Chapter 1242: The Stele Boundary

In the martial world, the more mysterious you were, the more curious and wary others became of you. Human nature was simply strange that way — people always maintained a instinctive caution toward the unknown.

Take Jiang Chen, for example. He had made quite the name for himself in Radiant Celestial City. The origins of his alchemy heritage were naturally a topic of great interest.

After all, everyone knew that while the Peacock Great Emperor was formidable, he could never have nurtured such a prodigiously talented disciple in the Dao of Pills.

So where exactly had Young Lord Zhen acquired his extraordinary alchemy foundation?

Various rumors had reached everyone's ears through different channels. The most outlandish claim was that Young Lord Zhen had received secret instruction from a mysterious expert in his youth.

And this mysterious expert was most likely from a place that existed only in legend — Myriad Abyss Island.

Yes, Myriad Abyss Island. Within the human domain, very few had even heard those three words. Only those of relatively elevated standing knew the name.

And those three words generally described a place that was nothing short of legendary.

Many powerhouses even doubted whether a mysterious place called Myriad Abyss Island truly existed. Could cultivators of the human race even reach such a place?

No one knew the definitive answer, and hardly anyone had ever had dealings with the people of Myriad Abyss Island.

Now, Jiang Chen's words had struck like an enormous hammer, shattering the doubt that had lingered in everyone's hearts.

Nian Great Emperor asked with a complex tone, "Young Lord Zhen, could it be that Myriad Abyss Island truly exists? It's not merely a legend?"

"Of course it does. The Divine Abyss Continent is far vaster than any of us can imagine."

Mo Wushuang nodded. "That much is true. I've traveled throughout the entirety of the human domain. I've been to the borders of the Sealed Demon Lands, and I've visited the Stele Boundaries between the human domain and other races' territories. I attempted several times to breach the Stele Boundary, to see what lay beyond it — what was on the other side of the human domain's border?"

Everyone's expressions turned solemn. The looks they directed at Mo Wushuang carried a measure of genuine admiration. An independent cultivator truly lived up to the name — that wild, untamed spirit was truly remarkable.

The Stele Boundary had always been regarded as a forbidden zone by human cultivators.

Generation after generation, sect disciples were warned never to trespass into the Stele Boundary, never to break the ancient established order, never to leave their own territory…

And virtually all factions, all cultivators, scrupulously observed these ancient injunctions. No one dared attempt to breach the Stele Boundary.

According to ancient records, in the primordial era of the Divine Abyss Continent, countless races had stood side by side. It was only after the Demon Sealing War that the old order was shattered. The Divine Abyss Continent had been torn apart, and mutual wariness and hostility had taken root among the various races. Thus the practice of territorial division had emerged — boundary steles were erected, and from that point on, the races lived without any contact whatsoever.

An ancient covenant held that whoever dared trespass into the Stele Boundary and enter another race's territory would be executed without mercy.

It was considered an act of provocation tantamount to declaring war.

Fortunately, the ancient Stele Boundary was not easy to breach. Powerful boundary restrictions and violent border turbulence made it nearly impossible for cultivators to cross the forbidden zone.

So when they heard that Mo Wushuang had actually considered breaking through the Stele Boundary, they felt both admiration and a chill of lingering fear. If he had succeeded, it might well have sparked a war between races.

Mo Wushuang saw their expressions and chuckled. "No need to stare at me like that. I didn't go through with it in the end, did I? With my level of cultivation, breaching the Stele Boundary would have been certain death. I'm not eager to die. Ha ha."

Jiang Chen knew very little about the Stele Boundary.

The ancient powerhouses he had encountered — figures like Immortal Tiankun and Venerable Chongxiao — had never mentioned anything about it.

The Stele Boundary must have been established after their era. By the time they entered the Radiant Celestial Tower, they had no way of knowing about such matters.

"The Stele Boundary protects the peace of all. It's better left undisturbed," Zhenyue Great Emperor sighed. "At any rate, the people of Radiant Celestial City have always strictly adhered to this principle."

"Indeed. The Stele Boundary must not be trespassed upon — that is an ancient commandment."

Mo Wushuang shrugged and smiled. "We independent cultivators tend to be more casual about such things. However, I have visited the Stele Boundary several times, and from what I've observed, the Stele Boundary was never established because the various races feared conflict with one another, nor because they worried about war between each other."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Chen asked.

The others were equally curious. Did Mo Wushuang have evidence for this claim?

"My theory is that the Stele Boundary is entirely a product of the ancient Demon Sealing War. After the war ended, the Divine Abyss Continent lay in ruins. The various races dividing territory and establishing boundaries — that was nothing more than each race retreating into its own stronghold, establishing a base of operations, and hiding from the demons. To put it bluntly, they were all afraid the demon catastrophe would erupt again. No one wanted demons pouring into their territory, so each race simply carved out its own domain. The Stele Boundary wasn't designed to guard against each other — it was designed to guard against the demons' resurgence."

Mo Wushuang's voice grew intense as he continued. "And our human domain lies closest to the Sealed Demon Lands. This so-called Stele Boundary may appear to protect us, but in reality, it has cut off the human race's only path of retreat. If the demon catastrophe erupts from the east, the human domain will have nowhere to fall back to."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. He had not expected Mo Wushuang to possess such keen insight — to be able to draw such profound conclusions from the strategic landscape of the ancient Demon Sealing War.

He had to admit that Mo Wushuang's analysis was remarkably sound.

In the primordial era, when countless races stood shoulder to shoulder and warfare between them had been commonplace, no one had ever established boundary steles to seal themselves off from one another.