"Is that so? Then tell me, what is this rare treasure? An immortal artifact?" Xu Mo asked again.
The drifting bottle swayed and replied, "I don't know. I only know there's a rare treasure, but I'm not clear about what specific item it is."
Xu Mo frowned, feeling that the bottle was unreliable. But upon careful consideration, every piece of information the drifting bottle had provided was indeed quite reliable.
Why, then, did he always feel that the drifting bottle was unreliable?
He thought and thought, finally concluding that it was a bottle, not a person, and there was a generational gap.
"Since that's the case, lead the way now. I'll personally break into the ancient emperor's ruins to see what this rare treasure is!" Xu Mo said, signaling the drifting bottle to take him to the ancient emperor's ruins.
He wanted to see what could be called a rare treasure by the entire "Zheng Du Envoy" of the drifting bottle.
"Zheng Du hasn't opened yet, and the ancient emperor's ruins are not visible. If you want to enter the ancient emperor's ruins, you can only do so after Zheng Du opens," the drifting bottle replied.
Fearing that Xu Mo wouldn't believe it, it quickly explained. After the era of spiritual suppression began, all extraordinary sites on Earth would shed their extraordinary attributes and become ordinary sites.
Only when Zheng Du opened, and spiritual energy revived, would these sites return to their extraordinary state.
"Alright then, we'll go after Zheng Du opens."
Xu Mo nodded gently, not in a hurry.
After a pause, he looked at the drifting bottle and asked, "I've heard you mention an ancient emperor who severed the connection between heaven and earth, and who also set up the ancient barrier. Who is he? From which world did he come?"
To be able to set up an ancient barrier that separated two realms, this ancient emperor's cultivation must have been heaven-defying. Xu Mo couldn't imagine how powerful he was.
"His name is Zhuanxu, and he came from Earth. People respectfully call him the Ancient Emperor Zhuanxu," the drifting bottle replied slowly.
Xu Mo's eyelids twitched upon hearing this!
Zhuanxu!
He had heard this name before, and it was very familiar.
Wasn't this the ancestor of China, the grandson of Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi? He was also one of the Five Emperors among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
"It's actually him?" Xu Mo was a bit confused. He had thought that these brilliant sages in history were just ordinary people.
He didn't expect the drifting bottle to say that Zhuanxu, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, was an ancient emperor!? And judging by his cultivation, he was at least above the level of an Extreme Dao Saint!
"Of course it's him. What, you know him?" The drifting bottle sensed Xu Mo's unusual reaction and was somewhat curious.
Xu Mo calmed himself and replied, "Of course I know him. He's one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of China, the ancestor of humanity. How could I not know him?"
Anyone who had received nine years of compulsory education would know the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
"Eh? You, an outsider, actually know the history of China on Earth? Did you absorb fragments of Chinese memories?" the drifting bottle thought to itself.
Xu Mo was too lazy to explain and urged, "Stop the nonsense and continue. Didn't you say that after Zheng Du ended, Earth would enter the era of spiritual suppression? This means that Earth will only experience a spiritual revival during those few years of Zheng Du. In such a situation, how could Earth produce powerful cultivators?"
"How could it not be possible?" the drifting bottle replied. "Didn't I tell you before? When Zheng Du opens, it's possible for mortals to become saints in a year. Although Earth is in an era of spiritual suppression for 90% of the time, it doesn't mean that strong individuals cannot be born on Earth."
"On the contrary, many powerful individuals have emerged from Earth, and every one of them who could emerge under such harsh conditions is not simple. Seventy percent of the ancient emperors came from Earth!"
Xu Mo frowned and said, "In other words, the Ancient Emperor Zhuanxu became an ancient emperor in just a few years?"
He was somewhat shocked. If that were the case, then ancient emperors were indeed extraordinary. He had previously thought that mortals becoming saints in a year was just a beautiful legend, but now it seemed that such cases were not uncommon?
"Naturally. Although he didn't become a saint in a year, it took him less than two years. After that, he advanced all the way, crushing everyone of his era. He was truly brilliant," the drifting bottle seemed to recall, its tone full of emotion.
Xu Mo still had many doubts. For example, according to Chinese historical records, Zhuanxu was a figure from about six to seven thousand years ago.
But this ancient barrier had clearly existed for a very, very long time.
The drifting bottle understood Xu Mo's doubts and scoffed, "Those historical records? Just take them with a grain of salt. The Ancient Emperor Zhuanxu was a figure from ancient times, at least over a hundred thousand years ago. The records on Earth now are all incomplete. Because every time Zheng Du occurs, the human race on Earth suffers a terrible purge. If the people die, how can these things be passed down?"
It also recounted that the last Zheng Du, which was over two thousand years ago on Earth, during the Qin Dynasty period of China. Many records were lost, and later generations, not understanding the reason, fabricated a story called "Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars."
Xu Mo was dumbfounded after listening!
Was "Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars" fabricated by later generations? He was somewhat shocked, feeling that the history of Chinese heritage seemed a bit ancient.
Xu Mo continued to inquire about other ancient sages, such as Emperor Huangdi and Laozi.
He wanted to know if these figures were also fabricated by later generations.
The drifting bottle deliberated its words and then replied, "These individuals all existed, and most of them were ancient emperors. Even if they weren't ancient emperors, they were beings with heaven-defying cultivation!"
Seeing Xu Mo's great interest in the land of China, it directly explained to him.
Most of the sages and immortal figures recorded in Chinese history were real. And each of them had formidable cultivation.
After all, out of a million years on Earth, 900,000 years were in an era of spiritual suppression. The conditions were extremely harsh, and no one who rose to prominence in such a situation was ordinary.
Xu Mo listened silently, and he had a general understanding.
The history of China was probably just a jumbled timeline, and most of the other records were still true.
For example, Laozi, who rode a green ox, was recorded in present-day Chinese history as a figure from the Qin Dynasty period over two thousand years ago.
But the drifting bottle said that this old man was probably from over twenty thousand years ago and had long since ascended to the upper realm and become an immortal.
The drifting bottle had a deep impression of this white-haired, white-bearded old man. He looked kind and benevolent, but in reality, his strength was incredibly formidable. When he fought, he was ruthless!
"Then, in the recent few Zheng Du events, have any brilliant figures appeared on Earth?" Xu Mo was a bit curious.
"No more. Starting from over ten thousand years ago, no extraordinary individual born on Earth could ascend to the upper realm. Only in the last Zheng Du, there appeared a Daoist named Xu with exceptional talent, who was destined to ascend to the upper realm. Unfortunately, he was targeted by over a dozen Extreme Dao Saints and eventually died under their siege," the drifting bottle replied.
A Daoist named Xu?
Xu Mo's heart stirred. Could this be Xu Fu?
The last Zheng Du happened just over two thousand years ago, and the Qin Dynasty was also over two thousand years ago. It matched perfectly.