1480 Nine Divine Supremes

When they returned to the Dragon Spiral Mountain, Yuan went to see the Lord's condition while everyone else went back to the mansion.

Upon seeing the Lord, Yuan was relieved to notice a significant improvement in his condition. The Lord's eyes shone with renewed clarity, his red fur now vibrant with life.

"Welcome back, Yuan." The Lord greeted him with a smile.

"You look much better."

"Yes, and it's all thanks to you and Ji Ran."

Yuan looked at the Starry Abyss resting not far away with a smile.

"He must be utterly exhausted if he hasn't even noticed our return," Yuan muttered in a low voice.

"That's the downside to being just a soul without its body. While cultivators at his level don't require a Dantian to contain spiritual energy, the amount of energy he can store inside his soul is much more limited."

"Also, even if they regain their physical body, they'll need to rebuild it from scratch."

Yu Ning could be heard sighing when she heard the Lord's words, which reminded her of the sad reality. However, even if she had to rebuild her body from scratch, it was better than having her soul slowly rotting away in the Shadow Realm.

"The spiritual energy in this world is too weak to recover Ji Ran's exhausted energy, so you'll have to let him do it within the Nine Heavens." The Lord said a moment later.

Yuan nodded and retrieved the Starry Abyss.

"By the way…"

The Lord lifted his head to gaze at the sky and smiled, "You are responsible for that formation, correct?"

"Yes. I am going to suppress everyone's cultivation base. Do you object to my method?" Yuan asked.

"You're doing it to protect this world, no?"

"I am."

"Then why would I object? Although I am preserving this world, I am not doing it purely out of my love for humans. Indeed, I love them, but I also despise them at the same time." The Lord sighed with a heavy breath.

He continued, "Humans possess an innate greed, willing to resort to heinous acts in pursuit of power. Their hunger for control is insatiable, and even a fleeting taste of power can drive them to madness."

"Of course, I fully understand that not every human is a power-hungry beast, but it only takes one to inflict irreparable damage and ruin everything for the rest. If you hadn't acted, I would've created the formation myself sooner or later. Why do you think the Nine Heavens operate the way it does? The Lower Heavens would've collapsed long ago if immortals were allowed to dwell there."

Yuan smiled at his words and asked out of curiosity, "Lord… I have been wondering this for a while, but why are you sacrificing your own life for this world? I mean, I am aware that you'd still perish with this world if it were to collapse, but wouldn't that be better than slowly suffering as this world's protector?"

Hearing his question, the Lord lifted his head to gaze at the sky with a calm yet emotional gaze.

"As the descendant of the Immortal Monarch, you deserve to know. This world, before it was separated from the Nine Heavens, was the birthplace of the Immortal Monarch, and my father was one of the Nine Divine Supremes."

"The Nine Divine Supremes are the Divine Beasts that were directly under the Immortal Monarch. They were all Supreme Beings at the peak of their respective bloodline, each capable of rivaling the entire world."

"My father, who was known as the Crimson Terror, used to be a walking calamity who hunted and consumed humans on a daily basis. However, he changed after being humbled by the Immortal Monarch and grew to love humans."

"The Crimson Terror, huh…" After hearing this name, a vague image appeared inside Yuan's head, but no matter how much he tried to remember, he could not get a clear image.

"So you're doing this for your father?"

"I am doing this for my father and the Immortal Monarch. If it weren't for the Immortal Monarch, humans would've never stopped hunting our race. The same could be said for the other races since it was the Immortal Monarch who united the human race and beasts."

Yuan stared at the Lord with a silent gaze, seemingly pondering something.

After a brief moment of silence, he smiled warmly and expressed, "I'm at a loss for words to convey my gratitude to you, Lord."

"I don't deserve your gratitude since I am not doing this for you," Lord said with a calm smile.

However, that smile immediately froze when he heard Yuan's next words.

"No, you did. I have the Immortal Monarch Bloodline not because I am his descendant but because I am the Immortal Monarch himself."

"You… what… huh?" The Lord's eyes widened with immense shock.

Seeing his bewildered face, Yuan repeated, "I am the Immortal Monarch—his reincarnation, to be precise. Unfortunately, I do not have all of my memories, but I am slowly regaining them."

Thud.

The Lord fell to his knees, his face filled with disbelief.

"Is this... real? Or am I dreaming...?" he murmured in a bewildered tone, struggling to comprehend the surreal turn of events.

Yuan nodded and spoke, "My name was Tian Yi. The first to follow me was Dragon Goddess Yeyou, followed by the Primordial Phoenix, Feng Yuming. My third companion was the Eater of Stars, Xingrui. Regrettably, this is the extent of my memories."

The Lord's entire being trembled, and he muttered, "While Dragon Goddess Yeyou and Primordial Phoenix Feng Yuming are renowned figures, the Eater of Stars, on the other hand, was shrouded in mysteries. Besides the Nine Divine Supremes and the Immortal Monarch himself, nobody knew her real name…"

"I no longer have any doubt about your identity."

The Lord lowered his body until even his forehead was kissing the ground.

"Immortal Monarch, ruler of the Nine Divine Supremes and Savior of One Hundred Bloodlines, this lowly one welcomes you home!" he exclaimed in profound reverence.