C2037 Dark Realm Fission
"Tree of Life."
Jihui's expression shifted subtly at Chen Qinghuang's words, a cold glint flashing in his eyes accompanied by a snort. It was clear that he was aware of the Tree of Life's existence and its formidable power.
"Tan Xiaotian!"
Unable to contain himself, Jihui's gaze landed on the Eiwrone as he pondered a way out.
"What is she talking about? What's the secret connection between the Tree of Life and the Dark Realm? Jihui, are you keeping something from me?" Han Miaoyuan's frown deepened, his mood already soured by Lin Daoke's predicament. He demanded, "You better not be up to any tricks behind my back!"
"It's not me. I'm concerned about what Tan Xiaotian might do," Jihui replied with a frosty tone.
"What could Tan Xiaotian possibly do?"
Han Miaoyuan was genuinely puzzled, his knowledge of the Abyss paling in comparison to Jihui's.
His own ventures into the Abyss had been under Jihui's guidance, and all the wonders he had witnessed were shown to him by Jihui. He had only been able to gaze from a distance at the Evil Temple on the Genesis Continent, never receiving an invitation to enter.
He regretted not being able to step inside to behold the Great Demon God Bertain or to converse with the guardians of the Holy Temple, which also fueled his dissatisfaction with Jihui. As for the other mysteries lurking in the endless darkness, he was utterly clueless.
"We'll discuss this later. Once the Everlands reach the Ashlands, you'll learn the truth without me having to say much," Jihui said, deliberately vague and maintaining a cool demeanor.
As Jihui and Han Miaoyuan conversed, Yu Yuan learned through the Secular Bird Queen about Cao Ji's final memories. The enigmatic Tree of Life, paired with the Thunder Spirit, resided in the perpetual darkness.
Also nestled within the darkness was the vast expanse of the Genesis Continent, where Tan Xiaotian sought the essence of darkness. The Primal Soul of the Abyss was there too, coexisting with the eternal darkness.
In the depths of the endless dark, three known Primal Animas had been identified: the Primal Soul, the Dark Anima, and the Thunder Spirit.
In the Origin Realm's Dark Realm, the ancestral home of the Shura, darkness and cold coexisted in a forbidding dance.
The darkness there bore a striking resemblance to the oppressive shadows Yu Yuan had encountered on the seventh level of the Abyss.
Cao Ji, a practitioner of plant magic, had once ventured into the Dark Realm and made some intriguing discoveries. Upon advancing to the level of Primordial Spirit, and with insights from Jihui and Han Miaoyuan about the Abyss, he became fixated on a colossal Magic Tree said to reside there, sparking a series of speculations.
Even on the brink of death, he was still piecing together this puzzle, and he managed to unravel it. Thus, when the Uxthar Tree absorbed his power, it detected the undissipated essence of the Tree of Life. It was only after a thorough sensing that it uncovered a hidden secret.
"After the Abyssal Gate crumbled, the Tree of Life, rooted in the darkness of the Abyss, might attempt to encroach upon the Dark Realm. Tan Xiaotian, with the aid of the Dark Anima, has possibly ascended to the eleventh level."
"The Dark Realm is at risk of being breached by the Tree of Life, which would forge a connection with the Abyss."
Chen Qinghuang relayed this knowledge from the Uxthar Tree to Yu Yuan, urging him to be vigilant.
"The Tree of Life approaches," she declared, her expression icy as she cast a glance at the verdant Divine Tree at her feet. "Fear not. With my presence in the Origin Realm, this so-called Tree of Life will not trouble you."
Ironically, the Uxthar Tree itself was the one truly dreading the Tree of Life. Upon hearing of its impending emergence in the Dark Realm, it grew more anxious than anyone else.
Yu Yuan, deep in thought, finally spoke, "We should not concern ourselves with the Dark Realm for now. With Yuan Le and Zhiya present there, the Tree of Life's contact with the barrier between worlds will surely alert them."
He was confident that with the formidable presences of Yuan Le and Zhiya in the Dark Realm, any action from the Tree of Life would be swiftly revealed.
His attention would remain on the Dark Realm's developments, yet he would not allow it to distract him from the pressing matters at hand.
Currently, he had no time to concern himself with the disturbances in the Dark Realm; his attention had to remain on the present.
Seated upon the Dragon Slaying Stage, his real body fixated on the burning Everlands.
He also had to be vigilant of Cao Jiaze and Han Qi, who had achieved a breakthrough using the Path into Shadow and likely ascended to the highest realm.
He had a premonition that the Primal Soul of the Everlands could, at any moment, possess Cao Jiaze's body, just as the blazing fire had once possessed Yuan Lianyao.
In the Ashlands, even a swordsmanship prodigy like Lin Daoke, with power nearly at the eleventh level, did not intimidate him.
His real concern lay with beings that could be possessed by a Primal Anima, such as Cao Jiaze or the transformed Yuan Lianyao.
Such extraordinary existences, when possessing a suitable host, could defy the fundamental rules of the Ashlands, even manipulating its core laws.
The blazing fire, using its spiritual sense, had previously inhabited Yuan Lianyao's body, summoning an inferno that drew together countless streams of fire.
