Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 87 - 73.9: The Historical Limitations of Xiangzhou’s Traditional Culture

In Li Tianya’s view, the history of Xiangzhou should be divided into four parts.

He pointed to the highest gray block with his hand: "At the very beginning was the Primordial Era, which is the era you lived in. At that time, the world was known as the Jiuzhou Continent, and the Immortal Dao civilization was highly developed. Immortal Venerables of Earth Splitting Heaven Shattering Realm emerged frequently, and even records of shattering void to ascend were occasionally witnessed."

Wang Jiu nodded.

Li Tianya then slightly lowered his finger to point to the highest solid line, saying: "After that, the Immortal Demon War broke out. The Demon Race invaded the Jiuzhou Continent, triggering an apocalypse."

Wang Jiu continued to nod.

Li Tianya continued pointing down: "The history after that is very obscure. Currently, there are two mainstream viewpoints. The side I support believes that after the apocalypse, the Xiangzhou Continent entered a special period known as the Ice Age." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"The Ice Age?"

Li Tianya explained: "This viewpoint acknowledges the existence of the apocalypse, believing that although Xiangzhou Continent survived the disaster and eliminated the invading Demon Race, the victory was pyrrhic. Post-war, the entire world was reduced to ruins, with 99% of civilization disappearing into the vast chaos. The remaining small space underwent dramatic changes in the laws of heaven and earth, becoming highly unsuitable for survival. It is said that the Xiangzhou Continent during the Ice Age was plagued not only by ubiquitous Spirit Wind storms and tribulation thunder, but the sky was also shrouded in thick clouds that never dispersed throughout the year. Sunlight became a luxury resource, seen only once in a few years or even decades. The ground was covered with ice and snow, with nearly all flora and fauna extinct, and only a handful of creatures able to resist the cold and darkness could survive. Our ancestors, in despair, abandoned the surface world, scattered into countless sparks, and hid in the dark underworld, struggling to survive.

After saying this, Li Tianya’s finger continued to point down: "The history of this Ice Age is very vague, and because the ongoing changes in the realm of heaven and earth were too frequent and intense, it’s now difficult to reconstruct the historical landscape relying on environmental factors like geomagic lines and Spirit Wind. Therefore, it’s tough to ascertain how many years the Ice Age lasted or what exactly our ancestors experienced during that period. My current guess is that the Ice Age lasted about two to three thousand years, with our ancestors surviving and multiplying in the underworld, experiencing roughly dozens of generations of renewal before finally welcoming the dawn of a new era. My guess is based on the fact that after the Ice Age, the Immortal Dao civilization of Xiangzhou started almost from scratch. When the dramatic changes in heaven and earth ended, and the clouds dispersed with sunlight bathing the land again, our ancestors emerged from the underworld, having lost almost all their Immortal Techniques. Even the historical records that were preserved became myth-like fragments, save for a few noble families who managed to keep key cultivation methods—seen at the time as divine tomes, with many people unable to even remember the methods of immortal cultivation. For civilization to regress so thoroughly, it’s likely that the ancestors had to endure many generations of decline.

Wang Jiu listened attentively, missing no details.

Li Tianya sighed softly: "But these are just speculations. After all, the civilization decline during the Ice Age was so severe that the history of that time is completely lost, with many even questioning whether that history existed, arguing that the so-called Ice Age should fall within the scope of the apocalypse. A catastrophe capable of sweeping the world can’t possibly end abruptly over just a few years or a decade. Our ancestors likely struggled against the enemy for thousands of years before finally achieving victory. The current history of Xiangzhou only began to gradually form after our ancestors emerged from the underworld."

Li Tianya’s finger continued downward: "Then came the third era, the Dark Era.

After surviving the Ice Age, our ancestors returned to the surface. Although at that time they mostly regressed to primal ways of living, and were scattered across different places, because some major tribes still preserved core inheritances, the Immortal Dao civilization began to gradually revive."

Wang Jiu asked, "If so, why is it called the Dark Era?"

Li Tianya chuckled bitterly: "Because the renaissance history of that period is truly unsavory, especially viewed from today’s perspective, it seemed extraordinarily barbaric."

After a pause, Li Tianya spoke solemnly: "I think during your vibrant Primordial Era, the cultivators of the world should have been united, coexistent, advancing and retreating together, right? After all, it’s said that civilization was highly developed, and the world was unified."

Wang Jiu said: "Yes, although it doesn’t compare to the current order and prosperity of Xiangzhou. But back then, the cultivators of Jiuzhou collectively obeyed the rule of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, united against the Demon Race, and even many heretical paths joined in resolutely, fighting alongside the righteous cultivators in blood and fire."

