factors about his Heaven-defying cultivation speed.

Space and Time would bent at his will. The restrictions imposed upon the almighty Hundredth Xū seemed to have no effect upon the young Xū Líng as the countless years spent reading all those tomes were squeezed in just seventy-six days!

[…]

“And at last, One… the final truth that shall rock the world!”

This was the line the Tower of Babel’s creator had left behind describing the final tome! The 777’777’777th book!

Chosen of the Tower. Lord of Babel. All-Knowing Saint. However, despite all those titles, one book had remained untouched by the youth that would, in the close future, fall by the hands of the Tyrant.

A Truth that could have rocked the world… what could it have been? Why did the tower expel the Evil Saint, Xū Líng, even though the seventy-seven days available had yet to run out?

To such a question, there would be no answer and at the same time too many. Apparently, the time for such knowledge to emerge, for the world to turn upside down, had yet to come…

[...]

Mentions of a white-haired old man suddenly emerging from within the tower one day attracted the notice of many historians of the time. Despite countless years of searching, nothing would be found…

Here is a testimony:

(Please, keep in mind the accuracy of such a testimony is to be doubted due to the lack of evidence proving its authenticity. This also is a testimony from thousands of years ago, so the content may vary from the original.)

Red eyes emanating tangible killing intent! Moving without creating disturbances in the wind! The amiable smile on his face and the mild appearance contrasted greatly with his violent aura!

His hair was white, the left side of the man's head was devoid of any strand of hair, all the while long braids fell from the right part of his scalp. His two sword-shaped eyebrows seemingly sharp enough to cut through concrete. A single look at this old man’s figure and I lose the ability to stand up straight!

And yet, I could feel that this old man clearly had no cultivation! How in the world that could be possible, I have no idea. All I know… is that I, despite his lack of cultivation, at that time, in the eyes of such an individual, I had been no different than a speck of dust.

That old man… I am now sure that he could not have been mortal! Wait! How did that phrase go? The one on the Tower’s gates! Uh? One truth that shall rock the world? Wait… could it be?

[...]

Excerpts from the work: Records of the Nine Heavens

Author: Unknown