C1906 He Overturned His Knowledge

Yu Yuan was in a daze.

The insightful words of Jihui, along with the realities he had witnessed, completely shattered his perception of the Abyss.

So this was the true nature of the Abyss!

Humans were actually alien life forms, and it was the Abyss that was their true homeland. The so-called rare treasure that eroded the Primal Soul of the Everlands was, in fact, the foundation of human splendor.

Then...

Did that mean the Project New Everlands he had conceived in this lifetime was in direct opposition to his own roots?

Was his intent to sever ties with the Everlands and rid himself of the corrupted Primal Soul tantamount to betrayal?

Betraying the very creators who had shaped him?

Yu Yuan couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.

Jihui's revelations had suddenly cast him as the arch-villain, the greatest sinner and heretic among the Everlands' humans.

His endeavors, his desperate attempts to escape the Everlands, seemed to be an effort to obliterate the very origins of humanity!

He had become the epitome of malevolence!

"Difficult to accept, isn't it? I was just as astounded as you when I first discovered that humans lived at the very bottom of the Abyss. The more I learned, the closer I got to the truth, the more I struggled to come to terms with it," Jihui said, his handsome face etched with a wry smile as he gazed upon Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit on the seventh level of the Abyss.

"It took me an incredibly long time to adjust my mindset. However, just when I was ready to do something for our kin in the Abyss, to make some sacrifice, the Origin Deity confined me."

With a resigned sigh, Jihui lamented, "Had Bertain not inflicted such severe damage upon him, I would never have escaped that confinement, nor would I have gained control over the Origin Realm."

"And there's more..."

Jihui's smile broadened slightly.

"It was while I was fusing the residual soul of the Origin Deity in the Fireheart Mountains that I first encountered its will. It was then that it became aware of my intentions, knew that I sought a future for the Abyss's humans, a chance for them to ascend to new heights once more. In that instant, I knew I had earned its approval."

"Its validation of me even surpassed that of Han Miaoyuan; it endorsed my vision and my actions."

"Sir, it is the progenitor of our race, having already influenced the Primal Soul. If you return to the depths of the Everlands and present yourself before it, your Solar Spirit Body will unlock the secrets of the Primal Blood."

"When it influences the Primal Soul, it will also influence the Primal Blood..."

"In that world, our Human Race from the Everlands will flourish in every corner. We will be able to dominate all the races of the world just as we once did in the Abyss!"

"Having discovered the truth, you will also regain its recognition. You will be our new king."

Jihui offered his respects with a hint of reverence.

Yet, Yu Yuan remained silent.

In a world enveloped by darkness, thousands of ferocious and savage creatures of the Abyss engaged in endless slaughter, tearing and devouring each other to evolve.

This was merely the tip of the iceberg for the sixty-four lower worlds.

Many creatures of the Abyss grew their strength through such brutal evolution, striving to ascend to the higher levels and compete with the Abyssal warriors for resources.

Layer by layer, many of the so-called Evil Gods who now stand at the pinnacle of the Abyss started from the very bottom.

Intelligent life, or the human race, once held a lofty status, but now they have been relegated to the lowest depths of the Abyss.

When Jihui's soul descended into the Abyss, he did not choose one of the inherently fierce creatures. Whether through reincarnation or some form of refinement, he chose the weakest of the human bodies.

His soul remained powerful, but this human body, lacking the enhancement of the primal source, was initially just an ordinary mortal.

It was the arrival of the primal source that sparked the transformation of his body, enabling him to evolve rapidly.

Clearly, his intention was to elevate the humans currently at the bottom of the Abyss to ascend once again to the first level, just like their ancient ancestors.

To stand as high as the heavens.

His ambition and grand vision were predicated on the shattering of the Abyssal Gate, with more and more human warriors entering the Abyss.

However, this clearly contradicted his original principles.

Yu Yuan weighed his thoughts, unable to provide an answer.

"My lord, actually, before you asked for its removal, I intended to guide the champions of the Everlands to journey through the Abyss in spirit," Jihui said with a light chuckle, explaining further, "I am of human origin, unlike the Origin Deity. What I desire is for the human race to thrive and not diminish. Do you understand?"

Yu Yuan, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "There's something amiss here."

"What?" Jihui exclaimed in surprise.

Yu Yuan, now a Lunar Spirit, gestured to his forehead with his spirited hand and explained, "Boulderdawn was destroyed because I sought to create the New Everlands. They said it was because I wanted to break free from it."

"Han Miaoyuan was the first to gain its favor, and possibly the Dark Phoenix too. Together, they plotted to topple my order."

After a brief pause, Yu Yuan continued, "By all logic, I was the first to earn the Primal Soul's favor, following Bertain as the one who unraveled the full mystery of the Primal Soul. So why couldn't it communicate with me as it did with you? If it had, why would I still be determined to implement Project New Everlands?"

