C1692 The Old Devil Entered the Abyss
No one could have imagined that Bertain, the Demon God, had concealed a dark will within the brain of a Stormwraith.
Thunder and lightning have always been the bane of the Star-Spawned Terror, and even the complete devil soul of a ninth-level Demon God would be obliterated within the Stormwraith's brain.
Entities such as the God of Ghosts, Youyu, the Root of the Lunar Meridian, and the Origin Deity would all be subdued by the lightning.
Bertain might just be the sole exception in the world!
He feared not the might of the lightning and even went so far as to plant a dark will within the Stormwraith’s brain.
Once this dark will is awakened and empowered, it would create an exact coordinate.
His boundless magic power would then converge upon this dark will from every nook and cranny of this world, manifesting his towering demonic form.
Bertain, the Demon God, had long aspired to delve into the Abyss, much like the Old Titan Spinosaurus.
Yet, the presence of the Abyssal Gate and the barrier erected by the combined efforts of the Spinosaurus and the Old Titan had always thwarted his passage.
Having not deciphered the essence of space magic, the constraints of the Abyssal Gate barred his devil soul from entry.
For years, his search for the Abyssal Greater Basilisk was driven by the belief that this ancient lizard, imbued with the power of the Abyss, might use its residual Abyssal force to aid him in crossing the Abyssal Gate, enabling him to "visit" the Abyss.
However, he eventually realized that although the Lizard had captured a fraction of the Abyss's power within the Maw of Oblivion, it lacked the knowledge to wield it.
The Lizard's ability to remain undetected at the fringes of the cosmos was not due to Bertain's oversight but rather his dismissal of the creature's significance.
He never truly considered the Lizard a factor; he doubted that subduing it would aid his exploration of the Abyss.
Otherwise, with his dominion over this world, how could the Lizard, lurking at the boundary of the stars, hope to elude him?
He had bided his time, observing in secret, also hoping that the increasingly audacious Origin Deity would inadvertently expose a vulnerability.
He had witnessed every move of the Origin Deity, the frenzied build-up of power, the tendrils stretching across the cosmos.
He refrained from intervening prematurely, not wishing to spook the Origin Deity into going back into hiding.
Finally, the moment he had been waiting for had arrived.
The chance to delve into the Abyss!
"Bertain, Bertain!"
The Origin Deity's voice broke in alarm, his phantom quivering violently like a flame buffeted by a hurricane.
He had assumed that since the Eiwrone was within the Old Titan Spinosaurus's domain in the Ashlands, Bertain's dark will couldn't easily reach there, leading him to lower his guard.
Bertain's prolonged absence had led him to believe, perhaps, that Bertain was preoccupied with other pressing matters.
He thought Bertain had forgotten about him...
So, he began to wield the Eiwrone in the Ashlands with abandon, collaborating with the Lizard and the fully-formed Maw of Oblivion to siphon energy from the Ashlands and other domains into the Abyss.
This activity gave rise to a door that could only be traversed by the soul and cosmic energy.
But upon witnessing the ascent of the purple devil soul, he realized his grave mistake.
Bertain had been monitoring his every move all along!
The Stormwraith served as Bertain's eyes, allowing the Demon God to silently observe him from the shadows.
Suddenly, he was struck by a searing pain!
The agony that pierced his soul originated from his body within the Abyss. The magic power Bertain had unleashed into the Abyss had become like the sharpest blade in existence, slicing through his flesh and blood!
He wasn't the only one suffering; other powerful beings of the Abyss, loyal to him and his ideology, were also in torment.
Their agonized screams echoed from the deep caverns, interlaced with bizarre murmurs that were incomprehensible to others.
These soul-wrenching murmurs seemed to be accusations from other creatures of the Abyss, blaming the Origin Deity for drawing the Demon God, Bertain, to their realm.
On the pale ground, the figure that had amassed the most Soul Power from the Origin Deity rapidly began to fade.
It wasn't just him.
His phantoms, scattered across numerous domains, were also retreating toward the Abyss.
"I grant you permission to return to the Abyss, to reunite your soul and body," boomed the grand and rough voice of the Demon God, Bertain, echoing across different worlds.
"If I hadn't allowed it, you wouldn't be able to return home, no matter how much you wished to. Hehe."
In the Ashlands, the enormous specter loomed, its eyes ablaze with purple flames, dwarfing even the vastness of the Everlands. A mocking glint emanated from its gaze.
"You always claim that if your soul and body were one, we wouldn't have been able to deal such a blow to you," it taunted. "You constantly make excuses to your followers, insisting that without your true form, the powers of the Abyss elude you."
"Hehe, well then, let me venture into the Abyss, into the realm you know so well. I will grant you the unity of your spirit and body!"
"I shall confront you in the realm of the Abyssal beings, challenging the mightiest among you!"
With a confident exhale, Bertain's presence asserted itself.
The fading phantom of the Origin Deity suddenly plunged into a deep cavern, vanishing in an instant.
Simultaneously, the numerous Origin Gates connected to Eiwrone began to close, their mystery dissipating.
Hiss! Hiss!
In a flash, all traces of Abyssal power within Eiwrone were erased.
The massive purple devil soul, larger than both the Lizard and the Abyssal Leviathan, erupted into a haughty and domineering laughter, transforming into thousands of purple streams.
Like a multitude of serpentine dragons, they poured into the concealed depths, infiltrating the Abyss through the Maw of Oblivion.
"Abyss, I, Bertain, have arrived!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The void, saturated with his magic power and dark will, surged back toward the Maw of Oblivion.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Within Eiwrone's Maw of Oblivion, it seemed as though hidden doors were being burst open one after another.
