“Countless people died in that war, and even resources that had accumulated thousands of years were completely exhausted. In that war, the carnage of the Saints had dyed the entire Tianyuan World red.”
A great sadness filled Cang Yuan’s eyes. “The all-races were utterly defeated. Even our Saints could find only defeat and death in the face of the Sacred God.”
Zhou Yuan’s mouth fell open, shock filling his eyes. He could not imagine how terrifying that war was. It made even existence as powerful as Saints appear helpless.
“Then…” If the Sacred God was so terrifying, how did the all-races survive in the end?
Cang Yuan slowly said, “Because of the Ancestral Dragon.
“When nearly all was lost, the Ancestral Dragon’s will surged out from the deepest part of the world and gravely injured the Sacred God. Only then did the Sacred Race withdraw, saving the all-races from their demise.
“After the war, we finally understood how powerful their god was. Most importantly, we are incapable of slaying Him...He is a part of the natural order of the world, and only a similar existence can kill Him.”
A bitter smile arose on Cang Yuan’s face. The only gods in this world were the Ancestral Dragon and the Sacred God. The Ancestral Dragon had already transformed into the many living things, leaving the Sacred God as the only god in existence.
He could imagine how hopeless it had felt for the all-races.
He was not alone. Zhou Yuan also felt despair rise within him. If the Sacred God was so powerful, how would they stop Him once he revived? From Cang Yuan’s words, the Ancestral Dragon’s will was not eternal.
It could save the all-races once, but not forever.
“After the war, the all-races Saints searched for the power to save the world.
“In the end, after the sacrifice of several Saints, we finally reached the deepest part of the world. It was the final abode of the Ancestral Dragon’s will, and there...we found a beast egg and a strange stone.
“The stone immediately drew our attention, because we sensed a unique life force and...a hint of divinity from it.”
A dazzling light emerged in Cang Yuan’s eyes, a light called hope.
He stared at Zhou Yuan and slowly said, “The stone contained the offspring of the Ancestral Dragon’s will. She was also a god, and we call Her the Third God.
“She is the final hope in our war against the Sacred Race.
“That’s right, you should have guessed it by now...
“The guardian beast egg was Tuntun, and the Third God birthed from the Ancestral Dragon’s will in the strange stone...
“Is Yaoyao!”
Chapter 1209 Gods and Humans, Divinity and Humanity
Wind blew past the sea of flowers, sweeping up a gust of petals.
Zhou Yuan’s expression was somewhat dazed. He stared blankly at Cang Yuan’s solemn face as emotions churned in his heart, wave after wave battering his innermost sanctum. It was clear just how shocking Cang Yuan’s words were to him.
He had made his own guesses of Yaoyao’s identity before. In his view, Yaoyao might be a Saint expert that had sealed her cultivation due to unknown reasons.
However, it seemed that he had still underestimated her somewhat.
Yaoyao was not a Saint expert. She was the Third God that had appeared since the birth of this world!
She was a god, the ultimate existence in this world together with the Ancestral Dragon and the Sacred God.
An existence that surpassed the Saints!
Zhou Yuan turned his head slightly and gazed at the sleeping beauty in the coffin. A god, what a mysterious and respected word. Even Saint experts appeared dim in comparison.
He never imagined that the girl who had accompanied him out of the Great Zhou Empire and experienced countless things with him would have such an identity.
It was honestly too unreal.
“To be more precise, Yaoyao was born from the Ancestral Dragon’s will. She can be said to be the Ancestral Dragon’s daughter and the Third God.”
Cang Yuan slowly said, “She is perhaps the most precious treasure left behind by the Ancestral Dragon in this world, and the final hope of the all-races.”
A complicated expression arose on Zhou Yuan’s face as he softly said, “Since she is the hope of the all-races, why do the all-heaven Saints not wish for her revival?”
Cang Yuan’s expression turned grave. “Because of differences in opinion.
“When we found the strange stone Yaoyao was born from, a huge disagreement arose between the Omega Shrine Saints. One group believed that we should not place our hopes in an entity that had yet to be born, because no one could know for sure whether she would protect the all-heavens when she grew up.
