C1294 He Tasted It and Stopped

Pei Yuling's malice, once highlighted by Beru, was no longer concealed.

Recently, while Qinghuang slept, Pei Yuling and Diggs of the Shadowkin nearly inflicted serious harm on her, in cahoots with the butterfly.

Chu Yao's account to Faang Yao suggested that the peculiarities of the Spirit World were also Pei Yuling's doing.

Diggs's resurrection and appearance in the Spirit World were likely orchestrated by Pei Yuling.

After all, legend had it that Diggs had long been dead.

"It's odd. Pei Yuling seems to despise all Otherkin, harboring deep resentment towards extraterrestrial beings. Yet, why has he fallen under the sway of the Origin Deity, becoming a devout follower? Could it be that the ideology imparted by the Origin Deity targets all races?" Yu Yuan mused.

With the Frost Queen managing the Crucible of Evil, he wasn't overly concerned. He contemplated Pei Yuling's motives while considering how best to discipline him.

Meanwhile, the Spirit World continued to expand.

"Master, your hunch was correct. It's not that we weren't flying swiftly enough; rather, a practitioner of dark space magic has been covertly influencing us," the Frost Queen insightfully pointed out.

Yu Yuan gave a slight nod.

In the Brugeth Astral Domain, cultivators like Yan Qiling risked drawing the attention of the Voidweaver if they tampered with space magic.

Hence, Qinghuang had once cautioned Yan Qiling against any rash actions.

In this fragmented starry expanse, those bold enough to wield space magic without restraint were none other than Pei Yuling, a follower of the Origin Deity, and Diggs.

"Space, space..."

Yu Yuan reflected, as a thread of his spirit ventured from his Mindscape to the acupoint where the Dragon Slaying Stage was kept.

Originally the World-Sundering Stone, the Dragon Slaying Stage was intimately linked to the butterfly. Having been refined, it was now beyond the Voidweaver's reach.

Otherwise, the myriad butterflies attempting to penetrate the acupoints would not fail to breach the defenses and enter the Dragon Slaying Stage.

The spirit could only observe from within, incapable of wielding the full power of the Dragon Slaying Stage or altering its rules at will.

"Pei Yuling has coveted the Dragon Slaying Stage from the start, likely with the Origin Deity's guidance, desiring to claim it as his own. Yet, with Pei Yuling's current level of cultivation, if he..."

With a mere thought, Yu Yuan summoned the Dragon Slaying Stage, previously concealed within an acupoint.

He dared to reveal the Dragon Slaying Stage now because he was confident that neither the Voidweaver nor the Empress would intervene shortly.

Otherwise, he would stand no chance of escape.

Whoosh!

In a flash, his Lunar Spirit re-entered the Dragon Slaying Stage.

While the juvenile Titan Spinosaurus lay in its first deep slumber, he harnessed the Lunar Spirit to operate the Dragon Slaying Stage within the tangible world.

"Detect any spatial anomalies!"

At this command, the Dragon Slaying Stage erupted with the ferocity of lightning and thunder. The Chronowyrm's dragon's breath, hidden for millennia, merged with the psionic power inherent in the Dragon Slaying Stage.

The Dragon Slaying Stage radiated with dazzling divine brilliance once more!

The elongated Dragon Slaying Stage twisted in the void, transforming into an immense vertical pupil!

It was as if an ancient myth had abruptly opened its eyes!

A spectrum of light burst forth from the enigmatic vertical pupil, as if the ancient myth had awakened from eons of slumber to gaze upon the majestic landscapes, the present shores, and the celestial dome.

"Wu!"

The Frost Queen gasped in awe.

She beheld the Crucible of Evil, soaring through the heavens, leaving behind a Star River's path brimming with previously unseen secret ripples.

These ripples, teeming with space magic, were now fully exposed under the colorful radiance of the Dragon Slaying Stage, shaped like a vertical pupil.

"Just as I thought!"

Yu Yuan sneered triumphantly, swinging his sword sheath decisively and silently invoking a sword spell.

He unleashed a strike.

A swath of crimson sword light, as vast as the Star River, blazed forth, threatening to rupture the fabric of space and pierce through the depths of the Maw of Oblivion, severing the fragmented Way of Heaven.

With a sharp slash, the wave-like trajectory connected to the Crucible of Evil was severed as if by a divine chain of spatial sequence. A thousand miles away, the Spirit World, once clear and distinct, suddenly became hazy and indistinct.

"Yu Yuan!"

The enraged shouts of Pei Yuling and Diggs echoed through the void.

The Frost Queen turned back only to realize that the Spirit World, seemingly drawing ever closer, appeared as if it had never moved at all.

"Yes, it's us who are hurtling towards the Spirit World! It looks as though we're fleeing, but we're actually bound by unseen ropes, being drawn inexorably closer to the Spirit World! Such peculiar space magic," the Frost Queen exclaimed, her voice tinged with fear.

Her connection to the Crucible of Evil through a mystical soul bridge allowed her to wield many of its arcane powers. It was only after Yu Yuan's extraordinary sword strike that she could clearly see the truth once more.

