C1649 A Deal Was Made Immediately

Deep within the Ashlands, a curious glint flickered in President Lyi's eyes as he approached a swirling mist of yellow sand. He had detected a mysterious soul magnetic field and, driven by curiosity, he deployed his spiritual sense to investigate.

As his spiritual sense touched the magnetic field, it disappeared without a trace, severing its connection to him.

"Origin Realm?"

President Lyi's brow furrowed. He suspected that the renowned Origin Deity had conjured a hidden Origin Gate, and his inadvertent probe had resulted in a fragment of his spiritual sense being lost within it. But this was of little concern to him; even the loss of a portion of his soul would not diminish his combat abilities.

"Yin Tiehua!"

With a sharp cry, President Lyi transformed into a bolt of golden lightning, piercing through the sandy haze to its core.

Amidst the swirling sands, a modest-sized, yellowish-brown landmass floated. Members of the Crypt Clan and Fire Lizard Clan looked up, their gaze filled with caution at the sight of the golden light.

These eighth-level bloodline servants of the land's owner busied themselves with menial tasks, their combat prowess hardly worth mentioning.

The unexpected arrival of President Lyi unsettled them, especially since he had called out their master's name. Previously, visitors would request permission from the outskirts, only daring to step foot on the land after receiving their master's consent. They had all sought favors from the master and thus adhered to the rules. President Lyi, on the other hand, was an exception.

"Not a bad place. I've been meaning to visit you for quite some time, but it seems I've delayed longer than expected," President Lyi remarked nonchalantly.

The land was dotted with stone buildings, ornamental mountains, and pavilions. Streams carved through the terrain, their beds filled with lava and littered with numerous flawed and unfinished artifacts.

These artifacts included weapons favored by the humans of the Everlands and the archdemons, as well as those preferred by the extraterrestrial warriors of the Otherkin, such as tridents, double-edged battle axes, spears, and war drums.

In his luminous golden form, President Lyi surveyed the Crypt Clan and Fire Lizard people below him without making any superfluous movements.

He was simply waiting in silence.

A weary sigh emerged from one of the stone buildings before long. "After all these years, I'm surprised you still remember an old woman like me," Yin Tiehua said, her back bent and her face deeply lined, as if it could trap a flying insect in its folds.

Clad in a drab yellow robe and leaning on a crutch, her hand gripping the crutch was gaunt, resembling a chicken's claw.

"Why can't you just assume I'm dead? I never aspired to claim the Supreme God seat in the Everlands. Guarded by Han Miaoyuan, that old cur, what chance do I have? With no combat prowess and only a knack for crafting artifacts, I could never even entertain the notion of divinity."

"My time is short; I only wish to craft a few trinkets that bring me joy."

"Be it for the denizens of the Everlands or the handy tools for the extraterrestrial Otherkin, as long as the price is right and it pleases me, I'm willing to craft." Yin Tiehua, bent over deeply, struggled to lift her head, her eyes dull and lifeless as she looked at President Lyi. "I haven't interfered with your affairs, have I? I..."

"What monstrosity have you turned into?!"

Her words were cut short by a piercing scream.

She continued to scream, gasping for breath like one in a fit, "President Lyi, do you even realize what you've become? I can't detect any trace of life in you. You feel like nothing more than a heap of junk metal. What on earth happened to you to cause such a transformation?"

Yin Tiehua was visibly shaken, sensing something sinister about President Lyi and feeling a growing unease.

"I intend to transform myself into a Divine Artifact," President Lyi declared, his demeanor steely.

"Transform into a Divine Artifact?"

Yin Tiehua was taken aback, her lifeless eyes beginning to gleam as she pondered aloud.

"Refining a Divine Artifact to its pinnacle should indeed grant divinity. Just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's impossible now. Han Miaoyuan's grip on the Everlands is loosening. Yin Tiehua, you've been in hiding for too long. It's time for you to emerge. I need you to inscribe your understanding of the spirit tool's magic diagram onto my bones."

"My bones..."

President Lyi extended his left arm, using his right hand to peel back the skin and expose the arm bone beneath.

