C1954 Untamed

A dense demonic cloud billowed from Kaiya's specter form, shrouding the void where she and Yu Yuan stood.

Deep within the dark purple mists, lightning crackled and thunder roared. Slender bolts of purple lightning zipped through the air, seemingly capable of snuffing out thoughts and preventing their spread.

Kaiya's specter, identical in appearance to her real body, unusually betrayed a look of anxiety.

She cautioned Yu Yuan not to overthink and remained vigilant, fearing any information might slip through.

"Go!"

A flicker of purple magic power sparked from a fragment of Qin Yan's Solar Spirit, propelling the gemstone shard from where Kaiya and Yu Yuan conversed, sending it hurtling towards the Aihoyari Astral Domain.

Qin Yan's Solar Spirit had shattered, but her soul was intact, making it easier to reforge the Solar Spirit when the time came.

"It will know your thoughts."

Having completed these precautions, Kaiya breathed a slight sigh of relief and spoke gravely, "You are currently far from being able to shield your thoughts from detection. Not just you, I'm not quite there yet either. Hence, we must be cautious when speaking."

Yu Yuan's expression shifted subtly.

He had been pondering whether, if the fire phoenix from the Wasteland could potentially refine the Earthfire, then Tan Xiaotian might venture into the Abyss to assimilate the dark source.

Could he, then, refine the Primal Blood?

What about the Primal Soul and the Primal Vitality from the Wraithlands—could they be refined as well?

The Solar Spirit was linked to the Primal Blood, and his yet-to-be-ascended dominant soul was deeply connected to the Primal Soul. His Lunar Spirit had been favored by the Primal Vitality, receiving a portion of the Undead Lord's secrets.

Still, he was merely a piece in the game.

Even as the Lord of Ruin or the ancient spinosaurus, who had unraveled all the mysteries of the Origin Realm's blood and ascended to the eleventh level, he remained an emissary of the Primal Blood.

In harsher terms, a puppet.

"Lower forms of Primal Anima, like the Primal Vitality, may still be refined. But once entities like the Primal Blood and Primal Soul evolve to a significant degree, transcending the confines of a single world, they are no longer..."

Kaiya pondered, "Even my father hasn't found a way."

At her words, Yu Yuan felt a sudden stir within his mind.

The Great Demon God Bertain, aware of the true nature of the Primal Anima and having ascended to the eleventh level of power, must have contemplated the Primal Soul of the Everlands.

Yet, it appeared he was at a loss on how to proceed.

Being a Primal Anima, the Primal Soul, Primal Blood, and Primal Vitality far surpassed Earthfire and the bitterest cold.

While lower-level Primal Anima might be refined, no definitive method exists to refine those of a higher level.

"In essence, a cosmic order dictates that only after a Primal Anima has been nurtured can beings surpassing the eleventh level emerge. Primal Anima are not flesh-and-blood life forms; consider them an embodiment of cosmic order, yet with independent will. They are natural creations, the physical manifestation of the rule."

"Primal Anima exist to some extent in every world."

"A high-level Primal Anima can give rise to an eleventh level spokesperson. However, a lower-level Primal Anima doesn't seem to possess such capability. It requires fusion with a living creature to form an eleventh level being."

"It is as you suspect, refined by entities like the fire phoenix and Tan Xiaotian."

"As for the secrets of the Primal Anima, you should ask my father when he returns from the Abyss. Even I know very little."

While she spoke, the souls of the tenth level Tectonic Ripper God and White Ape had been utterly consumed by flames.

Kaiya's specter grew incredibly dense.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two additional specters suddenly emerged within the brains of the Tectonic Ripper God and White Ape, like twin orbs of demonic fire.

The deceased Tectonic Ripper God and White Ape began to stir sluggishly to life once more.

She employed the Star-Spawned Terror's arcane technique of devil soul possession!

First, she devoured the souls of the two Beast Gods, bolstering her own specter. Then, she dispatched two devil souls to inhabit the carcasses of the Beast Gods, seizing their remains.

"For now, let's set aside the topic of the Primal Anima."

Kaiya chuckled lightly, flanked by two towering Beast Gods. "Beast Gods make decent puppets. I could have refined them into my demonform. However..."

"They are the spoils of war from our Boulderdawn. Those dragons that willingly sacrificed their essence are in dire need of substantial vital energy. I'll consider it a gift and present them to Loong Jie and Zhong Chichen."

The two Beast Gods, one on each side, set off toward the Aihoyari Astral Domain.

"Driven by my devil soul, they will head to the Yellow Moon Nebula, home to the enchantress. Rebecca has, at my behest, constructed a Starway there. The inhabitants of the Stellar Oblivion will soon follow, seeking to comprehend the conflict that has erupted between Aihoyari and the Monsa Nebula."

The two deceased Beast Gods slowly drifted away.

A flamingo, not yet fully dead, became another vessel for Kaiya's potent devil soul.

Once her devil soul penetrated the ninth-level flamingo, it suddenly gained a pair of purple pupils.

"We should visit the Dark Phoenix's sanctuary. We'll see if more Beast Gods have arrived from the other barriers connecting to the Wasteland."

The flamingo spread its wings, ready to take flight.

Yu Yuan maneuvered the Dragon Slaying Stage to the broad expanse of the flamingo's wing, attempting to settle upon it.

With a rustle, the flamingo, now an extension of Kaiya, shook its wings and evaded the descent of Yu Yuan and the Dragon Slaying Stage. It spoke with dissatisfaction, "You have hands and feet. Just fly over with me."

Yu Yuan was taken aback, his face betraying his confusion.

