C1720 The Appearance of the Evil Demons
"Taiyin, why have you only just arrived?"
A whisper emerged from the depths of the Earthfire, effortlessly bypassing the Serpentflame's seal to manifest within Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.
Yu Yuan's face turned pale with shock.
As the voice echoed, he was reminded of a gaunt phantom.
The Origin Deity!
The very Origin Deity, who should have recalled all soul fragments to the Abyss due to the Demon God Bertain's incursion, had somehow managed to conceal a soul within the vastness of the Everlands!
And not just anywhere in the Everlands, but deep within the Earthfire! How could this be?
President Lyi!
In a mere moment, Yu Yuan realized that since President Lyi had been rescued by the Origin Deity and pulled into the Maw of Oblivion to Eiwrone, the Origin Deity must have learned of President Lyi's intentions through their interactions.
His hidden soul had long been nestled within President Lyi's extraordinary body.
Before the Demon God Bertain made his appearance, President Lyi was returned to the Everlands by Zhong Chichen, plummeting into the earth's depths.
His distinctive Sunsilver Body enabled him to endure the scorching Earthfire, serving as a protective shell for the Origin Deity's soul.
Only the most potent of flames, unreachable by mere flesh, could be withstood by a sufficiently powerful soul.
Yu Yuan was aware that the only ones who could endure the Earthfire's blaze with their soul were the Demon God Bertain, who had the favor of the Primal Soul, and himself, also graced by the Primal Soul.
It was all a matter of soul strength!
The Origin Deity, adept in soul and space magic, had an exceptional understanding of the soul.
He also had the advantage of President Lyi's Sunsilver Body, which shielded him from some of the earthfire's intensity, allowing him to bear it more easily.
Thus, his soul remained with President Lyi, hidden beneath the surface of the Everlands.
What was his endgame?
"Bertain has departed, and you have not yet ascended to the highest rank. Hence, there is no other spirited body in your world strong enough to delve into the Earthfire. And a flesh and blood body? That's even less likely."
"Without access to this place, you're powerless against me; you cannot extract my soul. Meanwhile, I can gradually attune myself, feeling ever closer to the Primal Soul."
The soul residing within President Lyi's body appeared to be smiling contentedly, seemingly unafraid of exposing his presence.
"This Mo Baichuan fellow aims to ascend to godhood through the Path of Earthfire. I'm curious how much longer he needs to gather strength. His soul is currently too feeble to even communicate with me. In the Earthfire, I've had no one to converse with, so your arrival is quite comforting to me," the Origin Deity conveyed with a relaxed tone.
"Who? Who are you communicating with?"
Mo Baichuan sharply detected that Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was resonating with a remnant soul that had penetrated the furnace.
The furnace had descended, and not even the likes of Han Miaoyuan or those with the Lunar Meridian, the Most High, could infiltrate it with their soul remnants to overhear his conversation with Yu Yuan.
If the remnant soul couldn't reach him, then who could possibly communicate with Yu Yuan's soul? "President Lyi?"
The only individual Mo Baichuan could think of was the legendary president who had incinerated the peculiar Sunsilver Body just outside the Earthfire. "Have you made contact with him? He's become neither human nor ghost, filled with loathing for all living creatures. What could you possibly have to discuss with him?"
"It's the Origin Deity," Yu Yuan admitted with a wry smile.
"The Origin Deity!"
Mo Baichuan's face turned pale, and he, who had been seated for so long, abruptly stood up.
On the surface of the Serpentflame, flames refined swiftly, forming an eye-like shape in an instant. It aided him in scouring the fiery magma for any trace of a soul.
"He's taken shelter in President Lyi's body, much like Youqian once carried me. He traveled underground through President Lyi. When President Lyi returned to the Everlands, he used the Domain Channel of the Moonfall Sanctuary, not the Everlands' wall. At that time, everyone was fixated on the abrupt transformation of the Origin Gate and failed to notice the soul fragment hidden within President Lyi's body," Yu Yuan explained with a sigh.
Back then, the Everlands' most formidable experts were all closely monitoring the developments within the Skyreach Peak, fearing that the twisted Origin Gate might consume all the spiritual energy of the Everlands.
By the time President Lyi was discovered, he had already plummeted into the depths of the earth, unaware that there was something else within him.
"Even President Lyi was in the dark. My soul has evaded detection by all, including him. Otherwise, I fear that if my presence within his soul were known, the Root of the Lunar Meridian would sense it. They would have come to eliminate me before President Lyi's fall," the Origin Deity explained with a hint of pride.
"So, may I ask why you went to such lengths to hide within President Lyi and journey to the depths of the Everlands?" Yu Yuan inquired.
"Taiyin, do you recall what I told you? Deep within your Everlands, the Primal Soul has undergone a transformation! It can forge the very essence that allows the beings of your Everlands to ascend to divinity. It's not just the death of the Titan Spinosaurus that scattered numerous rules."
"It was that Titan Spinosaurus! It was he who plundered our cherished Abyssal Treasure!"
"Our world's treasure, integrated into the heart of the giant beast, fell into the Everlands' core upon its death, allowing the Primal Soul to claim it."
"The Primal Soul thus transformed, gaining the ability to condense the essence needed to craft a divine throne, giving rise to the Everlands' magnificent civilization."
"But that treasure, originally from the Abyss, was stolen by the Titan Spinosaurus!"
"Why shouldn't I seek to enter, to connect with the altered Primal Soul, to reclaim what is rightfully ours?" challenged the Origin Deity.
He repeatedly referred to Taiyin, but Mo Baichuan was unable to hear, only able to observe the occasional surge of a soul wave within Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.
Each soul wave was a cry from the Origin Deity's Soul Voice, audible solely to Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan was visibly shaken.
The enigmatic civilization of the Everlands and the altered state of the Primal Soul, which led to the so-called essence of the Divine Throne, were actually due to the influence of the Abyssal Treasure?
The Old Titan's death, along with the Titan Spinosaurus in the Everlands, caused this supposed Abyssal Treasure to descend to where the Primal Soul resided, sparking a miraculous transformation within it.
In the aftermath of the battle between the Demon God Bertain and the Old Titan Spinosaurus, Bertain had retreated to the sanctuary crafted for him by the Sky Fiend.
While Bertain was healing, the Everlands began their ascent, marked by the emergence of the Nagas and the rise of the Dark Phoenix.
"What treasure?"
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit shimmered with a soft glow, and he had a hunch that the Origin Deity's words were likely the truth, not mere fabrications.
"I didn't tell you before, and I won't tell you now. All I can say is that once I make contact with the Primal Soul and claim and refine the Abyssal Treasure, Bertain's end will come."
The Origin Deity, merely a soul fragment, was ensconced within the Earthfire and President Lyi's body, yet he exuded such arrogance, as if untouchable by anyone.
Yu Yuan found his smugness irksome, but it seemed he was indeed powerless against him.
"I appreciate your willingness to communicate with me. I'll seek you out again."
After a moment, Yu Yuan ceased his dialogue with the Origin Deity and gave Mo Baichuan a nod, signaling him to return the Forge of the Sun to the surface.
Mo Baichuan complied, his demeanor grave.
As the furnace emerged from the magma pool, Yu Yuan caught sight of Youqian and, at that instant, heard Yu Yiyi's inner voice.
——The Thunder Sect's cultivators have begun their siege on the Terror Claws!
"My true self will come bearing my sword."