“Hence, they suggested absorbing her instead. This would greatly boost the all-heavens Saints powers, and might even allow us to ascend beyond the triple lotus stage, and also step into the realm of the gods.”
Zhou Yuan’s expression changed. “Absorb?!”
Cang Yuan nodded. “But I did not approve of such methods because she was something left behind by the Ancestral Dragon, and I believe she has inherited the Ancestral Dragon’s will. Moreover, I do not believe it would be so easy to absorb because that would be underestimating the Ancestral Dragon and the power of the gods.
“I was afraid that proceeding with such a plan would only come back to bite us, and instead put our final hope against us. If that happens, the Second and Third Gods will become our enemies. That will truly be the demise of the all-races.
“Hence, I found a chance to steal away the strange stone and beast egg…
“Yaoyao and Tuntun were soon born from them…”
Zhou Yuan felt somewhat dizzy as he recalled the mysterious domain he had stepped into all those years ago, where he had met Cang Yuan, Yaoyao and Tuntun...everything had started from that very meeting.
He finally understood why Cang Yuan had been hiding with Yaoyao all those years. It turns out that he had to guard against both the Sacred Race and the all-heavens Saints.
Zhou Yuan could not help but ask, “Doesn’t that mean that you’ve pitted yourself against the all-heavens Saints? Did the Omega Shrine’s three prime sovereigns say nothing?”
From what he understood, the three prime sovereigns were the strongest experts of the all-heavens. If they took action, would Cang Yuan have needed to hide for so many years?
“I previously said that not everyone agreed to absorb the god stone, and the three prime sovereigns also had differing opinions. When I stole away the god stone, the three prime sovereigns kept each other in check, making it impossible for any of them to take action. Hence, the other Saints could only rely on their own abilities.
“I am not alone either. There are Saints that support me.”
Zhou Yuan silently nodded. The matter seemed extremely complex. Even the all-heavens strongest force, the Omega Shrine, had split into different camps because of it.
Moreover, it seemed that no one was wrong. All of them had the future of the all-heavens in mind.
Cang Yuan said, “Yaoyao’s deep slumber is good news for them. Hence, they will not easily let her awaken. Hence, a battle will definitely await us.”
He paused for a moment as he stared at Zhou Yuan. “This is mostly everything I have to say about Yaoyao’s identity. However, there’s one other thing that concerns you.
“When I entrusted Yaoyao to you, I never imagined that you two would gain feelings for each other...no, to be more accurate, it is surprising that Yaoyao would gain feelings. For you sake, she undid her seal...and even gave you divine matter.”
Zhou Yuan was silent. The divine matter was likely the mysterious thing that had appeared when he tried to refine the Ancestral Dragon Flesh.
It had baffled him previously, but it now all made sense.
Yaoyao was born from the Ancestral Dragon will and was naturally able to neutralize the remnant will in the Ancestral Dragon Flesh.
Cang Yuan sighed softly. His face turned grave as he said, “Zhou Yuan, as your master, I’m more worried about you. Although Yaoyao is currently very similar to humans, she is ultimately the Third God and possesses divinity.
“Her divinity is merely slumbering for the moment, but as time passes, it will gradually awaken within her. When that happens, her human side will be suppressed and gradually wiped away by her divinity. In other words...she will ultimately forget everything.”
Zhou Yuan felt as if he was struck by lightning and a chill rose from the bottom of his feet.
This was the most frightening thing he had heard yet.
“She...she will forget me?” Zhou Yuan’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
A little bitterness appeared in Cang Yuan’s expression. “Divinity is too great and nearly impossible to restrain. Moreover, from the all-heavens point of view, we do not wish for her divinity to be suppressed. Yaoyao will only be able to contend against the Sacred God when she truly becomes the Third God.”
Cang Yuan looked at Zhou Yuan with sorrowful eyes. If he knew this would happen, he would perhaps not have entrusted Yaoyao to Zhou Yuan so as to avoid this sad but beautiful love story.
