Chapter 2178 — Primordial Realm’s Location

"Dong Ye. It’s been a while," Yuan returned the greeting with a warm smile.

"Indeed, it has." Dong Ye nodded.

"I heard that you’ve anticipated my arrival."

Dong Ye smiled and said, "I knew you’d come here sooner or later. Let’s talk somewhere more private, shall we?"

Yuan nodded.

As they walked through the empty streets of the city, Yuan asked, "Did you create this place?"

"No, I did not. As much as I loved the city I grew up in, I wouldn’t do something as disrespectful as recreating it without your approval."

"Then..."

"It was created by my liege," Dong Ye revealed, confirming what was in Yuan’s mind.

"I see... Unfortunately, I still don’t have all of my memories as the God of War."

"It’s fine. You’ll eventually recall everything. By the way, my liege, who is your new companion?"

"I’m someone who will be carrying his child in the future," Mu Xuelian calmly responded, repeating what she said earlier.

"What?" Dong Ye turned to look at Yuan with raised eyebrows.

Yuan rubbed his eyes and sighed out loud, "It’s nothing like that. She’s from the White Hell Barbarian Tribe."

"The White Hell Barbarian Tribe? No wonder she looks so familiar," Dong Ye remarked.

"You know them?"

"How could I not? Someone from her tribe used to follow you around. I believe her name was Mu Hanyan..."

"That’s my grandmother," Mu Xuelian said.

"Unbelievable... To think her granddaughter would be following you after so many years... Is she still alive?" Dong Ye asked.

"She’s still alive," Mu Xuelian said.

Sometime later, as they drew closer to the towering pagoda in the distance, Yuan remarked, "This place is quiet. It’s like a ghost town."

"Ah, that’s because most of them are in training. One doesn’t become part of our Shadow Army without extensive training, after all."

"How do you find these people?" Yuan asked.

"From the streets. Most of them are either homeless or orphans."

"I see... and how do you train them?"

"Believe it or not, this place is where those who have reached the very end of their training curriculum come to train. Naturally, we cannot allow anyone we do not trust to enter," said Dong Ye.

"That’s why we begin by cultivating their loyalty. Since most of them come from the streets, it isn’t difficult to earn their trust. Still, we test them thoroughly for many years. Only when we are certain of their loyalty do we gradually reveal the truth—introducing them to the existence of the God of War and dispelling the false history woven by the previous Celestial Emperors."

"Once we are certain they will be able to handle it, we invest our full resources into them—raising their cultivation and instructing them in the Shadow Army’s techniques."

Yuan then asked, "What happens to those who fail?"

"What do you think we do with them?" Dong Ye asked with a mysterious smile on his face.

"I doubt you would do something as stupid as disposing of the failures... right?" Yuan narrowed his gaze at Dong Ye.

He immediately chuckled and said, "Of course not. I wouldn’t have lived this long if I had done such audacious acts behind your back. Anyway, to answer your question, we simply set them free."

"I have the ability to eat memories, so I take away the memories of those who do not qualify to stay with us. However, it’s not like we abandon them afterward, either. We continue to support those who deserve it from the shadows, and those who do not... we simply let them go."

"How does it work?" Yuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

"For example, we have a young boy who failed his training quite early on. After taking away the necessary memories, we sent him to a sect we manage, where he can continue his life as a cultivator. Of course, it’s not like we forced him on this path, either. We confirm what they want to do in their life before we take their memories."

"As for the troublemakers who don’t deserve our support... we just toss them back into the street, where they belong."

"I see... It’s not a perfect system, but nothing in this world is perfect. Most importantly, it helps people in need," Yuan mumbled with a satisfied smile on his face.

Sometime later, they arrived at the pagoda.

"Invincible Heaven," Yuan read the grand name of the pagoda hanging by the entrance.

Once inside, they were moved to the highest floor, where a throne stood—untouched for millions of years, yet without a single speck of dust upon it.

"Please, my liege." Dong Ye gestured toward the throne.

Yuan stepped forward and seated himself upon it, his gaze sweeping through the open windows that offered an unobstructed view of every corner of the city.

"..."

Mu Xuelian gazed silently at Yuan. The instant he sat upon the throne, a profound and innate aura of dominance surged from him, stirring within her an almost irresistible urge to bow in reverence.

Tears streamed down Dong Ye’s face, and in that moment, he looked like a child who had finally been reunited with his parents after being lost for countless years.

"Dong Ye, do you know why I visited the Dusk Intelligence?" Yuan suddenly asked.

Dong Ye’s expression immediately turned serious as he nodded, "Does it have something to do with the Primordial Realm?"

Yuan nodded, "I want to know where it’s located."

Dong Ye then said, "Do you know of a place called the Primordial Chaos?"

Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly at this familiar name.

"Of course. Just like White Hell and the Vanishing Valley, it’s one of the Forbidden Zones. Don’t tell me the Primordial Realm is in such a dangerous place?"

"The Primordial Chaos is not only a Forbidden Zone, it’s the most dangerous Forbidden Zone, so it’s essentially the most dangerous place in the Nine Heavens. Unfortunately, the Primordial Realm is inside that place. Fortunately, it’s only at the outskirts," Dong Ye revealed.

"How troublesome," Yuan sighed at this information.