C1675

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed deeply.

The revelation of the Origin Deity's secret could potentially transform the structure of the entire Star River, bringing about unforeseeable consequences. Imagine the reaction of the Dawnbringers, Shadowkin, Starborn, and enchantresses upon discovering that the humans—who had been coercing them, encroaching on their territories, and causing the fall of their mightiest champions—were in fact Star-Spawned Terrors. Would the chieftains have an epiphany that the world had never truly changed? That the extraterrestrial Star-Spawned Terrors still dominated the vast expanses of the Star River, with the Sky Fiend reigning as the eternal sovereign?

Just like Demon God Bertain, the humans born in the Everlands bore the mark of the Primal Soul. When the dominant soul underwent its metamorphosis, it became a primordial spirit—the very essence of a Primal Demon God. Bertain, the venerable patriarch of the Primal Demon Clan, held sway over the strongest faction within the Star River. Wasn't the entire realm still under his control?

The construction of the divine seat and the integration with the primordial spirit served as a facade, a veil to obscure the truth. This made the primordial spirits of the Everlands appear distinct from the Great Demon Gods among the Sky Fiends, as if they were two separate forms of souls. The union of the divine seat and the primordial spirit was perhaps the perfect smokescreen.

Yet, should this truth be unveiled, prompting the various races to recognize that the primordial spirits of the Everlands were a machination of Bertain, would the intelligent lifeforms beyond rise in rebellion?

Yu Yuan's expression shifted as another possibility dawned on him.

Could the Dark Phoenix be privy to this secret? Initially, the Dark Phoenix was an alien beast of the Everlands, maintaining a clear boundary despite her alliance with the humans. Now, she seemed to have unlocked the secret to the alien beasts' ascension, recruiting them across the Star River to lead a celestial host. She forbade the humans of the Everlands from intervening in the face of the Dark Star's invasion—a stance that couldn't be more explicit.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Yuan realized the Everlands were shrouded in enigmas, and he sensed that the Dark Phoenix had chosen a different path. A path that would increasingly distance her from the humans of the Everlands as she sought to challenge the authority of the Great Demon God Bertain.

If she unraveled the truth, she would realize that Han Miaoyuan, Lin Daoke, Tan Xiaotian, and all the other pinnacle beings of humanity were kin of Bertain, all part of the Primal Demon lineage!

Incapable of altering this reality or escaping the Everlands, she would feign ignorance of the truth.

Thus, her resolve to conquer the Primal Blood Continent and grasp the entire Secrets of Life within it, to harness the power of Primal Blood and transform herself into a Titan Spinosaurus!

Only then would she be worthy to challenge Bertain and shatter the deadlock.

Yu Yuan suddenly understood that the Dark Phoenix had always seen him as her ultimate adversary, the Demon God Bertain.

"Speak up, or are you going to? You silver-tongued devil, it's no wonder you've swayed so many followers."

The teasing voice of the Chronowyrm, Zhong Chichen, echoed above the cavernous pit holding Tan Xiaotian captive. A colorful aura lingered there, like a beacon lit after Yu Yuan's departure.

A guiding light for Tan Xiaotian's emergence!

"Congratulations."

The one who initiated the conversation with the phantom in the Maw of Oblivion was Zhong Chichen. His emergence, scattering the miniature Seven-Colored Dragon that Zhong Chichen had crafted, and the subsequent questioning by Youyu, prompted him to engage in dialogue with Youyu, Taixu, and others.

His congratulatory remark was in praise of Zhong Chichen for using the essence of the Everlands to successfully forge a divine throne.

A salute to Zhong Chichen's ascension to the highest echelons!

"My dear junior brother, shall we join forces and dispatch that deceitful butterfly first?"

A barely visible Seven-Colored Wraith materialized in the void near the Voidweaver, seemingly treading upon streams of time. "As long as I'm still in this world, the Book of Time should be mine."

In a flash!

Zhong Chichen materialized, beaming, and gestured to "Benin," "Regardless, I owe you my thanks. Thank you for uncovering the Book of Time for me."

With those words, the Chronospatial Lock manifested once more!

Centered around the Eiwrone, a vast expanse of space spanning ten million miles fell into complete stillness with the arrival of Zhong Chichen and the forging of his divine seat. Time and space came to an abrupt halt.

