Chapter 1206: Yaoyao's Origins

Xi Jing gazed at Zhou Yuan, who stood amidst the sea of flowers. The emotions he displayed at that moment were unlike anything she had ever seen on his face over the years. It was clear that the person in the crystal coffin held an importance for him that was deeply etched in his very being.

Zhao Lefu, Xue Qinglong, and Yi Yan, however, had puzzled expressions. The atmosphere here was quite peculiar, not only due to the presence of two Saints but also the mysterious crystal coffin. They wondered who was inside the coffin and what their connection to Zhou Yuan might be.

Cang Yuan observed the scene with a complex gaze.

Zhuan Zhu approached and softly said, "Master, Junior Brother's affections run deep."

"I never anticipated this," Cang Yuan said slowly. "When I was being relentlessly pursued by the Saint Race, I could only temporarily entrust Yaoyao to Zhou Yuan for her protection. But ordinarily, she shouldn't be someone who can develop such deep emotions."

"Yet, in the end... to save Zhou Yuan, she even broke her seal, forcing herself into a deep slumber."

Zhuan Zhu sighed. "The word 'love' is the most elusive. Even those who have reached the Saint stage, capable of controlling heaven and earth, cannot control human emotions."

"Master, it's probably time you explained everything about her to Junior Brother, so he can make some preparations."

Cang Yuan nodded in silence.

"Yaoyao's awakening this time is sure to attract trouble," Cang Yuan said, glancing at the void.

Zhuan Zhu furrowed his brow slightly. "I was very cautious when I arrived, erasing many traces. Could we still be detected?"

Cang Yuan replied, "Don't underestimate that old man Wanzu. With your current abilities, you won't be able to shake him off. What's more, he isn't the only Saint. It's probable that even before you set out, other Saints had already deployed billions of sensing thoughts across the Tianyuan Region, layered in every corner. It's incredibly difficult to completely evade those old foxes."

Zhuan Zhu smiled. "Then it seems we're in for a confrontation this time."

He showed little fear. Although he had only recently achieved the Saint stage, and there was a discernible gap between him and seasoned Saints like Wanzu, who had been in the Saint Realm for millennia, at this level, the disparities created by time were not insurmountable.

Once one steps into Sainthood, they are peers.

Cang Yuan nodded. "But rest assured, I've also made some preparations. In this gamble, no one can say who will gain the upper hand until the very end."

As he spoke with Zhuan Zhu, his peripheral vision caught sight of a beautiful woman gracefully approaching. His aged face immediately stiffened, and he whispered, "Why did you bring her?"

Zhuan Zhu also sensed Mu Ni's proximity, and a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes before he composed himself. "Don't we need reliable assistance this time? Who could be more dependable than Aunt Ni?"

Cang Yuan glared at him, knowing the young man was deliberately playing a trick. Not daring to linger, he quickly stepped into the sea of flowers and headed towards Zhou Yuan.

Mu Ni approached Zhuan Zhu unhurriedly. She watched Cang Yuan's retreating figure with an unperturbed expression, not annoyed nor bothering to pursue him. She simply smiled faintly. "I'd like to see where that old fellow thinks he can hide."

Her demeanor was elegant and composed, yet a fleeting hint of annoyance deep in her eyes revealed that even a powerful Law Domain expert still possessed a woman's nature.

Cang Yuan stepped into the sea of flowers and, after a moment of silent contemplation, approached the young figure standing by the crystal coffin, taking a spot beside Zhou Yuan.

The old man and the young man silently observed the exquisitely beautiful figure within the coffin.

Zhou Yuan could feel an invisible power emanating from Cang Yuan, sealing and enveloping the entire space, making it impervious to any prying gazes.

"Zhou Yuan, by now you must have realized that Yaoyao is no ordinary person, correct?" Cang Yuan said slowly.

Zhou Yuan nodded gently. Yaoyao's uniqueness extended beyond her almost inhumanly beautiful face; her aura was equally ethereal and elusive. What had always astonished Zhou Yuan most was that Yaoyao never seemed to cultivate, yet her strength consistently outstripped his.

She clearly carried far too many mysteries.

"Yaoyao's awakening this time will not be easy. Saints will undoubtedly appear to obstruct it, as not everyone is pleased by the prospect of her return."

Zhou Yuan frowned. "Why would Saints be unwilling for Yaoyao to awaken? What exactly is her identity?"

Cang Yuan's voice became distant and ancient. "This probably dates back to a very distant past. You've already had dealings with the Saint Race; what do you think of them?"

"Their power is truly terrifying," Zhou Yuan replied with a solemn expression.

Even with all the races of the heavens united, their combined strength still couldn't rival that of the Saint Race. To put it bluntly, the Saint Race undeniably possesses the power to obliterate all existence.