The Spirit World stood immovable at the heart of the extraterritorial battlefield, with countless smaller meteorites spiraling towards it. Not just meteorites, but also living creatures, remnants of warships, and shattered artifacts were being drawn in.

The Spirit World had become a voracious "Maw of Oblivion," greedily and frantically consuming everything in its path. The Crucible of Evil was merely one of many items caught in its pull, unremarkable in the grand scheme.

From start to finish, the Spirit World itself had not budged an inch.

"There's some skill involved here. The enigmatic Origin Deity, besides wielding the wonders of the void, must also possess profound insight into the soul. Even I... was nearly deceived, unable to immediately discern the real from the illusion," Yu Yuan mused to himself.

His vision within the vast "vertical pupil" was amplified a millionfold. The scenes and details he could perceive far exceeded those visible to the Frost Queen.

Through the vertical pupil, he saw not only the surface of the Spirit World, with its bizarre and menacing flora, but also the Ghouls impaled and suspended by thorny spikes, alongside the bodies of the Otherkin.

Dozens from the Crypt Clan, Silverscale Tribe, and Moonlit Wanderers had met with tragic ends.

Moreover, he saw Diggs, emaciated and gaunt, underground in the Spirit World. Diggs's long hair intertwined with the massive tree roots, seemingly drawing sustenance and vitality from within the roots to fortify his body and infuse his soul with their mystical strength, rapidly growing in power.

The colossal tree appeared to be the mightiest and most enormous one that had perished long ago in the Spirit World. It was now siphoning strength from every plant and tree in the Spirit World. The eerie trees preyed upon the Otherkin, Ghouls, and alien beasts, funneling the harvested energy and essence of flesh directly to itself. It then refined and controlled this power, distributing it to other beings at will.

Diggs was intimately linked to this tree! His existence seemed to grant him a perpetual influx of vitality. His gaunt frame belied a bizarre vigor, and he continued to refine his soul.

Pei Yuling, by contrast, appeared to be assisting Diggs, his movements slightly restrained and careful.

Behind Diggs, the Origin Gate, akin to the wings of a butterfly, dazzled with its intricate dance of light, mesmerizing onlookers.

"Diggs..." Yu Yuan uttered, his voice tinged with somberness.

"Hmm?" The Shadowkin elder, gaunt as a dry twig, seemed to catch the faint murmur, a slight smirk playing at the edge of his lips.

Beneath the tree, a surge of blood gushed through the roots, its hues varied yet intensely rich.

Diggs let out a bizarre chuckle. Above him, the enigmatic Origin Gate, resembling butterfly wings, began to pulsate with infinite transformations. It was as if a blazing light had erupted from the depths of the Abyss, accompanied by a cacophony of sounds that thundered through the air.

The light morphed, transforming into innumerable symbols that held the mysteries of the void, seemingly transmitting the immutable secrets of space.

With a resounding boom, the Dragon Slaying Stage, now a vertical pupil, quivered under the pressure of an external force, unable to maintain its vigilant form.

Yu Yuan, who bore the authority of a world sovereign and the mantle of the Way of Heaven's arbiter, felt the gaze of a distant, ancient, and unfathomable consciousness.

In a swift motion, the Dragon Slaying Stage retracted into the acupoint, and his Lunar Spirit returned to the Mindscape in the blink of an eye.

Upon entering the Mindscape, the Lunar Spirit instantly connected with his dominant soul, which had remained unchanged.

Specks of dazzling, rainbow-colored light scattered from the ethereal Lunar Spirit, effortlessly erased without leaving a single mark in the Mindscape.

Yu Yuan watched the colorful display with a hint of surprise.

The aura he detected was the same one he had just experienced: ancient, mysterious, and beyond imagination.

"Origin Deity!"

An epiphany struck Yu Yuan.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Frost Queen wielded the Crucible of Evil with all her strength, no longer hindered by the Spirit World, and in a mere moment, they traversed thousands of miles.

Yu Yuan glanced back repeatedly, recalling the Origin Gate he had seen in the Spirit World, the Shadowkin's Diggs, and Pei Yuling, whose appearance was reminiscent of a butterfly's wings.

"Did that entity notice something peculiar about me? Did it sense the anomaly within my soul?"

The Origin Deity's gaze seemed to linger when his Lunar Spirit returned.

Yet, as his Lunar Spirit resumed its place, it was easily wiped clean, leaving no trace.

Yu Yuan was acutely aware that, despite never having undergone any abnormalities, his seemingly most ordinary Dominant Soul concealed the power of his first self.

Through three hundred years of reincarnation, while the earthly soul and heaven soul had not returned, the dominant soul had never departed.

The earthly soul would advance into the Lunar Spirit, the heaven soul would metamorphose into the Solar Spirit, and the dominant soul... would ultimately surge towards the primordial spirit.

"Primordial Spirit Realm!"

He suddenly realized that once he achieved a breakthrough with the Dominant Soul, he would be able to integrate all the memories from his first and second lives with his current existence.

Then, there would be no distinction between them.

The experiences and memories of his first, second, and third lives would merge into a single entity.

When that day arrived, he might surpass even Chen Qinghuang, who had mastered the forces of death, destruction, and rebirth.

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