“He seems to carry the aura of the Ancient Beast Emperor.”

Qin Ruqing said this with a calm expression, which left the others below in shock.

“Are you serious?” Fifth Sheng, ignoring Dao Sovereign for the moment, asked urgently.

“Would I joke about something like this with Dao Sovereign present?” Qin Ruqing shot Fifth Sheng a glance, then resumed her seat and began recounting her experiences in the Beast Realm.

“The Beast Clan conducts the Beast God’s blessing, allowing beasts chosen by the Beast God to enter the Blood Pool. Prince Wumu, who is said to be the representative of the Beast God, has inherited this important title. Normally, such a title would be passed down to the Beast Emperor, who would then have his son handle the specific tasks. Yet, this title was given to Wumu.”

“That’s one of the oddities.”

“Secondly, when I first saw Wumu in the Void Realm, he seemed like just a somewhat gloomy young man. Regardless of his strength, he didn’t strike me as dangerous or provoke any sense of wariness. But when I encountered him again in the Beast Realm, his demeanor was much more violent. His eyes were blood-red, and his mental state appeared unstable.”

Feng Qinxue frowned. “What you’re describing only suggests that Prince Wumu has undergone some unknown changes. It doesn’t necessarily prove that these changes are related to the ancient Beast Emperor.”

“True,” Qin Ruqing nodded slightly at Feng Qinxue. “At first, I only sensed something was off. It wasn’t until I emerged from the Blood Pool and mastered the power of chaos, gaining a deeper and more precise perception of all things, that I noticed Wumu’s eye color was exactly the same as the ancient Beast Emperor’s gigantic red eyes. The aura he occasionally emitted was also very similar to that of the Ancient Beast Emperor.”

Qin Ruqing closed her eyes slightly, as if recalling something. “His body gives me a contradictory feeling. At times it feels troubled and gloomy, with changes occurring in an instant.”

The others fell into deep thought, following Qin Ruqing’s words.

“This is the Soul Devouring Technique,” Dao Sovereign Fusheng, at the highest seat, finally spoke, giving a decisive conclusion.

“When we infiltrated the Beast Realm, we also used the Soul Shifting Illusion Technique,” Qin Ruqing hinted.

“The two are not the same,” clarified Dao Sovereign Yue Ming.

Her voice naturally carried a sharp edge. “The Soul Shifting Illusion Technique only transfers or seals the original soul. But the Soul Devouring Technique involves the invading soul truly contesting for control of the body. When two souls fight, there is always a winner—there can be no draw.”

In other words, it was impossible for the two souls to coexist peacefully.

“But I see that Wumu’s body still seems relatively calm,” Qin Ruqing expressed her doubts.

If it were truly a struggle between two souls, could Wumu maintain such a state?

“That’s because the Beast Emperor’s soul invading Wumu’s body hasn’t truly fought for control,” Dao Sovereign Fusheng explained gently. “The Soul Devouring Technique has a special condition: if the two souls share the same bloodline and the invading soul temporarily lacks the desire to devour, a temporary coexistence of two souls is possible.”

“Why doesn’t the Beast Emperor’s soul devour?” Master Taiyi below asked in confusion. “The Ancient Beast Emperor has been trapped in the Void Realm for thousands of years. If he were to escape, could he really refrain from taking action?”

Even if the opponent were a promising junior with the same bloodline, Master Taiyi did not believe that a thousand-year-old monster would show such benevolence towards a descendant.

“The answer is quite simple,” Qin Ruqing said. “There are only two possibilities. Either the Beast Emperor has some use for Wumu, or he is currently at a disadvantage in the struggle for control and is merely delaying.”

Qin Ruqing’s reasoning made sense, but it was the soul of the ancient Beast Emperor.

Could he really struggle with a junior and be unable to win?

Everyone looked to Dao Sovereign, hoping for a definite answer.

Dao Sovereign Fusheng indeed nodded. “She is correct. If it were the Beast Emperor in his prime, Wumu would certainly be no match. However, the current Beast Emperor, having been slain by the ancient Absolute Killing Formation, has a fragmented soul. Moreover, he has been sealed by Yue Ming and me in the Void Realm for a thousand years, causing his soul power to wane. Even if he could escape, he would only retain a trace of his original soul power, which would indeed face great difficulty contending with the body’s original owner.”

Hearing this, the kneeling crowd couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.

“At most, only a trace of primordial soul power remains,”

Heaven help us!

No one could imagine how shocked and fearful they were when they first heard the news that Wu Mu might be possessed by the ancient Beast Emperor.

Given the current situation in the cultivation world, it was like adding fuel to the fire and could very well become the last straw that breaks the camel’s back!

“Dao Sovereign, all this is merely my speculation. To be cautious, should we confirm it in the end?” Qin Ruqing suggested.

Fusheng nodded, “You all wait here. Yue Ming and I will go to the Beast Marsh to confirm.”

Without waiting for their response, the two massive and dazzling light orbs before them suddenly vanished.

The Immortal Tomb became much quieter.

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Though they didn’t dare to stand up, their kneeling posture inevitably relaxed a bit.