"However, what you've witnessed is merely the tip of the Saint Race's iceberg."

"Yet, none of that is the most terrifying or despair-inducing aspect," Cang Yuan said faintly. "The most frightening truth is that the Saint Race possesses a... Deity. They revere Him as the Sacred God, and that entity represents the Saint Race's ultimate power."

"A Deity?!"

Zhou Yuan's pupils contracted sharply. The word evoked profound terror. With some difficulty, he managed, "Do gods truly exist in this world?"

"When the Genesis World first came into being, the first god was born: the Ancestral Dragon. The Ancestral Dragon transformed into all things, giving rise to all living beings and races."

"However, the Saint Race was not born from this origin; they were created by their own Sacred God."

"His power transcends that of any Saint."

"As long as He exists, the Saint Race can never be extinguished."

Zhou Yuan's scalp tingled. He had never before heard of such a profound secret, realizing this information was utterly beyond the reach of ordinary individuals.

"At the dawn of the world's creation, rules were born alongside it. The Ancestral Dragon was the very first innate deity, thus designated the First Sequence. He is the master of the world, wielding supreme power."

"The Sacred God, born after the Ancestral Dragon, is thus designated the Second Sequence. His power, though immense, is weaker than the Ancestral Dragon's, preventing Him from becoming the world's master or attaining ultimate supremacy."

"The Sacred God was unwilling to accept this. He coveted the Ancestral Dragon's power, but since the Ancestral Dragon had transformed into all creation, the Sacred God needed to exterminate all races, converting all living beings back into the Ancestral Dragon's power to strengthen Himself and ascend to the First Sequence."

"This, then, is the origin of the deep-seated animosity between the Saint Race and all other races," Cang Yuan explained slowly.

Zhou Yuan drew a sharp breath, finally comprehending why the Saint Race held such profound hatred for the other races, and why reconciliation was utterly impossible: their very purpose for existing was the extermination of all other races.

"If the Saint Race possesses such an entity, why haven't they directly annihilated all the other races yet?" he couldn't help but ask.

"That's because He is waiting for the Ancestral Dragon's will to weaken," Cang Yuan explained.

"Tens of thousands of years ago, He seized the opportune moment and unleashed the World-Extermination War."

"In that war, countless lives were lost across all races, and millennia of accumulated heritage were completely depleted. Saints bled, and the entire Genesis World was stained blood-red."

A profound sorrow filled Cang Yuan's eyes. "All races were almost utterly routed. Even Saints, facing that Sacred God, could only succumb to defeat and perish."

Zhou Yuan's mouth parted, his eyes wide with shock. He couldn't begin to imagine the horror of such a war, where even immensely powerful Saints appeared helpless.

"Then..."

If the Sacred God was so terrifying, how did the other races ultimately survive?

"Because of the Ancestral Dragon," Cang Yuan slowly replied.

"At the most critical juncture, the Ancestral Dragon's will surged forth from the deepest reaches of the world. The Sacred God was gravely wounded, and only then did the Saint Race retreat, averting disaster for all races."

"After that war, we truly understood just how powerful that Deity was. More critically, we realized we couldn't slay Him... He is an innate being, part of the world's sequence. Only another entity existing within a sequence could possibly destroy Him."

Cang Yuan wore a bitter smile. Among the sequence deities, there were only the Ancestral Dragon and the Sacred God. However, the Ancestral Dragon had already transformed into all creation, leaving the Sacred God as the sole remaining sequence deity in this world.

One could only imagine the utter despair that gripped all races at that time.

And it wasn't just Cang Yuan who felt despair; even Zhou Yuan, listening to these revelations, was overcome by a wave of hopelessness. If the Sacred God was so powerful, how could He possibly be stopped if He were to revive again? The Ancestral Dragon's will, which protected the world, clearly could not endure indefinitely, as implied by Cang Yuan's words.

The Ancestral Dragon's will could save the races once, but not permanently.

"After that, all the Saints from the various races began searching for a power that could save the world."

"Ultimately, at the cost of several Saints sacrificing themselves, we reached the deepest part of the world — the last resting place of the Ancestral Dragon's will. There... we discovered a beast egg and a peculiar stone."

"The peculiar stone was the crucial discovery. Within it, we sensed a unique life force and an unmistakable... divine essence."

A fervent light ignited in Cang Yuan's eyes at that moment — the light of hope.

He stared at Zhou Yuan, enunciating each word carefully: "Within that peculiar stone is a spirit nurtured by the Ancestral Dragon's will. This entity is also a god. We refer to Him as the Third Sequence Deity."

"That is the final hope for all our races to stand against the Saint Race."

"And yes, you've probably guessed..."

"That guardian beast egg is Tun Tun, and the Third Sequence Deity, nurtured by the Ancestral Dragon's will within that peculiar stone..."

"Is Yaoyao!"