"The heavens gave birth to a demon that shook the foundations of their supremacy."It was but a single sentence yet Wu Yu felt as if a streak of lightning coursed through his spine and brain, bringing with it indescribable shock and curiosity. What type of demon could shake the foundations of the Ascended Sovereigns? The sheer desire to learn more radiated from him so intensely that the air shook, also a sign his exhausted strength was rapidly replenishing thanks to the Mystic-Earth grade recuperation product.
Tian Taizong expected Wu Yu's response, as he too could recall his first feelings upon hearing this and considering his origins, he wasn't a simple bystander of a far-off kingdom hearing this tale but lived in a society where this piece of history impacted civilization entirely.
Unfortunately, only a few in the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone knew of this incredible, unimaginable truth.
The Divine Emperor didn't wait for Wu Yu to ask questions, "The heaven-shaking demon's origins were not simple in the slightest. While there are rumors of what it truly is, and likely only the Ascended Sovereigns know the complete truth, I was once told that the demon was born from the scales of the Jiao, mutated by an ungodly power beyond imagination."
"Scales?" Wu Yu instantly caught this despite his shock, homing onto every syllable. The Soul Impartation of the Heavens that created demons beneath the heavens were typically restricted to a single object or whole entity, such as a peddle or a corpse, it could even be a mountain, but he had never heard of a plural usage to describe a birth of a demon.
Tian Taizong looked Wu Yu directly in the eyes, and a rare glint of admiration flickered through him. When he first heard this, he hadn't reacted to that relatively inconsistent detail until years later. Just that went to show that Wu Yu had a keen mind, further justifying his astonishing feats and achievements despite being from a desolate, isolated land. That keen power of comprehension and insight was worthy of praise.
Wu Yu matched his gaze, the question hung on every shine of his irises.
Tian Taizong began, "Yes-scales. Supposedly, the demon was born under abnormal circumstances and this induced a mutation of all sorts, for example: it had the power to devour stars like a Tiangou and the Kitsune. As for the exact details of its origins and powers, I'm not certain. I do know, however, that the demon possessed unfathomably great power and vitality that was seemingly inexhaustible; it simply could not be killed."
The last words were said with a solemnity that shook the air.
Could not be killed? Wu Yu's shock was apparent. There were also bits that Tian Taizong said which he noticed, such as the Tiangou and Kitsune as existences that could devour stars. Moreover, he said 'a' Tiangou yet used 'the' for Kitsune. Could it mean that while they were both Star-Devourers they had notable differences?
After saying that, Tian Taizong revealed a rare form of hesitation in his expression, which Wu Yu noticed immediately despite it being covered up extremely quickly.
"At least, initially." Tian Taizong continued softly.
Wu Yu's eyes brightened.
"There are many details that even I do not know, simply tidbits of what had happened. Firstly, the three Ascended Sovereigns fought it in a battle that ravaged the Galactic Zone, unleashing indescribable chaos and devastation on the world. But, despite their tyrannical power, unmatched throughout the Galactic Zone, the demon survived. In the early days of its birth, when it was at its weakest, it survived.
"For reasons unknown, it made its home in the Titan Sovereign's territory. There were things said that it was tricked by the guile and cunning of the Titan Sovereign, suppressed by a great, mystical mountain for millennia. However, it escaped with unbridled hatred.
"The Titan Race suffered losses so great that they nearly fell from the 'Superior' races. If not for the existence of the Titan Sovereign, the world might have only had two Superior races." The 'inferior' and 'superior' races denoted a large difference, with Superior Races being those that could 'naturally' give birth to Ascended beings and those who could not, the Inferior Races, such as elves and beastmen.
The word 'naturally' was extremely important in distinguishing them. Tian Taizong explained this to Wu Yu, but the latter was unsurprised because Wei Wuyin had told him about this type of discrimination long ago. He detested it before and he detested it now.
"After it escaped, the demon, for forty thousand years, fiercely fought against the Ascended Sovereigns and contested their rule, leading to the birth of quite a few forces that were otherwise suppressed by the Ascended Sovereigns. This situation caused the internal situation of the Galactic Zone to become increasingly complicated as a third distinction was born-Profound Races.
"If the Inferior Races were those unable to give birth to Ascended beings naturally, and Superior Races were those who could, this was later changed to include Profound Races, those who could do so naturally but did not possess cultivators at the Ascended Sovereigns level. This changed the dynamic of the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone forever."
Wu Yu nodded, fully understanding why this had changed the world. An example would be the existence of beings like Tian Taizong and the Trueborn's leader; they were both beings that vaguely surpassed the Earthly Saint Phase, but those who were just a single stage beneath them had the means to rival genuine Worldly Saints, albeit briefly and at great cost.
