He was a young man, half spider and half human, with dry, yellowed hair.
Faced with this provocation from someone who seemed to be a newly ascended Celestial Lord, he simply stared. He stared for a long, long time without taking a step forward.
Nor did he take a step back.
Jiang Ding did not seem particularly concerned with him, either.
His divine sense swept the surroundings as he assessed the damage to the Six Paths Reincarnation Life-Severing Formation: whether it could still be used, what new formation devices would need to be forged, and how much they would cost.
Who knew how long passed.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Great Sun Sword Heir, Your Highness,"
The half-human, half-spider youth bowed slightly. None of the split soul's domineering arrogance remained as he said in a hoarse voice, "After more than two thousand years, I see you once again."
"More than two thousand years ago, you met my father in the Royal Court Blessed Land while he was sealed away, tormented by the uncanny effects of immortal arts. Even now, I remember that scene as clearly as if it were before my eyes."
"If you had not fallen into madness at the end and insisted on killing my father, heedless even of Xi Ping'an's attempts to stop you, I think we might have become friends."
"Oh?"
Jiang Ding's gaze sharpened slightly, and he stopped calculating the formation.
The man was not talking about him, of course.
He was talking about Ming Guangzi, the previous Great Sun Sword Heir.
Ming Guangzi seemed to have fallen prey to the bloodlust inherent to Great Sun Sword Heirs. Unable to find a powerful opponent, he had gone straight for Celestial Lord Shuo Yang, who had sealed himself away, disregarding the friendship the two apparently shared before.
That