C1696 The Greedy Young Beasts

Eiwrone.

Upon arrival, the God-King Taixu, delivered by a young beast, immediately caught the attention of the Abyssal Leviathan, Youyu, Xuanli, and others. They bombarded him with questions about his mysterious disappearance and sudden return.

Taixu, deeply concerned for Asa, realized upon his reappearance on Eiwrone that the young beast had intervened. He understood that the young beast forbade him from interfering in the battle between Asa and the Secular Bird Queen.

He yearned to return to the battlefield to witness the clash between Asa and the Secular Bird Queen. If that proved impossible, he would settle for merely watching Asa from a distance.

Regrettably, Taixu's lack of knowledge in space magic left him powerless to act within the expansive Ashlands.

"I witnessed the events that unfolded here through the Dragon Slaying Stage."

After noticing that the Abyssal Leviathan, Youyu, Xuanli, and Yin Tiehua had descended upon Eiwrone, Taixu hesitated before adding, "In my realm, the Secular Bird Queen and the Chaos Serpent erupted into conflict."

He spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on the Abyssal Leviathan.

The Abyssal Leviathan responded with a sly grin and a nod, chuckling, "I suspected the Lizard, his followers, and the elder of the Shadowkin might also be seeking the battlefield."

"The Abyssal Greater Basilisk is looking to meddle?" Xuanli exclaimed, surprised.

"Who isn't?" replied the Abyssal Leviathan, unabashedly revealing his ambition. "With the Demon God Bertain departing for the Abyss, the weight that once held the mighty at bay in our world has been lifted. Those who believe they are strong enough are all eager to seize this rare opportunity."

"I'll let you in on a secret: if either the Secular Bird Queen or the Chaos Serpent falls, and the other is gravely wounded, the Lizard could potentially consume and assimilate both. The mere chance of this is enough to drive him to take risks and continue his search in the Ashlands."

"Should he manage to absorb the Chaos Serpent and the Secular Bird Queen, the Lizard's power would be surpassed only by that of the Old Titan Spinosaurus."

The Abyssal Leviathan, now appearing as a gaunt old man, spoke with a look of longing, his lips betraying a thirst for blood.

Judging by his demeanor and tone, he would willingly join the fray if given the chance.

"The young beast's strength is resurging," Taixu warned.

"I'm aware," the Abyssal Leviathan replied, his face growing stern as he nodded slowly. "Your vanishing and return have made it clear to me—it has assimilated some of the Voidweaver's bloodline mysteries. Its mastery over the space rules of the Ashlands is increasingly effortless. The fact that it could whisk you away and then return you is a testament to its rapid development."

"Still, it has a long way to go before it can match the power of the Secular Bird Queen and the Lizard."

"It can only leverage the inherent power of the Ashlands to sway the tide slightly, but it's not enough to be decisive."

As a fellow member of the giant beast clan, the Abyssal Leviathan saw the situation clearly and understood that the young Titan Spinosaurus harbored the same desires as the Lizard.

Both were eager to witness the ultimate showdown between the Secular Bird Queen and her nemesis, hoping to see one side fall or suffer grievous harm.

The Abyssal Leviathan was also aware that since the battlefield was within the Ashlands—a realm refined by the old spinosaurus—the young beast could glean insights by observing their combat, brushing against the subtleties of the rules they had mastered.

Should there be bloodshed or flesh torn asunder, the young beast could stealthily claim it.

From their blood and flesh, it could decipher the profound meanings of the Way of Heaven they had grasped, refining them within its own giant beast heart.

The heart of a giant beast, especially one descended from the Old Titan lineage, was akin to a wondrous Altar of Rebirth.

Merely through their blood and flesh, it could deduce much, and even a rudimentary understanding would serve it well in future battles against the Secular Bird Queen and the Chaos Serpent, allowing it to know its foes intimately.

"Uh, you there!"

Abruptly, from a shadowy cavern within Eiwrone, emerged a figure clutching a whisk, his face as skeletal as if it were merely skin stretched over bone.

He stared blankly at the Abyssal Leviathan, Youyu, and Xuanli, murmuring in confusion, "Where am I? What happened to the Origin Deity? And why are all of you together?"

