C1515 Lord Xu!

Jiang Miaojie of Boulderdawn materialized without triggering the Shadowflame Blight Array, as if she had glided in on the breeze. She stood there, her form seemingly aglow.

Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes, attempting to perceive her with his vitality and soul, yet he could only discern a faint mist.

The Jiang Miaojie before him lacked the robust vitality typical of a cultivator and had no swirling aura of a soul field. It was exceedingly peculiar.

"What did Lord Xu tell you?"

Jiang Miaojie surveyed the area, her gaze drifting over the thatched huts and the swamps radiating heat. She was searching for lingering clues. "I detect the scent of a Blood Fiend. Oh, but no, it's actually the followers of the Colddeath from the Everlands. Let me take a wild guess—it's Ann Ziqing, isn't it?" She gave Yu Yuan a playful wink.

Almost as tall as Yu Yuan, she hovered above the ground like a celestial being from a mountain stream.

Adorned in a moon-white gown embellished with countless tiny gems, the jewelry sparkled with each gesture, enhancing her ethereal presence.

A single glance from her seemed to make any impure thoughts a man might harbor retreat to the darkest recesses of his mind.

She exuded an aura of purity that made one feel utterly unworthy of her presence.

"Lord Xu?"

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he was abruptly reminded of the vexing voice.

"Yes, Lord Gui Xu," Jiang Miaojie chided with a playful roll of her eyes, as if amused by his expression. "Lord Xu can embody anything, or become nothing at all. He might transform into a stone, a blade of grass, or the silt of the swamp. His metamorphosis is a shift in the very essence of life, not mere illusion."

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

"Because Qi can not only flow but is also omnipresent."

In front of Yu Yuan, this rising star of Boulderdawn extolled the virtues of the God-King Gui Xu, sharing the deity's unique mysteries without reservation, as if Yu Yuan were no stranger.

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

The voice that Ann Wen had been oblivious to, emanating from within him, likely belonged to the enigmatic Gui Xu God-King, who vanished upon his return to the Star River from the extraterrestrial realms.

It seemed that only Tianqi knew his true whereabouts.

An entity capable of vaporizing into thin air and altering the essence of life to become anything in the world, and also a supreme God-King—it's no surprise that the Dragon Slaying Stage revealed no trace of him.

But weren't Gui Xu, Tianqi, and Soul-Capturing the God-Kings who advanced beyond the Boulderdawn in the extraterrestrial realms?

Why did he seem to recognize Yu Yuan?

"You are the master of the Dragon Slaying Stage and the successor of that individual. Since Lord Xu has returned to his native soil, how could he not come to see you?" Jiang Miaojie spoke softly.

Homeland, ancestral land.

Yu Yuan sharply noted that she referred to the Everlands as the ancestral land, yet she called it Lord Xu's homeland.

The distinction was significant!

"Lord Xu? Is he not like you, born in the Everlands?" Yu Yuan inquired earnestly.

"You're quite astute. Talking with you is pleasant, unlike the brash Hua Xin." Jiang Miaojie said with a smile, gesturing towards a thatched cottage, "Won't you invite me inside?" Her pale fingers pointed to the cottage where Liu Ying had previously practiced her cultivation.

"There's nothing much inside," Yu Yuan said with a frown.

"There is now."

No sooner had Jiang Miaojie spoken than two white jade chairs, intricately carved with beautiful designs, materialized.

The spacious chairs were adorned with various dragons and several gracefully dancing firebirds, exuding an air of magnificence.

She seated herself in one chair and gestured to the other, telling Yu Yuan, "Make yourself at home. Don't be shy."

Yu Yuan gave a wry smile and took his seat.

By chance, the seat he chose was carved with a purple phoenix.

Dark Phoenix?

Yu Yuan paused, his expression turning curious.

Upon closer inspection of Jiang Miaojie's chair, it was adorned with the likenesses of golden dragons, Chronowyrms, frost wyrms, and even Astral Serpents, giant apes, and Kylin...

Once seated, Jiang Miaojie radiated a commanding presence as if she ruled heaven and earth.

Catching Yu Yuan's gaze, she shrugged nonchalantly and remarked, "Dragons, ancient evilkind, and even that venerable Dark Phoenix—didn't our forebears once have them all underfoot? In the heyday of our sect, the Dragon Slaying Stage subdued the Nagas, and the archdemons heeded our call. Many Monster Lords' skeletons were crafted into artifacts after their demise."

"The two chairs are simply small relics from the past, a perfect example of utilizing everything to its fullest potential," Jiang Miaojie stated with a calm demeanor.

Yu Yuan, however, felt a tremor in his spirit.

The intricate carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and ancient archdemons on the chairs allowed him to envision the sheer audacity and arrogance of Boulderdawn in its heyday.

According to Jiang Miaojie, the chairs... were crafted from the bones of a Monster Lord.

Which Boulderdawn sage was so brazen?

The evilkind, once allies of Boulderdawn, had joined their forces to fight in the extraterrestrial Star River. How could their remains be so dishonored after falling in battle?

He suddenly understood why the evilkind and human factions had united against Boulderdawn—there were reasons for their actions.

"Who crafted the chairs?" Yu Yuan demanded.

"It was Mirtyx, the God-King. His arrogance was legendary, making him the most despised. Consequently, he met the most thorough end," Jiang Miaojie murmured with a sigh. "But let's return to the topic of Lord Xu. I'm certain he will come to visit you because he was his most steadfast supporter."