Zhou Yuan was silent for a very long time. He lowered his head and stared at the sleeping beauty in the coffin as if he had lost his soul.
Cang Yuan did not say anything else. With a sigh, he turned and left.
Zhou Yuan stood beside the crystal coffin in silence as sun and moon interchanged in the sky. He did not move at all, seemingly having turned into a statue.
Memories surged from the depths of his mind.
Under an old tree, a girl in azure clothes leaned against the trunk, her clear eyes silently watching him.
It was a memory of the first time he had seen Yaoyao...
Under her tutelage, he had slowly learnt about Genesis Runes.
They had walked out of the Great Zhou Empire together, and ultimately arrived at the Cangxuan Sect...
His clearest memory was in their cave dwelling. Petals drifted from a peach blossom tree, a backdrop that made the girl’s beautiful face and occasional slight smile even more soul-stirring.
Every tiny crease of her brows and every smile had been deeply carved into his soul.
Zhou Yuan’s tightly shut eyes trembled. He opened them and stared at the girl in the crystal coffin. The splendor that had disappeared from them suddenly gathered once more, slowly turning sharp and clear.
He reached out and stroked the coffin.
Yaoyao, I don’t care who you are. I only know that you’re the one who accompanied me out of the Great Zhou Empire.
As long as you do not wish for it, no one can wipe away our shared past and memories.
If you can no longer suppress your divinity in the future and it attempts to wipe away everything we had...I will help you!
If being human is not enough...I will become a god!
Chapter 1210 The Enemy Arrives
Phew.
Zhou Yuan exhaled as a determined light glowed in his eyes. He knew how arrogant or maybe ignorant his thoughts were. The path to become a god was something that even the numerous Saints had failed to reach. If an ordinary person knew about his ambitions, they would have called him crazy.
However, he had to try no matter how difficult it was.
Zhou Yuan was not someone who would easily give up. The trials he had experienced over the years had never been easy, however, he had ultimately overcome them. Although it was going to be a million times harder to become a god, he was willing to bear any hardship for Yaoyao’s sake.
Zhou Yuan promised in a soft voice, “Yaoyao, when you awaken, we shall go find Tuntun!”
He turned around and walked out of the sea of flowers, heading straight for Cang Yuan.
Cang Yuan’s and Zhuan Zhu’s hearts shuddered a little when they saw the still bright and sharp light in Zhou Yuan’s eyes. Despite finding out about the despairing truth, Zhou Yuan had not been defeated.
The two exchanged a look, seeing the mixed emotions in each other's eyes. In their view, Zhou Yuan’s talent, tenacity and hard work far surpassed the ordinary. He basically already had the qualities to become a Saint. However...even becoming a Saint might not be able to change anything.
They sighed and pitied Zhou Yuan in their hearts, but did not reveal anything on their faces. Since Zhou Yuan had not given up, he should be ready to bear everything to come.
Zhou Yuan arrived at Cang Yuan’s side and asked, “Master, when do we start?”
Cang Yuan raised his head and glanced at the sky. “It’s about time.”
Zhou Yuan also looked towards the sky, but was unable to see anything despite stepping into the advanced Nascent Source stage. He could only helplessly withdraw his gaze. “Will the all-heavens Saints be coming to stop us?”
Cang Yuan nodded. “Certainly. They’ve also been waiting for this day.
“However, I’ve set up several boundaries in this domain, and even a Saint expert would find it hard to descend for a time. Zhuan Zhu and I will stop the attacking Saints, but our enemies will also be sending Law Domain and Nascent Source experts.
“We will not be able to spare any attention to these experts, hence, you guys will be the ones to stop them.
“We must stall for time until Yaoyao awakens. When she does, all the fighting and schemes will come to a conclusion.”
Zhou Yuan nodded. Supreme sovereign Wan Zu and the other Saints might also have the welfare of the all-heavens at heart. However, it was difficult to come to an agreement between people with differing opinions. Since he stood on Yaoyao’s side, there was absolutely no way that he would sit by and watch her being absorbed. Hence, even if the enemies were the all-heavens, he was naturally going to resist.
