C2057 The Sword Opened the Ashlands
Above the Ashlands, a grand and expansive hall crossed into the realm from beyond.
A piercing light poured through a breach, illuminating the once dim world with sudden brightness.
"Ugh!"
The Blood Warriors of the Dawnbringers and the people of the Starborn felt the intense light from the opening. Their blood began to boil, and the hidden bloodline chains deep within their hearts seemed to stir into visibility.
Canli, born with the Altar of Rebirth, shone resplendently under her crown, bathed in the light of the source.
The powerful light that bathed the hall brought warmth and tranquility to all of the Dawnbringers and some of the Starborn.
"Light Spirit!"
Without a doubt, the Dawnbringers knew it was the Light Spirit's radiance that fell upon the mysterious hall in the Abyss.
"Evil Temple!"
"The Abyss, that legendary Holy Temple!"
High Priest Reid, along with Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and other titans, gazed up at the sky of Tyria.
The fierce battle came to a temporary halt.
Shadow Mountains still roamed Tyria, and the Levi River, along with the Path of Undead, continued to disperse countless ghosts and souls.
Yet, due to Demon God Bertain's defiance and the emergence of the Holy Temple, the clash of combatants ceased.
"The time has come."
Inside the furnace, Bertain grinned broadly and gave a slight bow to Cao Jiaze, "I eagerly anticipate your awakening. However, I do not wish for you to take over my body upon your return, to wield your power through me. This young one from Ebon Star will suffice for your use."
During the battle in the Everlands, its will had descended, leaving a lasting impression on Bertain.
Particularly after learning that Yu Yuan, the Lord of the Abyss, had embarked on a path of defiance, attempting to refine the Primal Soul of the Abyss, Bertain was emboldened and inspired.
"Master!"
A voice, laden with emotion and nostalgia, suddenly echoed through the Holy Temple.
Boom!
The Everlands shook violently as the power of the Abyss, erupting from underground fissures, flowed into the Holy Temple like a mighty river.
The majestic and solemn hall, set within the world of the Ashlands, welcomed the infusion of diverse powers.
The profound power of the Abyss, originating from the Everlands, and the radiant power from beyond, converged within the palace. One descended from the heavens, the other ascended from the earth, rendering the palace increasingly magnificent.
It seemed like the hall, which only sporadically appeared in their dreams, was a symbol of the Way of Heaven and an emblem of power and dominion.
Each individual hailing from the Everlands, endowed with their primal origin, experienced an inexplicable sensation upon gazing at the palace—they were drawn to it, yearning to approach.
It was as though by entering the palace and undergoing a certain rite of passage and recognition, they could access a higher echelon of power through this ancient and enigmatic structure—the power of the eleventh level!
Members of the Shadowkin studied the enigmatic palace, observing the intricate patterns and symbols on the stone walls. Their bloodlines were awakened, radiating a divine brilliance.
Others among the Shadowkin sensed the vitality of the Tree of Life within the hall, feeling an unusual surge of life within themselves.
"Evil Temple!"
Taishi, Taixu, Tianqi, and Xuanli, the four God-Kings, found themselves imbued with newfound intellect and spirit after the descent of this hall into the Ashlands.
Remarkably, the four God-Kings had been roused from their slumber by its presence.
An aged figure, stooped and withered, materialized on the hall's stone wall.
He, alongside the Serpentflame transformed into a furnace, did not cast his gaze upon others but fixed his eyes on Yu Yuan.
"Lord of the Abyss, my master," he intoned with reverence.
His address as "Master" sparked premature flashes of memory within the transforming dominant soul of Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan's dominant soul vibrated, instantly fostering a profound connection between his flesh, soul, and the hall itself.
This sensation was akin to wielding the Dragon Slaying Stage with effortless command.
The Evil Temple was the paramount Divine Artifact of the Lord of the Abyss, a tool for commanding the Abyss Evil Gods and waging war within the Abyss.
Once Yu Yuan fully awakened, the palace would be at his command, transforming into a weapon of doom as formidable as the Dragon Slaying Stage, compelling the mightiest warriors across all realms to bow in submission.
With a creak, the massive stone door, as if barricading time and the cosmos itself, slowly swung open.
Within the hall, colossal Evil Gods of myriad forms stood tens of thousands of feet tall—some floated in the air, others coiled around immense stone columns, and some crouched upon the ground.
The Dark Demon, the Dreadlord, the Soulreaver, the Realm Devourer—Yu Yuan had encountered these Evil Gods previously in the Illusionary Origin Realm. Once again, they made their presence known.
Amidst the multitude of Evil Gods, a translucent dark jade pillar stood, revealing the devil soul of Bertain. The towering Demon God, with his face framed by a red beard and a high forehead, bore a smile both rugged and hearty, as if nothing in the universe could pose him a challenge. Even as a captive, suppressed in the hall by the guardians and numerous Evil Gods, he showed no signs of despair.
He chuckled while looking at Yu Yuan in the Evil Temple.
"Greetings, Lord of the Abyss!"
Upon Yu Yuan's arrival, the Evil Gods of the Abyss noticed him and immediately prostrated themselves within the grand hall. The Evil Gods, previously adrift in the void, descended one by one in a gesture of reverence.