Qin Ruqing, however, stood up directly.

Everyone’s eyes turned to her, following her movements involuntarily.

No one dared to remind her to show more respect, as the Dao Sovereign had merely temporarily departed, not left for good.

—Of course.

The two Dao Sovereign clearly cared more about this Dao Ancestor successor, and even all of them combined might not measure up to her importance.

They had no right to offer any reminders.

Everyone watched as Qin Ruqing walked directly to Fifth Lingyu, raising her eyebrows and gazing at him with a subtle expression.

Fifth Lingyu, who had been kneeling, looked up as Qin Ruqing approached.

He regarded her from a superior position with a detached expression and, surprisingly, stood up as well.

The atmosphere was quite strange.

Although everyone remained discreet, their eyes were glued to the scene.

Fifth Sheng was a bit anxious—he feared that Qin Ruqing might start a fight with Lingyu right there.

She could really do that.

What was most troublesome was that Lingyu wasn’t someone easy to deal with.

He clearly wouldn’t mind trying to fight in the presence of the two Dao Sovereign, That’s how stubborn he is.

In the midst of this subtle tension, Qin Ruqing suddenly smiled, wrinkled her nose, and said with an enigmatic tone:

“The scent on the Director is quite familiar.”

Scent?

Familiar?

The taut atmosphere shifted, and everyone was puzzled.

What on earth was this about?

“So what if it’s familiar?” Fifth Lingyu asked with a neutral expression, his tone indifferent.

“Hey, it’s nothing. I’m just curious about where this familiar scent on the Director comes from and want to explore it,” Qin Ruqing replied.

“That’s my business, not yours,” Fifth Lingyu’s tone grew colder, and his gaze toward Qin Ruqing became increasingly sharp.

Despite Qin Ruqing’s smile, her aura surged.

The two were like needles meeting each other, as if they were about to start a fight in the next moment.

Fifth Sheng almost couldn’t resist standing up; he absolutely couldn’t let Lingyu fight Qin Ruqing here!

If these two really went at it, he would certainly intervene.

Just then, a gentle breeze swept through, and the Dao Sovereign returned.

The confrontational atmosphere between Qin Ruqing and Fifth Lingyu dissipated like snow in the sun.

Fusheng’s ethereal form drifted and glanced at them, “What are you doing?”

Qin Ruqing and Fifth Lingyu simultaneously spoke, “Nothing.”

They both sat back down, adopting a demeanor of calmness and respect that was a stark contrast to their earlier tense standoff.

The Dao Sovereign seemed unconcerned and did not pursue the matter.

Yue Ming directly bypassed the issue and announced the result: “The Beast Emperor’s soul is indeed not in the Beast Marsh.”

“He left a fragment of his soul as a decoy, and the remaining primordial soul power, for some unknown reason, has used Wu Mu’s body to escape the Void Realm’s seal.”

This meant it could almost be confirmed that the anomaly with Wu Mu was related to the Ancient Beast Emperor.

This was not good news.

The atmosphere grew a bit heavy.

“The situation isn’t too bad. Regardless of why the Beast Emperor hasn’t directly taken over Wu Mu’s body, there must be some conflict between them. In the future, this could be the key to breaking the deadlock,” Qin Ruqing said, deliberately trying to lighten the mood.

Fusheng sighed, “You were right to come. The situation outside is far more complex than I imagined… I did leave you with the final bit of assistance, but given the current situation, the form this assistance will take still needs to be considered.”

Everyone’s thoughts stirred, but no one dared to ask Dao Sovereign about the specifics of the assistance they were discussing.

Dao Sovereign Fusheng did not explain further but instead waved his hand, creating a barrier between Qin Ruqing and himself.

The others watched as the figures of Qin Ruqing and the two Dao Sovereign suddenly vanished, and after a moment of shock, they realized that Dao Sovereign intended to have a private conversation with Qin Ruqing.

Their emotions fluctuated, ultimately settling into a sigh.

….

“Dao Sovereign,” Qin Ruqing stood with her hands at her sides and spoke respectfully within the barrier.

“Tell me in detail about the power of chaos.”

“Certainly.” Qin Ruqing knew that Daozun wanted to discuss this topic privately.

She pondered for a while, carefully choosing her words before speaking:

“The power of chaos… is difficult for me to describe. It is not a direct force, completely different from spiritual power, and also distinct from the power of rules.”

Spiritual power is the fundamental energy unit in the cultivation world; the power of rules is more mysterious and involves the force used to manipulate and guide rules.

“To be precise, I believe it is a capability based on the laws. It has the attributes of chaos: it encompasses, devours, and alters everything it contains.”

The two Daozuns listened to Qin Ruqing’s explanation without interrupting.

Such a capability, described as the power of chaos, was intimately related to her personal experience.

Since Qin Ruqing was the only one with the Azure Lutos Dao Physique, only she could truly understand what the awakened power of chaos was.

Even Dao Sovereign, with their vast knowledge, found her description somewhat elusive.

Realizing that her explanation was somewhat vague, Qin Ruqing decided to demonstrate directly for Dao Sovereign.