C1682 Great Ambition and Great Power

"Just like Loong Jie?"

Clutching the Banner of Duality, Han Miaoyuan's face was etched with worry. The threat of the Origin Gate on one side and the unsettling return of President Lyi on the other compounded his troubles.

Unbeknownst to him, President Lyi's return from the Ashlands was entirely due to Zhong Chichen's underhanded scheming.

He simply didn't want Taishi and himself to have it easy.

"He's even more radical than Loong Jie. When he plunged into the earth's depths, I could hardly detect a pulse in his heart. Regardless of how bizarrely the flesh and bones are refined, the heart should still possess vital energy. The Profound Gate's acupoints would also retain some vital energy, not forsaking it entirely."

"Loong Jie's ultimate golden dragon form didn't forsake his dragon blood either; he concealed it in secret."

As a leading figure in the Boulderdawn, Taishi knew the Nagas' secrets intimately, and Han Miaoyuan was no stranger to these facts either.

"Lin needs time to return, and Youyu's whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, the evilkind have set their sights on the Dark Star." Han Miaoyuan felt the onset of a headache.

Youyu, a master of Mind Magic, was thought to be capable of constraining President Lyi, inflicting such torment on his soul that he'd wish for death.

Should Lin Daoke make his return, Han Miaoyuan believed that the Sword Sect Master stood a good chance of defeating President Lyi.

Regrettably, neither was present.

Suddenly!

Zu Ann, wielding the Mirror of Fates, gave the artifact a flick, revealing a location deep within the earth.

"The Fireheart Mountains!"

Taishi and Han Miaoyuan turned to look, murmuring in astonishment.

Beneath the Fireheart Mountains, within a vast magma pool bubbling with intense heat, a pill-refining cauldron had emerged.

The Forge of the Sun!

The three-legged cauldron was adorned with the figures of mythical creatures like the vermillion bird, fire dragon, Kylin, and phoenix, all vivid and fierce.

Inside the cauldron, numerous bizarre fire circles raged like wild flames.

At the base of the furnace, a figure sat in meditation, drawing the fierce blaze into his acupoints and breath.

With a rip, the fire circle within the furnace seemed to coalesce into a visible fire magic, reminiscent of orange-red Divine Thunder intertwining.

"Mo Baichuan!"

The one who exclaimed in shock was Zu Ann, from Skyreach Peak. He gazed at the man who had previously stood at the valley's entrance, unassuming and deeply frustrated by Yuwen Hao's death.

As if Mo Baichuan had heard his scream and detected the covert surveillance, he opened his eyes.

Boom!

A column of orange-red flame burst forth from the crown of his head, disrupting the probing stares of Taishi and Han Miaoyuan.

The unbearable heat turned Zu Ann's hand, which clutched the Mirror of Fates, a scorching red, with sparks flying from the mirror's surface.

Sparks also flickered from the corner of Taishi's eyes and the Banner of Duality in Han Miaoyuan's grasp.

"He has begun to glimpse the threshold of the Path of Earthfire," Taishi said, narrowing his eyes into a smile as more sparks danced from his gaze.

Far from being angered by Mo Baichuan's reaction, he laughed heartily. "I greatly admire his obstinance. He must realize that only the Path of Earthfire can avenge Yuwen Hao and the Sunlit Order and stand against the Dark Phoenix."

Upon hearing this, Han Miaoyuan's expression darkened. "I advised Yuwen Hao to shatter his divine seat for the stability of the Everlands."

"When Lin Daoke returns, he must traverse the searing lava to reach President Lyi," Taishi mused, struck by a sudden inspiration. "In my view, Mo Baichuan, from the Fireheart Mountains, has grasped some of the subtleties of the Path of Earthfire. If he's willing, he could part the earth's core flames to clear a direct path for Lin Daoke."

"That way, Lin Daoke could swiftly meet with President Lyi and deliver the decisive blow."

"You excel at persuasion, so this task falls to you. Go and speak with Mo Baichuan in person, and convince him to pave the way for Lin Daoke," Taishi said with a light cough, adopting a serious tone. "As for Zhong Chichen, I'll send word for him to return without delay."

The Everlands faced a significant crisis this time, and regardless of the deep-seated animosity between Taishi and Han Miaoyuan, they had to set it aside temporarily. Once the Origin Gate issue was resolved and President Lyi dealt with, there would be time enough to settle old scores.

"Alright!" Han Miaoyuan readily agreed. Clutching the Banner of Duality, he transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished without another word.

