Spiritual energy cultivation subtly influences emotions. The more powerful a cultivator, the stronger their mental fortitude needs to be.
The realms of Huahong, Fashen, and even Zhangdao, achieved after ascending to immortality, all emphasize the strength of one's spirit and consciousness.
But this is the path of cultivation in the post-Immortal Tribulation era.
In the ancient era Qin Shang spoke of, after the great tribulation of ascension, immortals no longer faced calamities.
Concurrently, without the threat of calamities, the progress of immortals in increasing their cultivation became extremely slow and ineffective.
Furthermore, lacking the crisis of major tribulations, many immortals were not particularly keen on advancing their cultivation.
In that era, where most immortals became complacent after ascension, they enjoyed endless years, freely spreading the brilliance of the spiritual energy civilization throughout the world.
The initial ascendants were, in fact, not much different from cultivators of today in terms of their emotions.
However, insufficient mental cultivation, worn down by endless years, caused immortals to mutate.
Some allowed time to erode their emotions, transforming into immortals who had completely forgotten their feelings, or Taishang Wangqing.
Others continuously stimulated their emotions, pursuing more thrilling and frenzied experiences, becoming demons.
But whether immortal or demon, existence was the paramount concern.
The coexistence of both on the same land inherently sowed the seeds of conflict.
Qin Shang's eyes were filled with nostalgia. He was a truly ancient True Immortal.
"I was born in the 'Supreme Freedom Gate,' founded by the Primordial Ancestor, and I am the Primordial Ancestor's one hundred and eighth-generation descendant."
"By the time of my birth, the conflict between immortals and demons in the world had just begun."
"A century later, I became the youngest immortal in the sect, which granted me the opportunity to meet the Primordial Ancestor."
"Honestly, even after tens of millions of years, I still clearly remember that afternoon."
"In a dense bamboo forest, a thin, old man, with a smile, chatted with me for the entire afternoon."
"I still cannot imagine that the old man was the Primordial Immortal Venerable, revered by the entire world at that time."
"After ascending, I roamed the entire land, even visiting the vast seas occupied by the demon races."
"Wielding a sword, riding the clouds, subduing demons, exploring mysteries – a hundred years passed in a flash."
"When I returned to the sect, it was already my parents' funeral."
"Even in that era, not everyone could become an immortal, and the departure of my parents was the event that most profoundly shook my heart in the first half of my life."
"After that, came endless, long, seemingly unending cultivation."
"Without the impetus of immortal tribulations, relying solely on self-cultivation, it was difficult to advance even one level in a thousand or ten thousand years."
"I also had offspring, and my descendants even multiplied for a hundred generations. But watching them wither like plants, born in spring and dying in autumn, I gradually lost the desire to care for them."
"In this cultivation that defied time, my emotions grew increasingly faint. I knew this was the path of an immortal, the price of time and spiritual energy, but at that time, I didn't feel it was a bad thing."
"It was only during breaks in my cultivation, recalling that afternoon, that a question arose in my mind."
"After living for so many years, after witnessing the departure of so many descendants, why could that Primordial Immortal Venerable, revered by the world, still chat and laugh with me so ordinarily that afternoon?"
Qin Shang's gaze was incredibly complex, showing no trace of the emotional detachment he described.
The old Dragon King beside him remained silent, as the dragon race had long since withdrawn from the era's conflicts.
That era belonged to the immortal path of the great spiritual energy age.
Qin Shang paused before continuing:
"From some unknown time, among the immortals, there appeared beings who called themselves demons. They were consumed by extreme emotions and desires, indulging in their own wants even more than mortals."
"All the teachings and rules of the world were things they needed to break. Only through these acts of destruction could they find satisfaction."
"The demonic sects of the current era are mere child's play compared to the demons of that time."
"Immortals naturally repelled demons, because instability itself was a factor affecting their continued existence, let alone the fact that what demons sought to challenge was inherently the immortals."
"As contradictions accumulated and after numerous minor conflicts, a true immortal-demon war that swept across the entire cultivation world began."
"Originally, I, like the others, believed that under the leadership of the Primordial Ancestor, the so-called demons were merely heretics destined to be annihilated. But something unexpected happened."
"Corresponding to the Primordial Immortal Venerable's command of the immortal path, a demon among demons was born among the demonic ranks. He was known as the Demon Lord, and immortals even believed he possessed the power to contend with the Primordial Immortal Venerable."
"The confrontation between the Immortal Venerable and the Demon Lord plunged the entire land into war. At that time, the only pure land was perhaps the overseas regions where the demon races resided."
"The first immortal-demon war lasted for tens of millions of years. Countless immortals and demons were born and destroyed in the war. The entire primordial land was battered, its mountains and rivers shattered, almost to the brink of destruction."
"The crisis of the world's impending destruction seemed to stimulate both sides, the immortals and demons. Under the leadership of the Immortal Venerable and the Demon Lord, the final battle commenced at the edge of the world."
"Although there were no immortal tribulations in that era, immortals could still cultivate after ascension. And those immortals and demons who participated in the final battle, by today's standards, were at least at the Great Perfection of the Fashen realm."
Qin Shang gave a self-mocking smile. "My talent was excellent. Before the final battle, I entered the Zhangdao realm. However, the Dao I comprehended at that time was rather peculiar, and even I, its comprehending master, could not fully grasp its true nature for a time."
"But Zhangdao is Zhangdao. I ultimately participated in that ultimate battle."
"In that battle, the land was shattered, the seas overturned. It was only with the support of several friends that I managed to hold on until the very last moment."
"But I would rather never have lived to see that time, and even more so, I wish I had never comprehended this peculiar Dao."
On the ultimate battlefield of the first immortal-demon war,
Qin Shang, covered in wounds, trembled as he collected the bodies of his comrades. He had thought he had forgotten his emotions, but in this protracted war, he realized that his past self had merely been numb.
At this moment, only a dozen or so beings remained on both the immortal and demon sides.
He, an immortal who had just entered the Zhangdao realm, was now the weakest among them.
His survival until this point, besides the sacrifices of his old friends, was also due to the brilliant white sun that spanned the sky before him.
That was the manifestation of the Dao of the strongest being in this world – the Primordial Immortal Venerable!
But in the opposing ranks, before the true demons, a black sun of equal brilliance also spanned the sky.
The might of the Demon Lord was in no way inferior to that of the Immortal Venerable!
Blood flowed from Qin Shang's forehead, staining his eyes. He stared intently at the lawless demons, determined to witness the conclusion of this battle!