Chapter 468: Crowned Sovereign
"Let me warn you." The Vermilion Bird laughed. "You need to become stronger than the Demon Lord if you wish to protect the Divine Beast World, and as my successor, you have a duty to protect this world!"
"Let me explain a few things before I give you my legacy."
"In this universe, countless worlds and realms exist. The difference between a world and a realm is massive and significant. A realm is a broken world, and there are many reasons for how this could happen."
"One is that it was mistreated by its inhabitants. If the world is not kept healthy, then it will become sick and will not be able to withstand the pressure of the surrounding space."
"You might wonder how a world could become sick, but it is very simple matter. Worlds are living creatures. They are formed from the flesh and blood of the God who created them, and thus it is still a living organism. If the inhabitants do not treat the world well, it will consume its lifeforce to keep itself alive. Though eventually this energy will be exhausted and it will collapse."
"Although it sounds odd, I promise you that when you become the Crowned Sovereign of the Divine Beast World, you will know what I mean when I call it a living organism."
"Another way is if the world becomes too old. Naturally, anything that is alive will inevitably die. Worlds are, as I said, created from the flesh and blood of the Gods who made them. There are ways to increase the lifeforce of a world, but eventually, every world will meet its end. At the end of their lives, they will turn into realms, a mere fragment of their former selves."
"Another point to make is that if there is no Crowned Sovereign, then the world will not be able to sustain itself and will die out.”
“Do not forget this!” The Vermilion Bird said seriously, and his grave tone caused Hui Yue and Lan Feng to listen intently. “The God who has the Formation of Life has made a connection with the world, and as a result, this God has become the heart and the lifeblood of the world. Without a God performing this function then the world would quickly disintegrate."
"At the center of every world resides a formation. The job of the formation is to create the energies of the world. It can be the essence of the heavens and the earth, Ancestral Worldpower, lifeforce, or various other kinds of energies. These energies are what allows for the trees to grow, for life to flourish, and for living creatures to become cultivators. These formations are as varied as the stars in the night sky but to become the real Crowned Sovereign you need to take possession of the Formation of Life. The current Crowned Sovereign of this world is only half a sovereign."
"After we went into eternal slumber we placed one of our guardians as the Crowned Sovereign. He was going to be the Guardian while our sons took care of the world. The place was prospering, but then that human expert rose to power."
"Although we entered our eternal slumber and were merging with the constellations, we were aware of what was happening. Sadly, we were in the middle of consolidating as constellations so we could not leave to help our sons when we saw them being tricked!"
"This human continued and entered the Formation of Life. Although we could not get revenge for our sons, nor were we able to do anything against this human, we made sure to keep some information from him. He succeeded the test and was able to see the Formation of Life, but none of us ever told him that he would not be able to reenter this realm when he became a God."
"At the time this human had passed through the Trial of Fire, the Formation of Life was owned by the Guardian whom we had picked. He was connected to the Formation of Life by his blood seal, and although he did not bring it around with him, there was no question about who the owner of the formation was."
"When this young human entered the Formation of Life, he was able to train to the God level After becoming a God, he went back to the world, but he did not bind the formation for himself. When he later tried to reenter the realm, he found that it was impossible."
The Vermilion Bird started laughing. "You should have seen his face when he realized that he had lost the best opportunity in the world!"
"But he was not upset for long. That man's mental strength is not normal. Instead, he trained for another thousand years before he challenged our Guardian and killed him."
"This human used despicable means. He cheated, and played around with everyone for the sake of winning this battle, and although the price he paid was high, he ended up successful."
"When he killed him, the Formation of Life became an ownerless item. Although this human was able to merge with the world a little bit, he could not control it like a true Crowned Sovereign would be able to. Only the Crowned Sovereign which controls the Formation of Life is capable of drawing on the world’s lifeforce to aid them in battle. Since he does not have the formation, he does not have that ability."
"When you bind the Formation of Life you need to do so with a blood seal. To do this, ask the guide who has been by your side during the trial, and he will explain it to you."
"Taking over the Formation of Life will allow for you to fully merge with the world. When you have merged with it, you can then finally push away that fake God who is in the way and take over his position."
"As a Crowned Sovereign, as long as your world exists you will become many times stronger! Not only will you have your own internal power, but you can draw upon the energy of your world and use it if you are in a problematic situation."
"However! Do not use this often. If you draw out the energy of your world, that will just leave it with less energy to sustain life. If you don't use too much it should be fine, but if you overdraft this energy source there will be droughts, hurricanes, and other natural disasters as your world hastens to its demise."
"But all of this and more you will learn when you become the Crowned Sovereign. All of these things you will be able to feel for yourself. My words truly do not do them justice."
"Okay, I have explained enough. Here is my gift to you, my successor."
Suddenly, a huge ball of fire appeared in front of Hui Yue. This flame was not as hot as the eternal flame that he had absorbed, or the blue phoenix flame, but within was an energy he had never seen before. This was an energy so overwhelming, so invigorating, that he could not help but take a deep breath.
