The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 269: Non-Immortal Bloodlines

Chapter 269: Non-Immortal Bloodlines

The revelation that the "immortal" beasts weren’t the revered heroes they appeared to be was like a dark cloud casting its shadow over Xu Feng’s understanding of the world. In contrast to the perception held by normal humans and their descendants, these beings were actually prisoners and criminals of the worst kind.

So heinous were their crimes that the beast cultivators from the rest of Zhoujin had deemed it more fitting to exile them to this isolated continent, where they would suffer indefinitely, rather than execute individuals with immense potential outright.

Outside the barriers of this forsaken land, the people couldn’t care less about those trapped within. They hailed from a desolate realm that barely sustained any spirit energy, and the barriers not only kept the tainted individuals trapped on the continent but also served as a place of exile for human cultivators who had been accused of heinous crimes like rape and rampant murder.

Often, the innocent found themselves unjustly mixed in with the guilty, their only crime being that they had either angered the wrong person or had inadvertently caught the eye of a person of immense power.

For countless centuries, this land had served as a prison for the outcasts and lepers of the cultivation world. The cultivation restrictions imposed by higher realm cultivators on Zhoujin had effectively turned it into a world of exile and isolation.

However, in its role as a cage to keep the power degeneration from spreading, the continent had also served its purpose. It prevented the land from degenerating spirit energy beyond the continent. Consequently, Zhoujin had been spared from becoming a lower level world like Xu Feng’s modern world, where spirit energy had become a mythical concept.

The modern world Xu Feng had grown up in was likely rich in spirit energy at some point in its history, as old legends from every world often held kernels of truth. Unfortunately, worlds that weren’t properly nurtured often deteriorated and became barren, starved of spirit energy.

The "immortal" beasts of Dongzhou were relatively recent arrivals in Zhoujin’s long history. They were born when demon beasts decided to replicate the methods of human cultivators and imprison their rejects on the sealed continent.

The only distinction was that cultivators of pure human lineage lost their cultivation levels entirely upon entering the continent, essentially becoming similar to humans. They might live slightly longer than natives, but their powers were diminished, and they adopted human characteristics.

In contrast, the demon beasts imprisoned on the continent retained some of their dignity. While their power levels were drastically suppressed, they retained many demon beast traits in the early stages.

However, as time passed, their mortality and human like characteristics became increasingly apparent. The first generation of their offspring retained more of their demon beast lineage, but with each subsequent generation, the connection grew weaker, and they became more human in nature.

The passing of hundreds of years since the exile of the "immortal" beasts to Dongzhou should have led to their descendants becoming nothing more than humans with grand titles. However, this wasn’t the case. Some children born within these lineages still retained animal characteristics, defying the expectations that time would dilute their bloodline.

In every world, regardless of the richness of spiritual energy, there were always those considered the darlings of heaven, gifted individuals like Xuan Yang or perhaps those with hidden potentials, such as Xu Zeng. These individuals faced unique challenges in their lives, as their talents often attracted the attention of vultures lurking in the shadows.

Similar to how Xu Zeng and Xu Feng had been targeted upon their retrieval from the secret realm, gifted individuals within their own families or those who supported their families were frequently marked by older talents. These elders often sought to exploit the potential of the younger generation for their own benefit.

This was a common practice in Dongzhou, and those ranked above the fourth, the most common rank, were often closely monitored. Anyone at or above the second rank would frequently vanish within their own families.

Complicating matters further, was a prophecy set to come to fruition in this decade. The children of Xuan Yang’s generation, and their descendants, were seen as bargaining chips to these elders. The inheritance of the original immortal beasts, the ones believed to have ascended or gone into seclusion, was up for grabs.

The elders, who had parasitically clung to their descendants and managed to extend their lives, were vying for this inheritance within their specific bloodlines.

Not only would this inheritance prolong their lives even further, but it would also increase their potential, possibly allowing them to become full blooded demon beasts, similar to the original immortal beasts who were considered near the peak of talent in the Zhoujin world.

There was an additional trump card at stake—a piece of information that only the elders should have been privy to, yet Xuan Yang somehow knew, and it didn’t seem foreign to Xuan Jian either. The barrier leading out of Dongzhou would weaken precisely when the five demon beast blood inheritances were absorbed/triggered.

Four inheritances, to be precise, as the dragon immortal beast was only descended from dragons and had no descendants that were known. Those who managed to absorb these inheritances would have the highest chance of escaping this cursed continent.

The time was limited, but for those with a better understanding, particularly those who had been thrust into the continent more recently—like the human cultivators—it was an opportunity to plan their escape. Now was the time to seek out more gifted individuals, discover rare treasures, and cultivate as much as possible whenever possible.

This explained why the mountains had become extremely unsafe. The recent extreme weather served as a sign to those in the know that the prophecy was drawing near. The more information one possessed, the more precise their timing could be.

It was peak time to look for where the original immortal beasts may have entombed themselves, and barriers they laid would be weak. Any young descendants of immortal bloodline captured during this time was fair game.

Elders from several families, both well known and hidden, had become more active. The disappearances of children with immortal bloodlines became more frequent, and arranged marriages aimed at producing gifted offspring were on the rise.

Donghua, or rather, Dongzhou as a whole, was shrouded in dark times. Xuan Yang’s potential child faced an ominous fate, and Xu Zeng would have suffered a similar destiny if not for the protection provided by his "dad" in his secluded village.

In truth, Xu Zeng and Xu Feng were lucky. At the very least, in Dongzhou, no one knew their true identities. They were coveted like Xuan Yang and Xuan Jian, but revealing their origins would undoubtedly put their lives in even greater jeopardy.