Xiao Man was sealed within the crystal coffin, unable to find any way to escape. She could only watch as the crystal coffin sank deeper and deeper into the water.
"What in the world is happening?" Xiao Man pounded on the crystal coffin with all her might, but she couldn't leave even a single mark on it. She was at her wit's end.
"If you break it, you'll drown."
Xiao Man's body stiffened. She turned her head to see the person who had been lying beside her, now opening a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, gazing at her intently, a smile of pure innocence on his face.
"Are you human or ghost?"
"I am neither human nor ghost." The man's voice was warm and pleasant. His eyes were particularly captivating; one glance and it felt as if one's soul would be drawn away.
"Are you a dragon-fish?"
"Dragon-fish?" The man propped his head up with one hand, his other hand on his chin, as if pondering whether the term accurately described him. After a moment, he slowly nodded, "To describe me in human terms, it's not wrong. However, I should introduce myself. I am Jun Ruo, the Sea Emperor."
"Why would the Sea Emperor be sealed in a coffin?"
"Sealed?" Jun Ruo smiled faintly. "I was merely sleeping. If you hadn't disturbed my peaceful slumber, I might have slept for another ten thousand years."
"You certainly slept for a very long time, Your Majesty," Xiao Man exclaimed with emotion. "Where is this coffin taking us?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Xiao Man looked somewhat embarrassed. "Isn't this your territory?"
"I have been in a deep slumber for who knows how many years. The world outside has changed drastically, and it's no longer the place I know. Therefore, I don't know where it's taking us," Jun Ruo said unhurriedly. "By the way, who are you, and why do you carry a familiar aura?"
"My name is Xiao Man, and I am but a mortal."
"Why does a mortal possess an aura of the divine race?" Jun Ruo sniffed carefully. "The aura is unstable, seemingly damaged. And there's also... Mo'er's aura."
"Who is Mo'er?" Xiao Man asked, puzzled.
"My wife, Mo'er. Where is she?" Jun Ruo suddenly became agitated, grabbing Xiao Man's shoulders. "Mo'er has returned! She has returned! Where is she?"
Xiao Man's shoulders ached from Jun Ruo's grip, but she remained silent. "Who is this Mo'er you speak of?"
"Mo Mo."
"What?" Xiao Man looked greatly startled. "Mo Mo is your wife?"
"Of course!" Jun Ruo nodded affirmatively. "You have her aura on you, you have met her."
"I have met her." Xiao Man wanted to sit up, but the limited space prevented her. She could only remain lying down. "She is my friend. She is currently in Wuji City."
"Wuji City, what is that place?"
"It is the world beyond this small world we are in," Xiao Man explained. "The small world we are currently in is called Arid Wasteland, a place inhabited by the descendants of fallen gods."
"Descendants of fallen gods..." Jun Ruo thought for a long time. "Ah, it is the place where Xuan Xin's people reside. This is a small world Xuan Xin settled her clan in."
"Xuan Xin again. Who exactly is this Xuan Xin?"
"Xuan Xin is just an ordinary person," Jun Ruo said, resting his hands behind his head to get more comfortable. "It's just that she bore too many responsibilities, which drove her to become a god step by step. After she became a god, those who had burdened her placed more and more shackles upon her. In the end, Xuan Xin was dragged to her death by her own clan. Don't you think she was foolish?"
"But I heard she was harmed by someone."
"With her abilities, she could have protected herself completely. No matter how great the conspiracy behind her, in the face of absolute power, it would have been nothing more than a paper tiger," Jun Ruo sighed. "If it weren't for her wanting to protect her clan, she wouldn't have ended up with a shattered divinity."
"Are you very familiar with Xuan Xin?"
"Mo Mo is Xuan Xin's sister. I married her sister, so how could I not be familiar with her?"
"Brother-in-law!" Xiao Man thought to herself, Mo Mo, who would have thought that her sister would gain a husband out of nowhere? Although this husband was handsome, he had lived for many years, practically an ancient monster, no, an ancient immortal!
"You're taking liberties with this Emperor!"
"You misunderstand, I was just surprised that you are Xuan Xin's brother-in-law!" Xiao Man chuckled. "If you want to see Mo Mo, you must first help me get out of here. Otherwise, if I die, you will never see her again."
"The Ruo Shui River is nothing to fear," Jun Ruo said calmly. The Ruo Shui River presented no difficulty for him.
"The Ruo Shui River today might be quite different from the Ruo Shui River in your memory," Xiao Man explained. "The current Ruo Shui River is so toxic that birds cannot cross it, nothing floats on its surface, and anyone who stays in it for too long will be corroded."
"How did the Ruo Shui River become like this?" Jun Ruo seemed shocked. He then reached out his hand, and his hand passed through the crystal coffin, touching the river water. A moment later, Jun Ruo recoiled as if startled.
"What is it?"
"This is..." Jun Ruo looked at his burnt hand and fell into thought. "The Spirit Jade Coffin is heading towards the central region of the Ruo Shui River."
"The central region, what's there?"
"You'll know when we get there," Jun Ruo's gaze fell on Xiao Man, filled with inquiry. His awakening, the Spirit Jade Coffin's self-directed movement towards the central region, were all due to this person's appearance.
Jun Ruo grabbed Xiao Man's wrist, and a surge of spiritual energy entered Xiao Man's body, reaching her dantian. It was instantly repelled by a force. Jun Ruo was thrown back by this force, hitting the Spirit Jade Coffin hard, almost spitting blood. Su Dan Novel Network.
"No wonder, no wonder!" Jun Ruo caught his breath, saying "no wonder" twice. "It's you!"
"What about me?" Xiao Man asked, bewildered.
Jun Ruo clutched his head and lay down again. "Just wait. The Spirit Jade Coffin wants to take us somewhere. There shouldn't be any danger."
"Sea Emperor, do you really not know what's in the center of the Ruo Shui River?" Xiao Man asked suspiciously. She felt that Jun Ruo was hiding something, though she couldn't tell what.
"I told you, you'll know when you get there. Others cannot touch that thing, but you probably can," Jun Ruo said unhurriedly. "Besides, you should have guessed it by now."
"Guessed..." Xiao Man was silent for a moment. "Could it be related to Xuan Xin?"
Jun Ruo turned to look at Xiao Man lying beside him. "Has anyone told you about Xuan Xin?"
"Yes," Xiao Man replied. "Demon Lord Yu Ju once told me that Xuan Xin was the creation god of Cang Xuan, but was later framed by villains, her divinity shattered, and she perished into dust."
"Perished into dust?" Jun Ruo scoffed. "Even if Cang Xuan were destroyed, she would not turn to dust. It was merely a shattered divinity. For her, it was just a serious injury that required time to heal."