C2011 The Power of the Primal Anima

At the volcano's mouth that connected to the outside world, more fire-attribute beast kings like the ninth-level flamingo and lava turtle were forcibly dragged into the Everlands. The ninth-level warriors of the Fire Lizard Clan suffered the same fate, pulled into the fray.

The Earthfire, awakened from its long slumber, began to demonstrate its might, sifting through the Star River to seek those worthy of its attention. Any flame creature caught in its gaze could not hide or escape its inevitable destiny.

In the Wasteland, a frog expelled suns from its realm, which plummeted into a volcanic crater. The seven suns crashed into the Earthfire, the embodiment of Blazing Fire, yet barely caused a stir. For the Fire Spirit, consuming and assimilating such burning suns was merely an instinctual act of nourishment.

Objects of pure flame energy like the suns stood no chance against it. Should it desire, should it "open its mouth," every sun, meteor shower, and magma pool across the worlds would be effortlessly drawn to it. This included the advanced beings who had absorbed the essence of celestial flames into their very bodies. None could elude its grasp!

With a resounding boom, the colossal lava turtle burst apart under an immense force, unable to even emit a cry of distress.

The disintegrating fire phoenix suddenly released the Cosmic Crucible, which it could not assimilate. Forged from Serpentflame and integrated with President Lyi's Sunsilver Body, the Crucible stood at the heart of the Fireheart Mountains.

The Cosmic Crucible began to expand, resembling a malevolent Divine Artifact capable of consuming the lifeblood and bones of creatures, emanating an ominous red glow. Flickering flames danced around the Crucible like sprites, and upon lifting its lid, the imprinted fire magic unfolded into intricate, beautiful patterns.

The Crucible acted as another maw of the Blazing Fire, swallowing the alien beasts and Otherkin drawn from all corners of the Fireheart Mountains. The shattered remains of the lava turtle and the blood and bones of other ninth-level alien beasts cascaded toward the Cosmic Crucible. Even the fire phoenix, with its body exuding a constant stream of fiery light, was drawn into the furnace's embrace.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen ninth-level Emberfiends and several ninth-level Otherkin, whose very essence was fire, had been reduced to streaks of bloody luminescence, vanishing within the Cosmic Crucible. The only ones still desperately struggling were the Sun-Swallowing Frog from the Wasteland and the fire phoenix. The Blazing Fire, emanating from the Fire Spirit, was ruthlessly grinding down their fire-based lives as if they were mere ants beneath its power.

Outside the mountain range, figures like Wuran of the Devil Palace, Cao Ji, and Lu Hongpeng of the Sword Sect, all at the height of their primordial spirit power, showed a flicker of surprise in their eyes. They had heard Jihui's mental call, urging them to leave the Fireheart Mountains and disregard the unfolding events. They were even instructed to ignore the sun that was ominously drawing nearer to the Everlands. The disturbance in the Earthfire of the Everlands had evidently been sanctioned by another of its kind, the very being that had granted them their origins. Despite their intense curiosity and concerns, they had no choice but to withdraw obediently.

"You should leave as well," Yu Yuan called out, arriving beside the now-expanded Cosmic Crucible on the Dragon Slaying Stage. He saw Zhou Cangmin and Yue Mu approaching and gestured for them to back away. "Depart from the Fireheart Mountains. The Everlands' most fearsome flame is about to act, and you could be caught in the crossfire if you're not careful."

For the sake of his ambitions, to ascend to a higher echelon of Primal Anima, the Blazing Fire was unyielding and merciless. It mattered not whether they were beings from the Origin Realm or alien beasts from the Wasteland; if deemed valuable, they were unceremoniously drawn into its fiery embrace. Now, countless alien beasts and Fire Lizards, those not even reaching the tenth level of Heir of Blood, lay dead.

Their blood and bones had been consumed by the Cosmic Crucible.

The fire phoenix, once proud of her exceptional abilities, had amassed numerous fire sources in the Wasteland and mastered nearly every aspect of the fire rule. She was a figure akin to Tan Xiaotian there, yet now she found herself utterly powerless to fight back. The Blazing Fire was merely an initial form of Primal Anima, yet the dominion it displayed over those strengthened by fire was so absolute that even Yu Yuan felt a profound heaviness in his heart.

He pondered whether he could withstand an attack if the Primal Blood, Primal Vitality, and Primal Soul ever turned against him. Could he hold his ground?

What if the Light Spirit from the Genesis Continent and the Dark Anima from the Abyss's summit, rather than favoring Tan Xiaotian and Cardo, chose to annihilate them? Would they, too, be like the fire phoenix, helplessly awaiting their demise?

Consider a Primal Anima, an incarnation of the cosmic order, manifesting as a mere low-level blazing fire. When it unleashes its true power, it holds such dominion over all beings sharing its fire attribute. How much more formidable must a higher-level Primal Anima be?

