# 1483
Chapter 1484: Shadow on the Tree
Dark Ancestor Stone Formation.
"A shadow?" Lingbao Tianzun frowned, staring intently at the base of the tree for a long while. "Where is there a shadow?"
"You can't see it?"
Lin Qiye stood frozen in place.
In his field of vision, beneath the bare branches, there was indeed a figure standing there. Though the distance was too great for Lin Qiye to make out its features, he could tell it was a man leaning against the tree trunk, gazing up at the countless stars scattered across the night sky.
Lin Qiye described what he saw to Lingbao Tianzun, who contemplated for a moment before speaking:
"Let's get closer."
The two traversed the grasslands beneath the night sky, step by step approaching the bare trunk. In Lingbao Tianzun's eyes, there was nothing at all, but in Lin Qiye's vision, the figure gradually grew clearer.
It was a man rendered entirely in black—no face, no clothing, not even any sense of thickness, as if it were merely a silhouette cast upon the tree trunk.
But upon closer inspection of the area beneath the tree, there was no physical form whatsoever. So where was this shadow coming from?
The shadow seemed to sense Lin Qiye and the others approaching. It turned its head slightly, its pitch-black face gazing at the two of them. Since there were no features, Lin Qiye couldn't discern its expression—only that its form seemed to shudder faintly.
"Lingbao of later-era Great Xia pays respects. I humbly request the Dark Ancestor to reveal yourself."
Lingbao Tianzun stood beneath the tree, still unable to see the shadow. He simply raised his hands respectfully in greeting and spoke.
After the words fell, the shadow remained motionless. From the direction its face was oriented, it appeared to be staring at Lin Qiye.
"No response…" Lingbao Tianzun looked around in bewilderment.
With his current strength and cultivation, there was almost nothing in this world that could perplex him. Yet this bizarre situation truly exceeded his comprehension.
A shadow only Lin Qiye could see, but he could not?
Just as Lingbao Tianzun was filled with doubt, Lin Qiye's gaze also fixed upon the shadow on the tree trunk, as if in a silent exchange of stares…
For some unknown reason, as he drew nearer to this withered tree, an inexplicable sense of familiarity suddenly rose in his heart. He carefully examined the source of this sensation and finally pinpointed it: the darkness origin within his body.
"Origin…?"
Lin Qiye seemed to have realized something. Instinctively, he raised his finger and reached out toward the shadow on the tree trunk.
At the same time, the shadow hesitated as well. After a moment of deliberation, it too extended a finger, moving toward Lin Qiye.
Seeing Lin Qiye's action, Lingbao Tianzun instinctively tried to stop him. But as his hand reached mid-air, he paused… His eyes locked tightly onto Lin Qiye, who showed no trace of being bewitched—only a strange, serene brilliance within his gaze.
As Lin Qiye's fingertip touched the shadow on the tree trunk, his body trembled almost imperceptibly!
"Qiye!"
Lingbao Tianzun struck like lightning, grabbing Lin Qiye's arm and pulling him back dozens of meters.
Lin Qiye's body went limp in his embrace, his eyes already closed. Meanwhile, a terrifying aura burst forth from within him. The moonlight above the night sky was eclipsed by darkness, and the entire world fell into absolute silence and shadow.
Lingbao Tianzun frowned at the scene. His left hand formed a Taoist seal, about to press it against Lin Qiye's brow. But at that moment, Lin Qiye's limp body dissolved into a wisp of darkness and vanished without a trace.
"What manner of demon is this?!" Lingbao Tianzun bellowed. A Primordial Infinite Void rapidly spread beneath his feet, as if intending to devour this entire pitch-black world!
"There's no need for alarm…" Lin Qiye's form floated within the darkness, his eyes still shut. A low, resonant voice emanated from his throat. "I could never harm him. It was he who voluntarily invited me into his body…"
Lingbao Tianzun stood upon the Primordial Infinite Void, his Taoist robes swaying gently in the wind. He did not retract his power but narrowed his eyes and continued:
"Who are you, sir?"
"I am the Dark Ancestor… a remnant soul."
The Dark Ancestor's remnant soul?
Lingbao Tianzun paused. "If you are the Dark Ancestor, why do you occupy a junior's flesh? Why not reveal yourself?"
"…I told you—he invited me in." For some reason, the Dark Ancestor's voice carried a hint of resignation. "I am but a shadow now, without a physical form. How could I possibly manifest?
This individual carries my origin within him, which is why he can perceive me. It also allows me to briefly reappear in the mortal world through his body… Otherwise, I would be unable to even speak with you.
But do not worry. My current state will not last long. I will soon depart from his body and return to the tree trunk."
Lingbao Tianzun examined closely the floating form of Lin Qiye within the darkness. After confirming he spoke no falsehood, he retracted the Primordial Infinite Void for the time being. His expression softened somewhat.
"Do the gods of your later era all possess strength comparable to yours?" The Dark Ancestor couldn't help but remark. "Your aura is already not far removed from my former peak."
Lingbao Tianzun hesitated briefly. "They are not all like贫道…"
The Dark Ancestor gave a slight nod. "Your personal cultivation has reached its ultimate limit. What you lack is merely belief power… It is strange, though. Countless ages ago, another god from later times also came here. His cultivation was somewhat lesser than yours, but his belief power was remarkably abundant.
With your current strength, amplified by worship, you ought not be lacking in belief. So why is it that belief power is so scarce upon you as well?
Could it be that all living beings in the world have been destroyed?"
"Not entirely." Lingbao Tianzun paused. "It is simply that in this age, there are not many who worship us. And we are unwilling to forcibly gather Believers, so we cultivate ourselves with whatever limited belief we can obtain."
"I see."
"May I ask, honored Dark Ancestor—who was that later-era god who came here so long ago?"
"He carried no origin within him, so we could not communicate. He merely walked through each of the stone formations. The others around him all addressed him as King… I believe he was called Gilgamesh?"
A bewildered glint appeared in Lingbao Tianzun's eyes:
"He too passed through the temporal wall and came here? How did he manage it?"
"When he explored this place, the Ancestral God Temple still resided upon Earth… It was only after certain upheavals that it was cast adrift within time and space."
"Upheavals? Who was responsible?"
In theory, that era predated the mist's invasion. Living beings still thrived, and even without human worship of the Ancestral Gods, the flora and fauna would have been continuously providing belief. Even if the Ancestral Gods' power had vastly declined, they should not have been directly cast into the ends of time and space.
The Dark Ancestor fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "They were several monsters from beyond this world. They sought to seize the Ancestral God Temple. We grappled with them for nearly a century… Unfortunately, our strength had already grown frail. Though we barely managed to drive them back, the Ancestral God Temple suffered devastating damage and was thrust into the rifts of time and space."