Dongbo Xueying agreed with this point.
Because the True God Heart is formed by the fusion of the mysteries of the Dao and the soul! The deeper the comprehension of the Dao, the stronger the True God Heart becomes.
However, the soul is an extremely crucial aspect, deeply concealed within, making it impossible for outsiders to probe. The faint traces of aura that leak out can at most reveal one’s identity—like how the robes of the Bloodblade Hall could easily disguise even the intensity of one’s aura.
“Even in other cultivation systems, aside from a very few exceptions, most follow the principle that the stronger one’s power, the stronger the soul,” the Black Gourd’s artifact spirit remarked.
Dongbo Xueying pondered for a moment. Take the Mother Goddess Cult, for example—the more formidable their physical bodies, the stronger their souls. When he had once deployed an illusionary realm, the strongest of the Mother Goddess Cult’s Protectors, Huo Zhu, had effortlessly resisted it, a testament to the sheer might of his soul.
“Your master is formidable, but your newly ascended senior brother, Qing Jun, is also quite extraordinary,” the Black Gourd’s artifact spirit continued. “He’s even stronger than that seemingly highly esteemed Primordial Master and the Abyssal Progenitor.”
“What?” Dongbo Xueying was stunned.
The Black Gourd’s artifact spirit went on, “From their conversations, it’s clear they hold great respect for the Primordial Master and the Abyssal Progenitor. But in terms of strength, those two shouldn’t be that powerful.”
“You’re saying Senior Brother Qing Jun is stronger than the Primordial Master and the Abyssal Progenitor?” Dongbo Xueying transmitted his question, incredulous.
If this news were to spread, it would be utterly shocking.
The Primordial Master and the Abyssal Progenitor were both Sovereigns with profound accumulations of power. Even Pang Yi, who had pioneered a new cultivation method, ranked below them on the Cosmic Deity-Demon Leaderboard. Qing Jun had only just broken through and hadn’t created any new cultivation method—how could he surpass the Primordial Master and the Abyssal Progenitor?
“His temperament has changed drastically—could he have been possessed?” Dongbo Xueying muttered to himself. “No, Senior Brother Qing Jun has three bodies, including his original and his avatars. Possessing him would be extremely difficult! But this is another universe after all—perhaps there’s some unheard-of method. If he were possessed, it would explain both his drastic personality shift and his sudden, meteoric rise in power.”
“Yet…”
“If he were truly possessed, shouldn’t he be more careful to conceal it?” Dongbo Xueying wondered.
The Black Gourd’s judgment made Dongbo Xueying wary.
—
“I’m talking about their souls,” the Black Gourd’s artifact spirit declared confidently. “I can easily discern the depths of their souls! In terms of soul strength, your master, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, is undoubtedly the strongest, and by a significant margin. What a monstrous existence—in all the epochs since my forging, among all the Sovereigns I’ve encountered, he remains the one with the most formidable soul.”
“Let me ask you again—is Qing Jun stronger than the Primordial Master and the others?” Dongbo Xueying pressed.
“Yes.”
The Black Gourd’s artifact spirit confirmed, “You didn’t see it, but your senior brother Qing Jun’s soul is like a blinding golden radiance—truly domineering and powerful. Barring some outrageously overpowered treasure, your senior brother Qing Jun should rank third in strength.”
“Third?” Dongbo Xueying was taken aback. If he was stronger than the Primordial Master and the Abyssal Progenitor, why only third?
“If my master, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, is first, and Qing Jun is third, then who is second?” Dongbo Xueying transmitted urgently.
“The one called the Hellsovereign is second,” the Black Gourd’s artifact spirit replied.
Dongbo Xueying was dumbfounded again.
The Hellsovereign?
The Dark Abyss had three Sovereigns: the Hellsovereign, who was notoriously low-key; the Bloodsovereign, who was flamboyant and aggressive; and the Abyssal Progenitor, who held the greatest fame and highest status. Yet, according to the Black Gourd’s assessment—the Bloodblade Divine Emperor was first, the Hellsovereign second, and Qing Jun third!
—
Finally.
With the arrival of the Bloodsovereign and the Palace Master of Myriad Realms, all ten Sovereigns had gathered. Under the guidance of attendants, they began taking their seats.
