C1621 Understanding the Truth
"She's looking for me."
Within the Water Domain, the Abyssal Leviathan abruptly shifted the conversation to the Dark Phoenix, a distinct unease flickering in its eyes.
"I've got a bad feeling this time. If she finds me again, it might not be to imprison me, but... perhaps to kill me!"
The Abyssal Leviathan was at a loss as to what had caused the Dark Phoenix's change of heart, but the palpable threat emanating from her could be felt across the vast expanse of the Star River, instilling him with dread.
The scent of death was in the air, prompting him to take refuge, leading him to the seldom-visited fringes of the cosmic giant beast's domain.
Though this place was inhospitable to the cosmic giant beast, it was one of the few refuges he could think of to escape the Dark Phoenix's reach.
"It's incredibly frustrating. The Starborne Lizard has been lurking around here, trying to evade the Demon God Bertain. And now, to avoid the Dark Phoenix, I'm forced into this godforsaken place," the Abyssal Leviathan spat out bitterly.
His tone and demeanor were rife with fear of the Dark Phoenix; he was acutely aware that this time was different—this time, the Dark Phoenix was out for his life.
"Starborne Lizard? Shouldn't it be called the Abyssal Greater Basilisk?" Yu Yuan asked, puzzled.
"That fellow was always known as the Starborne Lizard. He's just explored the Maw of Oblivion and can move freely within it, picking up some peculiar energies, which led him to change his name."
With a sneer, the Abyssal Leviathan continued, "He wanted to aggrandize himself by changing his name from Starborne Lizard to Abyssal Greater Basilisk, and that's what drew Bertain's attention."
"Bertain sought to subdue him, intending to make him a mount for exploring the Abyss."
"Once he realized what the Demon God intended, he began to hide out of fear of the Abyss."
As a fellow rare cosmic giant beast, the Abyssal Leviathan was clearly well-acquainted with the Abyssal Greater Basilisk.
For the first time, a look of surprise crossed Taishi's face, seemingly taken aback by this revelation.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Yu Yuan asked, uninterested.
Bertain's pursuit of the Abyssal Greater Basilisk was of no concern to him. The Abyssal Leviathan's mention of his kin seemed like idle chatter, as if he were simply buying time.
"You and I, along with the Root of the Solar Meridian, are all targets of the Dark Phoenix," the Abyssal Leviathan remarked, noting the lack of interest. After a brief pause, it continued, "Currently, we are both quite vulnerable. You may have won the favor of the Primal Blood, but you haven't had the chance to grow stronger. Moreover, you're not well-informed about many matters, which is why you could use my assistance."
"I disagree," Taishi interjected.
With a shake of his head and a smile, he added, "To me, your alien beast is rather unremarkable. Within the ranks of cosmic giant beasts, you're an outlier. Unfortunately, you haven't managed to gain strength."
Taishi surmised that the Dark Phoenix, having acquired a juvenile Titan Spinosaurus, felt emboldened to launch an overt invasion of the Dark Star Domain.
The Dark Phoenix's desire to locate the Abyssal Leviathan was likely to sustain the young creature.
He aimed to subdue or eliminate the Abyssal Leviathan out of concern that the Dark Phoenix could discover the Secrets of Life within Yu Yuan through it.
He was keen to prevent the Dark Phoenix and the Root of the Solar Meridian from setting their sights on Yu Yuan before their confrontation with the Blood Fiend.
"Grec, the Demon God, and the entire Blood Fiend Clan may also be searching for you. The Root of the Solar Meridian surely wants to claim you before the Dark Phoenix does. It would never reveal your secret unless it perished. To the Root of the Solar Meridian, I am now expendable, no longer of consequence," lamented the Abyssal Leviathan, its expression somber.
A portion of Ann Ziqing's lineage derived from his enigmatic life force. With Ann Ziqing's transformation and integration into the Root of the Solar Meridian, it's possible that the Root has already deciphered it.
The Root of the Solar Meridian has grown more powerful and is nearing completion.
It likely possesses the capacity to propel Grec and the Blood Fiend Clan to new heights.
This is why, within its own Dark Star Domain, it boldly confronts the Dark Phoenix and the host of alien beasts and archdemons under its command.
As for who will prevail between the Root of the Solar Meridian and the Dark Phoenix, it's difficult to predict.
"Grec? Do you think the Grec of today could chase me around like he did back in the Everlands?"
Yu Yuan chuckled to himself, confident that if Grec were to appear here at the edge of the cosmos with the Dragon Slaying Stage in hand, he wouldn't need Taishi's help to engage in open combat.
