C1523 The Chosen One
Yu Zhu emerged at Colorful Lake, her face a picture of bewilderment...
Above, Yu Yuan stood suspended in the air over the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, his body jolting with a sudden tremor.
At that instant, Yu Yuan, who had been gripping the Dragon Slash Platform tightly, felt his senses expand exponentially. He was intently monitoring any anomalies within tens of millions of miles, fearful of overlooking any detail.
He searched in silence, seeking the target that Youyu held dear in his heart, his thoughts continuously churning.
Yet, even with the Dragon Slash Platform in hand, his ability to sense and scout could not penetrate the earth to reveal the scene at Colorful Lake.
That is, until Yu Zhu appeared.
A mystical bond of the soul already existed between him and Yu Zhu. This bond, originating from their spirits, was intensified by the Dragon Slash Platform. With Yu Zhu's arrival, it instantly fused together.
Thus, in his perception, Yu Zhu became a beacon of light!
He had been unable to see the Colorful Lake, the surging Earth Demons, or the small divine platform that Qiyan had transformed into...
Yu Zhu's arrival was like an eye materializing in the Colorful Lake of the Foul World!
Yu Zhu was his eye, illuminating the Colorful Lake for him!
Through Yu Zhu, he saw everything.
"Did you discover anything?"
The Ghost King, Tianzang, who was close by, keenly sensed the turmoil within him and inquired softly. He then added, "Huangyin's path has ended. The person Youyu cherishes in his heart must not be him."
"If not him, then who?" Lau Ying wondered aloud.
Jiaang Miaojie's gaze darted from place to place, her bright eyes finally settling on a peach tree.
She watched Hu Caiyun, frantic and powerless, crouching beside the burning remains of Huangyin's devil body.
Huangyin's Devil Soul and the body it had refined were both being consumed by the Flowing Flames.
As Han Miaoyuan's disciple, Hu Caiyun understood the profound and terrifying nature of her master's teachings. She was at a loss, watching her beloved engulfed in flames.
The Devil Soul belonged to Huangyin, but the body being consumed by the fire was that of her once cherished love.
Hu Caiyun had never been so filled with regret and disappointment. With her head bowed, she sobbed softly while speaking.
She wondered if Huangyin could still hear her...
"What a twisted fate!"
Jiaang Miaojie, who had been listening in for some time, still found room for gossip even at such a moment.
"Yu, Yu Yuan?"
Lau Ying approached and, noticing Yu Yuan's prolonged silence, gently shook his arm.
"Give me a moment to think."
Yu Yuan's focus remained on Colorful Lake.
He was well aware of Tianzang and Lau Ying's conversation; his ability to divide thousands of souls meant he could easily attend to their curiosity.
His silence stemmed from his own immense shock and bewilderment.
The reality before him seemed utterly inconceivable when juxtaposed with Youyu's decision.
No matter how he looked at it, Yu Zhu seemed too hasty and unqualified to assume such a divine position.
Yu Zhu had only recently evolved into a Ninth Level Demon King in the Outland Star River. How much time had passed since then?
Had she fully mastered her Demon King powers?
If Youyu had indeed chosen her, could there have been a mistake?
No, Youyu wouldn't make a mistake!
If there was no mistake and Youyu's initial choice was indeed Yu Zhu...
Yu Yuan revisited this line of thought, trying to make sense of it all.
Chaos, disorder, and contradiction were the essence of the Yin Meridian's turbid flow and the most fitting state for the Divine Path.
Yu Zhu, the eight-legged spider from the Demon Palace, was the offspring of the Alien Demon Qiyan.
Her unique fusion of Demon and Devil had been in perfect harmony with the murky Dao from her birth. She embodied chaos, disorder, and contradiction!
She was the one he had discovered and nurtured, hoping she would become a formidable ally for the future.
But regarding her creation, the moment he found her and took her to the swamps of Jade Peak, was there influence or manipulation by the Ghost Wizard Sect?
At that time, he had completely succumbed to evil, his sanity teetering on the brink of collapse.
And Yuan Qingxi had been observing him all along, silently from the shadows.
Behind Yuan Qingxi was the Netherworld Diagram, where Youyu, unable to leave or evolve, existed solely as an intelligent entity of will.
However, that was Youyu!
Could it be that the union of Qiyan and the eight-legged spider, perhaps even the birth of Yu Zhu, was a deliberate act orchestrated by the Ghost Wizard Sect?
Or, looking even deeper, could it have been the choice of the Yin Meridian's origin?
From the moment Yu Zhu came into existence, this unique being, a product of demon and devil, was destined to inherit a divine seat.
She was born for that divine seat!
That's why she possessed such incredible power and limitless potential!
From her birth, she was virtually preordained for a divine seat!
Her compatibility with the Absence Relic was due to the eight-legged spider. Had she ventured to the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea or the Foul Land, her affinity with the 'impure' would have allowed her to act with unrestrained will.
In a sense, she was another Youyu, equally unique and rare!
Huangyin and Xuanying must have sensed something, which is why they sent the gray fox to grant her a divine seat.
