Martial Universe: Inherit the Future, Quickly Become a Martial Ancestor!

"By the time you hear these words, I will already be dead. What follows... will probably all be my last words."

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice gently rang out. Above the quietly floating wooden box, wisps of fine dust slowly gathered, eventually outlining an extremely dim and illusory spirit.

The spirit's appearance was not exactly the same as Lan He's; they were practically identical, except that its brows carried a weariness born of hardship and a faint sense of helplessness.

Before the spirit could speak, Lan He, drawing on his previous experience, preemptively asked, his tone laced with certainty and a hint of mockery: "How did you die this time?"

"Don't tell me you couldn't resist again?"

Upon hearing this, the ethereal Blue River's lips twitched slightly, and he replied irritably, "Hey, what kind of person do you take me for? Do you think I'm the kind of impatient, lecherous man?"

Lan He remained silent, simply gazing at him quietly with her clear eyes.

The spirit Lanhe felt a little guilty under his gaze, coughed lightly, and his tone became serious: "Alright, enough joking. The cause of my death this time... is rather embarrassing. I couldn't hold on to two Devouring Ancestral Symbols and was... burst open."

"Two Devouring Ancestral Symbols?"

Lan He frowned immediately. This answer was completely unexpected. "You found a second Devouring Ancestral Symbol? Didn't we already have one? Is there a second Devouring Ancestral Symbol in the world?"

Upon hearing this, the spirit Lanhe sighed and nodded: "I wasn't sure at first either. After all, we've already obtained a Devouring Ancestral Symbol using the urn, and who knows if there will be a second one in the original world?"

"Therefore, I have been keeping an eye on the movements of the Great Yan Dynasty. After I broke through to the Nirvana Realm, based on the timeline, I estimated that the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele would be opened soon. As you know, the Black-Eyed Elder—the successor of the second owner of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol—is hidden inside."

"I entered the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele first, and by using my familiarity with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, I successfully passed the test left by the Black-Eyed Elder, gained his approval, destroyed the Yin Puppet Sect, and took the second unclaimed Devouring Ancestral Symbol from his hands."

"When I saw the second Devouring Ancestral Symbol, I was also shocked. After all, it meant that we might really be able to rely on this urn to obtain Ancestral Symbols and other creations of heaven and earth indefinitely."

As the spirit Lanhe spoke, his tone became complex, tinged with a mixture of fervor and regret: "Thus, a bold idea took root in my mind. The characteristic of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol is 'devouring all things,' thereby strengthening itself."

"At that time, I was thinking, what would happen if I used my Devouring Ancestral Symbol, which had already recognized a master, to devour that unclaimed Devouring Ancestral Symbol? Would the combination of the two cause a qualitative change in my Devouring Ancestral Symbol, resulting in a surge in power?"

"But you failed."

Lan He replied expressionlessly, his tone calm yet incisive.

"That's right, I failed."

The spirit Lanhe gave a wry smile, then said, "I thought that with my control over the power of devouring and the shared origin of the two ancestral symbols, I could fuse them together harmoniously. But... when I actually tried to forcibly fuse the power of the two ancestral symbols, a sudden change occurred!"

"Although the two ancestral symbols originate from the same lineage, they have each gone through different years and inheritances, and have long since developed subtle differences, and are not completely identical."

"This difference is insignificant under normal circumstances, but it is magnified infinitely in the moment when they try to devour and merge with each other. Two devouring forces that are of the same origin but repel each other are clashing and tearing each other apart in my body, each wanting to devour the other and take the lead."

"This situation far exceeded my expectations. In the end..."

The spirit Lanhe's voice deepened, "The two devouring forces completely spiraled out of control and exploded within my body... and I became the 'urn' you see now."

After hearing this thrilling account, Lan He remained silent for a moment.

This guy is really brave and fearless.

However, the fact that the two Devouring Ancestral Symbols, which share the same attributes, would repel each other was something no one had anticipated.

"So, you sent the 'last words' back this time to warn me not to repeat the same mistake and try to get my hands on the second Devouring Ancestral Symbol?" Lan He asked in a deep voice.

The spirit Lanhe nodded, then said, "It is extremely difficult for a single person to simultaneously contain the power of two ancestral symbols. This is something that even the Devouring Lord could not accomplish back then."

"Even if they have the same characteristics, conflicts are inevitable. If you want to master the power of multiple ancestral symbols at the same time in the future, I'm afraid... you will have to rely on the 'ancestral stone' to harmonize them."

"The Ancestral Stone?"

Lan He's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "That is a supreme treasure crafted by the Ancestral Symbol Master. It was created to harmonize the power of the eight Ancestral Symbols, so it is naturally the best choice."

"But... Zu Shi is in Lin's hands, and behind him stands the Heavenly Demon Sable, a behemoth with a Reincarnation Realm expert guarding it. If we can succeed, that would be best, but if we fail and alert the enemy, we might even implicate the entire Immortal Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, the spirit Lanhe smiled, his tone carrying an almost blind certainty: "It's alright, let your future self do it. Although I failed this time, there are always successors. If one generation fails, the next will. Your future self will always find a way."

Upon hearing this, Lan He frowned even more deeply, his heart far from optimistic.

He knew his own personality all too well. Although he was sharp-tongued, he was by no means a reckless fool who disregarded the consequences. After all, not everyone is Lin Dong.

Knowing that seizing the Ancestral Stone would directly confront Lin Dong and the Heavenly Demon Mink Clan behind him, and could potentially bring annihilation to his father and the Immortal Dynasty, would his future self really take such a huge risk?

If my future self doesn't do it, will my future self, even further into the future, do it?

Doesn't this create an unsolvable vicious cycle?

He shook his head, his firm tone shattering the illusion: "No. The risk is too great, the variables too numerous. I can't place all my hopes on something that 'my future self' might do, something that could destroy everything."

"At least until I have absolute strength and confidence to ensure that I will not implicate my father and the Immortal Dynasty, I will not consider this path."

Upon hearing this, the illusory figure of the spirit Lanhe seemed to dim even further. He remained silent for a moment, and finally sighed softly, "You're right. It was my... obsession that ran too deep. In fact, even with just one Ancestral Symbol, one might still become an unparalleled powerhouse. There's no need to be overly demanding of that elusive path of multiple Ancestral Symbols."

Seeing his relief, Lan He felt a little relieved as well, and then asked, "So, what is your final 'wishe' this time?"

Mentioning this, the spirit Blue River seemed to perk up somewhat, and said solemnly, "To achieve the strongest Nirvana Realm foundation!"

Lan He's lips twitched almost imperceptibly: "So, how many Nirvana Pills did you use to break through to the Nirvana Realm?"

The spirit Lanhe was somewhat embarrassed: "With my own aptitude and foundation, without special encounters, I could probably only absorb and refine about two million Nirvana Pills. But relying on the devouring and refining ability of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, I managed to absorb four million Nirvana Pills before successfully breaking through."

He paused, then his tone became fervent: "But I feel... it's not enough, I always feel there's still potential to be tapped. So, I hope you'll work even harder and strive to be even stronger than me!"

"Four million isn't enough? How much more effort do you need to put in?" Lan He raised an eyebrow.

It should be noted that four million Nirvana Pills is already the highest consumption record for a young person breaking through to the Nirvana Realm, as recorded by super sects like the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, as mentioned by my father.

In the original timeline, Lin Dong, who also possessed the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, only managed to refine two million Nirvana Pills after cultivating the intermediate-level Creation Body Refining Martial Art "Minor Nirvana Golden Body" and using the power of the Ancestral Symbol.