C1473 Dance
Yu Yuan maintained an expression of utmost serenity.
As the grotesque demon, steadily diminishing in size, drew near his chest, it sent shivers through Yuan Qingxi and Huangyin's minds.
The two demon lords couldn't help but divert most of their attention to the struggle between Yu Yuan and the creature, as the scene unfolding before them was overwhelmingly intense.
It was a sight so horrifying and uncannily bizarre that it defied description.
Crack!
Yu Yiyi, engulfed by the demon's slimy tentacles, seized the moment when the creature focused all its strength on resisting Yu Yuan. She swung the Ice Concubine, now a sharp blade of ice, severing the tendrils and freeing herself.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The demon's form pulsated and shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye, dwindling from its mountainous size to a mere meter tall by the time it stumbled to a spot ten meters from Yu Yuan.
It seemed as though Yu Yuan had nearly drained all the vital energy from its flesh and bones.
Before long, it was right at Yu Yuan's chest...
Now unable to howl or plead for mercy, the demon's body, reduced to the size of a fist, appeared exceedingly odd.
It resembled a fleshy orb bristling with numerous whiskers.
These whiskers were once the various tentacles—some thick and robust, others as sturdy as spears or as slippery and agile as serpents.
Once Yu Yuan had extracted their essence, they withered into whisker-like appendages.
Finally, the orb-like monster, along with its thin, whisker-like tentacles, vanished with a "whoosh" into the small world within Yu Yuan's chest.
Inside the Xuan Gate aperture, Yu Yuan's Yang God, crimson as a crystal, morphed into the form of the Life Altar. With minor adjustments, it transformed into a mystical state resembling a grinding mill.
The translucent millstone turned slowly, grinding the dismembered demon into pure blood and soul.
Sizzle sizzle!
The impurities that were of no benefit to Yu Yuan were ejected from the millstone's edge, transforming into a spray of multicolored light and mist.
Through the eyes of Yuan Qingxi and Huangyin, after Yu Yuan had devoured the demon, his body exuded plumes of colorful mist from his pores.
Enveloped in this vibrant haze, Yu Yuan's visage took on a mysterious and ethereal quality.
Yuan Qingxi and Huangyin watched in stunned silence, their hearts filled with a bitter sense of helplessness.
Having dwelled in the Foul World for untold years, the two demon lords witnessed the mist rising from Yu Yuan's body and realized that the monster had been swiftly dissolved and refined by him.
After the creature broke free, it left Huangyin, the Earth Demon Ancestor, behind at Colorful Lake, his face quivering subtly.
His incessant chanting finally ceased.
"Yu..." Huangyin began, his voice emerging with much difficulty.
Yuen Qingxi's figure, suspended in midair, suddenly vibrated. The talisman he had crafted with Du Jing's ghostly essence flickered violently like phantom flames.
He turned to Yu Yuan in astonishment.
In Yu Yuan's microcosm of vital energy, the demonic "grindstone" had ceased its rotation. His Yang God, shrouded in a halo of iridescence, reformed into a human silhouette.
Within the crystalline body of the Yang God, numerous colorful specks burst and vanished.
These specks were the intricate and mutable soul thoughts of the demon, which, upon merging with Yu Yuan's Yang God, were naturally integrated and sorted by the Soul Forging Technique.
This was an instinctual response.
As soon as the Soul Forging Technique was initiated, his Yang God's "insight" was activated, instantly revealing the struggle of his soul against an evil curse within his consciousness.
Thus, he harnessed the power of his Yang God, further enhancing his "insight" with the miraculous abilities of the Dragon Slash Platform.
In the depths of his consciousness, where the Yin God and the primary soul resided, along with the shadow of the Yang God's soul, mysterious grey-black threads of memory appeared and were severed by his soul.
Each time a thread was cut, Yuen Qingxi's hand, clutching the talisman, twitched.
With the aid of the formidable "insight," Yu Yuan's jumbled memories gradually found their places.
Within the ethereal form of the Yin God, which governed the memories, what seemed like thousands of memory streams had been entangled but were now forcefully separated and no longer clustered together.
Throughout this ordeal, Yuen Qingxi's demeanor grew increasingly grave as he continued to endow the evil curse with new marvels.