Perhaps it was Yuen Qingxi who alerted the Earth Demon Ancestors to Yu Zhu's uniqueness.
Huangyin even wanted me to persuade her...
Yu Yuan scoffed inwardly, then suddenly recalled that Yu Zhu's demon lineage, which had swiftly ascended to the Ninth Level and earned her the title of Demon King, was due in part to...
Her acquisition of one of the three blood-colored crystals from the Great Demon God Greco through her own efforts!
The Yin and Yang Meridians, inherently opposed, meant that the blood crystal she obtained catalyzed her demon blood's transformation, awakening her...
Her innate affinity with the Path of Impurity allowed her a deeper understanding of the Blood Devil. In the future, even when confronting Great Demon God Greco or the Yang Meridian, she would be well-prepared.
The fusion of demon and devil, the refinement of a blood crystal, and her rise to Demon King within the sacred Dim Starfield of the Blood Devil Clan...
It's unlikely there's another in the world more suited to that divine path than she.
No wonder Xuanli had to make way.
"It's Yu Zhu."
With the answer clear in his mind, Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and revealed the truth to Ghost King Tianzang, Lau Ying, and Jiaang Miaojie.
"Yu Zhu?!"
Tianzang was as still as a statue.
"Why? How could it be her?" Lau Ying's mind conjured the image of a small, dark-haired, thin, and seemingly rural girl. "Does she even have the qualifications? And does she possess the strength to uphold that divine position? You can't just force these things!"
"Those who cannot bear it will perish, both in body and spirit," Jiaang Miaojie murmured.
"I think he might be capable," Yu Yuan admitted, feeling uneasy.
Despite everything, Yu Zhu seemed to embody that great path; she was born to uphold it. Yet, he couldn't shake his concern.
He feared that Yu Zhu wasn't strong enough...
"Just now, seven peculiar forces flashed into existence and then vanished abruptly," Tianzang, regaining his composure first, asked Yu Yuan with a serious tone, "What was that?"
"That's Qiyan. He's another part of Yu Zhu's soul source, and it appears he has a deep connection with Colorful Lake. Oh, I nearly forgot you're Yuv Qian, the keeper of the Tears of Blue Devil. Help me analyze this."
Yu Yuan swiftly shared his theories about Colorful Lake and the magical link between Qiyan and the lake.
Finally, he described the scene where Qiyan, the so-called father, materialized into a small divine platform for Yu Zhu to sit upon.
Tianzang, Jiaang Miaojie, and Lau Ying were left in awe.
Meanwhile, the clear, colorless river flowing towards the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea seemed unhurried.
It was as if it were waiting for something.
As if it awaited Yu Zhu's reacquaintance with herself, for her to be ready.
"The Colorful Lake must be an Aura Altar, a more sophisticated version of the Tears of Blue Devil!"
After a moment of silence, Tianzang declared, "It must have arrived here before my time, either fallen or seized by the vastness. I'm not sure of its origins, but it's undeniably an Aura Altar of the Outland Devaputra!"
"The only difference is, this Blood Aura Altar seems to have given rise to what you call... an Artifact Soul?"
Tianzang wore an expression of utmost peculiarity.
"Yu Yuan, Jiang Miaojie, you're aware that the artifacts of those intelligent beings from the Outland Star River, including the most esteemed relics, lack Artifact Souls, aren't you?" he inquired.
Jiang Miaojie nodded in agreement, "That's correct."
Yu Yuan, equally astonished, pondered the matter and realized that none of the foreign powerhouses he had encountered, including those from the Asura Clan like Alonso and Beru, possessed artifacts with Artifact Souls.
It appeared that Artifact Souls were exclusive to artifacts of the highest caliber.
"What are you implying?" Yu Yuan pressed.
"I'm not entirely sure what transpired, and it's beyond my comprehension. But it seems that an Artifact Soul has emerged from the Aura Altar in the Foul World," Tianzang explained.
"The Devaputra's Divine Artifact in the vastness has spawned an Artifact Soul, resulting in the birth of Qiyan."
"Without Qiyan's return, the Colorful Lake remains incomplete. It's Qiyan's emergence that endowed the Colorful Lake with the miraculous ability to nurture a new Devil Soul, something the Tears of Blue Devil lacks."
"Clearly, the Colorful Lake surpasses my Tears of Blue Devil in both level and grade."
"With Huangyin and Xuanying present, Qiyan was reluctant to return, choosing instead to drift in the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea or roam abroad. His return would likely result in servitude to Huangyin and Xuanying."
"Now, this extraordinary Artifact Soul has come back to the Colorful Lake for Yu Zhu, transforming into the Dragon Slash Platform to herald her arrival. He is actively laying the divine path for Yu Zhu!"
"In a mere moment, Yu Zhu has acquired an Artifact on par with the Spectral Palace!"
"Her union with the Colorful Lake has sent her Devil Soul soaring. Her enchanting form, purified multiple times by the lake's tainted essence, has swiftly ascended to a brand-new plane of power."
"Because she is the perfect embodiment of that supreme path!"
"She truly is the chosen daughter of destiny!"