This was a puzzle that Yu Yuan couldn't solve.

At that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to rush back to the Wraithlands and have Wagner or Matina help him recover all his memories.

He was desperate to find out if the will of the Everlands had ever revealed the truth to him during the zenith of Boulderdawn's power.

If the truth had been disclosed, there had to be a compelling reason for his persistence with the New Everlands!

"Perhaps..." Jihui pondered deeply before offering, "My theory is that, in that era, its influence over the Primal Soul wasn't strong enough. You were endowed with Mind Magic by the Primal Soul, which you revered as both your benefactor and creator. Meanwhile, it, which was slowly influencing the Primal Soul, was seen by you as a source of corruption."

"Back then, the Origin Deity, having been struck a direct blow by you, was in hiding and recovery."

"It was powerless to take you into the Abyss to witness its reality."

"Being unable to venture into the Abyss, unable to see the humans at its deepest levels, you wouldn't believe anything it said. You would only trust that the Abyss's malevolent entities had tainted the Primal Soul, which you believed was the essence of your being."

"Therefore, all your actions were in defiance of it, in opposition to your true creator."

Jihui's face was etched with regret.

Suddenly, a colossal object, reminiscent of a star-filled cosmos, plummeted from the sixth level of the Abyss, homing in on the land where Jihui and Yu Yuan stood.

It approached swiftly.

On the seventh level of the Abyss, every creature trembled with unease.

"Soulreaver!"

"Lord Grimes!"

In the human village, many elders had already commanded everyone to kneel and bow their heads in reverence to the newcomer.

Even the mindless Abyss creatures, driven only by their instinct to kill, ceased their battles.

As the massive entity moved, those deemed worthy were effortlessly slain, their souls extracted as if he were savoring a meal.

No creature on this level dared to resist, not even those being consumed.

His passage left the Abyssal world in hushed stillness.

Before long, he loomed above Jihui.

"Soulreaver, Grimes."

Yu Yuan took a brief look and noticed that this Abyssal Evil God's form was strikingly similar to when he was in the Origin Realm.

Grimes's entire form was akin to a vast tumor, oozing pus and sprouting pale green eyes that seemed to gaze upon others.

At this moment, his star-sized body emitted a foul, acrid smoke, as though he had just emerged from battle.

"Why have you come?" Jihui asked, his tone laced with dissatisfaction. He scrutinized the Abyssal Evil God and demanded, "Why has the majority of your soul suddenly retreated from the Origin Realm?"

Grimes's pale green eye flickered with hesitation upon seeing Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

With a tear, the star-sized tumor split open, and a figure emerged.

This being, with its peculiar form, bore little resemblance to most intelligent lifeforms.

A single eye, elongated limbs, and a body like a tumor, it radiated waves of soul energy so potent it seemed capable of effortlessly penetrating the minds of others.

"I discovered Bertain. When I went to investigate, he inflicted severe wounds upon me," the Evil God lamented from within his smaller body. "By the time I summoned other Evil Gods, Bertain had left with a mocking laugh, and suddenly, I could no longer locate him."

"Bertain!" Yu Yuan exclaimed with a hint of excitement.

He had ventured into the Abyss alongside Jihui, hoping to clarify Bertain's circumstances. To his surprise, he stumbled upon news of Bertain shortly after their arrival.

From what Grimes implied, Bertain remained an unresolved issue for the Abyss.

"Why does he stubbornly refuse to leave?!" Jihui grumbled irritably. "With all the Origin Gates scattered throughout the Abyss, someone of his caliber could easily use one to enter the Origin Realm and find a way back to his own world."

Yu Yuan's realization dawned on him; Bertain's predicament in the Abyss was far more optimistic than he had anticipated.

It wasn't that the Abyss's mightiest had dealt Bertain a crippling blow, confining him; rather, Bertain was eluding capture across the various strata of the Abyss, unscathed despite the Evil Gods' pursuit.

Bertain had the means to return but chose not to.

"He's spreading his teachings."

Grimes, with his peculiarly small frame and a face that seemed perpetually contorted in agony, spoke of Bertain's influence.

"In the lowermost regions of the Abyss, some intelligent life have mastered the Mind Magic he imparted. Those unable to harness the Abyss's power physically have found ways to fortify their souls."

"Moreover, he's shared these powerful soul-strengthening techniques with certain demon tribes, significantly enhancing their intelligence!"

"This accursed individual has disrupted our Abyssal order, and yet we are powerless against him."

Grimes' roar was filled with fury.

Some of the Abyssal beings on this land heard his cry. As they tried to discern his emotions, their souls were abruptly extinguished.

Yu Yuan wore a bemused expression.

Preaching, was he?

​