Each Evil God from the Abyss worshipped only the real body of Yu Yuan. To the Evil Gods, the body housing his dominant soul was the true Lord of the Abyss.
The sight of dozens of Evil Gods bowing to Yu Yuan in the vast Holy Temple sent shockwaves through the inhabitants of the Ashlands. Except for the enlightened few like Jihui and Hamm, the rest of the formidable beings felt a chill run through their bodies.
With Yu Yuan as the master of the Abyss and the ruler of the Evil Temple, revered by all Evil Gods, what chance did they have for survival? Their hearts cried out in despair.
"Bertain!"
"Yet another Bertain!"
The Evil Gods within the hall suddenly took notice of an image of Bertain on the walls of the furnace. This Bertain, identical in aura and form to the one imprisoned within the pillar, possessed a significantly weaker devil soul.
It dawned on them that the great Demon God Bertain, capable of countless incarnations, had left another devil soul in the Origin Realm—one within the furnace itself.
As the Evil Gods reeled in shock, the Bertain within the furnace also cast his gaze upon them. Moreover, the furnace itself began to drift towards the Evil Temple.
"In the world of the Abyss, my power has its limits amidst the boundless darkness. But you dared to enter the Origin Realm, revealing yourselves within the domain I command."
The two Bertains let out a cry.
Beyond the Ashlands, across the Sky Fiend's Zionidall, the Zagreus, and numerous other Mysterious Realms teeming with Sky Fiends, the cries of countless Bertains echoed.
Countless Bertains, as if awakening from a deep slumber, responded to his devil soul.
With a resounding roar, the furnace burst into fierce flames, crackling within.
The remnants of the Fire Phoenix, Vermillion Bird, Fire Dragon, Flamingo, and Fire Kylin, once crushed by the furnace, transformed into vital energy that flowed along the furnace walls, aiding in its structural metamorphosis.
In an instant, the furnace morphed into a purple-red refined iron monstrosity.
A devil soul, as if clad in refined iron armor, boldly approached the floating Evil Temple.
Inside the hall, the Demon God Bertain, perched upon a stone pillar, ceased speaking and erupted into boisterous laughter.
"Haha! Hahaha!"
His laughter crescendoed.
The Evil Temple quaked violently, its doors flung open, and the hunched guardian gestured invitingly.
"Enter, please!"
Bertain, draped in refined iron armor, strode into the hall with a carefree demeanor. Countless devil souls, streaming through the breach, merged into the armor's soul.
It was like birds flocking to their nest.
Once the armor entered the hall, the doors shut once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The hall, home to innumerable Evil Gods, trembled intensely. Accompanied by a fearsome roar, it plummeted from the heavens to the Everlands.
The Temple's guardian seemed to anticipate that Bertain's refined demonform, once freed from the Abyss, would inevitably seek out this place.
He was aware of the impending confrontation.
Yet, he had already reached the Ashlands and sensed the presence of that entity, aware that they had transformed the Origin Realm's Everlands into a new Genesis Continent.
In this fresh Genesis Continent, with the Evil Temple presided over by that entity, it would wield unmatched power.
A power far surpassing that of the Genesis Continent within the Abyss!
With or without it, the difference was night and day!
Boom!
The colossal Evil Temple now stood within the Moonfall Sanctuary.
Its vast expanse enveloped the Forgotten Ruins, Godsblight Marsh, territories of the Silvermoon Empire, the Forgotten Ruins, and the Serpent Spine Mountains.
The Temple now claimed nearly half of the Aetherius Continent for itself.
It had supplanted the God-King palaces of Boulderdawn. As it settled upon the Everlands, a myriad of sinewy tendrils sprouted beneath it.
Rooted in the Everlands like the roots of a tree, with even more tendrils extending downward, it was steadfast.
The sinewy roots, akin to resurrected Evil Gods, tirelessly labored for the Holy Temple.
This rendered the temple exceedingly stable upon the vast Everlands, achieving a remarkable harmony with the land.
It was destined to soar from the Genesis Continent, to remain united with the Primal Soul of the Abyss, never to be parted.
Its descent fortified the fundamental rules of the Everlands, empowering the land to consume more cosmic energy and transform greater amounts of Abyssal power.
With its presence, the will of the Primal Soul deep within the earth seemed bolstered by a formidable ally.
"Master, I shall first purify Bertain and then await your return with reverence."
The guardian's silhouette emerged on the temple's stone walls. Faceless, yet his confidence was palpable, his conviction unshakable that Bertain's demise was certain.
"In light of this, let us breach the Ashlands."
Yu Yuan emerged from the Everlands, witnessing the anomalies affecting the Solar Spirit, Primal Blood, and Primal Vitality. He turned his gaze to "Eiwrone," and the Dragon Slaying Stage flew from its real body into the hands of the Solar Spirit.
Radiant, rainbow-hued light streamed from the Dragon Slaying Stage to "Eiwrone," instantly altering the star's form into a long, luminous blade, as dazzling as a sword's edge.
"Open the heavens!"
The star transformed into an edge, trailing a peerless spatial blade, becoming a sword light capable of rending the heavens and earth, cleaving through the wall that had materialized in the Ashlands.
Crack crack!
The violet-gold wall, like immense dragon scales, turned from invisible to tangible, exploding into fragments as it was cleaved.