"Wandering around!"

"Are you the wanderer from the Skyreach Consortium?"

Taixu and Xuanli both cried out in surprise.

The wanderer, who had vanished during a space teleportation, was now emaciated, a shadow of his former self.

It seemed he had endured countless hardships and years of aimless travel before finally finding his way back.

"What's happened to you?"

Taixu swiftly moved closer, sensing that the wanderer's vitality had been completely depleted, his spiritual energy and remnant soul equally frail.

Yet, as he approached, the wanderer, not recognizing him, instinctively wanted to flee back into the depths of the cave.

"I am Taixu, the God-King of Gui Xu from Boulderdawn."

It was only after Taixu, now in his corporeal body, declared his identity that the wanderer's panic subsided, and he refrained from diving into the cave below.

He then recounted his harrowing experiences.

During that fateful teleportation, he had been dragged into an unknown realm by a mysterious force. Lost like Tan Xiaotian, he felt his power being slowly drained by that alien world.

The space magic he had refined, the secrets of space he had understood, his spiritual energy, and his remnant soul were all being consumed bit by bit by that void.

Lacking Tan Xiaotian's power, he was unable to shatter the confines of the little world or safeguard his own strength. Powerless to stop the drain, he could only wait in despair.

He awaited the inevitable day when his vital energy would be completely drained.

The despair was so intense that he had contemplated ending his life multiple times, enduring the agony while holding out for a miracle.

And then, against all odds, a miracle occurred.

Recently, the little world that had been leeching all his energy ceased its relentless extraction. With the little strength he had left, he detected the formation of a fissure.

With every ounce of energy he could muster, he surged through the crack and escaped.

Upon breaking free, he found himself in Eiwrone.

"You were held captive by the Origin Deity, who intended to consume all your strength and Soul Power, then corrupt you with his influence, turning you into a devout follower," Taixu explained succinctly. Seeing the wanderer's lingering distress, he added, "But rest assured, that threat has been temporarily neutralized."

"Who? Who can handle him?" Zhou You asked with urgency.

"Bertain."

Once Taixu uttered that name, Zhou You instantly calmed down.

"So, it's the Great Demon God Bertain. Indeed, only he could confront the Origin Deity," Zhou You murmured, readily accepting the notion.

He had always believed that Bertain was the sole figure capable of managing the Origin Deity.

"When I first arrived at that secret location, I thought I detected Yan's presence. His fate seems different from mine; it's as if he was whisked away by some other force."

Zhou You's thoughts were scattered as he recalled, "The power that took him away felt akin to Yan's own. It's odd, the place where Yan vanished and where I was confined don't seem to be the same. But then, I lost all sense of it."

His ramblings left everyone bewildered.

Only Taixu connected the dots...

The force resembling Yan Qiling's, sharing the same origin—could it be the God-King Jihui?

The space magic that Yan Qiling had mastered was indeed Jihui's legacy. Considering the aura Taixu had sensed within the Maw of Oblivion and piecing together Zhou You's fragmented thoughts, he formed a hypothesis.

If his comrade's residual soul still lingered in this world, it must have recognized Yan Qiling as its heir.

Thus, unlike Zhou You, Yan Qiling wasn't confined within the Mysterious Realm, nor stripped of his corporeal body, spiritual energy, or remnant soul; he was simply taken elsewhere by him.

But where exactly? Taixu's brow furrowed in contemplation.

...

Elsewhere.

The Secular Bird Queen and Asa, fresh from victory, exchanged brief pleasantries before their battle erupted anew.

Yu Yuan, caught in a whirlwind, noticed the queen's Azure Bird form dive into the midst of numerous bubbles.

Each bubble, seemingly a vibrant, toxic domain, burst at the touch of her razor-sharp wings.

The venomous cosmic order and thick mists concealed within the bubbles seemed to have little effect on the empress.

In an instant, the area was engulfed by dense, blood-red miasma, and within that murky zone, the graceful figure of the secular bird and the dark-brown serpent engaged in close-quarters combat.

Blood and cosmic order splattered in a violent display!

At that moment, Yu Yuan sensed the young beast's excitement and joy.