Taishi, his ancient adversary, knew him well. Confident in Taishi's claim that he would locate Zhong Chichen, Han Miaoyuan trusted that Taishi had a plan. The Boulderdawn likely had their own arrangements and informants in the extraterrestrial realm, privy to secrets unknown to him.

"That irritating fellow has finally left." Taishi muttered under his breath after Han Miaoyuan had disappeared, not bothering to conceal his words from Zu Ann. His gaze then returned to the secluded valley, deeply attuned to the pull of the Origin Gate within.

"Jihui..." He whispered introspectively, pausing briefly before summoning the Soulforge Pool hidden within the Moonfall Sanctuary.

With a whoosh, he positioned himself above the Soulforge Pool, his eyes intently fixed on the valley below.

"Han Miaoyuan, Dark Phoenix, our Boulderdawn Sect will never forget the enmity you've sown. If, indeed, a fragment of Jihui's soul persists in the so-called Origin Realm, it will surely harbor an endless vendetta against you, Han Miaoyuan, and the ancient evilkind of the Everlands."

Jihui's nature was already somewhat mad and extreme. Taishi's monologue trailed off as he put himself in the shoes of the God-King Jihui, betrayed by Dark Phoenix. After being sealed behind the wall, Jihui relied on his profound understanding of space magic to make his presence felt across various regions of the Everlands.

Dark Phoenix had laid a trap in the valley ahead, luring Jihui into believing it was his chance for escape. But when he teleported there, he was met with a brutal ambush.

Jihui met his end there, his body and primordial spirit obliterated by Dark Phoenix. Yet, if by some miracle a sliver of his being survived, if a wisp of his residual soul fell into the Origin Realm, or if the Origin Deity had ushered him into that realm, he would surely know that the Boulderdawn Sect was finished.

His comrades had fallen, and his sect was reduced to rubble. All that was familiar to him had vanished, leaving him alone with his enemies in the Everlands.

Given his nature, what would he feel?

He would seek to annihilate the Everlands!

At this thought, Taishi involuntarily drew a deep breath, sensing that the Origin Gate nestled in the valley was the very embodiment of annihilation that Jihui had wrought!

Jihui's relentless thirst for vengeance seemed to merge with the Origin Gate, enabling it to integrate into the cosmic order of the Everlands!

The Origin Deity was oblivious to the Everlands, ignorant of its rules, particularly those governing space.

But Jihui was well-versed in them!

It was likely Jihui's collaboration that allowed the Origin Gate to embed itself within the fabric of the Everlands' cosmic order like a malignant tumor! Without a solution to safely extract it, any attempt to do so could unleash unforeseen calamities upon the Everlands, hence the dilemma plaguing Han Miaoyuan and Dark Phoenix.

"Is it truly you? If it is, do you still possess your own consciousness?"

Taishi's emotions weighed heavily on him as he softly addressed the Origin Gate, envisioning the God-King Jihui behind it, observing him from a place within the Origin Realm.

Regrettably, he received no reply.

"I'll find a way to bring Zhong Chichen back."

After a while, he sighed deeply, exchanged a nod with Zu Ann, and retreated underground once more.

...

Deep within the Ashlands, at the site of Eiwrone.

The battle strength of the Origin Deity soared as the bloodline of the Abyssal Greater Basilisk was triggered, harnessing the power of the abyss to turn the tide of battle.

"Heh."

He smiled warmly, still inhabiting the form of Jessica, the female warrior from the Silverscale Tribe, as he reached the surface of Eiwrone.

Standing on the pearlescent land, he was surrounded by deep caverns that pulsed with the energies of myriad worlds.

Swoosh!

His hand launched bone spikes that transformed into blinding bolts of lightning, compelling Taixu, the God-King, to continuously maneuver Youyu in a series of evasive maneuvers.

"It will be very difficult for you to approach Eiwrone now. With the assistance of the Abyssal Greater Basilisk, the power of the Abyss has already passed through the gate and surged into this star."

"This wondrous celestial body has transformed into the most extraordinary Maw of Oblivion. It is destined to consume the Ashlands, the Everlands, and other flourishing little worlds."

"The process may be somewhat slow, but as long as it remains uninterrupted, my true form within the Abyss will rapidly gain strength."

"Perhaps, with my Abyssal form, I could shatter the Abyssal Gate, despite its dual enchantments, and guide the denizens of the Abyss to pay you a visit."

The Origin Deity revealed his ambitious vision.

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