C1662 Turning the Tide

The members of Boulderdawn, including the God-King Tianqi from the extraterrestrial realm, found themselves without suitable weapons.

They hadn't been back to the Everlands in ages.

Only the weapons crafted by Everlands' forgers truly resonated with the human cultivators.

The quality and level of a spiritual weapon directly correlated with the enhancement of a cultivator's combat abilities.

Taixu came to know of Yin Tiehua through President Lyi.

And it was President Lyi's high regard for Yin Tiehua that piqued the interest of both Taixu and Boulderdawn.

Taixu refrained from eliminating Yin Tiehua initially, even invoking Yin Xueqi's name, in hopes of convincing Yin Tiehua to renounce his current path and embrace Boulderdawn.

He recognized Yin Tiehua's exceptional talent and believed that with his assistance, many in Boulderdawn would acquire weapons that were perfectly suited to them.

"Yin Tiehua, picture this scenario..." Taixu said gravely, his youthful demeanor taking on a weighty tone, "Once President Lyi ascends to the pinnacle of the Way of Heaven, all the Divine Weapons crafted by the Artifact Sect forgers and those forged by various sects will be at his command."

"Artifacts endowed with souls will become his lieutenants and warriors, scouring the world to hunt down living creatures."

"Currently, it is humans who wield artifacts. But what if the day comes when artifacts enslave humans? What a tragic fate awaits those like you, skilled in the art of forging?"

"Can you really expect artifacts, devoid of emotion and forged from sunsilver, to respect and treat you with kindness?"

"The humans of the Everlands, archdemons, alien beasts, and even cosmic giant beasts are all living, breathing entities. In stark contrast, a cold mass of sunsilver lacks the fundamental essence of life, placing it in an entirely different category of existence."

"And as a forger, capable of creating more sunsilver beings, do you think they would spare you?"

Taixu painted this bleak picture for Yin Tiehua.

Yu Yuan, who had just arrived, listened and felt a shiver down his spine, realizing that the aftermath of President Lyi's ascension could be far graver than he had ever anticipated.

"I..." Yin Tiehua, his face etched with wrinkles, leaned on his crutch and dismantled the arcane circles, gazing at President Lyi with a mix of emotions.

President Lyi, now more metal than man, with bones of Sunsilver and veins coursing with molten metals, his eyes gleaming with a cold, metallic luster, hardly resembled a human being.

"Artifacts, in the end, become divine artifacts, the gods of their kind," Yin Tiehua murmured under his breath, his heart torn with indecision.

Long ago, in the Everlands, she had experimented with engraving arcane circles onto the bones of archdemons, using their living bodies in weapon forging. Some archdemons had grown stronger through her technique, yet others had perished in combat. When she applied this method to human cultivators, the outcome was tragically the same.

Her intent had been to fortify the frail human form, but the deaths of numerous archdemons and humans had branded her a forger driven to madness. Sensing trouble, she had slipped away from the Everlands.

She had always sought to validate her original concept, believing that her insufficient skills at the time were to blame for the mishaps.

Using President Lyi as her subject, a successful forging would vindicate her past theories. His extraordinary body could withstand every arcane circle she inscribed without fear of his bones shattering or his flesh being torn apart by the unleashed power.

She viewed President Lyi as a testament to her own genius, and he, recognizing her intent, had sought her out, making for an instant and powerful collaboration.

Yet, Taixu's words had prompted her to reflect deeply. The more she pondered, the more she dreaded the possibility of President Lyi taking this obsessive Way of Heaven to its zenith, realizing the catastrophic vision Taixu had painted—a forger's apocalypse.

"I have already etched the magic diagrams I was meant to. And the method for melting them down, I've shared with him as well."

Yin Tiehua's sense of fear finally caught up with her. Shuddering, she faced President Lyi once again with a sense of unease and trepidation, "I can't deal with this anymore. It's all in your hands now. I just hope that..."

She was cut off mid-sentence as Yu Yuan, Taixu, Abyssal Leviathan, and even Xuanli turned their attention abruptly in one direction.

A dense vital energy coalesced into a vast crimson sea of blood.

