C1950 Dual Soul Symbiosis
The form of the ice phoenix was fleeting, gone in just a moment.
Whoosh!
With a violent eruption of flames, Alex's fire phoenix form blazed into existence once more.
"Heavenly Fire Divine Dao!"
His expansive fiery red wings, broad enough to eclipse the stars, scattered a shower of fire. The brilliant flames dragged nearby debris into a barrage of fiery meteors, hurtling toward the blood-red canopy behind Yu Yuan.
The meteor shower of flaming rocks concealed the potent blood of the Beast God, capable of world-ending destruction.
Each drop of this divine blood embodied a principle of fire magic from the Wasteland, a complete manifestation of the fire rule.
The intense flames had the power to melt the flesh of all creatures.
Filled with vital energy, the blood-colored veil formed by the Dragon Slaying Stage through timely transformations represented the gathering of blood.
Even originating from Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit, the veil struggled immensely to withstand such overwhelming flames.
In that moment, Yu Yuan was reminded of President Lyi's saying: True gold does not fear the crucible of fire.
The blood-colored curtain transformed once again, this time into violet gold divine iron, exuding a metallic chill and standing firm like an impenetrable wall in front of Yu Yuan's real body.
Streams of meteoric fire rained down like countless flaming arrows upon the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Whoosh!
The bloodline mysteries associated with Sunsilver materialized across the stage's surface, instantly invoking thousands of arcane spells to reinforce the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Despite this, the stage still bore numerous scorched marks, and some extraordinary flames managed to penetrate its robust defenses, seeping into the world within.
From the earth of the Dragon Slaying Stage emerged an abundance of cold fog, crystals, and icy peaks.
Stubbornly, the relentless flames, intent on annihilating all, were dispersed by the cold fog, crystals, and the rising icy edges, leaving the inner world of the stage unscathed.
"What a magical microcosm."
Alex was touched by the sight.
With each spark of flame that vanished from the Dragon Slaying Stage, a fragment of memory was returned.
This revealed to Alex a hidden realm within this unique stage, a place seemingly more complete in its cosmic order than the actual world.
The cold fog, crystals, and the fierce edges of the glaciers also harbored their own variant of ice magic.
These ice magic rules were unfamiliar to Alex in the Wasteland, where the sparse ice and snow had failed to cultivate a sufficient number of such rules. The Wasteland's unique environment had brought an early end to the Ice Age, and many of the once-powerful creatures of extreme cold had perished before Alex's time, preventing him from gathering more of the ice bloodline mysteries.
In the Dragon Slaying Stage, streams of icy secrets tantalized Alex, a phoenix adept in both ice and fire, with the potential for further empowerment. "You're someone who continually brings me pleasant surprises," he mused.
As flame meteors rained down, the graceful fire phoenix spread its wings and dove toward the Dragon Slaying Stage, becoming one with the fiery onslaught. Its intent was clear: to shatter the Stage's protective barrier, delve into its inner realms, incinerate the blood veils with endless flames, and harvest the beneficial ice secrets for itself. It was determined to demolish the Dragon Slaying Stage and seize the ice magic engraved within, to fortify its ice phoenix form.
Alex was acutely aware that his ice phoenix incarnation paled in comparison to his fire phoenix one, primarily due to the scarcity of ice magic he had collected.
"In the Everlands, intense flames encase the Primal Soul, preventing any being of flesh and blood from transcending. Apart from President Lyi, who has become entirely Sunsilver, only those proficient in Soul Power, like the Great Demon God Bertain, or my former self, can withstand it..." Yu Yuan's mind sparked with inspiration.
With a whoosh, enormous specters emerged from the depths of his brow, each a refined concentration of Soul Power. The Divine and Demonic Creation technique brought forth beings like the Dark Deity, Sky Fiend, Mirage of the Mind, Chaos Serpent, and the highest beings of various races, all manifesting in pure soul form.
These formidable figures, once feared across the Origin Realm, stepped out from the River of Time, their presence causing all beings to quake. Wrapped in shadow energy and Soul Power, they glided effortlessly through the barrage of flame meteors, forming a pure torrent of souls, impervious to fire.
The fire phoenix's divine flames had minimal effect on these entities, devoid of flesh and blood and existing purely as souls. Notably, the Mirage of the Mind and Chaos Serpent, conjured from Yu Yuan's Soul Power, exerted a profound influence on Alex.
Alex, amidst a barrage of flame meteors, came to a sudden halt. His wings, as if hands, cradled his vivid red head. With a piercing scream, he began to retreat. He experienced a soul-deep pain and disorientation, visions of long-sealed memories flashing before him.
As the Phoenix, master of both ice and fire, fled, it witnessed the spirited bodies of Dark Deities, Sky Fiends, and giant beasts overcoming the fiery sea, lunging towards its beast soul. In a frenzy, Alex's cries filled the air while he shifted forms.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The paths of the flame meteors, once aimed at the Dragon Slaying Stage, descended into disarray. The stage itself crossed with ease.
Yu Yuan, standing upon the violet-gold inkstone, seemed to peer into the very depths of Alex's soul. The spirited forms of Dark Deities, Sky Fiends, giant beasts, and Otherkin he had envisioned were extensions of his own soul. His Soul Power was sourced from the Demonic Vessel within the Wraithlands. He could see into Alex's beast soul, and then...
Yu Yuan paused, taken aback.
