C1907 Bertain Who Used to Call Himself a God

The Demon God Bertain, who had been the mentor for two lifetimes in the Everlands, seemed to have a penchant for imparting knowledge. Was he truly fond of passing on his teachings?

Bertain himself had crafted the cultivation system for the humans of the Everlands, personally shaping and refining it. Now, was he intending to replicate this system in the Abyss?

Teaching the creatures of the Abyss to cultivate their souls—what advantage would that offer him? Yu Yuan was perplexed and chose to wait in silence for Jihui and Grimes to shed light on the matter.

The Abyss was shrouded in mystery, and the current state of humanity was far from ideal. Yet, Yu Yuan wasn't entirely convinced by Jihui's claims and resolved to uncover a deeper truth on his own.

The lowest levels of the Abyss, untouched by light, bore a striking resemblance to the Dark Realm. But beneath these sixty-four lands, what lay hidden in the even purer darkness below? Could it be the Origin of Darkness?

A mysterious and ancient scent seemed to waft up from the depths, suggesting to Yu Yuan that the seven levels of the Abyss he had seen might not represent its full extent.

He was eager to encounter Bertain within the Abyss and hear his perspective on this enigmatic place.

"What? A technique for cultivating the soul?" Jihui was visibly flustered, his meticulous plans disrupted. He turned to Grimes anxiously, "Do you know what kind of technique it is?"

Goo! Goo! Goo!

From within Grimes's massive, tumor-ridden body, he regurgitated "books" crafted from old tree bark and animal hides.

These books, covered in a foul-smelling ooze, floated towards Jihui. With a grimace, Jihui tore off his ragged clothing to wrap his hands, clearly repulsed by the sticky residue on the books.

He gingerly picked up one of the books with his cloth-covered hand and began to leaf through it, while the rest lay scattered at his feet.

After just a glance, Jihui's face contorted with disgust as he spat out, "Damn that big devil!"

Yu Yuan, in his soul form, floated closer, observing the "book" that Jihui was scrutinizing.

The script on the bark and hide-bound books was unmistakably in the human tongue. Before the Abyssal Treasure had been lost, humans were the de facto rulers of the Abyss, and all intelligent Abyssal species were required to learn the human language and script.

The human language had become the universal tongue of the Abyss. The Demon God Bertain crafted books in this language and dispersed them throughout the various strata of the Abyss, entrusting them to those he deemed worthy of cultivation.

But it wasn't limited to humans alone! In addition to humans, various Abyssal demon races, including some of the weaker and less popular ones, could also utilize the cultivation methods described in these books to fortify their souls. The human language was familiar to all the races of the Abyss, facilitating easy dissemination.

It might not be long before the Soul Refining Method that Bertain had scattered far and wide became common knowledge. "Many demons, as well as numerous intelligent beings, have already benefited from this, cultivating as if they've discovered an Abyssal Treasure," they said.

The tiny being inside Grimes groaned in agony, "Why do I get the feeling that Bertain vanished for a while to compose a cultivation method? He tailored different cultivation methods to the unique traits of the Abyssal races and carelessly tossed them across its various levels."

Initially, these cultivation methods that seemed to fall from the heavens were ignored. But now, the situation has changed. Many Abyssal Tribes struggling on the lower levels, desperate for a means to empower themselves, found success when they attempted to cultivate.

Grimes was deeply concerned. In the Abyss, the majority of the races relied on their physical bodies for strength, with very few capable of cultivating their souls. The pervasive power within the Abyss also held the potential to temper the mind and soul, yet only a handful of tribes could tap into this power to enhance their souls.

The cultivation methods Bertain had carelessly spread were focused on purifying the soul. Wasn't this competing for resources with him?

"This is intriguing," Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit mused as he and Jihui perused the books, quickly grasping the cultivation methods devised for the various Abyssal Tribes. All were derived from the Primal Soul! He even sensed that the Abyssal races practicing these techniques might undergo a metamorphosis once their souls reached their zenith, similar to how a human's dominant soul could evolve into a primordial spirit upon attaining the ultimate pinnacle—becoming a Primal Demon.