Deep within the Ashlands, far from their location, the Demon God Grec manifested as a sanguine ocean.

"I merely passed along the details of your plans and your destination," Grec's resonant and soothing voice emanated from the sea of blood. "This individual is quite intrigued by President Lyi's current predicament, and so!"

Boom!

Intense spatial tremors emerged from thousands of miles away.

In the deepest reaches of the Ashlands, the peculiar space Youyu had previously mentioned seemed to erupt with enigma at Grec's words.

Beneath Yu Yuan's feet, the Dragon Slaying Stage, where the Chronowyrm lay entombed, erupted with a prismatic divine radiance.

Within the segments of dragon carcass, the rules associated with space magic sparkled like multicolored crystal chains, emitting a blindingly mystical light.

Whoosh!

A speck of light, no larger than a fingernail, appeared in the distance.

In a flash, the light expanded exponentially, transforming into a colossal spatial vortex.

A fearsome aura, capable of devouring all souls and matter, emanated from the vortex, resembling an unknown entity opening its gaping maw to consume heaven and earth.

"Maw of Oblivion!"

"An already formed Maw of Oblivion!"

Abyssal Leviathan and Taixu exclaimed in deep, resonant voices.

No sooner had they spoken than the spatial whirlpool shifted instantaneously from thousands of miles away to the void right before them.

The "Maw of Oblivion" had clearly performed a spatial translocation within the Ashlands, a feat beyond the capabilities of the Dragon Slaying Stage.

With just a single spatial shift, the scale of the "Maw of Oblivion" had increased ten-thousandfold.

The swirling maw was so vast it could engulf several stars aligned with the Abyssal Leviathan.

"I know my own limits. I don't have the power to confront any of you," Grec, now a blood-red sea, said with a smile, revealing his true intentions. "Therefore, I shared your whereabouts with the Origin Deity. He's quite eager to come and have a look at the venerable president of the Skyreach Consortium and to meet you all."

As he finished speaking, a force capable of rending the souls of all living beings emanated from the "Maw of Oblivion."

As the "Maw of Oblivion" whirled, the souls of those present felt as though they were being twisted into knots, accompanied by excruciating pain. Their souls nearly ripped from their sea of consciousness and drawn into the "Maw of Oblivion."

In that instant, all but Youyu, including Yu Yuan, the Abyssal Leviathan, and Taixu, had to muster all their strength to fend off the soul-wrenching pull of the "Maw of Oblivion."

"Grec, you've conspired with the Origin Deity. Aren't you afraid of facing Bertain's retribution?"

Yu Yuan, struggling against the agony of his soul being torn, his eyes a deep crimson, glared at the blood-red sea and bellowed, "You should be aware that eradicating the Origin Deity is his very mission!"

"Conspired? You're making it sound far too grave."

A blood-colored wraith rose leisurely within the blood-red sea. Grec's smile was serene, betraying no sign of distress. "You're also searching for him, also intent on confronting him. I'm merely facilitating, helping you draw him out. You're free to strike now. If I see a chance to successfully eliminate him, I'll lend a hand."

"Rest assured, I won't assist him, nor will I take any action against you at this juncture."

"At most, I'll simply observe the battle from the sidelines."

He quickly disassociated himself, clearly also wary of the Demon God Bertain, unwilling to be labeled as a collaborator with the Otherkin.

"Please, come to my domain for a discussion."

Suddenly, an inviting voice, akin to that of a gracious host, echoed through everyone's minds. It was the Origin Deity, extending an invitation for them to visit, promising a warm reception.

Whoosh!

President Lyi, encased in his Sunsilver Body, soared once more toward the colossal "Maw of Oblivion."

This time, Taixu, preoccupied with resisting the soul-tearing force, failed to intercept him in time.

President Lyi plunged headfirst into the swirling abyss, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

As Yin Tiehua's gaze began to falter and he prepared to take flight like President Lyi, Youyu firmly grasped his shoulder, anchoring him in place, "Stay put."

Whoosh!

Youyu regurgitated the soul stone he had previously swallowed, launching it toward the gaping maw of the spatial vortex.

"This is what you're after. If you're capable, go ahead and take it."

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