A radiant glow of Sunsilver emanated from the bone. "My bones are now ready to be engraved with the magic diagrams of a divine weapon! And it's not just this one; all the bones in my body are the same."

"I promise you, I will secure for you a Divine Throne, allowing you to ascend as a forger and become a Divine Artifact!" President Lyi vowed with utmost gravity.

"To transform your own body into a Divine Artifact? I'm intrigued by the concept and commend your extraordinary initiative," Yin Tiehua said with a strange smile, his mouth flashing with gold and silver teeth. "President Lyi, surely you're familiar with the adage, 'True gold does not fear the fire.' If you wish to become a Divine Artifact, you may have to withstand a significant ordeal."

"I am aware. I will venture into the Earthfire of the Everlands to temper myself with its ultimate flames," President Lyi affirmed.

"You appear to be well-prepared. To date, not even the golden dragon god could withstand the prolonged smelting of the Earthfire. Are you truly aware of what you're undertaking?" Yin Tiehua asked gravely.

"I am," President Lyi nodded.

"Should you succeed, not only will you transform into a Divine Artifact of flesh and blood, but you'll also traverse the Earthfire, potentially reaching the Primal Soul," Yin Tiehua said, visibly energized. "Was it your intention from the start to cross the Earthfire and seek the Primal Soul?"

President Lyi neither confirmed nor denied the assertion.

At that very moment.

"The Primal Soul? Who mentioned the Primal Soul?"

In the Mindscape, Youyu, the God of Ghosts, continued his quest for a soul connected to the Origin Deity, his search illuminated by billions of gray lights.

Upon hearing the mention of the Primal Soul, he concentrated his power to locate the source and quickly discovered President Lyi's spiritual sense, a fusion of gold, silver, and copper.

While President Lyi, in Yin Tiehua's presence, was oblivious to the spiritual sense roaming the Mindscape, Youyu could discern the location of his real body through it, understanding both President Lyi's current actions and his interlocutor.

Whoosh!

Amidst the swirling yellow sands, the brown expanse of land and the bent figures of the Crypt Clan and Fire Lizard servants, along with Yin Tiehua and President Lyi, were suddenly exposed.

Within the domain Youyu had claimed, he and Yu Yuan watched from on high like deities, observing President Lyi and Yin Tiehua and listening to their dialogue.

"Yin Tiehua was a previous master of the Artifact Sect, rumored to have been consumed by his forging fire and died in the Star River beyond our world."

With just a glance and a few words, Youyu identified the hunched old woman, "She's still alive, residing in a corner of the Ashlands. The fact that the Mirage of the Mind hasn't absorbed her soul and consciousness suggests she's resisting the enigmatic forces around her."

While listening, he turned to Yu Yuan and remarked, "President Lyi seems hell-bent on opposing you."

His words carried an underlying message.

As Yu Yuan's oldest friend, who had fully awakened and received the favor of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, he was well aware of the Primal Soul that both the Root and the Everlands yearned for.

He was also aware that Yu Yuan had encountered the Primal Soul in his first life.

President Lyi had transformed himself into his current state and was prepared to forsake his corporeal body to become a Divine Artifact forged from Sunsilver. He was ready to endure the scorching of the Earthfire and sought to reach the Primal Soul beyond it.

"He poses a threat and must be eliminated promptly."

Youyu pondered deeply before speaking with gravity, "I think I can locate Yin Tiehua's hideout. You stay here with the giant beast. I'll bring Xuanli to you. Once my real body joins with you, we'll hunt down Yin Tiehua and President Lyi."

Yu Yuan was still processing the revelation.

He hadn't anticipated Youyu's ability to pinpoint the location of an intruder through their remnant soul, observing their every action. Could this mean that Youyu was on the verge of becoming the ruler of this Mindscape?

"Enough dawdling. If President Lyi has chosen his path, then we must act. Just wait, Xuanli and I are already en route," Youyu said with an icy demeanor, more eager than Yu Yuan. "Once Xuanli and I arrive, we'll take control of the giant beast that spawned the Mindscape."

"Additionally, I need to assist you in breaking the seal first!"

...