Even at a disadvantage, he could easily escape using the temporal powers of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
And if the battle took place in the Annihilation Nebula without any external forces intervening, he was certain Grec would be defeated.
Unless the Solar Meridian left the Dark Star, neither the Blood Fiend nor Grec posed a threat to him anymore.
"You..."
The Abyssal Leviathan's gaze towards Yu Yuan wavered as if it had suddenly remembered something.
"When I was in the Glimmerdrift Nebula, I delved into your Mindscape. I saw something. It was because of what I saw that I went into a frenzy." He had kept this to himself, never sharing it with anyone.
They had met again not long ago in the Dark Star Region, and even during their discussions in Kobran, he had not breathed a word of it.
But now, he was suddenly bringing up what he had seen before his frenzy.
"Was his frenzy not due to being cornered? Not because of the Heaven-Opening Sword Array?"
Taishi, perched atop the massive meteorite, was taken aback by the Abyssal Leviathan's revelation, his demeanor turning grave. "Abyssal Leviathan, what exactly did you see in Yu Yuan's mind?"
With a swift motion, a remnant soul from Taishi was transmitted from a miniature Circle of Aetheric Bending within the enigmatic palace below.
The Dragon Slaying Stage, still within the palace, effortlessly decoded the remnant soul.
Taishi had dispatched the remnant soul to two different regions.
The recipients of the two remnant souls were none other than Tianqi and the Soul-Capturing God-King, whose whereabouts were unknown!
Taishi's actions were a clear signal for Tianqi and the yet-to-appear Soul-Capturing to be ready, to join him at a critical moment to vanquish the Abyssal Leviathan.
"I, I beheld an extraordinary soul sea, or perhaps it was merely a projection, but..."
The Abyssal Leviathan was unaware that Taishi had resolved to end his life at the edge of the cosmos.
He continued speaking about the bizarre scene he had witnessed deep within Yu Yuan's dominant soul, just before the Glimmerdrift Nebula went into chaos.
That ocean...
He recalled the Dark Phoenix mentioning it repeatedly. He deduced that this ocean was the Primal Soul, concealed deep within the Everlands, accessible only by traversing the Earthfire.
In Yu Yuan's mindscape, within the depths of his dominant soul, there lay an authentic shadow of the Primal Soul...
In that moment, overwhelmed by terror and fear of the unknown, he had triggered his bloodline's self-preservation mechanism, entering a frenzy that unleashed all the latent power within his veins.
Despite suffering severe wounds, he had indeed lived to tell the tale.
"He knows far too much."
Taishi, manipulating a fragment of meteorite, soared towards the Water Domain. The intricate three-dimensional magic diagram once again emanated an overwhelming celestial authority.
Thousands of meteorites operated in a bewildering fashion, warping the gravitational field and establishing additional cosmic orders.
The force that could seal flesh and blood enveloped the Water Domain, preventing the Abyssal Leviathan from making a swift escape.
"Summon the Dragon Slaying Stage as well. Together, we'll bind the heavens and the earth, just as we did with the Kylin," Taishi instructed.
As he spoke, a landmass composed of meteorites unfolded beneath the starry expanse below the Water Domain.
More meteorites lay scattered before the enigmatic waters, generating additional forces of confinement.
"Tianqi and Soul-Capturing can cross over using the Starway. There's no need to alert Taixu; let him remain within the Dragon Slaying Stage. We can swiftly put an end to the Abyssal Leviathan." Taishi's intent to kill was unmistakable.
In the presence of the Abyssal Leviathan, he openly shared his strategy and plans with Yu Yuan, convinced that the Abyssal Leviathan's fate was sealed and that his demise was imminent.
"The sea that I glimpsed... could it truly be... the Primal Soul?"
Realizing his blunder, the Abyssal Leviathan was filled with remorse. He cast a rueful glance at Taishi, then suddenly turned to Yu Yuan and demanded, "Who are you, really? You can't be the Demon God Bertain. I deliberately mentioned the Abyssal Greater Basilisk earlier, and you seemed uninterested!"
"If you were Bertain or possessed by his spirit, you would keep probing!"
"Given that you're not the Great Demon God Bertain, yet there's an authentic projection of the Primal Soul deep within you, then..."
"I've got it, you're the Taiyin God-King! You're still among the living, you never perished!"
The Abyssal Leviathan couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
Following Youyu and Zhong Chichen, this cosmic giant beast from beyond the stars had also deduced the truth.
"Now it all makes sense! That's why the mark of the Root of the Solar Meridian on the Altar of Rebirth was so easily wiped away! It was you, Taiyin, all along! You're still alive! With the Heaven-Opening Sword Array and the Dragon Slaying Stage at your command, I should've realized this much sooner!"
