C1688 Death's Thunder

As the crimson River of Swords neared the Origin Deity, it began to slowly crystallize.

The Heaven-Opening Sword Array was forming without any resistance, and it was set to manifest swiftly.

The Origin Deity, now a frail and slender phantom, let out a light "hmm" of surprise, finding it unexpected that Yu Yuan could resist the influence of the Chaos Serpent.

"Ah, the power of the Mirage of the Mind."

He nodded, quickly discerning its intricacies and remarked, "I'm juggling too many tasks and still have to contend with Tan Xiaotian. If not for that, you wouldn't even have the chance to encounter the Mirage of the Mind."

The soul stone was an item he was resolute in acquiring. His distraction with Tan Xiaotian and his ploy to entice the Secular Bird Queen meant he missed the opportunity to act against the Mirage of the Mind.

Whoosh!

Various spaces unfolded before him like a scroll, transporting him as if into another dimension.

Just as Yu Yuan's Heaven-Opening Sword Array was about to solidify into red crystal, it surprisingly failed to capture his soul essence.

"The first time, I was caught off guard, and thus one phantom was destroyed by you."

The Origin Deity's gentle voice seemed to drift from another realm, "Having learned from that setback, it won't be as simple for you to locate me this time."

"Without a target, your formidable sword spell is ineffectual against me, isn't it?"

He chuckled once more.

Somehow, he was more talkative in Yu Yuan's presence.

Mastering the profound meanings of both Space and Soul, he could navigate the interstices of space with caution, his Soul Power able to coalesce or disperse at will.

Yu Yuan's Heaven-Opening Sword Array, woven into a vast spherical form, needed to ensnare his spirited body.

Firstly, he had to lock onto the Origin Deity using either his soul or vitality.

Lacking a physical form, the Origin Deity, despite being a Solar Spirit imbued with the complete Secrets of Life, was imperceptible to the senses. Thus, Yu Yuan had to rely solely on his soul.

Yet, without having achieved the primordial spirit or forged a divine seat, his soul was at a disadvantage compared to that of the Origin Deity.

He was unable to thread his intricate and delicate remnant soul through the various space rifts to locate the spirited body that the Origin Deity had intentionally hidden.

The might of the Heaven-Opening Sword Array was fearsome. Having endured it once, the Origin Deity had no desire to face it again.

Thus, he opted to evade this particular sword spell.

His evasion was not mere avoidance; it was not an outright dismissal of the attack.

Crack!

The Dragon Slaying Stage beneath Yu Yuan's feet was abruptly assaulted by the gleaming edge of sword light. A succession of dark, bizarre holes erupted, spewing scorching lava and fiery blasts. A tempest of Ice Shards and the radiant, mysterious Divine Thunder nearly engulfed both him and the Dragon Slaying Stage.

"It's the Eiwrone."

The Secular Bird Queen, lifting the beaded curtain beneath her crown, revealed her stunning visage. With her pale hand, she crafted a mystical seal across her ample bosom.

"Dark Lightning of Death."

"Destruction Eye."

Her voice, cool and resonant, accompanied the transformation of the seals her hands had formed into a colossal altar of White Bone.

This altar, seemingly constructed from the remains of countless divine spirits, exuded an aura of death.

Rip! Rip!

Hundreds of strands of grayish-white Divine Thunder, reminiscent of the law of mortality, wove into a meticulous net above the altar.

This net appeared capable of ensnaring the souls of all creatures, executing them with the grayish-white Divine Thunder. It swiftly drifted towards Yu Yuan's vicinity, obliterating the believers who had been clandestinely aiding the Origin Deity in an instant.

Yu Yuan heard the peculiar sounds and realized that in the unseen dimensions, thousands of Otherkin warriors had perished.

Among these fallen Otherkin, at least seven possessed bloodline levels at the ninth level, with the potential for further advancement.

"Those who have pledged themselves as his followers and partitioned a portion of their souls into the Origin Realm are inherently flawed."

Chen Qinghuang's face, now unveiled, was marked by a cold detachment. She seemed all too accustomed to casually dispensing the droplets of death that snuffed out the vitality of any formidable beings she deemed unworthy.

Her pupils shifted, becoming like twin orbs of pitch-black flames of annihilation, burning at the very edge of the cosmos.

"Hah, you've actually managed to find me."

The voices of dozens of Origin Deities echoed through the starry expanse shrouded in his malevolent power, as well as from the numerous shadowy caverns of Eiwrone.

In realms invisible to Yu Yuan's eyes, accessible only to the faint touch of his soul, pitch-black flames of destruction morphed into Behemoths of Ruin. The souls of those dwelling in these worlds, already twisted, regarded the Origin Deity as a divine being, only to be devoured by the Behemoths formed from the vital energy of the secular bird.