Deep within the Icefire Phoenix's soul, through the specter of the Giant Demon Beast he had infiltrated, he beheld an astonishing sight. A subtle phantom, its flame barely noticeable, seemed forever cloaked in shadow. This phantom was another graceful fire phoenix, hidden in the darkness, deliberately concealing itself, merely observing the unfolding phoenix imagery within the depths of Alex's soul.
It appeared to be another aspect of Alex's soul, forever in the shadows, watching over Alex's more visible soul with a gaze of painful love and acceptance, allowing it to act unrestrained, to display its power and beauty. It seemed nothing more than a ghostly shadow of Alex.
"Ice Splitting Technique!"
The soul of Alex, illuminated, transformed into a crystalline ice phoenix. Like an ice crystal shattering upon impact, countless ice spikes radiated outward in all directions. The Demon God, intent on crushing Alex's soul, was either forced to retreat or impaled and destroyed by the lethal ice spikes.
The ice energy had the power to shatter spirits.
As the fire dissipated, Alex resumed his ice phoenix form, his beast soul now an ice phoenix radiating a chilling presence.
"Twin Souls Symbiosis."
Yu Yuan didn't rush into action, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the Beast God before him, now in the form of an ice phoenix.
He was certain that the burning phantom he had glimpsed deep within Alex's soul was not the same entity as the current Alex.
That soul had watched Alex's ice phoenix form from the shadows with a gaze that one reserves for a child or a loved one.
It was not the look of someone seeing another version of themselves!
Perhaps this Alex had been born with two souls, the other remaining hidden, rarely revealing itself.
It had indulged Alex, entrusting him with its power and abilities for him to wield.
It was Alex's shadow, or perhaps... it was the true Alex.
Alex might not even be aware of its existence.
Crack!
The ice phoenix flexed its transformed wings and limbs, sending ice and light scattering. "Spirit Magic, you, as the spokesperson for Primal Blood, can wield such refined Spirit Magic," it said in disbelief.
As it spoke, it maintained its usual haughty demeanor, aware that if it reverted to its fire phoenix form, Yu Yuan would likely employ that peculiar Mind Magic once more, so it remained as an ice phoenix.
At that moment.
The Dragon Slaying Stage beneath Yu Yuan's feet responded to his will, morphing into a massive violet gold blade, swirling with the mysteries of the Secrets of Life.
He, who had been contemplating the Secrets of Life granted by the Primal Blood and unraveling the bloodline mysteries of the giant beast, felt inspired and found a solution.
The blood spell, unique to his current life as Yu Yuan, was executed with a sweep of the violet gold blade that the Dragon Slaying Stage had become.
The Life Blade!
The violet-gold blade, shimmering with colorful ripples, cleaved through the air towards Alex in his ice phoenix form.
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed through the void. Panot, looking down at the Dark Tower beneath his feet, showed a sudden expression of despair.
The Dark Tower's seal on the void of Aihoyari had been rendered ineffective by Yu Yuan's Life Blade.
Panot watched the immense violet-gold blade, thin as a cicada's wing, descend upon them. Within the translucent, gleaming blade, he saw intelligent life flickering in and out of existence, as if countless beings were undergoing cycles of life and death.
Panot was horrified to discover that within the belt he clutched tightly, the Life Seeds he had gathered were on the verge of separating.
With no other choice, he took the Dark Tower and fled desperately.
Alex, momentarily taken aback by the unfamiliar violet gold light blade, the Beast God from the Otherworld, folded his icy wings into a solid shield.
The massive violet gold blade descended with an unstoppable force.
For a brief instant, time seemed to pause. The strange power, born from the division of life forces, cleaved the ice and fire bloodlines within Alex's heart in two.
The intricate, invisible bloodline chains, once intertwined, now miraculously parted ways.
His beast heart, embodying the bloodline chains of ice and fire that once enwrapped his heart, was now shattered by Yu Yuan's Life Blade.
The unraveling of the bloodline chains triggered a domino effect, rendering his ice phoenix form momentarily vulnerable.
Crack!
Even his wings, the head of the phoenix, and the body of the phoenix were bisected by the Life Blade.
Alex was split into two entities.
From each half of Alex's heart, a surge of unusual life force emerged, and both halves transformed into fire phoenixes.
"Divine Flame Nirvana," a female voice echoed from within the two blazing halves of the fire phoenix.
Under Yu Yuan's watchful eye, the two halves of the fire phoenix began to shrink, their bloodlines reorganizing within the flames.
Before long, two slightly smaller, complete fire phoenixes emerged.
From one fire phoenix, streaks of bloodlight burst forth like flaming meteors, entering the body of the other phoenix.
The other phoenix's body released numerous crystalline ice streams that shot towards its counterpart like electricity.
It was a process of separation and exchange.
The two halves of Alex, once divided, became two distinct phoenixes.
One a fire phoenix, the other an ice phoenix.
The ice phoenix gazed blankly into the void, then turned to the burning fire phoenix opposite, seemingly unaware of what had transpired.
Whoosh!
The fire phoenix transformed in a flash into a captivating human woman. She regarded the ice phoenix with a complex expression, at a loss for words.
"You were once a part of me. How did we end up separated?"
Eventually, the ice phoenix seemed to come to a realization. Using its beast soul, it beckoned the fire phoenix to merge back into itself, seeking to restore its original form.
"Alex, my little brother, I truly wish we didn't have to meet like this."
The fire phoenix appeared somewhat helpless, its eyes brimming with affection as it lamented, "I had hoped to keep hiding, to spare you from ever learning the truth. Alas, this man named Yu Yuan has torn us apart, insisting that we reunite under these circumstances."
"My little brother, I beg you to forgive me."