The True Element Sect, for example, had a multi-planetary and realm-connected array that could launch a strike that could severely injure or kill Worldly Saints. There was little doubt that the Boundless Martial Sect and the rulers beyond the Aeternal Sky Starfield like the Inferno Solaris Church and the Ninestars Sainthall have their means too.
These trump cards greatly lessened the potential threat of those overly powerful independent beings whose cultivation bases were higher and more unfathomable. This was also why true experts needed their very own force and foundation, not simply to protect their lineage but themselves against stronger forces.
Before, the Ascended Sovereigns were the undoubtedly strongest, the trailblazers that kept the greatest benefit of cultivation to themselves, growing stronger at a pace the others simply could not match. With the existence of the demon, they suffered great individual and organizational losses that led to an opening, a chink in their unrivaled authority.
Tian Taizong continued: "It began to be referred to as the fourth Sovereign by the world, the Nine-Jiao Demon Sovereign-the Era-Shaker.
"Lastly, the Ascended Sovereigns, over eighty thousand years ago, sealed the Demon Sovereign away into a location after it laid waste to a large swathe of the sovereigns' territories, especially the Titan Sovereign's. No one knows exactly why it launched such a vicious attack suddenly, but it was said to be a cataclysmic event that still has unerasable marks today."
Tian Taizong had glossed over many details but this wasn't deliberate. He truly was unaware of the exact events. He wasn't born during that time and his account was not a firsthand experience, but rather passed down through generations, filtered and redacted by arbitrarily decisions of his seniors.
For example, even Tian Taizong wasn't fully aware that there were existences like Wang Yutian and the soul in San Yongli's jade that played a significant role and held great importance to this piece of an incredible historic event.
Wu Yu's brows furrowed greatly, realizing there were so many questions he wanted to follow up with, and he didn't hold back from asking them, such as what the Demon Sovereign had done during its forty thousand years of rampage, how the Titan Sovereign and the Titan Race sealed the Demon for years, what caused it to escape, and why did an existence that could resist all three Ascended Sovereigns suddenly get sealed eighty thousand years ago?
Unfortunately, the answers he received were there but far too vague to establish any concrete details. However, his expression outright began to change as it dawned on him. The shock plastered on his face was exceptionally colorful.
"The...the Demon Sovereign that was sealed? It was over eighty thousand years ago? That means..."
Tian Taizong was seemingly waiting for that moment. He nodded, "That's right; the Sealed Regions that we live in is where it was sealed."
Where IT was sealed?!
Sealed Regions!!
Wu Yu's heart began to pound with the intensity of thunder. While Wei Wuyin had told him there was something within the Sealed Regions lurking about, and that he had even made contact with it, formulating all sorts of plans in the background, Wu Yu didn't think it would be an existence on par with the Ascended Sovereigns, a great demon born from the scales of the Jiao that strove for a path to exist on equal terms as all of heaven and failed!
"The Sealed Regions is a pri-" Wu Yu was about to state the truth he gathered when Tian Taizong interrupted.
"-not a prison."
"What?!" Wu Yu was taken aback. How could it not be a prison?
The hesitation that Tian Taizong had shown before made its reappearance, "...there's a single line that repeats through the ancestral records about the World Within The Fold, otherwise known as the Sealed Regions or the Eighteen Lost Regions: A board was made on this day, played by four-the key belongs to the champion of the twelve fates." It was a line that read like an excerpt from prophecy.
"What...?" Now Wu Yu was utterly confused. A board? Played by four? Twelve fates? He hesitatingly said, "Are you saying that the Sealed Regions is a board game? A game played by four?"
"..." For a short while, Tian Taizong remained silent and thoughtful, instilling the air with an oppressive sensation. "Yes. And I'm certain of it."
"Certain?" Wu Yu was unable to understand why Tian Taizong could be so certain. What type of game could this even be? Why would it be a board?
"Why? Why exactly, huh?" Tian Taizong chuckled softly, his Divine Emperor's aura subtly regressed as he became almost like a helpless man. "Because I, Tian Taizong, am a piece on this very board-a pawn."
"...!"
"And so are you." Tian Taizong's eyes met Wu Yu's exuding a radiance of indescribable honesty. Even if Tian Taizong's soul was to be read at this very moment, there was no doubt that he was telling the absolute, undeniable truth.
Wu Yu's mind shook.
Tian Taizong calmly said, "Now that you have context. I can tell you what you wanted to know."
Wu Yu's thoughts were initially in disarray for a large portion as he felt as if meteor after meteor battered his mind from above, slowly trying to resist and digest all this new information, but those words of the Divine Emperor caused him to clench his fists tightly, using his willpower to focus with everything he had.
"I can tell you why we have similar methods of cultivation and powers. I can tell you who you and I are and our purpose on this grand board of four players. I can tell you the truth of it all."
