C1918 Genesis Continent
In the Abyss, the deepest layer lay beneath the sixty-four continents, shrouded in impenetrable darkness. This region was off-limits to most creatures of the Abyss.
For those who had not ascended to become Evil Gods, venturing to this nethermost level of the Abyss was futile. Their eyes could discern nothing in the pitch black, and their souls could detect no presence. To these denizens of the Abyss, the area was an eternal void, devoid of life and steeped in chilling desolation. It appeared to hold no value.
Yet, for the recognized Evil Gods who descended into this gloom, hidden things became visible. Amidst the profound darkness lay a vast continent, larger even than the luminous land of the first level. Its significance was known only to the Evil Gods.
It was here that Jihui found what he used to lure Tan Xiaotian. This land, shrouded in the darkest depths and accessible solely to Evil Gods, was named the Genesis Continent.
Upon this immense continent stood a towering palace, constructed over eons from the bones of deceased Evil Gods. It served as their final resting place, a graveyard for the fallen, and a sacred site where newly anointed Evil Gods were acknowledged.
Legend had it that only the ruler of the Abyss could wield the ultimate power granted by the Holy Temple, commanding the allegiance of all Evil Gods within the Abyss. This was the true Evil Temple, a place unseen by Yu Yuan.
Every Evil God who had journeyed to the Genesis Continent, having perished in the upper seven levels of the Abyss, would have their flesh consumed and their remains claimed by foes. Yet their skeletons, cast into the abyssal darkness, would ultimately settle here, becoming the very bricks and mortar of this grand edifice. Millennia of such contributions had rendered the palace ever more imposing.
Those who had risen to the rank of Evil God were also permitted to visit the Genesis Continent, to behold the grandeur of the palace and to absorb its power. They were acutely aware that upon their demise, their bones too would be integrated into its structure.
In a moment of stillness, within a column of obsidian in a corner of the true Evil Temple, a phantom emerged. It writhed as though catching a scent, struggling to break free.
"Let me out," it implored in a hushed cry from within the stone column.
Countless runes, resembling swarms of flies, emerged densely on the pillar. The sealing power from the Evil Temple rendered his screams faint and ineffectual.
"Be silent, Arthurs."
A deep voice echoed from an unknown corner of the hall.
"Your scheming in that world has failed, and the Origin Realm you crafted is now under Jihui's control. Your physical wounds are too severe for your soul to bear. My allowing you to cling to life within the Holy Temple is an act of immense mercy."
Arthurs, encased within the pillar, was once the revered Origin Deity.
His plan to erode the Ashlands with the "Maw of Oblivion," and to funnel the energy of numerous Astral Domains into his Abyssal form, had been thwarted.
The unexpected intrusion of Bertain had thrown a wrench into the works, causing his true Abyssal form to burst.
With his physical form grievously damaged, his soul was taken in by the Evil Temple and confined within a stone column.
"Arthurs, I am interested only in outcomes, not your justifications. The door remained intact not because of my assistance, but due to your overwhelming greed. You were well aware that our Abyssal kin were flourishing in the Everlands, yet you chose to conceal that fact."
"I understand that your people once dwelled in the shadow of humans and only grew in strength after leaving the Abyss."
"However, you failed to consider the bigger picture, and ultimately, you failed. Therefore, remain here."
The Evil Temple, situated in the Genesis Continent, suddenly unleashed its power. The guarder spoke solemnly, "Jihui has made a request, and I shall accommodate it."
The concealed power of the Evil Temple flowed through the open Origin Gate, channeling the essence of the Everlands into the Origin Realm.
Arthurs, who had words to share, ultimately remained silent.
...
The Holy Temple, reconstructed by Jihui from runes and bones, experienced a sudden surge of power!
The three God of Ghosts clutched their heads and howled in pain, while Kaiya's devil soul, transformed into flowers, withered abruptly. Yu Yuan watched the Holy Temple swiftly reassemble and sensed a force that twisted both soul and thought slowly descending from the dome.
This bizarre, frenzied, and chaotic power was unmistakably from the Abyss.
