C1645 The Mindscape

Hermaphroditic, soul stone, Mirage of the Mind.

Yu Yuan found these terms increasingly familiar, as if they had crossed his path more than once before.

This sense of recognition was unlike the strangeness he felt when encountering the Duskjaw, Stormwraith, and Three-legged Golden Crow. Perhaps he truly knew this enigmatic cosmic giant beast.

Based on Taishi's account and his own experiences in the Ashlands, Yu Yuan surmised that his former self had indeed visited that realm.

The Duskjaw, Stormwraith, and Three-legged Golden Crow, being alien beasts, had finite lifespans and likely never met his former self.

The cosmic giant beast, however, possessed eternal life, able to survive indefinitely unless it met an unnatural end.

Yu Yuan, with a peculiar look on his face, was lost in contemplation, yet he refrained from making any hasty declarations.

Elsewhere, the Starfallen Oracle Beru and Gheirat stood with Leo at the Star Altar.

Beru, the elder, alongside the younger Gheirat, grasped Leo's arm, shaking their heads at him, urging him to maintain his composure.

The Great Sage quickly regained his composure after the Abyssal Leviathan's revelation, realizing that the creature harbored deep resentment towards the Starborn and sought their complete eradication.

Should they continue to provoke it, they would face certain destruction.

Leo, fueled by youthful fury and the deaths of three Starborn warriors, seemed to have flames of rage burning in his eyes. He was ready to unleash his bloodline power against the Abyssal Leviathan without regard for the consequences.

The three fallen Starborn warriors had been his loyal followers for a long time, seeing him as their future leader.

Their deaths were not only tragic but also gruesome, having been dismembered by the savage Abyssal Leviathan and then consumed by fish that devoured their hearts.

Hatred was clouding Leo's judgment.

"We... are no match for it," Beru sighed deeply, his eyes filled with fear as he gazed upon the merman form of the Abyssal Leviathan.

While he felt sorrow, his greater concern was that Leo's reckless actions might truly provoke the Abyssal Leviathan's wrath.

"Yu Yuan..." Beru pleaded softly.

Huala!

Standing on the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan drifted over to Leo and Beru, a look of resignation on his face. "The Abyssal Leviathan is a fierce creature, not under my command or protection. It's incredibly difficult for me to control it. I've only collaborated with it to explore the Ashlands due to certain reasons."

Having seen the might the Abyssal Leviathan displayed in the Otherworld, Yu Yuan was acutely aware that it had been concealing its full combat capabilities.

If a true battle were to erupt between him and the Abyssal Leviathan, predicting the outcome would be a gamble.

Given the circumstances, Yu Yuan would be content if the Abyssal Leviathan, out of some respect for him, chose not to slaughter Leo, Beru, and Gheirat.

After all, the Starborn's former leaders, including the current patriarch Ballo, were far from amicable towards the Abyssal Leviathan.

"I understand. It's no small feat to have the strength to defend yourself and survive by its side," Beru said, his face etched with defeat. "What I'm saying is, we need to fight together and make it out alive. Our luck has been terrible... who could have foreseen..." He recounted their ordeal.

Yu Yuan had guessed as much; they believed the Mirage of the Mind concealed a vast secret and sought to meld this star into Leo's Star Altar.

But their actions had disturbed the Mirage of the Mind.

With the arrival of the Abyssal Leviathan, Beru's outlook darkened. While conversing with Yu Yuan, he sent a covert message.

"Yu Yuan, I'm imploring you—if there's a way, please ensure Leo escapes the Ashlands alive. I know you have full control over the Dragon Slaying Stage, which possesses the remnants of space magic. I'm asking you to help him survive."

"As for me... I've lived long enough and grown too old. I'm prepared to sacrifice myself for Leo's sake."

"And Gheirat, I know he and Denise are close, but for Leo's sake, I believe he would also be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice."

Beru's message was crystal clear: as long as Leo could make it out alive, he and Gheirat were prepared to lay down their lives here—if it came to that.

"Unfortunately, the space magic of the Dragon Slaying Stage is useless in the Ashlands, and even less so in this place."

Yu Yuan doused Beru's illusions and grand hopes with a metaphorical bucket of cold water. Observing Beru's crestfallen expression, he reassured, "Don't worry, I won't let any of you three die again."

