C1880 But It Was Nothing More than That!
"Very good."
Han Miaoyuan offered a faint smile, then suddenly hoisted the Banner of Duality aloft. Three streams of pure spiritual energy cascaded toward the Ape like a shimmering silver waterfall.
Within the depths of the radiant spiritual energy lay a miraculous power that nurtured life, threading into the Ape's chest like a slender python.
The Ape paused in its agitation, its Demonic Eyes suddenly ablaze with an unusual brilliance. With uncertainty, it voiced, "Have I just had my life extended?"
"Extended life?"
Zu Ann, Mo Baichuan, and the others wore peculiar looks on their faces.
Evilkind did not possess eternal life. Even a Dark Deity such as the Kylin had its day of demise.
This was a perennial thorn in the side of evilkind!
Han Miaoyuan gave a slight nod and explained, "The underground will of the Everlands has always been in pursuit of the essence of life and vital energy. The Dark Phoenix was one of its quests for knowledge. Regrettably, the Dark Phoenix chose poorly, seeking to forge her own domain in the extraterrestrial Star River and to marshal the alien beasts in opposition to us."
He paused briefly before the human leader added, "The humans of the Everlands are blessed with immortality. Except for the Dark Phoenix, all of you are bound to the destiny of death."
"But..."
Han Miaoyuan's face flushed with excitement as he rallied the Ape, "If Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit Body is willing to venture into the depths of the Everlands and make close contact with its essence, it can alter everything and fundamentally resolve many challenges!"
"This includes the immortality of evilkind!"
He had brandished a threat, and now he dangled a promise.
Han Miaoyuan, bearer of the Will of Everlands' standard, had managed to sway the Ape, which harbored resentment toward Boulderdawn, to his side.
"After the Dark Phoenix's demise, you shall lead all of Everlands' surviving evilkind. And for those lost in the Marsh, it can assist in the rebirth of your progeny."
Han Miaoyuan laid out an offer that the Ape couldn't possibly reject.
Immortality, leadership of the Everlands' evilkind, the rebirth of its lineage!
How could he say no?
"Agreed!"
The Ape, without a trace of doubt, revealed a malevolent grin, nodding as it declared, "I don't trust you, Han Miaoyuan, but I trust my own instincts, and I trust... the intelligent Will of Everlands!"
"That's correct."
After resolving the issue with the Ape, Han Miaoyuan turned to Zu Ann with a smile, "Your situation is similar to his. Without your origin, you'll die, so consider your next move carefully."
Zu Ann became silent.
"And you," Han Miaoyuan said, turning his attention to Mo Baichuan with a light chuckle. "At the last Supreme Assembly, I had no intention of sacrificing Yuwen Hao. My target was the Kylin. But as you're aware, the Dark Phoenix unexpectedly struck the Sunlit Order. Subsequently, I had no choice..."
"The Earthfire that resonates with you is also part of the Will of Everlands, something you must be able to sense."
"What we must address now is the crazed Dark Phoenix, who threatens to ruin the foundation of all life in the Everlands. You know which side you should be on, correct?"
Mo Baichuan also fell silent.
He indeed had an inkling, a clear recognition that the Earthfire would forever align with the Will of Everlands. And as the Will of Everlands stirred, the Earthfire began to respond in kind.
Mo Baichuan even believed that his fortunate fusion with the Fireheart Mountains and the Earthfire's favor were because he was determined to see the Dark Phoenix die.
His deep-seated hatred for the Dark Phoenix was also what led him to his divine status.
Han Miaoyuan's gaze then shifted to the two Dragon Gods. "What about you two? The Nagas have ascended to Dragon Gods, indistinguishable from the Dark Deity of the Everlands, and they too are fated to perish."
Zhong Chichen, the Seven-Colored Dragon, wore a grim expression and interjected, "Was there a hidden hand in the downfall of the Nagas?"
Han Miaoyuan paused, quickly grasping Zhong Chichen's query about the involvement of the Will of Everlands in the Nagas' demise.
"You should be asking him, not me," Han Miaoyuan directed, looking towards Yu Yuan.
The two Dragon Gods immediately turned their gaze to Yu Yuan.
With a whoosh, the Dragon Slaying Stage, now doubled in size, caught the fragments of Ji Ningshuang's shattered Solar Spirit, separating her from the supreme entity of the Everlands.
