C1686 Muddy Divine Soil

With a crack, the land at the base of the divine tree split open, revealing chunks of vibrantly colored rocks amidst a haze of foul-smelling, poisonous mist. Before long, the land's superficial beauty faded, exposing its true form—a dark, soggy expanse.

The once vivid hues were merely a facade, a disguise for the unsightly terrain. The smog and toxic fumes, tainted with the essence of the Disaster Snake, parted ways with the colorful stones, leaving the land in its inherently unadorned state.

This inconspicuous, muddy land, adrift in the Gray Domain, was shrouded in an air of mystery. "Hmm," Yu Yuan muttered as he observed the area. He noticed that the Gray Domain's celestial energies were being drawn into the damp earth, rapidly transforming into a refined force of plant life. This process was reminiscent of how the vast seas and the Dragon Slash Platform could absorb and purify external forces, converting them into pristine spiritual energy.

The seemingly dull land had a remarkable ability to harness various external powers, converting them into a singular essence of plant energy. It was as if this land was created solely for the Hannya Divine Tree, providing it with an abundance of wood power to foster its robust growth and enable its rebirth from a single seed. It was no surprise that the nascent Hannya Divine Tree had taken root here.

"It's called the Muddy Divine Soil," Chen Qinghuang's cool voice interjected, her eyes gleaming with nostalgia beneath her beaded curtain. "From the start, it has been one with the Hannya Divine Tree. That old Titan plundered the Hannya Divine Tree's domain at the height of his power, taking the Muddy Divine Soil for himself and stashing it away in his treasury. He was the one who fancied the colorful coating on the Muddy Divine Soil."

She was referring to the mighty Spinosaurus, and she could hardly conceal her disdain for his taste in aesthetics. To her, the gray-black soil was truly beautiful, requiring no embellishment. The old Titan's addition of vibrant colors seemed garish and discordant to her. Perhaps her distaste for the old Spinosaurus made her biased against anything too ornate or brightly colored.

The Divine Butterfly and Zhong Chichen were just a couple of the individuals she found irritating at first glance.

"A treasury?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

"The Gray Domain is his treasure trove," Chen Qinghuang clarified.

She revealed a mocking smile, her fair chin gleaming as she spoke, "The Disaster Snake, the Abyss Goanna, and the heart clam beast, along with countless other formidable beings from various races, have ventured into the Gray Domain over the years. Without exception, they were all in pursuit of the treasures he left behind."

"Yet, he was masterful at concealing his valuables. Despite the years that have passed, the treasures hidden within the Gray Domain remain unearthed."

"Now, it seems his descendants have come to claim them."

The empress disclosed the truth in just a few sentences.

A lightbulb went off in Yu Yuan's head. He suddenly understood that the vast Gray Domain was indeed the storied treasury of the ancient Titan Spinosaurus!

The presence of numerous Starry Behemoths, the emergence of the Origin Realm God, Grec's arrival, and President Lyi's traces all pointed to an immense treasure buried within the Gray Domain.

The Titan Spinosaurus, a being that once dominated the cosmos, must have had discerning taste. The items he considered treasures were surely exceptional.

The Muddy Divine Soil was originally the Hannya Divine Tree, which he had appropriated for himself, tossing it into his treasury and disguising it with a colorful coating to suit his aesthetic preferences.

"The divine tree thrived in the Muddy Divine Soil, untainted by any corrupting forces, maintaining its purity," the empress explained with a wistful sigh. "In the Deep Starfield, the Origin Realm Gate of the Lissom Realm rapidly transformed into the Chaos Abyss, engulfing various energies before funneling them into the tree. Its initial growth was tainted with chaos and impurity; it would have been surprising if it hadn't become corrupt."

"The corrupted one was slain by Taishi and Han Miaoyuan in the vast expanse. Now that the new one has taken root in the Muddy Divine Soil, I hope it can emerge in its pristine state."

The empress, who had a clear insight into the events that transpired in the vast expanse, spoke with unexpected tenderness about the nascent divine tree.

*Gurgle!*

Mid-conversation, Yu Yuan heard an odd noise emanating from the young creature's body.

In a flash, Yu Yuan realized exactly what the elusive young beast was up to.

It was stealthily digesting the Void Spirit Succubus!

The Divine Butterfly, which perished due to the Sky Opening Array and the Space-time Ban, had its flesh shattered and devoured opportunistically by the creature, with every piece ending up in its gut.

The Void Spirit Succubus, an ancient adult behemoth, had its blood energy and the intricate secrets tied to spatial power being assimilated, transforming into the creature's own strength.

As it digested the Void Spirit Succubus, it also had the capacity to aid itself and control the Muddy Divine Soil, frightening the Disaster Snake into fleeing.

It had even gravely wounded an elder of the Shadow Clan!

Yu Yuan instinctively wanted to glance at its hiding spot, but he quickly sensed the Origin Realm God's vigilant presence high above.

Thus, Yu Yuan restrained himself and instead turned his gaze towards the Origin Realm God.

"Are you just going to keep waiting? Waiting for the Heaven Opening Flare Star to gradually consume the energy of the Gray Domain?" Yu Yuan initiated the conversation.

