C1377 The Reflection of the Moon and the Water
Whoosh! The azure depths, a replica of the Embers Sea, roared as they rushed into the rare stone. Concurrently, massive totem-poles also found their way back into the water. Jun Chen, Tian Zang, and the others, having lost their target, looked on in astonishment amidst the void. The fist-sized rare stone emitted a chilling glow as it hurtled towards the location of the Abyssal Leviathan, covering thousands of miles in a blink.
"Look!" The white crane, imbued with demonic blood and death force, cried out and, with its snowy wings, gestured towards the River of Swords. "The might of the Heaven-Opening Sword Array has begun to wane significantly."
Tian Zang, Zhou You, and Jun Chen focused intently, also taken aback by the development. The Heaven-Opening Sword Array, like an immense net, ensnared the Abyssal Leviathan, now resembling a gaunt elder. The once vibrant sword light ceased its assault on the Abyssal Leviathan. The myriad meteorites, aglow with crimson sword light, merely pointed at the creature's critical points, and the Nine Celestial Slashes were not unleashed.
The blood-soaked Abyssal Leviathan, towering in the form of an elder, bore dull scarlet and silver eyes, appearing hollow and vacant as if engaged in a Spirit Walk.
Yu Yuan, at the helm of the Dragon Slaying Stage within the Heaven-Opening Sword Array, appeared minuscule in comparison. He stood before the Abyssal Leviathan with a grave expression, as if locked in a silent battle with the beast.
"Move out!" Zhou You called out, leading the charge towards the River of Swords. He didn't bother to expend his space magic to carve out another spatial passage, instead opting to have Tian Zang and the others accompany him directly. The rest promptly followed suit.
Elsewhere, Ji Ningshuang's eyes, once sparkling with myriad miniature stars, began to dim. Engrossed in the intricacies of the Heaven-Opening Sword Array and the enigmatic power of the Nine Celestial Slashes that could rend the heavens and pierce the fabric of time and space, she paused. The transformation of the sword array and the cessation of the crimson sword light brought her contemplation to a halt. The oppressive sword light left by Nie Qingtian had long since vanished without a trace.
Yue Mu and Du Yuan, both practitioners of "Rillrender," were no longer subdued by the sword light. They snapped to attention, instantly alert. Yue Mu narrowed his eyes, studying the "Heaven-Opening Sword Array" for a few seconds before saying, "The sword array is currently only ensnaring the Abyssal Leviathan without launching continuous sword attacks, thus conserving sword force. It seems that Yu Yuan and the Abyssal Leviathan might be engaged in some sort of communication."
Du Yuan's expression was somber as he remarked, "If possible, we should retrieve every exquisite strand of sword's will and sword intent left behind here."
"Let's move in for a closer look," suggested Yue Mu.
Du Yuan and Ji Ningshuang gave slight nods of agreement.
"Don't go!" Mo Baichuan's voice suddenly emanated from the Frost Star beneath them, startling the trio.
Crack! Crack! Crack! The sound of splintering echoed as Alonso stepped on the Frost Well, the clear Ice Shards emitting a peculiar crisp noise. The Shura commander finally diverted his gaze from the Dragon Slaying Stage within the Heaven-Opening Sword Array, ignoring the Dire Bear. With his formidable build, he gripped a crystal ball in one hand and a silver lance in the other, commanding, "Follow me."
The Frost Well abruptly widened, unleashing the Dark Realm's chilling ice force from its depths. Ciara, Demian, and two platinum Shura wasted no time dispersing around the enlarged well.
The well, maintaining its connection to the Dark Realm, swiftly drew the mightiest Shura from the Glimmerdrift Nebula closer to the Heaven-Opening Sword Array.
"Remember, follow my lead," Alonso instructed, his head bowed, not sparing another glance at the snow bear, his face etched with gravity.
Simultaneously, the presence of Sabonis emerged from the ice energy gushing from the well. The four platinum Shura sensed Sabonis's intent and heard his inner voice, their forms quaking as they, too, bowed their heads in deference like Alonso. Their spirits were profoundly shaken in that moment.
...