With this power's emergence, the three God of Ghosts and Kaiya, whom he intended to extract from the Origin Realm, found themselves in dire straits.
The Evil Gods suspended in the air ceased their assault on the three Gods of Ghosts and Kaiya with the emergence of the bone palace. They seemed convinced that the palace's appearance would resolve all issues, despite its lack of reality. Their near-obsessive faith and reverence for the palace cast a grave look upon Yu Yuan's face. He had not encountered such a palace in the Abyss, nor had he experienced such soul-stirring power. This indicated that Jihui had not revealed the full extent of the Abyss to him, and that a greater secret lay concealed, one his Lunar Spirit had not touched.
With a whoosh, the azure-black canopy, born of the Origin Realm, transformed into the dome of the Evil Temple. Acting as a conduit, it drew power from a location deep within the Abyss, then exerted its suppressive force over them in the Origin Realm.
"Sir, it was you who chose to stand against us," Jihui said with a sigh, his expression etched with resignation. "I've been waiting for you to decide. Once you realized that your place was alongside us, I intended to lead you to the Holy Temple. The temple has been without a master for far too long, with only the guardian remaining. You, I believe, are far better suited to wield its power than Tan Xiaotian."
Countless mystic runes coursed through the colossal bones, pulsing like blood and energy. Yu Yuan's spirited body, elevated to the status of a God of Ghosts by the Primal Vitality, was suddenly inundated with runes from the Evil Temple. In an instant, he envisioned myriad bizarre Evil Gods feasting upon his viscera.
Each rune appeared to carry the spiritual essence of a departed Evil God, along with the arcane secrets of their evil energy. As a newly ascended God of Ghosts, his spirit body's heightened sensitivity made the invasion of the evil energy within the runes all the more excruciating for his soul, a torment surpassing any physical pain.
Bit by bit, his Spirit of the Dead seemed to be torn asunder, transforming into strands of the blood-hued Levi River. Moreover, the runes from the Evil Temple fragmented these strands into disjointed segments. Abruptly, it was as though thousands of Yu Yuans were dispersed among the various segments of the Levi River.
His memories, his grasp of Mind Magic, his thoughts, and consciousness were all twisted and fragmented after being split apart. He was no longer the same person.
The mystic runes, charged with evil energy, slowly eroded his spiritual wisdom, drawing psychic force from his soul, intent on branding everything he carried onto the Holy Temple in the Abyss.
"That true Evil Temple in the Abyss has always been the vessel that contains it. It and the Evil Temple are one and the same. Now, it has reached the depths of the Everlands."
"I promised the guardian of the Evil Temple that I would ensure their reunion."
"It is for this reason that I have earned the guardian's recognition."
"Once it reunites with the Evil Temple, if a supreme being from the Abyss takes control, believe me, that being will be unstoppable."
Jihui murmured under his breath.
At that moment, neither Kaiya nor the God of Ghosts could hear his words within the Holy Temple.
The Evil Gods suspended high within the Holy Temple gazed upon it, sensing the familiar aura emanating from within, and their faces showed awe.
These Evil Gods had all once descended upon the Genesis Continent and had been received by the guardian. They understood the extraordinary significance of this Holy Temple to the Abyss.
"Splitting, reuniting, all are aspects of my soul."
Numerous Soul Voices echoed from the blood-yellow streams.
Millions of Yu Yuan, transformed into ethereal spirited bodies, clashed with the remnants left by the Evil Gods, unraveling their arcane.
Moments later, Yu Yuan reassembled, seemingly unscathed.
"This was your skill in the past."
Jihui, astonished, watched Yu Yuan wield the Spirit of the Dead to perform his former Soul Divine Technique. "Sir, have your memories returned?"
"I could restore my memories at any time; I simply chose not to."
Yu Yuan shook his head gently, looking down at the massive skeletal remains hanging from the darkened firmament like piercing blades. "All I need to do is destroy your Origin Gate, preventing the power of the Abyss from reaching here, and this palace will cease to exist."