Regrettably, the curse, crafted from Du Jing's specter, was too fragile to bear the subsequent waves of soul power that Yuen Qingxi applied. He intended to fill the curse with three seals, but before the first could take shape, the curse extinguished like a spent candle, devoid of any remaining spark or essence.
It was at this moment that Yu Yuan's clarity returned, and he recalled the recent events, "Just now, it felt as though I swallowed something..."
He licked his lips and glanced down at his chest, only to find himself enveloped in a swirl of colorful smoke.
The acrid stench within the smoke was unsettling, prompting a slight furrow of his brow.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust swept the vibrant mists away, and he steadied himself once more on the Dragon Slash Platform.
Above him, Yu Yiyi had returned to the Evil Cauldron.
Within the cauldron, apart from the Nether Cat, which had been severed in two and was now self-healing, all the other Evil Demons were ready to be summoned.
"Such an array of materials for crafting Evil Demons."
Yu Yuan, having grasped the full picture, stood atop the Dragon Slash Platform, surveying the sky filled with demonic figures, ghosts, and tangible spirits that resembled dark, ominous clouds.
He burst into laughter.
"Be cautious, the demonic tide has taken shape."
Yu Yiyi whispered a warning, urging him not to let his guard down or underestimate the might of the demonic tide.
"There's no need to worry."
Yu Yuan gestured reassuringly, signaling her not to fret. He cast an intrigued look at Yuen Qingxi, "The sorcery of your Ghost Wizard Sect is quite intriguing. I've been ensnared by it myself. And as for you..."
He turned his gaze to Huangyin, "My apologies, but I've just given it a try, and it seems the corrupt energies of this minor realm are of no consequence to me. I've ingested the demon you've been nurturing, digested it completely, and effortlessly expelled its virulent energies from my system."
Huangyin remained silent.
The venerable ancestor of the Ghost Wizard Sect, with a grave look, reflected for a moment before speaking, "Your domain of Qi and blood strikes me as a Starry Behemoth with its maw agape."
Huangyin's expression flickered, "Starry Behemoth?"
"Yes, I've heard about the Chaos Roc that was subdued in the Ember Waters, from which you extracted the Giant Beast Amber. What astonishes me is your ability to use those few drops of amber to induce such wondrous changes in your Yang God. I must concede, I overlooked this detail and did not anticipate the extraordinary nature of your Yang God," Yuen Qingxi admitted with a sigh.
Huangyin instantly grasped the implication.
As the demonic tentacles pierced Yu Yuan's flesh, he immediately sensed that something was amiss. The unusually potent life force coursing through him was not characteristic of Divine Soul Sect practitioners.
His mind raced to the Demon God and the Peak warriors of other races, yet none seemed to fit the bill.
Once Yuen Qingxi shed light on the situation, revealing the wondrous influence of the Starry Behemoth, Yu Yuan's understanding crystallized.
The Starry Behemoths, titans that reigned supreme over the cosmos, were impervious to the corruption of the Foul World. What the world deemed lethal toxins were trivial to these colossal creatures.
Naturally, the demon stood no chance of devouring Yu Yuan, who was imbued with the Starry Behemoth's extraordinary essence.
"Alright, now that you've amassed a sufficient number of ghostly spirits, it's time to unleash the might befitting an Earth Demon Ancestor."
Anticipation gleamed in Yu Yuan's eyes as he beheld Huangyin and the swarming horde of spectral fiends, his smile radiant.
"I am the current master of the Evil Cauldron, and you were once the mightiest among the Evil Demons, as well as a forebear of the Earth Demons. Show me if you can claim the Evil Cauldron as your own, transforming the Evil Demons I've diligently gathered into your Demon Generals to lead your charge."
Whoosh!
The Dragon Slash Platform soared over Colorful Lake, bringing him within mere meters of Huangyin.
"I sense that several formidable Earth Demons are nearly upon us. Huangyin, I've afforded you ample time and opportunity. Make sure you seize it well."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The myriad petite dragons of Colorful Lake, which had previously ascended to the Dragon Slash Platform, now gracefully swirled around Yu Yuan.
