C1515 Ruins Divine King

Jiang Miaojie from the Divine Soul Sect materialized without triggering the Ghosts Poisoning Array. She stood there as though she had drifted in on the breeze, her entire being seemingly aglow.

Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes, trying to sense her presence with his blood and soul, but all he could perceive was a faint mist.

The Jiang Miaojie before him lacked the robust vitality typical of a cultivator and was devoid of a surging soul field. It was exceedingly peculiar.

"What did the Ruins Divine King tell you?"

Jiang Miaojie surveyed her surroundings—the thatched huts and the heat-radiating swamps—searching for lingering clues. "There's a scent of blood demons. No, that's not right; it must be the followers of the Blood God Cult. Let me take a wild guess—it was Ann Ziqing, wasn't it?" She gave Yu Yuan a teasing wink.

Standing nearly as tall as Yu Yuan, she floated above the ground like a celestial spirit. Adorned in a moon-white dress embellished with countless tiny gems, she radiated with every gesture, her jewelry twinkling as if to underscore her ethereal grace.

Her gaze seemed to cleanse a man of his basest thoughts, which retreated to their darkest recesses. Her presence invoked a sense of unworthiness, as if no one could ever match her purity.

"Ruins Divine King?"

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he was abruptly reminded of the voice that had been haunting him.

"Yes, the Ruins Divine King," Jiang Miaojie said with a playful scold, finding his puzzled look amusing. "The Ruins Divine King can embody anything or dissolve into nothingness. He could be a stone, a blade of grass, or the silt in the swamp. His transformations are alterations of life forms, not mere illusions."

"Mostly, though, he manifests as an elusive form of Qi."

"Because Qi can flow and is omnipresent."

In Yu Yuan's presence, this rising star of the Divine Soul Sect freely shared the unique and mystical qualities of the Ruins Divine King, treating Yu Yuan as no stranger.

After listening, Yu Yuan pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "He must have... been here."

The voice that had emerged from within Ann Wen, unnoticed by him, likely belonged to the Ruins Divine King, who had vanished without a trace after returning from the Outland Star River.

It seemed that only Tianqi knew his true whereabouts.

An entity capable of vaporizing into thin air, altering the essence of life to become anything in the world, and also a supreme Divine King—it's no surprise the Dragon Slash Platform couldn't detect him.

But weren't Guixu, Tianqi, and Shehun the Divine Kings who ascended with the Divine Soul Sect in the Outland Star River?

Why did it seem like they recognized each other?

"You are the master of the Dragon Slash Platform, the successor of that individual. With the Ruins Divine King returning to his homeland, how could he not pay you a visit?" Jiaang Miaojie spoke gently.

Homeland, ancestral land.

Yu Yuan sharply picked up on the two distinct terms she used for Hao Ran. She referred to Hao Ran as the ancestral land, yet she mentioned it as the Ruins Divine King's homeland.

There was a significant distinction between the two!

"Ruins Divine King? Is he not like you, born in Hao Ran?" Yu Yuan inquired earnestly.

"You're quite perceptive, and it's a pleasure conversing with you, unlike the brash Hwa Xin," Jiaang Miaojie said with a smile, gesturing towards a thatched hut, "Won't you invite me in to sit?" Her pale fingers pointed to the hut where Lau Ying had previously been meditating.

"There's nothing inside," Yu Yuan said, furrowing his brow.

"There is now."

As soon as Jiaang Miaojie's words fell, two white jade chairs with intricate carvings materialized.

The spacious chairs were adorned with various dragons and gracefully dancing phoenixes, exuding extraordinary elegance.

She took a seat in one chair and then gestured to the other, telling Yu Yuan, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Yu Yuan gave a wry smile and took a seat.

Underneath him, quite by chance, was a carving of a purple phoenix.

Demon Phoenix?

Yu Yuan paused, his expression turning curious.

Upon closer inspection of the white jade chair Jiaang Miaojie occupied, the dragons were unmistakably Golden Giant Dragons, Space-time Dragons, and Frost Dragons, interspersed with Heavenly Snakes, Giant Apes, and Qilins...

Once seated, the regally attired Jiaang Miaojie exuded a commanding presence as if she ruled the heavens and the earth.

As Yu Yuan glanced her way, Jiaang Miaojie casually quirked her lips and remarked, "Dragons, ancient demon tribes, or even the venerable Demon Phoenix—all were once beneath the feet of our forebears, weren't they? In the heyday of the Divine Soul Sect, the Dragon Slash Platform reigned over the Nagas, and the mighty Demon Kings obeyed our commands. Many of their skeletons were crafted into artifacts after they fell in battle."

"The two chairs are merely minor relics from the past, a testament to resourcefulness."

Jiaang Miaojie's demeanor remained cool and detached.

Yu Yuan felt a tremor of realization.

The intricate carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and ancient demons on those chairs painted a vivid picture of the Divine Soul Sect's past arrogance and tyranny.

From Jiaang Miaojie's implications, the chairs... were forged from the bones of a Demon King.

Which Demon King had been so audacious?

The demons were allies of the Divine Soul Sect, having joined their ranks to fight in the Outer Star River. How could their remains be subjected to such indignity?

He began to understand why the combined forces of the Demon and Human races had reasons for their stance against the Divine Soul Sect.

"Who crafted the chairs?" Yu Yuan demanded.

