Chapter 36: Demon God's Gate.
When Yao Jun regained his vision, he was floating in a white world. There was nothing around him, just a vast white void. Yao Jun's body felt completely weightless, just floating in place, he couldn't even move forward.
“Where is Yun Yantian?”
Yao Jun turned his head around, peering into the distance. When he regained his vision, Yun Yantian was not next to him, nor was he in the surroundings. Since they entered the gate to the next level at the same time, he assumed that they would end up at the same place, but now it seemed like that wasn't necessarily true.
“I sent him to a different floor that would suit him better. I'll send you to a different floor later, I just wanted to give you a little information first.”
While Yao Jun was scanning the surroundings, a calm voice rang out from behind him, stiffening his entire body. Yao Jun had already checked the area around him, and found that it was completely devoid of life. For someone to sneak up on him so fast, and without him even noticing anything, he couldn't help but be shocked. He took a deep breath and turned his head.
Not far from him stood a middle-aged man clad in a simple white robe. The middle aged man had short, brown hair, a pair of limpid green eyes and a peaceful smile, he radiated a sense of tranquility. Other than the simple robe he was clad in, the only other item on his body was an ancient sword sheath hanging on his back.
“I'm sorry senior, this junior didn't mean to intrude”
Yao Jun gave a small bow and a quick apology. He did not know who the person in front of him was, but he was clearly much more powerful than Yao Jun, accidentally offending him would only end in Yao Jun's death.
“There is no need to apologize, I am the one who brought you here, you can consider me the owner and master of these ruins. Since you have that gate, it is my duty to give you some information that you would learn sooner or later.”
The middle-aged man shook his head and gave a faint smile, before moving his eyes and locking them onto Yao Jun's chest, at the place where the gate was located.
“You have reached the 1st Mortal Earth, so you will slowly start finding out just what that gate is capable of. That friend of yours hasn't managed to awaken his completely yet, so I have him doing a few other tests in hopes that he can awaken his.”
The eyes of the middle-aged man seemed to see through all of Yao Jun, unearthing all his secrets. Yao Jun even had the misconception that the middle-aged man was capable of seeing what was inside the gate.
“1st Mortal Earth?”
The middle-aged man used a term that Yao Jun had never heard of before, nor had he ever read about it in any of the books he had read, so he couldn't help but ask.
“Right.What you call the 9 different grades have a different name once you reach a certain level of power. The 9 grades are considered the start of cultivation, and are separated into three different parts.”
The middle-aged man seemed to realize that he had forgotten to mention something, so he quickly gathered his thoughts and started talking about the different cultivation levels.
“The first three levels are the three Mortal Earth's. After that you have the three Houtian Skies, finally ending with the three Xiantian Heavens. Each of these is then also divided into early, middle, and late. So what you call 1st grade, 2nd level, is really called early stage of the 1st Mortal Earth. Each three levels equal one stage. So level 1-3 is early, 4-6 is middle and 7-9 is late stage.”
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Yao Jun couldn't help but be slightly confused. He had grown up with the different grade and level terminology, so it took him some time to properly sort the different terms he had just been told about. He was slightly confused, but he also had to admit that it was more sorted and easier to remember once it was sorted by threes.
“There is no point in me telling you about what happens after you break past the last Xiantian Heaven, far too few people in this world manage to reach that level.”
“Let's talk a little about why so few people in this world manage to break past the last Xiantian Heaven. Many, many years ago, a person was born on this planet. This person managed to easily break through any cultivation level. After just a few hundred years, he had become a nearly invincible existence, even cultivators from the surrounding planets feared him.”
When the middle-aged man got to this point, his voice contained a strange mixture of respect and hatred, showing just how complex his emotions were about this man.
“But his strength went to his head. He attacked a cultivator from a distant planet, and was defeated horribly. The opposing cultivator found his arrogance so insufferable that he trapped the cultivator here and sealed off the entire planet.”
“The seal prevents anyone born on this planet from leaving it, but people from other planets can come and go as they like. With time, both the arrogant cultivator, and the cultivator who sealed this planet both died, but the seal still remains, trapping everyone on this planet.”
The middle-aged man sighed and shook his head when he finished his words. Yao Jun was completely shocked. A massive seal that sealed this entire planet? Just because his opponent had been arrogant? How overbearing and tyrannical wasn't this!
