The Lord of White Heron City gave his opinion:
"I don't know why [King Zhenruo] rescued [Ryushiki] either."
"But your guess is probably right."
"That guy definitely isn't the type to rely on others."
"Besides, factoring in Dragon Palace City's own time differential, [Otsutsuki Ryushiki] has already been imprisoned for tens of millions of years..."
"Such an immense passage of time would inevitably erode a living being's spirituality, intelligence, and desires bit by bit..."
"On that scale, not even a [Demigod] could endure it unscathed."
"Even if Ryushiki is still alive, his soul must have long since become utterly broken. He probably doesn't even remember who he is anymore."
"Even if this [First Otsutsuki King] were rescued, he couldn't possibly have the ability to help him fight [Xushiki]..."
White Heron's answer confirmed Natsume's suspicions.
The power of time truly exceeded imagination.
Even Otsutsuki Ryushiki could not possibly remain intact after tens of millions of years...
In that case, [King Zhenruo] could never have been willing to destroy Dragon Palace City and make a wedding dress for [Xushiki] merely for a 'crippled Ryushiki.'
Unless—
Rescuing 'Ryushiki' could bring him even greater benefits!
Benefits great enough to offset every negative consequence!
After giving it some thought, the only benefit great enough was breaking through to [True God]!
Could Otsutsuki Ryushiki help King Zhenruo ascend to the rank of [True God]?
Ryushiki himself had failed to achieve it back then.
How could he possibly help someone else ascend to [True God]?
Unless...
Natsume immediately pressed on:
"Does Otsutsuki Ryushiki possess divinity?"
"Hm?"
"Did he elevate his spirituality into divinity?"
"Or rather, how exactly did he intend to break through to [True God] back then?"
"As the [First Otsutsuki King], he couldn't possibly have been content with merely the rank of [Demigod], could he?"