The Great Ruler

In the blink of an eye, a month had already passed on the Spiritual Jade Island. In a bamboo pavilion that was on the island, Luo Li and Ling Xi sat opposite each other.

A chessboard had been placed on the stone table for recreation purposes. Occasional smiles bloomed on the player’s faces, causing the Spiritual Jade Bamboo Forest’s lush greenery to fade in comparison. Apparently, these people were planning to wait on the island while Mu Chen was cultivating.

Whoosh.

As the two ladies were chatting, a wizened figure appeared like a specter in the bamboo pavilion. The Scarlet Flame Deity’s expression was downcast as he stared at Luo Li and asked, “Little girl, are you really unwilling to be the Holy Maiden of my Great Spirit Ancient Clan?”

Within this last month, the Scarlet Flame Deity had asked this same question numerous times, but was always refused by Luo Li, who would just shake her head. This time, Luo Li helplessly sighed and said apologetically, “Elder, I am now the queen of the Luo God Clan, so how could I abandon them to become the Holy Maiden of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan? What’s more, my lineage is not of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan.”

The Scarlet Flame Deity scratched his head and replied, “The Great Spirit Ancient Clan is not like the other clans, who are stubborn and pedantic. We are the most tolerant, so we do not mind the difference between bloodlines. Even if one’s blood lineage is weak, as long as one’s talent and character are up to our standards, one can still be a Holy Maiden. None of us would reject such a thing.”

He then added, “Throughout the history of our clan, there have been many amazing talents and well-recognized non-native Holy Maidens.”

At this point, even Luo Li was a little surprised to have come across such a tolerant clan for the first time. She could barely believe that this clan was willing to let a person without the unique bloodline become their queen!

“Luo Li, what this elder said is true. The Great Spirit Ancient Clan is indeed the most inclusive of the ancient clans in the Great Thousand World.” Ling Xi nodded, then immediately sighed. “If only the Budur Ancient Clan could be as inclusive, Aunt Jing would not have been separated from Mu Chen for so many years.”

Luo Li nodded gently, but still did not promise anything. Now, she was no longer a girl who was innocent and unfamiliar with the world.

Hence, she knew that the larger the ancient clan was, the more factions it would have as well. Just their small Luo God Clan’s meager amount of factions had already caused her plenty of headaches. So, if she really went to the Great Spirit Ancient Clan to become the Holy Maiden, even if this clan had a high tolerance and included her, there must be intense competition among the factions. This decision was obviously like jumping into a deep pool of water, and Luo Li did not plan to be embroiled into this kind of muddy water!

Seeing that Luo Li was still firmly sticking to her refusal, the Scarlet Flame Deity was somewhat gloomy and could only sigh. “This is really a pity, as I originally thought that I could catch up with the Ancient Holy Gulf this time…”

“The Ancient Holy Gulf?” He had not yet finished, when Ling Xi suddenly exclaimed. She was clearly startled.

She then asked, “Is that the notorious and perilous land of the Great Thousand World, one of the places where we had our decisive battles with the Extraterritorial Race in the ancient times?”

The Scarlet Flame Deity nodded and said, “You, little girl, are knowledgeable! That’s right!”

“Yes! As the Ancient Holy Gulf is in the middle of a space windstorm, there are no traces of it to be found. Only when it wants to emerge and be found will we then have a clue as to its present whereabouts. I didn’t think that it would appear this time!” Ling Xi’s beautiful eyes twinkled.

“The Ancient Holy Gulf? I have heard of it vaguely, but it is said that it is extremely dangerous. The environment is also said to be extremely cruel, where even a Complete Earthly Sovereign would fall if he was careless! Why, Sister Ling Xi, are you interested in this place?” Luo Li nodded, then asked in confusion.

“It is rumored that, in the great battle of the ancient times in our Great Thousand World, nearly ten Heavenly Sovereigns fell in the Ancient Holy Gulf. Among them, there were four Divine Heavenly Sovereigns,” Ling Xi said gravely.

In the Great Thousand World, even Heavenly Sovereigns were divided into ranks. These ranks were the spiritual, celestial, divine, and the Divine Heavenly Sovereigns. The Divine Heavenly Sovereigns were essentially the most powerful existences.

“Four Divine Heavenly Sovereigns?” Hearing this, even Luo Li’s face changed.

After all, this was an absolutely terrible lineup! Once they fell, there would be incalculable losses for the whole world! Thus, it could be seen that, in the ancient times, in order to resist the evil Extraterritorial Race, the Great Thousand World had paid a heavy price.

“In that decisive battle, although we suffered terrible losses, so did the Extraterritorial Race. They also invested more than a dozen Demon Emperors, and in the end, there were Four Heaven Demon Emperors among the top 15 who had fallen,” the Scarlet Flame Deity quickly added.

The Heaven Demon Emperors were equivalent to the Great Thousand World’s Heavenly Sovereigns. To be ranked among the top 15 proved that they were extremely formidable figures among the Extraterritorial Race.

“It is precisely because a large number of powerful figures on both sides fell there that many of the Heavenly Sovereigns’ legacies, Rare Super Powers, and Rare Sacred Artifacts that transcend High Grade Sacred Objects remain there to this day. As so many treasures still exist there, the Ancient Holy Gulf is of course an extremely dangerous land,” he explained.

