Jiang Wang flew through the air, heading back toward the battlefield.
Inside the Tongtian Palace, Jiang Yan's voice carried a faint, indescribable bitterness — though it was easy to overlook: "The Holy Maiden is here. The Holy Sovereign of White Bones fled without hesitation, which means something has gone terribly wrong inside the Way of White Bones! It's not just Lu Yan's rebellion. It's not just a struggle for power within the sect. He drew close to the White Bone Gate, yet chose to dissolve his flesh-and-bone puppet body — not because of you, but because he feared the White Bone Holy Maiden."
"That the Way of White Bones has internal problems — I knew that since Rabbit Mask attacked Dragon Mask. It's a pity I'm not strong enough to do anything about it."
Jiang Wang still brooded over his failure to step directly into the White Bone Gate, even though it had been the right choice.
Hatred always made one unwilling to back down.
"Regardless, after this upheaval, the strength of the body the White Bone Divine uses to manifest in the mortal world must have diminished greatly. As they weaken and we grow stronger, our chances of seizing the White Bone Sacred Body have increased significantly," Jiang Yan said.
Jiang Wang did not point out the inappropriateness of his use of "we." Instead he asked: "If Miaoyu also took part in the rebellion, and someone like Lu Yan, a longtime old demon — are you so certain that the White Bone Divine merely lost power, rather than being completely destroyed in this incarnation?"
"You lack proper reverence for the deities of the Netherworld, Jiang Yan," Jiang Yan sneered with a cold laugh. "Ignorance breeds fearlessness. Those people in the White Bone sect are the same. The White Bone Divine has walked through such an immense span of time — to deal with Him, one would need profound understanding of Him."
"Like you?"
"I would only dare say I have a thirty percent chance!"
"That doesn't sound like the confidence you usually show."
"No, you simply don't understand Him, which is why..."
"Are you perhaps too fearful of this evil god? He dwells in the Netherworld — what can He do in the mortal world?" Jiang Wang cut him off. "No matter how terrifying He is, wasn't the fruit of His labor snatched away by Du Ruhui? No matter how many ages He has endured, wasn't He chopped to mincemeat by Chongxuan Chuliang?"
"Heh heh, heh heh... I'm afraid? Heh heh..." Jiang Yan fell silent, clearly disdaining any further argument with Jiang Wang.
Jiang Wang's probing came to an abrupt end there.
...
It is said that the moment the Holy Sovereign of White Bones sensed Miaoyu's aura, he immediately dissolved his flesh-and-bone puppet body, concentrating all his power on the other side.
It was not that Miaoyu's strength exceeded Lu Yan's so much that he lacked even the will to fight. Rather, it was because of the White Bone Holy Maiden's unique nature.
The two most important cores of the Way of White Bones' mortal sect were the White Bone Dao Chosen and the White Bone Holy Maiden.
The White Bone Dao Chosen was personally selected by the White Bone Divine and guided through awakening. The White Bone Holy Maiden, on the other hand, was found by the sect through exhaustive searches for the most suitable candidate across the land, then raised from childhood.
According to sacred scripture, the Dao Chosen and the Holy Maiden would become the Holy Sovereign and Holy Mother, together presiding over the White Bone Era.
Now, many had come to understand that the so-called Dao Chosen was nothing more than a lie — in truth, it was a vessel for the White Bone Divine's descent into the mortal world. The White Bone Divine had never intended to let anyone else control the White Bone Era in His place. He sought only to become a god of the mortal world and personally inaugurate the White Bone Era.
The so-called Holy Sovereign and Holy Mother were, in essence, one and the same.
So the Holy Maiden was no simple matter either.
The roots of the Way of White Bones indeed traced back to the Daoist tradition. Of course, all sects and schools under heaven could claim descent from the Daoist tradition, since the word "Dao" itself summarized humanity's earliest path of cultivation.
In the broadest sense, "Dao" meant the path of cultivation. In the narrowest sense, "Dao" referred to the Daoist sects.
Returning to the Way of White Bones — where there is yang there must be yin; causes bring forth effects; the two polarities generate each other and revolve in eternal cycles.
The so-called "Holy Maiden" of the Way of White Bones was, at its essence, the "Dao Fruit" the White Bone Divine had prepared for His incarnation body.
