"I am not being modest; it is merely that Miss Ruying has always overestimated us."
"Heh, I never underestimate anyone, nor do I overestimate anyone."
Ruying gazed at the two with a faint smile and said, "What kind of people you two are, the heavens know, the earth know, you know, and I know."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, a strange glint flashed in the eyes of Wan Huaiyu and the other, their gazes fixed on Ruying as if trying to see through her.
"With your identities from your previous lives, not to mention in this small Great Northwest, even in the Immortal Dynasty, you two would absolutely be esteemed guests."
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. Then they both stared intently at Ruying, their expressions shifting from calm to sharp.
"If even you two are not qualified to contend for the Heavenly Destiny, then wouldn't everyone else in the world vying for it become a joke?"
Ruying paid no mind to their sharp gazes and continued with a smile, "What are the so-called Dharma Aspect Grand Venerables, the so-called Hundred-Tribulation Elders, the so-called fortune prodigies, the so-called destined ones, the so-called reincarnated great powers, or even the so-called enlightened Immortals worth in your eyes?"
She paused briefly before adding, "Even facing an Edict Envoy, with your statuses, I'm afraid you would not fear them. Am I correct?"
Wan Huaiyu and the other did not respond, only staring at Ruying, their gazes growing increasingly sharp—sharpness tinged with deep confusion and a faint, flickering killing intent. However, the killing intent vanished as quickly as it appeared, the confusion instantly dissipated, and the sharpness faded, their eyes returning to their usual calm.
"Miss Ruying is overthinking it. We are merely ordinary reincarnated souls."
"Is that so?"
Ruying shook her head slightly. "Perhaps."
She gently stroked the black cat in her arms. The cat yawned lazily, looking utterly listless.
"Does Miss Ruying have some business with us?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I specifically wish to consult the two of you on a matter."
"Consult? Miss Ruying, you flatter us. In this world, if there is something you do not know, we certainly do not know it either. What we know, you surely know as well. How can there be any consultation?"
Wan Huaiyu spoke calmly, "Although you are mysterious and unfathomable, and we cannot see through you, we can still sense the Imperial Edict upon you."
"Oh?"
Ruying showed slight surprise but soon relaxed. "I never thought my Imperial Edict, hidden so deeply, would still be detected by you. Well... it might deceive others, but how could it deceive the two of you?"
Imperial Edict.
Meaning an Edict of the Great Dao.
It signifies one chosen by the Great Dao.
And as the Great Dao has three thousand paths, there are Heavenly Dao Edicts, Immortal Dao Edicts, as well as Demonic Dao, Monster Dao, Buddhist Dao...
As for what kind of Edict Ruying possessed, Wan Huaiyu did not know.
But he was clear that Ruying's existence was not merely that of an Edict Envoy.
How complex it truly was, he could not deduce for the moment.
"Possessing an Imperial Edict does not necessarily mean knowing all under heaven. Moreover, my Edict is not a Great Dao Edict; at best, it is merely a Minor Dao Edict, and one of the most insignificant kind at that."
Faced with Ruying's modesty, Wan Huaiyu chose silence.
Although he could not discern exactly what Edict Ruying bore, he was certain it was no Minor Dao Edict, let alone an insignificant one. If nothing else, the fact that Ruying now stood in the void, and Wan Huaiyu could only vaguely sense her presence, spoke volumes.
He pondered for a moment before asking, "What does Miss Ruying wish to inquire about? If it is regarding the Heavenly Destiny, I apologize, but we truly know nothing."
"It is not the Heavenly Destiny."
Not the Heavenly Destiny?
Wan Huaiyu seemed to realize something and asked again, "Does Miss Ruying wish to ask about Young Lord Chiyan?"
"Do the two of you know what kind of existence he truly is?"
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao shook their heads.
"Is it that you do not know, or that you do not wish to say?"
"We do not know."
"Is that so?"
Ruying asked again, "Having cultivated for many years, have you two ever truly witnessed the legendary Absolute Physique and Absolute Power?"
"I have not seen them. I only know from ancient texts that the so-called Absolute Physique cannot be shaken by heaven and earth, and the so-called Absolute Power can shake heaven and earth!"
Wan Huaiyu did not conceal anything, earnestly stating all he knew. "But that is limited to records in ancient texts. Whether it is true or false, no one has ever seen such things since ancient times."
"Do you believe that what Young Lord Chiyan possesses is truly the Absolute Physique and Absolute Power?"
Wan Huaiyu responded bluntly that he did not know.
Yes.
They did not know.
Nor did they dare to test it lightly.
"He truly is that Young Lord Chiyan from three years ago, correct?"
This time, Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao did not respond.
And Ruying did not seem to expect a response from them, murmuring to herself, "He should be, yes. Who else could it be but him? However, I cannot understand. Three years ago, he turned to ashes at the Tai Xuan Stele. All three of us were present, witnessing with our own eyes as his flesh and even his soul disintegrated, turning to dust and returning to nature. Can you tell me, how exactly did he come back to life?"
If possible, Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao would also like to know the answer to that question.
Unfortunately.
They could not figure it out either.
"I once heard someone say that in the ancient era of this world, the once-renowned Monarch Chixiao also possessed such an ability to return from death. How much do you know about Monarch Chixiao?"
"After all, we two are not cultivators from this world. What we know about Monarch Chixiao is what everyone knows, and I presume Miss Ruying knows it all as well."
"Do you believe those heaven-defying, insane legends about Monarch Chixiao?"
"Monarch Chixiao vanished only three hundred years ago. His deeds are known to all; what is there to doubt?"
"If Monarch Chixiao's deeds are true, how would you two evaluate him?"
Wan Huaiyu hesitated for a moment, pondered, and then said, "His cultivation shattered and was rebuilt nine times, his fate lived and died nine times, he achieved the state of nine Immortals and nine Demons, ascended to the peerless throne, his fortune was both defying and unique. He destroyed the Immortal Dynasty, severed the Immortal River, dominated the Nine Heavens, trod upon the Nine Halls, defied the Nine Heavens. With this, among the three thousand boundless great worlds between heaven and earth, since ancient times, there has been no second like him."
"What a 'three thousand boundless great worlds, since ancient times, there has been no second like him'..." Ruying then asked, "Such an extraordinary person, do you believe he could be reduced to ashes by the judgment of the Immortal Dao?"
"I do not know."
Wan Huaiyu truly did not know.
"What do you think is the relationship between Young Lord Chiyan and Monarch Chixiao?"
"I do not know."
"Could he possibly be Monarch Chixiao himself?"
"I do not know."
Ruying asked many questions in one breath, and Wan Huaiyu responded to all with 'I do not know.'
"If you do not know, then why do you hold him in such awe and reverence?"
"When facing a mysterious, unknown, and powerful individual, we have always held them in awe and reverence."
"It is right to revere the strong, but one would never revere them to the point of fear, much less revere them to the point of kneeling. Others might, but..." Changing her tone, Ruying stared intently at the two and said solemnly, "The famously renowned Twin Poles Mystic Lord of the Heavenly Realm absolutely would not!"