C1687 The Snake Heads Fought Each Other
The two heads of the Chaos Serpent began to clash with one another following the return of a soul from the Origin Realm.
"What's happening here?"
Yu Yuan was taken aback, clearly not anticipating such a turn of events.
After Taixu arrived, a brief conversation was all it took for him to sway the Chaos Serpent to his side without much effort.
But why was this colossal serpent embroiled in internal conflict?
What puzzled Yu Yuan even more was that when Taixu realized the Chaos Serpent was engaged in self-conflict, he abruptly halted his approach toward the tail's head.
"It's actually begun..."
Taixu appeared slightly bewildered, as though he had some knowledge of the situation, yet his understanding was incomplete.
He looked up at the Origin Deity, now in phantom form, seemingly just as surprised that the deity had so readily released a part of the Chaos Serpent that had been trapped in the Origin Realm.
Whoosh! Boom! Boom!
The snake head, its eyes flickering with icy green light, spewed a foul, acidic bile laced with deadly toxins. Its hook-like fangs snapped at the tail's head.
The tail's head, straining to protect the God-King Taixu, hissed as it swiftly amassed cosmic energy from the surrounding space.
Streams of fiery light and shards of rock and ice pelted the enraged head from all directions.
In a flash, a sea of blood, mountains forged from thunder, and islands formed from innumerable decaying corpses materialized in the battleground between the two heads.
A few hazy stars twinkled like lanterns within the snake's mind.
Within these dim stars, various intelligent lifeforms waged war against each other, with tens of thousands perishing every second.
Ghosts, blood rain, severed limbs, flashes of lightning, and tainted energy surged from these star worlds, infusing both heads of the Chaos Serpent.
The two heads drew energy from the same celestial realm, using it to fuel their fierce battle.
Their massive heads occasionally collided, sending shockwaves reverberating through the void.
The Chaos Serpent, as vast as a mountain range, saw its vital energy surge as it waged war against itself.
The serpent's body became shrouded in bizarre forces of havoc, rage, and insanity, constricting the flow of blood within.
The mysterious power emanating from her began to spread outward slowly, with the potential to transform the hearts of all beings and awaken their various inner selves, plunging them into chaos akin to her own spiritual wisdom.
Yu Yuan and Taixu could sense another presence stirring within the depths of their hearts, gradually awakening, gradually becoming alert. Was this the stirring of an inner demon?
Yu Yuan's mind shifted subtly as he suddenly realized that his Solar Spirit, Lunar Spirit, and dominant soul were at odds with each other, harboring mutual disdain.
More alarmingly, deep within his dominant soul, the version of himself still slumbering from his first life seemed intent on annihilating Hong Qi from his second life – including his present self!
"Damn it!" Yu Yuan inwardly cursed, recognizing the peril.
His situation was incredibly complex; not only did he possess a Lunar Spirit, a Solar Spirit, and a dominant soul, but he also retained the memories of three lifetimes! These memories, long concealed and suppressed within his dominant soul, were on the verge of manifesting due to the Chaos Serpent's bizarre magnetic field.
Should the Taiyin from his first life awaken prematurely, it could swiftly engulf and merge with everything from Hong Qi's era, effectively erasing the Yu Yuan of this life.
He would no longer be Yu Yuan but would instead emerge prematurely in the guise of Taiyin – an eventuality he had always resisted and sought to prevent. Yet, it was the Chaos Serpent's enigmatic power that was hastening this very occurrence.
"Bringing her back to sow chaos seems to be her way of targeting you," the Empress remarked, turning her attention to Yu Yuan's visibly trembling face, which betrayed his internal struggle. She immediately sensed trouble.
Aware of Yu Yuan's multiple lifetimes and the identities of his first and second lives, she was equally cognizant of the Chaos Serpent's distinct traits.
"You must seek refuge at the Dragon Slaying Stage as quickly as possible," Chen Qinghuang advised, her exquisite features shadowed by concern beneath the pearl curtain. "The Astral Serpent's self-conflict could have dire consequences for you and... Oh!"
She abruptly noticed that Taixu, too, was experiencing a battle within, where different versions of himself – the aged Taixu, the youthful Taixu, and the Gui Xu God-King, now reduced to a mere soul – clashed in the depths of his being.
At their core, they were all Taixu, yet there were still marked differences between them.
Due to the internal struggle between the two heads of the Chaos Serpent, different Taixu waged war within their own hearts.
