“Why?” Huang Quan gripped the Soul Locking Chain, her expression cold as she looked at him.
Rong Mian released the chain and waved his hand. The scene before them began to blur and fade.
The plaza, the shattered statues—everything was dissolving into nothingness.
As the previous scene vanished, a new setting emerged.
Huang Quan glanced around and realized they were now in a vast room. In the room were four pillars, each identical to the ones they had seen in the plaza.
With just one look, Huang Quan knew where they were.
They were no longer inside the Pagoda Boundary; they were inside the pagoda itself.
Judging by the levels they had passed before, this was the first level.
Huang Quan’s gaze fell on the four pillars, each with a chain attached. Following the chains, she saw that they were connected to Rong Mian—not just to his body but to his soul.
Seeing this, Huang Quan recalled the words of the woman they had encountered after entering the city.
She had said that someone had walked out of the pagoda, with chains around their hands and feet…
Who that person was, no longer needed to be said.
“This is the first level,” Rong Mian said as he removed the mask from his face, revealing Nangong Mian’s face.
Upon seeing that face, Jing Chen, Feng Jiuyuan, and even the High Priest’s expressions changed.
It was clear they hadn’t expected that Rong Mian had truly taken over Nangong Mian’s body!
People across the continent knew about souls and reincarnation, but they had never actually witnessed it. It was something they talked about, but no one really knew what happened after death.
Because of that, few took it seriously. And because no one took it seriously, they never truly believed. But now, they were seeing it with their own eyes!
Rong Mian looked at the group and slowly said, “This is where I am imprisoned.”
“Imprisoned?”
Feng Jiuyuan questioned, “Are you sure it’s imprisonment?”
“You can pull everyone in the ruins into the Pagoda Boundary, capture Nangong Mian right under our noses, and even send people out. You control the ruins; calling you the master of the ruins wouldn’t be an exaggeration. And you call this imprisonment?”
Rong Mian looked at him and said, “You’re right. I do have control over the ruins, but that’s merely a privilege granted by those who imprisoned me. In return, I am trapped here, unable to leave.”
“If it were you, would you trade your freedom for such power?”
Feng Jiuyuan responded coldly, “Naturally, I wouldn’t.”
Rong Mian nodded, “Neither would I.”
“Then why…”
“He had no choice,” Huang Quan interrupted, looking at Rong Mian. “I’ve seen what you wanted to show me. You dragged the army attacking Luo You City and its citizens to death with you. Within the formation you set up, you turned into a pool of blood, but your body remained. At that moment, this pagoda descended from the sky.”
“Yes.”
Recalling the events of that year was like reopening a healed wound, exposing the raw flesh to the sun. It hurt immensely, but if one wished to heal completely, the wound had to be exposed.
“I took them all down with me, but I was deceived.”
“Deceived?” Huang Quan frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve seen what I wanted to show you,” Rong Mian said, looking at Huang Quan. “Then you should know that I often pored over a certain book.”
Huang Quan didn’t need to think long to realize which book Rong Mian was referring to.
That was the book she couldn’t understand, written in a script different from that of Luo You City at the time.
“What was that book?” Huang Quan asked.
Rong Mian looked at her and said, “The book’s title was *Forbidden Laws of the Divine Kingdom*.”
263
**Divine Kingdom Forbidden Law…**
When everyone present heard those words, their expressions shifted.
The mention of “forbidden law” wasn’t what mattered; it was the mention of the “Divine Kingdom”!
The Divine Kingdom, like the Dragon Clan, was said to be a legendary existence. In fact, stories of the Divine Kingdom were even rarer than those of the Dragon Clan.
But now, what had they just heard?
**Divine Kingdom Forbidden Law…**
Could the Divine Kingdom really exist?
Rong Mian observed everyone’s reactions and said, “You’re not mistaken. The Divine Kingdom is real; it is not just a myth.”
Feng Jiuyuan asked, “Do you know where the Divine Kingdom is?”
“I don’t.”
Before Feng Jiuyuan could respond, Rong Mian continued, “There is no need to doubt the existence of the Divine Kingdom. This pagoda is the best evidence.”
“You mean to say that this pagoda came from the Divine Kingdom?” Huang Quan asked.
Rong Mian nodded, “Yes.”
“If that’s true, then it all makes sense,” Jing Chen murmured.
Hearing this, Feng Jiuyuan looked at him and asked, “What makes sense to you?”
Jing Chen looked up at him, “Feng Jiuyuan, do you remember when I mentioned that there was a power here similar to that of the Buddha Sect?”
Feng Jiuyuan nodded.
Jing Chen had indeed mentioned this before, and Feng Jiuyuan had asked him about the source of that power. At the time, Jing Chen had said it came from the pagoda.
Thinking of this, Feng Jiuyuan’s expression changed as he looked at Jing Chen, “Are you saying that this is the power of a god?”
“I haven’t encountered divine power before, so I wasn’t certain at first. I just felt that the power was somewhat similar to that of the Buddha Sect, but now I understand,” Jing Chen said. “Although you are a half-demon, the other half of your demon bloodline that’s sealed within you is of a very high level, which is why I thought that power could harm you.”
Feng Jiuyuan pondered for a moment after hearing this and then said, “So, does this mean that the legend of the God and Demon clans coexisting on the continent a long time ago is true?”
This was a rumor among the Demon clan, something that the people of the continent would never know. Feng Jiuyuan was aware of it only because he had half-Demon blood and had some contact with the Demon clan. However, he had never taken it seriously.
After all, the Demon clan still existed on the continent, but the God clan had become a myth. It didn’t make sense that the Demons had completely wiped out the Gods. If the Demons were capable of completely destroying the Gods, the continent would have long been under Demon control. There would be no reason for them to remain dormant and not invade the continent.
“The tower of the Divine Kingdom should be a tool for suppression, but this tower instead generates death energy,” Fohsin, who had been silent until now, spoke up after hearing Rong Mian’s words.
Rong Mian looked at Fohsin and said, “That was my initial thought as well.”
“I came across that book by chance. I couldn’t read the words at first, but as I grew older, I gradually began to understand them. The book recorded powerful forbidden techniques, but these techniques were harmful to both the user and others. I memorized them but never intended to use them until Chong Yu appeared. After what happened to Chong Yu, I set up one of those formations.”
“That formation was powerful, capable of destroying an entire city in an instant. Those who died within it would be turned into blood, and the formation also had the power to imprison souls. That’s why I chose that formation.”
**Imprisoning souls…**
Huang Quan understood now. The forbidden techniques came from the God clan and possessed the power of the Gods. In some cases, certain things could deceive the Heavenly Dao, which is why those souls appeared after death instead of immediately disappearing according to the world’s rules.
“You imprisoned their souls, which also meant imprisoning yourself,” the High Priest looked at Rong Mian. “Why did you choose such a drastic formation?”
