C1614 Returning to the Epitaxial Realm

The deep purple Origin Realm Gate suddenly began to shake violently, unleashing a blinding light that left onlookers feeling disoriented.

Rip! Rip!

It was as though a sharp Soul Blade was slicing through something at the entrance.

Boom!

A dazzling interplay of light, woven with the Law of Dao, mixed with the sound of soul suppression, emanated from the Origin Realm Gate. This caused the stars in the nearby Realms to tremble intensely.

The peculiar vibrations of the Origin Realm Gate seemed to merge with the entire Oblivion Starfield. Should it burst, it might impact many of the stars within the Oblivion Starfield.

However, the Oblivion Starfield was inherently unique. It wasn't like the Illusion Starfield or the Dim Starfield, which were inhabited by extraterrestrial beings.

Thus, when Taishi and High Priest Reid perceived the strange beginnings at the Origin Realm Gate, they remained serene.

Even if the stars of the Oblivion Starfield were to shatter and fade away because of this, Taishi and Reid would not be perturbed.

They were prepared to endure the silence of this Starfield once again.

At the gate, Guixu finally merged the soul shadow into the stone statue. With the statue's malevolent aspect, he faced the trembling Origin Realm Gate and said, "There's no need for concern. He is merely sealing this secret spatial doorway."

Taishi nodded and smiled, remarking, "It looks like there's been a bit of a stir in the Origin Realm on the other end."

Yu Yuan peered closely and could faintly see many delicate and splendid lights that seemed to hold the laws of another world. They clung to the edge of the gate like tendrils, pulling it back.

The open Origin Realm Gate resembled a fissure that was gradually healing.

Taishi and Guixu, the two Divine Kings, watched with curiosity but did not intervene.

The spectacle was short-lived. The Origin Realm Gate, once concealed within the crescent moon, shrank into a small orb of rainbow light and vanished before the eyes of the onlookers.

Boom!

The massive Evil Altar, spanning hundreds of acres, erupted as the Origin Realm Gate disappeared, causing the altar to fracture explosively.

At that moment, the evil statue, carved from the Sword Prison, swelled to a colossal size.

The Ruins Divine King, with his most sinister visage, loomed over the exploding altar. With a hand as bright as a rare stone, he enveloped the entire altar.

The tumultuous explosion of the altar, the surge of aberrant energies, the assault of malevolent souls, and the myriad of polluted, twisted thoughts were all steadily drawn into the palm of the statue's stone hand.

The vast Evil Altar, along with the thousands of corpses it contained, vanished into the palm of the stone hand. The palm crackled, as if invisible monsters were gnashing their teeth, grinding the remains and bones to dust, along with the malevolent thoughts and fragments of souls.

Yu Yuan had an epiphany—the material of the Sword Prison was the same as that of the now-vanished Evil Altar, both forged from the essence of the moon. Nie Qingtian, wielder of Slash Moon, had transformed the moon's essence into the Sword Prison to confine the myriad evils emerging from the Great Swamp, ensuring they could never break free.

The chief among these imprisoned evils turned out to be a wooden idol, which had taken on its current form after being melded into the Sword Prison. Yu Yuan had always been presented with the idol's compassionate visage, while its vile aspect remained obscured, causing him to gradually overlook the idol's duality. When the idol's malevolent side began to act out, unleashing its power, Yu Yuan found himself unprepared.

He then recalled the scene when the evil statue first surfaced in the Great Swamp, its sinister side unleashed, swiftly massacring the evil spirits trapped within the Sword Prison.

"Seven. There are seven Domain Boundaries," the voice of Guixu emanated from the other, kinder face of the statue. "After seven colorful butterflies escaped, they entered seven different Domain Boundaries. You should search these realms; surely, there are more followers of the Origin Realm God. Perhaps, you might even discover nascent Origin Realm Gates."

Guixu swiftly relayed the seven spatial coordinates. Reid and Taishi committed them to memory, and Reid promptly informed Mitts of the Internal Demon Clan, instructing her to mobilize the Devaputra Race's might to scour the seven Domain Boundaries and uproot the clandestine influence nurtured by the Origin Realm God.

Yu Yuan marveled at the unfolding events. The seven colorful butterflies that Pei Yuling had desperately released had, unbeknownst to them, been marked by the lingering will of Guixu. Pei Yuling and the Origin Realm God were completely unaware, evidently unable to detect the concealed soul thoughts.

This oversight was set to result in the Origin Realm God's painstakingly established strongholds being systematically purged by the Divine Soul Sect and the Outland Devaputra. It was likely that altars used for nefarious worship would be shattered, one after another. In light of these developments, Pei Yuling's escape seemed far from certain...

