Qiong Yuan had always believed that surviving the cataclysm of divine descent was a testament to his immense luck.
He lay low, fostered his strength stealthily, and wandered through every forgotten corner the Heavenly Dao couldn't reach, employing every conceivable method to prepare for his resurrection.
He was no righteous deity to begin with, and now, for the sake of his revival, he resorted to any means necessary. He had stolen the national destiny of mortal pocket worlds, plunging them into endless war and fields of corpses. He had siphoned the spiritual veins of cultivation pocket worlds, consigning entire worlds to an era of spiritual decline. He had even, in his pursuit of forbidden arts, sacrificed an entire world as an offering...
Qiong Yuan lost count of his transgressions, only to realize one day that the Heavenly Daos of various realms, as if connected, became aware of his existence and began to guard against him.
To ensure his grand resurrection plan continued, Qiong Yuan hid himself within the Bone Ring, transforming it into a tribal treasure of the Void Beast clan. He then followed the Void Beasts to the Divine Revelation pocket world.
Upon arriving at Divine Revelation, Qiong Yuan discovered a flaw in its Heavenly Dao. This world, which should have been on the cusp of advancing to a middle-tier world, had its ascension path abruptly halted due to the Heavenly Dao splitting into two. Consequently, it was rapidly heading towards decay.
If no one discovered this issue, Qiong Yuan was certain that within ten thousand years, Divine Revelation would be reduced to ruins.
This delighted Qiong Yuan immensely. He paid no heed to who was secretly siphoning Divine Revelation's destiny or who was plotting against it. He instead drifted through the chaos, benefiting from Divine Revelation's spiritual energy and destiny to nourish himself. Centuries upon centuries passed. Qiong Yuan felt his opportunity had arrived. He left the Void Beast clan, merged into the endless void, and ultimately fell into Yun You Yue's hands.
He aided Yun You Yue greatly and obtained what he desired from her. It could be said that apart from that initial cataclysm, his life had been smooth sailing, granting him whatever he wished for. This was the first time something had escaped his control.
"What exactly are you!" Qiong Yuan no longer considered Bai Sheng Yi a person.
After all, he was a deity. Even if only a shadow remained, he was still a deity who had once held divine status. How could an ordinary cultivator possibly resist the intrusion of his divine sense!
Bai Sheng Yi felt the shadow was insulting her.
"You're the one who's not a thing! No, you're not a thing!" Bai Sheng Yi snorted, her mental energy surging into her sea of consciousness, once again tightly enclosing the shadow within.
This thing again!
Qiong Yuan shivered. It was this profound and mysterious power that had directly countered his divine power, even neutralizing a significant portion of it!
In the mere moment Qiong Yuan was distracted, he found that surge of mental energy beginning to corrode his body. The black shadow emitted a sizzling sound, as if searing a prime cut of pork belly, almost to the point of releasing a tantalizing aroma.
Qiong Yuan was going mad!
"Little girl, look, that was all a misunderstanding. Can we both calm down and have a good chat?" Qiong Yuan's voice was a slow, tempting lure. "You don't even know who I am yet, do you? Let me tell you, I am the sole deity in heaven and earth."
Qiong Yuan expected that revealing his identity would at least cause the little girl's composure to waver for a moment. To his surprise, she merely replied,
"So what?"
Qiong Yuan choked.
This was not what he had envisioned.
Even Yun You Yue, upon learning of his identity, had been visibly breathless. How could this girl be so calm!
He did not know that Bai Sheng Yi's heart was already churning with turbulent waves.
A deity!
Hadn't all deities perished long ago? Why did deities still exist in this world? If this shadow was truly a deity, what was his purpose in entering the vast secret realm? Could it be that there was an opportunity for divine resurrection within the realm?
Countless question marks flashed through Bai Sheng Yi's mind, yet her spoken words betrayed none of her inner thoughts.
"Deities perished long ago. From what I see, you haven't had an easy time surviving. I suspect the Heavenly Dao definitely wouldn't permit your existence, would it?" Bai Sheng Yi nodded as she spoke, appraising the shadow enveloped by mental energy in her sea of consciousness.
She dared not relax for a moment, yet she wished to glean more information from this shadow.
Qiong Yuan roared, "What do you know! After the Primordial Chaos came the deities, then the Heavenly Dao! How dare a mere Heavenly Dao forbid my existence!"
"Oh, so I guessed correctly then," Bai Sheng Yi drew out her words, masking her exhaustion.
Qiong Yuan, completely unaware of her state, merely found this girl to be incredibly peculiar. He escalated his offer.
"Little girl, let me tell you, I am the last deity in heaven and earth. Even the Heavenly Dao cannot erase me."
All things have their principles, and the Heavenly Dao must abide by the rules of heaven and earth.
Just as the ancient divine beasts perished one after another, yet Lin Qing Yu and Qian Ying and others managed to cling to life through various means – that was their clan's fate and destiny, and even the Heavenly Dao could not decree their deaths. Qiong Yuan's current predicament was no different.
Bai Sheng Yi frowned slightly. She sensed that Qiong Yuan was not lying, nor was he exaggerating.
"So, according to you, you are invincible in this world?" She silently channeled more mental energy, draining her internal reserves completely.
The sharp, bone-piercing pain only served to make Bai Sheng Yi more clear-headed and composed.
Qiong Yuan, oblivious to the lurking killing intent, smugly declared, "Naturally. Little girl, you should recognize Yun You Yue, shouldn't you? Look at Yun You Yue's cultivation; it was all enhanced by me! As long as you cooperate with me, I can also help you become a Saint-realm powerhouse! Then, you'll be second to none, wouldn't that be wonderful!"
Qiong Yuan believed his offer was enticing enough. However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw more mental energy surge towards him.
"What are you doing!" Qiong Yuan roared. "Don't you want to cooperate!"
"Tch!"
Bai Sheng Yi let out an unapologetic cold sneer, "Cooperate? Be your puppet? A mere Pseudo-Saint realm, who can't even defeat me, dares to try and tempt me? Utterly laughable!"
Her clear eyes held astonishing madness, yet her tone was unhurried, as if she were strolling leisurely. To Qiong Yuan's ears, however, her words struck like thunder.
"I've thought about it. Instead of cooperating with a useless deity like you, it would be better to devour you and absorb your power for my own use."
"You! You demon!" Qiong Yuan was aghast, his shadow nearly dissipating. He distinctly sensed that as the little girl finished speaking, that strange power was indeed decomposing his divine power.
"Get out! Get away!"
The roles of predator and prey instantly reversed. Qiong Yuan, disregarding any waste of divine power, unleashed a blinding divine light, breaking free from the mental energy's constraint and fleeing out of Bai Sheng Yi's body.
"Little Reincarnation! Little Vine Leaf! Stop him!" Bai Sheng Yi pursued.