Their souls burned within the flames of destruction, wailing in agony, pleading for the Origin Deity's favor. With the use of space magic, the Origin Deity summoned different worlds to strike at Yu Yuan and the Dragon Slaying Stage, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

Yu Yuan sensed that despite the Heaven-Opening Sword Array not fully forming, the Origin Deity had sustained injuries from the disruption caused by Chen Qinghuang. This was in the very worlds where the Origin Deity sought refuge.

"Today, I finally understand why, a hundred thousand years ago, the peak powers of all races in this world banded together to besiege you in the Annihilation Nebula," Yu Yuan realized.

The Origin Deity manifested once more. In the ripples of space at his feet, visions of brutality emerged. The Shadowkin's world disintegrated abruptly, breaking into chunks of voidstone, amidst which floated numerous corpses.

The enchantress kind suffered as black flames of destruction consumed their eyes, nostrils, and ears, leaving them to die in excruciating pain. The Silverscale Tribe members seemed to have their vitality erased by Divine Thunder with the mere brush of the wind.

As stars crumbled, the Origin Deity's disciples perished en masse, mowed down like grass. Though he was not of this world, the sight of so many devoted followers who revered him as their deity, dying all at once, was more than he could bear.

Yet, the Secular Bird Queen, undoubtedly the mightiest being in this world, showed no emotion as she reaped those lives. Her apathy towards the fate of these beings sent a shiver through the Origin Deity's core.

Had she not been a living entity, radiating a potent essence of flesh and blood, the Origin Deity might have doubted whether the Queen herself was the true President Lyi.

The Phoenix Queen, who had slaughtered tens of thousands of her own followers, exhibited a decisiveness and disregard for life that he had never before encountered in this world.

"No wonder," the Origin Deity mused, his tongue clicking in disapproval. He realized that the Phoenix Queen, in her uncontrolled state, must be stopped before she could unleash her full capacity for death and destruction.

Otherwise, every living being in the domains she traversed would likely perish, leaving not a single blade of grass in her wake.

"You're proving to be quite the challenge to tame. I'll have to give this some thought. Until I can fully persuade you, I don't think I can risk taking you to the Abyss."

The Origin Deity was far more cautious now, not wishing to witness the horrific sight of beings under his care dying in agony in the Abyss.

"Please, let's not continue this," Taixu pleaded, equally disturbed by the Phoenix Queen's actions and the vision of total annihilation he had witnessed.

"Beings that have been corrupted do not deserve to continue existing in this world," the Queen responded icily, her frown deepening as she cast a disdainful glance at Taixu.

Taixu felt a shiver run through him and promptly fell silent.

Chen Qinghuang regarded him as one might a crawling insect or an insignificant ant.

There were very few entities in the universe that could capture her attention, earn more than a cursory glance, or be deemed worthy of her serious consideration.

Taixu knew he was not among them.

Thus, he gestured with his eyes to Yu Yuan, signaling him to intervene with the Queen and prevent her from recklessly causing a catastrophe that would obliterate all life.

"Perhaps you should go after the Chaos Serpent, and I'll handle the Origin Deity?" Yu Yuan suggested with a light cough to draw the Queen's attention, managing a wry smile. "Given that this fragment of the Origin Deity's soul isn't on Eiwrone, lacks a suitable vessel, and has no access to the powers of the Abyss, I should be able to hold him at bay. You, on the other hand, should concentrate your efforts on your nemesis."

At his words, the Queen's brow furrowed slightly.

"No!" Taixu cried out in alarm, shooting a reproachful look at Yu Yuan. "There's a good part to Asa. If she can triumph and consume the other head, I'm confident I can persuade her."

Taixu's heart was heavy with bitterness. He harbored a deep fear that the Secular Bird Queen would turn her wrath upon the Chaos Serpent.

He reasoned that it was preferable for the queen to continue her deadly spree rather than risk the death of Asa, someone else he cared about.

"I want to witness her at her most powerful, brought forth into this world."

Chen Qinghuang neither agreed to Yu Yuan's request nor paid any attention to Taixu. She simply let the Chaos Serpent's rampage unfold, intent on waiting for a decisive outcome. She was determined to see the mightiest form of the Chaos Serpent emerge.

"I once severed one of its heads. Today, I'll decide based on my mood whether to sever another."

Should both heads of the Chaos Serpent be cut off, the cosmic giant beast would meet its end, never to regenerate its heads again.

"Your Majesty, perhaps you could consider cutting off just one? Whichever one you choose, just leave the other, please?" Taixu implored.

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