C1610 The Disaster That Had yet to be Brewed
Reid, having assimilated a human form, wore a look of utter distaste.
Crack!
From the depths of the shattered earth, something began to emerge slowly.
It was a bizarrely shaped, colossal altar.
Crafted from moonstone, the octagonal altar spanned hundreds of acres.
Within the massive, luminous altar, thousands of corpses were entombed like insects in amber.
Among them were members of the Shadowkin, Starborn, enchantresses, and Shura warriors.
Even the Voidweavers and Moonlit Wanderers had over a dozen of their dead frozen within, their final expressions eerily blissful.
It was as though they had joyously embraced death, sacrificing their souls and blood to their deities.
Hovering above the altar, the Origin Gate opened wide, fluttering like the wings of a butterfly, casting waves of iridescent light.
Before the gate, a figure sat cross-legged, who had appeared to be devoutly chanting moments earlier.
But as Yu Yuan struck the waning moon and the altar was revealed, the chant was abruptly cut off.
Color slowly returned to his vacant eyes, as if his soul was gradually being reclaimed from the Origin Gate.
"Pei Yuling!"
Yu Yuan, wielding the Divine Sword, called out sharply from high above the Silvery Land.
It was none other than Pei Yuling, who had long consorted with the Voidweavers, the Blightwood, and Diggs, and had sworn fealty to the Origin Deity!
Pei Yuling sat atop the grand altar, the Origin Gate behind him fluttering like butterfly wings.
Though his body was human, his veins pulsed with the essence of the Voidweavers!
As if his human shell had been infused with the blood of the Voidweavers!
This very fact had led both Yu Yuan and Reid to mistake him for a Voidweaver elder before his true identity was revealed.
His prowess at the Unbound Stage, with the Solar Spirit deeply embedded within him, was now saturated with the blood of the Voidweavers.
This transformation left Pei Yuling in a state neither human nor specter, yet his combat strength had seemingly surged immensely!
Just moments before, his soul had been in the enigmatic Origin Realm, seemingly in communion with the Origin Deity.
Startled awake as the crescent moon he was concealed within was cleaved in two, he quickly summoned his soul back into his body. Upon regaining his senses, he saw Yu Yuan, a familiar figure, standing amidst the Dark Nebula overhead.
"Origin Gate!"
On the outskirts of Ionodios, Tianqi's formidable frame trembled as he prepared to charge at the fractured moon.
"Hold off for now."
Taishi's usually composed demeanor was shattered by the sight of the malevolent altar exposed at the base of the broken moon. Drawing in a sharp breath, he gravely questioned Youqian, "Before Tianqi and Gui Xu returned, were the Moonlit Wanderers attempting to anchor this broken moon within Ionodios?"
His words sent a shiver of dread through all beings beyond the realm.
Without a moment's delay, Youqian confirmed, "Indeed, they were!"
"Thank goodness Tianqi and Gui Xu, upon learning of my severe injury, hastened back from the Everlands. Had they not been quicker, had the crescent moon settled in Ionodios first, my friends..."
Taishi turned to Rebecca and the envoys of the Starborn, Dawnbringers, and Silverscale Tribe, continuing, "The Origin Gate has already stabilized, capable of swiftly absorbing vast amounts of energy and evolving into the Maw of Oblivion! It was only because Tianqi and Gui Xu returned promptly that they ceased their desperate attempts to enter, fearing detection."
"Otherwise..."
Taishi's voice grew strained, "Otherwise, Ionodios might well have become the next Spirit World. And the Annihilation Nebula could have been transformed into Brugeth."
The Spirit World and Brugeth had been utterly voided, their realms reduced to desolate silence.
Not a trace of life remained.
Contemplating the potential disaster, the various race emissaries who had previously chastised Yu Yuan were now rendered mute.
At that time in Ionodios, neither Rebecca, Brie, nor Reid had been summoned.
Tianqi and Gui Xu had yet to return. If the waning moon had remained in Ionodios, the Origin Gate would have unleashed its malevolent energy unchecked, potentially leading to catastrophic outcomes.
"Why is this happening?"
Mitts and numerous Demon Gods were exclaiming in shock.
Reid regained his composure only when he noticed the spark returning to Pei Yuling's eyes, signaling the stirrings of his soul.
This meant that if Pei Yuling placed his soul in the Origin Realm, none of the powers within or beyond Ionodios could detect his soul's presence.
Yu Yuan had discovered Pei Yuling's underground hideout, not through any anomaly in his soul, but through the blood of the Voidweaver!