“Had it not been for a visitor from a different planet who I befriended, this information would probably have been forgotten in the river of time. Now, most people of this world don't even know that there exists an entire universe out there, just waiting for them to explore it.”
“Without a goal to pursue, they stagnate, being complacent and pleased with just reaching the 9th Xiantian Heaven. With a mindset like this, they will never manage to break past the Xiantian Heavens.”
The middle-aged man's eyes were blazing when he spoke to here, his rampant desire to leave this planet was clearly shown in his eyes. But the fire in his eyes quickly subsided, replaced by disappointment.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Once the middle-aged man finished his words, Yao Jun couldn't help but ask. This man seemed to have broken past the last Xiantian Heaven, but even he seemed stumped by the seal, so Yao Jun had no idea what the middle-aged man was expecting from him.
Not to mention that the only reason Yao Jun was cultivating was so that he could allow his parents to return to the main branch of the Yao Clan and live in peace, he had no great ambitions, peace was all he wanted.
“Because you have that gate. That gate is called the Demon God's Gate. It is a power born when the universe itself was born, it is not subject to any limitations. If anyone can become strong enough to break the seal trapping this world, it is you or that friend of yours.”
The middle-aged man turned his eyes back to Yao Jun, his eyes once more blazing with the fires of hope. He had died long ago, but wasn't there someone in front of him who could help him realize his goal?
“Yun Yantian? He can do it too?”
Yao Jun couldn't help but tilt his head. Yun Yantian could do it too? If Yao Jun could become strong enough because he had the gate, what did Yun Yantian have that could allow him to reach that level?
“Yes, The Demon God's Gate wasn't the only power born at the birth of the universe. There are several different versions of it, your friend, Yun Yantian, has the Sword God's Gate, although it hasn't been completely awakened. Each gate will attract each other, so in the future, you will likely meet others who hold similar powers.”
The middle-aged man patiently explained the origins of Yao Jun and Yun Yantian's powers. He wasn't surprised that Yao Jun didn't know anything. Even when he was alive, information about these gates was almost completely lost in this world. But since each gate attracted each other, he was also sure that Yao Jun would learn more about them in the future.
“Then what about that wolf, Sirius, you gave me?”
Yao Jun didn't continue asking about the gate, he could see that the middle-aged man himself didn't know much more than what he had already told him. Instead he changed the subject and asked about the wolf he had been given. He didn't think that it was a coincidence that the wolf he was given caused the gate to throb.
“Sirius belonged to a friend I had while I was cultivating. He too had the Demon God's Gate, but he was killed before he managed to become strong enough. He asked me to take care of Sirius, giving him to the next owner of the Demon God's Gate, should I ever meet him. Countless years have gone by since then, but Sirius hasn't changed or aged, so I assume that he has some connection with the Demon God's Gate.”
The middle-aged man spoke with a sigh. If it hadn't been for his friend dying, the seal around the world might have already been gone. But sadly, he had been attacked and killed before he could even reach the peak of the Xiantian Heavens, so there was no longer any way of knowing.
“That was all the information I had to tell you, it is time for you to continue on with your journey. If you manage to reach the end of these ruins, I will give you my own inheritance, the Nine Heavens Sword Empyrean inheritance.”
The middle-aged man shook his head and returned his mood to tranquility, returning his eyes to Yao Jun. He spoke with a faint smile and waved his hand, causing a white light to engulf Yao Jun and send him away.
He could just send him out of the ruins now and allow him to continue his journey, but there were two reasons he didn't do it. The first reason was that Yao Jun was just too weak now, if he sent him out now, there were just too many things that could kill him.
The second reason was that he hoped that either Yun Yantian or Yao Jun could reach the end of these ruins and acquire his inheritance. It had been so many years since there was a Nine Heavens Sword Empyrean on this planet. If one of them could acquire his inheritance and continue his legacy, it would allow him to complete both of his last wishes.
“When the gate of the Demon God opens once more, is it ruin or hope that it heralds?”
The middle-aged man looked at the spot where Yao Jun stood earlier and shook his head with a sigh. He hadn't told Yao Jun everything. He hadn't mentioned that whenever someone who had a God Gate appeared, they would either be killed while young, or often end up corrupted.