Beru and Gheirat exchanged a look, their eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and curiosity at Yu Yuan's declaration.

Yu Yuan's subsequent words brimmed with confidence, as if the survival of the trio was a minor challenge for him.

But this kid...

General Gheirat's frame shook slightly as he pondered, "You're about to confront a mysterious giant beast that has never been revealed to the outside world, and you have the Abyssal Leviathan at your side. Where do you find the audacity to ensure our safety?"

Unbound? Still, that's hardly sufficient!

Gheirat, recognizing Yu Yuan had attained the Unbound state, was momentarily taken aback before swiftly regaining his composure. The rapid advancements of humanity were nothing new to him, so it didn't stir any significant emotion.

"What do you want?"

Just then, the Mirage of the Mind's voice, alternating between male and female, echoed from every direction.

Far off, the landscape of mountains and rivers, reminiscent of the Everlands, underwent a dramatic transformation.

Valleys collapsed, seas were filled in, and boundless waters rapidly submerged the Aetherius Continent, washing over the empire like a crumbling sandcastle.

The memories of the Everlands and the Abyssal Leviathan seemed to be reshaped by a divine hand, erecting majestic palaces of an alien design across the surviving land. These structures were unmistakably the work of the Starborn.

The Mirage of the Mind had extracted the memories of the Starborn and, building upon the existing foundation, altered the Everlands to resemble a world from the Starborn's realm.

"What do I want?"

Transformed into the likeness of a merfolk, the Abyssal Leviathan gazed down at the deep sea from its island perch.

Beneath the waves, the fish spawned from his own blood and scales had thoroughly devoured the three ninth-level Starborn warriors. Now, they swarmed in search of the Mirage of the Mind's hiding place.

"I haven't quite figured it out yet. What about you? Given your deep-sea domain, I'd imagine you have quite the need for me."

He persistently gazed at the sea before him. "You've spent many years growing up in the Ashlands, and you have your own waters. Is there any way you can help me recover? As you know, I'm injured and my current state is far from ideal."

He continued his search for the Mirage of the Mind.

"You're mistaken. The sea where I've taken root is not as you imagine. I've heard of your exploits from my ancestors. I know that long ago, you sought to hunt him down to acquire the profound meanings associated with the mind. He's gone now, and I've weathered the toughest times since my youth.

"I've evolved in the Ashlands! Now, I'll show you the true nature of the sea where I've taken root!"

The Mirage of the Mind spoke with a serene tone.

Boom!

Every living being that had fallen into the star and been engulfed by the Ashen Shadowmist, as long as they possessed souls, found themselves abruptly pulled into another mysterious world.

In Yu Yuan's grasp, the Dragon Slaying Stage was no more; he had become an ethereal spirited body.

Beside him, Beru, Leo, and Gheirat, also without the crystalline Star Altar, had transformed into spirited bodies, their forms as hazy as starlight.

Beneath them, the Duskjaw, Three-legged Golden Crow, and Stormwraith existed merely as ephemeral consciousnesses, lacking their corporeal forms.

The Abyssal Leviathan, now in the guise of a merfolk, was likewise a spirited body, taking the shape of a massive green fish with eyes no longer red and white, but a deep azure.

Huala! Huala!

Yu Yuan listened to the sound of surging waves, sensing a distant force propelling the water towards their realm.

Moments later.

Grec, long since vanished, materialized as a swath of crimson, forcibly drawn in by some unseen power.

It seemed as though Grec himself, lured by an unknown entity, had dispatched a fragment of his devil soul on a reconnaissance mission.

Upon entry, Grec hastily solidified into a deep red devil soul.

President Lyi, also long gone, suddenly appeared as a consciousness shimmering with gold, silver, and bronze radiance.

And behind them, numerous formidable beings, who ought to have been elsewhere in the Ashlands, were dreamlike, summoned by the Mirage of the Mind, and materialized as spirited bodies or consciousnesses.

"My true roots lie within this Mindscape."

The voice of the Mirage of the Mind echoed throughout the world she had woven into existence—a realm she named the Mindscape, which linked the thoughts and minds of all nearby creatures.

No matter where their real bodies resided, their souls, consciousness, and thoughts had all been transported here.

Here, to this expanse of the Mindscape.

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