Reid, aware of the mysterious connection between Yu Yuan and the Solar Spirit, surmised the truth. He believed Yu Yuan had been alerted by the Voidweaver blood coursing through Pei Yuling's veins, leading to this revelation.
"What on earth is happening?"
Heather from the Moonlit Wanderers, who had just been yelling at Yu Yuan, was now trembling at the sight of the shattered moon revealing a massive, sinister altar surrounded by thousands of corpses. "I have no idea what's going on! Stop looking at me like that; I didn't do this!"
She protested loudly, addressing the Voidfarer where Reid stood.
Liu Ying, previously ignored, was equally terrified by the underground spectacle. Having harbored doubts about Yu Yuan, she now felt a surge of guilt and swiftly joined him.
"Brother Yu..."
She said, slightly embarrassed.
"Lord Reid, would you mind looking after her for me?"
Yu Yuan asked gravely, grasping Liu Ying's arm with his free hand and forcefully propelling her toward the Voidfarer where the Sky Fiend forces were assembled.
"Not a problem at all."
Reid responded, as a surge of dark energy enveloped the incoming Liu Ying. Together, they descended gently onto the deck of the warship.
"Yu Yuan, it's been a long time since we parted ways in the Spirit World. I never imagined our paths would cross here."
Pei Yuling, having just returned from the Origin Realm, was unfazed despite being exposed and even noted that Reid, Taishi, and the other God-Kings of Ionodios showed no fear of him.
He rose slowly from his seat, the Origin Gate wide open behind him.
"I'm quite surprised you could detect my presence..."
Pei Yuling said, massaging his brow as if to ease the slight sluggishness in his consciousness from his soul's recent return. "The Moonlit Wanderers have lost their value to us, thanks to your meddling."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The eyes of five Moonlit Wanderers, tasked with overseeing the waning crescent, blazed with dark green flames.
It was their souls that were alight!
One by one, they leapt toward the hidden altar deep within the earth.
Upon contact with the altar, they became one with it, smiles gracing their faces as if they joyfully sacrificed their bodies and souls through the Origin Gate.
Their souls were offerings to a deity on the other side of the Origin Gate.
"You've got quite the nerve."
Yu Yuan, gripping his sword, slowly lowered his stance and gestured to Reid and Taishi not to approach.
He could see that Pei Yuling would vanish from their sight once he retreated through the Origin Gate.
Pei Yuling's confidence stemmed from his knowledge that Yan Qiling was missing, Zhong Chichen was in the Dark Realm, and something had befallen Zhou Xiao.
Moreover, after being infused with the blood of the Voidweaver, Yu Yuan's combat prowess had greatly increased.
Though not yet a deity, nor a tenth-level Otherkin warrior like Rovi, his adventures had propelled him beyond Zhou Xiao and Yan Qiling in mastery of space magic. And behind him, the Origin Gate remained.
Should he choose to leave, it was doubtful anyone could stop him.
"Don't try to deceive me. They're not the only ones ensnared by the Origin Gate," said Yu Yuan, his demeanor icy as he eyed the three specters embodying the ancient Moonfiend. "Do you require my intervention?"
"You've discerned that much?" Pei Yuling was genuinely taken aback. He nodded, not bothering to deny it, and instead chanted in an eerie tone.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Above the shattered moon, the three specters housing the ancient Moonfiend joyously surged into the Origin Gate behind Pei Yuling, vanishing within.
Apparently, for them, the chance to enter the Origin Realm as spirits was the ultimate pursuit, their source of bliss.
First the Moonlit Wanderers, then the ancient Moonfiend—whether willingly sacrificing themselves on the altar or delving soul-first into the Origin Realm, their actions were voluntary, their hearts filled with joy.
This bizarre spectacle left onlookers feeling oppressed and uneasy.
Those who had previously witnessed such altars knew instantly that the present Origin Deity was far more formidable than before.
Brie was particularly affected by what he witnessed.
Back in the Spirit World, when he resolved to eradicate Diggs, he had encountered a similar altar.
He had also beheld the chilling spectacle of a wicked sacrifice, yet the expressions on his tribespeople's faces at the moment of their deaths were rife with fear and despair. It was as though they had been subjected to the most horrendous torments imaginable, enduring excruciating pain before succumbing to death.
But now, the deceased on the altar appeared jubilant, their visages brimming with bliss.
Thus, Brie understood that the enigmatic "Origin Deity" had significantly increased in power, both in the corruption of the souls of the living and in the influence over the hearts of mortals.
The "Origin Deity" had, without a doubt, grown more formidable.
