The Holy Sovereign smiled faintly. "There's nothing difficult about answering that. Divine reincarnations are rare, but they do exist in Myriad Abyss Island. For example… Xiahou Zong."
"What?!"
Jiang Chen blurted out in shock.
He had calculated every possibility, but it had never once occurred to him that Xiahou Zong might be a divine reincarnation.
"Don't worry. Xiahou Zong is a divine reincarnation, which is why he's so arrogant. However, his memories of his past divine life haven't fully awakened. Moreover, he has a fatal flaw in his character. In this Genius Sword Debate, you may not be able to beat him, but in the long run, Xiahou Zong is absolutely no match for you."
The Holy Sovereign's tone was light and dismissive, showing no particular regard for Xiahou Zong. This left Jiang Chen baffled.
Xiahou Zong was indisputably the greatest genius among the young generation of the Eternal Divine Kingdom. Why did the Holy Sovereign seem so unimpressed?
The Holy Sovereign seemed to see through Jiang Chen's confusion at a glance.
"Divine reincarnations are exceedingly rare, and naturally, I hold them in high regard. But Xiahou Zong isn't the kind I appreciate. Besides, among the geniuses of our Eternal Sacred Land, there are those who surpass Xiahou Zong."
"Are there?" Jiang Chen was taken aback.
"There are. You simply don't know about it, and most people don't either." The Holy Sovereign smiled serenely. "Not only are there others — and now, there's one more. You."
"So there are others?"
The Holy Sovereign laughed heartily. "People stronger than Xiahou Zong certainly exist. But this kind of strength isn't merely about talent. It requires a powerful will and the bearing of a great person. Xiahou Zong has top-tier talent, but he simply doesn't have the qualities of a great man. Do you understand?"
Jiang Chen half-understood. He vaguely sensed that the Holy Sovereign's words held a deeper meaning. He felt he had grasped something, but the more he thought about it, the less certain he became that his understanding was complete.
Seeing Jiang Chen looking perplexed, the Holy Sovereign chuckled, then suddenly said, "Returning to your second question — your understanding of Myriad Abyss Island is riddled with bias."
"Of course, I'm not surprised by this bias. Ever since ancient times, this has been a kind of destiny. The choice made by the ancients meant that this mission would be a lonely, isolated one — one that would never be understood, and would even be misunderstood."
"A mission?" Jiang Chen was puzzled.
"Yes, a mission." The Holy Sovereign's voice grew laden with meaning, tinged for a moment with a trace of sorrow, a hint of grievance, and even a measure of helplessness.
"In the ancient Demon Sealing War, the warriors left behind across the various territories of the Divine Abyss Continent gave their lives to fight the demon race. They spent their fortunes, perished in body and soul, watched their sects destroyed and their lineages severed. Their deaths were glorious and thunderous, and future generations honor them. But we — we who perform the very same great deed — bear eternal infamy. We are lumped together with the true cowards and deserters, misunderstood by the world…"
Hearing this, Jiang Chen's brow furrowed slightly.
He was at a loss.
From the Holy Sovereign's words, it seemed there was far more to the story of how they had come to Myriad Abyss Island.
"Holy Sovereign, I've only heard rumors about the ancient war and know very little about it. I would be grateful if Your Eminence could enlighten me on the truth."
"Very well. The fact that I found you means I have high expectations for you. These matters cannot remain hidden from you forever. In ancient times, when the demon race invaded and the Heavenly Orbit deviated, the coordinates of the Divine Abyss Continent were exposed to the myriad worlds. External powers detected the continent's existence and launched continuous incursions. Eventually, this drew the attention of the demon race, bringing catastrophic devastation upon the Divine Abyss Continent."
The Heavenly Orbit's deviation. The exposure of coordinates.
These concepts were not foreign to Jiang Chen. In his previous life as the son of the Heavenly Emperor of the myriad realms, he had been intimately familiar with such matters.
"In the ancient era, warriors across all sects and factions rose with fierce resolve. Some argued for fighting the demon race to the bitter end. Others advocated repairing the Heavenly Orbit and guarding the gateway. In the end, a compromise was reached: the majority of forces would remain in the various territories to resist the demon race, while a select few powerful cultivators would carry the inheritances and travel to the point where the Heavenly Orbit had deviated, standing guard over the gateway to prevent further invasions from beyond."
Jiang Chen was visibly moved. "This Myriad Abyss Island — it's the deviation point of the Heavenly Orbit?"
"You're perceptive." The Holy Sovereign sighed softly. "The ancient powerhouses who came to Myriad Abyss Island built it up over time. Through generations of cultivation and growth, the land flourished, eventually forming the structure of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms. The Ten Great Divine Kingdoms each possess a Sacred Ground — all descended from those ancient warriors who came bearing their sacred mission. The second- and third-rate powers elsewhere in Myriad Abyss Island, as well as the non-Sacred Ground factions within the Ten Divine Kingdoms, are the descendants of those who fled the Demon Sealing War."
Jiang Chen was utterly stunned.
The Holy Sovereign's revelation had completely overturned his understanding of the world.
"Now, you should understand why the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms each have a Sacred Ground, and why the Sacred Grounds always seem so out of step with the other powers. It is because the Sacred Grounds must always maintain their purity. They cannot allow any defiled or base bloodlines or souls to infiltrate. The mission that the Sacred Grounds carry in secret is far more arduous than anything visible on the surface. On the surface, a Sacred Ground exists to maintain order within a Divine Kingdom. In truth, the Ten Sacred Grounds bear a mission that no one else knows about — a mission that has never ceased since ancient times, and one that may never cease for as long as the ages endure."
"In the ancient Demon Sealing War, the various territories paid an immense price in sacrifice. But after that war ended and the demons were sealed, the fighting stopped. However, at the deviation point of the Heavenly Orbit — beyond the gateway — there is forever a battlefield. No one can guarantee when the next great battle will begin."