He then added, “But, there are still countless sovereigns who are trying to enter it, and If they are lucky, they can obtain a fallen Heavenly Sovereigns’ legacy and rise to the top! However, as mentioned before, the Ancient Holy Gulf is in the middle of a space windstorm. Unless one is a Heavenly Sovereign, no forces could send anyone into it.”

He shook his head. “This threshold has stopped many greedy people from entering it, but even so, there are still countless people who continue to try, including the people of my Great Spirit Ancient Clan.”

Speaking of this, the Scarlet Flame Deity licked his lips and a sudden passionate spark rose in his eyes. “Of the four Divine Heavenly Sovereigns who fell, one of them was the old ancestor of my Great Spirit Ancient Clan. He practiced the ‘Great Spirit Heaven Piercing Light,’ which is one of the 36 volumes of Rare Super Powers in the world. Its power is infinite, and even in my Great Spirit Ancient Clan, it is one of the top powers.”

He paused, then continued, “Unfortunately, with the fall of this old ancestor, the method of practicing this super power was also, essentially, killed off. Thus, the remaining wish of countless people in my clan is to find this Rare Super Power. Whoever does so will be able to win the recognition and support of all of the people of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan and become the Holy Maiden!”

Hearing this, Luo Li suddenly asked, “So, the position of Holy Maiden has other competitors vying for it?” Can one truly only become a Holy Maiden if they get the ‘Great Spirit Heaven Piercing Light’ back?”

The fanaticism on the Scarlet Flame Deity’s face instantly stiffened, as he coughed dryly and replied, “I’m just one of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan’s patrol ambassadors. As such, I’m just looking for a candidate to fill the Holy Maiden role, one with the right talent and character for such a prestigious position.”

Luo Li could not help but roll her eyes at him. She knew that it was not so easy to become the Holy Maiden of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan. As he had been trying to persuade her for such a long time, she knew that, in fact, she was only an alternative candidate!

Seeing Luo Li’s glance, the Scarlet Flame Deity’s face flushed with embarrassment and he laughed sheepishly. Then, the bamboo pavilion suddenly fell into a complete silence.

Only Ling Xi’s gaze flickered, as she was pondering. She then said slowly, “In addition to the ‘Great Spirit Heaven Piercing Light,’ among the four fallen Divine Heavenly Sovereigns, there’s also an old ancestor of the Budur Ancient Clan, right?”

The Scarlet Flame Deity nodded, then hurriedly said, “Yes, the old ancestor of the Budur Ancient Clan is also extraordinary. The ‘Eight Budur’ he practiced is also one of the 36 volumes of Rare Super Powers of the world. Now, among the Budur Ancient Clan, all of the Young Lords want to retrieve this Rare Super Power.”

He then added, “In the rules that have passed down within their clan, it seems that whoever can retrieve the ‘Eight Budur’ will be the next Clan Leader.”

Hearing this, there was a flash of brilliance in Ling Xi’s beautiful eyes. As Luo Li looked at Ling Xi, she was not surprised by this, as she had already cleverly deciphered the latter’s intention.

Obviously, she wanted Mu Chen to compete for the ‘Eight Budur’ too. In that case, once he was successful, perhaps Mu Chen might be able to use another way to free his mother from the Budur Ancient Clan.

As for this method, Luo Li quite agreed to it. After all, if Mu Chen were to attempt a head-on battle, that would obviously be too difficult, as the Budur Ancient Clan’s power was too terrible.

Thinking of this, Luo Li was contemplative. She had no great interest in being the Holy Maiden of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan. After all, as far as inheritances went, she already had the Luo God Inheritance and Luo God Celestial Body. These were enough for her to have a great advantage, which would place her on equal footing with a Heavenly Sovereign.

However, if she was finally able to become the Holy Maiden of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan, she would then also have the support of this powerful clan behind her. Then, in the event that Mu Chen actually did clash with the Budur Ancient Clan for his mother’s sake, she may be able to offer him some help.

By now, Luo Li clearly understood that the Luo God Clan’s background could no longer help Mu Chen. So, if she really wanted to help Mu Chen in the future, she figured that she could perhaps borrow the power of the Great Spirit Ancient Clan.

From her own point of view, she had little interest in the Great Spirit Ancient Clan, but, if it was for Mu Chen’s benefit, she would be willing to do almost anything! Having come to a decision, Luo Li pursed her mouth and looked up to meet Ling Xi’s gaze.

Although no words were spoken between the two, they were aware of each other’s thoughts. In Ling Xi’s eyes, there was an evident sense of gratitude. After all, Luo Li would inevitably have to compete with the other female candidates in the Great Spirit Ancient Clan, which would indeed be a difficult task.

Luo Li smiled gently, thinking of the fact that Mu Chen did not hesitate to offend the West Heaven War Emperor on her behalf. Hence, she knew that he was worth her facing some competition challenges.

In a short moment, when the wordless communication between the two women was over, Luo Li turned her head and smiled at the distressed Scarlet Flame Deity. “Elder, I will consider being the Holy Maiden, but you have to promise me one condition…”

“Oh?” Upon hearing this, the dejected Scarlet Flame Deity, who had lost all hope, suddenly brightened up and waved his sleeve. “Just say it!”

As Luo Li smiled, her beauty was unparalleled. She then pointed towards the place where Mu Chen was presently cultivating and said, “I hope that Elder can send all of us into the Ancient Holy Gulf…”