"My form in the Abyss has grown stronger because of this, and I will ultimately possess the power to shatter the Abyss Gate. Once that happens, with the influx of numerous Abyss creatures, this world will plunge into chaos, and I'll have no trouble accomplishing whatever I desire," the Origin Realm God replied, his frail demeanor belying his composure. His soul was fixated on the Secular Bird Queen, and it seemed he had no intention of striking again unless the Queen attempted to claim the Muddy Divine Soil and then withdraw from the Gray Domain.

The Gray Domain was on the brink of vanishing into oblivion, and the process was accelerating.

The ancient secrets of the old Spinosaurus buried within the Gray Domain, treasures like the Muddy Divine Soil, would inevitably end up in his possession. Once the domain faded, there would be nowhere to hide, and he would effortlessly strip them away.

He indeed had ample reason and confidence to wait it out.

The young creature's low dragon cry echoed once more, but it resounded solely in Yu Yuan's mind, audible only to him.

He heard it, sensed the creature's distress, and understood that the young beast too feared the Origin Realm God's plans might come to fruition.

The young beast couldn't afford to wait.

And so...

Whoosh!

In an astonishing feat, the young form of the creature was pulled directly from the Heaven Opening Flare Star to the Dragon Slash Platform, thanks to the blood energy connection with Yu Yuan.

Confused and disoriented, Tai Xu found himself standing atop the Dragon Slash Platform, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

After Yu Yuan's departure, Tai Xu was indeed able to pinpoint Yu Yuan's whereabouts through the Life Altar within him.

Yet, even though they were both in the Gray Domain, Yu Yuan was at the complete opposite end from the Heaven Opening Flare Star, separated by what could be millions of miles of starry space.

Lacking an understanding of spatial powers and without the Dragon Slash Platform, Tai Xu had no means of reaching there on his own.

But then, a sudden force pulled him through a fissure of streaming light. When he regained his footing, he found himself on the Dragon Slash Platform, with Yu Yuan by his side.

Before him stood the Disaster Snake, a creature with a serpent's head at both ends.

"Aliosha..." Tai Xu called out to the giant snake, his voice quivering, his eyes tinged red with an unusual depth of emotion.

The empress watched Tai Xu with a puzzled expression.

The elder of the Shadow Clan, who had summoned the lingering shadows around her, also regarded him with an inexplicable look upon hearing the name "Aliosha."

"Aliosha, Aliosha, it's me..."

The head at the tail of the Disaster Snake, which a moment ago had glared with a chilling and sinister light, was now brimming with bewilderment and uncertainty. It was as if a soul, long sealed away, had been startled awake from its hidden recesses, struggling to break free and take control of this snake head to see the world beyond.

It yearned to see if the one calling out "Aliosha" was indeed someone familiar.

"I'm Ah Xu. I have a body now; I'm no longer just a drifting spirit."

Tai Xu lifted his hand and waved vigorously, eager for the head of the Disaster Snake to see him clearly. "Do you remember? You used to say I was a lost soul, a ghost who could never find his way home. But I've finally returned. I've been back to my hometown and seen some old friends."

"I now have flesh and blood, a body to house my soul. Isn't that something you wanted to see?"

"I've come! I've finally come to see you. Please, look closely."

The Divine King Tai Xu, renowned across the celestial heavens, now appeared as youthful as his demeanor suggested.

Like a young man reuniting with a childhood friend after many years, he was eager to present the very best of himself.

Another head of the Disaster Snake slowly opened its vast maw, aiming it towards the Void.

The eyes of this head were icy and merciless, brimming with venom and fury.

It seemed to harbor resentment towards the Void for disturbing its peace of mind.

The Void paid no attention to this head, focusing instead on the other head that was struggling and on the verge of releasing another soul, and he began to glide towards it.

"You're on a path to destruction," the elder of the Shadow Clan cackled ominously, "to think someone is so naive as to believe they could use past affections to reclaim the Disaster Snake!"

"What you're trying to reclaim is her soul that plummeted into our Lord's Origin Realm. You truly dare to indulge in such a fanciful delusion!"

The Disaster Snake, possessing its own sentience, was deeply ensnared within the Origin Realm. Even if stirred by the Void, it was theoretically impossible for it to return.

Unless the Origin Realm God permitted it.

"I, too, am curious to see this."

With a slight nod from the Origin Realm God, the Disaster Snake roaming the Origin Realm encountered no hindrance. Like a young creature returning to its master, it willingly sent its soul to the Void.

In a flash, the long-lost soul of the Disaster Snake was restored to its rightful place.

"Ah Xu!"

Upon witnessing its other head spewing a deadly stream of poison at the Void Divine King, the snakehead let out a piercing shriek.

With the scream, a bizarre spectacle unfolded before everyone's eyes.

The two heads of the Disaster Snake, due to the Void Divine King's presence, began to collide and tear at each other in mid-air.

"This is her typical state. Her moniker, 'Disaster,' originates from this very behavior," the Empress remarked, her face devoid of emotion.

She appeared to have witnessed such scenes numerous times and found nothing unusual about it.

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