The potency and reach of Zhong Chichen's Chronospatial Lock far surpassed what he had achieved at the Seven-Colored Lake in the Everlands' underground realm—by more than a hundredfold! Even the Origin Deity, the Abyssal Leviathan, Taixu, and Youyu found themselves constrained by the seal.

Blood flow, soul remnants, thoughts, air—everything tangible and ethereal alike—froze in place.

The Chronospatial Lock lasted but a moment, yet that was all Zhong Chichen needed.

Boom!

As everyone's spirited bodies trembled and they became aware that the lock had been lifted, they noticed that the Book of Time, once cradled in Benin's hands, now lay in Zhong Chichen's grasp.

Zhong Chichen, a master of both temporal and spatial forces, had released the seal himself, having achieved his goal.

In stark contrast to Benin, who had held the book with both hands and reverence, Zhong Chichen nonchalantly sat on the weighty tome, using it as a cushion with casual irreverence.

Benin's eyes bulged, her pupils constricted, and she nearly let out an expletive. Such an act was a grave disrespect to the sacred text!

"A book is just a book, no matter the depth of time's mysteries it conceals. At the end of the day, it remains a book," Zhong Chichen said with a roguish grin. "Little Butterfly, Little Butterfly, after all these years, do you ever reminisce about the times I've toyed with you?"

"How deeply must you fear me to have gone to such lengths in search of the Book of Time?"

"You lack the lineage of time within you; you've been duped by a rumor I let slip. Did you truly believe that this legendary Book of Time would enable anyone to stand against me?"

Zhong Chichen burst into laughter, clapping his hands in amusement.

Decades ago, he had fruitlessly sought the Book of Time himself. In secret, he had spread a rumor that finding the enigmatic tome would significantly enhance his combat prowess and catalyze a new phase of his evolution.

If the Book of Time were to fall into the hands of his enemy and be skillfully used, it could impose significant limitations on him. Whoever wields the Book of Time, if they can successfully turn its pages, would be able to suppress his temporal powers and even his very bloodline.

Evidently, the rumor he had spread was taken as truth by the Voidweaver. After expending countless hours and energy, the butterfly located the Book of Time, believing it had finally found its chance for vengeance. Yet, it was outwitted by the Chronowyrm.

"Thank you for delivering the Book of Time to me. My little ruse wasn't in vain. You really are as thick as a brick, aren't you? You'll swallow anything I tell you. It's no surprise that someone with your lack of wits would fall for the Origin Deity's tall tales and end up as his pawn," Zhong Chichen said, shaking his head in mockery, his words a double-edged sword aimed at both the Voidweaver and the Origin Deity.

"Benin!" Her irises, vibrant with seven colors, seemed to fracture at his words, like a beautifully painted ceramic shattering, revealing the cracks beneath the surface. Simultaneously, the space around Zhong Chichen also splintered.

"You've never been a match for me. That was true in the past and remains so now."

Zhong Chichen's smile was radiant, and the fractured space, torn asunder by Benin's shattered gaze, appeared to be smoothed over by a divine touch.

"Good junior brother, since you're employing the Nine Celestial Slashes, you'd naturally prefer to wield the Titanblade, right?" He gave Yu Yuan a knowing wink.

"Hmm!"

Yu Yuan's spirit quivered, and he sensed the sword spirit's jubilation from within one of the shadowy cave mouths in Eiwrone. A crimson sword rainbow, seemingly summoned by Zhong Chichen, traversed the Star River from the core of Zekrica in the Annihilation Nebula, arriving through the spatial link to Eiwrone.

Then, it was delivered straight into his hands!

Whoosh!

In an instant, Yu Yuan firmly grasped the Titanblade, where sword spirit, blade, and sheath were united as one.

"The bulk of the Origin Deity's power isn't present here," Zhong Chichen said, shedding his flippant demeanor for a moment of gravity. "Junior brother, if you wish to alleviate the crisis facing the Secular Bird Queen, you must unleash your sword with abandon. The more power he diverts here, the less pressure will befall the queen."

"He's correct. This phantom of the Origin Deity represents merely a fraction of its strength," Youyu confirmed at once.

Yu Yuan, with the Divine Sword in hand, stood atop the Dragon Slaying Stage. He paused thoughtfully, then nodded and said, "I see now."

Swish!

A blindingly bright crimson streak of sword light curved around the Voidweaver and shot directly toward the "Maw of Oblivion," targeting the phantom that signified the presence of the Origin Deity.

He had opted for a direct assault on the core.

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