C1622 The Demon God's Corpse Was Found in the Origin Realm
At the edge of the starry sky, Lin Zhuyun stood within a rare stone, crafted in imitation of the Embers Sea, her figure as still as an ice sculpture. Before her, a thick totem pole, half-submerged in the sea, emerged. The exposed portion was intricately carved with enigmatic evilkind patterns, glowing faintly purple. A prolonged gaze would reveal the patterns coming to life, dancing like a phoenix in flight.
Lin Zhuyun, who had merged with the totem pole, frequently wandered through various poles with her remnant soul, seeking to unlock the ancient blood magic of the evilkind. On this particular day, her remnant soul, like a veil of mist, clung to the evilkind totem pole before her. To her astonishment, the demonic patterns seemed to animate, transforming into a mysterious purple phoenix that unfurled its wings in a display of splendor. Suddenly, a brilliant purple light burst forth from the eyes of the phoenix.
Lin Zhuyun marveled at the sight. Previously, when she connected with the totem pole with her soul, she sometimes witnessed the phoenix's flight, but its eyes were always dim and void of light. Now, the luminous eyes of the phoenix caused Lin Zhuyun's own eyes to bleed, yet she remained oblivious to her condition.
Unbeknownst to her, the submerged half of the totem pole had risen from the sea. Upon realizing her eyes were bleeding, Lin Zhuyun wiped away the blood with her sleeve and looked again. The totem pole now stood towering above all, like the mightiest pillar in the heavens, a colossal purple vertical pupil suspended in the sky, overseeing everything below – the deep sea, islands, and Ghouls, as well as the myriad of marks, the profound rules left by the Abyssal Leviathan.
The other twenty-nine totem poles, whether in the deep sea or on the neighboring islands, appeared to have been roused by its ascent, each taking flight into the heavens one after another.
The five totem-poles representing the Nagas remained utterly still, showing no reaction whatsoever.
At that moment, Lin Zhuyun sensed that the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons she had chosen to merge with had suddenly come to life.
Boom!
A dazzling purple radiance, laden with cataclysmic demon energy, burst forth from the highest totem-pole.
A soul-stirring cry of a phoenix echoed through the air.
Boom! Rumble! Splosh!
The Ghoul King, who had buried himself beneath the island, didn't even manage to scream before the lethal demon energy turned him into a mere puddle of blood.
His body's chilling death aura was also purged in an instant.
A cultivator at the Unbound Realm, silently obliterated by the onslaught of demon energy.
The Ghouls he had enslaved met their silent demise in the boneyards scattered across the islands.
Lin Zhuyun's complexion drained of color in shock.
She had assumed that an incident involving the Abyssal Leviathan had caused the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons to spiral out of control, resulting in the Ghoul King's demise and the annihilation of numerous Ghouls.
However, as she was about to employ the mystique left by the Abyssal Leviathan to reach out to it...
A hint of purple wraith began to emerge within her bloodstream.
This wraith took the form of an elegant purple phoenix.
"Supreme of the Shadow's Keep..."
Lin Zhuyun murmured internally, realizing that the legendary Supreme of the Shadow's Keep had, in an incomprehensible manner, used the totem-pole corresponding with the Abyssal Leviathan to connect with the rare stone on the edge of the cosmos through her blood.
She had become the intermediary, the eyes of this entity.
Her choice to merge with the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons upon her breakthrough to the Unbound state was, in fact, a design of that very being.
That being had permitted the Abyssal Leviathan to carry the totem-pole away from the Everlands, to harness cosmic energy in the extraterrestrial realms, all in anticipation of the day when reclaiming it would be effortlessly achieved.
The thirty-six totem-poles, including the microcosm of the Embers Sea and the rare stone forged by the Abyssal Leviathan from a segment of a giant beast's bone and Sunsilver, had their allegiance effortlessly transferred.
Lin Zhuyun heard the voice from a distant world.
She gazed upon the totem pole that stood as a symbol of the ancient Dark Phoenix lineage. After a brief moment of hesitation, she chose to kneel in reverence.