Chi Jing, Mu Ni, sect master Xuan Kun and the others also acknowledged with solemn expressions.
As for the three perfect Nascent Source experts, Zhao Yuefu, Xue Qinglong and Yi Yan, they could not help but wipe the cold sweat on their brows. Only now did they truly understand what kind of chessboard they were a part of. However, since even the Tianyuan Region’s two supreme sovereigns were going to participate, underlings like them were naturally unable to escape.
After instructing a few more key points, supreme sovereign Cang Yuan led Zhou Yuan back to the crystal coffin.
He raised his hand and an ancient oil lamp slowly rose from his palm.
The oil lamp was simple and looked like the most ordinary lamp used by the common folk. Only those who had reached a certain cultivation level would be able to sense the terrifying power concentrated within it.
It was the Ancestral Dragon Lamp, the second ranked sacred treasure in the all-heavens.
It was one of the all-heavens strongest trump cards, and no faction was allowed to monopolize it. Only the winner of each nine regions tournament would gain the right to become its safekeeper.
It was also the prize Zhou Yuan had fought tooth and nail for, even defeating Zhao Mushen.
“The Tianyuan Region has never wielded the Ancestral Dragon Lantern ever since it was founded. I never imagined that you would allow me to wield it this once.”
Zhou Yuan grinned. “If master did not establish the Tianyuan Region, I won’t even have the right to participate in the nine regions tournament.”
It was the truth. The nine regions tournament was a grand event that only the nine regions were qualified to partake in. Without the Tianyuan Region, Zhou Yuan would have no chance no matter how strong he was.
Cang Yuan also grinned, his eyes filled with satisfaction towards his youngest disciple. He and Wan Zu had clashed for many years, but neither party had managed to gain much headway. But ever since Zhou Yuan arrived in the Tianyuan Region, the Wanzu Region had faced setback after setback. Cang Yuan knew that Wan Zu was certainly a little depressed about it.
“Take out the Ancestral Dragon Flesh.” Zhou Yuan slowly pushed his palms together before pulling them apart.
An invisib
le ripple condensed between his hands as an indescribable ancient sound spread. There seemed to be some kind of invisible object between his hands, but in Cang Yuan’s eyes, it was a mysterious matter the size of a baby’s fist.
It resembled a hard purple-gold rock, and looked nothing like flesh. At closer inspection, one would see countless runes across its body. These runes seemed to have formed the moment the world was born, so ancient that they gave off a primordial aura.
This was the Ancestral Dragon Flesh Zhou Yuan had obtained from Guyuan Heaven.
He had placed it in his Divine Dwelling, wrapping it with numerous layers of Genesis Qi.
Cang Yuan beckoned and the Ancestral Dragon Flesh landed in his hand. No ordinary article could touch it, hence, it could not be stored in the spatial bags. Zhou Yuan had no choice but to keep it in his Divine Dwelling, but Cang Yuan could now directly hold it in his hand.
Cang Yuan explained, “After becoming a Saint, one will gain a Saint’s body and will naturally be able to touch such divine material.”
Zhou Yuan nodded, somewhat envious. He was pretty accomplished in his external cultivation. In fact, even among the numerous perfect Nascent Source experts, only a handful would spend enough effort and time to reach the Saint Glass Body state. Despite this, he was still unable to touch the Ancestral Dragon Flesh.
Cang Yuan flicked his finger, causing the crystal coffin lid to burst into countless specks of light.
He placed the Ancestral Dragon Lantern three inches above Yaoyao’s brows.
Several drops of Saint blood dripped from his fingertip, landing in the lantern. Flames immediately rose within, gradually turning into a healthily burning fire.
Zhou Yuan sighed in amazement. The Ancestral Dragon Lantern was filled with wonder. To think that lighting it required the blood of a Saint. Even if it was in his hands, he won’t be able to produce a single spark.
After lighting the lantern, Cang Yuan wrapped the Ancestral Dragon Flesh in Genesis Qi and slowly positioned it above the lantern’s fire.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 618
