C1300 The Life Limit Theory

"Taking something?"

Yu Yuan was taken aback. In the Lissom Realm, what kind of marvel could possibly aid in the awakening and strengthening of his Yang God?

Near the Origin Realm Gate, there were only Diggs of the Dark Elfkind and Pei Yuling, a renegade from the vast expanses.

Above ground, sinister plants and flowers were consuming the fallen beings.

He doubted that the Lissom Realm harbored any treasures capable of fundamentally transforming him.

"The seed of the Hannya Divine Tree has sprouted, bringing forth new life. Though this life force feels tainted, imbued with too much corrupt power, it unmistakably carries the essence of the Hannya Divine Tree," Chen Qinghuang said, her eyes deep with thought. She paused before adding, "It is indeed the Hannya's aura."

"The Hannya Divine Tree?"

Yu Yuan was perplexed.

He glanced at Yu Yiyi, Yan Qiling, and members of the Freezing Devaputra Race, Moore and the Ice Concubine.

He soon realized they were just as bewildered as he was.

Clearly, none of them had ever heard of the "Hannya Divine Tree," nor did they have any recollection of it.

"The Star Race has returned," Chen Qinghuang announced abruptly. "The Nine Stars Sage, who has lived quite a long time and is well-acquainted with Diggs, might have some insights. When he arrives, have him clear up your confusion and explain the marvels of the Hannya Divine Tree."

"Beru!"

Yu Yuan's expression brightened as he scanned his surroundings.

Sure enough, after more than half an hour, Beru, Leo, and Denise, who had been away for quite some time, returned, navigating the star-bright meteorite back to them.

The trio appeared disheartened.

Leo, the Child of the Stars, looked particularly dispirited. Despite his mystical connection with the cosmos, he had led Beru and Denise astray in the Deep Starfield!

The route back to the Illusion Starfield had been mistaken five times under his lead!

Beru sensed trouble and advised Leo to hold off on departing and instead seek out Yu Yuan and the others. Then, he approached once more.

Suddenly, he caught sight of the awakened Empress, who regarded him with a sardonic look.

Beru's body instantly tensed, and the flow of blood within him momentarily came to a halt.

Aware that Chen Qinghuang before him was the Death Bird from a hundred thousand years ago, Beru was filled with trepidation. The meteorite he controlled hovered in the void, and he seemed reluctant to get any closer.

Yu Yuan gestured and called out, "Great Sage, I need your counsel!"

After a brief hesitation, Beru steeled himself and moved closer, yet their meteorite still maintained a distance from Yan Qiling's.

"We're lost," Leo admitted with a sheepish smile.

Denise added, "The Deep Starfield has become unusual, filled with layers of illusions."

Yu Yuan, who was well-versed in various void techniques and deeply knowledgeable about illusions, showed no surprise at the Queen's remarks. He nodded and suggested, "Let's step aside to talk."

The meteorite edged closer once more.

"You've lived far too long. At most, you have three hundred years left. No matter how you resist, you cannot escape the immutable destiny. Even if you advance to the Tenth Rank, it's pointless; you'll still only have about three hundred years left," Chen Qinghuang told Beru in an indifferent voice, delivering this harsh truth.

The revelation left everyone present in shock, struggling to accept it as true.

Yet, considering what Chen Qinghuang signified and seeing the bitterness on Beru's face, they had no reason to question the veracity of her statement.

Yu Yuan, too, was taken aback. "Great Sage, there seems to be a change in your life force."

"No, it's futile," Beru replied with a wry smile, shaking his head. "Yu Yuan, I'm grateful for your help in concocting the medicine and extending my life. Your pill healed my chronic ailment, allowing me to live a few more years. But I am indeed too old. As she said, I cannot escape my fate."

He sighed deeply, "It's not just me... The lifespan of the mighty from other realms has its limits. Even Peak experts of the Tenth Rank will eventually succumb to old age and cannot contend with the fundamental laws of the universe."

"That's why the Star Race, the Bright Clan, and the Dark Elfkind all select their next successors well in advance, to prepare for the future."

"Barol is my protégé, whom I've personally mentored and helped ascend to the position of Patriarch. You should know, had I wished, I could have become the Patriarch of the Star Race and ascended to the Tenth Level."

"I relinquished it myself! Do you know why? Because I'm acutely aware that I'm too old. Even if I were to advance to a Tenth Level bloodline, my age would still be a constraint. I could die suddenly from old age at any moment."

"That is the greatest difference between Diggs and me!"

"..."

As the Nine Stars Sage of the Star Race, Her Majesty's words laid bare a profound secret.

He resisted the allure of the Peak Tenth Level bloodline and passed it all to Barol, fully aware that his advanced age was an insurmountable barrier. Even achieving a Tenth Level bloodline and becoming the Star Race's patriarch wouldn't alter his destiny of dying from old age.

Rather than cling to power, he chose to act generously, securing the utmost benefit for his entire race and their future.

Diggs, his contemporary, and Brie, the current patriarch of Dark Elfkind, faced the same dilemma.

The difference, however, was that Diggs refused to step down!

Despite his advanced years, he was determined to make another attempt, leading to an irreconcilable conflict with Brie, which ultimately escalated into a major dispute.