Li Tianya said: "However, after thousands of years of isolation and decline during the Ice Age, the ancestors who returned to the surface no longer recognized each other. Even the now Seven Great Noble Families didn’t have any notions of the same spirit and branch at the time. Back then, the Xiangzhou Continent was far from being as vast and fertile as it is now, its land area was about only 1% of today’s? The edges of the continent were lethal Chaos Wilderness, and the limited land was partly occupied by icefields and deserts ... resources for survival were very limited. Thus, war and slaughter followed. The fire of civilization we reignited with immense effort was repeatedly on the verge of being extinguished due to the chaos of warfare, and that period of history lasted for 3,000 years."

Then, Li Tianya’s finger continued to descend.

"Of course, during those 3,000 years, although our ancestors experienced constant warfare, civilization as a whole still flourished. The land of Xiangzhou expanded more than tenfold, and previously isolated families and tribes gradually exchanged and integrated with each other. Several main civilized forces even began consciously unifying calendars and writing systems... and this created sufficient conditions for the unification that followed. More importantly, the influence of the Saint Sect was already deeply rooted and entrenched in people’s hearts."

Wang Jiu frowned, interrupting: "What is the origin of the Saint Sect?"

"It’s unclear, even the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect can only trace their family’s history back to the early years of the Dark Era. I think it’s probably similar to the Seven Great Noble Families, descended from surviving cultivators of the Primordial Era, right?"

Wang Jiu asked: "But in the Jiuzhou Era, there was definitely no Saint Sect."

"There are many possibilities." Li Tianya explained, "After all, there are still thousands of years of Ice Age between the Primordial Era and the Dark Era. Perhaps two unrelated Cultivation Clans were forced to merge in the underworld, forming an entirely new school, or maybe a somewhat obscure small family in the Primordial Era found a resource-rich underground refuge by luck, preserving more power than other families over the thousands of years of the Ice Age?"

Wang Jiu slowly nodded, indicating acceptance of this hypothesis.

"In any case, from the Dark Era onwards, the Saint Sect played the role of the exceptionally neutral leader of the righteous path. It did not join in the conflicts over interests among families but intervened only during massive calamities and chaos to stop conflicts. Due to the Saint Sect’s unparalleled power and just dealings without selfish gain, over several thousand years, its prestige steadily grew. Finally, at the end of the Dark Era—according to the research of contemporary historians, it should be the year 3412 of the Dark Calendar—the Saint Sect united with the Seven Great Noble Families to launch a campaign to unify the Xiangzhou Continent. Over three years, it brought Xiangzhou’s history into its final stage."

Li Tianya spoke with a smile: "Actually, the moment the Saint Sect reached an agreement with the Patriarchs of the Seven Great Noble Families to jointly govern the world, the overall trend was already set. After all, one Sect, Three Academies, Seven Great Noble Families controlled over half of the high-end power of Xiangzhou at the time. Much of the three-year war consisted of negotiations with some medium and small families and Sects. Those who truly resisted to the end were very few. In short, three years later, the Saint Sect declared world unification, ending the Dark Era and opening the new Xiangzhou Calendar."

Wang Jiu said: "Then followed 2,000 years of peaceful development?"

"Yes, after more than 2,000 years of rapid development, you see the Xiangzhou Continent as it is now. The history I know is roughly like this. I wonder if it can be corroborated with the parts you know?"

Wang Jiu, with sober expression, pondered: "At least from what I hear now, there seems to be no major contradictions. For instance, about the Ice Age: when I battled the Demon Emperor back in the day, the destruction was indeed cosmic, almost turning the entire Jiuzhou upside down, with the laws of heaven and earth disintegrating. Even if it eventually led to the annihilation of heaven and earth, it wouldn’t be surprising. Therefore, the environmental hypothesis of the Ice Age sounds plausible to me."

Li Tianya asked: "Then what about the Demon Race? The Immortal Demon War ended immediately after the Demon Emperor died?"

Wang Jiu said: "Of course not. The calamity of the Demon Race was critical not only because of their astonishing individual strength, but more importantly, their sheer vast numbers. At that time, although I led the Jiu Immortal Venerables to continuous victories, recovering much lost ground over three years, the main force of the Demon Race was always present, and reinforcements from the Gate of Chaos kept appearing... The only issue was that the demonic nature of the Demons was chaotic and bloodthirsty. Without a strong and capable leader like the Great Demon God Emperor to suppress them, they would start a bloody internecine war among themselves. In those days when I led the team, I directly targeted and killed the Demon Monarchs and Demon Generals. Once the leaders were killed, their subordinates would immediately start an internal struggle for power and profit. In the crucial battle, following Shang Lanfei’s arrangements, I consecutively eliminated thirteen Demon Monarchs, severely disrupting the Demon Race’s chain of command. Thus, as long as the Demon Emperor fell, according to Shang Lanfei’s prediction, the Demon Race would inevitably fall into endless internal conflict. Even if the Myriad Immortals Alliance did absolutely nothing, we could stand by and watch them destroy themselves."

Li Tianya was simply astounded: "Such a powerful alien civilization was held in check solely by the power of one Demon Emperor?"

Wang Jiu said: "Indeed, the Demon Emperor was that powerful."