Yu Yuan had an epiphany. "Are you referring to the former master of the Dragon Slaying Stage... Taiyin, the God-King?"

"Who else?" Jiang Miaojie retorted, as if Yu Yuan had stated the obvious. She then looked up at the cottage's ceiling, her gaze piercing through the roof and the Shadowflame Blight Array, reaching out to the vast night sky.

"Lord Xu is none other than Taixu, the God-King of old. At the moment of his demise in the Everlands, Lord Xu awoke at the fringe of the cosmos, in a secluded spot. He was meant to leave the Everlands swiftly to venture into an uncharted realm."

"Taixu himself was uncertain of his fate, ready to face obliteration, which is why he created a contingency for himself."

"That contingency is now Lord Xu."

"He never anticipated that a stopover in the Everlands would lead him to witness a cataclysmic event. The contingency he had left for exploring that secret place thus came into play."

"He had forged a lifeline for himself, not as a precaution against his adversaries. It was sheer happenstance that he encountered the Divine War, and by chance, he had left behind Lord Xu."

Jiang Miaojie was overcome with emotion as she spoke. "Is the current Gui Xu the same as the former Taixu God-King? Did he survive his grave injuries, or has he been reborn?" Yu Yuan exclaimed, astonished.

"Rebirth is not so simple," Jiang Miaojie said, shaking her head and glancing at the ground beneath her. "Beings from the Everlands must obtain the Root of the Lunar Meridian's permission to be reborn as humans. They must grasp the Bloodbrawlers' secrets of reincarnation and secure its nod of approval to enter the cycle of rebirth."

"Lord Xu is somewhat unique. He is a fragment of the Taixu God-King. Lord Xu has inherited everything from Taixu: his memories, life experiences, and all the spells and arcane knowledge he mastered."

"He hasn't been reborn as a human because he lost his physical form. Now he exists solely as a pure soul."

Jiang Miaojie continued with a gentle shake of her head, "Huangyin and Xuanying also haven't been reborn. Originally devil souls, they managed to escape with remnants of their consciousness after being slain. It took millions of years for them to reconstitute as Huangyin and Xuanying, but they still need to seize a body to manifest, lacking their own human forms."

"Only the two leaders of the Bloodbrawlers, who gained its favor and understood its reincarnation techniques, were able to transform into humans."

"Oh, and now there's Zhong Chichen, and you..." Jiang Miaojie's eyes sparkled. "Since Zhong Chichen is a Chronowyrm, he likely learned the secrets of reincarnation from that individual. After all, that person once exchanged insights on Spirit Magic with Youyu. As for you, the transformation of Hong Qi into Yu Yuan was also the work of the Bloodbrawlers."

Yu Yuan fell into a contemplative silence.

The revelations from Jiang Miaojie were startling. It appeared that Terra Fiends like Huangyin and Xuanying could not reincarnate as humans, nor could Taixu as Gui Xu, the God-King. Only those well-versed in the Bloodbrawlers' arcane arts and possibly with the Root of the Lunar Meridian's blessing could be reborn as humans.

Currently, the only known successful reincarnations are Youyu, myself, and Zhong Chichen, the Chronowyrm. Youyu clearly had permission for his reincarnation. As for me, originally Hong Qi, my dominant soul was inherently unique and powerful. After my senior brother disrupted time and space, I managed to deceive the heavens and bypass the Land of Terror undetected. The will beneath the Land of Terror had recognized who I truly was. It was puzzled about how I had suddenly transformed into Hong Qi. The transition from Hong Qi to Yu Yuan was orchestrated by Yuan Qingxi, under the guidance of Youyu's intelligent life within his painting. It's uncertain whether it was fully aware of the situation. It can't possibly monitor the Everlands' cycle of rebirth incessantly; it too must rest at times.

"Lord Xu is a staunch supporter of the Taiyin God-King. Whenever Taiyin and Taishi disagree, Lord Xu invariably sides with Taiyin. This is because Lord Xu's predecessor, Taixu God-King, ascended to godhood with Taiyin's assistance."

"Mirtyx will always back Taishi."

"Jihui God-King, on the other hand, will weigh the circumstances. He will align himself with either Taishi or Taiyin based on his own discernment."

Jiang Miaojie, having returned from the extraterrestrial, evidently knows more about the Boulderdawn's history than Yan Qiling. Initially, Yan Qiling was merely the artifact soul of the Soul Splitting Staff, which was just one of the many artifacts crafted by Taishi. After some time conversing, Yu Yuan learned much about the past from Jiang Miaojie, details of which Yu Yiyi was completely unaware. It seems that Yu Yiyi, once a mere servant, likely lacked the standing to be privy to such information.

"Tian Zang has been taken by Youyu back to the Land of Terror. I'm here to inform you of this," Jiang Miaojie revealed without giving Yu Yuan much time to process. "Within our sect, you and Youyu understand each other best. Do you think Tian Zang might be killed by Youyu? Tian Zang pledged his allegiance to Taishi, but I've heard Lord Xu hint that Youyu and Taishi were at odds in the past."

"If Tian Zang was brought in by the Taiyin God-King, then I wouldn't be concerned," Jiang Miaojie expressed with a hint of worry.

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

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