"The Lunar Divine King. His hubris was legendary, making him the target of widespread loathing. Hence, he met the most definitive end," Jiaang Miaojie sighed softly. "But let's return to the Ruins Divine King. I'm confident he will seek you out because he was always the staunchest ally."

A realization dawned on Yu Yuan, "Are you referring to the original master of the Dragon Slash Platform... the Lunar Divine King?"

"Who else?" Jiaang Miaojie retorted, her tone suggesting the answer was obvious. She then lifted her gaze to the thatched roof above, her eyes piercing through it and the Ghosts Poisoning Array, as if reaching into the vast night sky.

"The Ruins Divine King of today was once the Void Divine King. After perishing in the great expanse, he awoke in a hidden corner of the cosmos. He was meant to leave that place swiftly to venture into realms of uncertain fate and survival.

"The Void Divine King had braced for oblivion, which is why he left himself an escape route."

"It's the current Ruins Divine King."

"He never anticipated encountering such an earth-shattering upheaval during a stopover in Hao Ran. The contingency he had set for himself to investigate that secret realm proved to be pivotal."

"He had prepared an escape route, creating the Ruins Divine King, not as a safeguard against those adversaries. It was sheer coincidence that he stumbled upon that catastrophic divine war and, fortuitously, had left behind the Ruins Divine King."

"…"

Jiaang Miaojie was deeply moved by this topic.

"Is the current Guixu the same person as the Void Divine King? Did he survive his grave injuries, or has he been reborn?" Yu Yuan exclaimed, astounded.

"Rebirth is not so simple," Jiaang Miaojie said, shaking her head and glancing at the ground, "Beings from Hao Ran must receive permission from the source of the Yin Meridian to be reborn. They must grasp the Ghost Wizard Sect's secret arts and secure its consent to enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"The Ruins Divine King, however, is unique. He is an aspect of the Void Divine King. The Ruins Divine King inherited everything from him: memories, life experiences, and all the Spiritual Spells and secret arts."

"He has not been reborn as a human because he lost his physical form. Now, he exists solely as a pure soul."

Jiaang Miaojie continued softly, "Huangyin and Xuanying also weren't reborn. Their souls, originally Devil Souls, managed to escape with lingering thoughts after being destroyed. Only after eons did they reconstitute as Huangyin and Xuanying, yet they still require a body to possess, lacking their own human forms."

"Only the two leaders of the Ghost Wizard Sect, favored and enlightened by its reincarnation techniques, could transform into humans."

"Oh, and now there's Zhong Chichen, and you..."

Jiaang Miaojie's eyes sparkled with realization. "Zhong Chichen, being a Space-time Dragon, must have learned the secrets of reincarnation from that individual. After all, that person and Youyu once exchanged their knowledge of Soul Arts. As for you, the transformation from Hong Qi to Yu Yuan was also the handiwork of the Ghost Wizard Sect."

Yu Yuan fell into a contemplative silence.

The revelations Jiang Miaojie shared were startling. Earth Demons like Huangyin and Xuanying appeared unable to reincarnate as humans, and the transformation of the Great Void into the Ruins Divine King wasn't a reincarnation either. It seemed that only those adept in the Ghost Wizard Sect's secret arts, and possibly with the Yin Vein's permission, could be reborn as humans. To his knowledge, the successful reincarnates included Youyu, himself, and Zhong Chichen, the Space-time Dragon. Youyu, it was clear, had been granted permission.

As for himself, he had become Hong Qi in his first life, suggesting that his original soul was exceptionally unique and powerful. His senior brother's disruption of time and space had allowed him to slip past the Horror Land undetected. The subterranean will had recognized him back then, and it was puzzled by his sudden transformation into Hong Qi. Whether it was aware of the intricacies of Hong Qi's reincarnation, orchestrated under the guidance of Youyu's intelligence, remained uncertain. It wasn't always watching over the cycles of reincarnation; even it needed moments of rest.

"Ruins Divine King is a staunch supporter of the Lunar Divine King," she explained. "Whenever there's a disagreement between Lunar and Taishi, Ruins Divine King invariably sides with Lunar, owing to the fact that Ruins Divine King's ascension was made possible through Lunar's assistance."

"Taishi will unfailingly support Taishi," she continued.

"The Wisdom Divine King, on the other hand, will weigh the situation before deciding whether to side with Taishi or Lunar."

Jiang Miaojie, having returned from the Outer Star River, was evidently more versed in the Divine Soul Sect's history than Yan Qiling. After all, Yan Qiling had begun as merely an Artifact Soul within the Splitting Soul Staff, which was just one of the many artifacts forged by Taishi.

After their extended conversation, Yu Yuan learned much about the past from Jiang Miaojie, details of which Yu Yiyi was completely unaware. Yu Yiyi, once a mere servant, likely lacked the standing to be privy to such information.

"Tianzang has been taken by Youyu back to Horror Land. I've come to inform you of this," Jiang Miaojie stated, allowing Yu Yuan little time to process the news. "Given your deep understanding of both Youyu and the sect, do you believe Tianzang is at risk of being killed by Youyu? Tianzang pledged his allegiance to Taishi, and I've heard Ruins Divine King hint that there was bad blood between Youyu and Taishi in the past."

"If Tianzang has been brought in by the Lunar Divine King, then there's no cause for concern."

Jiang Miaojie expressed her worries.

"Yu Yuan! There's been a major incident towards the Devil Palace!" Lau Ying called out urgently from high above.

"..."