To all creatures of the world, the so-called Evil God, Beast God, Primordial Spirit, and Demon God of the Three Realms, what significance do they hold when faced with such transcendent beings? They are but ants!

Boom!

A wave of sorrowful defiance, refusing to bow down, seemed to resonate with his current state of mind, threatening to detonate deep within his soul. Yu Yuan's entire being, from his physical form to his spirit, quivered as if struck by lightning.

In that moment, he was acutely aware that he had been battling this fight for eons—through one lifetime, then another, and yet another. Each life was a step towards this ultimate confrontation, a battle he was destined to fight.

Perhaps he had faced defeat time and again, and had "died" several times over. But his resolve remained unbroken, unwavering even in the face of death.

"We must go!" Yue Mu inhaled deeply, wielding the Rillrender to whisk Zhou Cangmin away in a streak of sword light, swiftly departing the scene.

The frog from the Wasteland had at last become a stream of blood-hued light, merging into the Cosmic Crucible to become part of the energy needed by the Blazing Fire.

Now, within the Fireheart Mountains, the sole survivor was the fire phoenix. She had arrived in her real body, which had been reduced to nothing but a skeleton of red agate—her fiery plumage, blood, flesh, and organs all dissolved away. The skeleton, stripped of feathers and flesh, with empty eye sockets save for two burning flames, stood as a stark emblem of desolation.

She was unable to utter a cry for help, unable to emit any soulful waves for rescue, nor could she muster any vital energy.

She was on the brink of meeting the same fate as the frog.

Whoosh!

The figure, crafted in the likeness of Mo Baichuan and hidden within the Earthfire, was propelled by the power of the Blazing Fire and erupted from a volcano.

It bore the essence of Mo Baichuan's soul and blood, yet it lacked flesh, blood, sinew, organs, or even a face.

It was not Mo Baichuan at all!

It strode through the void, stepping on orbs of flame, drawn by the Cosmic Crucible, which ushered it into its fiery maw.

With a splash, it plunged into the crucible.

Within, the Blazing Fire had stripped vital energy from countless Fire Spirits of the Origin Realm. Submerged in this inferno, the Hellfire Skeleton attempted to forge blood and flesh.

But its efforts were met with repeated failure.

The thick essence of blood and flesh clung to the Fire Crystal Skeleton, but as it neared the transformation into actual flesh, it would collapse, reverting back into vital energy.

Without the "life dew" from Yu Yuan, a vibrant heart formed first within its chest cavity, rendering all other attempts futile.

Thus, it ceased its futile struggles.

And so, the Blazing Fire continued to surge from deep below.

Soon after, a verdant and obsidian essence from the Everlands invaded Yuan Lianyao's mind, forcibly blending with her dominant soul to create a divine object akin to a branding iron.

This divine seat, now suffused with numerous fire magic, began to undergo rapid transformations.

The divine object, glowing like a heated iron, oozed with fiery essence. Accompanied by Yuan Lianyao's anguished screams, she was propelled towards the divine seat by her "Red Demon Bell."

Yet she was unprepared; her Unbound state was not yet solidified, and she did not meet the criteria to ascend to the Supreme God level.

She wished to pause, to wait.

She knew that with her current physical state and her grasp of the profound meaning of fire, a forced ascent to the Supreme God level would be premature and dangerous.

The likelihood of her soul shattering was high.

Even with the aid of the Blazing Fire, being thrust to the Supreme God level against her unstable foundation meant her divine seat was marred by significant flaws.

It was incredibly unstable!

She wanted to pause, to take a moment to catch her breath, pleading for such reprieve.

But the blazing fire paid her no heed.

To the blazing fire, the integrity of her Supreme God seat, whether it would lead to a miserable death in the future, and her current pleas and screams, meant absolutely nothing.

Being a nascent Primal Anima, it lacked sufficient intelligence and spirituality, and thus was devoid of any semblance of emotion.

It simply acted in the manner it deemed fit.

Yu Yuan heard Yuan Lianyao's agonized cries and, glancing down, he realized that during her moment of unstable power, she had been forcibly infused with the essence of the blazing fire, dragging her into the process of forging a divine seat.

He could turn a deaf ear to the fire phoenix's desperate calls for help.

But he could not do the same for Yuan Lianyao.

"Stop!"

Yu Yuan's remnant soul reached into the heart of the earth, commanding the blazing fire to cease its actions immediately.

With a swoosh, the Fire Crystal Skeleton within the Cosmic Crucible, pulsing with Mo Baichuan's vitality and essence, leaped from the viscous pool of blood, fixing its gaze on Yu Yuan.

It was clearly imploring Yu Yuan to bestow upon it the life dew, to complete the formation of its heart.

Only with this could it truly "awaken," becoming a fully realized new being.

And its emergence was a direct reflection of the blazing fire's current disposition—demanding the life dew!

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