C1668 The Lighthouse in the Void

In the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, the battle between Youyu and Tan Xiaotian had once again sealed the realm passageway leading to the Delude Devil Abyss. Consequently, the Divine Soul Sect was forced to rely on their stronghold within the Great Swamp to maintain a connection with the outside world.

Suddenly, at the entrance of the passageway, a cascade of rainbow-hued spatial lights began to shimmer. The entrance, resembling a vast pit, appeared as if it were brimming with colorful, rippling water.

Whoosh!

The silhouette of Taishi and the imposing Oracle Divine King emerged, suspended in the sky above the passageway.

"What is this?" Tianqi asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Taishi offered a serene smile and explained, "Zhong Chichen, after accumulating the Earth Core Origin, teleported from Dragon Island to the realm passageway below. He intends to forge his Divine Throne within it."

"Why inside the passageway?" Tianqi inquired, perplexed.

"I sense an extraordinary concentration of spatial energy within this congested passageway," Taishi replied, his eyes narrowing as he peered into the abyss. He could see a figure enveloped in a seven-colored divine glow moving rapidly through the depths, clearing away the accumulated dust, celestial currents, and crystalline impurities.

This figure's actions were purifying the passageway, restoring its function—a passageway that had come into existence because of him.

"He's doing a good deed... and he's honoring his promise," Taishi remarked, gesturing to Tianqi to ease his concerns.

The Boundless Land had offered two divine thrones, one each to Loong Jie and Zhong Chichen, on the condition that they address the 'hazard' within the Realm passageway and the 'Origin Realm Gate' at the Ascension Mountain Range. Zhong Chichen was already undertaking the first task.

Time raced by, and deep within the dazzlingly chaotic passageway, Zhong Chichen soared like a divine rainbow.

Rip!

Cracks sporadically formed around him, resembling dark lightning tearing through the gloom, releasing strands or bursts of spatial power that quickly integrated into his being.

Within his sea of consciousness, a miniature seven-colored dragon unfurled its body, consuming the mysterious spatial energies that seemed to emerge from the void.

The body of the seven-colored dragon shimmered with an increasingly radiant and mystical aura, exuding an indescribable sense of wonder.

Zhong Chichen soared through time, ceaselessly drawing spatial powers from the fissures that did not belong to the Boundless Land, integrating them with his soul.

Crack!

Another slender spatial rift burst open, from which beams of brilliant light surged forth. These rays transformed into nourishment for his seven-colored dragon soul, merging with his swelling essence.

"Uh..."

Zhong Chichen uttered a soft exclamation, his gaze fixed on the healing spatial rift. His eyes, like jewels of sevenfold color, began to sparkle with astonishing brilliance.

"Ha!"

He broke into a wide smile, nodding as he chuckled to himself, "My dear junior brother, you ventured into the Gray Domain and uncovered that place. Ah, the Origin Realm God is there too! And... what is this? A wandering darkness? The Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian! Haha, such excitement, truly thrilling!"

"Alas, my Divine Throne is not yet forged; I have yet to manifest in my complete form."

He felt a twinge of regret.

"No, no! I must stir things up, so my dear junior brother can feel my presence. Even if I can't descend to join the battle in person, I can still contribute in other ways. You ensnare Tan Xiaotian, preventing him from finding the path back, while I can offer guidance!"

Clap, clap!

Zhong Chichen applauded himself, "Yes, just like that!"

Streaks of seven-colored lightning slipped into the spatial rift before it sealed shut.

...

Deep within the Gray Domain.

The soul spirit that Youyu had fashioned from the Essence of the Yin Sunflower was obliterated by the fearsome spatial forces at the mouth of the cave, leaving not a trace behind.

Youyu's brow furrowed as he gestured for everyone to stay calm and not to rush into the cave.

Whoosh!

A seven-colored light flared suddenly from an inconspicuous cave entrance atop an elliptical star.

The Dragon Slash Platform and Yu Yuan instantly felt a connection!

"My esteemed senior brother, Zhong Chichen, is right now in the very channel where you previously battled! And that channel was carved by none other than him, using the body of the Space-time Dragon. The myriad deep caverns on this star are, astonishingly, linked to that place."

Yu Yuan was astounded.

A moment later, he received a message from his senior brother, Zhong Chichen, through a burst of seven-colored light.

Whoosh!

While the Dragon Slash Platform remained stationary, Yu Yuan transformed into a bolt of crimson lightning and shot toward the star, positioning himself at the entrance of a specific cave.

Before the cave entrance, there was a glimmer of iridescent light, flickering uncertainly like a flame on the verge of being snuffed out.

