After hearing Xu Ruohai's story, Fang Xiu didn't know how to comment. It all seemed to have a self-inflicted wound.
I had almost forgotten about this person, but he was living in constant fear, hiding and running away, and ended up in this miserable state.
"You've been in the Taotie Divine Kingdom for so long, have you discovered its secrets? Why are the people here born with both the ability to devour and an overwhelming life force?"
Xu Ruohai shook his head slightly: "I have been staying in Manniu Dong Village for a while and have hardly gone out. My knowledge of the mysteries of the Taotie Divine Kingdom is just speculation."
Fang Xiu knew he was telling the truth, because given Xu Ruohai's cautious nature, having lost all his power in the Taotie Divine Kingdom, he would definitely be like a turtle, not daring to move, for fear of encountering some danger in the outside world.
Back when he was still a demigod, he was already incredibly cautious. Now that he has lost his cultivation, even a random snake or insect would probably terrify him.
Tell me your guess.
"I suspect that the mystery of the Taotie Kingdom is related to divinity."
Fang Xiu nodded; he thought so too, and the five-colored stone from before was proof of that.
"Did you get that judgment from the Five-Colored Stone?"
"Indeed, there is a very precious and rare stone here, which is called the Five-Colored Stone by the barbarians. Wearing it for a long time has the magical effect of healing injuries and prolonging life. I sensed a trace of divine aura from the Five-Colored Stone. It is the divine aura of an immortal god!"
I suspect that the Taotie once devoured a god, swallowing the god and his kingdom along with the person. The people here are the inhabitants of that god's kingdom. Because so much time has passed, they have long forgotten their past and consider themselves the original inhabitants of the Taotie kingdom.
The divine essence of the immortals and gods preserved them, allowing them to survive here and granting them powerful vitality. However, because this was the Taotie Divine Kingdom, the Taotie's path of devouring was equivalent to the Heavenly Dao of this world, constantly influencing everyone. Over the years, this led them to possess both characteristics simultaneously.
At this point, Xu Ruohai chuckled self-deprecatingly: "These pitiful barbarians have long forgotten their origins, and even naively believe that after breaking through the void, they can ascend to the immortal realm, little do they know that the outside world is the real hell."
Fang Xiu's eyes flickered slightly. Xu Ruohai's words touched him deeply. The situation in the Taotie Divine Kingdom was extremely similar to that in the outside world. The divine essence of the immortals and gods protected the human race and blocked the erosion of the Taotie Divine Kingdom, while in the outside world, the immortals and gods protected the Nine Provinces and resisted the erosion of the other shore.
Even if the people here can truly ascend, they are merely going to the other side and jumping into a more cruel world.
This made him wonder if it would be the same if he were to step outside the other side and beyond Kyushu.
"Who were the immortals and gods who were devoured by the Taotie?"
"I don't know, but it's definitely an ancient god, not a new one."
"Ancient gods? New gods?" Fang Xiu frowned slightly. "The Nine Provinces are divided into ancient gods and new gods?"
"This matter is an ancient secret, unknown to the vast majority of people in the Nine Provinces. However, I accidentally read about it in an ancient book. In the ancient times before the Nine Provinces, there existed a much larger and more magnificent world. At that time, there were many immortals and gods who ruled the world. Demons were just rats in the gutter and were not worthy of being mentioned. But later, with a great calamity, everything changed."
The immortals and gods have fallen, and the demons have risen. The once glorious world has been occupied by the demons, and the human race is left with only the Nine Provinces.
The gods who existed before the establishment of Kyushu were the ancient gods, and those who came after were the new gods. The ancient gods no longer exist in the world today; they all died out before Kyushu existed. The current Kyushu is entirely supported by the new gods.
"The ancient gods are all dead? Then where did these new gods come from?"
Fang Xiu recalled the battlefield of gods and demons he had seen in Kunlun Mountain. That fierce battle was clearly fought between ancient gods and demon gods. However, unlike what he had imagined, he had always believed that the Nine Provinces were established by the remaining ancient gods.
Xu Ruohai shook his head weakly: "No one knows how the ancient gods died out, nor does anyone know where the new gods came from. There are no records of them in the histories of the major sects. If we want to know the answers, we probably have to ask the gods."
Should we consult the gods?
Fang Xiu fell into thought. Asking the gods was destined to be a dead end, as he had offended both immortals and demons. Rather than asking the gods, he might as well seek answers in the Taotie Divine Kingdom, where at least traces of ancient gods could be found.
Seeing that Fang Xiu remained silent, Xu Ruohai quickly said, "Your Excellency True God, I have answered your question. According to the agreement, you should now kill me."
His face was full of anticipation; he had long since lost the face to live in this world.
Fang Xiu calmly said, "What I said before was that I would consider killing you after you answered the questions. Now I've made up my mind, I won't kill you."
Xu Ruohai froze instantly, as if all his energy had been drained away. He lay motionless on the bed, utterly despondent.
Seeing Xu Ruohai's complete lack of will to live, Fang Xiu didn't want him to die like this.
Yes, it's that cruel. Xu Ruohai once hunted him down, and now it's time for revenge. He should live with endless pain and humiliation, waking up from nightmares every night and trembling at the sight of a woman.
Of course, it wasn't just about revenge. In the unfamiliar and desolate royal court, and with all his cultivation lost, having a demigod as an assistant was still quite good. At least Xu Ruohai knew a lot of secrets and had the insight of a demigod, which was equivalent to a low-end version of Kunlun maggots.
So Fang Xiu decided to encourage him: "They're just a few women, why make such a fuss?"
Xu Ruohai's eyes widened suddenly: "A few? Women? You mean several hundred! As for women? What makes them worthy of being called women? Their legs are thicker than my waist!"
Fang Xiu: "......."
He thought for a moment and said, "As a demigod, what hardships haven't you endured, what dangers haven't you encountered? Now you can't even overcome this little obstacle?"
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency True God, before I came to the Taotie Divine Kingdom, I really hadn't suffered much hardship. As for dangerous situations? I didn't go to the ancient ruins when you invited me, I ignored the fairy's flirtatious glances, and I refused the important task entrusted to me by my master. I have always adhered to one principle: to stay out of karma."
Fang Xiu: "........."
After a moment of silence, he said again, "You know I control the power of time. I can turn back your time to before you came to the Taotie Divine Kingdom, so that it's as if the current events never happened."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ruohai's eyes shone brightly, and he seemed to experience a sudden burst of energy before death, his spirits soaring as he stared intently at Fang Xiu, trembling as he asked, "Really?"
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