It appeared that various evil souls and spectral entities were crushed by his hand before his descent into the Abyss.
Soon, all traces of magic power and specters associated with him vanished from Eiwrone, following him into the Abyssal world.
The cosmic energy of the Ashlands swept over the starry sky once more, engulfing Eiwrone.
All returned to its original state as if nothing had happened.
The mighty Demon God Bertain, the Origin Deity, and the Maw of Oblivion all vanished. The Lizard and Jessica, along with the elder of the Shadowkin, remained steadfast upon the luminescent earth.
The elder of the Silverscale Tribe, in the form of an Abyssal Greater Basilisk, remained silent after Bertain made his appearance. His figure, statue-like, stood frozen in place without so much as a twist of his neck. Even now, with Bertain's devil soul and magic power vanished, he remained motionless. Fear had truly taken hold of him.
In the Everlands, at the foot of Skyreach Peak, Zhong Chichen, fresh from his return from the Frozen Hellscape, appeared in a flash beside Taishi and Zu Ann. Gazing into the deep valley, Zhong Chichen reassured them with a smile, "Don't worry, there's still time."
He gestured for Taishi and Zu Ann to wait outside as he drifted into the valley. From within him, a crystalline, iridescent Solar Spirit emerged, taking shape like a physical embodiment of space rules, standing at the threshold of the Origin Gate. In a moment, the space rules emanating from his Solar Spirit and the space blades within the Origin Gate wove together like countless, shimmering chains.
From outside the valley, Taishi and Zu Ann narrowed their eyes and witnessed the space within the valley begin to fracture. It resembled a vast mirror suddenly riddled with dense, spreading cracks, linked to the Everlands' own rules. Should these cracks shatter completely, they could destabilize the very foundation and power structure of the Everlands.
Zu Ann, merging with the essence of Skyreach Peak, felt blood escape from the corner of his mouth. Deep within his soul, his primordial spirit and the essence of his being had fused into the form of a towering mountain—Skyreach Peak. Now, this peak, unseen by ordinary eyes within his Mindscape, showed signs of splintering. Blood first trickled from his mouth, then from his nostrils and ears, as fear gripped him.
"Zhong Chichen!" Zu Ann called out with urgency toward the valley.
"Don't worry, it won't actually break apart," Zhong Chichen's real body responded, turning back to flash a reassuring grin and a playful wink at Zu Ann. "I know the space rules of the Everlands like the back of my hand. I can repair the damage after it fractures. Without the fractures, we can't clear the Origin Gate. Just leave it to me."
"It's fine, he should be able to handle it," Taishi said, his demeanor unruffled.
Half an hour later, the Origin Gate ceased its siphoning of spiritual energy from the Skyreach Peak, much to Zu Ann's relief. "You really have a way with things," he said, as if granted a reprieve.
"It wasn't me," Zhong Chichen replied.
His Solar Spirit, shimmering like iridescent glass, deepened in its purple hue. He absorbed the sensation in silence, then spoke softly, "It has indeed saved me a considerable amount of effort, but..." He shook his head, his expression complex.
"I sense it too," Taishi exclaimed, taken aback.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Han Miaoyuan and Lin Daoke arrived in quick succession, appearing beside Taishi.
Lin Daoke, travel-worn and disheveled, had hair obscuring his eyes and half of his face, some strands intruding into his eyesight, yet he seemed neither bothered nor distracted.
He watched with curiosity as Zhong Chichen's iridescent form in the valley took on a richer shade of purple.
"Bertain," Lin Daoke stated flatly, a conclusion formed in his mind.
Han Miaoyuan paused, then his face broke into a smile. He laughed lightly, "It appears the Old Demon has been vigilantly watching the Origin Deity, waiting for this moment."
"I'm beginning to worry for the creatures of the Abyss," Taishi said, laughing heartily.
"Old Demon..."
Zhong Chichen mulled over their choice of words and nodded slowly, finding the title quite apt.
After a moment's thought, he added, "It's just unclear how many souls the Old Demon has taken to the Abyss. If he has taken the majority of his devil soul with him for the conquest, then he won't be able to manage many affairs in our world. Take, for example, the battle in the Dark Star Region."
"Dark Star Region!"
The faces of Taishi, Zu Ann, and Han Miaoyuan grew somber.
The Demon God Bertain would certainly not miss this long-awaited chance to invade the Abyss.
The Abyss concealed countless mysteries, and the Origin Deity might be just the beginning.
Even he, with a lone devil soul venturing into the Abyss, would need to concentrate his forces. Thus, the magic power he had dispersed throughout this world would converge in the Abyss.
Meaning, until his return from the Abyss, his influence in our world would be at its weakest.
The Dark Phoenix, the Root of the Solar Meridian, and the Root of the Lunar Meridian, along with countless other entities that have remained hidden in the shadows, are bound to emerge and wreak havoc, aren't they?
Han Miaoyuan, Taishi, and Lin Daoke were all aware that within the vast expanse of the Star River, there existed beings that rivaled the Solar and Lunar Meridians in power.
Their concealment within the Starry Sky Forbidden Zone, akin to the Ashlands, was solely due to Bertain's presence. Their previous attempts to emerge had resulted in severe wounds inflicted by Bertain, forcing them into hiding.
These entities, contemporaries of the Titan Spinosaurus from an era aligned with the Yin and Yang Meridians, would surely act if they sensed Bertain's weakening grip on this realm. What might they do?
Would they intervene in the conflict within the Dark Star Domain? Could any of these otherworldly beings attempt to penetrate the Everlands?
"I'll go down and have a word with that fellow," Han Miaoyuan decided, exhaling a weary sigh. With a flourish of his flag, he set out to engage with the Root of the Lunar Meridian.
