Chapter 110: Predicament

Northern Territory, Snowy Plains.

Inside a grand hall with eaves heavy with accumulated snow, the Snow Lord listened intently as Elder Snow reported the news from Yunmeng.

"Little Meng and Hua Feng were taken by a group from the seabed?" The Snow Lord was well aware of the strength of Hua Feng’s team. On this planet, unless the adversaries possessed cultivation levels far surpassing theirs, who could have captured them so effortlessly without any struggle?

"That is correct. The news came from the Dragon Clan. They were eager to intervene, but the North Atlantic is not within their domain; they only obtained this information through their connections with the aquatic tribes. I was prepared to go myself, but Zhang Sanfeng has already led a team to provide support. It won't be long before the situation is resolved. The young lady and Hua Feng remain safe for now," Elder Snow replied respectfully.

"In that case, there is no need to rush. I know Zhang Sanfeng; he is a rare martial arts genius who has emerged in the last few centuries and has now reached the Yuan Saint Realm. With him there, the sea-dwelling faction should pose no problem. However, as a precaution, observe them from the shadows. If necessary, mobilize our own people. We must ensure their safe return." After speaking, the Snow Lord soon entered a state of deep meditation.

Elder Snow quietly retreated and walked out of the hall. Outside, the snowflakes were swirling once more, leaving only the fleeting silhouette of an old man in a straw raincoat disappearing into the snow.

Deep within an uncharted region of the North Atlantic, Hua Feng was carefully studying the documents in his hands. Most of these were compiled records of human exploration, now spread out before him. Yunmeng, Shuang Ning, Bai Feng, Li Long, and Wang Yue slowly regained consciousness. Upon realizing they were temporarily out of immediate danger, they joined Hua Feng in sifting through the information. Each of them harbored some confusion regarding the inscrutable motives of Xing Tian.

The first section of information was titled: Prehistoric Super-Civilization.

Regarding unresolved mysteries, scientists generally suggest two explanations: either traces left behind by alien visitors, or the existence of multiple advanced prehistoric human civilizations that flourished before our modern era.

Some scientists have proposed a theory of periodic evolution for Earth’s civilization. Bio-archaeologists believe that in the 4.5 billion years since Earth’s birth, life has undergone five mass extinctions, a cycle of life and death repeating over and over. The last mass extinction occurred 65 million years ago. Based on this, some infer that an advanced civilization existed on Earth two billion years ago but was unfortunately destroyed by nuclear warfare or a massive natural cataclysm. Millions of years of geological upheaval have nearly erased all traces of this civilization, leaving behind only a few relics that remain modern puzzles.

Others argue that the destruction of previous advanced civilizations was due to periodic shifts in Earth’s climate or the periodic disappearance of the geomagnetic field. When the solar system rotates to a specific location in the universe, Earth periodically experiences climates unsuitable for human survival. The extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago is one such example.

Earth’s periodic climate changes may lead to the periodic origin and evolution of advanced intelligent life.

The second and third sections concerned prehistoric nuclear warfare:

It is well known that human history with written records spans only 4,000 years, yet humans built the Egyptian pyramids 7,000 years ago. The history of human clothing goes back only 4,600 years, yet delicate copperware from 11,000 years ago has been discovered on the Atlantic seabed.

Furthermore, iron nails dating back 20,000 years, wall paintings from 30,000 years ago, and cattle bones from 40,000 years ago bearing traces of bullet impacts have been discovered and verified across the world.

There are many such contradictory examples, and scientists and archaeologists globally hold diverse opinions on the matter.

Human evolution spans millions of years. Precise measurements using carbon-14 isotopes indicate that a certain high-level civilization appeared as early as 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, and its extensive scope suggests a golden age of human civilization.

Earth has been struck by great floods, massive explosions, and catastrophes more than once; thus, ancient civilizations may have been destroyed repeatedly, and ancient humans may have perished and resurfaced.

Various legends of a "Great Flood" can be traced back 12,000 years, coinciding with the end of the Ice Age. These stories should not be dismissed merely as myths. They prove that humans possessed a "history" as far back as 12,000 years ago, one that was even more advanced than that of 4,000 years ago or even today.

Atlantis may lie west of the Bermuda Triangle. Based on underwater photographs and field surveys, humans 11,000 years ago were already capable of lifting boulders weighing hundreds of tons.

The ruins of civilizations predating the "Great Flood," with their immense and intricate underwater walls and roads, are no less puzzling than the 7,000-year-old Egyptian pyramids.

12,000 years ago, human knowledge of the universe may have surpassed our own. 30,000, 40,000, or even 100,000 years ago, humanity may have reached several peaks of civilization. We only know that the peak of Earth's recorded history was created by humans, but we remain unable to discern the true progression of human civilization.

The famous ancient Indian epic, the *Mahabharata*, was written around 1500 BC—over 3,400 years ago. The historical events it records occurred 2,000 years before the book was written, dating back more than 5,000 years.

The book documents two fierce wars between the Kauravas and Pandavas, and the Vrishnis and Andhakas, who lived along the upper Ganges River.

The description of the first war states: "The heroic Ashwatthama, seated steadily within a Vimana (an aircraft-like vehicle), descended into the water and launched an Agneya (possibly a rocket-like weapon). It spat fire but produced no smoke, possessing immense power. In an instant, the sky above the Pandavas turned black. Then, a gale arose, dark clouds rolled and churned, and sand and stones rained down from the sky."

"The sun seemed to sway in the sky. This weapon emitted a terrifying, scorching heat that shook the earth. Over a vast area, animals fell dead, river waters boiled, and fish and shrimp were scalded to death. The explosion of the rocket sounded like thunder, and the enemy soldiers were burned like charred trees."

The description of the second war is even more hair-raising: "Gurkha, riding a swift Vimana, launched a rocket at the three enemy cities. This rocket seemed to possess the power of the entire universe; its brightness was equal to ten thousand suns. A pillar of smoke and fire rose into the sky, spectacular beyond measure."

"The corpses were burned beyond recognition; hair and nails fell off, pottery shattered, and birds circling in the sky were scorched to death."

Seeing such misery, modern people would immediately associate it with the power of a nuclear explosion. In an era before nuclear weapons existed, many scholars believed these descriptions were merely "poetic exaggeration."

However, after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they suddenly realized that the descriptions were as accurate as those of an eyewitness to a nuclear explosion.

Archaeologists have discovered numerous scorched ruins along the upper Ganges, the site of the aforementioned wars. Large rocks in the ruins are fused together with uneven surfaces. Melting rock requires at least 1,800 degrees, a temperature only achievable through a nuclear explosion.

In the Deccan primeval forests, more scorched ruins were found. The city walls, building surfaces, and stone furniture were "vitrified." Similar traces of prehistoric nuclear war have been discovered in ancient Babylon, the Sahara Desert, and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The "glass stones" found in these ruins are identical to those found at modern nuclear test sites.

Physicist Frederick Soddy believed: "I believe that humanity has experienced several civilizations. Humans were once familiar with atomic energy, but through misuse, they brought about their own destruction."

Most scientists argue that this is merely forced association and is unconvincing. Yet, some insist that Earth has existed for over 5 billion years, and human civilization should not be limited to a mere 5,000 years.

...

Having browsed through the information, the group fell into deep thought, even momentarily forgetting their current predicament.