In Yu Yuan's Mindscape, a crimson sun and a ghostly crescent moon materialized without warning. Yu Yuan, his nerves stretched to the limit, instantly recognized that the savage cosmic giant beast was attempting to wreak havoc in his mind through a new tactic.
Whoosh!
His Lunar Spirit surged in strength, and a blood-red phantom quietly emerged.
This phantom, akin to his Solar Spirit, seemed capable of harnessing the Solar Spirit's entire aura and remnant soul to launch an assault within the confines of his Mindscape.
Beside the diminished Lunar and Solar Spirits, the dominant soul within his sea of consciousness appeared almost ethereal and unremarkable.
The Lunar Spirit, Solar Spirit, and dominant soul were poised for battle.
Yet, he soon discovered that the scarlet sun and the chilling crescent moon that had materialized in his mind's eye held no terrifying amount of Soul Power.
His real body looked towards the Abyssal Leviathan's eyes with astonishment.
The eyes remained intact!
The Abyssal Leviathan's eyeballs hadn't actually left their sockets, nor had they smashed through the Voidfarers as they did when attacking the Platinum Shura.
The sun and moon in his mind were merely the soul's reflection of the Abyssal Leviathan.
One soul, one shadow, one fiery, one frosty.
This cosmic giant beast, born at the dawn of the cosmos, had fused its soul with the celestial bodies, yet the sun and moon were merely facades; the essence was still its soul.
In this moment, he used a mirage-like technique to cast a reflection of his soul within his own mind.
He simply wished to observe, to see what was unique about his soul and Mindscape.
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and the projection of his Solar Spirit felt a chill followed by a warmth, as if swept by the gaze of the Abyssal Leviathan's soul, probing deeply.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Tiny specks of crimson and white light emanated from Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and the projection of his Solar Spirit.
He realized that the Abyssal Leviathan was using the reflection of its soul to perceive his own.
With a mere thought, boundless lightning sprang forth, shrouding the soul reflection of the Abyssal Leviathan, which took the form of a sun and moon in his mind.
The lightning struck down, but the sun and moon persisted...
Then, a deluge of fire, hail, soul-destroying gales, and streams of crimson sword light converged upon the celestial bodies.
Still, the sun and moon remained unextinguished.
The soul reflection crafted by the Abyssal Leviathan was indestructible.
It was as though he was relentlessly attacking the sun and the moon reflected in the lake, but since they were mere illusions, they would reappear as soon as the lake's surface stilled.
"You're too tense."
The voice of the Abyssal Leviathan emerged from the sun and the moon, "These are but illusions; they can neither harm nor affect you. Likewise, you cannot erase them."
"Just stay quiet and let me experience it..."
After these words, the tiny points of light ceased to flow from Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and the miniature of his Solar Spirit.
In a brief moment, the Abyssal Leviathan had probed both his Lunar Spirit and the miniature of his Solar Spirit.
Next, it turned its attention to his dominant soul.
And then...
The phantom of the Abyssal Leviathan, which had surfaced in the form of the sun and moon within his Mindscape, twisted violently!
Externally, within the depths of the Abyssal Leviathan's eye sockets, the sun and moon he had assimilated burst into numerous bloody fissures!
His eyes were ripped open in an instant!
Blood, resembling molten magma and silver fluid, suddenly filled both of his eye sockets.
The face of the Abyssal Leviathan, along with the Mindscape of Yu Yuan, began to contort in a bizarre manner, his expression turning exceedingly grotesque.
It was as if he had glimpsed a complexity beyond his understanding, a sight surpassing the limits of his imagination and cognition!
His eyes bled as he gasped for air, transforming from the form of a withered old man back into a massive fish in an instant.
A Cosmic Giant Beast instinctively reverts to its primal form only when faced with immense terror—a subconscious mechanism for self-preservation.
With a roar and a howl, he thrashed wildly within the Heaven-Opening Sword Array, as if driven to madness and irrationality in a flash.
His limbs uncontrollably collided with the crimson meteorites, leaving him riddled with bloody wounds.
The sun and moon-like projections of his soul and spirit within Yu Yuan's Mindscape twisted for a time before gradually fading into silence and leaving no trace.
The reflections were ruthlessly obliterated by some enigmatic force.