The cultivation techniques practiced by the White Bone Holy Maiden, and all her growth, were simply processes of "ripening."
When the Dao Chosen completed "awakening" — that is, when the White Bone Divine occupied the Dao Chosen's body and became the Holy Sovereign — He could directly consume this fruit of the Dao. This would accelerate His achievement of godhood in the mortal world.
However, this descent had gone awry.
First, the painstakingly refined White Bone True Pill was snatched away by the Emperor, leaving Him unable to reach peak power.
Then Wang Changji's tenacity had genuinely exceeded His expectations.
In truth, "Dao Chosen awakening" could not be viewed as simple "body-snatching." It was more akin to an "inheritance," because the White Bone Divine would inherit everything about Wang Changji — his identity, his karmic ties, his fortune and misfortune — not merely occupy his flesh. It could be said that upon complete "awakening," the White Bone Divine would effectively become Wang Changji.
Although the entire process was dominated by the White Bone Divine, amounting to a cuckoo seizing another bird's nest —
Wang Changji, as the Dao Chosen, had been selected by the Divine in the Netherworld according to an unseen, mysterious opportunity. It was precisely because of the Divine's gaze and erosion that Wang Changji had been unable to open his meridians for so long, regarded as a cripple.
What the Divine had not anticipated was that a mere mortal could possess such extraordinary mental fortitude, stubbornly holding the last line of defense. His spirit was completely fused with his flesh; to destroy his will would inevitably damage his body as well.
No matter how He tried, He could not strip it away.
The man's tenacity and resilience — even after enduring such vast stretches of time, the Divine had felt a measure of astonishment.
In any case, the loss of the White Bone True Pill and Wang Changji's personal stubbornness meant that the White Bone Divine, as "Holy Sovereign," could not achieve perfection.
The Dao Chosen was the cause; the Holy Maiden was the effect.
Under normal circumstances, He could have easily consumed this Dao Fruit.
However, in this awkward state of imperfection, as one side weakened and the other strengthened, karmic causality could be reversed.
Simply put, it meant that Miaoyu also had the opportunity to consume Him instead.
This was precisely why the moment He sensed Miaoyu's aura, He immediately dissolved his flesh-and-bone puppet body.
And it was also why, while all the other high-ranking members of the Way of White Bones hid within the White Bone Underground Palace, He alone allowed Miaoyu to wander outside.
It was simply because Miaoyu, as the White Bone Holy Maiden, had become His greatest threat.
Although before this, He had not been certain whether Miaoyu knew this secret. His precautions had merely been born of inherent vigilance.
Of course, Miaoyu's sudden appearance outside the White Bone Gate today, blocking His path of return, made it clear that she had come to understand this secret.
Unwillingness to be reduced to a mere Dao Fruit, or perhaps a more burning ambition to invert cause and effect — either was sufficient reason for her to turn against her god.
Now, using plague power to refine the White Bone Sacred Body, to break down Wang Changji's resistance and completely assimilate him —
That plan had already failed.
Furthermore, Elder Lu Yan had betrayed Him, the Holy Maiden Miaoyu harbored ill intent, Dragon Mask was dead, and the White Bone Envoy Zhang Linchuan, still within the underground palace, could not necessarily be trusted either.
The Way of White Bones' mortal sect could almost be called utterly destroyed.
Facing such a situation, the Holy Sovereign of White Bones still showed little emotional fluctuation — only a faint trace of regret.
This was truly the worst possible outcome. Everything in the mortal world would have to begin anew.
Yet at such a moment, He did not lack patience.
This body still greatly satisfied Him. Everything encountered today merely delayed the coming of the White Bone Era by a small measure.
When the tide of an era arrived, the resistance of any individual was utterly insignificant.
He had opened three White Bone Gates within the State of Yang. The first was opened before everyone, leading directly to the White Bone Underground Palace. He had ordered Zhang Linchuan to guard the other side, but it had already been destroyed by Lu Yan.
The second White Bone Gate was a contingency He had left behind. It was discovered by Miaoyu and destroyed by her as well.
But in truth, He had opened a third White Bone Gate — a rabbit's third burrow. Like the White Bone Underground Palace, it was a hiding place He had prepared in the mortal world centuries ago.
In those days, it had already been sealed within the dust scrolls of history. Those who once knew this secret had long since perished.
In the present time and the present world, no one could know of it.