Yu Yuan couldn't help but admire the Ruins Divine King, who had been unwaveringly loyal to him in the past and continued to prove his loyalty in this life.

The Divine Soul Sect of tens of thousands of years ago was indeed brimming with talent. There were strategists as cunning as Taishi and assassins as elusive as the Outland Devaputra, skilled in stealth and eliminating their enemies. There were also geniuses with extraordinary achievements in the realms of time and space. It stood to reason that the perished Taishi Divine King must have been remarkable in his own right. It's no surprise that at its zenith, the Divine Soul Sect commanded respect from various sects and forces across the vast expanses, subdued ancient demons, and exerted immense pressure on beings from beyond the heavens.

"Yu Yuan..." Yuv Qian, transformed back into a Devaputra, arrived swiftly from the Plover Realm. Landing beside High Priest Reid, Yuv Qian offered a respectful bow before speaking, "I'll accompany you to the Epitaxial Realm."

"The Epitaxial Realm?" Yu Yuan echoed, puzzled.

"Yes, it's the extraordinary place created by Nie Qingtian where the Divine Sword fell," Yuv Qian confirmed with a nod. "Let's head there now and discuss further on the way."

Yu Yuan glanced at Taishi in the distance, and upon receiving a nod of approval, he responded, "Alright."

Shortly thereafter, a man and a Devaputra traversed the galaxy and arrived in the Epitaxial Realm, near the secluded cave from which Qiyan had once departed.

To Yu Yuan's surprise, Denise, the esteemed young lady of the Star Race, was also in the vicinity. Upon seeing Yu Yuan and Yuv Qian, she approached them with palpable excitement.

"It's been a while," Yu Yuan said with a welcoming smile.

Denise, noticing Yuv Qian's grave demeanor, realized he had important matters to discuss with Yu Yuan. With a knowing smile, she tactfully said, "You two go ahead and talk."

"The Divine Sword, it fell into this deep cave, didn't it?" Yuv Qian asked, his brow furrowed and his blue eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions. "In truth, I implored the Great Demon God Beilstein to cleanse my soul, to eradicate every trace of the Yin Meridian's origin within me. I knew only the old chieftain possessed such power, only he could achieve this."

Yu Yuan looked at Yuv Qian, not fully understanding the gravity of his words.

"Because beneath this deep cave lies a branch..."

Yuv Qian offered a wry smile. "Each time I travel from the vast expanse to the Plover Realm, I sense something watching me, as if through the Primordial Divine King's eyes."

"I was initially clueless about the problem. It was only after the Primordial Divine King clarified things that I learned the Great Sword Immortal from Slash Moon had separated a Yin Meridian branch from Mingdu's body and cultivated it beneath the Epitaxial Realm."

"As for me, I used to be a spirit in Horror Land, my soul saturated with its traces and essence. Through me, it could see many things it desired."

"There are matters concerning the secrets of the Divine Soul Sect and the Devaputra, and I have long pledged my loyalty to the Primordial Divine King."

Yuv Qian disclosed the hidden truths.

Yu Yuan, now standing in the deep cave, grasped the situation after listening to Yuv Qian's account.

Yuv Qian no longer wished to be subject to the Yin Meridian's origin, nor did he want to act as a covert informant, silently observing the Divine Soul Sect and the Devaputra. Thus, he had no choice but to enlist Reid's help in seeking the assistance of the Great Demon God, Beilstein.

Transformed back into a genuine Demon God from a ghost, he had finally freed himself from the shackles of the Yin Meridian.

"There was a woman named Jiang Yuanyuan whose Yang God shattered in the heavens. Her main soul and Yin God, unable to withstand the ensuing madness, were confined by the Heavenly Pearl. She was then taken to the Yin Meridian branch for nurturing. The one responsible lacked the power to bring her back to life, resorting to sustaining the Heavenly Pearl with the Yin Meridian."

Yu Yuan was explaining this to Yuv Qian when he abruptly halted, struck by a realization.

Nie Qingtian and Zu Ann had faced similar fates, both having lost their loved ones and both unable to let go.

"Now I see. The Divine Sword has long been submerged in the Epitaxial Realm to ensure its stable operation. Moreover, it's there to protect the Heavenly Pearl within the Yin Meridian branch from external disturbances."

Yu Yuan was suddenly moved by the sword soul's unwavering loyalty.

Though Nie Qingtian had met his end, the sword soul remained steadfast, honoring the last wishes of its former master.

It has been silently safeguarding the Epitaxial Realm, ensuring that the soul within—Jiang Yuan's soul, along with Youyu—remains eternal.

After such a lengthy vigil, it has at last glimpsed hope.

"Youyu has the power to resurrect Jiang Yuan."

...