Despite ten thousand years of development and the flourishing of a grand immortal civilization—with the devoted Immortal Ancestor blazing open the radiant Immortal Spirit Realm—at its core, the world structure of the classical era was top-heavy. The Jiuzhou Continent, as the foundation, was home to ordinary mortals for the vast majority; the glory of the immortal path had nothing to do with them, not even a glimmer of its afterglow touched the lands of Jiuzhou. Such a world, lacking true roots, could never support a group of mighty Da Luo Golden Immortals who could command the winds and rain.

So in the end, the Immortal Realm collapsed, the Heavenly Court fell, Jiuzhou crumbled, and even the Heavenly Dao withered.

It took the survivors decades just to barely restore order, rebuild civilization, and begin a new Immortal Calendar. By then, Jiuzhou was a land of devastation, its population reduced by over ninety percent, and the four provinces west of Ling Mountain had become permanent wastelands, no longer suitable for human habitation.

The textbooks do not delve into the details of the disaster, but from these few lines, it is not hard to imagine the profound psychological trauma those decades of upheaval inflicted on the survivors. And when they decided to bind the source of the disaster to Ling Mountain, everyone had to sever ties with it.

That included Olivia Warren.

As for the deeds of Olivia Warren, the general education textbooks are equally sparse, but the few key points mentioned are already weighty enough.

First, she was a survivor of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Second, she was outstanding among the survivors, leading the people to clear the wastelands and calm the desolation, earning the title of [Founding Hero of the Wasteland].

Third, after successfully pacifying the wastelands, she established a nation called [Zhu Wang] on the former site of Ling Mountain, which is now indisputably the number one power among the hundred nations of the five provinces.

Fourth, as the founder of the new world order, Olivia Warren personally put the final seal on Ling Mountain and the classical era. Severance was her verdict.

The general education textbooks contain far more information, but by the time Lucas Warren had digested this much, his doubts were already resolved, so he was in no hurry to read further.

The reason his senior sister wrote him as dead in the history books was now more than sufficient.

Whether for protection or for severance, a junior disciple of Ling Mountain who accidentally entered seclusion in the Hall of Spirit Fixation was best left to exist only in the annals of history and on memorial tablets.

In fact, the very fact that Lucas Warren could awaken leisurely a thousand years later, rather than immediately returning to the cycle of reincarnation, made Olivia Warren's intent to protect him abundantly clear.

Though he did not know why it took so long for him to be awakened, regardless, the history before and after the Heavenly Tribulation meant that...

“Looks like my identity as the master of Ling Mountain is not something I can reveal openly.”

Emily Stone let out a long breath at these words and cupped her hands to Lucas Warren: “Master, your wisdom is unmatched.”

Clearly, this was exactly what she wanted to say, but could not say directly. Now that Lucas Warren had figured it out himself, it saved her a great deal of trouble.

Lucas Warren said, “In the future, for matters like this, you can remind me directly. I know nothing about the new world and will have to rely on your guidance.” Emily Stone was practically overwhelmed: “Master, you trust me that much?”

Lucas Warren glanced at the Ascension Register in his hand and said, “In the classical era, the Shi family served Ling Mountain for ten thousand years and was always trustworthy.”

Loyalty was always quantified and laid out plainly; whether someone was trustworthy was obvious at a glance—of course she was. Those who were not had long since been weeded out.

“Now it’s your turn to ask.”

Emily Stone immediately asked, “Master, now that you have returned from the dead, what are your plans?”

Lucas Warren said, “To you, I have returned from the dead, but to me, the experience is more like traversing with my physical body... As for my current plans, of course I want to confront the one who started all this.”

As he spoke, Lucas Warren opened the Ascension Register, locked onto the golden name Olivia Warren in the roster, and silently sent a call request in his heart.

Naturally, it was like a stone sinking into the sea—not only was there no answer, there wasn’t even a signal.

At this, Lucas Warren fell into thought.

On the other side, Emily Stone twitched her lips and said, “Olivia the Honored Lord hasn’t appeared in public for five hundred years. Although the Golden Deer Hall has never announced her death, many people suspect...”

Lucas Warren interrupted, “Impossible. If she were really dead, over the past five hundred years you’d have seen major news about her from time to time.”

“??”

Seeing the question marks all over Emily Stone's face, Lucas Warren could only sigh inwardly. Explaining Olivia Warren to someone who hadn’t experienced it firsthand was like trying to discuss ice with a summer insect.

But on the other hand, given Olivia Warren's temperament, not showing herself for five hundred years was as extreme as if Senior Brother Matthew Reed and Senior Sister Stephen White practiced abstinence for a week.

Of course, encountering such an extreme situation was not surprising. It had been over a thousand years since the two last met, which meant Olivia Warren was already 1,200 years old.

Even as of five hundred years ago, she had already lived for seven centuries.

For cultivators who cannot ascend, their lifespan is capped at a thousand years, unless they are a special case like Lucas Warren, protected by the Hall of Spirit Fixation and having stolen a share of heaven’s fate. Otherwise, even someone as powerful as James Sutton could not escape the ultimate limit of mortality.

Lucas Warren did not doubt that Olivia Warren had the means to live beyond a thousand years, but he also did not doubt that her thousand years had been anything but easy. Not showing herself for five hundred years likely meant she truly could not appear in public.