Meteor-like flames and all elements related to fire energy were suddenly under the blazing fire's control.
Even as the master of the Ashlands, he was powerless to intervene in matters of the flame's dominion.
If so, how much more dreadful would it be if the Primal Soul hidden deep within the Everlands were to possess Cao Jiaze and manifest its high-level Primal Soul powers?
When Yuan Lianyao emerged from the Cosmic Crucible in the guise of the Fire Demon Ancestor, the unrefined spiritual sense of the blazing fire would surely emerge from the Crucible of Evil.
It would once again seek to enter Yuan Lianyao's corporeal body, which would be the perfect vessel for it to exhibit its formidable powers.
The blazing fire would become even stronger, and if Cao Jiaze were to appear in the Ashlands, he would be exceedingly formidable.
Certainly beyond Lin Daoke's ability to contend with.
"Origin."
With these thoughts, he gazed at the two strands of green and black Origin in his hands and mused, "Legend has it that the Great Demon God Bertain could destroy the Origin seeking to flee back to the Everlands at the time of its downfall. If he could do it, then surely I can too. I want to see if the Everlands will feel pain when I shatter the Origin."
As the words fell, two blood-colored light barriers enveloped the Origin. Tianqi and Xuanli, who were under the Origin's spell, continued to resist its terrifying pull. As the barriers solidified, both warriors visibly relaxed, exchanging glances that reflected their shared relief and lingering fear. For these two God-Kings, resisting the Origin's seduction was no small feat. They had experienced a moment when their souls seemed lost, assailed by infinite illusions and the creeping dread of succumbing.
"Lord, it's futile. Even with your eleventh-level Solar Spirit, you cannot break through these two Origins," Jihui said with a wry smile, patiently explaining, "Bertain succeeded because he reached the eleventh level through a Path of the Soul similar to this. To annihilate the Origin, you need your real body, your Dominant Soul. However, if you attempt to refine the Origin with your real body, you might end up merging with it and unlocking all your memories."
"I'm curious to see what choice you'll make."
In a flurry of motion, countless crimson bolts of lightning danced within the blood-colored barriers, forming the Heaven-Opening Sword Array, intent on annihilating the two Origins. Yet, inexplicably, these forces, capable of reducing stars to dust, seemed to pass through the Origins as if they were mere phantoms. The most potent secrets of blood magic and the bloodline rules he had mastered were as ineffective as striking at the air.
With a whoosh, another Yu Yuan, who had previously stood shoulder to shoulder with Youyu, materialized out of thin air. This Yu Yuan, having ascended to a Demonic Vessel through the Lunar Spirit, joined his Solar Spirit counterpart in observing the two Origins. Situated in the Ashlands, he had sensed the essence of the Primal Vitality and grasped its thoughts. While the Solar Spirit proved inadequate, his Demonic Vessel seemed to possess the capacity to obliterate the Everlands' Origins.
"Undead Lord!" Jihui's face grew tense, and he couldn't help but cry out, a hint of dread flickering in his eyes.
Yu Yuan was an eleventh-level Solar Spirit who seemed convinced that the primal origin could not be destroyed. Conversely, it was the Lunar Spirit that eroded his confidence.
Yu Yuan, whose Lunar Spirit corresponded to the Primal Vitality, also ascended through the Path of the Soul and wielded the power of the "Undead Lord." The pinnacle of soul arcane could shatter the Everlands and diminish the energy of the entity beneath the earth.
"Lord, please don't!" Jihui implored, panic creeping into his voice.
At that moment, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit Body witnessed a scene unfold before him. A blood-red star in the Dark Star domain began to tremble.
Ji Ningshuang, who had been refining the Stardust Blade, emerged from the frigid ice spires beneath the earth and vanished from the Dark Star domain. She and her sword tore through the fabric of space, leaving the Dark Star domain and reappearing in the Dark Realm.
Having previously mastered ice magic in the Dark Realm, Ji Ningshuang had been tasked by the Primal Blood Continent to undertake a mission there. True to the Secular Bird Queen's words, an anomaly was indeed occurring in the Dark Realm.
The moment Ji Ningshuang set foot in the Dark Realm, Yu Yuan understood that the extreme coldness sequestered within the Primal Blood Continent was intricately linked to the Dark Realm. Previously, the Dark Realm was known only for its bitter cold, not its darkness, which was an external force.
Cao Ji's speculation was correct; the Dark Realm bordered the deepest darkness of the Abyss. Perhaps this proximity was why the Dark Realm suffered from the encroaching darkness, with Frostfell becoming shrouded in shadows.
The Dark Realm was destined to become the Starry Sky Forbidden Zone of the Origin Realm, creating boundaries and barriers to halt the spread of darkness—a grand strategy indeed.
"Before me, there was one favored by the extreme cold, an unknown Shura who sealed the Dark Realm, isolating it from the Origin Realm to prevent the darkness from spilling out and affecting the neighboring Astral Domains," Ji Ningshuang reflected silently, aware that Yu Yuan could hear her thoughts. "Regrettably, that path led him to his demise."
"Don't worry about me," she continued softly. "This time, I believe I can survive and maintain the seal on the Dark Realm."
