However, the appearance of the Ten Kings of Hell on White Bone Mountain without so much as a greeting irked Zi Lingling somewhat.
But at this moment, Zi Lingling had no time to dwell on such matters.
The vortex in the River of Oblivion was expanding rapidly, and the light emanating from its depths grew increasingly radiant.
After a few breaths, a figure slowly rose from the vortex.
He was clad in a pure black imperial robe, with an elaborate headdress and flowing sash, exuding an aura of imperial majesty.
The Ten Kings of Hell dared not look directly, bowing their heads and clasping their fists in salute. In unison, they proclaimed, "Welcome back, Our King!"
Only Zi Lingling stood frozen.
Though his attire had changed, she was certain this was Ye Lingyuan without a doubt.
Ye Lingyuan suddenly opened his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping over the Ten Kings of Hell before settling on Zi Lingling.
"Ling'er!"
His hoarse voice, laden with deep affection, resonated in everyone's hearts.
"Ye Lingyuan, you scoundrel, you scared me to death!"
While happy for him, a hint of annoyance laced Zi Lingling's voice.
She had indeed been startled when she discovered Ye Lingyuan's divine consciousness was not within his body.
The corners of Ye Lingyuan's lips curved into a smile. Then, with a shift of his mind, his soul and body became one.
Immediately, a spiritual energy vortex appeared above his head. Multicolored spiritual energy poured into the vortex and surged into his body.
Then, the King of Hell Seal in his arms suddenly flew out, hovering above the vortex.
A streak of purple spiritual energy shot out from the King of Hell Seal and merged into the multicolored vortex.
The speed was so fast it could be described as a fleeting glimpse.
Chaos Purple Qi!
Zi Lingling gasped in astonishment.
She was certain that the purple spiritual energy emanating from the King of Hell Seal was indeed Chaos Purple Qi.
For, at the moment that purple energy appeared, the Chaos Purple Qi within her had stirred.
What a grand gesture!
Zi Lingling couldn't help but admire the couple spoken of by Old Du.
As her thoughts turned, Ye Lingyuan's aura abruptly shifted, his Imperial Realm cultivation bursting forth.
Early Imperial Realm!
Mid Imperial Realm!
Late Imperial Realm!
Peak Imperial Realm!
Then, five halos of light emanated from within his body.
These five halos were pure white, blood red, silver gray, ashen black, and ink black.
The faces of the Ten Kings of Hell finally changed.
Their expressions conveyed surprise, elation, and disbelief.
"Why does the fluctuation of these halos feel so familiar?"
Amidst her surprise, Zi Lingling frowned again.
"Little girl, this is called the power of laws," Old Du's voice held a hint of astonishment.
"Power of laws?"
Zi Lingling paused, finally understanding why she felt a sense of familiarity.
It was because she also possessed the power of laws – the Law of Life she had comprehended in the third trial.
"Little girl, your man is truly extraordinary!"
Old Du's eyes gleamed as he looked at the five halos.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zi Lingling's lips curved into a faint smile, though inwardly she was immensely proud.
The man she had chosen had to be exceptional, right?
Her overwhelming pride prevented her from refuting Old Du's words, "your man." Instead, she unconsciously continued along his train of thought.
Therefore, she failed to realize that in her heart, she had already accepted Ye Lingyuan as the man she had chosen.
Old Du stroked his goatee and glared, "You're being ungrateful after receiving such a gift!"
Zi Lingling's sparkling eyes fixed on Ye Lingyuan, who sat on White Bone Mountain, and she remained silent.
Old Du paused, then continued, "These five halos represent the Laws of Light, Slaughter, Reincarnation, Death, and Darkness."
"Mhm."
Zi Lingling responded placidly.
Seeing her nonchalant demeanor, Old Du was so angry he wanted to jump.
"Little girl, do you have any idea what this signifies?"
Zi Lingling shook her head and calmly replied, "No, I don't."
Old Du wished he could grab Zi Lingling by the ear and exclaim, "You dare to be so indifferent when you don't know?"
But he refrained, taking a deep breath and repeatedly telling himself, "This master is of your own choosing! Your own choosing! Your own choosing..."
It took Old Du over ten breaths to finally suppress his anger.
"Little girl, let this old man tell you, these five halo of laws signify that your man possesses the potential to enter the Divine King Realm!"
Divine King Realm?
This time, Zi Lingling could not maintain her composure.
Old Du had told her that above the Saint King Realm were the Imperial Realm, Minor God Realm, Great God Realm, Divine King Realm, and Divine Lord Realm.
Therefore, the Divine King Realm was almost at the pinnacle of this world.
"Why?"
Zi Lingling asked blankly.
Though displeased with Zi Lingling's earlier attitude, Old Du explained with utmost seriousness.
"From the Minor God Realm onwards, one must comprehend the power of laws before they can break through further."
"The Minor God Realm requires comprehending at least two basic laws, namely the Laws of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Light, and Darkness."
"It can also include some mutated laws, such as the Laws of Wind, Thunder, Ice, etc."
"The Great God Realm requires comprehending at least three basic laws and one advanced law. Advanced laws include: Laws of Yin and Yang, Life, Time, Space, Reincarnation, Destruction, and Slaughter!"
"As for the Divine King Realm, one needs to comprehend five basic laws and at least two advanced laws."
"The Divine Lord Realm requires merging the laws one has comprehended to form a single order."
Old Du spoke volubly, explaining the breakthrough rules for these realms in one go.
As Zi Lingling's contract spirit, it was his duty to enlighten his master.
Zi Lingling was utterly stunned after hearing Old Du's explanation.
Before Zi Lingling could fully process it, Old Du continued, "The reason I say your man has the potential for the Divine King Realm is because he has already comprehended three advanced laws."
"The difficulty of comprehending advanced laws is dozens of times that of basic laws. Since he can comprehend advanced laws so easily, comprehending basic laws is child's play for him."
"However, even if it's easy, there's still a certain level of difficulty. Therefore, I can only say he has potential. Whether this potential can be unleashed depends on his destiny."
As if to verify Old Du's words, the moment he finished speaking, Ye Lingyuan's cultivation surged again.
Early Minor God Realm!
This meant Ye Lingyuan's cultivation had directly broken through more than one major realm.