C1490 Wasn't It the Same?

Before the Earth Demon Clan birthed the Great Demon God, before the Ghost Wizard Sect and Divine Soul Sect unveiled their Supreme Beings, and while ancient demons still suffered...

The Nagas dominated the Vast Expanse!

The Space-time Dragon, in particular, reigned over the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea and the subterranean Foul World.

These realms, dense with clouds and miasma, were his personal domain. He mastered their laws and esoteric secrets, fully grasping the essence of corruption.

For Huangyin and Xuanying, the ancient Earth Demons had been mere sustenance for their souls.

Once, he was the apex predator within these secret territories' food chains.

Even reborn in human form, his inherent magnetic field ensured seamless adaptation to all forms of corruption.

After all, he had spent considerable time immersed in the Earth Demon Clan's sacred Colorful Lake.

Huangyin, after covertly sensing his capacity for corruption, was convinced his body could become a terrifying "Source of Filth," transforming into an Earth Demon of unprecedented nature.

Thus, Huangyin and Xuanying schemed tirelessly to taint him with potent toxins, sparing no effort to lure him to the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea.

They eagerly anticipated the moment of his complete metamorphosis, the birth of the "Source of Filth."

Unbeknownst to them, they had beckoned the nightmare of the Earth Demon Clan, an entity that ruled two worlds, back into existence.

In essence, they had "invited" an ancient forebear to the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea.

At this point, Huangyin and Xuanying were so distraught they felt like weeping in each other's arms.

What have we done to deserve this?

Why have the heavens treated us so cruelly? Why play such a cruel joke on us?

"Quite intriguing..."

Yu Yuan chuckled at the astonished cries of Huangyin and Xuanying.

In that instant, a thread of thought in his mind seemed to unravel.

The Space-time Dragon was a natural counterbalance to the Earth Demon Clan.

Even if Earth Demons, the Ghost Wizard Sect, and the Divine Soul Sect all surged forth with Supreme Beings like Huangyin and Xuanying, ascending to the Great Demon God echelon, they would still find themselves outmatched in battle against the Space-time Dragon.

The majestic Colorful Divine Dragon had deciphered all the vile and sinister abilities associated with the Earth Demon Clan, as well as the dark soul magic they had mastered.

He was intimately familiar with the Earth Demon Clan, yet they were utterly ignorant of the powers of space and time. What chance did they have in combat against him?

When they finally faced the Space-time Dragon, the Earth Demon Clan's Great Demon God was left with no option but to endure the onslaught...

In the past, the ancient Demon Clan, the Divine Soul Sect, and the Earth Demon Clan had to rely on the Earth Demon Clan's strength to oppose the Nagas, as the Earth Demon Clan held two exalted positions.

Despite holding two seats, they failed to exert their rightful power and were thoroughly dominated by the Colorful Divine Dragon.

In such a predicament...

The Demon Clan and the Divine Soul Sect were understandably discontent. They observed that within the Divine Soul Sect, the three upper sects, including the Devil Palace, had seen the rise of prodigious talents. These individuals had reached the Unrestrained Stage without being checked by the Nagas, yet they still lacked the seats to ascend to the highest echelons.

To topple the Nagas from their sacred pedestal and achieve their original goal, what was to be done?

The only course of action was to eliminate the Great Demon God of the Earth Demon Clan, freeing up their seats for the emerging talents to claim, thus enabling them to overcome the Nagas!

Among the two supreme beings of the Ghost Wizard Sect was Youyu. Had he, too, been restrained by the Frost Dragon back then?

If not, why else would the Frost Dragon's remains have the power to prevent the Ghost Wizard Sect's Peak expert from ascending to the highest ranks?

If the answer was affirmative, and if the Earth Demon Clan and the Ghost Wizard Sect were the first to secure the supreme seats only to prove incapable of standing against the Colorful Divine Dragon and the Frost Dragon, it would confirm that the initial strategy was flawed.

To rectify this error, one would have to vanquish the Earth Demon Clan and the supreme being of the Ghost Wizard Sect, thus providing a path for those unchallenged by the Dragon Clan to ascend and achieve divinity.

The ancient Demon Clan and the Divine Soul Sect must also recognize that due to the scarcity of the Dragon Clan, even with new supreme seats available, there were no new dragons capable of breaking through to become a Dragon God.

As soon as the seats were claimed, the only beneficiaries were the rising stars of the Human and Demon Clans. That boldness came from their assured gains.

Youyu managed to preserve a sliver of his soul, becoming an Asura. Xuanying and Huangyin, akin to Earth Demons, and the lingering will of another ancestor from the Ghost Wizard Sect, might still leave their imprint on this world.

Maybe the Divine Soul Sect was plagued by guilt, feeling they had wronged them, which is why they stopped short of complete annihilation, allowing some room for survival.

They weren't at fault; they simply became a liability in the battle. With the highest seats being limited, painful decisions were made to eliminate them for the ultimate victory.

Later, the Divine Soul Sect, under the leadership of Hao Ran, continued to suppress them for the benefit of the human race and the stability of Hao Ran.