"Grimes, you might as well ascend to the heavens, or at least to the base of the Abyssal Gate," Jihui said, his face shadowed with concern. He clearly had matters to discuss with Yu Yuan, away from the ears of the Abyss's Evil God.

"Alright."

The grotesque mass, dripping with viscous pus, housed a small being who cast a resentful glance at Yu Yuan with its pale green eyes before reluctantly departing.

"The body you have in the heavens has endured much suffering and instilled great fear in him," Jihui couldn't help but explain.

Grimes was the leader of the Evil Gods who had stormed the Abyssal Gate, a fact he had shared with Yu Yuan back in the Origin Realm.

"Sir, despite his hideous appearance, he actually... hopes to witness the revival of intelligent life by an Evil God."

Jihui paused briefly, then continued, "His lineage and his entire race achieved glory solely through the intelligent life in the Abyss. His people and ancestors were once devoted servants to intelligent life. He is among the rare few in the Abyss that I have managed to persuade."

Yu Yuan responded with a nonchalant "Oh."

"Bertain is truly malicious and despicable!" Jihui declared vehemently.

"What do you mean?" Yu Yuan's interest was piqued.

"Sir..."

In the depths of the Abyss, Jihui inhaled sharply and proclaimed, "Back in the Everlands, he manipulated the human race's cultivation system, transforming the dominant soul into the primordial spirit, also known as the Primal Demon. He aggressively pushed the human race towards becoming Sky Fiends, and he nearly succeeded, if not for the primal source."

Yu Yuan's phantom wavered slightly.

He had suspected Jihui knew the truth, and now Jihui was finally confessing.

"Sir, the primal source is the bedrock of our race, the ace up our creator's sleeve!"

"Our creator bound the primal source with the divine seat, ensuring that every individual who ascended to the Most High had to integrate with the primal source to construct their divine seat."

"The primal source is both a shackle and the key to immense power; it's indispensable for the Most High in the Everlands!"

"It was by separating from the primal source that we managed to gain an advantage in the struggle against the Primal Soul, preventing Bertain's triumph."

"But now..."

Anxiety etched Jihui's face as he seemed to believe that Yu Yuan, now aware of the humans' origins in the Everlands and having seen the dire straits of the Abyss's people, would join him in battle.

So he disclosed the stark reality: "The conflict between it and the Primal Soul has not yet been won; the war wages on!"

In the world of our birth, the strength of the Sky Fiend race, which is intimately connected to the Primal Soul, directly influences the power of the Primal Soul. Bertain is currently in the Abyss, sharing the methods of soul cultivation with the intelligent life there, as well as with other Abyssal races.

"He aims to plant the Primal Soul's influence deep within the Abyss, harnessing the Abyssal races' power to bolster the Primal Soul!"

"He is the Primal Soul's most effective envoy and our most formidable foe and threat!"

Jihui was seething with anger.

Clearly, Jihui had come to regard the Abyss as his home, and he saw the Abyss's suffering humans as his kin.

The Demon God Bertain was causing chaos in the Abyss, spreading the ultimate cultivation methods that could empower the Primal Soul, which infuriated Jihui.

"We can't afford to delay any longer. We must act swiftly!"

With a whoosh, Jihui effortlessly drew forth Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit with his power.

Yu Yuan, still in the dark about the Abyss and having not yet encountered Bertain, soared from the deepest recesses of the Abyss toward the upper reaches.

"We must breach the Abyssal Gate without delay and allow more of the Everlands' humans to cross over. Zu Ann, Han Miaoyuan, and Qin Luo, bearers of the original essence, will enlighten the intelligent life of the Abyss. They will adopt the ancient Abyssal cultivation methods, relying on the corporeal body as the foundation for growth."

"Not the soul!"

Driven by Bertain's scheme, an impatient Jihui did not guide Yu Yuan through the various strata of the Abyss but instead brought him back to the Origin Gate.

"Sir, let's head back to the Origin Realm first. It seems you've already reached a decision."

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