Boom!

Yu Yuan stood at the mouth of the cave, defying gravity. He unleashed the potent vitality within his body, the sword intent he had mastered, and the oscillations of his soul. He had transformed into a tumultuous energy vortex.

His blood energy, spiritual power, and soul force converged, trapping him at the entrance. He neither fell nor retreated; he simply stood there, proclaiming his existence.

"What is he doing?"

Xuanli, still in the Water Foreign Domain where the Chaos Roc was being refined, watched in confusion. Despite Youyu's intervention and the destruction of the soul bodies formed from the Yin Sunflower Essence, Yu Yuan stubbornly refused to heed any warnings and seemed determined to confront Youyu at the cave entrance. Xuanli couldn't help but question Yu Yuan's reasoning.

"He's become a beacon, guiding the way for Tan Xiaotian," observed the Void Divine King, his delicate features creasing with concern as he watched Yu Yuan expose himself at the deep cave entrance. "If the Origin Realm God is indeed present, there will be action soon."

In an unnamed secret realm, a striking young man dressed in black sat cross-legged on a Dark Cushion that seemed to be crafted from shadows. His long, black hair cascaded naturally, blending seamlessly with the cushion beneath him.

The Dark Cushion bore him as he drifted aimlessly through the secret realm—a realm devoid of stars, land, people, and objects, reminiscent of the desolate Deep Starfield, yet even more expansive.

In this vast void, it seemed he and the Dark Cushion beneath him were the only existences. No reference points, no adversaries; his soul's consciousness and blood energy wandered the realm, unable to touch anything beyond himself.

He could not sense people, flora, fauna, or even energy.

He had roamed this secret realm for far too long, unaware of the entrance's location or the true expanse of this place.

He had come to understand that he was trapped in a labyrinth, refined by the Origin Realm God, with no discernible exit, endlessly circling within.

He was not adept at mastering spatial power, nor did he understand it. He feared no attack, not even the slicing of a Space Edge, and he was bold enough to confront the bombardment of mysterious soul energy.

His frustration lay in the absence of any challengers, leaving him no opportunity to demonstrate his strength.

Without the sun, moon, or stars, he had no concept of time's passage.

Then one day, his extended soul energy consciousness finally detected a tumultuous energy field. His pitch-black eyes sparkled with excitement.

In an instant, he and the Dark Cushion beneath him materialized at the location of the soul energy. Peering down into the abyss, he discerned a vague shadow.

This shadowy figure seemed to exist in another realm, separated by an unseen membrane—a marvelous spatial barrier he had previously been unable to detect.

"Barrier..." he scoffed.

No matter the barrier's level, he possessed the means and the might to shatter it.

"As long as it's visible to me, with a clear target in sight, escape is inevitable."

Despite his confinement, he remained untroubled, his demeanor growing more relaxed as he silently approached the barrier and the silhouette in the distant world.

His calm stemmed from the knowledge that, although temporarily trapped, he was immortal.

To him, any attempt on his life in this world, any force intent on his destruction, simply provided him with a purpose and direction.

He feared no visible or perceptible power; on the contrary, he eagerly anticipated it, and thus, he remained serene.

"Ah! It's that youngster from the Divine Soul Sect!"

Drawing nearer to the figure, he recognized the familiar presence and identified the "beacon" on the other side of the barrier as Yu Yuan.

Simultaneously, Yu Yuan, who was sealing the deep chasm with his own body, sensed a force from the vast, dark, and mysterious realm below—a force that beckoned both body and soul into the shadows. It had emerged from nothingness, now fully manifesting itself.

"It's indeed Tan Xiaotian!"

With this realization, a surge of spatial energy converged around the opening where he stood.

Slash! Slash!

A succession of luminous, slender Space Edges, each imbued with the unique sharpness of spatial principles, came slashing towards his neck, waist, and torso.

"If you're out to kill me, you'd better make your presence known!"

Yu Yuan flashed a grin, his shoulders dropping subtly as his hands moved rapidly in front of his chest.

Crimson sword beams shot from his fingertips, slicing through the white blades forged from gathered spatial energies, shattering them into fragments.

"That's not going to cut it."

He chuckled, shaking his head. Wisps of his soul consciousness dispersed, not settling into any caves but rather flitting across the planet's surface. "If you're here and eager for a battle, why all the secrecy? I recall you extending an invitation to us not so long ago when you whisked President Lyi away."

"Even though we haven't traversed your refined Chaos Abyss, here we are. Isn't it time you revealed yourself?"

With a resounding boom, his inner strength obliterated more of the spatial energies.

"Show yourself."

​