The battle it had been anticipating was unfolding just as it had imagined: a fierce clash between the Secular Bird Queen and the Chaos Serpent, a close-quarters combat where flesh and blood met in brutal impact.

What it truly desired was to witness these two ancient beings of its kin, locked in a deadly struggle, demonstrating the cosmic order they had mastered while their blood flew in all directions.

From this conflict, it could seize the power it so craved.

Yet, its frenzy was short-lived.

Yu Yuan, positioned on the Dragon Slaying Stage, felt a sudden surge in his perceptual abilities, as if granted the authority to peer into the fray.

He saw the Abyssal Greater Basilisk, now a towering giant beast, with Jessica standing upon its back, flanked by two ninth-level warriors of the Silverscale Tribe and an enigmatic Shadowkin elder.

The Shadowkin elder, dispatched by the Origin Deity, gestured continuously, directing the great lizard.

Already familiar with the area due to her collaboration with the Chaos Serpent in ambushing the Queen at Phoenix Ashes, she knew the Ashlands' location and became the guide.

The Abyssal Greater Basilisk, intent on its path, traversed the cosmos with its massive form, covering thousands of miles in a blink.

A complex torrent of cosmic energy flowed into its body like a tide, endlessly supplying it with strength.

So focused was it on the trek that not even the young beast could sever the cosmic energy's pull from this realm.

It howled its concerns.

Yu Yuan quickly grasped its fears: it was anxious that once the Secular Bird Queen and the Chaos Serpent settled their score, the prize it sought would be snatched away by the Abyssal Greater Basilisk.

It also relayed to Yu Yuan that the Abyssal Greater Basilisk had learned to harness a portion of the Abyssal power through the Origin Deity, allowing it to evade the hidden rules within the Ashlands.

"Do you want me to block the Abyssal Greater Basilisk for you?"

Yu Yuan's inquiry was met with an immediate response, just as he had predicted.

"You're asking for too much. Not only the Phoenix Ashes and the newly sprouted Divine Tree, but you also covet the demise of both the Secular Bird and the Chaos Serpent in the Ashlands. Perhaps you even wish for the Abyssal Greater Basilisk and the Chaos Serpent to perish there as well."

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. It's not so simple to use all the giant beasts for your growth."

The young beast fell silent.

After a long pause, it whimpered again, sending a message filled with panic.

It feared the alliance between the Dark Phoenix and another young beast. It dreaded the Dark Phoenix obtaining Primal Blood in the Dark Star domain and was terrified that the young beast raised by Taishi would surpass it due to the Dark Phoenix's influence.

Ultimately, only one of them, it or its blood kin, could survive to reach the pinnacle and stand alongside their father.

It refused to become a mere stepping stone for its kin.

"You've already reached the Ashlands. You're growing faster than it, and you have me!" Yu Yuan reassured, his brow still knitted in concern. "Once I forge a divine seat, the Dark Phoenix will pose no threat. And as for your kin, without the favor of Primal Blood, he stands little chance against you."

He attempted to persuade the young beast not to covet all the advantages the Ashlands offered.

The young beast fell silent once more, its thoughts unclear as it retreated into a hidden place within the Ashlands.

The connection between Yu Yuan and the young beast was severed again.

Could it be upset?

Yu Yuan pondered for a moment, then noticed the wind enveloping him was also fading away.

Ready to confront the turmoil stirred by the Chaos Serpent, he sensed with a grave expression that the battle between the Secular Bird Queen and the Chaos Serpent had intensified. All the Chaos Serpent's power was now concentrated on the Queen, leaving it unable to spread its influence further.

The power of ruin he felt had become faint, easily withstood by his own strength.

"Is it... you?"

At that moment, a timid consciousness emerged from the tender green of the reborn divine tree.

After tens of thousands of years, the Uxthar Tree, fresh and uncorrupted, had revived. Memories buried deep within its roots resurfaced, recalling the distant past.

Moreover, it slowly came to the realization that Yu Yuan, standing upon the Dragon Slaying Stage, was none other than the Taiyin God-King of old.

After being relentlessly pursued and left with no other choice, it sought refuge in the Maw of Oblivion, a stronghold of the Boulderdawn.

​