"The most intelligent beings of the first echelon in the outer domain, at the pinnacle of their bloodline, still lack eternal life?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in astonishment.

"In the boundless cosmos, only three known races can exist eternally," Beru explained, glancing first at Chen Qinghuang. "Beings like her, the Starry Behemoths, born from the primordial chaos. And beings like you, humans, who can achieve immortality upon reaching the Primordial Spirit Stage."

"Furthermore..."

He turned his gaze to Moore and the Ice Concubine, "Aside from the Blood Devil Clan, the Outland Devaputra, inherently soul spirits, can also exist perpetually once they ascend to the rank of Great Demon God."

"Beyond these, no matter the extensive demon race, the ancient Nagas, or the alien beasts, all intelligent life forms like us have a lifespan limit. Even a Tenth Level Bloodline Keeper, with combat prowess comparable to a human's Primordial Spirit, will eventually succumb to old age."

Beru sighed deeply.

"Starry Behemoths, humans' Primordial Spirits, and the Great Demon Gods of the Devaputra!"

Yan Ziyang of the Ghost Spirit Sect was astounded, seemingly uncovering for the first time a secret so startling.

He had never imagined that the once inconspicuous humans, once they reached the Primordial Spirit Stage, could actually stand on equal footing with the Starry Behemoth and the Great Demon God from the Devaputra Race!

This was the true definition of eternal immortality!

Yu Yuan instinctively glanced at Chen Qinghuang and noticed her subtly nodding in confirmation.

He immediately realized the truth in Beru's words.

A flicker of excitement and a sense of pride for the marvels of the Boundless Human Race stirred within him.

"Can the Dragon God of the Boundless Expanse not break this limitation either?" Yan Qiling hesitated before seeking confirmation once more.

Beru shook his head, "All demons, both present and ancient, remain bound by this limit. The Nagas, being an ancient demon race of the Boundless Expanse, have no exception. In fact..."

"Save for the Starry Behemoth, no intelligent race that derives its power from flesh and blood can escape this destiny! This includes the Outland Devaputra, a unique branch of the Blood Devil Clan with flesh and blood. The Nagas of the Vast Ocean, the multitude of great demons, the alien beasts from beyond, and our own intelligent race with its myriad of divine bloodlines."

"It's the same for all!"

Beru declared definitively.

Yu Yuan reflected in silence. He didn't know much about the Nagas, whose era of splendor was far removed from the present.

He considered that the Demon Gods of the Vast Ocean's demon races did indeed seem to undergo generational renewal.

The Desolate God, the Qilin, the White Divine Tiger, and the Heaven Shaking Ape of old were succeeded by new generations.

The sole exception was the purple phoenix!

Then, he recalled the young Spinosaurus that, not long ago, could connect with and respond to most of the Totem Pillars within the Chaos Roc, yet showed no reaction to the one representing the Demon Phoenix.

Combining what Beru and Chen Qinghuang had said, he harbored a daring hypothesis and turned his gaze back to Chen Qinghuang.

As if she could read his mind, Chen Qinghuang gave a slight nod. Yu Yuan's heart was suddenly engulfed by a maelstrom of emotions!

Indeed!

The purple phoenix within the Demon Palace was not a native entity of the Boundless Ocean, nor was it any kind of alien beast from beyond.

Only the Primordial Spirit of the human race and the Great Demon Gods among the Devaputra could achieve eternal existence.

The answer was clear!

Yu Yuan took several deep breaths to steady his emotions and forced himself to remain composed. He then inquired, "Great Sage, have you ever heard of the Hannya Divine Tree?"

"The Hannya Divine Tree?!"

Beru's reaction was one of sudden excitement. He gazed intently at Yu Yuan and exclaimed, "You, how did you come to know of the Hannya Divine Tree?" Leo and Denise, members of the Star Race, were just as perplexed as Yan Qiling and Yu Yiyi had been.

Yu Yuan gestured towards Chen Qinghuang.

As if doused with a bucket of ice water, the Star Race's Great Sage immediately ceased his outburst and explained, "In ancient tales, the Hannya Divine Tree emerged alongside the primordial Starry Behemoths. When the cosmos was still a swirling chaos, the Hannya Divine Tree could already reach the heavens and delve into the abyss."

"The Dark Elfkind firmly believe that the Hannya Divine Tree is the origin of their bloodline and the Founder of their race."

"Yet, legends are merely legends, and no member of the Dark Elfkind has ever truly witnessed the Hannya Divine Tree."

"What I know of the Hannya Divine Tree comes from... Diggs. Without him, I wouldn't even be aware of such a divine tree's existence from the dawn of time."

Beru's frame shook slightly as he spoke.

"Diggs once confided in me his search for the Hannya Divine Tree, claiming it could help him transcend the limits of his lifespan and grant him immortality! He was utterly convinced of its power."

"However, Brie and the rest of the Dark Elfkind considered him mad."

"They all dismissed his claims as delusional ramblings, believing he had been seduced by malevolent beings into losing his sanity, which led to his conducting numerous heinous sacrifices in the Deep Starfield."

Beru sighed deeply, filled with emotion.

After a prolonged silence, the queen spoke with a serene voice, "He has found it."

...