Venerable Chongxiao's questions were all very practical ones. To restart the Myriad Spirits Locking Gods Formation, these were problems that had to be faced.
"Venerable, when this formation was originally set up, how many sects were involved? Do you have their specific names?"
Venerable Chongxiao thought for a moment before answering. "Finding information on all those sects now is virtually impossible. However, for you, Sect Master, there may be another way. This way might actually be more feasible for you."
"How so?" Jiang Chen asked in a low voice.
"When the formation was set up, several of humanity's great leaders participated together. The discussions took place at the Earth Treasure Sect. Even our Danxiao Ancient Sect went to the Earth Treasure Sect for the meetings. So, the Earth Treasure Sect may well have records of the entire Myriad Spirits Locking Gods Formation."
"The Earth Treasure Sect?" Jiang Chen immediately thought of the Earth Treasure Source Pearl he had obtained. Could it be that the Red Cauldron Central Domain had once been the Earth Treasure Sect's territory?
Yet, the place where he had found the Earth Treasure Source Pearl was the Bengyun Mountain Range, which didn't resemble an ancient sect's ruins at all.
Moreover, since the Demon Race had chosen to establish a foothold there, it probably wasn't the location of an ancient sect.
Otherwise, the demons wouldn't have been foolish enough to establish a base in such a place. And the Earth Treasure Sect wouldn't have been kind enough to let the demons set up a base right under their noses.
"Venerable, the Earth Treasure Sect... did their legacy survive?" Jiang Chen was quite curious.
"Hmph..." Venerable Chongxiao's tone suddenly turned peculiar, his cold snort carrying unmistakable contempt.
"Sect Master, the Earth Treasure Sect did contribute greatly to setting up the Myriad Spirits Locking Gods Formation. They provided abundant resources and manpower. You could even say they were the leading force behind the formation. However..."
"Hmm?" Jiang Chen frowned. There was certainly more to the story behind that "however."
"Heh, unfortunately, the Earth Treasure Sect was nothing more than a nouveau riche sect without real depth. When the Myriad Spirits Locking Gods Formation was triggered by the Demon Race using puppets, the Earth Treasure Sect threw in the towel. They felt all their effort and bloodshed had been for nothing. After that, every member of the Earth Treasure Sect became lethargic and discouraged, believing humanity's fortune was in decline. Anxiety and panic spread everywhere. Eventually, the entire sect planned to shut its doors and withdraw from the world!"
"What? The Earth Treasure Sect did something that absurd? When the war against the demons was raging, the entire sect planned to retreat from the world together?"
Perhaps, in ancient times, some powerful individuals had feared death and the Demon Race, choosing to sneak away and flee to other places.
But an entire sect retreating together was truly beyond imagination.
"Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? But that's exactly what the Earth Treasure Sect did. Ignoring the stern opposition of humanity's leaders, they insisted on sealing the sect and withdrawing from the world, claiming they needed to preserve the sect's bloodline and make the most favorable choice for the sect's fortune."
Jiang Chen was speechless. At such a critical juncture, the sect renowned as the foremost in formations suddenly pulling such a stunt was undoubtedly a blow to humanity's morale.
Jiang Chen suddenly understood why Venerable Chongxiao held the Earth Treasure Sect in such contempt. The root cause was right here.
Though the Earth Treasure Sect had indeed contributed much to the war against the demons, their eventual desertion was something a righteous sect like the Danxiao Ancient Sect could only look upon with scorn.
"The ancient human leaders just let the Earth Treasure Sect get away with it?" Jiang Chen still found it hard to believe.
"Hmph, what use is it to keep them when their hearts are no longer in it?" Venerable Chongxiao harbored deep resentment toward the Earth Treasure Sect. "Fortunately, humanity's leaders had their own means of punishment. After consulting with each other, though they couldn't use brute force to compel the Earth Treasure Sect to stay, they used other methods to intercept the sect's treasure — the Earth Treasure Source Pearl. Consider it punishment for the Earth Treasure Sect's cowardice."
"And it is precisely because of this that you, Sect Master, were able to obtain the Earth Treasure Source Pearl."
Jiang Chen suddenly realized the full picture. This was the origin of everything. The Earth Treasure Source Pearl had been separated from the Earth Treasure Sect; otherwise, it would never have come to him.
In that moment, Jiang Chen finally understood the entire sequence of events.
"Venerable, where did the Earth Treasure Sect go afterward?" Jiang Chen asked again.
"No one knows where the Earth Treasure Sect went. But after they left, their headquarters was smashed and completely destroyed by waves of furious human cultivators. So, it's impossible for Earth Treasure Sect ruins to exist in this world. If you want to find traces of the Earth Treasure Sect, you'll have to find where they went. Based on my calculations, they're probably no longer in the human territories."
"Could they have gone to Myriad Abyss Island?" Jiang Chen frowned.
If the Earth Treasure Sect wanted to hide from the world, Myriad Abyss Island was undoubtedly the best place to go.
"Very likely." Venerable Chongxiao sighed. "Plenty of powerful individuals in ancient times turned into turtles hiding in their shells. But for an entire sect to do the same — that truly was something extraordinary."
While Jiang Chen held the Earth Treasure Sect in contempt, he didn't dwell on it further. What he wanted to know now was whether the Earth Treasure Sect had records of everything about the Myriad Spirits Locking Gods Formation beyond what the Danxiao Ancient Sect had covered.
"Venerable, the Danxiao Ancient Sect's portion... the texts don't have detailed records either." Jiang Chen suddenly remembered something.
"Heh, the portion handled by the Danxiao Ancient Sect is all in this subordinate's head. I'll tell you everything now, Sect Master." Though Venerable Chongxiao had lived over a hundred thousand years, such important information was something he naturally could not have forgotten.
Jiang Chen didn't stand on ceremony and listened attentively.
It had to be said that Venerable Chongxiao's memory was exceptional, and his narration was remarkably clear. After a full day, Jiang Chen finally absorbed all the essential details of the Danxiao Ancient Sect's portion of the formation.