"What? Did you think that because the flamingo isn't my real body, you could just land on it?" Kaiya huffed. "As long as my soul is present, it is me! I'm not your steed!"

In a swift motion, the flamingo darted away like an arrow.

...

The Brugeth Astral Domain lay in a state of lifeless silence.

This forsaken and desolate place, long ignored by all, was devoid of cosmic energy at its core.

On the periphery, the psionic power from neighboring Astral Domains began to slowly stretch back into the region.

Yet, to revert to their original state, to once again become celestial bodies, and for life to be conceived anew, it would require an unfathomable number of millennia.

Deep within the Brugeth Astral Domain, where there was an absence of light, sound, and wind, there existed a realm of pure void and silence.

The Untamed, puffing on his pipe, wore a somber expression as he awaited the inevitable embrace of death. He was acutely aware of his rapidly waning vitality and the gradual desiccation of his life force. His journey to Brugeth had been motivated by its proximity to Darkpinion. Yet, his final sliver of hope had been extinguished.

Time was running out. There was not enough time to make it to Darkpinion, not enough to meet the exalted Dark Phoenix, and certainly not enough to plead for a chance at survival. The primal source remained within him, but even the vast power of the Everlands' primal source could not resolve his quest for immortality. Separated from it, he would perish instantly.

And still, with the primal source nestled in his heart, he was at the brink of life's end. Without a new breakthrough, death was inevitable.

He sensed the approach of his final moments, the encroaching shadow of old age and mortality. The day he had longed for would not dawn for him; he would not witness Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit descend into the core of the Everlands, nor would he live to see the fulfillment of the Primal Soul's promise.

"Ah," the Ape exhaled, heavy with countless reflections. He occasionally clutched at his chest, feeling the primal source that had not yet departed, as if it, too, was biding its time, awaiting his demise.

Once his death was certain, the primal source would depart, returning to the profound depths of the Everlands. A new supreme being would be forged from it—perhaps a human champion or a fresh Dark Deity—but it would no longer be him.

His life was drawing to its conclusion.

"After all, it was all for naught," the Ape lamented, drawing on his pipe, his visage etched with a grief deeper than resignation. His lifelong pursuits and yearnings seemed trivial compared to the Dark Phoenix, amounting to nothing more than a wasted effort.

The Dark Phoenix alone possessed the secret to true immortality.

Suddenly, a startling occurrence.

Whoosh!

A pitch-black pagoda materialized out of the stillness of Brugeth, constructed from numerous dark chains, radiating a mysterious and peculiar magnetic field of vital energy.

Beneath the iron tower, a snow-white python coiled atop the Onyx Altar.

"Everlands, Untamed, Ape."

The white boa uttered the ancient tongue of the evilkind, its proud head bowing with an unexpected show of respect. "Our king has commanded me to deliver this to you."

A beautifully crafted Ice Shard box flew from the Onyx Altar before the white boa, coming to a halt before the Ape.

"Interestingly, I hail from a place known as the Wasteland, and our king... shares your lineage. You possess a bloodline that originates from him," the white boa stated gravely.

The Ape, feeling utterly defeated, glanced at the Ice Shard box and noticed a single drop of blood within the clear container.

The box remained unopened, the blood drop showing no signs of peculiarity.

Yet this white boa...

"Are you also a Dark Deity?"

The Ape steadied his emotions, eyeing the unfamiliar white boa. "Aside from the Everlands, no creature in this world has been born with a tenth-level bloodline."

He scoffed with contempt, "Your king claims that I carry his bloodline? Ha, what rank does your king hold? In this world, I've yet to encounter an ape with a bloodline older than mine!"

"Our king is of the eleventh level," the white boa replied earnestly.

Untamed was taken aback by the mention of 'eleventh level,' his voice and demeanor suddenly turning grave, "Eleventh level? Can an alien beast's bloodline in this world reach the eleventh level?"

"Not from this world. I come from your place of origin. As I mentioned, I am from the Wasteland. There, the likes of me, a tenth-level Beast God, number well over a hundred."

"Furthermore, Beast Gods favored by my king are bestowed with eternal life."

The white boa's piercing white eyes fixed on the Ice Shard box, declaring, "The gift from my king is the Key of Eternity. He wishes for you to accept it."

"Eternal life!"

The very thing Untamed had sought his entire life was now laid before him, reigniting the fervor in his Demon Heart.

And in that moment.

The presence he felt every moment, the one that muddled his senses and drove his very essence, stirred once more.

"Swallow it," the white boa implored with gravity. "Merge it with your Demon Heart, and you will be able to sustain your strength as a tenth-level Beast God without any external aids, gaining eternal life in the process."

Rip!

The heart of the Untamed Desolate God suddenly burst open, unleashing an agony as if it were being lacerated by a thousand blades.

"Quickly!" the white boa urged.

Sensing imminent danger, the Untamed Desolate God wasted no more time and flung open the box lid.

A drop of blood, radiating an infinite crimson glow beyond the power of words to capture, like a miniature blood-red star, was consumed in one gulp by the Ape. It seamlessly integrated into his heart.

Boom!

The Ape manifested his Dark Deity form, a colossal giant ape towering into the sky, its dense fur swirling with a tumultuous sea of blood.

The stellar drop of blood steadied the Ape's beast heart, quelling all of his turmoil and madness, and mended the scars within.

The Origin, nurtured deep within the heart of the Everlands, recognizing the futility of its efforts, withdrew decisively.

Whoosh!

With the Origin now vanished, it embarked on its predetermined trajectory towards the vast expanse of the Everlands, under the white boa's peculiar gaze.

The Ape was not dead. In this desolate void, he was engaged in the intricate process of reforging his bloodline chain.

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