Reaching out his hand, Hui Yue hesitated slightly. He was uncertain if he should try touching it. According to the bull, this was a miracle flame which could even bring the dead back to life. He knew from the other experts in the trials that this flame was not as great as it seemed.
"This is the Nirvana Phoenix Flame." The voice called out. "I am not sure if you have been introduced to it yet, but if not, let me give you a brief overview. The flame was something which I encountered in an old tomb, and I had to go through many dangers to get my feathers on this specific flame. Flames are ranked differently depending on their strength, and the Nirvana Phoenix Flame is a divine flame. It is the highest ranked flame one can find, and although the Nirvana Phoenix Flame cannot be used in combat, it has a power unlike any other. Your Eternal Flame is an immortal flame, a rank just below the divine flame level. Fortunately, you can evolve it into a divine flame if you feed it enough flame essence. I do not have the time to explain it, but one day you will know."
"The Nirvana Phoenix Flame is filled with the energy of the Netherworld. Before a soul enters the circle of reincarnation, this flame can draw them back and place them within their body once more."
"It is indeed a miraculous item which ensures that one does not parish to the Netherworld. Unfortunately, there is a downside to using this miraculous item on a soul, much like every other wonderful treasure in the universe."
"Every time you get resurrected you will lose some of your talent, intellect, and memories as the price for such an effect."
"From the moment you die the energies of the Netherworld will enter your soul and drag you to the Netherworld. Inside the Netherworld, the sky is black from the black miasma everywhere. In the core of the Netherworld is the Netherworld Palace where Yanluo resides. Within his mansion is the Netherworld Flame. This is another divine flame. The black miasma was all created by this black flame, and the entire Netherworld is shrouded in the energy that this flame releases. This energy is called the Essence of the Netherworld. This heavenly energy is closely related to the dead, and when one dies the Essence of the Netherworld will enter one’s soul and slowly remove their memories. After your soul reaches the Netherworld, you wander the plains of despair until the day no trace of your memory remains. After which Yanluo and his judges will assess the individual and allow for them to be reborn in a new life depending on their previous deeds. Some become heaven-defying talents while others become bugs. Some become plants while some will become a rock."
"Even if you have only died for a brief moment, this process still affects you, and thus you will suffer some consequences."
"Getting resurrected once or twice will do little harm, but if one is resurrected too often, you will become a mindless zombie. You will be no different from the dead wandering the plains of despair in the Netherworld."
Hesitating for some time, the voice finally sighed. "If you want to see such a zombie, just look at the flame soldiers from the first trial."
"These soldiers followed me for countless eons. They were my elite allies and friends who would help me with tasks whenever I could not go myself. However, when we established this realm, they offered to join and guard it for us. At that time, we were unaware of the side effects from the Nirvana Phoenix Flame. By the time we realized this, it was already too late."
"When you take this Nirvana Phoenix Flame and leave this realm, I want you to kill all the flame soldiers. Kill them and let them enter the cycle of reincarnation. They have been mindlessly fulfilling their duty long enough! Release them; they deserve better than this!"
His voice was filled with regret and depression. Hui Yue could fully understand his sadness. To see his precious followers slowly lose their mind, talent, and even forget the ones they once held dear, it could only be described as hell!
"You can touch and absorb this flame. It will be within your middle dantian, and you can summon it as you wish. The flame will not have any negative effects on you because it is not the flame itself which causes these side effects but the fact that the resurrected person has already died."
Hui Yue nodded his head as he contemplated. At first, he had really not been interested in touching this flame as it was possible for him to lose his mind or worse. But hearing the words of the Vermilion Bird, he did not hesitate any longer. He raised his hand and reached out.
The moment he touched the warm flame, his skin, which was rough from wielding swords and training every day, suddenly smoothed. His skin which had tanned from being outside under the hot sun of this realm slowly turned back to its usual porcelain white color. His skin seemed perfect. It now looked young and impeccable as though he were a young master who had never worked a day of his life.
Thinking for a moment, Hui Yue cut his hand but he was surprised as he saw that the wound closed much more rapidly than before. This time he did not need to use his lifeforce, the energy of the green witch, to heal himself, the energy came from the Nirvana Phoenix Flame.
'It seems like there is more to this flame than what I thought.' He mumbled to himself as a great smile spread across his face.
"Well, it is time for us to leave this room. I am already in my eternal sleep so I cannot guide you in your endeavors in the future, but I trust that you will do me proud. Remember to keep an eye out for my beloved son!"
Soon the voice vanished, and the door leading to the staircase swung open. A warm wind entered the chamber and swept around. This wind made Hui Yue blink and return to reality; he was no longer focused on the Nirvana Phoenix Flame but the fact that they had finished the trials. With a satisfied expression, he moved to the door.
The world outside seemed the exact same as it had when he left. Moving up the stairs with the fierce wind was as difficult as it had been earlier. Slowly climbing the stairs, Hui Yue found that he was not the first to arrive, but neither was he the last.
In front of him was Sha Yun, Wang Ju Long, and Cai Jie. No one else had arrived just yet, and no signs of the Formation of Life could be seen. The bull was waiting by their side, and he was fidgeting with excitement as he smiled uncontrollably.