At the threshold of the Ashlands, in the presence of the supreme beings, Yu Yuan gripped Ji Ningshuang's icy left hand, his eyes cutting like cold steel, and declared, "Now that everything's out in the open, Han Miaoyuan, since you've laid all bare, there's no need for me to conceal anything any longer."
"Let this be a warning to all of you: if you choose to defy my edict and enter the Ashlands, be prepared to face the consequences." His gaze swept over Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, the silent Zu Ann, and Mo Baichuan, finally resting on Ape. "Stay out, don't push me!" With those words, he intended to take Ji Ningshuang back to the Ashlands.
Zu Ann and Mo Baichuan remained silent, clearly stunned by Han Miaoyuan's declaration, struggling to organize their thoughts and unable to make a swift decision.
Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie seemed hesitant to speak.
Untamed, however, chuckled darkly.
"Yu Yuan, I'll continue to address you as such since you haven't fully awakened. The Ashlands cannot shield her," Han Miaoyuan stated in a low, earnest tone. "No matter where in the world, when the Will of the Deep decides to reclaim its essence, resistance is futile."
"Wasn't the Dark Phoenix successful?" Yu Yuan retorted with a sneer.
Han Miaoyuan's expression grew grim. "She was an anomaly! And yet, she too will meet her end, a definitive end."
"That remains to be seen!"
A heartbreaking crack echoed from Ji Ningshuang's forehead, startling everyone present.
All eyes immediately focused on her, observing her every action.
Han Miaoyuan was taken aback, frowning and shaking his head. "This is wrong. I haven't been given any directives; I've received no signals whatsoever!"
He waved the Banner of Duality, attempting to make contact and seek verification.
"You!"
Han Miaoyuan was visibly shaken. Upon looking at Ji Ningshuang once more, he was at a loss for words.
With a sorrowful smile, Ji Ningshuang touched her forehead and addressed the visibly upset Han Miaoyuan, "Mr. Han, as of today, I am indebted to neither you nor the Sect Master."
A surge of energy, brimming with the essence of Origins, burst forth from the crown of her head and vanished in an instant.
Another portion of the Origin had returned to the Everlands!
"The Supreme God seat, which you and the Sect Master fought to secure for me, I hereby relinquish back to you."
Ji Ningshuang's cultivation realm began to plummet dramatically. She had been at the Unbound Realm, possessing the Solar Spirit. But with the Solar Spirit shattered, she tumbled from the lofty heights of the Primordial Spirit in the Everlands down to barely stopping at the Spirit Walk Realm.
Like Kaiya, she had chosen to shatter her own divine seat to escape the servitude of the Will of Everlands, freeing Yu Yuan from being threatened by Han Miaoyuan on her account.
"Silly girl, why did you have to do this?!" Yu Yuan, unable to focus on anything else, pulled her into his arms and exclaimed with eyes brimming with tears, "You shouldn't have shattered your divine seat. I wanted to challenge the Will of Everlands right here in my domain within the Ashlands! If the Dark Phoenix can withstand it, perhaps I could too. Maybe you could have retained your divine seat!"
"Don't be sad. I'm still alive. I haven't died." Ji Ningshuang's hand, pale as jade, tenderly caressed his face. Seeing his anguished expression, a hint of sweetness welled up in her heart, devoid of the despair and loss one might expect from relinquishing her divine seat.
The "Ice Sword," known for her lack of smiles over the years, now wore a rare, gentle smile on her stunning face.
"I've tasted what it's like to be a supreme primordial spirit. It doesn't compare to the depth of your love, nor to how you look right now."
She eased Yu Yuan back, standing aloof like an ice flower forged from a sheer snowy peak, her demeanor cold and majestic, scorning all the world's rare treasures.
She had resolutely forsaken the Supreme God seat, the ultimate pursuit of the Way of Heaven, coveted by countless others.
"The primordial spirit, even at its highest, is just that," she said with an easy laugh, her divine seat shattered and her essence lost. Her realm had plummeted from the Primordial Spirit to the Spirit Walk, yet her beauty remained unchanged, as breathtaking and defiant as ever.
She had simply lost a great deal of power in a brief span. Without the Solar Spirit, much of the spiritual energy in the Golden Sanctum had dissipated, and the Ice Shard in her sea of consciousness was gone.
But she was still young, her life far from its twilight. And so, she lived on.
In that instant, the icy indifference from the far-off Primal Blood Continent, which had abruptly turned cold towards her, seemed to stir and once again extended an olive branch in her direction.