Years ago, Taixu who perished in the Divine War within the Everlands were resurrected in the outside world. Old and young, those with flesh and those in ghostly form, numerous Taixu became soul phantoms, refining magic arts and blood magic within their own spirits.
Taixu descended into madness even faster than Yu Yuan!
Whoosh!
The injured elder of the Shadowkin suddenly appeared to lose her sanity, uttering incomprehensible words and at times clutching her own throat as if grappling with an unseen foe.
Only the Secular Bird Queen and the Origin Deity remained unaffected, albeit temporarily.
"How could you possibly know about her unique bloodline? And her chaotic nature?" the Empress asked coldly, peering at the Origin Deity who floated at the same level as her, just beyond the imperial crown.
"I've wandered your world for many years, observing much from the shadows. Naturally, I've uncovered her secrets," the Origin Deity replied with a gentle and warm tone, like a helpful neighbor. "Her ability to escape from you indicates her exceptional nature. I persuaded her to join me because I am well aware of the power of her bloodline."
"I severed one of her snake heads," Chen Qinghuang stated dispassionately.
"I suspected as much," the Origin Deity's vague phantom seemed to nod. "The Chaos Serpent that Taixu encountered within Boulderdawn is the one with a new head grown, but whose malevolent spirit has yet to be unleashed. Therefore, Taixu's impressions and feelings towards her are quite favorable."
The Empress remained silent, knowing the Origin Deity's words likely held truth.
The Chaos Serpent, one of her adversaries, was formidable due to the power of ruin it emanated, capable of influencing nearly all living beings.
Chen Qinghuang managed to stay rational, wielding the souls of destruction, death, and rebirth without conflict, only because the power of ruin had not yet reached its peak.
When the battle between the two snake heads concludes, with one head devouring the other in defeat, the power of ruin will surge to its greatest strength.
At that time, even she would be susceptible to the influence of the power of ruin, awakening different aspects of herself and her soul.
The Chaos Serpent's mightiest form occurs when one head devours another, leaving her with only one remaining head.
As long as one head of the Chaos Serpent remains, the other is destined to regrow eventually.
The soul of the Chaos Serpent, whether embodying extreme malevolence or benevolence, will inevitably resurface in the future.
For she embodies both the bloodthirsty and the serene aspects of herself.
"He won't last much longer. I'm eager to see that familiar face awaken and reunite with me ahead of time."
The Origin Deity was full of anticipation. With a graceful shift backward, she effortlessly sealed the space, rendering the Shadowkin elder immobile.
Without her seal and limitations, the Shadowkin woman would likely succumb to suicide very soon.
The elder's mindset was distorted, her heart brimming with tumultuous evil thoughts, all transparent to the Origin Deity, her master. She intervened to prevent an untimely death.
"You are no longer needed here."
With a single utterance, the sealed space, along with the Shadowkin elder, was dispatched to Eiwrone.
In the Ashlands, he had forged a soul connection with Eiwrone, allowing him to disregard the Titan Spinosaurus's cosmic order within a limited scope.
"Do you wish to meet with me ahead of schedule?"
He shifted his gaze toward Yu Yuan, addressing the former Taiyin God-King, not the Yu Yuan before him.
His decision to release the other fragment of the Chaos Serpent's soul was prompted by Taixu's arrival, which would soon trigger the Chaos Serpent's internal conflict.
Once the two heads clashed, her enigmatic bloodline would burst forth, immediately influencing nearby beings.
Yu Yuan, being in the direct path, would undoubtedly be the most affected.
Within Yu Yuan's little world of vitality, a crystal representing the Mirage of the Mind's lineage dangled from the Solar Spirit, resembling a vibrant sea of stars.
This activated crystal brought stability to his mind and tranquility to all his souls, sending waves of soothing light throughout his physical and spiritual being.
The soul that yearned for internal conflict, the primary self he sought to awaken, had been soothed.
"There's no rush. We can discuss it later."
A faint smirk played at the corners of Yu Yuan's mouth as the bewilderment in his eyes vanished in a flash. The Titanblade he held erupted with a brilliant crimson glow of sword light.
A vast River of Swords surged directly toward the nearby Origin Deity, with the transfer of blood and souls occurring seamlessly.
As he awoke, so did Taixu, both momentarily freed from the bizarre magnetic pull of the Chaos Serpent.
