Chapter Ninety-Eight: History Part One
A white orb gleamed brilliantly above the desert, standing out as something extraordinary.
“This orb...” Li Jie stared at it, feeling a sudden sense of familiarity.
Compelled by an inexplicable impulse, he picked up the orb.
“It’s the same orb the Water City Prince used to open the ancient tomb of Mirror Lake.”
Suddenly, Li Jie recalled where his familiarity with the orb came from.
“But I remember it was embedded in the gate of the Mirror Lake tomb. At least, it was still there when I left.”
He found this strange. Why would an orb that was once fixed onto the tomb’s gate be here now? And why did it appear right before him?
Li Jie was certain this was no coincidence.
Just as he was about to discard the orb, sensing trouble, a panel of information suddenly appeared before his eyes.
“Divine Weapon (True): Corona Pearl
Description: A sacred artifact worshiped for thousands of years throughout the Ancient Bosa Kingdom. It represents the kingdom’s heritage and faith, imbued with the power of the Great Sun, possessing terrifying might!
Origin: Demon Might Unrivaled – Ancient Bosa Kingdom”
A true divine weapon!
Li Jie was stunned by the panel. Since arriving in this world, he had seen many divine weapons and deadly arms, all extraordinarily powerful. Yet, all those so-called “divine weapons” were classified as counterfeit in their information panels. The strongest among them, the Bat Soul Divine Weapon, sustained by hundreds of years of demonic cult energy, was only on the verge of breaking through to true divine weapon status.
But on the verge was not truly achieving it.
And now, here before him lay an actual true divine weapon, appearing so effortlessly.
“Those counterfeit divine weapons already possess such formidable power, capable of elevating a minor San Yuan martial artist by several ranks. So the power of a true divine weapon like this Corona Pearl…” Li Jie gazed at the orb in his hand, but his eyes showed no fiery excitement; instead, they were filled with caution.
For such a true divine weapon to appear so easily before him, almost as if seeking him out, to claim there was no hidden agenda would be as laughable as Zhuge Huang promising never to kill again.
A low hum resonated.
Just as Li Jie finished reading the panel, the Corona Pearl suddenly flickered with a faint glow and emitted a soft chime.
“Damn it!”
Li Jie hastily tried to throw the Corona Pearl away but was immediately enveloped in a white light, his vision blurring.
Countless ruins, barren land, dried blood, crows circling above.
The air was thick with a faint black aura.
“Where is this...?”
A flash of white light, and Li Jie’s figure appeared in this desolate place.
“This is a wasteland, a land tainted by demonic energy, utterly desolate…”
A voice came from nearby.
Following the voice, Li Jie saw a strange old man with white hair and beard, one half of his body decayed and broken, the other half robust and strong.
“Of course... this was once the most prosperous capital of the Bosa Kingdom—Bosa City.”
The old man slowly approached Li Jie and stood before him.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I was once the king of the Bosa Kingdom, the last of my line, the Azure Martial Spirit King, Mu.”
He looked at Li Jie with one sharp, bright eye and one decayed, rotting eye.
Li Jie felt as if his very soul was being laid bare.
A hum.
The Corona Pearl, once in Li Jie’s hand, vanished and reappeared in the old man’s grasp.
“I know you have many questions, so I will answer them one by one.”
Clutching the Corona Pearl, the old man turned and began walking toward the horizon, signaling Li Jie to follow.
After a brief hesitation, Li Jie stepped forward.
“To begin, I must tell you the origin of all that has transpired.”
The old man and Li Jie arrived at a dilapidated street, lined with blackened white stones stained with mud. From the remnants of buildings, one could faintly glimpse its former splendor.
“Millennia ago, the earth was ruled by powerful exotic beasts. Then, humans rose, founding the San Yuan martial path, spreading martial techniques, driving out the beasts, and establishing a nation called the Primitive Kingdom. The founder of the San Yuan path was revered by later generations as the Original Martial Sovereign.”
“Three hundred years later, the Primitive Kingdom fractured. A branch descended from the Original Martial Sovereign established the Bosa Kingdom at the earth’s center, proclaiming themselves the Divine King Bosa.”
“Before Divine King Bosa, the highest level attainable in the San Yuan martial path was the Minor San Yuan realm. But the Divine King greatly expanded the path, opening the Grand San Yuan realm.”
“Divine King Bosa was the first among humans to reach the Grand San Yuan realm. With his immense strength, he eradicated the last remnants of exotic beasts on earth. Yet, in a climactic battle, he perished alongside the fifteen final beast kings.”
“After his era, the Bosa Kingdom endured for eight thousand years. During this time, it flourished magnificently, producing countless Grand San Yuan warriors. When I ascended the throne, there were 251 Grand San Yuan warriors in the kingdom.”
“Unfortunately, after Divine King Bosa, no one could further advance the San Yuan path beyond the Grand San Yuan realm. The martial path seemed to have reached its limit.”
The old man and Li Jie entered a cluster of towering buildings, each tens of meters high. Though now damaged, they still conveyed a sense of grandeur.
“In the third year of my reign, a young warrior rose like a star and shone like the moon. In just ten years, he broke through to the Grand San Yuan realm, standing at the pinnacle of the Bosa Kingdom. With unmatched martial prowess, he defeated all 251 Grand San Yuan warriors, becoming the strongest, like the blazing sun suspended above the kingdom. All hailed him as the mightiest warrior since Divine King Bosa.”
The old man glanced at Li Jie.
“That man is the Bosa Martial God, the Invincible—Jia Ren Tian.”
Jia Ren Tian?
Demonic Jia Ren?
Li Jie’s heart trembled.
“Jia Ren Tian truly was the most talented warrior in thousands of years after Divine King Bosa. Five years after reaching the Grand San Yuan realm, he seemed to have touched upon the next realm beyond Grand San Yuan. Countless people in the Bosa Kingdom hoped he would follow Divine King Bosa’s path and pioneer a new martial realm.”
“Alas, man proposes, but heaven disposes. Just as everyone’s hopes soared, believing a new martial golden age was dawning with Jia Ren Tian, a dreadful calamity struck.”
“That calamity was—the Demon Disaster.”