Kneeling before the exalted totem pole, Lin Zhuyun pledged her allegiance.
Sizzle! Sizzle sizzle!
One after another, purple beams of blood magic shot forth from the evilkind's totem pole, piercing into Lin Zhuyun's chest. They merged with her little world of vitality, transforming her body.
With her head bowed in deep gratitude, Lin Zhuyun continuously murmured to herself.
She had an epiphany that the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons had always been the property of Shadow's Keep, never meant for the Abyssal Leviathan to seize.
From the moment she attempted to unravel the secrets of the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons and chose the path of merging in the Unbound realm, she had been a part of Shadow's Keep.
She was like Zhao Yafu, like Zhan Tianxiang, and like those cultivators who had joined Shadow's Keep while bearing the identity of humans.
She also came to the sudden realization that traces of the Dark Phoenix could be found within human blood.
Whether it was the blood of humans, archdemons, birds, or even insects and ants, all bore a mysterious connection to the Dark Phoenix.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The supreme being of Shadow's Keep twisted the sky, sea, and islands within the rare stone, arranging them anew.
The traces left by the Abyssal Leviathan were erased as if scrubbed away by an eraser.
...
Trapped under Taishi's array and unable to escape, the Abyssal Leviathan lamented briefly before sensing a fire in its own backyard.
The gaunt old man hiding in the Water Domain leaped up as if his seat were ablaze. "Taishi! Yu Yuan! Let's put everything on hold. Can we discuss this matter later?"
"Discuss it later?" Taishi shook his head with a sinister chuckle. "How about we talk after you're dead?"
Yu Yuan was Taiyin's secret, as significant as the favor of Primal Blood. The Abyssal Leviathan knew far too much and was not deemed trustworthy by Boulderdawn. In Taishi's view, Yu Yuan's death was inevitable.
He couldn't imagine anything more pressing than the defeat of the Abyssal Leviathan.
"Dark Phoenix, you've located the rare stone I had refined!"
"Lin Zhuyun, that treacherous wretch, didn't hesitate for a second before betraying me! The marks I left within her and on the rare stone have been nearly erased."
"The few marks that remain are linked to me by blood and can sense my presence. As we speak, the rare stone that is rightfully mine is flying towards me!"
The Abyssal Leviathan lamented as if in deep mourning.
He silently cursed his luck. He had come stealthily, hoping to have a word with Yu Yuan, but one slip of the tongue had provoked Taishi's murderous intent.
Taishi had even signaled the other two God-Kings, plotting to ambush and eliminate him at the edge of this starry expanse.
As he desperately tried to think of a way to persuade Taishi, the rare stone, bound to him by vital energy, was compromised by the Dark Phoenix.
The Dark Phoenix, who had been covertly scouring the stars for him, managed to track him down using the totem-poles and through Lin Zhuyun.
"Dark Phoenix!"
Taishi's expression turned grim.
Unlike the Abyssal Leviathan, his first concern was that this region, shielded only by an aerolite wall, was not favorable for wielding his cosmic order.
Battling the Dark Phoenix here could likely result in his injury.
"I must quickly summon Tianqi and Soul-Capturing!"
Facing the Supreme of Shadow's Keep, he had to proceed with caution and decisively seek reinforcements.
"We should withdraw at once! Trust me, there's no point in killing her host here since her true form hasn't descended. Her demon soul, merged with the stone and Lin Zhuyun's body, will only complicate matters once it learns the truth about Yu Yuan!"
The Abyssal Leviathan urged with urgency.
Taishi's brow furrowed at these words, realizing that indeed, this was not the time to confront the Dark Phoenix.
Destroying the rare stone and eliminating Lin Zhuyun, along with a remnant of the Dark Phoenix's demon soul, wouldn't inflict any real damage on her.
But if she were to discover that Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit had already been forged by Primal Blood...
"Let's get out of here first!" the Abyssal Leviathan urged.
"Alright," came the agreement.