“Divine Emperor Dongbo, this way, please,” an attendant led him.
Dongbo Xueying walked over with his wife and children.
The seating arrangements had been meticulously prepared. At the highest tier were the ten seats reserved for the Sovereigns, who now took their places one by one.
Below the Sovereigns were the seats for the thirty-some Reverends—figures like the Bamboo Mountain Manor Lord, Dongbo Xueying, and the Monarch of Destruction were seated beneath the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, while Fire Devil Reverend sat beneath the Primordial Master.
Further below were the vast array of seats for the numerous Paragons.
“Xueying,” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor glanced at his disciple, sensing something amiss. He transmitted, “I can feel your soul seems unstable. Are you injured?”
Dongbo Xueying was surprised his master could detect his injury. He replied via transmission, “It’s nothing. It doesn’t affect my strength. I estimate it’ll fully heal within ten thousand years.”
“Good. If you can’t handle it, let me know,” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor nodded and didn’t press further. It was normal for disciples to face trials and setbacks—he had only asked because it involved the soul. Since his disciple could endure it, he saw no need to intervene.
“Your senior brother has already ascended to Sovereign. You must cultivate diligently. Unlike him, whether or not he became a Sovereign didn’t matter much—but if you fail to reach Sovereign, you cannot transcend mortality,” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor transmitted. “I don’t wish for us, master and disciple, to one day face the sorrow of parting.”
“Yes, Master. I will devote myself wholeheartedly,” Dongbo Xueying was deeply moved by his master’s concern.
Then.
With a few words from Qing Jun, the banquet officially commenced.
“Xueying,” Yu Jingqiu, seated beside Dongbo Xueying, transmitted, “Why aren’t you chatting with the other Reverends? You’ve been silently drinking this whole time.”
“I’m thinking about something,” Dongbo Xueying replied. His mind was indeed in turmoil.
He had just consulted the Black Gourd’s artifact spirit again, asking, “Now that the Palace Master of Myriad Realms and the Bloodsovereign have arrived, and all ten Sovereigns are gathered, can you rank them according to your method of assessing strength?”
The Black Gourd’s artifact spirit swiftly provided the ranking—based purely on the essence of their souls.
1. Bloodblade Divine Emperor
2. Hellsovereign
3. Qing Jun
4. Primordial Master
5. Bloodsovereign
6. Abyssal Progenitor
7. Pang Yi
8. Palace Master of Myriad Realms
9. Island Master of Spacetime
10. Lady Qianhe
This ranking left Dongbo Xueying in no mood to converse with the nearby Reverends. A storm of disbelief raged within him—this order contradicted much of what he knew.
“Wasn’t the Bloodsovereign supposed to be weak? Pang Yi could suppress him even before becoming a Sovereign? Even Qing Jun, as a Revered, could match him… Yet now, he’s stronger than the Abyssal Progenitor and even surpasses Pang Yi after his own ascension?” Dongbo Xueying felt a chill. Even after Pang Yi became a Sovereign, his soul aura was still weaker than the Bloodsovereign’s!
This was highly abnormal!
“I heard that during the last treasure dispute, my master and the Bloodsovereign were ambushed, and the Bloodsovereign was even killed?” Dongbo Xueying grew even more perplexed.
First.
The Bloodsovereign seemed to have concealed his true strength far too deeply.
Second—
The Hellsovereign and Qing Jun were also hiding their power! The Hellsovereign’s strength was alarmingly close to the Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s.
“Among the three Sovereigns of the Dark Abyss, who would have thought the most revered Abyssal Progenitor would be the weakest?” Dongbo Xueying mused silently. “What secrets lie behind this?”
He himself had concealed some of his strength, but these Sovereigns had hidden far more—some to an extreme degree. The Bloodsovereign, in particular, didn’t even care about his reputation, allowing himself to be seen as the weakest Sovereign while scheming something far greater.
“At least Lady Qianhe’s ranking is accurate—she truly is the weakest,” Dongbo Xueying noted. “And that arrogant, scheming Island Master of Spacetime, always stirring trouble—who would have guessed his real strength is only second to last?”
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