They wanted to prevent the Nagas' Dragon Gods from dying and leaving vacancies for the Ghost Wizard Sect and the Earth Demon Clan's departed to rise again and storm the supreme seats.

They were bound to despise the Divine Soul Sect, the Demon Clan, and the newly elevated upper sects of the human race.

The victors had ascended by trampling over them. They were denied the spoils of victory and were deliberately oppressed.

Should a new supreme sect emerge, it would surely bring calamity to all, shattering the hard-won tranquility of Hao Ran and reigniting the flames of war.

Thus, the Dragon Slash Platform, while suppressing the Dragon Clan, also ensnared the corpses of the Space-time Dragon and the Frost Dragon.

These two divine creatures naturally kept them in check, and with the force of the array and the Artifact, this balance of power was further reinforced, ensuring that the Ghost Wizard Sect and the Earth Demon Clan could not rise again.

"It's truly tragic. It's no surprise there's such deep-seated anger and bitterness."

Yu Yuan's mind raced with these thoughts, as if he had traversed through time, witnessing scenes of the past unfold.

Suddenly, he grasped the deep-seated enmity these hidden beings harbored towards the Divine Soul Sect and the five great supreme forces.

Their hatred was justified...

They had committed no wrongs. Once heroes in the fight against the Dragon Clan, their every action was driven by the desire to escape the tyranny of the Nagas.

Their misfortune stemmed from being naturally suppressed by the Space-time Dragon and the Frost Dragon, especially since they had claimed the highest positions of power. Unable to wield their full strength, they were swiftly executed by the ancient Demon Clan and the Divine Soul Sect after a mutual agreement, perhaps with some dishonorable dealings involved...

"It's truly a tragedy," Zhong Chichen murmured with a knowing chuckle. He glanced over, his face etched with mockery, catching Yu Yuan off guard.

Zhong Chichen's expression and gaze seemed to accuse: Wasn't this all your doing?

Me?

Yu Yuan abruptly reined in his wandering thoughts, not daring to delve any deeper.

In his first life, he was the master of the Dragon Slash Platform, where he had disposed of the corpses of the Space-time Dragon and the Frost Dragon.

As Yu Yiyi had said, the leaders and founders of the Ghost Wizard Sect and the Earth Demon had all been vanquished by his hand...

"Uh..."

Embarrassment washed over Yu Yuan's face.

"They've certainly had their share of bad luck encountering you and your fellow disciples. It was the case before, and unexpectedly, it remains so now."

Zhong Chichen's words carried a biting irony.

Back when he was the Colorful Divine Dragon, he had subjugated and oppressed the entire Earth Demon Clan for many years.

At last, fortune smiled upon him, and he grasped the power to ascend to the Great Demon God, thinking a new dawn had come. Together with the Ghost Wizard Sect, Divine Soul Sect, and the ancient Demon Clan, they prepared for a monumental struggle.

However, it wasn't long before the Earth Demon was seen as an obstacle to greatness by the fellow beside him and the Demon Clan, and they were mercilessly slain.

Now, after tens of thousands of years, this same individual had removed the Dragon Slash Platform, giving the Earth Demon a glimpse of renewed hope and the urge to rise again.

Yet, in a twist of fate, he inadvertently invited himself over.

And, in doing so, he also brought this individual to this place.

"If there's anyone to blame, it's simply your ill-fated destiny. It's as if fate has cruelly toyed with you, Earth Demon..."

With a mischievous grin, Zhong Chichen soared from the Dragon Slash Platform, hovering over the Colorful Lake.

"I have an impression of you; you're even more ancient than Huangyin and Xuanying. I seem to recall that you once..."

Zhong Chichen idly scratched his ear and glanced at the refined Earth Demon within the wooden tombstone. "You once bathed me and attended to me for some time."

The Earth Demon, now one with the wooden tombstone, shook violently.

She was unable to muster even a single word of defiance.

"Sadly, despite your greater age, your understanding falls short of Huangyin and Xuanying's, and you've lost your chance to ascend to the status of a Great Demon God. After countless years, all that remains is this tiny Devil Soul, merged with the tombstone. It's a tragic and regrettable fate."

The Earth Demon within the wooden tombstone couldn't stop herself from retreating.

She moved far back, too afraid to even look at him.

Even though he was no longer the magnificent, multicolored Divine Dragon.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The waters of the Colorful Lake began to boil suddenly—an unprecedented phenomenon.

Zhong Chichen descended into the lake with an air of indifference. "I prefer the water a bit hot when I bathe."

The moment he touched the water, the beneficial energies within surged towards him frantically!

They aided in purifying his meridians, bones, and blood, in refining his Yin God, and in reconstructing his Yang God body back to its original draconic form, enabling him to reach the Peak of the Unrestrained Stage in the shortest time possible.

"Xuanying, Huangyin, when you two were Great Demon Gods, all you could do was take a beating passively. Now, you're merely Demon Gods, and I have become a human cultivator of the Unrestrained Stage."

"Isn't the outcome still the same?"

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